Healing Assured - Part 3

Hi, this is Pastor Phillip Steele.

I am so glad that you have chosen to join me for this edition of the Faith Builders Broadcast.

It's always such a joy to bring the Word of God to you over this broadcast, and we sincerely appreciate you joining us today.

Before we go any further in the broadcast, I want to invite you and your family out to Faith Builders Church right here in the city of Little Rock, Arkansas.

We are located at 11620 Rainwood Road.

And we would love to see you and your family.

We have complete ministry for the entire family.

We have children's ministry all the way from baby all the way up to teenage years.

We have seniors ministry.

We have men's ministry.

We have women's ministry.

We have vibrant praise and worship.

Spirit-filled services with the moving of the Holy Spirit, the teaching and preaching of the Word of God, great guest ministers on a consistent basis.

Our service times are Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m.

for our hour of power, one hour of power from 7 o'clock to 8 o'clock on Wednesday evenings, and then Sunday mornings at 10 a.m.

And we do have different special services throughout the month on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m.

But we would love to see you right here in one of Little Rock's great churches, Faith Builders Church, at 11620 Rainwood Road, right here in Little Rock, Arkansas, where Jesus is building his church.

We love our city, and we believe that God has called us to build a church to reach a city.

And I'm so glad that you've joined me today.

We've been teaching on this subject of healing assured.

Every Tuesday at 1030 a.m.

we have healing school at the church for one hour from 1030 to 11:30.

And I taught this some number of years ago.

And in Psalm 145, verse 8 and 9, it says, The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy.

Psalms 145:8

The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Now that one verse in the Bible should prove forever that God has nothing to do with sickness and disease.

Tender mercies are over all of his works, and he's slow to anger.

That should prove it for time and eternity.

In the scripture, compassion and mercy mean the same thing.

To have compassion is to love tenderly, to pity, to show mercy, to be full of eager yearning.

All right, to be full of eager yearning.

Understand that God is nothing so much as He is love.

God has power, but He is love.

God has strength, but He is love.

The Bible says God is love.

Well, anything that God is is what will be manifested in his character.

Hallelujah.

God is love.

It's not what we can do, but what he desires to do or yearns to do that inspires faith.

Not what we do, but what God yearns to do.

That's what inspires faith.

We should never magnify God's power more than we magnify his compassion.

All right?

Because notice it says again, his tender mercies are over all of his works.

He is good to all.

God is good to all.

In Ephesians 1, 19 and 20, it says, and he wants us to know this: what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and sat him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.

So the exceeding greatness of his power, where is it at?

Towards us.

It's towards us.

The exceeding greatness of his power is pointed towards us.

It's towards us, it's for our benefit.

The Bible magnifies God's willingness to use his power more than it does the power itself.

It magnifies God's willingness to use his power more than it does his power.

Hallelujah.

In no place does the Bible say God is power.

It says God is love.

Now, why is that so important?

Because, and we'll get into some of this, over and over again.

You see where it says Jesus had compassion on them and healed them.

You see over and over again that Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes and healed them.

Healed the multitude, fed the multitude.

The whole feeding of the 5,000 and the feeding of the 4,000 was born of compassion.

But the focus very often is on the power of God, the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes.

Well, that's very important, and that's a mighty work.

What preceded the work?

What gave birth to the miracle?

Compassion.

Love.

Hallelujah.

First John 4:8 says, He that does not love does not know God.

1 John 4:8

For God is love.

He that does not love does not know God, because God is love.

So it's not faith in God's power that secures healing, but faith in his love and in his will.

I remember one time I was dealing with a dear lady, and she made the statement to me, she had come in for counseling.

Actually, she had been to a healing meeting that I had conducted in a part uh in an area in the Kansas City area, Kansas City, Missouri.

And she had come because she had been in that meeting, she had not received in her mind what she believed she should have received.

So she came to talk to me about it.

And she had been diagnosed with what I know now to be leukemia.

And we were talking about some things.

I was trying to locate her, and she made a statement to me.

She said, Well, God ought to heal me.

God should heal me.

And I said, Dear sister, and I said it kindly, I said, Why should God heal you?

And she made this statement.

Because I'm a good person.

I keep the Ten Commandments.

And I said to her, I said, sister, you're trying to get God to do something based on what you do.

And healing is based on what you believe and what God can do.

God doesn't heal anybody because they are more righteous than another person.

Hallelujah.

God heals because he loves.

Let me make this statement again.

It's not faith in God's power that secures healing, but faith in his love and his will.

If there's ever a thought, well, look at all that I do, God should heal me.

I'm not going to be healed.

Because it's not based on what I can do in myself, it's based on his love for me.

Why did God save you?

The Bible says he loved us and gave himself for us.

Another verse says that when one translation says, when we were of no use whatsoever to God, he showed us his love by sending Jesus to die for us.

The King James says, but God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, he sent Jesus to die for us.

Hallelujah.

So while we were still sinners, while we were still of no use whatsoever to God, we weren't living for God.

We were living our lives our own way.

He sent Jesus to die for us and to make provision for our healing while we were still in that state.

Oh, hallelujah.

The psalmist said, the Lord is gracious.

Now I like this because it means he's disposed to show favors.

Hallelujah.

A great man of God, Dr.

Jerry Savell, who's a good friend of ours, he's in heaven today.

He used to, he was known throughout the world as Dr.

Favor, teaching on the, and this was one of his favorite verses.

And he would always say, God is disposed to show favor.

And he would say, I say that all the time, God is disposed to show Jerry favor, right?

Well, there's something to that because it's not enough to know that God is able.

You've got to know God is willing.

There's a difference between knowing God is able and knowing God is willing.

Hallelujah.

In one verse in the Gospels, you know this probably, but the leper said to Jesus, He said, Lord, if you're willing, you can make me clean.

So see, the question was not the power, it was the willingness.

And one translation says, Jesus said, I desire it with all of my heart.

And he touched him and healed him.

Listen, the only thing that's greater than your desire to be healed is God's desire to heal you.

As much as you desire to be healed, God desires to heal you much more.

And when I understand that and I comprehend that, and that begins to be in my spirit, then I begin to expect God to do.

Notice what He's disposed to do.

Hallelujah.

You know, we have a young daughter at home, and she knows how disposed I am to show her favor.

And so she doesn't have a problem asking and expecting to receive.

Hallelujah.

The Bible says whatever we ask, we receive from the Father.

Why?

He is disposed to show us favor.

How much faith does it take to say the Lord is able?

Let me help you.

Not much.

Because there are people that basically are scripturally illiterate.

They believe nothing about God.

But they'll tell you God can do anything.

Because his power is never at question.

A sinner, if they believe in God, will say, God can do anything.

Because of his power.

But understand this, so it does not take much faith to say God is able.

The devil knows God is able.

And he knows he's willing.

But he's fought to keep people from knowing God is willing.

So the fight is knowing God's willing.

Hallelujah.

Because here's what I hear over and over again.

I didn't receive my healing.

Why won't God heal me?

In other words, why don't God use his power to heal me?

I've got to understand.

See, that's that statement, that question proves that they don't believe God's willing.

Why won't God?

A better question might be: why hasn't God?

Is there something that I need to do?

Am I missing it somewhere?

Because God's outlined his will.

Now it may or may not be something that the person has done.

But here's what I'm trying to say is when you settle that in your mind, that is always God's will.

That's what the devil fights is the willingness of God.

Might not be God's will to heal you.

Might not be God's will to set you free.

The problem with that is it goes blatantly against what is emphatically stated in Scripture.

It says God is good unto all.

Alright?

He's good to everybody.

Oh glory.

Knowing God is able is not sufficient basis for faith.

Just knowing God can.

I've had people stand in a healing line before, and I've gone to begin to lay hands on them.

And I said, brother, do you believe that when hands are laid on you that you're going to receive your healing?

Oh, I know God's able.

It's a wrong answer.

I've either had to stand there in front of that person and preach the word to them or move on and come back and preach the word to them because the first thing they have to understand is God is willing.

That's why He said, Lay hands on the sick and they'll recover, because I'm willing to heal them.

It didn't say anything in there about his ability or his power.

It said, Those that believe in my name, they'll lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.

Glory be to God.

Is there power released?

Yes.

But why is there power released?

Because God's willing to heal.

The power is evidence of God's willingness.

Glory to God.

Knowing God is compassionate, and knowing God is willing is a sufficient basis for faith.

Hallelujah.

I don't know about you, but I remember I was raised in church and uh born again at a very early age, and I made some bad decisions in my uh uh early 20s for about two years.

I I went away from what I knew to be right, and I'm certainly not uh proud of that or bragging on that.

I'm it was it's just what happened.

But I remember when when uh I made the decision, I've got to, I've got to get my life turned around, and I know how to do it.

And so I was up one morning early in a little apartment that I lived in in Lanexa, Kansas, and uh I was walking across the uh living area praying because I'd made the decision to give my life back to the Lord and uh some days previous, and I was up praying, and I remember going to the Lord, and notice I remember saying this, Lord, I don't know if you still want me.

I don't know if you still have something for me to do.

But if you do, I sign up, you have my whole life, I'll do it for the rest of my life.

I belong to you.

Right?

See, what I came to understand was this.

You are willing to turn my life around.

I may have messed up, I may have walked away from what I knew to be the truth, but I believe you're willing to receive me back and willing to receive me and put me to work in your kingdom.

And you know he was.

He was.

Brought me right back, put me right back in the kingdom.

Amen.

There are things I had to learn and things I had to unlearn, but his willingness, what did he say?

Remember 1 John 1, 9?

If we confess our sin, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Why would he put that in the Bible?

Because he's willing to do it.

Why would he put in the Bible, anoint the sick with oil, and the prayer of faith will save the sick?

Watch, and the Lord will raise him up because he's willing to do that.

He's willing to raise them up.

Glory to God.

The word willing really doesn't explain God's compassionate heart toward us.

Just willing.

Micah 7:8 says, Who is a God like unto you?

Micah 7:8

Now watch, who pardoneth iniquity passes by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage.

He retaineth not his anger forever.

Why?

He delights in mercy.

He delights in mercy.

That describes God's willingness.

He is so willing, notice, that he will pardon iniquity, that he will pass by transgression.

He will not retain his anger because he delights in mercy.

My goodness.

Do you see that?

That's why I can be sure that God's willing to heal me.

Now, this doesn't mean that God winks at sin and takes it lightly.

What it means is you come to him, he'll pardon your sin.

You make a mistake, you repent, he'll pass by it.

Amen.

Doesn't retain his anger.

God's not angry at you.

God's not mad.

God's anger was poured out on Jesus on the cross.

God poured out his anger on Jesus so that he could pour out his mercy on us.

Glory be to God.

In 2 Chronicles 16, 9 it says, For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to what?

Show himself strong on the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

Herein you have done foolishly, therefore, from henceforth you'll have wars.

Now notice, God is what?

He's always looking for opportunities to show his heart because he delights in mercy.

If you want to please God, remove all the obstacles out of the way that hinder his mercy.

Remove them.

If you want to please God, remove all of the obstacles out of his way that hinder his mercy.

What is hindering God showing mercy to me?

And people immediately will say, sin, wrongdoing, perhaps.

But the thing that I've seen is the most is self-effort, self-righteousness, arrogance, pride.

Those are the things that hinder God from showing his mercy in my life.

My brother, sister, if you can do it on your own, you don't need God to help you.

And the way that God helps us first and foremost is by showing us his mercy.

Hallelujah.

I remember I used to minister a lot in a certain prison system in the Kansas area, Kansas, state of Kansas.

And there were people that they would always say, I want justice.

I just want justice.

And I would always tell them, No, you want mercy.

You want mercy.

Mercy goes farther than justice.

God is not more compassionate in the saving of sinners than he is in the healing of his own children.

God is not more compassionate to the sinner than he is to his children.

But yet, if you hear some people teach and preach, that's how it appears.

That God is so merciful and compassionate to the sinner, but he may turn a deaf ear to your prayer for healing.

He may turn a deaf ear to your prayer for the healing of your child.

What kind of Father, would that be to be more compassionate to a child that I don't even know and save them and leave my own child to die sick?

See, it it it even in the natural, it doesn't make sense.

God is not more compassionate in the saving of the sinner.

His compassion is why the sinner was saved.

The Bible says, don't you know that it's the goodness of God that leads man to repent?

It's God's goodness.

But once you are born again and you're in the family of God, his compassion is much more manifold in your life because he's now your father.

Glory to God.

Psalm 25, 10 says, notice this phrase All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth.

Unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

Notice all the paths are mercy.

All the paths, all the paths in God lead to mercy.

All the paths lead to loving kindness.

All the path leads to him being disposed to show you favor.

And there's no greater favor than the healing of your body.

Hallelujah.

I quoted to you earlier in Mark chapter 1, verse 40, when it says the leper said to Jesus, If you're willing, you can heal me.

Mark 1:40

And it says that one translation says that Jesus said, I'm desiring it with my whole heart, had compassion on him and healed him.

Compassion moved Christ to heal this leper.

Jesus touched people that were unclean through sickness and never thought anything about it.

Because mercy doesn't look at the sickness, mercy doesn't look at the disease.

Mercy just simply looks at the person and wants them well.

That's why Jesus would touch the blind, he would touch the leper, he would touch the paralyzed.

He would touch people with other issues in their body.

Why?

Because it was the mercy of God.

It was the mercy of God in action.

Glory be to Jesus.

Thank you, Father.

Thank you, Father.

In Matthew 14, verse 13 and 14, it says that a multitude brought themselves to Jesus.

Matthew 14:13

And it said, notice, this is so important.

It says, and he had compassion on them and healed all their sick.

You know, a multitude is an innumerable number.

It's put in the Bible in the four gospels, multitude.

They couldn't count the numbers.

There were so many people.

But notice what it says, he healed all their sick.

There are instances that we read in the Bible that Jesus healed people all day long.

When Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law, then he went outside of the front door, and it says that everyone in the city had brought all the sick that they knew to Jesus, and he healed them all night long because of his mercy.

Hallelujah.

Two blind men came to Jesus in Matthew 20 and said, Son of David, have mercy on us.

And Jesus said, What do you want me to do for you?

And they said that we might receive our sight.

And he granted them the mercy of healing.

2 Corinthians 1.3 says, God is the Father of mercies.

Glory to God.

If you need healing in your body, if you need healing in your life, understand that you have access to the Father of mercies, and He's just waiting to heal you.

Stretch your hands out right now in the name of Jesus.

Just touch the device, your TV, whatever you're watching this on.

Father, I thank you for showing this brother or sister of mine the mercy of healing.

I speak health and healing and wholeness over their bodies, and I declare they are healed by the power of God in Jesus' name.

Amen and amen.

Listen, I sure enjoy being together with you here on this broadcast each week.

And please join us again next week as we continue with this subject of healing assured.

And if you have a chance, come and join us at Faith Builders Church right here in Little Rock, Arkansas, at 11620 Rainwood Road.

We have services Wednesday evening at 7, Sunday mornings at 10 a.m.

Till we see you again.

Please remember to build your faith, frame your world by the Word of God.

What is Healing School?

Healing School is a weekly class where we learn about God's provision for the healing of our bodies.

Whether you are facing a physical attack against your health, or you want to build up your spiritual immune system to remain strong and healthy, this weekly class is for you.

Join Pastor Phillip Steele each Tuesday at Life of Faith Church at 1030 a.m.

at 116-20 Rainwood Road in Little Rock, Arkansas, or online at our YouTube channel, Life of Faith Church Little Rock.

Each class is free and open to the public.

Join us this week at Healing School.

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