ICS Daily Devotions
Standing Together and Believing that Jesus Heals
What are we to believe when it comes to healing?
Isaiah 53:4-5 (NKJV) Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.Matthew 8:17(NKJV) that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”
The scripture in Matthew 8:17 was written right after Jesus ministered to the crowd by healing all who were sick, He delivered those who were demon possessed and healed Peter’s mother-in- law. It was a fulfilment of what was prophesied in Isaiah 53 that Jesus took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. The words “griefs” and “sorrows” specifically mean physical affliction. Sicknesses and infirmities are the result of sin that came into this world after the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The words ‘borne’ and ‘carried’ in Isaiah 53 clearly teach that healing is part of the atonement. This was confirmed by Jesus’ ministry recorded in Matthew and with reference in particular to Isaiah. Just as Jesus was made sin for us on the cross of Calvary, likewise the stripes that He had borne for us also meant He took our sickness and pain for us. Therefore, the scriptures said that “and by His stripes we are healed” Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV) which is also mentioned in 1 Peter 2:24. The life and ministry of Jesus revealed to us that God is a healer in the New Testament just as He was a healer in the Old Testament when those who rebelled against Him were asked to look at the bronze serpent raised on a pole to receive their healing.
These scriptures will cause us to have a lot of questions in our minds regarding how some Christians have died in sicknesses and pain. We are supposed to use the word of God to check whether we measure up to what the word of God teaches! In fact, we will see more manifestation of healing in our midst if we keep teaching or sowing the Word into our lives. We will need to continue to water the seed of God’s word and reap what we sow into the congregation. It is a challenge when we come from a diversity of backgrounds and teachings to agree on the topic of healing. Therefore, it is necessary for us to agree with the above so that we will be able to be like the four good friends who agreed with their paralyzed friend and focused on Jesus’ ability to heal and forgive sins. They must have agreed, discussed thoroughly and that was the reason Jesus saw their faith.
Do we expect the Spirit of God to move amongst us when we have cell group meetings or at the weekly church services? Are we connecting our faith in God or being indifferent? Is it just another church ritual that we go through on Sundays? What is the condition of our hearts when we come before the Lord as a corporate body either online or onsite services? Do we come with an earnest intense expectation to meet God and also for Him to minister to His children?
Sermon Series – Friends to Look for in a Crisis
