The Healing Power of Jesus

 By Pastor Bob Rasmussen

This morning I would like to speak a little about healing. In the bible there is a lot of healing that takes place with Jesus during the 3 years of His ministry.

I like to think about Jesus as a young man and if He healed anyone during that time that is not recorded in the bible. Did He heal? We don’t know as it is not recorded, and maybe He did not until it was His appointed time.

But what we do not have to ponder is the possibility of His healing; we can believe the reality of His healing during His ministry, amen?

I was thinking why does He heal? It is a fair question, and for those new in the faith or some that may be still waiting for a healing, what does the Word – God’s Word say about healing and what can we grasp about Healing in the Word of God?

Primarily, the greatest healing was in the atonement for all of us, amen?

• Isaiah 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.

Thank the Lord for our salvation of the soul. Jesus, with His sacrifice and His blood, paid for our sins. Without the blood, there is no atonement. However, healing for the body is also part of the atonement. The sacrifice of Jesus includes healing for the soul, healing for our mind, and healing for our bodies. Because of the stripes, from the lashes of the Roman soldiers, ripping and tearing

His flesh – we can receive physical healing. A historian, Josephus, tells us that the effects of the lash were so severe that birds came to eat the pieces of flesh torn from the body. What a price He paid! Heaven must have looked on in horror, witnessing the agony of Jesus was in on that dark day.

• Matthew 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

And when I think about how indifferent the world is as they read and observe that event of the cross with indifference—failing to claim all that was provided for them: healing for the soul, healing for the mind, and healing for the body—it saddens me. The cost of our deliverance was greater than any mind can understand, but because Jesus willingly paid that price, the enemy is defeated. Jesus will heal you if only you accept His sacrifice by obeying Acts 2:38. Repent, be baptized, and receive the filling of the Holy Spirit—amen?

There were so many that did not believe who Jesus said who He was. Especially the established Pharisees. Lord help the church that we never let men rule your church. Lord help us that we never get in the way of the move of the Lord. That we never want to quench His Spirit, but to only fan the flames of His power.

• John 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

I mentioned this last Friday night. Not everyone who reads the Word readily accepts Jesus; sometimes they need a nudge or some proof. It’s such a crazy world where we see videos created by AI, where they can literally generate a person—someone we think we know—they look the same and even sound the same, but make them say things we know are not accurate.

And early in my faith, I, like maybe some of you, was like Show me a sign. I know that was immature, but Jesus knew that there would be those, just like doubting Thomas, who He had to prove who He was, and He did that through healing, over and over again, throughout His ministry. Lord, show me a sign.

I spoke a while ago about a man I worked with, who suddenly found Jesus, and I thought him weird. But during that time, he became gravely ill, and the Lord healed him, miraculously.

It took a few years after that for me to follow Jesus, but it was one of the several signs, miracles, and wonders that helped change my heart and my mind. I finally became a child of God with the same awe and wonder.  It has enabled me to react with grace and share God’s Word and His love with strangers. Because I, too, was a stranger to God.

It makes me sad that when some folks who have asked for prayers for healing get the answers to the prayers of the believers who did pray, and there is a healing, and yet, they walk away. They walk away ungratefully, discarding the power of God. Ungrateful for what He provided, until the next time they need help.

Jesus healed to glorify that He was God and that God was a good, good Father. After Jesus ascended to Heaven, the Holy Ghost came in His place; just as Jesus glorified the Father, the Holy Ghost is here to glorify Jesus. The Holy Ghost constantly praises Jesus, telling us how absolutely wonderful, how great, and how perfectly good He is. Jesus heals today through the power of the Holy Ghost. Jesus must have the glory, the honor, and the praise for the wonderful works He is doing.

• Matthew 15:30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: 31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

There are some that say that healings and the Holy Spirit moving through His chosen people, was for back then. It all stopped in Acts. Some might say that we are a little off. If that is true, why does the bible say this?

• Romans 8:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever

I am not saying that, the bible does. So will He still heal? Yes! Will He still heal through his chosen people, you and I, yes, He will!

If you praise the Lord and you realize that your healing is His work and that man has nothing to do with it, then it frees His hands and He is free to heal you. With hands of love, He reaches out to deliver, to liberate you, to lift you up as the Holy Spirit brings you into the presence of the Lord.

Jesus wants to show you His glory today. If there ever were a time when people needed to see the glory of the Lord, it is now. Our God is great and mighty; no power can stand before the Lord. Every knee must bow at the Name of Jesus. He is the healer; He is the great One, and through Him all things are possible.

I also think that Jesus still heals today because He is a compassionate God, amen?  No matter your situation or your condition, He has a heart to heal everyone who comes to Him.

One of the most potent examples of His compassion can be found in the book of Mark.Leprosy is a horrible disease. There are couple forms but what it does is that it eats away at the flesh, disfiguring the infected. There was not a lot known about the disease back in the times of Jesus or treatments. Once you had it you were going to have a miserable life, living in loneliness and pain.

• Leviticus 13:44 He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head. 45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

That doesn’t sound very pleasant. Not only do you have the illness, but you have also been ostracized from any community. And instead of saying hello to someone, you have to shout Unclean, unclean!  I can only imagine the desperation. I can only imagine the loneliness. I can only imagine the fear.

• Mark 1:40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. 42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

What a powerful act of compassion from Jesus. You were not to touch a leper – why? Leper cooties of course!

Seriously, they were unclean, doomed and you were not to touch them. But that did not stop Jesus.

That touch was such an act of compassion. He could have healed the man without  touching him, amen?

But He didn’t. He touched the man, probably the first human contact he has had in years. Jesus touched him, and he was healed!

If you think you are too dirty, too unclean for Jesus to heal you, I would argue that there is nothing that He hasn’t seen. There is nothing that can hinder His compassion to heal you. If only you will kneel at His feet and ask Lord heal me.

I know that some people can sometimes think that healing is good, but it is for this person and that person, but not me. Jesus does not see me and what I am going through. There are others who are going to get the healing and that’s OK.

No, that’s wrong.

• Matthew 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

He saw all that needed a touch. He saw everyone who needed a healing. And if you look in your Bible, you will find that Jesus healed everyone.

• Luke 6:19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

Jesus has enough compassion for all of us. We should not so easily discount that healing is for everyone else. Receive it, that healing is for you as well.

The was a woman whose daughter was possessed of a demon, she had heard about Jesus and went to him.

• Mark 7:26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. 29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

This is so powerful to me. It reminds me that we need to see the power of coming to God, as we are. Imperfect, yes – but full of faith. If we go to Jesus with a contrite heart, he will have compassion on us, and we can realize the promises to heal the unclean and the clean, amen?

I listened and studied with a pastor who always said, Healing is the children’s bread. Healing, at the table of Jesus, is indeed on the menu. If only we ask and receive it amen?

That woman was a gentile, like all of us. Healing is for us today just like it was then. Hallelujah and amen. I think too that Jesus wants to destroy the works of the enemy by healing and making people whole again.

• Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

So much of the ministry of Jesus was filled with healing. Everywhere we look, He was healing someone, on His way to heal people, or coming back from healing someone.

He is the same healer. He is the same healer as yesterday. He is the same healer today.

And just like people would be healed by them hem of Jesus’ garment, we can reach out to share the gospel and healing.

• Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

We are the they. We must never miss an opportunity to lay hands on the sick, amen? I will never turn down anyone who needs a prayer, and as I continue my walk of faith, I am becoming more bold to ask people, Can I pray for you? Can I pray for the person you told me needs a healing?  And sometimes, I think people also need help while they are waiting for that healing touch.

Let us be like the apostles and bring forth your glory by laying our hands in prayers and deliverance for those who need it.

The reason I asked everyone to fast is based on the story in the Bible of the men who got their friend down to Jesus by tearing off the roof.

• Luke 5:18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

When are sick, when we’re ill, when we are in pain, sometimes our faith can be shattered, or we may not physically be able to just keep fighting in a moment. It’s in those moments and times that we come together as brothers and sisters in Christ, pray and fast, and believe and trust Jesus for healing.

His friends tore off the roof to get their friend to Jesus. We do not need to tear up a roof, which would be expensive, but we can come together and pray for our friends who need a healing, amen?

There is also one thing about healing that I need to talk about as well.

As many of you know, I fell a little over 2 and a half years ago. I have been living with excruciating pain in my chest wall, it is called a neuroma, or more like three neuromas. Fancy words for hurts like heck

I had tried several procedures, and none of them worked. I was sitting when it was time for praise and worship, because playing my guitar standing up is painful, and it increases the pain for 2-3 days after playing.

When I was praying, I felt the Lord say, “Praise like you are healed”.

I was like, I don’t wanna!

But I did and have been. Then I was forced to get a new pain Doctor because of insurance and he had some different ideas, so I was encouraged.

We did a test procedure, and it seemed optimistic, so we went ahead and he did the ablation, which was very painful.

And I thought to myself, Lord, that is why you wanted me to praise like I am healed. It’s finally over!  Well, here I am, and I can say that the shot helped, but because of the damage to my muscles, it is still there. Some days are as bad as the beginning.

Why was I instructed to offer praise as though healing has already occurred?Because, unfortunately, not all healing will be on this side of eternity.

• Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

We praise God for who He is. We praise God for suffering and taking our sins to the cross. We praise God for his death, burial, and hallelujah, His resurrection. We praise Him for His Holy Spirit and we praise Him for His Word.

We praise Him for the healing we will have in the next life with Him. No more sorrow, no more pain, amen? And we can take comfort that those we have loved and knew Him are finally free from whatever it was. I take comfort in that.

Now I am not saying God won’t heal me here, but no matter what, I KNOW that He will heal me there, amen?

SO this morning, do you need a healing in your life? Do you need freedom from something the enemy has brought in your life? Do you need a touch from the hem of His garment?

We are going to open this altar, and if you need any of that, we are here for you.

Will you praise like you have been healed, even if you have not seen it manifested yet?