“The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet (bed) and walk.” Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet (bed) and began to walk. “ – John 5:7-9
“Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!” – Mark 2: 8-12
“Get up and walk.” That’s what Jesus told them; He didn’t ask them; He didn’t tell them it would be a good idea if they would walk; He didn’t encourage them and say “you can do it! Just try! You can do it!”. No. Jesus says “Get up and walk.”
Sure. Jesus said it 2,000 years ago to these people but He says the same thing to people today. We read the words “Get up and walk.”
My wife was very sick and Jesus came to her in a vision at night just before she was going to fall asleep. She saw a bright light coming towards her and she knew it was Jesus; she felt healing warmth going up and down her body; and she heard Jesus say to her “Don’t worry. I am going to heal you. Don’t worry. I am going to heal you. Don’t worry. I am going to heal you.”
What’s your paralysis? What’s your sickness? What’s your fear? Jesus says to you today “Get up and walk.”
“And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene– walk!” And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened.…” – Acts 3:6
“Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” – Luke 7:14
This is what Jesus Christ has come to do today. It’s not something that just happened years ago. We have lost sight of the glorious power and reason why Jesus Christ came to earth in the body of a man and what Jesus Christ is willing to do today. Jesus is God in the flesh and God doesn’t change. So if Jesus Christ healed people 2,000 years ago He can and still does heal people today because God doesn’t change.
“So we can say with confidence,“The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” – Hebrews 13:6-8
This same Jesus who did all these miracles in the past, came to my wife showed up in her mind, sent His healing heat upon her, and spoke to her the same as He spoke to people 2,000 years ago and told her: “Don’t worry. I am going to heal you.”
My wife is not crazy. She is quite normal. But she heard Jesus speak to her. The Scriptures say: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
When will we finally grasp this and live it in our lives? When is the miracle going to happen in our lives when we believe the power of God rests in Jesus Christ at this moment and that healing will occur at this moment because Jesus Christ is right here before us hearing every word we are saying; Jesus Christ is right before us hearing every thought in our hearts; and says to us “Get up and walk.”
What is the result of God’s miraculous working power in our lives? He wants us to praise Him because praising God means we see God for who He is – someone who is worthy to be praised.
Oh God help me; help those of us who want to see your miraculous healing power at work to see your miraculous healing power at work in those we love and care about and have compassion on.
It was AB Simpson, the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance churches in Canada who said: “I had been taught in theological seminaries that the age of the supernatural was past, and I could not go back from my early training.” Think of it dear brothers and sisters; many pastors of today who have gone to seminary have been taught that supernatural healings by God were a thing of the past and are not for today. Can you imagine what that is doing to the churches and to Christians?
There is a Scripture which is very relevant for today, even though it speaks volumes in our understanding of our churches today. And that word is found in 2 Timothy 3:5 “having a form of godliness but denying its power.” Yes that’s what a lot of churches look like today. Wonderful services, everything runs on time, clean carpets, the form looks great. The structure looks wonderful. The teaching is theological: facts, knowledge, definitions, greek and Hebrew, history, etc. But where is the power? Where is Jesus Christ Himself in the meeting? Some pastors don’t even want to see the power of God at work; the don’t schedule Him in; for fear it is going to somehow destroy their little clock work like empires they have created. But how can it be bad to allow the Spirit of God to have His way in a congregation? Praise the Lord Jesus Christ! I want the Spirit of God to work through me and through everyone.
Well I’m here today as someone who dropped out the seminary because I saw the crap that wasn’t being taught there and I thought to myself: “I don’t want to learn all this history stuff; and theories about this and that; I want to read the Bible and be strong in my faith and in the Word of God.” And that it just what I did.
Let’s end by reading the section of the Bible where God uses Peter to heal someone in the name of Jesus. It’s a bit of a longer section.
“Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.
Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”
Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.
All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John. Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!
“Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.” – Acts 3:1-16
We will get there. Some of us will see miracles because of this teaching today. Praise the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.