Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

I Wound And I Heal Pt.8

Greer, come on up here for just a second. She’s out guarding kids. Are you in Toddlers or Nursery tonight? Toddlers? That’s a good one. Come on over here and look at all these happy faces. Scary up here sometimes. Some of you have heard… We’ve just been real proud of our girls this year in all that they’ve accomplished in the National Tournament. A number of our girls made All-Tournament Team, and there’s an invitation for a select group to come back and play in an All-Star Tournament that are All-Stars from among the All-Tournament teams. So it’s the All-Stars of the All-Tournament teams. It begins to become a pretty elite group. Greer was invited back to that, but because of some things in the ministry here that were important, her desire to be here and to continue in that particular area, didn’t choose to go back for that particular event and it’s from that event that they select an All-American team—and you need to remember, this is truly a nation-wide tournament. I was looking through some of the brochures of things past, teams from the Bahamas have been here; it’s more than national actually, it’s an international thing, but primarily national. The teams, outstanding teams from California, one boy scored down there—I was reading in the magazine to where they’ve put his jersey from that tournament in the Basketball Hall of Fame—not their Hall of Fame, the Basketball Hall of Fame. Young man hit 21 three-pointers in a game down there and scored 79 points, a pretty amazing feat. A number of young people who went through that tournament, have gone on to play in the NBA, etc., so just to help you all see that this isn’t just something that a few churches have put together; this is a true national recognition. In the midst of that, we learned last week, that even though she chose not to go, Greer was selected to the All-American team. We are excited about that, praise God, to see someone that was chosen nationally as a true All- American. We were delighted in that, everybody was rejoicing, praise God, it was a great accomplishment for her. Two days subsequent to that, we got notice again from the director, that out of all these that were selected to All-American, that Greer was chosen the female Basketball Player of the Year in all divisions, one, two, and three; and was chosen as the female Basketball Player of the Year. So we want to give honor to whom honor is due, praise God. I think we need to recognize that (applause).

Hallelujah. We’re proud of her and all of the accomplishments, but the thing that stood out to me in what was shared… I don’t know how many of you know that Riverdale Baptist, just over the river, has one of the outstanding basketball programs in the nation, both private and public schools. You know we have some of the best Basketball schools, high school schools in the nations—I don’t know if you are aware of that, with DeMatha and Gonzaga and Bishop and all of those. And with all of these being premier, most of them always being ranked in the top-ten high schools in the nation, with that going on, Riverdale Baptist this year was ranked I think in the top five schools in the nation, both public and private. Their girls were ranked third in the Metro area, which is the toughest area, they were at this tournament in division one. Their girls were there. Greer was picked as the outstanding basketball player, female Basketball Player of the Year. But here’s the thing that was such a blessing. They said there are number of things that go into consideration for this award, their basketball skills, their academics, and they said one of the things that weighs the most is their spiritual character and the words they used were something like this, they not only spoke toward Greer but toward the young people we brought down there. Our last two years down there have made quite an impression. And they said there was no comparison; that she was head and shoulders in Christian character above anybody that had been through the program. Can you say praise God for that? Let’s thank the Lord for that and give Greer that honor. Hallelujah! (Applause). Do you want to say anything?

Praise God. Amen. She said, "I don’t have anything to say." She said, "I’m just overwhelmed." On her little bio that was sent in, she just said, she wanted Father, as always, to have all the glory. Praise God. We’re proud of you. Amen.

Great, great things to see this fruit and that’s what it’s all about. We came about that close to not sending our kids this year. There were some things that I was concerned that I was seeing in some areas of an over-emphasis in the program and basketball and some of these areas. I was concerned about the time and effort being put into that, with a decrease in our outreach, our evangelism and some of these different areas. Our kids need to understand, we’re not here for playtime, we’re here to serve in the Kingdom, and we’re here to be about Father’s business. As I talked with Jeff and some of the others and just encouraged him to bring a word to the young people and make sure that the vision was clear and a re-stirring of the hearts in this area and to understand the reason we were going down there. We were not going down there to play basketball alone, we were going down there to represent the Kingdom of God, and then play with all of our might—and play to win—but we were there first to glorify Jesus. I wanted to make sure that we were going with that as the attitude; and of course our young people primarily exhibit that, and just like you and I, we need to be stirred up every once in a while, amen? We wanted to make sure that that was stirred up—and we were confident that it was—and that our kids could go in the spirit that we desired. We were able to send them and we thank God for what He’s done and the glory that He’s gotten out of it.

Let’s turn in our Bibles to the book of Numbers. We made reference to this passage, and I think it’s important in our study to stir up in our minds as we’ve seen the covenant being fulfilled in Jesus in Matthew 8, the fulfillment of Isaiah 53. As you know, we went back and took a little time looking into the Day of Atonement and seeing what the sacrifice of Jesus was all about. It was a once for all victory that was won. It was a once for all price paid for the redemption of you and I. Redemption means a buying back. You and I were kidnapped, we were taken captive, and God ransomed us. We were valuable enough to Him that He bankrupted Heaven in the person of Jesus Christ to buy you back. What does that do to you? Easter’s coming, Good Friday’s just a couple of days away and we look at the death on the cross. That was for you. Jesus’ death on the cross was the value God put on your life. People that are enemies of God in the natural, totally depraved in our nature, ugly, defiled, overcome by the power of sin, legally owned by Satan, and He bought us back. He loves you. He has a value on you to the point that He calls you His inheritance. Within all of that purchasing back was also the desire to restore back to us His fallen glory, wholeness—spiritually, psychologically, and physically. And so that’s what we’ve been studying. We have a right to our victorious living. We have a right to peace of mind. We have a right not to be dominated by sin’s power. It’s in our members, the thoughts are going to come, the temptations are going to be there, but we are no longer under the power of sin, amen? Sin no longer has dominion over us, we are not our own, we’ve been bought with a price—the precious blood of Jesus.

So here we are, the ransomed of the Lord, the redeemed. The Scripture says we ought to say so and begin to make that declaration of who we are and the price that was paid and what the benefits are. So we were looking at that Day of Atonement, and we saw that that scapegoat went into the wilderness, the place of desolation to where there was no return—sin cannot come back upon us as the redeemed of the Lord. Because of that we need to understand that with Good Friday coming, it was won on that day. It was won on that day! Now you’ve got to remember that the crucifixion, the resurrection, are one act combined; you can’t really separate them, you can’t have one without the other in the plan of God. So it’s a finished work. John 3 says this, look over at John 3 while you’re are holding Numbers there, they’re real close, same Bible. In John chapter 3, we are looking at this passage that you and I are all so familiar with and most of us have heard. Most of the world has heard of John 3:16, but 14 and 15 aren’t real well known. The Scripture says this to us in John chapter 3, verses 14 and 15, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. [verse 16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The most popular verse, of course, being verse 16 is embraced because of the fact that it perceives God’s motive, God’s love, but verse 15 shows the act. John 15, you know you don’t go to football games and see John 3:15. God loved us and that was the motive, but the act was the lifting up of the Son of God and that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish. Believeth on whom? The Lamb that was slain from the foundations of the world—not to believe on just an arbitrary love, this ancient grandfather who is there to in every way embrace His little children regardless of their behavior, the God of love who accepts us just as we are—it’s a God of love who had to pay a price to change us from what we were into what He expects us to be through the price paid and recognized here in verses 14 and 15. It refers back to the lifting up of this brazen serpent in Numbers that we’re going to turn to. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness…" Have you ever wondered about that? We’ve talked about that in the past but, to me, if you are going to have symbolism, and you’re going to look at this instrument that’s raised up, why shouldn’t it have been a lamb? You know, go make an image of a lamb and lift it up and hold it up and whosoever looks will be healed. We know that they were being bitten by fiery serpents and they were dying at this time that the declaration was made. It was a punishment because of their murmuring and their sin and their departure from God. Those serpents came to punish them, they were in a position of being exiled again in rebellion to the plan of God; and in the midst of that rebellion He said take this and make this serpent, put it on a pole, lift it up; whoever looks will live.

Whoever looks will live. The symbolism here at this juncture, no one knew that these words would be spoken by Jesus—the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb slain. No one had any indication of what was going on at that time, but they did have the assurance that what God spoke was true, and that if they would look, they would live. Little did they know that that symbol of serpent that is so often attributed to Satan, that creature that was the mouthpiece to the solicitation of sin, was going to be emblematic, symbolic of God becoming sin with our sin that we might be made righteous with His righteousness. That as Jesus was made sin and hung on that cross, He became ugly. His visage so marred that you couldn’t even recognize Him as a man—and I don’t believe that it was just from the physical abuse in Pilate’s judgment hall, I don’t believe that was just from them smiting Him in the face with their hands, the crown of thorns, the cat-of-nine-tails that ripped the flesh from His body. It was more than that, it was the weight of sin, our sin, your sin, my sin, that made Him ugly—sin is ugly. Yet He was made sin with our sin that we might be made righteous with His righteousness. Oh, God so loved you that He provided a sacrifice, that verse 15—say it with me—"whosoever." Praise God, it’s available to everybody. Whosoever what? Believes, would receive eternal life. That eternal life, we saw, has to do with healing.

Go to the Numbers passage for just a second. In the book of Numbers, as we look at this 21st chapter, we’re going to look at 4 through 9. I think it’s interesting to see the context of this. "And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way." You know there’s not a whole lot that makes you more discouraged than being sick, disease-ridden, weighted down with pain and lack of energy. We’ve all been there to different degrees in our lives, and it’s a discouraging thing. And in the midst of their discouragement, of course, they typically would murmur, and it says that they, "spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. [This manna]" The spirit we want to look at here for just a moment is this: Egypt’s methods many times are a lot easier, the quick fix. We’ve talked about the quick fix, the aspirin, the Tylenol, the whatever it is, but I want to tell you something beloved—and there is a point, we’ve spoken to that—but so many of us are so quick, because we loathe the light bread—what God has provided to sustain us—we loathe that method of God’s sustaining power because we want to go to Egypt where everything was quick, there was a 7-11 on every corner. We talked about the heritage for our children and how important it was, and when was the last time you sat up all night with your child with a cloth on their brow, praying that God would manifest His presence, and that they would be healed? I want to tell you something. Much of the time, they are not going to be healed by the visitation of God as you are praying right then. But you have provided for them a treasure that can never be taken out of their heart, if you can bring them to understand that as for me and my house, we are doing it God’s way—the ability to trust God!

We were talking about divine healing out at the Pastor’s Conference. Kimberly was sharing how she and Star were raised. I was sharing with the men, I said, "look, I’m not in any way saying that this is what you should do, I’m saying this is what we did." Our children were raised without any kind of medication, and knowing to pray and believe God when they were not feeling well, and to stand. There was something worked in them. Kimberly was sharing their hearts and part of her conviction, they were asking, "well you know, as a young person where were you?" She said, "and my mind was this: hey, if Dad isn’t going to take any medicine, I’m not going to take any." We’re talking about years and years without even taking one aspirin, and they watched that, and they said, "if Dad doesn’t have to, we don’t have to." They watch our lives. They are going to do what you do and how you train them up in the way, when you rise up, when you walk in the way. We never told them they couldn’t have any. They in no way looked down on people who took medicine. Janet was taking medicine at that time. There was no way despising that, it wasn’t a despising thing, it was knowing there’s a better way, and to want the better way. As that’s being instilled in our children, you’re giving them beloved, an inheritance that’s worth more than all the money in the world—the ability to trust God. Because this world is going to come to a place, I read it, it’s back here in the back of the book—that money’s going to be no more. And we are going to have to know how to trust God as believers for our sustenance.

Now watch what this goes on to say. I just want you to see that these little children were watching this murmuring that was going on by their parents and loathing what God had provided. It is easier sometimes the world’s way, and even though you don’t see the manifestation, I want to tell you something, that most of those aches and pains, most of those fevers, most of this sickness, won’t kill you. And yet there is the delusion in natural man that says, "yeah I understand, but you know if one of the big things really comes, I’m going to trust God." No, you won’t. It doesn’t work that way. You prove yourself faithful in the small things that God might cause us to rule in the great ones. And so a lot of what we’re doing here is training our children up. A lot of what we’re doing when you confront these things in your household, beloved, is trying to get your children to lift up their eyes and look on the One that’s been lifted up, and live. It doesn’t have anything to do with this momentary problem; it has to do with whom we’re trusting in, whom we delight in, and what we loathe. Look at the wording again, there’s no bread, they’ve brought us out of Egypt to where there’s no bread, neither water, and our soul hates what God’s provision is. "And the Lord sent fiery serpents [poisonous] among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. [Everyone who looks shall live.] And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived..." What we want to talk about tonight is this: God wants everyone of you healed. God wants His people whole! The price is paid, we saw it in Isaiah, and we saw it in Exodus. "I am the LORD that healeth thee." We saw it in the great day of atonement, and it’s the purpose of God for you and I to lift our eyes and look at the Lamb that’s been lifted up, the price that’s been paid, the healing is for all of us.

Turn over to Matthew 12 for just a second; let me show you something. As we look through the scriptural passages, I’d encourage you to spend a little bit of time meditating on these—just go over these passages and over these passages and over these passages so that the first thing that comes to your mind before you pray for anyone, before you lay hands on the sick, before you believe God for your own healing is this: He wants all of us healed, amen? The first thing that should come to your mind is not, I wonder if this is an exception, this looks kind of hard, this guy is dead, that’s a hard one. We’re going to talk about raising the dead a little bit and how we need to realize that God wants to manifest His power in our midst in that way, but there is a reason for it, and we want to understand the reasoning of God. In Matthew, chapter 12, verse 15, we’re looking again at the ministry that the Lord is manifesting, verse 14 says, "Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him." Jesus, you remember, had just healed the man with the withered hand and they were more concerned with the traditions of men and they were making the Word of God of no effect; and Jesus as usual, reproves them for it. It says they were out counseling how they could destroy Him, "But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he [what?] healed them all." Healed them all! Why don’t we see everybody instantly healed like Jesus did? Well beloved, we’ve got to understand something. God wants us all healed, everything is in proportion to our faith, the purity of our hearts. Jesus moved in the perfect will of God, Jesus was that prototype, Jesus is what you and I should be believing to do—what He did in His ministry. These things shall you do and greater things than these shall you do because I go to my Father, amen? Where are they? Well, that’s a commission given to us; that is something that’s been spoken to us to strive toward. The fact of the matter is, no one is ever going to get there, but it doesn’t mean that we can just sit back then and say whatever God wants to do. You and I have to ask ourselves the question, am I doing everything in my ability to be the best I can be for the Kingdom of God? Or has some of the zeal left, have these things been robbed from me, the expectations of what Jesus provided? The fact that He was the prototype for us, He was God, but He was also man. He represented God; He represented man; and He’s showing you and me what we can do if we would move in perfect faith, in perfect humility, in perfect love, in perfect obedience.

So with that in mind, when you understand that Jesus healed them all, that’s the will of God. He came to express the will of God. I didn’t come to speak my words but the words of He that sent me. I didn’t come to do my will but the will of He that sent me. Now you and I don’t have the capability He does, we don’t have the ability He does, that’s a given. We are not going to be able to heal everybody that’s brought to us, because the fact of the matter is, Jesus did a little better job than you and I do. But the heart of God is revealed here. The will of God is revealed here, and what you and I are to be expecting to manifest is revealed here because He said go into all the world, make disciples, heal the sick, cast out devils; and that’s the commission that’s been placed upon us. Jesus was that expression.

Turn back if you would to chapter 11. One of the really beautiful passages of Scripture as it relates to the doctrine of healing is found in the 11th chapter of Matthew, and it’s from the questioning of John the Baptist. Now the one thing that we know about John is that there is no greater man that ever lived who was born of a woman than John. He’s the greatest prophet. (We’re not including Jesus, of course. He wasn’t born of woman in the sense of being solely human.) And the Scripture says in chapter 11 that as Jesus had commissioned the twelve, He departed to teach and to preach in the cities. "Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" Isn’t this the guy who had said behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world? Isn’t this cousin John, the forerunner? Isn’t this the fulfillment of the prophecy that Elijah would come?

Have you ever questioned? Oh not me, man, I’ve never questioned. I have. I’ve been discouraged. I’ve been in prison; I’ve been just about to have my head cut off and said, "Lord, I’d really like a little bit of confirmation at this time. Lord could you somehow encourage me and answer my questions?" No, if you don’t believe, tough. "Lord, I believe, [what?] help thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:24) I believe Lord, but I’m a little short right now. If I were you guys I’d leave that John, doubting Me, questioning. What’s wrong with him that he doesn’t have faith? He’s going to die anyway, just come on over to our group. "Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John [that doubting John, no that was Thomas wasn’t it?], What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." How is that? In that he was the forerunner, he was that one that spoke from the old covenant and said, behold the new and better covenant is about to manifest, the Lamb slain from the foundations of the world. John was never able to enter into that work of regeneration that you and I were going to get to experience in the Kingdom reign. The greatest man born, but I want you to understand the least in the Kingdom, greater than John—a more intimate relationship. Isn’t it interesting how right in the time of him saying, "Are you He? I need some kind of confirmation." Jesus doesn’t bring any reproof on John, but in fact brings accolades. Knowing that it’s hard many times in adversity to stand. Jesus spoke toward his faithfulness, his call, and God’s purpose in his life for allowing him to be in this position of suffering and being beheaded for the glory of God. How can John know whether I’m He, the Messiah? What is it that’s going to cause his heart to leap within him and his faith to be stirred? Tell him that the blind are receiving their sight, the lame are walking, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised. How does God want to encourage people today do you think?

The people that are in prison today and asking the question, "art thou He or is there going to be someone else?" How do we answer that? How do we show them today? The same way that John’s question was answered is the way it’s going to be answered today. Through the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, this man, who you by wicked hands have slain, has God raised from the dead, and I want you to know that it’s His name and faith in His name that makes this man stand whole before you today. When we go out in the name of Jesus beloved, and we speak and we pray, and we lay hands on the blind and they see, and the lame walk and the dead are raised, I want you to know that we are doing a big hurt, a big hurt on all that man can imitate, whether they be Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses. We begin to move in another realm that goes beyond the anti-bug squashers of the eastern religions, who are pantheists, because now we’re touching men where they really are, where sin is effecting them in their physical bodies, the fears, the doubts, the pains. We’re bringing the wholeness that God has promised. Divine healing is one of the greatest agents of the assurance of the resurrection power of Jesus Christ and the presence of the person of the living God, Jehovah, in our midst. The miraculous is the expression of His presence and His intimacy in His creation. You see, a lot of people who are deists believe that there’s somehow a separation—that there is maybe some impersonal divine being—but that there is not a personal relationship, there is no concern with this planet, and surely no concern with you and I as little specks upon it. Christianity is so distinct in saying that not only is God personally involved in our lives, He can call you by name, the hairs of your head are numbered; there is that stone that’s going to be handed us with the intimacy of God, His love for us. That in the expectation of the miraculous, tell John that I’m here doing the works of my Father.

Turn over to Matthew 14 for just a second. Look down at verse 34, "And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; [when they knew he had come into the region] And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole." The whole region hears about His presence and they said within themselves, if we can touch his garment, we’re going to be healed, "and as many as touched were made whole." When you walk out into the streets tomorrow, when you go into the marketplace tomorrow, can we expect to take this same anointing with us? The Word of God tells us that we can. To expect anything less is to really not understand the Great Commission. The Great Commission is not just sharing some type of philosophy, ideology, or theology. The Great Commission is to go out and make disciples, people that will follow and understand His Lordship, and realize this whole gospel message of the intimacy of God in our lives. What are we doing when we are out proclaiming this message? Should we expect any less than our shadow to fall upon the sick and see them recover? Should we expect any less than Peter did in the raising of Dorcas? Should we expect any less than receiving power to be witnesses unto Him? It’s what we’ve been called to do. When we begin to look at this ministry of Jesus and we begin to think, "I understand that but that’s Jesus!" He said, these things shall you do and greater because I go to My Father. I’ve given you an example of what’s available to you based upon your intimacy with Me. Now stop and remember that He’s not just saying that every one of us will replicate what He did, but I believe that we, the body of Christ, this room full of people, should be able to begin to replicate some of what He did. All of us should be able to do a fraction of what He did when He said we could do what He did, and spoke to us as individuals. But what are we believing? Do we really believe that we can lay our hands on the sick and see them recover? Is this something that you and I can expect? We shouldn’t only expect it, we should demand it—not of God—of ourselves; and understand what our role really is.

Look over at Luke 6 for just a second. Luke 6, and these passages that over the years have become familiar to many of us. Verse 12, "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve…, And he came down [verse 17] with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed [who?] them all." What an exciting thing! Now what does this do? When people know that God’s presence is in that place and the Lord’s power was present to heal them, but then the Scripture goes on and says, they didn’t know it. We’ve talked about how it draws individuals. You say it’s just selfishness, people just want the bread, the miracles. That’s true many times, and there’s a time when you recognize that and address it, and Jesus did. But there are times when He didn’t address it because He was fulfilling that mission that He spoke to John the Baptist: what I’m doing here is the indication of who I am, the Messiah, the Son of God. This is God’s purpose; I’m here for that reason. We need to go out believing that, we need to believe that God wants to do miracles to show Himself mighty that He might be glorified. We’re going to look at that in the next couple of minutes just before we finish for tonight. The reason for all of these healings is that God would be glorified. We’re looking at all of these Scriptures that say He healed them all, then I’m going to show you a bunch of Scriptures that shows the response: And they glorified God. And they glorified God. They were healed and they glorified God. They were made whole and they glorified God. They were delivered and they glorified God. That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing, that God would be glorified. But people, it will get their attention.

A number of times we’ve had this happen in our own lives to where this same thing of the multitudes just thronging people. I remember in Haiti this happening one time, and it was really kind of sad. The people are rushing the platform, and the security there was very concerned, and we’re here preaching the gospel and trying to lay our hands on people. I can remember standing on the platform, trying to lay hands on people, and people are grabbing me and pulling at my clothes and about to pull me off the platform, and the police come up and they start hitting these people with billy clubs. I’m trying to pray for them, and they are beating them with clubs. I thought, that’s just more people to pray for. They are excited when they see the presence of God. In that particular meeting as we saw the blind eyes open—we have pictures of them somewhere, actual photos—you can see the blind were healed, and the deaf. We have one of the greatest pictures of this boy’s face just lightening up, his eyes and his face, as for the first time in his life he was ever able to hear as we laid hands on him in the name of Jesus and God opened his ears. What a beautiful picture of that boy’s face! It speaks volumes of having been touched by Jesus, and what it does to humanity that’s bound and broken.

When we were in Korea holding meetings there, we were in—I can’t remember the town, I can’t remember a whole bunch of that trip. I remember that we preached from the North Korean border to Pusan, the southern tip. I can remember being so exhausted after laying hands on over a thousand people, preach for two hours, lay hands on a thousand people, I don’t remember how long that took. I can remember after laying hands on the last person, being grabbed and ushered out into a waiting car and driving for 90 minutes to preach for another two hours and lay hands on another thousand people, and get to the car to drive for another hour and a half to go preach two more hours, and finished that. We preached over thirty-some times in 21 days throughout the nation. Preaching to tens and tens of thousands of people. I can’t remember what the meeting, the biggest meetings we were in up there, just tens of thousands of people and to see the power of God.

The one that stands out, we were up near the North Korean border and we were in that camp. What a blessing! Serving in the Kingdom is very interesting. The night before we were in Hotel Lotea in Seoul, five star hotel, fabulous hotel, just as nice a hotel as you can stay in anywhere in the world. The next night we were given the finest facilities in the place as we were up near the North Korean border—they were nicest in that Janet and I had a private room, I can’t remember what it was, it might have been a 10x10 room. Others were sleeping in rooms that size that would have 20 to 30 people in them. This place was packed, and we slept on the floor on a grass mat, and our bath was, as we woke up that next morning, we bathed, we had some Wet Ones. We took the Wet Ones out and bathed ourselves, and the Wet One container became our bathroom, and to flush, you just threw it out the window. Being the type of person I am, I like to have sound (whoosh), made me feel at home. You are out about Father’s business and in that particular meeting I can still see it—I don’t remember that particular service, we had multiple services. I arrived after having preached enroute. We never went anywhere; we preached enroute to somewhere. We finally arrived, I think, in that vicinity I think that night at about 2 o’clock in the morning, and the people were all there waiting. I went in to preach at 2 o’clock, there were about five thousand people. As we preached, we preached from 2 until I think it was 4, and I was scheduled to preach again at 7. So we went back to the room and they blessed us with I don’t remember what it was. We slept for a few hours, bathed ourselves, and around 7 or so we were back preaching and the place was packed. The Spirit of God began to move in a fabulous way. We began to speak the Word of the Lord, the Scripture says He sent His Word and healed them—we began to speak words of knowledge to different things that were there, and people began to be healed. I can remember speaking toward this one person that had a huge growth on their neck, a goiter, and as we rebuked it, it instantly disappeared, it was gone! At that moment, the people just rushed the platform and pushed me against the back wall, and I couldn’t move. Thousands of people pressing on us, and I was trying to get away. They were trying to touch Janet and they almost knocked her down a three-floor stairwell down there. People get excited when God shows up.

I don’t know about you, but I like that being a regular part of my life, and it’s been years since I’ve known it, and I’m going to see it again. I don’t know where you are, but I’m going to see it again, God willing. I believe—and I say that not because it’s something that we’re going to do—I believe it’s something that God’s birthing in my heart. I believe that it’s something that God is preparing me for and saying, we’re coming into the last days, we need to again understand the ability to walk in the supernatural. This and this alone is going to sustain us in the hour that’s coming. As God is stirring our hearts and we’re sharing these things, beloved, this is what we’re looking for, and the ability to have that assurance that God is going to honor His Word and confirm the Word that we speak as Mark says, with signs following. You look at all of these different passages and how He healed them all; you can look at Luke 4:40, Matthew 8:16-17 that we were just studying last session, of course, Acts 10:38. We say okay, this is something that we understand now clearly God wants us all healed, the reason: that He might be glorified.

Look at Luke 17 for just a second. I want you to get these in your notes as you are refreshing your hearts in the next couple of days. Luke 17:11-19, we know this story, the ten lepers and, "which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, [verse 13] and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God." I want you to understand something—a lot of people are going to be healed, God is going to show Himself mighty—but only a remnant is going to return to glorify Him. People consume it upon their own lust, they’ll use their new found strength and health to go out and make millions, to play games, to go party. That’s not our problem, God heals because He has mercy and because He shows Himself available. But the thing we need to know is this, there’s a remnant that will turn back and glorify Him. There’s that one out of ten that will come back and say, the healing is great, but your presence is better. It’s so nice to be free from the stench of these sores, but that’s not the issue, I can now smell the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley. Your presence is my treasure. And so he glorified God and that’s what it’s all about.

The 7th chapter of Luke, look back at chapter 7, and as you see the healing power manifesting again, verse 11 of the 7th chapter, "And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched [the cot] the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people." That’s what it’s about. These signs and wonders are so that people can glorify God and know that He’s visiting His people. That’s why we’re going out into the streets; that’s why we’re going into the highways and byways. We’re not just going out there to make them feel better, we’re not going out there to try to give some kind of spiritual display, we’re out there to let people know that God has surely come in the midst of His people; He’s come to visit His people. "Art thou He?" Go tell John that these things are happening.

In the 15th chapter of Matthew, that that we’ve seen, look down at verse 29 if you would, "And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole." The maimed are people that have things that are missing? Many of the lepers would have digits fall off; some had been mutilated by animals or accidents. When we’re talking about the power of God, we are not just talking about biological disease, we’re talking about the fact, beloved, of those who for some reason are unable to speak, whether it be demonic or physiological, have their vocal cords loosed. Whether it’s through paralysis or physical damage. I’ve shared with you the stories of old Brother Merrill out in California that had a stroke—unable to speak. I can remember we used to have prayer before service, we had chairs circling out in the Youth Chapel, and would have a chair in the middle. Whoever was sick would just come and sit and we’d go lay our hands on them and pray. He had a stroke and was unable to move in his bed. I remember being at his home and laying hands on him and praying and God raised him up and he was able to come to church, but he was still paralyzed in his vocal cords, he couldn’t speak. I remember that Sunday night, just prior to service, laying hands on him, and he just began to sing in tongues, praise God! He was unable to make a sound, his vocal cords, everything was paralyzed, and he just began to sing in the spirit and just continued the whole evening to worship God in the Holy Ghost! That God has visited His people. "…lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel."

Oh Father, be glorified! It’s our hearts desire to be instruments to see You glorified. His Word is alive in our midst and He wants to show Himself mighty and to be glorified. There are other passages. I won’t go into them right now. The purpose is that God would be glorified, that the people would know that He’s come in our midst. You can argue all you want with those that hold to Joseph Smith’s doctrine, but the question is "art thou He or do we seek another?" And He’s risen, and His name and faith in His name make people whole, and that’s our testimony, and that’s our ministry. Father, we ask that You would show it in our midst and confirm our words with signs following. Let’s stand before the Lord tonight.

Hallelujah, hallelujah! Just praise Him, just hunger for that visitation. See yourself now a vessel of God, see yourself that instrument, see yourself taking up the Word and speaking it. See yourself laying hands on the sick. See yourself proclaiming, "rise and walk in the name of Jesus," because these signs shall follow them that believe in His name, praise God! All you have to do is believe. All you have to do is believe He wants to heal them all, He wants to use you tonight, praise God. Here am I Lord, send me. Here am I Lord, send me. Oh Hallelujah! Glory to God. Show Yourself mighty. Show Yourself mighty. Lord, show Yourself mighty. Glory to God, glory to God. I tell you when He begins to show Himself mighty, there are going to be people coming, there are going to be people that are looking for His visitation, you’re going to become so busy at work that you won’t be able to work! You’ll probably get fired. You’ll probably end up in full-time healing ministry. You won’t have time for work. You won’t have time to go watch any movies. You won’t have time to go play golf; you’re going to be praying for sick people and preaching the gospel. Your Good Housekeeping home will be full of people and they’ll be ripping your roof off and lowering sick people down through the roof, and there will be people with diseases sitting on your furniture because of the power of God. Jesus was never too busy when He was gone apart to pray and when He was ministering, He was never too busy. They brought hordes and set them at His feet and He healed them all, praise God!

Don’t you think that bringing this kind of ministry is not going to cost something, however. I’ve paid that price, and I’m willing to pay it again. I want to know the power of God. And He wants to use you. The one thing I’m convinced of in this move of God we’re going to know, it’s not going to be a one-man show like it used to be in days gone by. It’s going to be the body of Christ; it’s going to be each member moving in the anointing of God and the power of God. We’re not going to see the A.A. Allens and the Oral Roberts anymore. I believe it is going to be the glory of God through the members of the body of Christ. But there is no socialism in the body of Christ; it’s going to be those who seek Him with all their hearts that find Him. It’s going to be to those who show themselves faithful in the small things. Lord, here am I, send me. Heal them all, heal them all, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, and we will glorify Your name.

Hallelujah! Lord, stir it up that virtue would go out of my body that I could lay hands upon the sick, that my very shadow passing by would raise them up. I’ve known the virtue to depart when people touched the hem of the garment, when people would just reach up and grab your clothes and be whole; when handkerchiefs were taken from the body and laid upon the sick and they recovered. And Father, it’s that You might be glorified and that the people would know that You are in our midst. Father, help us not to despise when we see how easy it is for others to take their pills and we sit up at night reading Scriptures to our children. We tell them the stories from Your Word to show there’s a balm in Gilead. Be glorified in our midst. Hallelujah!

Raise up a people in our midst that would believe You, Father. Oh, Lord, a people that would know the visitation of God. Lord, don’t allow us to be an assembly that said You could not do many mighty works here because of our unbelief. Don’t allow us to be a people that You’re present to heal and we knew it not. Oh, Jesus, manifest Yourself in our midst. Be glorified, Lord. Be exalted in the midst of Your people. Show Yourself mighty, Lord, that You would be glorified and that Your name would be exalted, the praise upon our lips, Lord, that would make You high and lifted up. You are beautiful, Lord. You are beautiful. You are a fragrance sweet, Lord, to our nostrils. The Bread of Life, Lord, that satisfies us and we hunger no more. The Refreshing, the Water of Life, that we thirst no more. There is no other provision, for You are all in all. Hallelujah, hallelujah. Confirm Your Word, Lord, with signs following. Hallelujah. Glory.

Before you go, turn to somebody and say, "I’m doing it God’s way, praise God." Amen. Go in peace, God’s love go with you.

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