Jesus Still Heals

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday the 15th of May, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]

In our Christian calendar, today is the 5th Sunday of Easter.  Jesus has risen from the grave, appeared before around 500 people, and ascended back into heaven.  He no longer walks this earth.  His days of mighty works and healing people of all manner of afflictions are over and done.  Or are they?

Do you remember what Jesus said while He was still among us?  He promised that anyone who believes in Him will be able to do even greater works than He did once He returns to the Father, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  He told this to His disciples, but it was saved for us as well by the Apostle John.

The disciples took these words to heart, believed completely in what Jesus told them, especially Peter.  Please listen and follow along to what the Apostle Luke recorded for us in chapter 9 of his Book of the Acts of the Apostles, verses 32 through 43, and I’ll be reading this from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

32 Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda. 33 There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately. 35 So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

36 At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. 37 But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. 38 And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. 39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40 But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. 43 So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.

--Acts 9:32-43 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to live within us, that through Him we have the same awesome power that breathes life into all creation and that raised Jesus from the dead.  And thank You especially for granting what we ask in the name of Your Son and our Lord Jesus.  Forgive us, please, when we doubt ourselves and the power within us.  Forgive us when we fail to trust in Jesus’ word that we can do even greater things than He through Your Spirit.  Please help us remember that we have that mighty power within us.  Help us use Your Spirit to help others and increase Your kingdom’s reach.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who do his bidding.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Show us how we can better serve You by trusting in Your Spirit to guide us and empower us.  Help us do what Jesus did.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

One New Year's Day in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit.  It was out of gas.  The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas.  The amusing thing was this float represented the Standard Oil Company.  With its vast oil resources, its truck was out of gas.

Often, Christians neglect their spiritual maintenance, and though they are “clothed with power”, the power of God's Holy Spirit, they too often find themselves “out of gas”.

You’ve got to love that image: the Standard Oil Co. float running out of gas in the middle of a parade.  But that’s what happens when we don’t check the fuel gauge before heading, or maybe we just don’t believe what the gauge is showing.

God has filled our spiritual tanks with His own Holy Spirit, yet too often we either don’t fully understand what that means or we just don’t believe the Spirit is there for our use.  And like the float truck, we physically run out of gas while sitting on an untouched reservoir of spiritual fuel that has no bounds.  We need to more fully trust in God’s word and the power He places at our disposal.

A couple of times now I’ve mentioned the wonders Jesus said we would be able to do.  This comes from a conversation He had with His disciples while He was still engaged in His ministry.  Jesus may have been speaking to His disciples, but He was also speaking to us since He knew we’d be reading or hearing His words.

The Apostle John saved it all for us, in the 14th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 11 through 14, where Jesus said…

11 “Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen Me do.

12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in My name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it!”

--John 14:11-14 (NLT)

We, personally, did not see the work that Jesus did, not with our own eyes.  But we read about His mighty deeds in the writings that His followers left behind for us, those who did witness the miracles with their eyes.  And we believe what they wrote, if for no other reason than because their words were never refuted by other eye witnesses.

We believe because we have faith.  We believe in Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ, and we believe in the miracles He performed.  And because we believe, just as Jesus promised, God sent His Holy Spirit to live within us, to empower us, to guide us, to be our constant Companion, to pray for us when we can’t find the words to pray for ourselves.

We have the power of God, through His Holy Spirit, within each and every one of us who believes.  This is the same power that helped create the universe, that breathes life into all things, that raised Jesus from the dead, and that gave Jesus the power and the authority to do the things He could do.  That power is ours!

So why can’t we use it?  Why can’t we heal our loved ones when they are sick?  Why can’t we calm the storm or call the rains during a drought?  Why can’t we put an end to the senseless slaughter in our streets and around the world?  Maybe we just don’t believe enough.

Let’s look back at our scripture reading for a moment, at two things I believe may be easily missed.  The first I want to look at came second in the reading, at Joppa and the bedside of Tabitha, also known by her Greek name, Dorcas.  Tabitha had died from an illness while Peter was still in Lydda, but two believers sent word to Peter asking him to come.

So what did Peter do when they showed him the body of their dear friend?  Well, first, he cleared the room until he was alone with Tabitha.  But then he knelt down and prayed.  I truly wish we knew what he prayed, the words he spoke, but Luke didn’t save that for us, maybe because he didn’t hear the prayer.  I guess the words don’t really matter, just that he prayed to God before doing anything else.

Maybe Peter remembered something Jesus once told them.  The disciples had been out healing and casting our evil spirits but they came upon one young man who had a bad spirit they could not drive out.  When they approached Jesus, He told them that this kind could only be driven out by prayer.

So Peter humbled himself before God and prayed.  Then he simply told Tabitha to rise, and she opened her eyes, sat up, and lived again.  God listens and answers prayers.

The second important point I’d like to mention came in Lydda when Peter came across Aeneas, who was paralyzed and bedridden for eight years.  Did Peter do like modern-day faith healers and put his hand on the man’s head and say something like, “I heal you in the name of Jesus!”?  Did Peter do anything at all?  No, he simply said, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you.”  “I’m not healing you.  It has nothing to do with me.  Jesus heals you.”

Jesus may have no longer been working His ministry, He may not have been there in the flesh with Peter, but He was still healing people, He was still bringing the dead back to life, He was still doing miracles.  And He was doing it all through those who believed, through those who prayed, through those who allowed God’s Holy Spirit to work through them.

I am weak, I am limited, I am not God and I cannot do Godly things.  Being able to perform miracles is not in my wheelhouse.  And no matter what I tell myself, no matter what I read, no matter what I believe in my head, as long as I hold those doubts in my heart, I will never be able to do the works Jesus did.  My heartfelt doubts hold me back.

And my greatest doubt is that God would empower me, a horrible sinner, to do wondrous miracles.  I know God’s Spirit is within me because I can feel Him guiding me.  He gives me the words to say each Sunday, the words to pray each time I am called on to pray, the words to maybe help another come to know Jesus.  He gives me confidence and courage and hope.  But I just cannot believe He gives me the power to perform miracles like Jesus did.  And I don’t think I am alone in my doubts.

Family, Jesus still heals.  He may no longer be with us in the flesh, but He is with us in the Spirit, and He promised to always be with us.  And just as He did through Peter, Jesus heals through other people, using the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within them.  We have seen Him heal.  He may use doctors and medical teams to perform His mighty works.  Or He may simply use our prayers.

If we let Him, if we can cast away our doubts long enough, He may even use us.  We just need to humble ourselves and pray, and trust in the power of God’s Holy Spirit within us.  In the blessed name of the Great Healer, Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for giving us the wonderful gift of Your Holy Spirit to live within us.  He is our constant Companion and Guide.  He encourages us and speaks for us when the words won’t come.  And He will embolden us and empower us to do great things if we would only truly believe it.  Thank You, Father, for loving us this much.  Father, sometimes we let our human feelings and doubts get in our way of fully trusting in You and Your promises.  Sometimes our fears hold us back from fully serving You.  Forgive us, Father, for our doubts and fears.  Forgive us when we heed the words Satan whispers in our ear and let the doubts grow in our hearts.  Please help us resist the devil and ignore him when we tells us what we can’t do, instead putting all our trust in You and Your word.  And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, while You walked this earth, You healed people of all manner of illness and infirmity.  You cast off evil spirits and even raised the dead back to life.  And You did it all through the power of God’s Holy Spirit.  And then You promised to have God send us His Spirit, too, that we might do even greater works than You.  Thank You, Lord, for casting out the evil spirit of sin from our lives.  And thank You for empowering us with God’s Spirit.  Please, Lord, forgive us when we let our heartfelt doubts keep us from taking full advantage of the Spirit within us.  Help us shrug off Satan when he tells us that we are powerless, that we can do nothing to positively affect the world around us.  Remind us that we have the most powerful force in all of creation living right here inside us.  Show us how to make better use of God’s Spirit in His service.  And Lord Jesus, please heal the hurts that separate and divide us.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on what this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.