Sickness And Healing - Zac Poonen
Sickness And Healing - Zac Poonen
Summary
This sermon addresses the relationship between sickness and healing from a biblical perspective. It encourages the audience to understand God's sovereignty in all circumstances, including illness, and to rely on faith and prayer. The central message is that healing comes through God's power and the proper understanding of scripture.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Dealing with the roots of sin for church unityTo preserve unity in the church and in families, believers must cleanse themselves from pride and selfishness.
Jesus as the ultimate example of unselfishness and humilityJesus had zero selfishness, always seeking to please the Father, and humbled himself by becoming a servant and obeying God to the death of the cross.
True humility is secret obedience to GodWhile human humility focuses on outward behavior toward people, biblical humility is primarily about obeying God in the secret areas of our lives, such as keeping our thoughts pure.
Addressing the major problem of sickness among believersSickness is a major problem that has affected humanity since the Garden of Eden, prompting various wrong understandings and extreme views among Christians.
Did Jesus take our sicknesses on the cross?Many Christians misquote Scripture regarding whether Jesus bore our physical diseases on the cross in the same way He bore our sins.
The true meaning of taking our infirmities in Matthew 8Matthew 8:17 shows that Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled right then when Jesus physically healed people during His earthly ministry, not on the cross three years later.Matthew 8:16–17
Understanding 'By his stripes we are healed'Comparing Scripture with 1 Peter 2 reveals that the healing spoken of in Isaiah 53 refers to dying to sin and living to righteousness, not getting rid of physical sickness.
How to approach prayer and faith when sickJames 5 instructs sick believers to call for the elders to pray, and the measure of healing often depends on the measure of faith exercised during prayer.James 5:14–15
Sickness as a result of the curse and satanic attackSickness is not sent by God as a punishment from a loving Father; rather, it entered through Adam's fall as part of the curse on the earth and can involve attacks from Satan.
Jesus never taught us to confess a lieExamining the two-stage healing of the blind man in Mark 8 proves that Jesus did not teach people to falsely claim they are healed when they still cannot see.Mark 8:23–25
Godly servants in the New Testament who remained sickBiblical figures like Paul with his thorn in the flesh, Timothy with his stomach ailments, Epaphroditus, and Trophimus experienced prolonged sickness or unhealed conditions for higher spiritual purposes.
Physical sickness is not our biggest problemWhile instant healings occurred during the early expansion of the gospel, our primary spiritual enemy is pride and selfishness rather than physical illness.
Using doctors and medicine while trusting GodThere is nothing unspiritual about using medicine and consulting doctors, as long as our ultimate trust remains in the Lord who created the elements used in treatments.2 Chronicles 16:12
Praying for healing while valuing grace above allBelievers should pray for healing when sick, but if healing is delayed, we should thank God for His sufficient grace to keep us from sin and help us overcome.
