Miracles of Healing – Part 1

David J. Mullins: Hey, podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jefress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: Hi, this is Robert Jefress, and I'm glad to study God's word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: Now, first of all, I want to talk for a moment about the need for physical healing. I don't think I have to make that point too long today. I think we all understand that. Did you know according to the Global Wellness Institute, the United States is the largest consumer of wellness care. We spend $1.8 trillion a year in neither trying to prevent illness or trying to heal illness.
David J. Mullins: Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jefress. Most of us do everything we can to stay well. And when illness comes anyway, we pray for strength and wisdom. But how often do we simply pray for healing? Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jefress shares what the Bible says about miraculous healing and considers whether God still heals today. But first, let's take a moment to hear some important ministry updates.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. You know, at some point you have to ask yourself, isn't it time to step off the treadmill and actually get away for a while for a relaxing vacation? In the busyness of life, it can be almost impossible to hear the voice of God. That's why I want to personally invite you to join me on the Pathway to Victory journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. Imagine encountering God in the very places where biblical history was written. Imagine walking where Paul walked and sailing where he sailed. This isn't just a vacation. It's an invitation to hear from God in a way you never have before. Reserve your spot today at ptv.org. Well, few subjects stir up more confusion than the topic of miraculous healing. In today's world, do we really find blind men who suddenly see or paralyzed people who get up and walk? Does God still heal like that? These are important questions, and they deserve clear biblical answers. That's exactly what today's message is all about. I want to cut through the confusion and show you what scripture actually teaches. And stay with me toward the end of today's program because I want to send you my brand new hardcover book called Divine Invasions. It's yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. More details later. Right now, let's open our Bibles and consider what God's word says about today's topic, Miracles of Healing. Do you believe in divine healing? I do. I've experienced it. When I was 15 years old, a sophomore in high school, I was going on a mission trip to Puerto Rico. About two weeks before we left, I lost all the feeling in my right arm. My parents took me to a neurologist. They couldn't find anything wrong. They said there's no reason I couldn't go on the trip, which I did. And after several days there, one evening I felt impressed to ask God for healing. And I cried out to him, asking him to bring the feeling back in my arm. I went to sleep and was awakened shortly with the sensation that the feeling was back in my arm. The next morning I called back to our home here in Dallas, and my dad answered the phone. I told him what had happened. And of course, he was excited about it. he told me that while I was gone, my mom had gone into the hospital for a minor procedure and encouraged me to call her in her hospital room. I did. And after I told her what had happened, she said, No, what time was that last night? And I told her. She said that that night while she was in the hospital, our pastor Dr. Criswell had come by to visit her in the hospital. And she said, Oh, pastor, would you please pray for Robert? And she told him what was happening, and they had a prayer that night together for me. And when we looked at the time zone change and so forth, it was exactly at the time that I awakened with the feeling back in my arm. I believe it was a miracle. As I've said often, quoting Dr. Criswell, I don't believe in faith healers, but I believe in faith healing. Amazingly, many people believe in neither. They don't believe in faith healers, understandably, but they don't believe that God heals in today's world. I came across an article by our friend Lee Strobel, and he made the point that most American evangelicals have relegated healing and miracles to another time, biblical times, or to another place in third world countries. But they have a hard time believing God heals here and now. And you see that, Strobel says, in the way most Christians pray about illness. When they're facing an illness or they're facing the illness of a loved one, how do most people pray? They pray for encouragement for the person who's sick. They pray for strengthening. They pray that the doctors would have wisdom. They pray that the surgeon would have skill in the operation. They pray for everything except for healing. Why don't we pray for healing? Well, that's what we're going to talk about today. Why we should pray for healing and how we pray for healing as we continue our series, Divine Invasions, experiencing miracles in your life today. Now, first of all, I want to talk for a moment about the need for physical healing. I don't think I have to make that point too long today. I think we all understand that. Did you know according to the Global Wellness Institute, the United States is the largest consumer of wellness care, of physical care. We spend $1.8 trillion a year and neither trying to prevent illness or trying to heal illness. That's what we're trying to do, trying to delay the inevitable aging and illness that comes or at least trying to deal with it. When I think about that, I think about a couple in Florida, Jacob and Rebecca. Jacob was 92 years old, Rebecca was 89 years old, and they decided they wanted to get married. And so they were walking down the street discussing their upcoming wedding ceremony. And when they came to a drugstore, they walked in and Jacob struck up a conversation with the pharmacist. He explained that he and his girlfriend were about to get married. He said, Congratulations, that's wonderful. Jacob said, Well, I want to check out a few things. Do you all sell a heart medicine here? He said, Yes, we have heart medicine. Medicine for circulation problems? Yes, we've got that too. What about rheumatism, arthritis? Do you have pills for that? Yes, we've got that here. How about walkers and wheelchairs? The pharmacist said, all sizes, all shapes, we've got those. Jacob said, Great, we'll use this store for our wedding registry. Now, we laugh. It's better than crying, isn't it? But the truth is we're all going to be there one day when we need that kind of medicine. Why is that? You know, in Ecclesiastes chapter 12, turn there for a moment. Ecclesiastes chapter 12, I think you'll find this interesting. All of us know verse one. Remember your creator in the days of your youth before the days approach when you will say, I have no delight in them. But notice what he says about that verse two. Remember your creator in the youth before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened. That's a reference to the diminishing of mental capacity, perhaps dementia. And goes on in verse three. Notice the descriptions of illness here. The watchmen of the house tremble. In verse three, that pictures the shaking of hands and arms. The mighty men stoop. That's a reference to the legs and the knees. The grinding ones stand idle because they are few. That's the image of the loss of our teeth. Those who look through the windows grow dim. Refers to the weakening eyesight, cataracts. The doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low. Speaks of becoming hard of hearing. One will arise at the sound of the bird. That's an image of not being able to sleep, getting up when the rooster crows. All the daughters, verse seven, all the daughters of song will sing softly. Suggest losing control over our voice, have a weakened voice. Next he says, and men are afraid of a high place and of terrors in the road. Refers to that fear of falling. The almond tree blossoms. That's a very nice way of saying the hair is graying, but that's what the picture is. The grasshopper drags himself along is the image of walking slowly. The caper berry is ineffective. I had to look that up. Do you know what a caper berry is? It was um ancient aphrodisiac for the loss of Well, you get the picture. Young children in the room, I won't go there too much. But the whole point is this is what happens. Now, you may be saying, This is the most depressing sermon I've ever heard. Let's just pass around the revolver and end it all. But this is your future in Ecclesiastes 12. This is my future. Job 5:7. Remember Eliphaz the friend of Job who said, Man is born for trouble just as the sparks rise to the sky. The fact is we're going to have trouble, and part of the trouble we're going to deal with is illness. Why is that? Let me tell you the basic reason for illness. We live in a body with an expiration date on it. These bodies we inhabit were not meant to last forever. They were meant for a limited time use. If you've ever heard me do a funeral service before, you know I often quote 2 Corinthians 5:1. For we know that if this earthly tent, which is our house, is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, but eternal in the heavens. Paul says our body is like a tent. Now, I don't know if you've ever spent a night in a tent before. One of the worst decisions I ever made as youth director here was to take our seniors on a senior trip, and I got the idea it'd be great to go on a camping trip and to stay on the beach at Port Aransas for a week in the month of June. It was the most miserable experience of my entire life. Trying to stay in that tent for a week. You don't want to live in a tent anywhere. It's fun for a night or two, but tents were not made for permanent dwelling. That's what Paul is saying here. These bodies are just a tent that need to be folded up until we see the building that's made with God's hands and that is eternal. They will be free from sickness because it will be free from sin. That's the reason we get sick. All of us are going to experience the deterioration of our health. Well, what are we to do? Doesn't God promise healing? Does the Bible promise that we can be exempt from sickness? No, it's going to be for each one of us. And there's some people who like to try to prove the point that Christians can exempt themselves from sickness by quoting Isaiah 53 verse five. I've heard, and you've probably heard, people of a certain persuasion says the reason Christians are sick is because of their lack of faith. There's a promise of healing that they've let go unclaimed in their life. And what is this supposed promise of healing? They quote Isaiah 53 verse five. This is a prophecy of what Messiah would do when he came 700 years after Isaiah wrote these words. It's about the substitutionary atonement Christ would make for us. He was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening of our well-being fell upon him. By his stripes, by his scourging, we are what? Healed. And people will say, See, it's right there. See, it's right there. There is healing in the atonement. And what do we say? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. No healing in the atonement. It's spiritual healing, not physical healing. Haven't you heard that? That's not right. There is healing in the atonement. There is a promise that every Christian will experience physical healing. The only question is when. It's not a question of if we're going to be healed. Of course, we're going to be healed. It is when we're going to be healed. We're going to be healed one day, but not two day. There's a difference between the two. One day, but not two day. We've looked before at the progressive state of salvation. Salvation occurs in three phases. The moment you trust in Christ as your savior, you are saved from the penalty of sin. The moment you trust in Christ, you are pronounced not guilty before God. When you're saved, you are saved from the penalty of sin. That's a one-time action. Secondly, you are being saved from the power of sin. You have the power of the Holy Spirit to clean up your life, to be free from the oppressive nature of sin. You were saved from sin. That is justification. You are being saved. That is sanctification. And one day you will be saved when you are saved from the presence of sin in your life. That's what glorification is. When we receive a brand new body from God at the rapture, we're going to receive that brand new body and it's going to be free from sin. It's also going to be free from sickness. So is there healing in the atonement? Yes, there is healing in the atonement, not for today, but for some day. John describes that day this way in Revelation 21:4. From that day God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and there shall no longer be any death or mourning or crying or pain for the first things will have passed away. Now, what does that mean we ought to do when we get sick? Well, let's look and see what the Bible says. The Bible says there are two sets of principles we need to understand. One set of principles I call preventative principles. They're what we're to do to stay well. And then there are prescriptive principles of what we should do when we get sick. What we do to stay well and secondly what we do when we become sick. Let 's look at those preventative principles first of all. They are all found in the life of Jesus Christ. Did you know from the time Jesus was two and the wise men came to visiting, from the time he was two until 30 when he began his ministry. There's nothing in the Bible that tells us about Jesus' life during that period except one instance. It's found in Luke chapter two. Remember when he was 12 years old and he went with Mary and Joseph to the temple and got separated from them. You know that story. And Luke closes that story in Luke 252 with this summary of Jesus' life from two to 30. And Jesus kept increasing He kept moving forward in four areas, in wisdom. That's his intellectual development. In stature, we'll talk about that in a moment. In favor with God, that's his spiritual life, his relationship with his father. And in favor with man, that is socially. He grew spiritually, socially, intellectually, and then that word stature. That refers to his physical development. Never forget Jesus was fully God, yes, but he was also fully human. And he had the same needs physically that you and I have because he inhabited a human body. So what did Jesus do to have a healthy life? What did he do to steward this body that his father had given him? Four principles. Number one, when Jesus was hungry, he ate. Food is not a sin in the right proportion. It's not a sin, it's a necessity. And Jesus ate in Mark chapter 11. Remember he was hungry. What did he do? He wanted a fig. He went to the fig tree. In Luke 24:41, remember when Jesus was in his resurrected body on the road to Emmaus and he sat down to fellowship with his disciples. They wanted to get into the theological discussion. He said, We'll get to that in a moment. I'm hungry. Do you have something to eat? Jesus ate in his resurrected body. And praise God, we will too. That's part of the new bodies we'll have. We'll be hungry and we'll be able to eat. When Jesus was hungry, he ate. Secondly, when Jesus was thirsty, he drank. Bible says he had the cup at the last supper, Matthew 26. At the crucifixion, remember he was thirsty and he called for something to drink. Luke chapter seven says Jesus drank in social settings. And yes, let's be honest. Jesus did not drink Welch's grape juice. He drank wine. A lot of people have trouble with that. I think about the story of an elderly woman in a little Baptist church, Miss Jones. She was a teetotaler and she preached abstinence. And one day somebody came up and said very carefully to her, Well, Miss Jones, you know that Jesus drank, don't you? She said, Yes, and he's always been a disappointment to me because of it. Well, he didn't drink, but he didn't get drunk. And by the way, what he drank, the wine, it was fermented, but it was much more diluted than the wine we have today. I mean, that's just a fact of the customs. Wine was much more diluted. And what we, not me, but you may drink. What others may drink, a liquor, that's what the Bible calls hard drink that we're to abstain from, not for sinful reasons, but to be good stewards of our body. You know, more and more young adults are choosing to abstain from alcohol today for health reasons. They realize what it does to the body. But the point is Jesus did drink when he was thirsty. Thirdly, when Jesus was tired, he slept. He needed sleep. We do too. Remember in Luke chapter eight when he was in the boat going over to the other side of the lake, he fell asleep because of the rocking of the ship. And finally, when Jesus was under pressure, he retreated. He had times when he got away from his ministry and his work. He spent time with his heavenly father alone. He recharged himself physically, emotionally, spiritually. He stopped working. Jesus observed the Sabbath and not because it did something for God, but because it did something for him. The Sabbath, one day that you don't work was God's gift to mankind. It wasn't for God's benefit, it's for ours. That word Sabbath, Shabbat, means to cease, to desist from any kind of work at all. You know, God spent six days creating the universe that we know. It says on the seventh day he rested. Why? Not because he was worn out. Oh, this creation stuff just wears me out. I need to take a break. That wasn't God. God doesn't get tired, but he was trying to teach us an important principle. We're to work six days, but take one day off a week. And when Jesus was under pressure, he retreated. Those are the preventative principles for maintaining your health. But there are also prescriptive principles. You can do all of those things, yet you're going to get sick. Now, when we talk about illness, we need to understand there are three categories of illness in the Bible. First of all, there is sickness that leads to death. Some sickness serves the purpose of causing us to die. You say, That sounds strange. Well, think about it. If we didn't get sick, we would never die. If we never died, we'd never get to exchange these old bodies for a new body. Sickness is sometimes the way that God brings about our new bodies. In John 11:4 Jesus was talking about Lazarus. You know, he was sick, he died, but Jesus said in John 11:4 this sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God so that the son of God might be glorified. In other words, he said to Lazarus' sisters, I know he's sick, but this is not a sickness unto death. There's another reason Lazarus is sick so that I can heal him and God can get the glory. But there is some sickness that leads to death. Now, this is the reason I don't get real excited about testimonies of healing because as wonderful as those testimonies are, even what I experienced with my arm, the fact is one day we are going to get sick and we are going to die. One day unless, you know, I get smashed up on the tollway, I'm going to find out that I've got a case that's incurable of something. And that's why we shouldn't put too much stock in physical healing. Healing that we experience is temporary until we experience our ultimate healing, our new body. I don't want you to miss what I just said because it's the very heart of today's message. Yes, God still heals. I believe that with all my heart. But every healing we experience in this life is temporary. The real hope isn't a body that never gets sick again down here. It's the promise of a resurrected body that will never break down, never age, and never die. That's the ultimate healing God has waiting for every one of his children. And friend, when you get hold of that truth, everything changes. You can face a frightening diagnosis without despair. You can pray boldly for healing and still rest in God's goodness if the answer isn't what you hoped. That's exactly why I wrote my brand new book, Divine Invasions. Experience God's miracles in your life today. If you've ever wrestled with unanswered prayer, if you've wondered where God is in the middle of your pain, this book will meet you right there and anchor your hope in something that can never be taken from you. My book is yours. When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory and thank you for your gift because your generosity truly makes a difference. You're allowing Pathway to Victory to reach the person who's been handed a distorted picture of God. They've been taught to treat him like a rabbit's foot or a heavenly Santa Claus. Simply pull the right string, say the right words, and out comes your wish. That's not the God of the Bible. And when you give to Pathway to Victory, you help me replace that lie about God with this biblical truth. God indeed still works miracles today, but he does it in his time and on his terms. Here's David with all the details about how you can get in touch with us today.
David J. Mullins: You're invited to request a hardcover copy of Dr. Jefress' brand new book, Divine Invasions, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Just call 866-999-2965. You could visit ptv.org or text PTV to 78800. And when your gift is $100 or more, we'll also send you in addition to the book this month's teaching series on audio and video disk along with the companion study guide. To request these resources, call 866-999-2965 or make your request online at ptv.org. You could send your donation by mail write to PO Box 223609 Dallas, Texas 75222. That's PO Box 223609 Dallas, Texas 75222. I'm David J. Mullins, inviting you back next time for part two of the message, Miracles of Healing, here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jefress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. And we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in his word. To become a Pathway partner, go to ptv.org/donate or you can follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Oh, and one last thing before we go, don't forget to reserve your spot on the 2027 Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. Now, you've heard me and Dr. Jefress talk about this Bible conference at sea and cabins, well, they're going quickly. Just picture yourself aboard the beautiful Celebrity Infinity sailing round trip from Athens. Now, each day you'll gather for biblical teaching, worship, and fellowship. And then you'll step ashore to stand where Paul stood in Ephesus and walk the streets of Thessaloniki where his letters still speak to the church today. Nine unforgettable nights with more biblical destinations along the way. Every meal prepared, every detail taken care of, plus the joy of traveling with like-minded believers. There's also an optional pre-cruise extension in Athens. To book your spot, go to ptv.org.