Healing service

Communion Message
(Healing service)
April 1-2, 2000
Pastor Donald Sheley

Almighty God, we've come to the sanctuary today to lift our voice in praise and sing of Your wonder and Your majesty and Your glory. We've come to tell You how much we love You, to bow before You, to worship You. Our prayer is that this house will be filled with Your glory and with Your presence, and may every person here have a personal encounter with You today, Lord Jesus. Meet every one of us wherever we are in life's journey and reveal Yourself to us in a glorious and a new way today. Thank you Jesus.

Paul writes, For I have received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

As we frequently comment, we read your notes on your registration form Sunday after Sunday, and oft times we take the comments that you make as being indicative of something that we should give attention to. Remember last week we talked about the meaning of eating and drinking unworthily. Someone also asked that we have a time of praying for the sick. Thinking through, it has been sometime since we have prayed for the sick at our communion time, so today is going to be a healing service. We're going to pray for those who have physical needs.

Prior to doing so, I think it's imperative that we understand what the Bible has to say about this whole matter of healing. You're aware I'm sure that down through centuries there has been a controversy as to whether physical healing was included in the atonement, or was it a matter that Jesus had in mind when He went to the cross? In other words, we know there's spiritual healing for the soul. He died for our sins, but did He also die for our physical healing? And that controversy has raged within the churches, and some are very, very vocal about it. Sometime ago I listened to a tape of a sermon preached by a wonderful godly man, a great preacher, radio preacher, but he holds to the point that all miracles ceased at the end of the apostolic age and therefore we're not to expect healing in this our day. And as a result, he took James 5 where it says if there are any sick among you let them call for the elders of the church. And I watched him and observed as he took that passage and dwindled it down and took away its physical aspects of healing.

And yet, let's go to the Scriptures and see what the Scriptures say. The Old Testament prophecy concerning healing is given by Isaiah and he writes, Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our inequities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Now the question has been, by those who have studied, did Isaiah really simply speak here of spiritual healing or was he talking about physical healing? Well Matthew helps us to understand exactly what Isaiah was talking about, because in Matthew chapter 8 he writes, And when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. Now that's very specifically physical healing. Verse 17, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses." So it's obvious that Matthew as he observed this scene of healing he says, ah, that's exactly what Isaiah the old prophet talked about. That He would take our sins and our sicknesses and He bore our sicknesses.

So from that one passage, and yet there are others, Peter in his writings speak of this whole matter of taking our, by His stripes we are healed, and thus, we're just simple enough in our church to believe that what the Bible says is what it means and that is if Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, which He is, that if He healed then, He can heal today. We believe that. Now there are two areas of healing that I'd like to just briefly share with you because these are areas of confusion. Number one, it's preached abroad by radio and television that God is obligated to heal you and if you're not healed then there's something wrong with your faith. That is a lie. That is not true, and so many people who genuinely love Jesus and who wrestle with this whole issue of healing, they never get a healing. The real truth is this, is that God is sovereign and He is going to choose to do anything, He can do anything He wants to do, but in His sovereign purposes it may not be to heal us here, but to give us eternal healing in the hereafter. Many people that we prayed for, that have prayed here at this altar, are in heaven today, but that's the ultimate in healing. You see we get very selfish because oft times we say, no God, I want you to heal me now. But it may be His eternal plan to bring you into His wonderful presence and give you that body that's perfect. So we believe in a sovereign God, and we know He has healed many and our congregation, but we also know that He's chosen not to heal others. So we leave the choice to Him. We express to Him that we love Him, we believe that He can do anything, but we're going to let Him make the choice.

Secondly, I honestly believe folks that in these great healing services where they meet by the tens of thousands, I genuinely believe that many in those services are healed of their illnesses. I believe in the power of God, but there's one aspect that deeply disturbs me. Why is it that after God does the healing they bring them up on the platform and then man wants to touch them so he gets the final touch? I've often said, wouldn't it be wonderful if that leader would just go to the back of the platform and just sit there and say, folks, you that have been healed, just, and give your witness for Jesus Christ and we're all going to rejoice together. That would be so wonderful. Christ would receive all of the glory, but I do find a disturbed spirit when I see that after God, I believe has done something wonderful, man wants to put his final touch so the attention comes to Him. That bothers me. But we do know He does heal.

What we're going to do today is something very simple. We believe that Jesus said this bread represents My body which is bruised, broken for you, and here's the cup it represents cleansing. So what we're going to do, with His stripes we are healed. In that physical body He was nailed to a cross that was covered with wounds and stripes. You say, Jesus, I just believe that with Your stripes I'm healed and I ask You to touch me today. If you'd like to come, we're just going to just sing some choruses in just a moment. We're going to stand around. Bring your elements with you. Maybe your healing isn't physical. Maybe it's emotional. Maybe it's spiritual. Maybe you've come to church today and you're looking for God. You don't know what it's like. You don't have much spiritual knowledge. You have a very limited knowledge of the Bible, but you just know you're here because this is where you're supposed to be. But something's not right down inside and you know that. Why don't you just come and stand with the rest of us. When we pray you just say, Jesus, here I am. I need You. Do something for me today. So we're going to sing. If you'd like to join us in our prayer you can stand around the altar area here. We're going to pray together in just a moment. Okay?

(Pastor Leighton Sheley)
You may be seated and our ushers are going to pass the elements of communion. I'll invite you then to hold those elements and when I invite Lynn to play the solo on a selection that we have then I will personally invite you to step forward. If you'd declared Jesus Christ, or want to declare Jesus Christ, as your and Lord and Savior then pleased to take and hold those elements, and then wait and we'll invite you forward. We have this invitation that has been extended to us.

(Singing)
Come to the river of life you will find healing here.
Come to the river of life, come and drink freely here.
Come if your heart is searching.
Come if your soul is thirsty.
Draw near and drink of the mercy of Jesus Christ at the river of life.
There is a river whose streams make glad, the city of God, the city of God.
So come if you're wounded or sad, there is a river, there is a river.
Come to the river of life you will find healing here. (Yes you will)
Come to the river of life, come and drink freely here.
Come if your heart is searching.
Come if your soul is thirsty.
Draw near and drink of the mercy of Jesus Christ at the river of life.
It flows from the land of eternal light where there is no more sorrow and no more night.
Into the hearts that are lifted to Him, filling His children again and again, and again.
Come to the river of life you will find healing here.
Come to the river of life, come and drink freely here.
Come if your heart is searching.
Come if your soul is thirsty.
Draw near and drink of the mercy of Jesus Christ at the river of life.
Of Jesus Christ at the river of life.
Of Jesus Christ at the river of life.

Perhaps this is your prayer this morning.

(Singing)
Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed, save me and I will be saved.
Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed, for You are the One I praise.
You are the One I praise.
Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed, save me and I will be saved.
Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed, for You are the One I praise.
You are the One I praise.

As Lynn plays for us, I invite you to stand right now. If you feel so inclined and want to come forward to be prayed for, I invite you to come forward right now. It might be physical. It might be emotional. It might be spiritual. It might be relational. Whatever that need is, now is the time to come forward, and if this morning you can't think of a specific reason why you'd like to come forward for prayer for yourself or a loved one, then I invite you right now to close your eyes, bow your head, and pray on behalf of those who have stepped forward.

(Pastor Donald Sheley)
Lord Jesus, we stand here on this beautiful day. We recognize Your sovereignty, Your wonder, Your power, Your majesty, Your glory. And the wonder of wonders is that You've chosen us to be the temples wherein You come to dwell by Your spirit, and we become the temple of God. But here we stand today, dear God, and our needs are varied. Some of us have a physical need. Others of us stand here and life seems to be shattered in a thousand directions beneath our feet. Relationships that meant so much to us no longer exist or are in turbulence and strife. Lord Jesus we need You. We believe that You can do anything. We believe that You have all power so we come in simple trust and in simple faith today. You tell us that we are the objects of Your love. You loved us so much that You died for us, and as objects of Your love, today Lord Jesus we're asking You in Your almighty power to meet us in a very special way.

Let's take our bread and lift it heavenward, shall we? Jesus Your word tells us that by Your stripes we are healed. We just simply believe that. We read through the Gospels and time and time and time again You touched needy bodies and You made them whole. There are many of us standing here today that in the past we've asked You to touch us and You've done that. You've been our great physician, and Lord Jesus, You know what our needs are. You made us. You put us together. You can mend, You can heal, You can correct, You can make whole, and here's our need. We trust You for a glorious answer dear Jesus. Let's take the bread together, shall we? And then let's take the cup, shall we?

I'm going to ask you to do something with me across the congregation. Let's raise our hands heavenward, shall we? You say I've never done that Pastor. Just do it with us today. Lord Jesus we lift our hands in an expression of adoration and worship and praise. You're our Savior, our Redeemer, our Master, our Lord, our King of kings, you're our God, and with hearts filled with worship and praise we lift our hands in adoration to You today. And we just believe that from these expressions of prayer, these requests for healing, we're going to hear in the days and the weeks to come that You've met us here in a glorious way as You've touched the lives and hearts and bodies of many. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus, and everybody said, amen. Let's greet one another, shall we?