Healing: The Message And Method Of Jesus

I want to speak about two things: The Message of Jesus and the Methods of Jesus. I want to start first of all with the message. I want to point out to you in Mark 16, the last verse of Mark’s Gospel—it says about the early preachers:

“And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.”

I want to point out to you that it is the word that the Lord confirms with miracles. So if you want the right miracles logic would indicate you must have the right word. If you get the word wrong, you can’t expect God to confirm a word that isn’t the word that He is prepared to confirm. Likewise in Acts 14 and verse 3, speaking about Paul and Barnabas in a certain place, it was Iconium,

“Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”

Notice, the signs and wonders came because the Lord was bearing witness to the word of His grace. It was the word that He attested by the miracles. Again the conclusion is obvious. If you get the wrong word you can’t expect the attesting miracles.

Well I want to suggest to you that traditionally for many, many centuries the church has really not presented the message of the gospel as it was presented in the New Testament. I would say it has been truncated. Part of it has been cut off and we are now habituated to message called ‘The Gospel’ which in actual fact is only a small portion of the real gospel. In a certain sense the most important part has been left out.

You need to bear in mind—I am sure most of you know—that the word gospel means good news. That’s why this is called Good News Church. And I tell people frequently that if you ever hear anything that isn’t good news, remember it isn’t the gospel, because there’s a lot of so called gospel preaching which contains precious little good news.

I knew a dear brother who was a deacon in a very famous fundamentalist church in Chicago, very educated man, Doctor of Theology and so on, a committed Christian and his wife—his wife developed a disease of the kidneys which was incurable. They went to a Jewish specialist who happened to be an agnostic or atheist, he diagnosed it. He said there is not cure. So she went to the book shop of their church, a very famous book shop—if I mentioned the name you’d all know it—to look for a book on healing. She told me personally, she said, ‘I found fourteen books on how to suffer but not one on how to be healed.’

Well, you see that is not good news. So it isn’t the gospel. Then in desperation they did something that fundamentalists would never normally do. They went to a High Episcopal Church where the rector anointed the lady with oil in the name of the Lord, and she was healed. When she went back to the atheistic doctor he said, ‘This is a miracle.’ Well, that’s good news. You understand? So bear in mind we’re talking about good news.

Now I want to suggest to you, and I’d like you to check this for yourself, the standard phrase used in the New Testament is the gospel of the kingdom, the good news of the kingdom, and it is unscriptural to leave out the kingdom. It’s not just some vague piece of good news. It is not, as it is usually represented, simply the fact that you can repent and have your sins forgiven and receive eternal life. Thank God that’s true, but that is not the ultimate. That is as it were a steppingstone to God’s ultimate purpose. Like if you were crossing a stream on steppingstones and you got onto the middle and stepped there and never moved any further. You’re always on the stepping stone, you never get to the other shore. That’s the condition, I would say, of most of the evangelical church, the fundamentalists, the Pentecostals and the Charismatics.

What is then the good news of the kingdom? As I understand it, it is this—it’s the good news that God is willing to take over the government of the human race. That’s the essence of it. You have to bear in mind that in the Bible kingdom is the normal form of government. Democracy as we know it was unknown, and so when it speaks about a kingdom it’s talking about a form of government. If you analyze human history all man’s problems started when he rejected the government of God.

And the only solution to human problems that will work is for man to come back under the government of God. That’s the good news that God is willing to take man back under His government. There’s such an attitude of rebellion and independence in the world today that most people don’t like the word government. They don’t see it as good news. But you cannot receive the gospel in the New Testament sense unless you are prepared to accept and submit to the righteous government of God in your life.

Now I want to take just a few moments to follow this in outline. I’m not usually a person that gets outlines where all the headings begin in the same letter. I’ve never specialized in that, but this outline happens, it happens that the five phases all begin with the letter PR, which does not stand in this case for Prince, but here are the five phases of the good news of the government of God: Prediction, Proclamation, Proof, Prayer and Priority. I’ll say that once more—Prediction, Proclamation, Proof, Prayer and Priority.

Now I’m not going to dwell on this at length, but I have to establish it otherwise you won’t be able to follow me. Let’s look at the proclamation now in Isaiah chapter 9 verses 6 and 7, which is one of the most widely accepted prediction of the coming of Jesus as Messiah. It’s always quoted in almost all Christian churches at Christmas time. Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6,

“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given; [and we believe that was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. What’s the first statement about this child if you have your Bible there?]
And the government will be upon His shoulder. [That’s the first thing that’s said.] And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God.
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [All of those are aspects of His character and nature that qualify Him to be the Governor. You understand? They’re related. Then it says in the next verse,]
O the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end.”

Notice the word that’s doubly stressed is government and peace follows government. I want to tell you that peace is only possible under the government of Jesus Christ. Those who are not governed by Jesus Christ do not know peace—whether it’s an individual, family, a nation or all humanity. If you try for peace without the government of Jesus, you’re going to be frustrated. It’s of the increase of His government, His righteous rule and peace there will be no end. And then it goes on,

“Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,”

What kind of a government is it going to be? A kingdom. That’s right. It’s very, very clear. Now let’s look at the New Testament outworking of this prophecy. We’ll turn to Matthew’s gospel; Matthew which is the first in order of the books of the New Testament is the gospel of the King. As soon as you begin to talk about the King and the kingdom, you’ll find yourself going back again and again to Matthew. Now we’ll look at what I call the proclamation of the kingdom. There was man who was sent ahead of Jesus to prepare the way. What was his name—John the Baptist. So we’ll look at his initial proclamation. Matthew chapter 3 verses 1 and 2.

“In those days John the Baptist came preaching [I prefer to say proclaiming] in the wilderness of Judea, [The word in Greek, the verb, is directly related to the noun for a herald. What does a herald do? He makes a proclamation.] proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea,
And saying, [Now what is his proclamation?] ‘Repent, [why?] for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’”

Now why is that introduced with the requirement to repent? Why? Because we are all by nature rebels, every one of us. Isaiah 53:6 says it all.

“All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way; [That’s rebellion.]”

And the LORD, has laid on Him [that’s Jesus] the iniquity [or the rebellion] of us all.

There is no exception. None here this morning. Everyone of us, or many of us have not, thank God, committed murder or adultery, or got drunk, but there’s not one of us here this morning that hasn’t been guilty of rebellion in going out own way. And the Bible says very clearly our way is not God’s way.

So there is no way back under the government of God except by repentance. And repentance is not emotion. It’s a decision. It means you come to your senses, you see the truth about yourself; you realize what kind of a person you really are, what a mess you’re in. Like the prodigal son, I’ve always been blessed by that story. You remember he went away from the father and home and got into an awful mess.

And in the end he had not food. And I remember hearing a black preacher preaching—I couldn’t preach it the way he did—but he said, he took off his jacket and sold that. Then he took off his shirt and sold that, then he took off his undershirt, and he came to himself, he said. Well, basically that’s what all of us have to do. We have to come to ourselves. We have to see the real truth about ourselves. We are rebels, rebels by nature, rebels by choice and rebels by act. And there is no way for anybody into the kingdom of God that bypasses repentance. Repentance says, ‘Lord, I’ve been going my own way, I’ve been doing my own thing, I’ve been believing what I wanted to believe, I’ve been setting my own standards, maybe I’ve been religious, Lord. But I’ve been pleasing myself. I’ve come to the end of that. Forgive me. Here I am, Lord. Tell me what to do and I will do it.’

In the years I’ve spent counseling people, Christians with problems, I came to the conclusion that fifty percent at least of all Christian problems are caused by failure to repent. And that had people really practiced repentance, most of their problems would have ceased to exist. A person who has repented never argues with God. ‘Here I am God. I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do to make amends, but from now on whatever You say I’ll do.’ That’s repentance.

All right John the Baptist fulfilled his course, was put in prison and Jesus began His public ministry. And I think Jesus paid John the Baptist the greatest compliment He could ever pay anybody. He started His ministry with exactly the same word. If the Lord would echo my preaching I couldn’t think of anything that would honor me more. So we turn to Matthew 4:17.

“From that time Jesus began to preach [proclaim] and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

That is the message. Okay? No one has any right to truncate it or pervert it. Now we come to the proof of the kingdom. Matthew 4:23 and 24.

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom [proclaiming the good news of the kingdom] and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-
possessed, epileptics, and paralytic; and He healed them.”

Verse 24 basically in the terminology of the day, lists every kind affliction and infirmity—mental, emotional and physical—that anybody could experience, and it says Jesus healed them. He healed all kinds of sickness and all kinds of infirmity. Why? Because that was the proof the kingdom had come.

Now this is the crux of what I want to tell you. I have come to the conclusion that sin and sickness cannot exist in the kingdom of God. Wherever the kingdom of God is truly established, sin and sickness are banished. They are as incompatible as light and darkness. Another prophecy that many of us are familiar about—Jesus says, ‘Unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings.’ What two things did He come to bring?—righteousness and healing. And He is the Sun, just as the sun is the only source of light in our physical universe, so Jesus is the only source of light in the spiritual universe and light produces two things: righteousness and healing. And the opposite of righteousness and healing—sin and sickness are the works of darkness. It is so clear.

All right. Let’s go a little further with this proof. We go to the fist disciples that were sent out with the message. Matthew chapter 10—remember He called the twelve disciples, sent them out, they became apostles. This is what He said to them. Matthew 10 verses 5, 6, 7 and 8.

“These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them saying: ‘Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.
‘But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. [Notice the kingdom was not originally offered to Gentiles. If Israel had closed the deal we would have never had an offer. Do you understand? I’ll come to that in a moment.]
‘Don’t go to Gentiles or Samaritans. Only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ‘And as you go, preach, [proclaim] saying, [what?] ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ [That’s the message. And what do you do because the kingdom of heaven is at hand? Praise God…]
‘Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.’”

What’s that? That’s the proof of the kingdom. God has never expected the world to believe the message without the proof, and the church has never been authorized to offer the message without the proof. And where there is no proof, brothers and sisters, there really isn’t any kingdom. There’s just a theological abstraction.

“Then again in Matthew 12 verse 28, Jesus says just one simple verse.
‘But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.’”

There’s the clash of the two kingdoms. Two invisible kingdoms—the kingdom of darkness the kingdom of Satan, the kingdom of light the kingdom of God. The driving out of demons by the authority of Jesus Christ brings the two kingdoms into focus and demonstrates the victory of the kingdom of light over the kingdom of darkness. All right. That’s the proof.

Now we come to the prayer of the kingdom, which is often called the Lord’s Prayer. In Matthew 6 verses 9 and 10.

“‘In this manner, therefore, pray: [This is Jesus speaking to His disciples.]
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name. [That’s the address and the attitude, the attitude of reverence with which we must approach God. What’s the first petition, priority number one.]
Your kingdom come. [And directly associated with that is,]
Your will be don
On earth as it is in heaven.”

Which tells us where is the kingdom to come? On earth, that’s right. You see most Christians have got the idea the purpose of the gospel is to get us to heaven. That’s not so. The purpose of the gospel is to get heaven to earth. That’s what we pray every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer. If you don’t believe that you shouldn’t pray it. You’re a hypocrite. Let me ask you this? Do you believe that God’s will can be done on earth to the same extent that it’s done in heaven? Praise God, because if you don’t believe it, don’t pray it.

All other prayers are secondary to this prayer for the coming of God’s kingdom. In other words, all our personal needs and desires and problems have to take second place to the coming of the kingdom of God. Now, I have to tell you in my opinion ninety percent of the professing Christian church today is not in that relationship to God. And I think I’m giving a very conservative estimate. Most Christians put their own wants, their own needs, their own problems before the coming of the kingdom of God. They have got the cart before the horse. Have you ever seen a cart drawing a horse? It doesn’t work. That’s why there’s so few results.

Now we come to the priority of the kingdom, very closely related. The same chapter, Matthew 6 verse 33.

“‘But seek first [what?] the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [all your material and physical needs] will be added to you.”

On the condition that you’ve got your priorities right, which are the kingdom of God before all my personal needs and problems, number one. And Jesus says, ‘Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.’ The Bible makes it very clear that outside of the kingdom of God there is no righteousness. You understand? Because outside of the kingdom, everybody who is not under the kingship of Jesus is what? a rebel. That’s right. And rebels have no righteousness. And no peace, and no joy.

Now we come to the great tragedy of Jewish history. The Jewish people rejected their king, and in rejecting their king they forfeited the kingdom. What a lesson for all of us. If you want the kingdom you’ve got to start with the King. Without the King, no kingdom. This is recorded in John 19. We won’t dwell on it, we’ll just read it briefly. It’s one of the most remarkable facts of history that it was a Gentile ruler that confronted Israel with the identity of their king. John 19 verses 14 through 16.

“Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour, [about noon] and Pilate said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’
But they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?! The chief priests answered, ‘We have not kind by Caesar!’”

If you knew the mind of Orthodox Jews, that’s the most amazing and incredible thing for them ever to say, to acknowledge a Gentile Emperor as their only king. But they settled the destiny of their people for nineteen centuries by that statement. I don’t want to dwell on this but I’m always overwhelmed by the solemnity of the fact that what we say is what we get. I could trace Jewish history for nineteen centuries and show you how that was exactly fulfilled. Up to the time of Adolph Hitler, who was the product of a philosophy, German philosopher named Oswald Spengler who said, ‘We need another Caesar.’ Precisely what’s stated here. ‘We have no king but Caesar.’

Well, Jesus had warned them. We turn back to Matthew 21. This is simply to keep the history consecutive. Jesus had warned them this was going to happen. In Matthew 21 verses 42 and 43.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,
This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
‘Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.’”

What’s the essence of the kingdom? Fruit, not labels, but what you produce. And because Israel did not produce the fruit, God said it will be taken from you and given to a nation. That was an insult. Those of you that know the Jewish mind, it’s a ‘goy’ bringing forth the fruit. What is that nation that brings forth the fruit? Is it America, is it Britain, is it China? As I understand it it’s the new nation, the church. Peter said in 1 Peter 2:9 to the believers, ‘You are a holy nation.’ But we’re only that nation, brother and sisters, on one condition which is what? We bring forth the fruit. Without the fruit we have not claim to the kingdom.

And so after His resurrection Jesus changed His orders. Before the resurrection He said, ‘Don’t go to the Samaritans, don’t go to the Gentiles, only go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They have the first offer of the kingdom.’ The kingdom that is offered is invisible and internal. And again Luke tell us that was part of Jesus’ statement. In Luke 17 verses 20 and 21.

“Now when Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, [You notice the repetition of kingdom. Have you ever noticed that continual emphasis on the kingdom.] …when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with observation; [The NIV says The kingdom of God does not come visibly.]
‘nor will they say, ‘See here!’ Or ‘See there!’ For indeed the kingdom of God is within you.’”

That is not to say that the kingdom of God will never be visibly established. But at the present time it is not a visible material earthy kingdom. It is an inward, invisible spiritual kingdom. And the nature of this kingdom is stated by Paul in one verse. It’s an amazing achievement. Romans 14 verse 17. I’m sure many of you know that Scripture. Romans 14 verse 17,

“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking [It’s not a question of what you eat or don’t eat, but three things.] but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

What comes first? Righteousness. Why? Because if you’re not in the kingdom there’s no righteousness. If you’re not under the kingship of Jesus… You can be very Charismatic, you can be very Pentecostal, you can be very pious, but you’re a rebel.

I was preaching on this in Lakeland the last two days. There was a young woman there who’d been brought up Pentecostal from infancy, and she was sick. She had a spot on her lung. And as she heard me teaching this the Holy Spirit convicted her. ‘You’re Pentecostal, but you’re a rebel.’ And she repented.

The kingdom of God then, under the kingship of Jesus, is righteousness—what follow?—peace where’s there’s righteousness—no peace where there isn’t. If you’re heart and life are in turmoil today I’ll tell you for sure you don’t have righteousness. Because peace is the result of righteousness, and then joy. Now I’ve observed the majority of Christians amongst whom I move are pursuing peace and joy. But in many cases they are bypassing righteousness. That’s a dead end. I won’t get you where you’re going. You take care of the righteousness and let God take care of the peace and the joy. But notice one more vital factor—it’s in the Holy Spirit. Only where the Holy Spirit operates can this be possible. The only administrator of the kingdom is the Holy Spirit. It’s not a denomination, it’s not a doctrine, it’s a spiritual reality. Lots of people have got all the language, but without the Holy Spirit nothing works—only where the Holy Spirit works.

I think I need to tell you a little. I’ll be very personal. Ruth and I have a tremendously busy schedule. Many of you know that. As soon we’re through with one thing something else come up. One challenge, another demand, another ministry. It’s not because we’re trying to make it happen, it’s simply because we see no way of avoiding it. We used to sing that chorus together Draw Me After You and Let Us Run Together. Then I said to Ruth, ‘We’d better stop singing because we can’t keep up as it is.’ Anyhow one of the problems which none of you’ve ever experienced, but in this particular kind of ministry it becomes a problem, is the problem of tension. Most people are tense without being aware they’re tense. You understand? But God began to make us aware that in certain areas of our lives we were tense. Well I thought to myself, God must have an answer for tension. I mean, so many times we focus on the problem we don’t ever get to God for the answer. So we began to pray, ‘God, show us your answer for tension.’ And I don’t claim I have the whole answer, but what I have I’ll share with you. I said to myself, If the kingdom of God is a reality, wherever it’s established there won’t be tension, because it’s peace.

Now Ruth’s main physical area of tension is to her upper back and neck, which is a well known phenomenon to chiropractors and other people, because she’s a burden-bearer. You understand? She carries things on her back. She’s always bearing burden, which is a ministry. My area of tension, and I’ve had it so long that I really have forgotten I ever had it, was in my digestive system. I think it goes back probably sixty years, fifty at least. But you can have a problem so long you think it’s part of yourself. So I decided that if the kingdom of God ruled in my digestive system, I wouldn’t have tension. So how do you get the kingdom of God? Well, I saw the kingdom of God only comes by the Holy Spirit. There’s no other way.

Now, listen. Would you dare to invite the Holy Spirit into your colon? You understand? The marvelous thing about God is He’s so humble He’ll come any place you invite Him. Now some of you, if you want, we’ll give you a chance to practice this. I have had a dramatic change simply when I said, ‘God I give my digestive system over to you. I want the Holy Spirit in control of every area.’ I really—I mean you can be so used to having a certain physical condition you couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be without it. Well I’ve discovered. That’s just a little practical application. I want you to understand I’m not teaching theory. To the best of my ability I’m dealing with reality—very, very practical.

Now I want to share one more thing with you and if this doesn’t blow you away, nothing will, because it blew me away. I was—last April, just about a year ago, I was walking out of our condominium door. I wasn’t being very spiritual. I wasn’t thinking about anything. My mind was in neutral which is a time when God speaks to you. Between the time I opened the door to go out and closed the door behind me, God said this to me. And it wasn’t the result of some prayers. ‘If you will follow the right life style, you can be completely well.’ And I thought I can. I thought that makes sense.

Well, I was about ninety-five percent well. Most people don’t worry about the remaining five or ten percent. I mean, most people are pretty happy if it’s ninety percent, which I’ve been for years. So I thought that over and I thought that really makes sense. Well then I was meditating already at that time on these truths about the kingdom, and I happened to discover two verses in Isaiah chapter 33 that said it all. Isaiah 33 verse 22 and verse 24. Now this is a prophetic picture of the kingdom established on earth. It hasn’t yet been established on earth. I believe it’s going to be, but the principles are true already and I’m going to put them together. Verse 22,

“(For the LORD is our Judge,
The LORD is our Lawgiver,
The LORD is our King:
He will save us);”

I believe that’s salvation. When you can say those three things about the Lord and make it personal— the Lord is my Judge, the Lord is my Lawgiver, the Lord is my King, I have salvation. Now skip the next verse and look at the last verse and see the results.

“And the inhabitant will not say, ‘I am sick’;
The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity [their rebellion].”

See what’s the results of the kingdom established in your life? No sickness, no rebellion. It’s totally logical. Really it couldn’t be otherwise if you stop to think. On the basis of what I’ve taught it has to be that way.

Now let me take a moment or two to consider with you what’s involved in those three statements: the Lord is my Judge, the Lord is my Lawgiver, the Lord is my King. When we say the Lord is my Judge, what we’re saying is, ‘You tell me what’s right and wrong. I don’t. It’s not my decision what’s right and wrong, it’s Your decision. If You say a thing is wrong, it’s wrong no matter what I think about it.’ Are you open to God’s judgment on your life, or are you afraid of it.

See I’ll tell you just to give you an example. These are very down-to-earth examples. Some years ago there was a movie called Frisco Kid which I think was one of the best and funniest movies I’ve ever seen. I enjoyed it, especially because it’s got a Jewish theme to it, you understand. Well, Ruth and I said let’s go see it again. And this—I don’t want to put a guilt trip on anybody, but you know what we said. We said we are not prepared to expose the Holy Spirit to the language in that movie.

Now twenty years ago no church-going person would have been near the door to that movie. The language in it is foul and totally unnecessary. It makes no difference to the story whatever. But I did not feel free to take the Holy Spirit in me and put Him in the presence of that language. You understand? Now if you let the Lord be your Judge you’re going to be shocked. There’s two principles in the Bible. Whatever you do, do it to the glory of God, and whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are not free, Biblically, to do anything that you cannot due to the glory of God and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You apply that, brothers and sisters, to what you’re doing and you’ll end up with some idle moments. Am I right? Am I telling the truth? I know I am. I’m not interested in—I don’t know how much longer I have to live, but I don’t have enough time to waste on formalities and religiosity. Let’s have reality. Even if I’m going to go to one hundred and twenty, I’m not going to waste any of those fifty years.

Now the next one. This is where the shoe really begins to pinch. The Lord is my Lawgiver. Now I interpret that and I could give you a lot of Biblical Hebraic reasons—the Lord sets my lifestyle. I really believe that’s exactly what it means. Well, honestly does the Lord set your lifestyle? Oh I know you can have a religious lifestyle. You don’t drink certain things; you don’t go to certain kinds of places of entertainment. That’s not where it’s at. I’ve lived through all of that. I know all the taboos. I’ve taught them. Goodness I never thought I’d ever have in my family a woman that wore lipstick. My daughter Anna will tell you that when she went to the movies she was in fear and trembling that the Lord Jesus would come while she was still there.

I mean it’s legalism, I’ve been through it all. There’s nothing you need to teach me about legalism. But has got nothing to do with what I’m talking about. You understand? Now I want to tell you that in lifestyle, I have discovered three things. This is a personal discovery but it doesn’t necessarily affect you, but your lifestyle is built around three things—not very spiritual: diet, exercise and rest. And I have come to the conclusion you cannot expect to be healthy and functioning effectively if you ignore any of those three areas. You can fill your belly with junk food, but sooner or later your belly is going to rebel. It make twenty or thirty years but it will get it’s own back. For sure it will.

I have a problem with potential skin cancer. So I went to a wonderful dermatologist here in Pompano Beach and he’s become a real close friend of mine. He gets all my books from me and reads them. But he said you had all sun you needed twenty-five years ago. So I did a little mental calculation. Where was I twenty-five years ago. I was living right on the equator. So proud of myself I didn’t have to wear a hat, but I tell you twenty-five years later it’s caught up with me.

Well then I had a little problem in my hair the same and I went to an orthodox Jewish dermatologist in Jerusalem. He wears a kippah (you know, one of those things) from Scotland, a very fine man. So I was telling him and he said, ‘Were you a sun worshiper?’ I thought for a moment and I said I really have to admit I was. He said, ‘Thou shalt have no other Gods but Me.’ He hit the nail right on the head. When I see people exposing their skin day after day to the sun I just feel so sorry for them, because I know where it ends. Even if you don’t get skin cancer, when you’re fifty or sixty you’ll look like a worn leather bag. Our condominium where we live is full of people like that. Now if you’re fortunate to have black skin that’s different. You can do things we can’t do. That’s one of the many benefits of being black.

Okay, we’re coming back to your lifestyle—diet, exercise. Okay, now you can get away with it for forty years, but something where you have your belt will start to tell you something’s going wrong. That’s the first warning. I remember I could eat anything, never get fat until age forty-five. And then at age forty-five I noticed something was changing. Well, when I was in Denmark in 1962 the Lord got me alone on a cliff-top. And He said this—He told me all the things I’d achieved and where I was and very careful to tell me I had a pension fee, and then He said, ‘Are you satisfied or do you want to go further?’ Well that was a shock to me because I didn’t think there was any further to go. Really, I mean, I was baptized in the Spirit, preached, spoke in tongues. I mean I did all sorts of things. I believed in the Second Coming. Well that set me back so for three days I didn’t give the Lord an answer. Then I got back on the clip-top and I said, ‘Lord, I’m ready to answer you now. I’m not satisfied.’ When I said that I realized for the first time how dissatisfied I really was. I think most Christian ministers are dissatisfied. But they’re trying to convince themselves there isn’t anything more.

So I said, ‘Lord, I’m not satisfied.’ Oh, God forgive me, you now what I said? ‘If there is anything further I want to go further.’ And He gave me an immediate answer. He said, ‘There are two conditions. First of all, all progress in the Christian life is by faith. Second you’re putting on too much weight.’ And, listen, ‘If you want to fulfill the ministry that I have for you you’ll have to see to that. You’ll need a strong healthy body.’

Well now when I think of our healing meetings lasting seven hours, I just say, ‘Thank you, Lord. You warned me in time.’ And I have since then basically kept a careful check on my weight. And I think, without being boastful, most of you would acknowledge for age seventy I’m not doing badly. But it wouldn’t have been that way—I say that to the glory of God. It would not have caught me at age forty seven and warned me.

And then let me talk about the third thing which is rest. I believe ultimately that rest is as important as diet or exercise, and here is where most Christian ministers are out of line with God. Which does it take— now let me ask you if you’re a minister let me ask you—which takes more faith, to work or to rest? That’s right. So if you can only work you’re lacking in faith. I find that if I rest when God tells me to rest, and I’m not under orthodox Judaism, I don’t have to observe the Sabbath although I do when I’m in Israel, but I find that if I will take the rest God ordains for me, I will accomplish much more in the remaining periods of work than I do if I’m working all the time. Now that shouldn’t be necessary to tell a lot of twentieth century Christians, but it’s true.

So if you’re going to say the Lord is my Lawgiver, you’re going to have to say, ‘Lord, You arrange my diet, my exercise and my rest.’ Are you prepared to do that? For most of you that will mean radical changes, radical changes. I’ll tell you honestly, I shouldn’t say this but I’ll say it, when I see a Christian minister with his stomach out here I think, ‘Dear God, have mercy on him. Show him before it’s too late.’

All right. The last one the Lord is my King. That means you say, ‘God, whatever you tell me I’ll do. You are my Director.’ You see this is very important because it’s not a religious system. If the Lord tells you to live in Fort Lauderdale, you cannot be righteous in Miami. You can follow all the rules, attend church, pay your tithe, do all of it, but you’re not righteous. Now if it was just the religious system it wouldn’t make any difference, but when it comes to a personal relationship with God as your King, it matters where you are. I have seen in counseling people, lots of people do not prosper as Christians simply because they’re in the wrong geographic place. Do you believe God has a geographic place for you? Well I do.

Okay. Let’s look at Luke 5:36. I’m trying to finish but I want to say one more series of things. This is to wrap up what I’ve been saying. Luke 5:36,

“Then He spoke a parable to them: ‘No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.’”

Do you understand? That’s just a simple practical parable. Nobody in trying to repair a garment takes a new patch and just sews it over the old patch. But my opinion, you may think I have a low opinion, but in my opinion that’s the way most Christians face their problems. They say, ‘God, I’ve got a tear here. Give me a patch, a little piece of Your supernatural help, and I’ll put it on. But don’t ask me to change my lifestyle. Don’t ask me to put on a totally new garment.’ I have been so convinced of this. People come to quote ‘healing meetings.’ They come, they’ve been listening to all sorts of rubbish, watching all sorts of unedifying things on television, spending hours on the phone gossiping with their friends, they come and sit in the healing meeting even if it’s for seven hours. How can you change all that’s in their background for that period of time specially if you’re going to go out and live the same way again.

All you’re asking from God is a little patch of His supernatural power and blessing on your old garment. And I have come to the conclusion that God is not going to be dealing that way much longer. I am amazed at the grace that He shows people. But if I understand things rightly God has closed His eyes to this ignorance, but He’s now commanding everybody everywhere to repent. May God help you because some of you are not going to live out your days. You’re not going to fulfill your appointed span if you don’t listen to what I’m saying this morning. Is that true? That’s true. I’m not angry with anybody except the devil. I’m very angry with him.

Okay now I have to point out one other thing about the ministry of Jesus. This is His method. I don’t want keep you long, but Jim asked me to deal with this and I feel I need to. I think we have a very incomplete picture of the ministry of Jesus when it comes to healing, and I won’t take any more than five or ten minutes to say this.

I think most of us picture Jesus going around just healing somebody here and healing somebody there, and somebody comes up to Him and says, ‘Heal me,’ and He heals them. Now occasionally He did that. But basically he didn’t. What he did was to choose a time and a place, get everybody who wanted healing there, and do the job from beginning to end that one place and time. And in many, many cases He required the people to follow Him several days before He ministered to their physical needs.

I used to think how is that Jesus had so many people that had so much faith. You know why? One reason was the unbelievers had dropped out long ago. Think if you were lame or blind or paralyzed and you had to walk twenty or thirty miles for two or three days before the Lord would minister to you. If you didn’t have faith you wouldn’t be there. I’ll give you just some clear examples. In Matthew chapter 12, notice we’re back in Matthew chapter 12 verse 15—is that right—Matthew 12:15.

“But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there [wherever there was]. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.”

Whom did He heal? But what had they done first? They followed Him. Not where they were. Do you understand? They had to move out from where they were to an unknown destination following Him until He chose to stop and start ministering healing.

A friend of mine, Harry Greenwood, some of you know him. He was talking to people who had come to a healing service and he said, ‘All we get in our healing services is doctor’s rejects.’ If you’re in a healing ministry you have to—if people go to a doctor and if that doesn’t work, then we’ll try God. Try God. Who tries God?

“Matthew chapter 15 verses 29 through 32.
Jesus departed from there, [now there was Tyre and Sidon. Since you’ve been so interested in South Lebanon, you have an idea where they are.] skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.
Then great multitudes came to Him, [Where? At the top of the mountain. Okay? At the top of the mountain. Listen what kind of people who were there.] having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.”

Think of carrying a paralyzed person right up a mountain. You can understand by the time you got to the top you either had faith or you didn’t get there. Then it says,

“So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. [Now listen to the next verse.]
The Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, ‘I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.”

That was a three day healing service and there was no refreshment. Understand, we are talking about a totally different level of commitment. I can understand having ministered in the third world. They didn’t have any options. There were no hospitals; there was no malaria medicine, no vaccine against typhus or measles. Their options were minimal. It was either Jesus or nothing.

Let’s look in Matthew 19, and I’ll tell you people say, ‘Why do so many people get healed in Third World Nations?’ That’s one of the reasons. They had no options. Matthew 19: 1 and 2,

“Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. [Now I was with a Jewish guide last year, I pointed out that Scripture to him and I said, ‘How long would it take to do that on foot?’ He said, ‘Two or three days.’ Read the next verse.]”

Where? The end of a two or three days’ journey. Do you understand? Gives you a totally different picture of the healing ministry of Jesus. Ruth and I got into what we’d call mass healing simply under pressure. It was the only practical way we could do it. I thought this is very eccentric, it’s very unorthodox, and then God opened up my eyes to see that’s the way Jesus did it. And I’ll tell you also that if you once get focused on healing and that’s what you’re going to do, there’s a different attitude in everybody. When we have a healing service I say the purpose of this service is just one thing—healing. We’re just as practical as a doctor or a dentist. It’s simply that we use different methods. And I say sometimes, ‘Ruth and I will stay here as long as our strength lasts.’ The one thing we’ve noticed, which is interesting, if we’ve been say five or six hours in a service and the last hour two things will happen— there’ll be a number of outstanding miracles, because those people are desperate.

Second, we find nearly always at the end a number of young men come up for prayer. They were too shy, they held back. You know how sensitive young men are to be inconspicuous of being seen. We’ve just simply seen it as a principle.

Now against that and this is to close, I want to set one other incident. I don’t want to give you a one sided picture. If we go back to Matthew 15 for a moment, Matthew 15 verse 21,

“Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.”

So He’d been to Galilee. He went to Tyre and Sidon. We’ve already about the return journey. Now that must have taken three or four days. So He went from Galilee to Tyre and then back from Tyre to Galilee. Now the New Testament only records one thing He did in Tyre. One thing only. There’s not reason I think to believe He did anything else. So He gave more than one week of His ministry to one woman. Let’s read the story.

“Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a woman of Canaan came from the region and cried out to Him saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed,’
But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she cries out after us.’ [All they were concerned with was their own convenience. You notice that?]
But He answered and said, ‘I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’
Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ [Brief prayers are sometimes the best.] ‘Lord, help me!’
But He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.’”

That was insulting wasn’t it? You notice healing was the children’s bread. It belongs to the children. It was on their table. But she was outside the covenants of God. She was just a little dog.

“And she said, ‘Yes, Lord, [I can hardly ever read this without beginning to cry.] True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.’”

She said, ‘Lord, I don’t need a slice. One crumb is all I need.’ And she got I think the greatest presidential award that any person has ever received in history. No president has ever pinned a medal on anybody’s breast like this one.

“The Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ [Have it your way.] And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”

You can’t say Jesus always healed in the mass, because He would spend a week of His precious ministry to go and visit one non-Jewish woman. What got in there? Now the story doesn’t tell us, so I’ll just give you my opinion. But I think I’ve learned in my ministry there’s such a thing of a cry of a desperate heart to God which never goes unanswered. And I’ve found myself at times in places. I’ve said, ‘God how did I ever get here?’ But I’ve come to the conclusion that there was a heart crying out to God that would not be denied. And God will change all of history to meet a person like that at the point of ministry. Isn’t He wonderful?

Now I don’t know whether any of you would like to make a deal with God. Now you don’t have to do this and I don’t want to trick you into something, but I wonder if some of you would say, ‘Lord, I really want the full benefits of Your kingdom.’ You see it is a social security kingdom. When you’re in it everything’s included. All your needs are cared for. But you see, what I’m going to suggest is, you ponder it for a moment, that you say to God, ‘God, I’m willing that you be my Judge, my Lawgiver and my King. In other words, You tell me what’s right and wrong in my life. You set my lifestyle and I’ll obey Your orders.’

Now I don’t believe you’ll do it perfectly the first time. One reason is because I haven’t done it perfectly the first time. But I’m just asking you, would you like to make that your goal? Would you say, ‘Well, Lord, I’ll say it today because I’d like you to make it true in my life.’ If you’d like to do that I suggest you stand up and we’ll say it together. Don’t feel obliged to stand.

All right we’ll say it this way. We have to be sincere. I want to say this, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, I believe You died on the cross for my sins and rose again from the dead.’ I like to say that always first. ‘I want you to be my Judge, my Lawgiver and my King from this day forward.’ Now it’s a serious commitment. I want you to know that because it’s going to change a lot of things in the lives of some of you. But it will all be for the better.

Brothers, would you come and stand around me here. I want your support. Let’s join hands so that we can really—all right you say these words. You’d better say them after me because you don’t know them. ‘Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that You’re the Son of God and the only way to God. That you died on the cross for my sins and rose again from the dead. And now, Lord, I want to ask you from this day forward to be my Judge, my Lawgiver, and my King. I want to be fully in Your kingdom and under Your authority. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen’