Theology of Miracles

7/31/2019 Theology of Miracles

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Expository Sermon No.18 on Acts of the Apostles

Preached in Shaddai on 13th June 2004

Prepared by Chan Wei Guan

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THE THEOLOGY OF MIRACLE HEALING

(Text - Acts 9:32-43)

Introduction

1. The church rested from persecution shortly after Saul was converted. The

narrative

in Acts takes us back to the Apostle Peter. At this juncture, we see him ministering

to the people in the cities at the coast of Israel.

2. In a short time, we will see two miraculous healing done by Peter in the

passage.

This morning, I want to preach on miracle healing. This is a subject which has

misled and confused a large segment of Christendom, notably the

PentecostalCharismatic Movement.

3. The subject itself is not confusing but the lack of in-depth bible understanding

and

ignorance of basic principles of biblical interpretation lead to much confusion and

hurt.

4. In the United States, it is very normal for so called faith-healers to appear on

Christian TV programs and appeal for personal belongings like handkerchiefs and

clothes to be sent, preferably with some money stuffed in between, to the

faithhealers for prayer. After praying over the belongings, it will be sent back to

the

sender for healing but this time without the money, of course. The healers do not

care whether you get healed or not. Their job is considered done when the

prayedover belongings are returned to the owners. There is no such thing as

money-back

guarantee if it does not work. You may say that it is foolish but hundreds of

millions

of dollars have gone into the pockets of these quack healers. And this is all done in


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the name of Christianity.

5. This morning, I am preaching on The Theology of Miracle Healing.

Main Points

I. The Recipients of Miracle Healing (32-33; 36)

Act 9:32 And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all [quarters], he

came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. 33 And there he found

a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was

sick of the palsy36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named

Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of

good works and almsdeeds which she did.




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a) I want to start off by looking at the recipients of miracle healing and I am going

to

use the passage which we have just read to make a comparison of the two

persons who were healed through Peter.

b) The comparison between Aeneas and Dorcas is shown in the table below.

of Healing Aeneas Dorcas

i The Objects Called a certain man (v33a)

probably an unbeliever

Called a certain disciple (v36a) a

believer

ii The Sickness Suffered from paralysis for 8

years.(v33b)

Suffered ailment and died. (v37b)

iii The


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Background

Nothing was mentioned of him

except for his ailment. (v33)

A believer full of good works and

almsdeeds. (v34c, 39)

iv The Plea Peter did not pray. (v33) Peter prayed. (v40c)

v The Result He arose from his paralysis. (v34f) She arose from death. (v40g)

vi The Subject God healed through Peter. (v34c) God healed through Peter. (v40c)

vii The Criterion The healing was not dependent on

his faith. (No mention)

The resurrection was not dependent

on her faith. (Shes dead anyway!)

i The Objects - Though it says that Peter came down also to the saints which

dwelt at Lydda and found Aeneas there, it does not necessarily mean that

he was one of the saints i.e. a saved man. On the other hand, it is certain the

Dorcas was a born again believer. She was called a certain disciple. She

was not only a disciple of professing Christianity; she was a disciple of

practical Christianity. She literally lived out what the Epistle of James

exhorted:

Jam 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being

alone26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith

without works is dead also.

ii The Sickness - Aeneas was a paralysed man. For eight years, people

around him had to make his bed for him. We do not know the cause for his

paralysis just as we do not know the cause of Dorcas sickness. The Holy

Spirit is not concerned with the causes of their sicknesses here; the

passages emphasis is on the One who healed.

iii The Background - Nothing is mentioned of Aeneas background. As for


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Dorcas, she is believer full of good works and almsdeeds.

iv The Plea - There is no mention that Peter offered prayer to God before

Aeneas but I am not going to argue from silence. When it came to Dorcas,

he offered prayer to God to raise Dorcas as it could be his first miracle of the

resurrection of the dead

v The Result - Eventually both were completely healed. Aeneas rose from his

bed and Dorcas rose from the dead. Expository Sermon No.18 on Acts of the

Apostles Preached in Shaddai on 13th June 2004


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vi The Subject - In both cases, God was the Divine Healer. Peter was just an

agent. Peter had nothing to boast about. He claimed no credit at all.

vii The Criterion Now, we come to the important point. There is no indication

that the faith of the sick person is an absolute criterion for successful healing.

This is evident in the healing did by Jesus in the Gospel accounts. Faith is

not required on the part of those who were healed. For example:

1. The raising of the son of the widow of Nain. (as well as Lazarus because

dead person cannot exercise faith at all)

Luk 7:11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city

called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much

people. 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold,

there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and

she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13

And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said

unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and

they that bare [him] stood still. And he said, Young man, I say

unto thee, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to

speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16 And there came a

fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is


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risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.

2. The healing of the man impotent at the feet.

Jn 5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to

Jerusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep [market] a

pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five

porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind,

halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel

went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the

water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water

stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5 And

a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight

years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now

a long time [in that case], he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made

whole? 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man,

when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am

coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him,

Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.

c) You can find more examples in the Bible. What about the demoniac at

Gadarenes out of whom Christ exorcised the Legion? (Lk 8:26-39) He could not

exercise faith when he was possessed. The demons were controlling his body

and his will then. Let me sum up this point concerning the recipients of divine




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healing. All the biblical evidence points to the fact that Gods healing is not

dependent upon the faith of those who were healed. By this, I do not mean that

none of these people exercised faith in trusting Jesus ability to heal. On the

contrary, many in fact did believe that Jesus could heal and the successful


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healing by Christ eventually led them to believe that Jesus is the Christ He is

God. However, the Bible did not make it a requirement that God must heal when

the sick exercised faith by trusting Him.

II. The Success of Miracle Healing (9:34; 40-41)

Act 9:34 And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole:

arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately40 But Peter put

them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning [him] to the

body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw

Peter, she sat up. 41 And he gave her [his] hand, and lifted her up, and

when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.

a) The success of divine healing is simply this The blind receive their sight, and

the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised

up (Mt 11:5)

b) All the sick were healed when God exercised His power. The healing is

complete and permanent as long as they live. There was no mention of people

going back to Christ or His Apostles for a remedial or make-up healing of the

same problem.

c) Aeneas was commanded to rise up and made his bed, a chore which was done

by the people around him for the past eight years. Dorcas was presented alive

before the saints and the widows. As far as the Bible is concerned, the failure

rate for Christs and the Apostles healing is 0%. However, this is not the case

with Pentecostal-Charismatic healing. (Illus. An eyewitness account reported

by a medical doctor who attended a miracle healing session of Kathryn

Kuhlman. Healing: A Doctor in Search of a Miracle, Dr William Nolen)

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d) Divine healing will not fail because its Author is God. If the healing fails, then it

is

not from God. Its as simple as that!


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III. The Author of Miracle Healing (9:34; 40)

Act 9:34 And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole:

arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately40 But Peter put

them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning [him] to the

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Quoted by David Cloud, Is Healing in the Atonement? p.29-32. The quotation is

attached as Appendix A Expository Sermon No.18 on Acts of the Apostles



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body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw

Peter, she sat up.

a) In Aeneass and Dorcass case, God was the one who healed. It cannot be

otherwise, the Author and source of miracle healing must be God. Peter was just

an agent. He called upon the name of Jesus Christ when he healed Aeneas (just

like what he did in Acts 3 when he healed the lame man at the Temple

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). Before

he raised Dorcas, he prayed to God (v40c). To raise the dead was certainly

more difficult a task to him than raising a paralyzed man and therefore he knelt

and prayed.

b) There is no doubt that divine healing must be from a Divine Healer. Can any

man do it without God? Certainly not.

Psa 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his

benefits: 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy

diseases;

c) God can heal all sicknesses but God did not promise to heal everyone believer


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or unbeliever of sicknesses.

d) First of all, we must acknowledge that the Bible teaches that God is sovereign. If

He is not sovereign, He cannot be God. In fact, it is said that To say that God is

sovereign is to declare that God is God.

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i God is sovereign in election.

Rom 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same

purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee,

and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18

Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and

whom he will he hardeneth. 19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why

doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20 Nay but,

O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing

formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus?

21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to

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Act 3:12 And when Peter saw [it], he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel,

why marvel ye at this? or

why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had

made this man to walk?... 16 And his

name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and

know: yea, the faith which is by him hath

given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. Act 4:9 If we this day

be examined of the good deed done

to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 10 Be it known unto you

all, and to all the people of Israel, that

by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from

the dead, [even] by him doth this

man stand here before you whole.


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The Sovereignty of God, Arthur W. Pink, p.19. Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Book House

Co.

In page 21, Pink continues, The sovereignty of the God of Scripture is absolute,

irresistible, infinite. When

we say that God is sovereign we affirm His right to govern the universe, which He

has made for His own glory, just as

He pleases. We affirm that His right is the right of the Potter over the clayWe

affirm that He is under no rile or law

outside of His own will and nature, that God is a law unto Himself, and that He is

under no obligation to give an

account of His matters to any. Sovereignty characterizes the whole Being of God.He is sovereign in all His attributes. Expository Sermon No.18 on Acts of the

Apostles Preached in Shaddai on 13th June 2004


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make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22

[What] if God, willing to shew [his] wrath, and to make his power

known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath

fitted to destruction: 23 And that he might make known the riches

of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared

unto glory,

ii God is sovereign over the Creation.

Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour

and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure

they are and were created.

iii God is sovereign over the spiritual realm. (both holy and wicked angels)

Job 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he (Job)

hath [is] in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.

So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. 2:6 And the

LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he [is] in thine hand; but save his


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life.

1Ch 21:15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and

as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of

the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay

now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the

threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. 27 And the LORD

commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the

sheath thereof. (Also c.f. Ac 12:11; Mt 13:41)

iv God is sovereign over the Church.

Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the

beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might

have the preeminence.

Eph 1:22 And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him

[to be] the head over all [things] to the church, (Also c.f. Mt 16:18)

v God is sovereign over the wicked.

Pro 16:4 The LORD hath made all [things] for himself: yea, even

the wicked for the day of evil. Expository Sermon No.18 on Acts of the Apostles



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vi God is sovereign over the nation of Israel.

Jer 18:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause

thee to hear my words. 3 Then I went down to the potter's house,

and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 4 And the vessel

that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he

made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make

[it]. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 6 O house


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of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD.

Behold, as the clay [is] in the potter's hand, so [are] ye in mine

hand, O house of Israel.

vii God is sovereign over the heathens.

2Ch 20:6 And said, O LORD God of our fathers, [art] not thou

God in heaven? and rulest [not] thou over all the kingdoms of the

heathen? and in thine hand [is there not] power and might, so that

none is able to withstand thee?

viii God is sovereign over all things.

Job 9:12 Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will

say unto him, What doest thou?

1Sa 2:6 The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to

the grave, and bringeth up. 7 The LORD maketh poor, and

maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. 8 He raiseth up the

poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill,

to set [them] among princes, and to make them inherit the throne

of glory: for the pillars of the earth [are] the LORD'S, and he hath

set the world upon them.

Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I [am] God, and

[there is] none else; [I am] God, and [there is] none like me, 10

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times [the

things] that are not [yet] done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and

I will do all my pleasure: (Also c.f. Prov 16:1; 19:21; 21:1) Expository Sermon No.18

on Acts of the Apostles Preached in Shaddai on

13th June 2004


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e) Since God is the Sovereign over all things, then it is only logical that His

sovereignty also extend to healing


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. Remember this - God did not promise to

heal everyone. God did not promise to heal all the Christians who are sick.

i God did not heal the great Apostle Paul (not even after much prayers)

2Co 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the

abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the

flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted

above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it

might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is

sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the

power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in

infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in

distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

ii God did not heal the young pastor Timothy.

1Ti 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine

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for thy

stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

iii God did not heal Pauls co-worker, Trophimus.

2Ti 4:20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at

Miletum sick.

f) All these were believers but it was not Gods purpose to heal them.

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g) Many great believers of the past were plagued with physical infirmities.

i William Tyndale, the man whose influence was greatly felt in the translation

of the King James Bible was suffering from sickness while doing his Bible


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translation in an English prison cell.

ii Almost every great hymn that came to us was written by sick men and sick

women. Charlotte Elliot who wrote Just As I Am was bedridden at 30 years

old until she died at 82. Fanny Crosby of Blessed Assurance and Saved by

Grace fame wrote more than 8,000 hymns in her life. She was blinded in her

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Exo 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy

God, and wilt do that

which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his

statutes, I will put none of these

diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I [am] the LORD

that healeth thee.

5

My personal conviction is that the wine in this verse refers to concentrated grape

juice and not alcohol. It

does not make medical sense to treat stomach problem with alcohol.

6

It was thought that Epaphroditus who was sick nigh unto death (Phil 2:27)

received divine healing directly

from God by virtue of the phrase but God had mercy on him. Paul might not have

exercised miracle healing on him.




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infancy and she stayed blind for 95 years. William Bradbury who wrote He

Leadeth Me; August Toplady who wrote Rock of Ages; Sarah Flower

Adams who wrote Nearer My God to Thee and Philip Doddrige who wrote

O Happy Day all suffered from tuberculosis in their lives and finally died of it.


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William Cowper who wrote O for a Closer Walk with God and There is a

Fountain suffered from chronic depression throughout his whole life and he

even attempted suicides. The list can be prolonged.

iii Then there were also the fiery Scottish reformer, John Knox

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; the man who

wrote The Pilgrims Progress, John Bunyan; Robert Murray McCheyne and

David Brainerd, two of the most holy men of their times. All these saints of

God suffered from afflicting and torturous sicknesses but God did not even

lift a finger to heal them. The only thing that God has given to them in their

suffering was His wonderful grace.

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h) However, Charismatics will contend, But didnt God promise healing in the

atonement of Christ? By this, they are referring to the verse 1 Peter 2:24 which

Peter quoted from Isaiah 53:5.

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Lets take a close look at these passages.

i) The Charismatic faith healers believe that healing is part and parcel of our

salvation. In other words, Christians should not be sick at all. In fact, to those

who carry this false teaching to the extreme, every sick Christian is a sinning

Christian. Hear what the leaders of the Faith Movement believe about healing.

i "Divine healing is an integral part of the gospel. Deliverance from sickness is

provided for in the atonement, and is the privilege of all believers (Isaiah

53:4,5; Matthew 8:16,17; James 5:14-16)." Statement of Fundamental

Truths, section 12, Assemblies of God.

ii "For the knowledge of the truth look toward Jesus of Nazareth who himself

took our infirmities and bear our sicknesses. If Jesus took our sicknesses we


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need not bear them any longer. Sickness is part of the curse and Jesus

came to destroy the curse. He suffered in our stead because he did not want

us to suffer disease. He took our specific diseases and infirmities upon his

own sinless, perfect body in complete payment for the penalty of sin."

"I know it is God's highest wish for you to be in health."

"Sickness is not part of God's plan and not devised by God's will."

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The man whom Mary, the Catholic queen of Scots, exclaimed that she trembled

when he prayed.

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Adapted from Is Healing in the Atonement? by David W. Cloud, p. 47-49.

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1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we,

being dead to sins, should live

unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. Isa 53:4 Surely he hath

borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:

yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he [was]

wounded for our transgressions, [he was]

bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with

his stripes we are healed. 6 All we

like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the

LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of

us all.




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"One of the things I have always appreciated about physicians is that they

are all against disease and they work to bring healing. You see, doctors are

not hung up on theology. Yet some ministers and many Christians are not


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quite sure where sickness comes from. I mean they are still asking the

question, Is it God's will to heal? Some ministers are still praying, Father, if it

be thy will, heal. I wonder if they could be sued for theological malpractice.

Well, it's a thought" - Oral Roberts, "Why I know that God wants to heal

you," Abundant Life, Sept. 1976.

iii "Sickness is of the devil ... God has never used sickness to discipline His

children ... I don't care how old we are, it's His will to take us home healed,

well, whole, and delivered" - Kenneth Copeland, quoted in Calvary

Contender, Sept. 15, 1989.

iv "Like salvation, healing is a gift, already paid for at Calvary. All we need to do

is accept it. All we need to do is possess the promise that is ours. As children

of God, we need to realize that healing belongs to us" Kenneth Hagin,

Healing Belongs to Us, p. 32.

(All the quotations from i-iv are taken from Is Healing in the Atonement written by

David W. Cloud, pp. 5, 8, 9)

v Denial of Symptoms - I know that I am healed because He said that I am

healed and it makes no difference what the symptoms may be in the body. I

laugh at them, and in the Name of Jesus I command the author of the

disease [Satan] to leave my body. E. W. Kenyon, The Hidden Man, p.99.

vi Denial of Pain I have been attacked to such a degree, and been in such

pain that I almost wished that I have never heard about faith and healing.

Sometimes I would hurt so badly until I wanted to go to the doctors and let

them give me a shot, and knock me out for six weeks, and that would have

been easy. But I knew better.I refused to give into it. Fred Price, Faith,

Foolishness or Presumption?, p.76-77.

vii Believers should never die of disease I believe that it is the plan of God

our Father that no believer should ever be sick. That every believer should

live his full length of time and actually wear out, if Jesus tarries, and fall

asleep in Jesus. It is not I state boldly it is not the will of God my Father


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that we should suffer with cancer and other dread diseases which bring pain

and anguish. No! It is Gods will that we be healed. Kenneth Hagin,

Healing: The Fathers Provision, Word of Faith (Aug., 1977), p.9. Expository

Sermon No.18 on Acts of the Apostles Preached in

Shaddai on 13th June 2004


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viii Believers should never die before age 70 Your minimum days should be

70 years, thats just the bare minimum

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. You ought to live to be at least 120

years of age. Thats the Bible. God out of his own mouth in the Old

Testament said the number of your days shall be 120 years.

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I didnt write

it! God said it. The minimum ought to be 70 years, and you shouldnt go out

with sickness and disease then. Fred Price

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, Is Healing for All? p.104.

(All the quotations from v-viii are taken from A Different Gospel written by D. R.

McConnell, pp. 148, 152, 157, 158)

j) So, did God promise healing in the atonement? The contexts of the two

passages in 1 Peter and Isaiah demand that the healing be interpreted as the

spiritual healing of the spiritual disease called sin. It does not refer to the

physical healing of all human ailments.

i Firstly, atonement in the Old Testament was always associated with sin

(unless Isaiah 53 is the only exception) Even the New Testament supported

it.

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ii Next, Christ died for sins not sickness. (1 Cor 15:1-3; Eph 1:7)

iii Christ was made sin for us not sickness. (2 Cor 5:21)

iv Christ forgave sins, not sickness. (1 Jn 2;12)

v Christ gave himself for sins and not for sickness. (Gal 1:3-4)

vi A born again Christian cannot lose his salvation. If healing is in the

atonement, then logically speaking, a Christian cannot lose his health and

thus he should not die physically. (Heb 9:27)

vii True believers have assurance of salvation but have no guarantee

concerning the quality of physical life or health. God did not promise it. (Jas

4:13-14)

(Arguments i-vii are taken from the journal article For What Did Christ Atone in Isa

53:4-5? by Richard L. Mayhue,

Master Seminary Journal, MSJ 6:2 (Fall 95), pp. 125, 130-132)

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10

A faulty interpretation of Psalm 90:10. Psa 90:10 The days of our years [are]

threescore years and ten; and

if by reason of strength [they be] fourscore years, yet [is] their strength labour and

sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we

fly away.

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A mishandling of Genesis 6:3. Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall notalways strive with man, for

that he also [is] flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

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Price said in another place, The only reason people die before their time is

because they do not understand

how to exercise their faith according to the Word to prevent death, or they choose

to die before their time. Ever

Increasing Faith Messenger (Fall 1980), p.3.


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Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a

greater and more perfect

tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by

the blood of goats and calves, but by

his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal

redemption [for us]. (c.f. Jn 1:29, 36; 1 Jn

2:2)

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The other camp will be quick to use Matthew 8:14-17 to defend their position that

Isaiah 53 does include

healing in the atonement. Mayhue argued that Matthew used Isaiah analogically in

this instance (just as he did in Mt Expository Sermon No.18 on Acts of the Apostles



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IV. The Purpose of Miracle Healing (9:35, 42)

Act 9:35 And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the

Lord 42 And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in

the Lord.

a) God heals that He may be glorified.

Joh 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin,

this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered,

Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works

of God should be made manifest in him.

Joh 11:4 When Jesus heard [that], he said, This sickness is not unto

death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be

glorified thereby40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee,

that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?


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b) God heals that His messengers and messages may be authenticated.

Heb 2:2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every

transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of

reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation;

which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was

confirmed unto us by them that heard [him]; 4 God also bearing

[them] witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers

miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

(c.f. Jn 20:30-31; 5:36; 10:37-38; 14:11-12; Ac 2:43)

c) God heals that He may convict men of their sinfulness.

V. The Reality of Miracle Healing Today

a) Is miracle healing still possible today? Of course it is possible if God so will to

perform it. Is miracle healing a norm today? No, it was not the norm in the past

and it is not a norm now. There are 3 periods in the Bible where miracle healings

were rampant the time of Moses; the time of Elijah & Elisha; the time of Christ

and the Apostles.

2:14-15 when he quoted Hos 1:1) by analyzing the different Greek word used in

this passage and the LXX. He

concluded that there is no more basis for believing that because Christ cared for

physical affliction at Calvary there is

now no sickness in the believers life experience, then there is to suggest that

because Christ bore our sins at Calvary sin

has now been fully eliminated from the believers life. As long as sin exists, the

moral basis for sickness and physical

debilitation will continue. -MSJ 6:2 (Fall 95) p.136 Expository Sermon No.18 on

Acts of the Apostles Preached in Shaddai on 13th

June 2004


13

b) Whenever we say miracle healing, we expect the healing to be something


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spectacular. Even though God may not heal in a spectacular way today, I do

believe that divine healing is possible today. In fact, there are testimonies of

miracle healing today which requires no faith-healer.

c) What should Christians do now when they are sick? The Epistle of James

prescribes this:

Jam 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the

church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the

name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick,

and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins,

they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess [your] faults one to another,

and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual

fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

i Take note of a few things here. The sickness referred to here is a serious

one.

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ii The initiative for any gathering of elders for prayer and anointing is upon the

one who is sick.

iii Those who are called to the bedside are matured Christians (elders) from the

church and not any itinerating and campaigning faith-healers.

iv The promise of healing is not based upon the anointing oil but upon the

prayer of faith.

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v When the prayer of faith is offered up, it is certain that the sick will be

healed as indicated by the future tense though it is not said when healing

would take place.

vi The last two phrases of verse 15 and if he have committed sins, they shall

be forgiven him. indicates that sin may or may not be related to the sickness.


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15

The Greek word translated into sick is which means seriously ill. It

literally means without

strength.

16

That the prayer of faith is something very specific is indicated by the presence

of the definite article.

Literally it is the prayer of the faith. Many regard this faith as a special

enduement from the Lord upon those who are

praying when it pleases Him to miraculously heal. Divine Healing according to

James 5 by E. William Male, (Grace

Journal 1:2 (Fall 60)) p.30 Expository Sermon No.18 on Acts of the Apostles



14

Conclusions

1. I believe in miracles. I believe in the miracles of the Bible. I believe that God can

do

miracles yesterday, today and forever. The gift of healing was gone but God

continues to heal. However, I ask myself this question, Will I still rest my faith in

God if He withholds miracles from me today? This is the test: Are our faith

anchored in God or in miracles? Paul said that Christians ought to walk by faith,

not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7)

2. The greatest miracle healing that this world needs today is the healing of our

sins

and the healing of the rift between sinners and God. Man need to be reconciled to

God. Only Christ can provide the healing. Would you go to Christ for the healing?





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APPENDIX A: An eye-witness report by a medical doctor who attended a miracle

healing session of Kathryn Kuhlman. (Healing: A Doctor in Search of a Miracle, Dr

William Nolen)

Dr. Nolen writes in his book:

Occasionally Miss Kuhlman would turn and say, Someone with a brace... a brace

on your

leg ... you don't need that brace any more. Take it off, come to the stage, and

claim your

cure.'

The first time she called for a brace there was a delay in the proceedings. No one

came

forth. The audience began to grow restive; you could sense that they all felt this

was most

embarrassing for Miss Kuhlman. Finally, after what was probably a minute but

seemed an

hour, a very pretty young girl limped up the stage. She waved her leg brace in the

air and

stood, with her pelvis tilted badly, on one good leg and one short, withered leg.

Kathryn

Kuhlman questioned her.

How old are you?'

Twenty.'

How long have you worn the brace?'

Thirteen years. Since I had polio at seven.'

And now you've taken it off.'

And,' she said, I believe so much in the Lord, I've prayed and He's curing me.'

Everyone applauded. The girl cried.

This scene was, to my mind, utterly revolting. This young girl had a withered leg,

the

result of polio. It was just as withered now as it had been ten minutes earlier,before


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Kathryn Kuhlman called for someone to remove her brace. Now she stood in front

of ten

thousand people giving praise to the Lord--and indirectly to Kathryn Kuhlman--for a

cure

that hadn't occurred and wasn't going to occur. I could imagine how she'd feel the

next

morning, or even an hour later, when the hysteria of the moment had left her and

she'd

have to again put on the brace that had been her constant companion for thirteen

years

and would be with her the rest of her life. She was emotionally high right now;

soon she'd

be emotionally low, possibly despondent.

This case shook severely what little hope I had left that Kathryn Kuhlman was,

truly, a

miracle worker.' Expository Sermon No.18 on Acts of the Apostles



16

I had accepted as a misunderstanding the deception that went with Not yours,

surely?'--

referring to the wheelchair--even though I knew the man hadn't been in a

wheelchair until

that afternoon; I had chalked it up to innocent error when the ability to take a

deep breath

was passed off as evidence of a lung-cancer cure (even though I knew most

patients with

lung cancer can breathe deeply); I had assumed that it was simple overenthusiasm

that

enabled Kathryn Kuhlman to call a multiple-sclerosis patient cured,' even though

she

obviously still walked with the multiple-sclerosis gait; but this episode involving the

girl

with the brace was pure, unadulterated, flagrant nonsense. For Kathryn Kuhlmanto really


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believe that the Holy Spirit had worked a miracle with this girl, it seemed to me

that

Kathryn Kuhlman would have had to be either blind or incredibly stupid, and she

was

obviously neither. Was she, then, a hypocrite or a hysteric? I didn't know, but I had

begun

to seriously question her credibility and that of her organization.

Not once, in the hour and a half that Kathryn Kuhlman spent healing, did I see a

patient

with an obvious organic disease healed (i.e., a disease in which there is a

structural

alteration). At one point the young man with liver cancer staggered down the aislein a

vain attempt to claim a cure.' He was turned away, gently, by Maggie. When he

collapsed

into a chair I could see his bulging abdomen--as tumor-laden as it had been earlier.

One desperate mother managed to work her child's wheelchair down to the front

of the

auditorium. The little girl in the chair, about five years old, glassy-eyed,hydrocephalic,

could barely sit upright. The mother, weeping, lifted her daughter out of the chair

and

attempted to get her to walk to the stage. The child, with the mother holding her,

made

two pitiful attempts to walk, both times nearly collapsing on the floor before the

mother

could catch her. Finally, weeping, the mother put her imbecilic child back in the

wheelchair and pushed her away down the aisle. ...

Before going back to talk to Miss Kuhlman I spent a few minutes watching the

wheelchair

patients leave. All the desperately ill patients who had been in wheelchairs were

still in

wheelchairs. In fact, the man with the kidney cancer in his spine and hip, the man

whom I


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had helped to the auditorium and who had his borrowed wheelchair brought to the

stage

and shown to the audience when he had claimed a cure, was now back in the

wheelchair.

His cure,' even if only a hysterical one, had been extremely short-lived.

As I stood in the corridor watching the hopeless cases leave, seeing the tears of

the parents

as they pushed their crippled children to the elevators, I wished Miss Kuhlman had

been

with me. She had complained a couple of times during the service of the

responsibility,

the enormous responsibility,' and of how her heart aches for those that weren'tcured,' but

I wondered how often she had really looked at them. I wondered whether she

sincerely

felt that the joy of those cured' of bursitis and arthritis compensated for the

anguish for

those left with their withered legs, their imbecilic children, their cancers of the

liver.

I wondered if she really knew what damage she was doing. I couldn't believe she

did (Nolan,

Healing: In Search of a Miracle).

Documents

Theology of Miracles