As you remember, for those of you that were here last week, I gave you more or less, last week, the basic foundation that the healing is based on and I gave you six of seven points. First, one was that God had mercy and compassion and real feeling on the issue of healing and that he was personally involved. And that Christ had a personal feeling and involvement in it as well. The second part was that it took faith, it took faith on our part to be healed of God. The third point was that it took obedience. We had to obey God and do it the way he said, the fourth point was that you were to call for the elders of the church and they were to pray about it. And the fifth point was the fact that you were to ask the brethren to pray as well. And then the sixth point was the fact that God healed according to his will.
And so we finished up to six points and we were coming up to the seventh point. But as I left it, last time, we've been emphasizing the aspect of prayer. And I left you with Matthew the sixth chapter and the eighth verse (Matthew 6:8), I ask you a couple of questions in Matthew six and verse eight, it says in the subject of prayer. Be you be not, be not you therefore like unto them, referring to the pagans, for your father knows what things you have need of before you ask him. So we have talked about going to the elders and asking them to pray and anointed you with oil as the instructions were. And then we said that you were to go to the brethren and ask the brethren to pray about it. Then I asked the question, if God already knows you're sick and if God already knows that you need healing, why go through the routine? Why go through the routine that I gave you last week, including the prayer if God already knowns. If God is already aware of it, why do you go through that routine? And that's what I want to answer today.
Why do you go through the routine that God asked you to go through in healing? Over in the book of II Kings, the fifth chapter? There's a story of a Gentile king who came to God for healing. His name was Naaman. I want to go through that story to show you that the routine hasn't changed. We went through a series or maybe it was a sermon I gave at the feast. I don't really remember? Uh well, I showed you that God doesn't change and God says that he doesn't change. And here in II Kings, the fifth chapter, we have a gentile captain of an army. They had leprosy. And it's an interesting story and I want to pick three points out of it to show you something.
So now, Naaman II Kings, the fifth chapter in the first verse (II Kings 5:1). Now, Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria was a great man with his master and honorable. So it gives you his characteristic because by him, the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria, he was also a mighty man in valor, but he was a leper. So he was a general and uh captain in the Syrian army. He was an honorable man. He was an honest man and he had delivered Syria. God had used him to deliver Syria out of problem, but he was a leper and the Syrians had gone out by companies, and brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
And so they had gone in a battle against Israel and they brought an Israelite ish uh woman out and she became a maid to Naaman wife and she said to her mistress, with God, my Lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria for he would recover him of his leprosy. In other words, she explained to the maid to the mistress, the wife, name of the wife to look if he would go to the prophet in Samaria, why God would heal him of this leprosy business? And so uh we continue with the story in verse four and one went in and told his Lord saying thus and thus, and the maid that is of the land of Israel and the king of Assyria or Syria said, go to and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel.
So the king said, wait a minute, that's a good deal because this is the captain of one of my armies. And his only problem is he's a leper and I'd love to see him healed. And so the king decided to send him to Israel, go to uh go to go and I will send a letter with the king of uh under the king of Israel and he departed and took with him 10 talents of silver and 6000 pieces of gold and 10 changes of clothes. They brought the letter to the king of Israel saying, Now when this letter is come on to you, behold, I am therewith sent Naaman my servant to you that you may recover him of the leprosy.
It came to pass when the king of Israel had read the letter that he rent his clothes and said, am I a am I God to kill and to make alive that this man does send me to recover a man of his leprosy wherefore consider I pray you and see how he seeks a quarrel against me. You know, it's interesting how human beings can misunderstand almost anything. And I think this is a good example. It's not part of my regular sermon, but it's interesting because it happens to you and it happens to me. Something comes along and you jump to a conclusion or you should say you jump to a contusion because you usually bump your head in the process. And here the king of Israel jumped to a contusion or a conclusion. He concluded that the king of Syria was trying to pick a fight with him. But it really was an honest, straightforward thing. He really wanted the guy healed, but the king of, of, of Israel jumped to a conclusion before he investigated and found out whether it was true or not. And sometimes we do that. We need to be careful and learn a lesson from it.
We'll pick it up in verse eight though. And it was so, when Elisha, the man of God that had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes. And he said, the king saying, where uh wherefore has he have you rent your clothes? Let him come to me now and he shall know there is a prophet in Israel. Ok. Point 1 one lesson Naaman was going to learn that there was a prophet in Israel and that God worked through his prophets point 1 that Naaman was going to learn from this issue, that there was a prophet in Israel and that God worked through his prophet.
So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot and he stood at the door of the house of Elijah. And Elijah sent a messenger to him saying, go and wash in Jordan seven times and your flesh shall come on to you again and you should be clean. Ok? He gave instructions. Now, here's how you do it. But Naaman was wroth and he went away and said, behold, I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call in the name of the Lord and strike his hand over the fleash and recover the leper. Naaman, he had a preconceived idea of how this healing was going to take place. He says, I'm going to go up and knock on Elijah's door. He'll come out and thunder and lightning and he'll pray. He raise his hands and bang, I'll be healed. That's the way it's gonna happen. It didn't happen that way. It didn't happen that way.
Elisha comes out the door. He said, well, here's what you do, Naaman here. He was a physical human being like everybody else. He said, well, here's what you do, Naaman. You go down and you dunk yourself in the Jordan river seven times. Your leprosy will be healed. He, he didn't like that. He said that it's supposed to be some great miracle. It's supposed to be some great, incredible thing that happens. It kind of reminds me of something that I won't comment. But anyway, Naaman was roth and he went away. He said, behold, I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord, his God and strike his hand over the place and recover the leper. And he said, well, look, he says, aren't, are not Abana and Pharpar and the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel. Why do I have to go to the Jordan? We've got rivers in Syria. Can't I go just dunk in any river? Why do I have to go to Israel? Why do I have to go to this particular river? Why can't I just dunk in any river? May I, may I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned away and went, went, away mad.
He said, why do I have to do it that way? In other words, he, he wanted to be healed, but he didn't want to do it that way. He had a better idea. He didn't, first of all, he didn't want to have anything to do with Israel. And secondly, he wanted, you know, he said, well, why can't I do it in these other rivers? They said, you couldn't understand why it had to be done in a particular way his servants came there and spoke to him and said, my father, if the prophet had bid you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much rather then when he said unto you, wash and be clean? And so they said, well, look, he'd asked you to do some great, fantastic thing in front of your whole army. Why, then you'd have done it, would you? Oh, sure he'd have done that. He'd have slain the dragon if it had made him a hero. But that wasn't the issue.
And so he went down and he dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, Jordan according to the saying of the man of God, and his flesh, came again like unto the flesh of a little child and he was clean. Point 2, Naaman had learn. You've got to do it God's way, whether you like it or not, you may think there's a better way. You may think you can improve on it. That's not the point. No, the second thing that Naaman learned, if he's going to be healed, you do it God's way. There isn't any shortcuts. There's no way to go around it. There's no other way you do it God's way.
So he's learned two things so far. First of all that, there's a prophet in Israel that God works through. Secondly, if he's gonna be clean, he's gonna do it God's way, whether he likes it or not. That's not the point. That's not the issue. All the 15 verse gives you the third point and he returned to the man of God, he and all of his company and came and stood before him and said, behold. Now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel. Point 3, he learned where God worked, who God was and found out there was only one God of the earth. And that was a God that worked through Israel. So we found out where God worked, how God worked and who God was, three very valuable lessons.
As I say, God doesn't change. God doesn't change Hebrews one, Hebrews the first chapter, we find verse one and two (Hebrews 1:1-2), very interesting scripture, very interesting scripture. We just found that God worked through his prophets in the Old Testament in relationship to healing. Well, quite frankly, in relationship to everything. But notice what it says in Hebrews one verses one and two. It says God who at different times or sundry times and in different manners, spoke in the time passed on the fathers to under the fathers by the prophets. Has in these last days, spoken unto us by his son, whom he has appointed heir of all things by whom also he created the world. God in the past. In the Old Testament, worked through his prophets in the New Testament. He no longer works through his prophet. Their work is completed their work is recorded. It is there for us to learn from, but their work is done and he is no longer working through those men. They're dead. He now works through Jesus Christ.
Ok. How is that possible? Jesus Christ died. Jesus Christ is now on the right hand of God in heaven. Well, Ephesians one tells you how he works. Now, Ephesians one versus 20 through 23 (Ephesians 1:20-23) Which he wrought in Christ, Ephesians one verse 20 when he raised him from the dead and set him, set him at his own right hand in heavenly places far above all Principalities and power and might and Dominion. And every name that is named Jesus Christ is above every singular name, not only in this world but also in that which is to come. And he has put all things under his feet. We're still talking about Christ and gave him to be the head over all things to the church. Jesus Christ said, I will build my church. Jesus Christ is the head of the church which is his body. The church is the body, the fullness of him that fills all in all the church today is the body of Christ. And the church is the one that he is working through. Romans the eighth chapter in verse nine (Romans 8:9). He says, but you are not in the flesh, Romans eight and verse nine, but in the spirit, it shall be that the spirit of God dwells in you. And then notice the latter part of that verse. It says now, if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Christ dwells in his church.
And he says, if we don't have the same spirit, and so today, quite simply brethren, we learn that God does no longer work through the prophets that he works through his church, which is the body of Jesus Christ. It tells you in Galatians three, when we're baptized, we put on Christ, Christ dwells in his church and he is the head of his church and the church is his body, that spirit and those administrations and those offices are given to profit the whole church. It isn't to build up an, an individual's ego or vanity, it's to profit the whole church. And so that spirit and those gifts are given to profit, the whole church. And then it goes along in verse eight and begins to talk about it. And it lists several various gifts that are obvious. And down in verse nine, it says to another, the gifts of healing by the same spirit. And so it is a gift, healing is a gift from God. As I pointed out last time. It is a, it is as it says in the 103rd psalm, it's one of those benefits. And if anyone is healed in God's church, God's the one that does it, it's not the individual, it's not the man.
Then as we go on down chapter 12, we find out the purpose, we find out the purpose for those gifts and the reason that God has them in the church. Alright, verse 12, I Corinthians 12 chapter (I Corinthians 12:12) it says for as the body is one and has many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body. So also is Christ. In other words, we are one body, the body of Christ. He says for by one spirit, are we all baptized into one body? Whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one spirit. In other words, we are one body. When you become a part of the church of God, you become part of one body and that body has several members and may be scattered around the world, upwards of 50,000, around the world outside the United States that are just as much a part of God's church as you are. They have that same spirit. If you were to attend the Feast of Tabernacles or a church service, I don't care whether it's in Burma or whether it's in Sri Lanka or whether it's in Africa or where it is, you would find out they're basically the same, they may be a different color, they may have another language. But when you get it all put together, it comes out the same, we have the same doctrines, the same beliefs, maybe a few different customs and practices that may pertain to our particular area. But basically it's all the same.
You know, here in Portland, you know, in most cases, if you are involved with another church, you could go to, basically, you, you go to the closest one that has the best parking lot or the loudest preacher or the quietest preacher, whichever kind you want. But here in Portland we have four churches and we draw lines, we draw lines. And if you're across the line over here, you go to the east. If you're across the line, some people sneak in other areas, of course. But basically you go to the church that you're assigned to, you don't pick the minister that you like and go to his church. No, you go to the church where you're assigned and you'll find out that the minister there preaches the same thing as preached in the other church. And then of course, it, it doesn't bother us. If you skip back and forth, you get tired of one guy's sermons. You want to hear another one. No, you don't, shouldn't get tired of them. But basically it doesn't make any difference which church you go to.
No difference. We're all one body. We teach the same thing. Then going on in verse 14, it says, "For the body is not one member, but many, many. If the foot shall say, 'Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body,' is it therefore not of the body?"
You know, if I suddenly decide - and Heaven forbid - if I would suddenly decide, "Well, look, I don't like being a part of this church. I don't like being part of this church. I'd rather be somewhere else or start my own." I hope and pray that there's not a single solitary one of you in this audience - and I hope that I have taught you better - that I would have a congregation of one on my first church service. And I'd be the only one there and not even my wife would attend, I assume. Because you can't say, "I'm not part of the body." That's kind of dumb, isn't it?
It's kind of like my right hand saying, "Look, I no longer like your body, Wilson. I'm going to go over and, you know, I'm gonna become a Jacob." That's kind of dumb, isn't it? No, it's part of my body. And we are one body and we may be a hand, we may be a foot or whatever we are, but we are one body. Don't let anybody ever con you. It is one body.
We've had it happen. And there are people who said, "Well, look, I'm not of that body anymore." They've opted out. Well, kind of funny though. The Church of God and the body of Jesus Christ keeps going right on and it keeps going ahead. Progressing, doing the work, fulfilling the job, fulfilling the responsibility. We just keep merrily going on our way. A little sad, maybe, that somebody left. Yeah, but still the body continues on.
And so if the ear shall say, "Because I am not of the body, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? That's a little bit dumb. A little bit dumb when you stop and think about it. We are one body.
Verse 18: "But now has God set the members every one of them in the body, as it pleased Him." OK. Why a body? Why is he using the analogy of a body? Why this routine? Well, it goes on explained, and if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are there many members, but you are one body. The eye cannot say unto the hand, "I have no need of you," for again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
In other words, everybody is a part of it. Everyone is a part of it. There's no exception. And then it goes on down in verse 13, he fills the body, verse, I mean 25, "That there should be no schism or split in the body." In other words, he says, you know, he's gone through and explain this so there wouldn't be any split in the body. And then he goes on to say, "But that the members should have the same care one for another."
He calls it a body. He could call it a family. He does in other cases as I'll point out a little later on. But we are all one body. We have that one spirit, we have those same objectives and goals and doctrines and principles worldwide. So there won't be any split or division and so that we will develop the same care one for another.
Notice, verse 26: "For whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it." OK? If you've got a body and you cut your finger, all the whole body knows about it because the whole body hurts. It can tell you that it's got a hurt finger.
Kind of tickled me. I had an anointing the other night. I could - it was one of the funniest ones I've had in a long time and it happened to be Dale Hammond. He called me and he said, "Would you come over to Kaiser Hospital and anoint me?" I said, "Yeah Dale, what's the matter?" He said, "I cut my finger." And I couldn't help think. You know, I cut my finger the other day on a chair, but I didn't check out in a room and, you know, in Kaiser Hospital and asked to be anointed.
I never anointed anybody in a hospital room because they had cut their finger. I couldn't imagine. I said, "Well, Dale, it's a long ways over there." It's all two blocks. But I said I'll be over. I tell you, I'll be over after a while or when I - I was going out on a visit and on my way stopped by the hospital and sure enough, he was in the hospital. He cut a finger, a little, little gash. I think it was this finger and it somehow it got infected and he'd gone in to have it checked and they found out that the infection was in his blood. He ended up in the hospital. He's not in hospital now. He's out now.
But first time I'd ever anointed anybody that I anointed for cutting their finger and they were checked into a hospital. First time I'd ever heard of that. And I guess there's, you know, there's nothing new under the sun. But his whole body knew that his finger was cut.
Well, that's why he's using the analogy of the body and we need to learn to care one for another. We need to learn to care one for another and whether one member suffers, all the members suffer. And when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ and members in particular. So we need to remember that, that we are the body of Christ and that God works through Christ just as he worked through the prophets in the Old Testament.
Then in Ephesians 6 chapter and the 18th verse (Ephesians 6:18), it tells you very plainly that we are to pray one for another. Ephesians 6 verse 18: "Pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."
Brother and sisters, we are one body and that body is Jesus Christ. We need to have a deep abiding concern and love one for another and pray for one another in the area of healing in every other area.
I had a call from somebody in the East Church yesterday that lost their job just before the Feast of Tabernacles and there's others who have lost their jobs. Well, he found another one up in Washington, needed the address of a minister. But how many times do we think about praying for one another in other areas other than healing? Well, we're all one body. We need to have a deep abiding concern for each other and pray in other areas as well.
In Romans the 12th chapter, it tells you that we're literally to prefer one another. Romans 12 verses 9 and 10 (Romans 12:9-10). It says, "Let love be without dissimulation." You know, we're supposed to show our love, love God and our love toward our fellow man. "Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good." Romans 12 verse 9. Now, in verse 10 of Romans 12: "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another."
We are to learn to love one another, to be a part of that body and to prefer one another. And all you'd say, "Well, now you aren't setting a very good example, Mr. Wilson. You're playing Pinochle Sunday night with relatives who are not a part of God's church instead of going to Spokesman's Club." You know, when was the last time we played Pinochle, the six of us? A year and a half ago, I see my relatives about once a year. I'm not saying you shouldn't see your relatives, but you should learn that you're a part of a body and you should learn to prefer one another.
I see my relatives about once a year and that's the same way with Marilyn. She sees hers about once a year and it's not because we dislike each other. It's not because we hate each other. It's not because we fight every time we get together. Marilyn's - all of her brothers and sisters in this area were at our place for Thanksgiving. We didn't have one single solitary fight. We got along great. I like them. They're fine. But, you know, one time out of a year is basically when we see our relatives.
When do we - who do we spend the rest of the year with? Who do we spend the rest of the year with? You people, you people. You know, virtually every day. Well, I'll say every day, I have some connection with some of you people sitting in this audience, either by phone or personal visit in your home every single solitary day of my life. Except when I go to a Feast of Tabernacles. Seven days a week, 365 days out of the year I have contact with some of you people sitting in this room who are more my family than are my own relatives.
I've got over 100 relatives that live within 20 minutes of where I'm speaking today. They wouldn't set foot in this place. Even if I am speaking, I don't have as much in common with them. It just kind of happens that way. Not because we worked it out, but we need to learn to prefer one another.
Galatians, the sixth chapter. Galatians 6 verses 9 and 10. Galatians 6 verses 9 and 10 (Galatians 6:9-10): "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we don't faint. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men." Let us do good unto all men, especially now it says do good to all men and we are to be that way and do good to all men. But he says, "Especially unto them who are of the household of faith."
You do good to all people, but especially you have a special, deep abiding concern and love and dedication to those that are a part of your body, the body of Christ, especially the household of faith. We are supposed to have a deep special feeling one for another. And there's a very, very important reason why we're one body and why we need to learn to have that special feeling.
God always has a reason for everything. Eventually, everyone will be a part of that body. Eventually everyone, the entirety of this world is going to turn to God. Then they're all going to be a part of that body, including my relatives, including my wife's relatives, including your relatives. Eventually, they're all going to be a part of it. But we're to have a special feeling for that body.
And I John, the fourth chapter tells you why. I John, the fourth chapter tells you why we should have a special feeling one for another. As I say, God always has a reason. There is always a reason why do things. There's always a reason. Sometimes we don't know the reason. That's why we need to study. That's why we need to pray about these things. That's why we need to have our Bible studies, our sermons and all of that sort of thing.
But here in I John, the fourth chapter, it explains why we need to have a special feeling for the body of Christ, for those who are of the household of faith. I John 4, beginning in verse 7 (I John 4:7): "Beloved, let us love one another." Let us have a concern one for another. Let us prefer one another because we are one body. And He tells us why. For that love, that we have one for another, for another is of God because that love is of God and from God.
If it had not been for God's Holy Spirit and Christ's spirit dwelling in me, I would not even consider spending all the time I spend with you people. I would find something more profitable to do with my time. No, I shouldn't put it that way. But there's a reason why I need to be, have more of a concern, an outgoing concern for you. And the reason is because that love comes from God. And there's a reason why God gives that love and that feeling, the very important reason. And you need to understand why.
And everyone that loves is born or begotten of God. Everyone that has that feeling, that empathy, that outgoing concern, that feeling as though it was a part of your own body was hurting when somebody was hurting. That is - the people who have that feeling are begotten of God and they know God. You're not only begotten of God, but because of that empathy, because of that love, because of that concern, you know God.
In other words, brethren, without that concern, you need to question whether you know God because there's a reason why you know God as a result of loving the brethren. There is a very important reason why you know God as a result of having that concern and that love and that empathy with the brethren. And if you only know God when you have that feeling and that empathy, he that loves not knows not God. The individual who doesn't love his brother doesn't know God, for God is love. And that love comes from God.
When this was manifest, the love of God toward us - here's how the love of God works. Here's how it works. It's manifested as shown. This is how God's love works. That God's love towards us. Because that God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through Him. He sent Jesus Christ into this world in order that we might have life eternal.
Here in His love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us. He loved us and sent his son to be a propitiation for our sin. God was dealing with a human race that didn't love him before Jesus Christ sacrificed. People said they loved God but they didn't really. They didn't love God. And he was dealing with an entire human race that was his enemy or had animosity toward him, whether they knew it or not.
And yet God demonstrated he loved the human race who didn't love him. And he demonstrated that love by sending his son into this world and giving or offering eternal life to a human race that was animosity toward him or didn't love him. In other words, his love stepped out before the others loved him. That's a lesson we need to learn, that you love the brethren, whether they love you or not, and you love people, whether they love you or not.
If you're going to be like God, and you're going to understand God, you learn that you step forward first and demonstrate the love. You step forward first, whether the individual loves you or not, is not the question. Is not the point. You step forward first. And that's what God did. God stepped forward first.
His beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. In other words, if God was willing to step forward first and demonstrate love, we need to be willing to step forward first and demonstrate love toward one another because that's the way God handled it.
Then he puts in an interesting verse in verse 12. If you don't understand it, you can ask yourself well, why is that verse in there? He says, "No man has seen God at any time." What's that got to do with it? What has that got to do with the subject at hand? He says, "No man has seen God at any time" right in the middle of the subject of love and loving one another. He says, "No man has seen God at any time," except of course, Jesus Christ who came down. No man has ever seen God. OK. Let's go on now and find out what that was put in there for.
If we love one another, if we learn to love one another, God dwells in us. In other words, if we learn to love one another and God is dwelling in us, then even though no human being has ever seen God, you have an opportunity to see God as He dwells in the brethren. None of us picture or mirror God to perfection because we all have human weaknesses. We all have things that we do wrong. But as a body, which we're still dealing with as a body, the church of God mirrors God.
Now people go around and get picky. They say, "Well, there's a sin and there's a sin and there's a sin and there's a sin and there's a sin" and they're easy enough to find. And the reason they're easy to find is because none of us are perfect. But we don't all have exactly the same sin. You might say, "Well, he talks too much. She talks too much. He - I caught him in a lie" or "He or she or they, or it, or you know, did this or that or the other thing." Sure. They may have done it. What does that have to do with the price of putting? It doesn't have anything to do with it. Just proves that none of us are perfect, but not everybody gossips. Not everybody, you know, does this or that or the other thing.
And as a body, if you stop looking at the negative and begin to look at the positive, you will see honestly reflected in God's church, God's character. And as a human being, there's no way you're ever going to see God except you see God in the brethren who are part of that body and the entire body make up Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ says, "If you've seen me, you've seen the Father."
And so when you look at the whole body from a positive point of view, instead of a negative and say, "Well, now wait a minute. Well, that's right. Why that church does show love. That church does serve people. That church does teach love your neighbor and love your neighbor and that, that church does do this and does do that and does do the other things that are reflected right here in this Bible that, that church does keep God's commandments, that church does practice healing - that church does practice - that church does this and that and the other thing." And you can see God in his church. If you want to see God in his church, you can see sin in his church if that's what you want to see.
So, we have to be careful, brethren. We have to be careful because if we want to see God as a physical human being, we're going to have to look at his church. We're gonna have to look at his church, and no one singular individual ever fits the bill, but you put them all together and you'll see it. Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us, because he has given us of his spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in Him and He and God.
And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love, and He that dwells in love dwells in God and God in Him. The individual that develop that concern and love for the brethren, God is dwelling in Him and He's dwelling in God. Herein is love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgment because as He is, so are we in this world? There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. We love Him because He loves us first.
And if any man say, "I love God," and hates his brother, he's a liar. If you say that you love God and you hate any part of the body or any individual who is a part of that body, you're a liar. Because you can't love God and hate your brother. You just can't. If God dwells in that brother, you may hate some of the sins that that brother or sister may do. But you can't say if you hate that brother or that sister, if God dwells in them because part of their character is the character of God. And if you're ever going to see God, you're going to have to see it in the body of Christ or in that church.
So again, it gets back to the positive. If a man say, "I love God," and hates his brother, he's a liar. Or he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God, whom he's not seen? How can you say you love God if you don't love the individual, but God loves him? You've never seen God. And if you're going to see God, you're gonna have to see Him in that brother. And how can you say that you love God whom you have never seen? If you hate a brother who God is dwelling in and has part of the character of God, it just, it just, it's incongruous, it doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense.
And so we are to prefer one another, and it is important that we love one another. That's why Christ said in John 13 verses 34 and 35 that will be known, it will be known by the love that we have one for another because, brethren, we don't love the sins. We don't love the things that brethren do wrong. But we love the character. We love God as he's reflected in that brother or that sister. And we need to learn to love one another for the positive character that we're building, that reflects God. And as, as a body, we reflect God, we really do, and we need to learn that in lessons.
Well, people then the question because I thought our subject was healing. It still is, it still is for another 20 minutes. I'm gonna go a little longer today. It still is. And what's this got to do with healing? What has this got to do with healing? Very important lesson. But what's it got to do with healing? So, as a loving father in every family, there's a father in every family, there's a father and our Father is God, the Father and every father in the physical sense we know, we know can be entreated can be talked to. In fact, kids soon learn how to outmaneuver mothers and fathers. And that's when mothers and fathers have to get their heads together and pull a switch. So they don't outmaneuver them all the time.
But these kids are sharp, even at age one and two, they learn how to maneuver around, but they know that mom and dad can be entreated can be, you know, you can go to them, you can talk to them. It should be that way anyhow. Well, our Father, God, the Father that dwells in us can be entreated and will change and He will change his mind. You might say, well, things are always cut and dried. Once God says that this is the decision. That's the decision. You know, it's kind of like kids say, well, you know what dad says? No, that means no. Well, most kids learn to use other tactics. They learn. He said, no, that's right. But if my little sister comes up and bats her eyes and says, "Daddy, can we that we ever want?" You know, that might work, he might change his mind and he might, we might get what we want after all. You know how that works. Any of you that have kids, you know that they're never satisfied with a blanket. No.
Well, God is the same way, quite frankly, our families and our parents are to mirror God and God can be entreated. God will change his mind. Will change his mind. Over in II Chronicles, 33 we have the worst king that Israel ever had. And he's often referred to as the worst king, II Chronicle 33. Beginning in verse one (II Chronicle 33:1). His name is Manasseh. Probably most of you was aware of who was going to talk about. He follows Hezekiah who was a good king. Hezekiah was his dad. But Manasseh in II Chronicles 33, Manasseh was 12 years old when he began to rule and he reigned 50 and 5 years in Jerusalem and did that, which was evil in the sight of the Lord, like under the abomination of the heathens whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.
It goes on to talk about Manasseh in a very negative way. But how many times do we read the end result? God is more interested in the day of a man's death than he is in the day of a man's birth. And, and man Manasseh started out about as rotten as it's possible to start. He was 12 years old and he learned in that 12 years how to be rotten and filthy and do all the things that were wrong. He learned that. Well, we find out a little more later on in the story though verse 11, Manasseh got into trouble. Verse 10 of the Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they wouldn't listen. Verse 10. That's what Manasseh was like. That's what Israel was like, but not verse 11.
Wherefore the Lord brought upon them, the captains of the host of the king of Syria and took Manasseh among the thorns and bound him with fetters and carried him to Babylon. So here he got into real trouble. He got himself in captivity. He was carried to Babylon. And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord, his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his father here, he was the worst king that ever ruled in Judah and he's done all sorts of things wrong. He got into trouble, he got himself into captivity and he called out to God, his Father and he humbled himself before the God before God and prayed to him and he was entreated of him. God listened to him. God listened to him and heard his supplications and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord, the Lord, he was God and then he went ahead and he prospered from there on. But he was, he was a filthy roter. He got into trouble. He honestly humbled himself. He honestly went to God and God changed his mind. God listened to him and God changed his mind and he brought him back and established him. This shows you that God can be entreated.
If you ever think about the story of Dorcas, it Acts the ninth chapter, ok. Now, here's an extreme on healing. Let's look at it in Acts the ninth chapter beginning in verse 36 (Acts 9:36). Now, there was a Joppa, a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation was called Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and alms deed which she did. And it came to pass in those days that she was sick and died who when they had washed, they laid, laid her in an upper chamber. Ok? Here's somebody that was sick and had died. Now, do you suppose that when Dorcas got sick that nobody prayed about it? You suppose that God was off somewhere else, you know, playing golf and he wasn't aware that Dorcas was sick. No, God knew that Docus was sick. I assume the elders had anointed Darcus and that they had prayed about it. But yet you went ahead and died, she went ahead and died. God knew she was sick. You could have healed her while she was alive because God knew what she needed from the start before anyone ever did anything about it.
But God knew she was sick. God knew those people were praying about it. So he went ahead and let her die. But is that the end of the story? And for as much as Lydia was near to Joppa and the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with him. And when he was come, they brought him to the upper chamber and all the widows stood by weeping and showing the coats and garments which darkest made while she was yet with him. God was fully aware what was going on. So Peter goes in kneel down and he prayed and she was resurrected from the dead. God changed his mind. God had gone ahead and allowed her to die, had gone ahead and allowed her to die. And then he changed his mind when the brethren was so upset by it. This lady meant so much to them and she was such an integral, important part of the church and they loved her so deeply that they just couldn't get over it. So God decided, God decided and changed his mind and he caused her to be resurrected and brought back to them, brought back to her because of the love and because of the concern, because of the closeness and the dedication of those brethren to Dorcas. He healed her after she was dead by bringing her back to life.
So God can be entreated. And brethren, one thing we need to learn about this whole story, about this whole story of healing and about the whole church and the whole function that God is dealing with here, that we are dealing with a family affair that we are dealing with a family affair. What if you heard that your father had terminal cancer and he lived in Upper New England? What would be the first thought that would come to your mind? How can I get there? How can I get there? Because I want to see my dad before he died or I want to be there. Maybe I can help my dad or maybe it's a mother or maybe it's a child or maybe it's something else you would go to the ends of the earth to be there because that child or that father or that mother or that brother or that sister, that part of the family is that important.
The family is important and people will go to the end of the earth to be there for weddings, for funerals, for sicknesses, for that sort of thing. And they may not have been together for 10, 20 or 30 years yet they'll transverse the entire continent because of that family attachment. Brethen. I'm talking about us as a family. I'm talking about preferring another family even above that. How many of us can say that we feel that close to the family that we have been placed into by God's Holy Spirit. And there is a closeness when you get down to praying, maybe for a sister that is sick or a father that is sick or a mother that is sick or a brother is sick or a child is sick in your own personal family. How do you pray? You say well, I got to take a couple of minutes. Dad's sick. Dad, please heal God. I mean, God, please heal dad. That's it. And then you go on with the rest of it. Is that why you do it or is it on your mind all day?
And do you get down on your knees and pray fervently because you love your dad, you're concerned about your dad. Dads important. He's part of the family. He's been the one that's been the head of the family. And you love Him all your life and he's your dad and God, you don't want him to die. You want Him to be there because you want your father, you want your children and you really empty your heart out and you just, you just really entreat God with every fiber of your being. Yet God says you're to prefer another family above that you're to prefer another family above the feeling from your own personal family. Do you realize what we're talking about in relationship to being a part of the body of Jesus Christ and the closeness and the love and the concern and that, that we are to feel one for another.
Let's go back to James five. Let's read that again. Now, James five verses 14 through 16 (James 5:14-16), James five verses 14 through 16. Is any sick among you? What is God doing? What is God honestly doing when He says that we are to pray for one for another? Why pray when He already knows we have need? Brethren He's building something he really is. He's building a relationship so that we know who our Father is. The one that really counts, not that we don't love our own fathers, but the one that really accounts about any father, it's building a relationship so that we can understand our Father who is in heaven so that we can see, we can understand that he can be entreated and that he will change his mind. He will listen to us and he's building a relationship with us, God and us. And then also he's building an integral relationship in the family. He's building a family relationship. And you and I and brethren, we need to take it seriously and they begin to build that sort of relationship, one for another because we're gonna need it. We're going to need it very, in a very few years.
I want to give you at least one sermon on prophecy because there are some scary things happening in the world today. Some of them hit your newspapers, some of them don't in the same way, but we're going to need a personal relationship. He says, is any sick among you? He said, let him call for the elders of the church, learn the lessons of Naaman. There are people that will not call the ministry because they say I don't see any healing in the church of God. Well, I pointed out is one of my points that God has to make the final decision just as a father has to make the final decision if you've got four or five kids and they all want the same thing. And if all four or five come and entreat you and if it's not the proper thing, the father still has to make the decision. But that doesn't mean you don't go to him and that doesn't mean that you don't go the way he said, and people say, well, they don't see healings in God's church. That's because they are not looking because there are some that are healed in God's church.
God makes decisions. We don't always know why God makes the decision that he makes just as children don't always know why mom and dad make the decisions they make. They may even disagree with the decision that dad is making. That's not the point, that's not the point. Dad is dad. You know, the boss may not always be right, but he'll always be boss and dad may never be right. Right. But he is never wrong. That's what we told our kids. I think it took him years to figure that out. Dad might not always be right, but he's never wrong. Well, God may make a decision you may not agree with, but he's still God, you still got to do it God's way and leave the decision in his hands.
So never try to be like Naaman and say, well, isn't there another way? Aren't there rivers in Syria? No, you go to Jordan. That's where you go. That's where your healing is going to come from. If it comes to those who are a part of the body of Jesus Christ. Now, God in his mercy and compassion does heal other people as I pointed that out. But for you brethren, for you brethren who have the spirit of Jesus Christ and are part of the body, it's going to come God's way. They don't know God's way. And God in His mercy and compassion sometimes heals them. But you know God's way and when you know God's way, you do it God's way.
And he says, is any sick among you, let him call for the elders of the church. You may say, I don't want to do it that way. Well, go back and read the story and Naaman. That is the way that it's supposed to be done. I didn't sneak in here and put this scripture in your Bible specifically for this series of sermons. It's been in there all the time and that is the river Jordan as far as you're concerned. And there are no rivers in Syria or anywhere else that you're supposed to go to. He says, 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.
Now, that's the instruction. That's the seven times of dipping in the river Jordan. He could have said, "Can I do it once?" No, it didn't work. "Can I do it twice?" No, that doesn't work. "Can I do it five times?" No, that doesn't work. "Can I just call the minister and have him say a silent prayer at home?" No, you can't do that. Now, if the minister is unable to make it, God is going to take care of it. Uh, you know, as I pointed out last week, if you call the minister and the minister comes and he, and he prays over you. Why does he have to use that oil? Can I have it without the oil? No, you can't have it without the oil. And the minister can't do it without the oil. It has to be done that way.
Now you ask, well, why does it have to be done that way? Because God said it was to be done that way? You might say, well, why can't we do it this way or why can't we do it the other way? Well, I don't know. God said to do it this way, but don't argue the point with God. God says, that's the way to do it. And so you do it that way.
It says, and the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up and if you have committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Remember last time I pointed out that sickness is a result of physical sins we commit against our body found in Matthew the ninth chapter. And those sins are forgiven when you're healed.
Then in verse 16, we have the other part of it, confess your sicknesses as it should be translated, one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed. And as it goes on to say that you may be healed, they're supposed to pray that you may be healed. Now why all of this prayer business, why all this prayer business and why all this long route to get around to the point of this, the effectual fervent prayer of a family member for his dear beloved, beloved individual and his family, personal owned family that is sick and maybe on their deathbed is a very effectual and a fervent prayer. It is a very effectual fervent prayer.
God is a God of mercy. God is a God of compassion. God is a God of understanding and God can be entreated and God will change the course of events in some cases, if it's what's best for the individual. And so the effectual fervent prayer of a family member or of a righteous man gets a long way with God. God is building even in the area of sickness, a personal deep family relation, relationship, an attachment, one for another and a reliance upon one of another and a attachment and a relationship and an at a personal feeling toward him.