The Lord your healer – Terry Virgo

Galations 3: You foolish Galations! Who has bewitched you? Before you very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?

When Peter was in the boat he knew it was time to get out of the water. Jesus just said “Come”, there was enough power for man to walk on water in Jesus’ single word come. “Come” that was enough.

We need to fill our minds with truth. Paul says in Galations 3:5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? Keep hearing with faith. Not just hearing with analysis, hearing with faith. Paul said this is one of the keys, listen with faith.

We don’t need to be mystical like the man near the pool. We don’t need all the typed definitions before we need faith.

God has revealed himself as Healer.

Revealed plainly and clearly. □ Ex 23:25 the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you. They were a nation on the move and God said that there will be no sickness among them. Two million people, with no sickness! □ Psalm 103:1-3 Bless the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. This is one of the benefits of being his children; he heals us. Ex 15:26 says

He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

I am the Lord who heals you. It’s part of who he is, his covenant name. That’s who he is in relation to us; our healer. God often heals in answer to specific prayer. He responds to request. As early as Abraham, when he gives away his wife Sarah and God is not impressed and Abimilech becomes sick, God says, Abraham will pray for you and then you will be healed.

When Elijah prays for the dead child, he takes responsibiility, Give the child to me. He put the child on his bed, the problem isn’t going to go away on its own.

Mass Healing: Ex 15 Moses hold up a stick. Hold up the stick and all who looked were healed. (Also John 3) Healing sweeps through crowd. He manifests healing power. Ultimately he is going to heal us all, we are going to get new bodies. Jesus was buried in weakness and raised in power. The universe will be reborn. God puts things right. It’s in his nature.

What about Jesus? Hebrews 1 talks about Jesus being the radiance of the Father. The exact represenation. God is not a mystery to us, Look at Jesus, that is God on display. Jesus is the one who shows us the attitude of God. Including healing. Peter’s summary of Jesus’ life in Act 10:38 says How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. If you want a summary of Jesus life, that’s it.

In the gospels every time you meet Jesus, he’s either healing someone, just healed someone or one his way to heal someone!

There is a lot of healing in the gospels. You can’t just put it to the edges. Jesus speaks openly about suffering. He speaks about persecution and tribulation. Jesus doesn’t hide things, he’s very open with people. There’s no evidence of him counselling people to rejoice in their sickness saying to them that it’s helpful for endurance. There is no verse to fall back on.

Jesus healed consistently

Matt 12:16 “He healed them all” The people followed him up the mountain. Scripture says he healed them all. That means then, they must have all gone to sleep up the mountain, woken up the next morning and then carried on healing them all, then gone to sleep, and then got up and completed healing them the next day. 7,000 People with no sick person at the end of the 3 days. Then he fed them all. He healed consistently. You won’t find an account where someone asked Jesus to heal them and he said no. Whether big and public or a sick mother-in-law, sickness is gone. Jesus consistently healed. Jesus was never reluctant. Even when he was on his way to another healing. A continual flow of healing comes from him. That’s the Jesus we need to be introduced to. We need to be hearing with faith. This is the Jesus. He is so compassionate.

Confrontationally.

Jesus’ life was like a battle. Healing all who were oppressed by the devil. Luke 4. He came to proclaim release to the captives. Jesus came to do battle. A sense of confrontation. When the 70 returned, he said go out and heal the sick. Jesus saw Satan fall like ligthening from heaven.

Compassionately.

Jesus Matthew 9:36. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them. He felt compassion for them. Matthew 10

Jesus was moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Matthew 14:14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Mark 1:41 Moved with compassion, he stretched out his hand and touched the leper that every one else was withdrawn from. Shortest verse. Jesus wept. Jesus was moved with compassion. God will give us his compassion. He will move in our hearts.

Many years ago a young work colleague of Terry’s was very ill and was rushed into hospital. Terry went to visit him and didn’t even recognise his friend in a ward of 4 people. After asking the nurse where his friend was and being directed back to the ward he came from and looked again. He saw his friend and the devastation, he could hardly tell who he was. He was in such pain. Terry recognised his eyes, his face was all sunken in. They talked. Terry’s friend said I’ve not slept, I can’t sleep I’m in such pain. Terry was so overwhlemed. That night at home, Terry got down at his bed and said Lord, I’m not going to sleep tonight, please let him sleep. If I have to stay awake, please let hime sleep. He prayed for a long time and then felt a peace. That was the turning point, his friend recovered and went back to work! Compassion is a hugh key. On another occasion Terry felt compassion come upon him, felt a surge of compassion. Jesus will share his compassion into our lives.

Congratulatory: Jesus was congratulatory.

Mat 9:22. Your faith has made you well. Jesus congratulated faith. He pointed it out. The root of man’s sin is that he believed satan and not God. Whenever God sees absolute robust confidence in him, he celebrates it, because it’s the full the root of the problem is resolved. Jesus congratulates confidennce in him. Your faith has made you well. He celebrates and congratulates faith in him. Well done, Congratulations! The centurion said ‘Lord you don’t have to come to my home, just say the word.’ Jesus marvelled, and said truly I have not seen such faith in Israel. Another story, but Lord the dogs get the crumbs, Jesus said Well done! Don’t be offended. Jesus risked offence. Not for the dogs.. but the dogs get the crumbs, Well done! Her daughter was healed at once. God loves faith, reponsive faith plays a part. Jesus never lost his rag. How long will I have to put with you! Jesus is always perfect. If they were repremanded it was because they were worthy of a repremand. Don’t we want to know him well enough, to know his repremand. He repremanded his disciples. It was good to be told off by Jesus, scary, but good.

Comprehensively.

He didn’t half do a job. He said to the crippled man, your sins are forgiven. He isn’t just wanting our physical pains to go away. He is looking for something more comprehensive. The word that means save also means heal. Your faith has saved you, talking about healing.

Some years ago Terry spoke to a women (the couple had split and the women had started going back to church and was with another man.) She asked Terry to pray for her because she was in a lot of pain. She said to Terry it was tough in my marriage, I met this other guy who was kind and thoughful. I was fed up of my husband, so I left him. I went and spoke to a minister who said I was justified, I was, wasn’t I? No said Terry you weren’t. Yes, she said, “I know I wasn’t”. Terry was able to speak to her about the conviction of sin and was able to speak grace to her and she came back to God and the pain went instantly. He didn’t even have to pray for healing.

Sometimes its’ the other way round. One lady was sobbing and sobbing. He said receive the love of God. Whithin a week later Terry received a letter. He began to read it and was crying his eyes out, as you prayed you said receive the love of God, and God came all over her. Abuse and hardship, Jesus had completely healed her! Lady next to me who was laughing, that was my mother, God completely healed her. Terry prayed their legs because their back hurt, God met with them. God is looking for wholeness. Terry’s seen that over and over again. God is looking for more than we’re looking for. Another lady was filled with the Spirit and . Someone asked her when this happened and she told them it was when she was prayed for for healing!

Conformatory.

In John’s gospels, 7 of Jesus’ miracle are called signs. They are pointing to something. He is the light of the world. He sais if you don’t believe what I say, look at the signs. The signs confirmed the authority of his message. The proof of who Jesus was. God himself, bearing witness through signs and wonders. Paul said my message wasn’t in the pesuasive words. That your faith won’t rest on the words of man. Faith may rest on the demonstration of the spirit and power. 1 Thes.

Continously.

Jesus didn’t just start things and then they stopped. It keeps on happening. He didn’t just get it ‘up and running’. Gideon asked God, ‘Where are the miracles?’ God gave him miracles. Acts 1 :1. jJhn stott. Luke 1st two works regard Jesus as starting his ministry. I won’t leave you as orphans, I’ll come to you. From then on it breaks out all over again. Jesus still heals, he still acts, he still works his acts of power. God is acting in power.