Sabbath: “Get Up and Walk!” Faith and Healing
Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 8; Lev. 13:44-50; Dan. 7:7-8; John 10:10; Matt. 9:1-8; 1 John 1:9.
Memory Text: “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?” (Matthew 9:5, NKJV).
Image © Lars Justinen Goodsalt.com
If you made a list of what you most dreaded in life, what would it look like? For many of us, the list would include a family member dying or even you, yourself, dying. And while that’s certainly understandable, think about just how earth-centered that is. It’s all about our lives now. Is this really and truly what we ought to dread most, the loss of life on earth, especially when it never lasts that long anyway?
If God were to make a list of what He most dreads, it would certainly deal with the loss of either our family’s or our own eternal life.
Sure, God cares about physical illness and death, but most of all He cares about spiritual illness and eternal death. Though Jesus healed many people, and even brought the dead back to life, it was only temporary. They all died a physical death, one way or another with the exception of the saints that Jesus resurrected at His own resurrection. (See the SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 550 and Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 786.)
Despite all that it accomplished in our behalf, the plan of salvation did not spare us from earthly sickness and earthly death. With this in mind, let’s consider several stories of healing, both physical and spiritual, and see what important lessons about faith we can derive from them.
* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, April 23.
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Jesus Mainly cares On Our Spirgtual Life More Than Physical.
There Is The Idea Of Seperation Of Getting Rid Of What One Has In Order To Obtain Something New Be It Treasure In A Field Or A Pearl
For me, faith is like going through a day knowing there is air sufficient to supply my lungs and sustain life.
Spirit Is the one that brings life(eternal) therefore we should strive to nourish our spiritual states trough the word more than we do with the flesh which certainly pass like a shadow
The faith we are required to have is not a do-nothing faith; saving faith is that which works by love, and purifies the soul. We must have a solid foundation for our faith; it must be founded on the Word of God, and it's results will be seen in obedience to God's expressed will. " Without Holiness No Man Shall See the Lord." Faith and works must be balanced!
Right! Jim. Jesus showed us how to do it. He trusted entirely in His Heavenly Father so He did whatever His Father commissioned Him to do. "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day" (John 9:4). His life was full of service even as He went about preaching "good tidings to the meek", binding "up the broken-hearted" and proclaiming "the acceptable year of the Lord" (Isa. 61:1-3). "The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gosel preached to them". (Matt. 11:5.
The Guide states, "If you made a list of what you most dreaded in life, what would it look like? For many of us, the list would include a family member dying or even you, yourself, dying."
Why do we fear death or dying? Is it as a result of our Spiritual state?
Most definitely, Ronald. Death and fear were not part of God's original plan for us - these unwelcome intruders, were introduced to our planet, as a direct result of the fall of our first parents' being deceived by the evil one. Death is unnatural and abnormal because we were made to last forever and though we have seen it happen countless times, in our families, friends, to many others we love, it still "stings" and pains. As we know from the Bible "the wages of sin is death" but!- thank God for the next part of the verse - "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 3:23).
Remember How Adam tried to hide from his Creator when God came for His usual visit with them, in the cool of the day, and called him by name. Adam's reply was, "I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid; because I was naked; and I hid myself" (Gen. 3:10). Jesus came to restore that broken connection between us and heaven and to make possible the reproduction of God's perfect character in us, just as it was before the fall. This He demonstrated by his perfect life, death on the cross for our sins, and His victorious resurrection from the dead. This is perfect love, hence, the word says, "there is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear"... (1John 4:18). I look forward to Jesus' coming when we won't have to worry about death anymore. Death will die and fear, banished!!
Indeed christ is the greatest physician since the history of creation.Let's consider the following aspects:
1.Can there be spiritual without physical?
2.Can spiritual illness affect the physical well being of an individual and vise versa?
3.What position does faith take in physical healing?
I need His touch now more than ever, I am a cancer sufferer, and it i.e. the cancer has returned six months after my surgery, and now I'm undergoing chemotherapy. Soon the brethren will come to anoint me and pray for my healing, I trust that I should be healed spiritually as well as physically. According to the will of Him who inhabits eternity.
I repent of my previous life and trust Jesus to make me a new creature.
Greetings and blessings to you my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus
John, may the Almighty God answer your prayer and may you find peace and satisfaction in His answer.God bless you.
'Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well'(3 John 1:2)
I want to add myself to the prayer list John, in asking the Lord to have His way in your life and let His perfect will be done, even at this trying hour.
"Be strong and of a good courage;be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee" (Josh. 1:9).
Jesus Christ saw the faith of the men who were carrying the paralysed man and that made Him say to the man, ‘Your Sins are forgiven. ‘Faith is the spiritual currency that we have and like the disciples I am saying also, ‘Lord increase my faith’ (Luke 17:5) .It’s always good to have people around you who are saved and who have faith in God. It’s not that this paralyzed man had faith, it’s the men who were carrying him. It made me realise that in life you need to have people who will encourage you in the Lord, people who will direct you to the Lord when you are going through a difficult situation. They brought him to Jesus to receive his healing but Jesus knew exactly what he needed. He realised that we need to tackle this issue from the root. The paralysed man needed salvation and salvation is a package on its own. He also received his healing. Hence in other words, he was made whole, read (Matthew 9:21 KJV).
The other thing is the people who witnessed this believed that His statement of forgiveness was blasphemy as only God can forgive sins. They failed to recognize that Christ was God. So, He then makes a point of showing them that it's just as easy for Him to heal a body as it is to forgive sins. He then solidifies His position by healing the man, proving that He does have power over the physical, removing their doubt of his power over the spiritual.
Christ is the great physician, his healing power is exactly what we are learning this week, am personally humbled to learn the Almighty is interested in our physical as well as spiritual welfare, dear john Jesus loves you and he cares so much about what you are going through you are not alone in alone brother
“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?”
It is easy to say both. What is the answer? Why is the answer true?
"If you made a list of what you most dreaded in life,"
In life, not at the end of it.
Think about..shame , regrets, guilt trips, haunting memories.
Most people go to church or are 'Christians' because they expect earthly blessings such as healing, prosperity and earthly fame. These are all temporary. The most important thing we should all seek is spiritual healing which leads to everlasting life. I may suffer in poverty here on earth either through poverty, illness or disability but if Jesus forgives my sins like the thief on the cross I am assured of everlasting happiness where death, disability and poverty are things of the past.
Even if my prayers for physical healing or prosperity may appear to be unanswered, I pray that I am healed spiritually.