Healing and forgiveness (OT) and salvation (NT) are connected throughout the Bible. This message was about that connection.
I gave this message at Jesus People of Asheville NC on January 17th, 2016.
The Connection Between Salvation and Healing, 1/17/2016
Doug
favoriteIt had to be uncomfortable for Mary to say “Be it unto me according to your word”, even if she meant it with all her heart. She knew she was going to bear a child – but not by her husband, and not fathered by a man at all!
There are times in our faith life when we’re moved out of our comfort zone, when we have to be patient, when bad things happen on the way to the good we are headed for. We have to “hang in there” by faith in the midst of those uncomfortable times.
Faith is Uncomfortable (Luke 1), 12/20/2015
Doug
favoriteWhen John the Baptist came, he called for us to prepare the way for the Lord. The events he spoke of – and that the prophet Malachi pointing to John spoke of – were the coming Messiah and the Day of the Lord.
As these things have already happened, we’re taking Advent as a time to prepare our hearts. I based this message on 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NKJV) “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Enjoy this message on preparing our hearts with faith, hope, and love.
Preparing Our Hearts (Luke 3, 1 Cor 13), 12/6/2015
Doug
favoriteI gave this message at the Lakeview Outreach and Fellowship (LOAF) Community Thanksgiving Service at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Cortland. Although there’s an echo that I didn’t count on, I believe this as an excellent message for the holiday season. Feedback from the congregation was good and several asked for me to put it on the podcast.
Don’t Worry, Be Thankful (Matt 6), 11/24/2015
Doug
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I gave this message at New Covenant Church of Atlanta on November 11, 2015. It was a condensed version of several hours of teaching I did at All Saints.
The three focuses of my message:
My preaching notes are posted in the comments below.
God’s Will is Always Healing, Nov 11, 2015
Doug
favorite, healingHebrews 4 tells us that Jesus understands our weaknesses. Some of them he experienced; others he took steps to alleviate, including sickness and sin.
About halfway through the message, we took a left turn into the question of whether we “deserve” something from God or not. If salvation and its benefits are a free gift, then how can we deserve something, or not deserve it? If we deserve it, then it’s payment or reward, no longer a gift.
Jesus Gets Us (Heb 4; Is 53), 10/18/2015
Doug
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People sometimes say “I don’t deserve healing” or “I deserve what I am sick with.” But the question “Do I deserve healing?” is the wrong question.
Psalm 103 says that salvation and healing are benefits of being in relation with God.
Isaiah 53:4-5 and 1 Peter 2:24 tie salvation and healing together. Matthew 8:16-17 ties it to healing in this life, not just “when we get to heaven.”
The Greek words for salvation (soteria) and saved (sozo) include healing and healed in their usage.
No, we don’t deserve salvation – or healing. But it’s part of the benefit package of being right with God through Jesus.
Doug
healing
The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. – Acts 10:36-38 NKJV
When you minister to another person for healing, it’s not about your ability to heal them. It’s not about your success rate. It’s not about whether the last person you prayed for was healed or not.
Approach each person as a person that Jesus took stripes for, and approach them on the basis of that same Christ being inside you, wanting to heal.
Doug
healingGenesis 2 speaks of man and woman being joined. Woman wasn’t an afterthought, because when God said to multiply and fill the earth, He knew man couldn’t do it without woman.
Matthew 19 speaks of divorce under the Law of Moses. The inquirers wanted to know whether Jesus sided with Hillel or Shammai, two prominent rabbis of the day.
I used these readings as a springboard for making marriages last, speaking from my experiences dating and in a new marriage myself. Key points:
Making Your Marriage Last (Gen 2, Matt 19), 10/4/2015
Doug
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