CHRIST THE HEALER

The Character & Nature of God The first thing I want to look at, in this course on Healing, is the fact that God is a GOOD God! Now, that may seem like an obvious statement, but theres a multitude of Christians who dont seem to have a revelation of the fact that God is not their proble . hen they face the trials of life ! when sickness comes, or calamity strikes ! you hear them say, Well, I dont understand why this is happening to me, but I know that God must have some reason for it!. "ut, the fact is# $od is N%T TH& C'()& of their *roblem! $od is not your +roblem! ,ets begin our study, by looking at a key verse from the "ook of -ames. JAMES 1:16 - o not err, my beloved brethren. Now, -ames is about to tell us something in the ne.t verse that will hel* to !eep us out of error, as we study the ord on Healing. I want to stay out of error, dont you/ ell, hes about to tell us something that will kee* us straight in line with the truth! ,ets see what he says# JAMES 1:16-17 - o not err, my beloved brethren. !very good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and "ometh down from the #ather of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. There are two great truths I want to *oint out to you, from this *assage of )cri*ture. "#$ G%& &%ES N%T CHANGE Notice what it said, in the latter *art of verse 01# 2In whom there is no 'ariableness, neither shado( of turnin)3. I like this verse better in the +hilli*s translation# It calls $od... 2The 4ather of lights, with whom there is never the sli)htest 'ariation or shado( of inconsistenc* 3. I like that! Theres not even a SHADOW of inconsistency in $od! God is not INC%NSISTENT! He isnt one way one day, and then another way the ne.t! Hes always the same! 'nd, its a good thing, for us, that He is! How would 5ou like to )erve a $od that was 2Inconsistent3/ 6 hen you approached Hi , youd never know what kind of mood Hed be in! 6 hen you ca e into His presence , youd never know whether $ed re"eive you or not! 6 hen you pra*ed, youd never know whether Hed answer you the same way He did last time , or not! It would be awful! "ut, thank $od, we never have to worry about that ha**ening, because G%& NE+ER CHANGES! $od is never inconsistent!

",$ E+ER-THING THAT G%& HAS E+ER GI+EN T% .AN/ HAS 0EEN A G%%& AN& A 1ER2ECT GI2T3

,ook again at verse 01# 2&very )ood and perfect gift is from above...3 $od is a )ood $od! He lo'es us, and He would never give us anything that would harm us! In 7att. 1#1! 00, -esus said that not even an earthly father would give his child something that would cause him harm! He went on to say# 2If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, H% 7%8&, shall your 4ather which is in heaven give G%%& THINGS to them that ask him/3 $od is a G%%& $od, and He only gives 2good gifts3 to His children. Conclusion4 Now, if thats true, then it stands to reason that IF WHA !O"#$E GO IS %O A &GOOD' A%D A &(E)FE* ' GIF + HE% I M"S HA$E HAD A%O HE) SO")*E+ O HE) HA% GOD, Can you see that/ If God onl* )i'es 2good3 and 2*erfect3 gifts, and *ou ha'e so ethin) thats not 2good3 and 2*erfect3, then it "ouldnt have come from $od! It must have come from somewhere else! Now, for those of you who have been struggling, thinking that, 27aybe sickness comes from $od3, in order to fulfill some 9ivine +ur*ose ! %!&' '!! I# 'I()*!'' +,''!' &$! &!'&! Is Sic!ness a Good and 1erfect Gift5 ell, before we look into the "a$ Sic!ness robs ord, lets consider these facts# 7(CH

en & (o en of their effecti'eness for God4

$od has commanded each one of us, as believers, to go into all the world, and *reach the $os*el to every creature. Now, how are you going to do t-.t, if youre bedfast with sickness : disease/ 5ou cant! Its im*ossible! ,t this point, somebody usually says- Well, I know bedfast people who spend all their time praying! Its true that you c.n pr.y while youre bedfast. ,nd, thank God, t-ere#s . /.y that bedfast people "an get involved in fulfilling the Great (ommission. .ut, thats not God#s 0est! Gods .!'& is that you &()A!' .nd t-en &GO' prea"h the Gospel to a lost and dying world! /esus said, (r.y ye therefore the %ord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest. ,nd, the very ne0t word that "ame out of $is mouth was, Go!. Go your ways, behold I send !O" forth... 1%uke 23-45 6'o, a person who "an O%1! ()A!, is only fulfilling HA1F 7# W$,& /!'8' ',I ! 6God wants us to G7 after we +9,:! ,nd, if youre bedfast, you "ant 7 both parts! 'o, sickness li its our abilit* to fulfill the $reat Commission! 9oes that sound like a good and *erfect gift/ No/ 'll right then, consider this, as well... "b$ Sic!ness R%0S people of the abilit* to carr* out their duties in the ho e3

It robs en of the ability to care for their families! It robs (o en of the ability to care for their children! It robs children of their *arents care! It cuts people do(n in the *rime of life, robs the of their future, and causes tre endous heartache ! 9oes that sound like a 2good3 and a 2*erfect3 gift/ No! It sounds, to me, like the work of a THI&4! ;'nd, his name is 2)atan3!< Jo-n 12:12 - 1&his is the dividing line of all of the .ible! If you know this verse, then you "an rightly divide the Word of &ruth5 ; & HE HIEF "ometh not but for to S EA1, and to 3I11 , and to DES )O!- I am "ome that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. In this verse, -esus is contrasting His %wn works, with the works of the devil. 'nd, in essence, Hes saying the same thing that -ames said, in the verses we began with. Here6s the Standard to 7ud)e b*4 "a$ If it STEALS/ 8ILLS or &ESTR%-S/ then *ou can !no( that it6s a (or! of the ene *3 !If it steals, kills or destroys, then )'T'N did it! It has his 2finger!*rints3 all over it! "ut, on the other hand... "b$ If it6s a G%%& GI2T 9 if it )i'es life & life ore abundantl* , then $od did it! ;It was born out of His loving, giving Nature!< Thats how you can tell! Conclusion# )o, then, =udging by what -esus said ;in -ohn 0>#0><, and by what -ames said ;in -ames ch. 0<, then SIC8NESS .:ST 0E A ;%R8 %2 THE &E+IL! Its not of $od! It co45dn#t be! Its not a 2good3 or a 2*erfect3 gift! ,ets see if our conclusion can be backed u* with )cri*ture! ;Ill give you ? witnesses!< "#$ ACTS #<4=> 9 $ow god anointed /esus of *a<areth with the $oly Ghost and with power- who went about doing GOOD, and HEA1I%G... This verse is talking about the 2H&',IN$3 ministry of -esus. It says that He went about 2doing good3 and Healing! ;8ight there, we can see that healing is 2 )ood3! 2&very 2good3 and *erfect gift... comes from above3! )o, healing, obviously, must be of $od!<. ho was -esus healing/ all that were O(()ESSED OF HE DE$I1... for God was with $im. I want you to notice, that in this verse, +eter calls sickness : disease SA A%I* O(()ESSIO%! )'T'NIC %++8&))I%N The word 2o**ression3 in this verse, means 2to e.ercise harsh control over another *erson3.

In other words, +eter said that SATAN was e.ercising 2harsh control3 over these *eo*le through sickness and disease! Thats what 2sickness3 is! Its 2harsh control3! It binds *eo*le u*, so they cant live normal lives! "ut, $od anointed 7ES:S, to go and set them free! Now, I2 G%& ;ERE THE A:TH%R of sickness and disease, and THEN HE AN%INTE& 7ES:S T% HEAL the *eo*le, then $od was guilty of (or!in) a)ainst Hi self ! and -esus said that a kingdom divided against itself cant stand! )o, $od isnt the author of sickness! )atan is! +eter called it SATANIC %11RESSI%N.

",$ L:8E #=4#<9#? 9 ,nd he 1/esus5 was tea"hing in one of the synagogues on the 'abbath. ,nd, behold, there was a woman whi"h had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and "ould in no wise lift up herself. ,nd when /esus saw her, he "alled her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. ,nd he laid his hands on her- and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. ,nd the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, be"ause that /esus had healed on the 'abbath day, and said unto the people, &here are si0 days in whi"h men ought to work- in them therefore "ome and be healed, and not on the 'abbath day. &he %ord then answered him, and said, &hou hypo"rite, doth not ea"h one of you on the 'abbath loose his o0 or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering= ,nd ought not this woman, being a daughter of ,braham, WHOM SA A% HA H 6O"%D, lo, these eighteen years, be 1OOSED F)OM HIS 6O%D7AGE8 on the 'abbath day= ho did -esus say was binding this woman/ )atan! )o, in 'cts 0>#?@, +eter called sickness SATANIC %11RESSI%N. In ,uke 0?, -esus called sickness 0%N&AGE SATANIC.

"=$ 1SAL. @#4> 9 ,n E$I1 DISEASE, say they, "leaveth fast unto him- and now that he lieth, he shall rise up no more. -ust reading this verse on a surfa"e level, we should be able to see where sickness comes from! 9avid called it 2evil3. "ut, lets look a little bit dee*er into it, and I think well find something interesting. The Aing -ames Bersion says, 2'n evil disease3 cleaveth fast unto him. "ut, if you look over in the margin of most study "ibles, youll see a note that says, 2Heb# ' thing of "elial3. )o, actually, 9avid was calling sickness and disease 2a thing of "elial3. Thats interesting. "ut, who was 2"elial3/ Have you ever seen that name before/ $o with me to the New Testament. ## Corinthians ?4#@9#Aa 9 A plified 0ible 9 o not be une>ually yoked up with unbelievers ; do not make mis;mated allian"es with them, or "ome under a different yoke with them 1in"onsistent with your faith5. #or what partnership have right living and right standing with God with ini>uity and lawlessness= 7r how "an light fellowship with darkness= What harmony "an there be between (hrist and 6E1IA1 7t-e de9i58 = "elial is the devil! )o, we could read +salm C0#@ this way#

,n evil disease ; A HI%G OF HE DE$I1 ; "leaveth fast unto him? and now that he lieth, he shall rise up no more. )o, theres our third witness# +eter called sickness and disease SATANIC %11RESSI%N -esus called sickness and disease SATANIC 0%N&AGE and... 9avid called it A THING %2 THE &E+IL! )o, we can *lainly see from '"ripture, that sickness is not of $od. "ut, we could have reached the same conclusion, sim*ly by looking at the effe"ts of sickness and disease. It STEALS, 8ILLS and &ESTR%-S! Its not a 2good3 and 2*erfect3 gift. Therefore, it must have had another source ! other than $od. )ickness is inconsistent with the Character and Nature of $od! $od is a good $od. 'nd, whatever bad situation you may be facing in your life, right now, $%9 I) N%T TH& C'()&! $od isnt your *roblem! Hes your solution!