Saturday, September 21, 2019

HOW DOES FAITH COME? (2)


Faith begins only where the will of God is known. That means that for you to have faith concerning an issue in your life, you must know what God has promised concerning that very situation. So today, we shall look at the will of God concerning some issues in life:

1. What has God said in His Word concerning your health or healing? Does God want His children to live in divine health or in sickness and disease? And if they happen to get sick, is it the will of God to heal His people? From the New Testament we have the evidence of the will of God for His people concerning divine health.

3 John v 2 says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth.”

It is the will of God that you be in health. Divine health and divine healing belong to every child of God. They are the will of God for His people even today. If sickness were the will of God, heaven would have been filled with sicknesses and diseases. Jesus in His work on earth was the will of God in action. He came to unveil the Father to us. He is the Word of God. He is God speaking to us (Jn. 1:1-3, 14; Heb. 1:1-2).

If you want to know what God thinks about sickness, look at Jesus! He went about healing the sick (Acts 10:38). It is God’s will that you be in health: “…and be in health as your soul prospereth” (3 Jn. 2). 

It is your right therefore not only to get healed of any sickness or disease but to be in health [remain in divine health]. God’s Word plainly tells us that He has already paid the price for our healing.

Isaiah 53:4-5 says, “Surely He hath borne our griefs (sicknesses), and carried our sorrows [pains]: 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.”

“Himself took our infirmities, and bore our sicknesses” (Matt. 8:17).

1 Peter 2:24 says, “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.”

In Galatians 3:13-14, 29 the Bible says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on the tree (Deut. 21:23): That the blessings of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Acts 2:33); …And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise

Therefore, if the devil tries to bind you with sickness or disease, you don’t have to accept it! You can be healed because it is the will of God for your life.

What did Christ redeem us from?  Christ has redeemed us from “the curse of the law”. From the first five Books of the OT we find that the curse or punishment for breaking God’s law is three-fold: (1) Spiritual death, (2) Sickness, and (3) Poverty.

Deuteronomy 28:15-22, 27-30, 58-61 proves that sickness is one of the punishments for breaking God’s law.

"But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:...” (Deut. 28:15-22, 27-30, 58-61).

Deuteronomy 28:15 doesn’t mean that if the children of Israel disobeyed God, God will send curses upon them; this verse is simply stating that if the children of Israel disobeyed God, the curses would be able to come upon them and overtake them because disobedience takes God’s people out from under His protection! Disobedience breaks God’s hedge of protection around His people. Jesus took (has taken) our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.  That brings healing down to where we live. You don’t have to bear your sickness any more. He bore them that you might be free! Why might? Because it is a matter of choice. If you believe that your sicknesses are no more with you, but that Jesus has taken them and nailed them to the cross at Calvary, then you will be free irrespective of what or how you feel or see.

For we walk not by sight, but by faith” (2 Cor. 5:7).

So, how does faith for healing come? It comes by hearing the Word of God concerning healing! In Acts 14 we read the story of a man who received his healing because of what he heard.

Acts 14:7-10 says, “And there they preached the Gospel. 8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: 9 The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.”

Paul did three things:
i)                     He preached the Gospel,
ii)                   He perceived that the man had faith to be healed, and
iii)                  He commanded the man to stand up and walk.

The impotent man also did three things:

a)       He heard the Gospel concerning divine healing and miracles,
b)       He had the faith to be healed, and
c)       He leaped and walked.

It was not Paul that healed this man. The man was not healed because Paul was an apostle. The man was not healed by Paul’s faith. The man himself had the faith to be healed.

How did this man get the faith to be healed? He got it from what he heard! 

What did he hear? He heard the Word of God. The man heard Paul preach the Gospel (Acts 10:9).

Acts 14:7 says, “And there they PREACHED THE GOSPEL.”

What was Paul preaching? Paul preached what God said in His Word concerning healing.

In Acts 8:5-8, “Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and PREACHED CHRIST [the full Gospel] unto them. 6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, (1) hearing and (2) seeing THE MIRACLES which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, WERE HEALED. 8 And there was great joy in that city.”

Notice that miracles followed the preaching of the Word because the Word is the power of God unto salvation to all that believe. Those healings, miracles and deliverances all came about as the result of preaching Christ. When you believe the Gospel you’ll receive your miracle.

Mark 5:25 tells us about a certain woman who had suffered from the issue of blood for twelve years. The Bible tells us that she had spent all of her living and had gone to many physicians, but was no better. But then she heard about Jesus.

In Mark 5:27-34 the Bible says, “WHEN SHE HAD HEARD OF JESUS, came in the press behind, and touched his garment….28 For she said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole….34 And He said unto her, Daughter, THY FAITH hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”

Where did this woman get the faith to receive healing? She got it when she “…had heard of Jesus….” (Mark 5:27). Jesus is the Living Word of God (Jn. 1:1-14).

2. How does the faith for prosperity come? It comes by knowing the will of God concerning your prosperity. The Bible says that:

a) God has pleasure in the prosperity of His children (Ps. 35:27).
b) God wants His children to prosper (3 Jn. 2).
c) God wants the righteous to flourish (Ps. 72:7).
d) God wants His children to live in abundance (Ex. 3:8; Gen. 2:8-17). The Scriptures say that Christ became poor so that we through His poverty might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9).
e) Prosperity is the reward of the righteous (Pr. 13:21).
f) Christ has redeemed us from the curse of poverty (Gal. 3:13-14, 29).

In Philippians 4:19 Apostle Paul said, “And my God shall supply ALL your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make ALL GRACE abound toward you, that you, always having ALL SUFFICIENCY in ALL things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

3. How does the faith for your total protection come? It comes by knowing the will of God concerning your security? We are completely protected in Christ (Ps. 91:1-16; Isa. 43:2; Col. 3:3; Zech. 2:5; Isa. 54:17; Isa. 59:19; Ps. 23:4-5; Deut. 28:7; Isa. 54:15).

4. How does faith for salvation come? The faith for salvation comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

In Romans 1:16-17 Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST: for IT IS THE POWER OF GOD unto SALVATION [salvation is all inclusive – deliverance, safety, preservation, soundness, healing] to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

In Ephesians 2:8-9 the Bible says, “For BY GRACE are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Titus 2:11 says, “For THE GRACE of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”

We know that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, but how are we to get faith to get saved?

Men are saved by hearing God’s Word. You can never believe and have faith in any area of your life without hearing the Word of God in that area.

In Acts 10 and 11 we read about Cornelius, who although devout, had not yet been saved, because he had not yet heard the Gospel. Cornelius was not saved until he heard Peter preach.

An angel of the Lord appeared to Cornelius (Acts 10:3). The angel was not sent to preach the Gospel to Cornelius but to tell him where to go to get someone who could preach the Gospel to him (Acts 11:13). The angel instructed Cornelius to call for Peter:

 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: 6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do” (Acts 10:5-6).

This verse tells us that men are saved by hearing the Word – God’s Words. You can’t believe without hearing the Word of God.

In the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is provision for every need – salvation, deliverance, safety, preservations, healing and soundness. Whatever need you have, the faith to receive your answer comes from hearing the Word of God. As you determine to feed on the Word of God continually, you will certainly see your faith grow to the point where you are able to receive the wonderful promises God has already provided for His children.

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!



  • Your friend: I. I. Madubunyi (Senior Pastor)                                   22.09.2019

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