Have you heard of Jesus? What have you heard about Him? What have you really heard? Have you heard that He saves? Have you heard that He heals? Have you heard that He alone can raise the dead and cast out demons? What have you heard? Do you believe what you have heard about Him? Is it possible all those things are true? That He really can save, heal and cast out demons?
Often times when people hear of Jesus something happens inside of them. I want to look at a few examples in scripture of people that heard and what they believed.
Blind Bartimaeus
“Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.” Mark 10:46-52 NKJV
In this passage the blind man heard that Jesus was walking by and he began to cry out to Jesus. This man was persistent because even when he was told to be quiet he cried out even more and would not stop. But why was he calling out for Jesus. What had this man heard about Jesus that made him cry out to Him? Had this man heard of all the miracles Jesus was performing?
Finally the blind man has Jesus attention and is told to rise and go the Him. This man threw aside his garment and rose and went to Jesus. He stepped out on faith expecting something from the Lord. What did he ask? He asked for his sight, he asked for that which is impossible in the natural! Yet the man had faith from he had heard of Jesus. Jesus commanded him to “Go your way, your faith has made you well.” Who’s faith was going to make this man well? The man’s faith! He heard and had faith! Immediately he received what he, Bartimaeus, had believed for.
Woman with Issue of Blood
“Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.” Mark 5:25-29 NKJV
Again in this passage the woman heard of Jesus. Unlike the blind man that had brought attention to himself, this woman came up from behind Jesus in a crowd just to touch his garment. For she believed, in her heart, that if she could but only touch His garment she would be well. This women stepped out on what she believed and “immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up.” Immediately she was healed of years of affliction! Immediately she received what she had faith to receive.
Crippled from Birth
“And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.” Acts 14:8-10
Yet again in this passage this cripple man heard. However this time was different. Instead of hearing Jesus walking by, he heard Paul speaking. Yet what was Paul speaking about? Paul was speaking about Jesus and Paul was walking in the power and authority that had been given to him (Luke 9:1, Luke 10:19, Acts 4:33, Matt. 10:1, 2 Peter 1:3, Ephesians 3:20) Paul was full of the Holy Spirit and saw that the man had faith to be healed.
What About YOU!
Do you faith in you to be healed? Do you believe what you have heard about Jesus? I do not say this in order to condemn because often times we have listened or read about Jesus but to have truly heard about Him changes our inner being. A faith will rise up when we know without a doubt that He is the one that can save, heal, and redeem you.
In Hebrews 4:2 it states, “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” The same gospel that you heard and the same gospel preached to another does not change. The gospel is salvation to all that hear. (Roms 1:16) However if what you hear is not mixed with faith it does not matter. It takes faith in Jesus to ask Him into your life. And it also takes faith to believe everything in His word to be true.
1 Peter 2:24 states, “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness–by whose stripes you were healed.” This scripture states that you were healed which also means cured or made whole like the cripple man from Acts 14. You have now heard that you were/are healed by the stripes that Jesus bore. The question remains will your faith mix with what you have heard. Will you trust God’s word over a doctors report or what you see in the mirror? “So then faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom 10:17) Have you heard the good news. Keep listening/reading sometimes we need to hear over and over before our faith rises up.
In addition you may need to take a step of faith by throwing aside your old garments, the beliefs you have been holding onto for years. You may need to reach out and take what belongs to you in faith. We have been called believers because we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart (Roms 10:9) What are you confessing? What are you believing?
Jesus continually spoke, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matt 13:9, Matt 11:15, Matt 13:43) Do you have ears to hear today? I pray that you will hear today and have faith to receive everything that God has for your in His word.
You have a choice, check out this post for more about that choice?
Wow that is an amazing blog. Thank you. I feel healed and I am not sick or injured.