Was (Sickness) Sent to Teach You Something? Healing School 6/19/23

(Defining Revelation) The very words in the title, "to teach you something," are the devils' undermining of the truth of the Gospel, attempting to cast doubt on our believing God. These words and the idea behind them are not found in scripture and are contrary to what Jesus taught. God always wants to teach you something and the Holy Spirit is as always the teacher of the Church. If we learn something by willingly paying attention to God's Word, is it not God's way?

The idea of chastening on the other hand is in scripture, starting with Job and also being in Hebrews 12:7 . In Job "chastening" meant punishment like in physical hurt or affliction. But in Hebrews (Strongs #3809) it is the rearing of a child, training, education, disciplinary correction. Even in Job, the physical affliction came from the devil! After the Cross where the chastisement of our peace was upon Jesus, and the enemy was stripped of its authority what we have to deal with is the temptation and deception coming through the spirit realm! Now can you see the twisted lie that has become some traditions mantra?

Notice that during much of Jesus recorded ministry He was attempting to encourage people to believe or keep believing in His ability and willingness to heal and deliver them. Not once did He say, " have a little more patience and once you've learned your lesson (from the Bible school of hard knocks) you will be healed." He also never said, "I send to your body affliction to teach you a lesson." But what he did say was, "Have Faith in God." Mark 11:22

If we allow God opportunity to speak to us through His Word, the scripture says we are His disciples indeed! John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my Word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 15:7 If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you! Living and abiding and remaining are what is being asked of us. Isn't this the process of transformation that even the common people in Jesus' day went through right before they were healed?

Jesus did help people who were stuck in a certain mindset, such as the man at the pool of Bethesda. John 5:5-7 There was a certain man there who had suffered with a deep-seated and lingering disorder for thirty-eight years.6 When Jesus noticed him lying there [helpless], knowing that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, Do you want to become well? [Are you really in earnest about getting well?] 7 The invalid answered, Sir, I have nobody when the water is moving to put me into the pool; but while I am trying to come [into it] myself, somebody else steps down ahead of me. Apparently, that man kept saying to himself, "I have nobody to put me into the pool, somebody always steps in ahead of me." A belief born out of repeated failure? Seemingly the man didn't answer Jesus question, but let's take another look. When Jesus said to him, "do you want to become well?", the man told Him yes in a round - about way. Some people can't tell you just yes or no, without telling you a story! Evidently Jesus took it as "Yes" and healed him. Why did Jesus first ask if he wanted to be well? I believe it is because God respects us so much that He will allow us to choose based on what we believe, good or not! Lessons are learned best when God speaks to us! If your healing has been a long time coming I would tell you to go listen to God, see what He says. Lets' see, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John?

Mark 9:17- 27 talks about someone who could not ask for deliverance for themselves. 17 And one of the throng replied to Him, Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit. The thought not expressed is (so that you could deliver him), so he asked Jesus

18 And wherever it lays hold of him it dashes him down and convulses him, and he foams [at the mouth] and grinds his teeth, and he [falls into a motionless stupor and] is wasting away. And I asked Your disciples to drive it out, and they were not able [to do it]. 19 And He answered them, O unbelieving generation [without any faith]! How long [j]shall I [have to do] with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to Me.20 So they brought [the boy] to Him, and when the spirit saw Him, at once it completely convulsed the boy, and he fell to the ground and kept rolling about, foaming [at the mouth].21 And [Jesus] asked his father, How long has he had this? And he answered, From the time he was a little boy.22 And it has often thrown him both into fire and into water, intending to kill him. But if You can do anything, do have pity on us and help us.23 And Jesus said, [You say to Me], If You can do anything? [Why,] all things can be (are possible) to him who believes!

Stop right here! What if a big name modern preacher had said this to someone in this fathers position? He could have been offended. Jesus read this guys mail!

24 At once the father of the boy gave [an eager, piercing, inarticulate] cry with tears, and he said, Lord, I believe! [Constantly] help my weakness of faith! No offense but he submits to God and in doing so received his son's miracle!25 But when Jesus noticed that a crowd [of people] came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, You dumb and deaf spirit, I charge you to come out of him and never go into him again.26 And after giving a [hoarse, clamoring, fear-stricken] shriek of anguish and convulsing him terribly, it came out; and the boy lay [pale and motionless] like a corpse, so that many of them said, He is dead.27 But Jesus took [a strong grip of] his hand and began lifting him up, and he stood.

This is how it looks to me. The enemy was able to withstand the disciples attempt at freeing the son, thereby creating doubt in the father. This created desperation because of a failure on the disciples part. Desperation was trying to separate the man from his faith, but instead caused him to put all of his hope, and trust in Jesus only! When this happens, saints, turn away from your doubt and trust completely in Jesus just like this father did even though he felt weak in faith! Speak out loud what the faith in your heart is telling you! Did you get that?

If we were to say that sickness was to teach us something I think it would be that. But here's the thing. You would not have learned anything if there was no healing!

Remember, I taught last week on how God separated the light from the darkness? I said, "He also divided the Blessing from the curse?"

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 is our record of the Blessing and Deuteronomy 28:15-66 the curse. It is expedient for us to do this also! Why? Because God did it and because the blessing of God is upon His people who need to be continually thinking about what belongs to them!

Psalm 3:8Salvation belongs unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

Sometimes I think there are signs on the road to God's healing manifesting that says, " go back, road closed!" After all it might not be God's will.

I'm sure the enemy has a warehouse full of these signs and I wanted you to be on the lookout for these different ones which I will read to you now.

1) It might not be God's will.

2) He didn't heal so and so. What makes you think any different?

3) God uses sickness to accomplish His will

4) Miracles have passed away

5) God heals only when He wants to

6) Joni is still in a wheel chair

7) Paul was unable to heal Timothy

8) Miracles were only signs of Apostolic authority

9) God wants to teach you something

10) I don't deserve it

Arm yourself in advance. Scripture will tell us the truth and not put obstacles in our way.

I think at this point we should look at the story of Naaman the Syrian and his healing journey with a fresh set of eyes.

Naaman, was the Captain of the host of the king of Syria , by whom the Lord had given deliverance to Syria. He was also a leper. A girl had been taken captive out of the land of Israel to serve Naaman's wife and she told of the prophet in the land of Samaria whose name is Elisha. And the King made arrangements with Israel to come and visit Elisha.

2 Kings 5:10-14 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. The prophet spoke this as the Word of the Lord directly to Naaman11 But Naaman was pissed, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

Perhaps he thought Elisha had sway with God and could have given him a more pleasant action of faith.

12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. It just didn't make sense to his natural mind to dip in a dirty river and become clean

13 And his servants came near, and spoke unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much rather then, when he said to thee, Wash, and be clean?

Was God trying to teach Naaman something? Or did he just need to be transformed enough to obey the instructions of the man of God? Thankfully, his servants sided with the prophet and were able to reason with him enough where he got over himself and obeyed the Word of the Lord!

14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Seems like we had that desperation thing working again only this time some friends intervened and prevailed so that he would be able to receive his miracle!

It is always God's will to heal. We were not told to pray for the sick but to heal them! Praying has its place but so does the command of faith.

Isaiah 45:11 Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me." The power of God to heal is stored up for the sons and daughters of the Kingdom. If we make a demand on the finished work of Calvary on behalf of someone in need who is sick or physically challenged, that power can be released for a miracle to take place.

As in Jesus day, people are challenged in their souls with sin which may be preventing the person from receiving God's grace. Jesus would always go to the core issue right away and then clear the way for that person to receive." If we don't hear the Holy Spirits' word of knowledge first thing when dealing with someone, we may need to listen to the person tell about themselves and then get them free from whatever is hindering them, presuming God is highlighting the blockage to us in what they are saying. Some folks need time to work through issues. That’s ok, we understand. We can let them do that. I've found that the Holy Spirit can put us on the trail where the answer is by asking a few polite questions and letting people talk to us about it.

As we grow in our understanding of walking in Jesus ways we need to define how healing works and how we are to work the healing power of God for the benefit of others. It is usually simple, like what Jesus said and did. He did what the Father told Him and said what the Father had Him to say. Should be perfect results every time!

Here are the directives of Jesus to His disciples. Mark 16:17-18 "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

Wait a moment, did He qualify His directives with the word believe? Yes He did. Maybe we haven't taken that word very seriously? I'm sure He was serious. Anyway, we can look at these words in the bible and see them a little differently than Jesus meant them. If we are not seeing the results we want, it's time to raise the bar to bring ourselves to the same level of believing as the disciples. We have precedent in the Word that the disciples walked in miracles as Jesus did.

Acts 5:16 "There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one."

Acts 8:7 "For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed."

Comparison acts of Jesus

Matthew 8:16 "When the evening came, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:"

Matthew 10:1 "And when He had called unto him his twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease."

Matthew 10:8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give."

Matthew 21:14 "And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and He healed them."

Acts 10:38 "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him."

Since Jesus was the forerunner for us, we can do what He and the disciples did!

So what the Holy Spirit is teaching me about sickness is this: That I need to work on my believing the Word of God so that I can do a better job of what Mark 16 says about casting out devils, and healing the sick.