Sermon

Matthew 8:16-17

From the instances recorded in the Bible, healing and   deliverance usually flow together. This is probably because they both flow from the same source. If you are sick and oppressed by the devil at the same time, God will not heal the sickness and ignore the oppression. One of the privileges of being a citizen of the kingdom is divine healing. Matthew 15:26-28
ORIGIN OF SICKNESS AND AFFLICTION

• When God created us, everything He made, including man, was very good. Gen 1:31;
• Man was made in the nature of God;
• In God’s nature, there is no sickness;
• The first man therefore had the genes of God which meant there was no genetic disease;
• The fall of man in Gen 3 first led to spiritual death (Gen 3:10) and later physical death (Gen 3:19);
• In the bible, sicknesses are regarded as a curse. Deut 28:21-61;
• Some sicknesses come directly from Satan e.g. the affliction of Job. Job 2:7-8;
• Several Bible passages tell us that there is a connection between sicknesses and the satanic world. e.g. Matthew 9:33.
• When Jesus encountered demon in Luke 3:35, He rebuked him. A few verses later, in Luke 4:39, when He met Peter’s mother-in-law with a fever, he rebuked the fever;
• You cannot rebuke a lifeless thing;
• When you rebuke a condition, you are speaking to the power behind that condition;

GOD’S COMPASSION: 1 Peter 2:24; Exodus 15:26

• By reason of his great mercy towards us, God procured our healing upfront ever before we were born;
• A sick body cannot glorify God and therefore He desires that we stay healthy in our bodies;
• Jesus Christ told the leper that he was willing to heal. Mark 1:41. So, He is more than willing to heal and deliver you today;
• Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38. God anointed Jesus Christ specifically to heal the sick and deliver the oppressed;
• Jesus Himself has delegated that same power to the church. Through us He still does healing and deliverance today. Matthew 8:16-17; Luke 10:19; John 14:12.

METHODS OF DIVINE HEALING: 2 Kings 5:10; jon 9:6; Acts 5:15; Acts 19:12.

Some of the methods mostly used today include:

• The laying on of hands. Mark 16:18;
• Calling for the elders to anoint you with oil. James 5:14;
• Through prayer of agreement;
• Through your faith in God. James 4:15; and
• In the name of Jesus;

But remember that God is sovereign and so He is not limited to methods:

• Sometimes, Jesus spoke the Word and there was healing
• Sometime also, he anointed a blind man’s eyes with clay and the blind man received his sight;
• He even used the shadow of Peter and aprons/handkerchiefs from the body of Paul to heal the sick;
• Elisha told Naaman to go and wash in River Jordan;

PREPARATION FOR DIVINE HEALING

• Search your hearts;
• Acknowledge any sin that is still in your life and repent;
• Forgive anyone who has offended you no matter how painful the offence is;
• Ask God to forgive you your own sins;
• Break any form of allegiance you have for the devil;
• Break any ungodly relationship;
• Renounce any membership of evil association or cults;
• Ask God to cleanse your body, soul and spirit by the blood of Jesus;
• Ask God to have mercy on you;
• Invite the Holy Spirit into your life; and
• Now you are ready for healing and deliverance.