Overview
A heart that heals is a heart that is blessed of God and in union with the accomplished work of Christ. In this fourth webinar in the OIKEOS series on the heart, Rev. Rico Magnelli teaches that healing flows from an attitude of heart rather than a formula: forgiveness is an action of love and vital to all healing of the mind and body, and the heart is the gateway where deliverance makes its necessary turns. Tracing blessing and cursing from Genesis through the law, the gospels and the epistles, he shows that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, so a believer can say, I am not cursed of God, I am blessed of God.
Transcript
What a Heart That Heals Looks Like
Well, God bless you in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ and welcome to this fourth in our series on heart, our webinars that we’ve been conducting these last number of months. And as I mentioned, this is the fourth in the webinar series on heart. This one is entitled, A Heart That Heals. Now each webinar is a stepping stone, a building block of learning. Everything we mentioned in the previous three webinars about the heart still applies to this webinar. God still focuses on the heart of man as he looks on the life of each individual. He is the searcher of hearts. The heart being that figurative womb for treasured thoughts to incubate and develop. It’s the fallow ground to plant ideas and concepts to be watered. It is the inner part of man’s mind where believing comes from and where the life of God issues from. It is where our ethical and moral compass is calibrated and it is a sanctified place of peace where we commune with our heavenly father and his light shines bright. It is where trust in God resides.
It is where the shield of the faith of Jesus Christ stands upright to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And it’s where the process of the healing of our minds and bodies makes necessary turns, gets a fresh start or a sped up by God’s power. A heart that heals is blessed and is in union with the accomplished work of Christ. And we’re gonna see how this really develops. And as we work through this webinar, keep these things in mind. A heart that heals is blessed. It’s a blessed heart. And it’s a heart that’s in union with the accomplished work of Christ. To describe this further, a heart that heals is not dry, brittle or hard, resisted to growth.
That’s not a heart that heals. A heart that heals is alive and fresh and supple. Like we learned from Psalm 119, verses 32 and 36 from our last webinar, our heart actually can be enlarged. Our heart actually can be stretched out by God to reach beyond our current capacities and our current expectations. A heart that heals has a resiliency to it despite disappointment, despite discouragement, despite hurt that results from living in this world. And we’ve all had our share of these negatives for sure. Yet a heart that heals bounces back every time. Why? Because it is full of something the world cannot give. And that is God’s blessings and the accomplished work of Christ.
Trust in the Lord With All Thine Heart: Proverbs 3
Please turn to Proverbs chapter three. Now this webinar cannot possibly handle everything there is about healing. But what we’ll focus on is an attitude of heart that is absolutely blessed of God and that is in union with the accomplished work of Christ. Those two aspects we want to develop in this webinar so we can increase our understanding and appreciation of what God really has done for us, who he is and in sending his son, Jesus Christ as such a pinnacle of blessing to our lives in so many ways in healing our minds and bodies and of course, bringing us salvation. Here in Proverbs chapter three, it says, let not mercy and truth forsake thee, bind them about thy neck and write them upon the table of thine heart. The word mercy here could be understood as loving kindness. And I like the English standard version here which is abbreviated ESV. It translates it as steadfast love. See with love comes forgiveness, which is central to all healing.
And we’re gonna see how this unfolds in the word. So we wanna write mercy and truth on the table of our heart so we don’t forget that loving kindness, that steadfast love that God has for us. So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. We rely and trust on the Lord with all our heart and I like the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint rendering here, it’s with that whole heart, the sound heart, because no fiery darts have left holes in our heart or in our soul. We’ve not allowed them to lodge there and burn within our heart and soul. We trust him with all our heart, the whole thing. Health in mind and body does involve both do’s and don’ts. It goes on to say in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.
Be not wise in thine own eyes, fear or respect the Lord and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones. There are some do’s and don’ts here. See, we trust the Lord with all our heart, that’s a do and we do not lean unto our own understanding. In other words, we don’t rely on our understanding solely, we rely on God because he can provide information that will help us to heal our minds and bodies and to help other people as well. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. We bring each situation to the throne room of almighty God, his sovereignty over all things and in all situations, we acknowledge his power, his love and his care for our lives. And we’re not wise in our own eyes. In other words, we’re not the end all in the situation.
No matter what the situation is, we’re not the last word on it, God’s the last word. We respect the Lord and we depart from evil. So you gotta recognize evil and in this webinar, we’ll identify some of the aspects of evil that have infiltrated into the mind of man in regards to the healing of the mind and the body. And it says, it shall be health to thy navel. The word navel is a figure of speech representing the whole body. It brings health to us. And the word marrow is a refreshing, a refreshing to our bones. Our bones are not brittle and weak. They’re refreshed as God designed them to be in the physical sense.
Forgiveness Is an Action of Love and Vital to All Healing
Now, sometimes deliverance can be as simple as bringing our heart focus back on the Lord and his loving kindness. It’s amazing. Allowing ourselves to be loved brings healing. That’s right. Allowing ourselves to be loved brings healing. For some people, that’s very challenging for them because they live with their own inadequacies and frailties. They live with their own shortcomings and they’re very aware of them. And somehow at times that becomes an obstacle to our own acceptance of love. Well, we should put a stop to that.
Also loving others can bring healing to both the one giving that love and the one receiving that love. That’s right. Forgiveness is an action of love. Forgiveness is an action of love and vital to all healing of the mind and body. It’s vital to the healing of the mind and the body. Now, let me say something upfront here that if someone is in the midst of a mental or physical challenge that needs healing, this does not necessarily mean that the cause and responsibility all lies at their feet. That sometimes can be the accuser. Turning our focus inward on ourselves in a negative way only leads to condemnation. Our focus is on God, not ourselves or even the issue itself.
We are aware of it, absolutely, but that’s not our focus. And it certainly doesn’t become our confession. Each situation is unique and there’s not one explanation or pattern or formula that covers every challenge. What I am saying that trusting the Lord with all our heart in that challenge means we have our expectation in him that he provides the guiding steps we need to bring healing. How it comes varies. We can see the variety in the scripture. Even if it involves a period of time like the woman recorded in the gospels who had the issue of blood 12 years, who said, quote, if I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole, end quote. Or the steps we might take may not be the ones that we predicted, like in the record of Naaman in the Old Testament, where he was to wash in the Jordan seven times, pretty unique. Or a sudden health challenge literally springs upon you like it did when the apostle Paul was involved in a shipwreck and a viper took hold of his hand and he shook off the viper.
The viper was actually fastened to his hand. What a mind picture that must be. And yet he shook it off and he felt no residual negative effect when he should have probably keeled over and died according to the local inhabitants of the island. See, a heart that heals was present in each of these situations. But let me say there are only examples like others we will look at to help us see a heart that heals does not endeavor to set a formula to follow every time. It’s an attitude of heart that we’re after.
The Heart Is a Gateway for Deliverance: A Heart That Heals Is a Heart That Kneels
Look at Psalm 103, please. The heart is a gateway for deliverance. In the heart of man is where the process of the healing of our minds and bodies makes necessary turns in the right direction if needed. Or perhaps something finally clicks in place for us where we are convinced or perhaps we finally let something go that we hold against ourselves or even others that’s been hindering us, hindering our deliverance. And we embrace forgiveness, forgiving ourselves and forgiving others. Perhaps in our heart we resist a negative from lodging in our thinking by confessing truth or we take the needed action on his guidance that becomes vital to a fresh start or a fresh perspective on the issue. Sometimes that can be the linchpin that ties it all together for us. Or perhaps we decide to partner with the right people to help us in that challenge. It doesn’t matter how it comes. However the healing comes, God designed our minds and bodies to be healed and to be made whole. Where there’s no residual effects in our heart and soul from the impact of what happened. Our bodies are cleansed and healed and then our hearts and minds don’t carry the weight of that issue.
See most of the time, God’s design of our bodies can be enough. He designed them so wonderfully and magnificently. But when needed, we get help. And God’s power via the spirit can speed up the process instantaneously or at an exceptional rate. Our heart is the key to all of this. Psalm 103 please. Verse one, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. A heart that heals is blessed. This word bless in the Hebrew is the word barak.
And it literally means to kneel, to kneel. But it can be used in a figurative application. And certainly it would be used in this sense here. It’s like a mental posture. It’s an attitude of praise. Like when the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians chapter three, verse 14, he says, for this cause, I bow my knees unto the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. See, we bow to no man. We bow to one. And that one is the God and father of all.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ. That’s who we bow in our heart. Now it doesn’t mean that we can’t kneel at times. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying in our heart, we keep a mental posture of praise and recognition for God in a very unique sense. The Greek equivalent of this Hebrew word would be the Greek verb eulogeo, which means to speak well of, to praise. When God blesses man, he confers happiness and prosperity and favor. And we’re gonna see how significant this is when it comes to healing. I like to say a heart that heals is a heart that kneels.
A heart that heals is a heart that kneels. Why is that? Because we’ve taken that posture in our heart, just like the Apostle Paul recorded in Ephesians 3:14. See our heart can figuratively kneel before and praise God. We can also pass on this blessing, this praise of God to others. It’s amazing, but it is so important and significant when it comes to a heart that heals. He says, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me. David’s soul, representing David as a person and the life that he had in his body. And all that is within me, meaning the entire person, including his body. It can be one resounding recognition in the heart.
And that’s key when it comes to healing. And it says, his holy name. A heart that heals is an attitude that recognizes the Lord, Jehovah, his authority, his character, and his dignity. It’s not just his name that we repeat the name. It’s the significance behind the name. And this is what the Hebrew mind understood when it mentions his holy name. His set apart, his sanctified name. Where is this all done? Not necessarily out on the streets. It’s done in our heart.
Forget Not All His Benefits: He Forgives and He Heals
It’s our whole being. It’s an attitude. It goes on to say, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits. So there’s benefits to praising, to kneeling in our heart before our God. What are they? Here’s two of them. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases. Part of the praise and recognition of the heart when we do it before the Lord, part of the benefits are he forgives and he heals. He forgives and he heals. And forgiveness is an action of love, which brings us back to his loving kindness, his steadfast love.
These are powerful, powerful truths. And we’re going to see how the adversary, Satan, has endeavored throughout the centuries and the eons, endeavored to work against this truth and bring ill health to people. That’s right. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction, or the pit. Who crowneth thee with loving kindness, there it is again, and tender mercies. See, these are the things that we put in our heart because the issue is not about the challenge we’re going through, but about the God who brings the deliverance. Look at 2 Chronicles. We’ll be back here. 2 Chronicles chapter seven.
This healing and forgiveness are so significant that at the dedication of the temple in which Solomon built, that David prepared for, we have this truth come up again. Because it was to be instituted into the heart of Israel. And they were to be a showcase to the entire world. 2 Chronicles chapter seven, verse 13. And if I shut up heaven, that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, if I send pestilence, which is the word for plague among my people. This is referring to God allowing these things to happen. He doesn’t initiate these things. He allows it to happen because of man’s disobedience. Watch this, verse 14.
If my people, which are called by my name, there’s his name again, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, meaning presence of God, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. And the word land here is a figure of speech. It’s actually referring to the people. That’s right. Back to Psalm 103, please. Forgiveness and healing are inextricably tied together. The adversary always is pushing for condemnation and judgment, and God is moving freedom and release from that bondage. Psalm 103, look at verse 10. He, God, has not dealt with us after our sins.
In other words, when he considers his people, the sins of people are not what he thinks about first. That’s not what he focuses in on, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that respect him. As far as the east is from the west, which we know from the earth, the east and west never meet, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. See, sins are not God’s focus. He has already taken action to remove them from our relationships. Now the world, the adversary, and those that function with him, wants to add sins, our sins and everybody else’s, to our relationship. We’re the ones that are going to choose. We choose whether to include them or not.
And the words that we choose to accept determine much of what is in our heart because words convey ideas. That’s right. That’s how sometimes the negatives get in. A heart that heals moves to quench the fiery darts of the wicked with the shield of faith. So they do not take hold and cause damage to us. Much like our physical bodies have antibodies, they repel certain bacteria or viruses or foreign substances in the blood. The same is true spiritually. Toxic, negative, and hurtful words have more of a direct cause on health than people are willing to admit and even less do something about. That’s right.
Blessing and Cursing: Where the Curse Begins in Genesis
Look at Genesis chapter one. That’s why we have to choose the words that we allow in our hearts because they will convey ideas. And we’re gonna see there is a sharp contrast between what God wants to bless us and what the world wants as directed by the adversary, Genesis chapter one in verse 28. And God blessed them, talking about man, and he said unto them, be fruitful and multiply. Within this direction and blessing is so much truth and depth and we’ll touch upon it to some degree and replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowls of the air and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. God initiates the relationship with man with a blessing. Now, let me say a heart that heals recovers itself from disappointment and discouragement and hurt and moves on before these issues burn a hole in our soul. These issues, disappointment, discouragement and hurt were not present in the original arrangement with man that God had. They came in after the serpent, the devil caused issues and deceived Eve and then Adam disobeyed.
See, the blessing we’re reading here in Genesis 1:28 is the opposite of a cursing, it’s the opposite. Blessing is to be in union or in agreement with God and before the adversary introduced himself, man was in union and in agreement with God. The cursing comes when there’s an opposition against God. And here’s the first cursing, is in Genesis chapter three, verse 14, and here it is. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, now it wasn’t literally a serpent, it’s a figure of speech to explain and accentuate the extraordinary craftiness with which Lucifer, now the devil, Satan tricked Eve and interrupted that beautiful harmonic balance between man, God and the environment. Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed. There’s the first one. The devil isn’t blessed, he’s cursed, absolutely. What it says, above all cattle and above every beast of the field upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
These are figurative references. God often uses physical things to explain a spiritual truth because the devil is a spirit being. He doesn’t have material form unless God allowed it, as he did with Eve and then Jesus Christ, the best we understand. See, this word cursed is the Hebrew word arar and it means a great loathing, a reviling, a denouncing. So this is the first one that comes up and it’s very appropriate that God should let us know this because so much of the ills of man come from right here, not blessing, cursing. Now, again, when I say cursing, you understand I don’t mean profanity. I mean it as it’s used biblically. Now, anything the devil is involved with, anything, anything he influences or controls has the potential to negatively affect health in mind and body as a consequence of being cursed. That’s right, he can’t bring blessing even though at times he makes it appear that way.
It’s all a facade, it’s all trickery and sleight of hand because what’s behind it is the impact of this curse. That’s right. It says in Acts 10, verse 38, it says how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power who went about doing good and healing, healing all that were oppressed of the devil for God was with him. Jesus Christ carried out God’s heart to the greatest and most perfect impact. And one of the things that the word of God tells us in Acts 10:38 specifically, is that he was to heal all that were oppressed, all that were crushed, all that were pushed upon down by the devil. That’s right. And since the devil needs facades, he needs things to utilize the world’s full of this stuff. Now, let’s look at the next time this comes up. Look at Genesis three again.
The Cursing of the Ground and the Broken Agreement With Man
Look at verse 17. God is addressing Adam. And unto Adam, he said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife. Remember, Eve was deceived, not Adam. He just disobeyed. And hath eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying, thou shall not eat of it. Cursed is the ground. There’s the second use of this. Cursed is the ground for thy sake.
In sorrow, shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Here’s the second component that has caused issues for man. Cursing the land. And it’s really the ground. It’s the Hebrew word, adamah. And it’s interesting, adamah is where we get Adam. Adam, adamah. Because man was taken from the soil, from the ground. See, the cursing of the land for Adam’s sake represents the consequences of a broken agreement between God and man.
That’s what it represents. It’s a broken agreement. God doesn’t take agreements lightly. He’s not like you and me. We say one thing and do something else. He’s not like that. If he speaks, it’s over. Aha, that’s right. So it behooves us to have some integrity.
Say what you mean, mean what you say. I love it, love it. Well, that’s the way God is. So what this set in motion, God doesn’t literally curse the ground. It’s not like that. It’s because of man, for thy sake, because of what Adam did in breaking the agreement. So the full restorative nature of the creation is not in balance because of man. The way God designed nature originally, it had full and complete restorative qualities for man’s health. That’s right.
And there’s still plenty of remnants in nature. Sure, absolutely. And then when God gave the promised land to the children of Israel, it says in Deuteronomy 28, because he can go above this, the land that God gave Israel was not cursed, but it was blessed. Every time they hearkened unto the voice of God, whenever they hearkened unto the voice of God, the land and the benefits of it, the restorative quality of its pristine nature brought back health and healing to their bodies and minds. See, this has been around for thousands of years. Let’s be clear. The impact of nature, man’s yearning to have a connection with nature is almost insatiable. It’s unbelievable. Remember, Adam, the word for Adam, Adamah, ground.
So man likes to look out the window at the sky or scenery or simply have fresh air. Nature is such a powerful draw back to the origin of man, specifically the soil where we came from. Now, some cultures have taken this to an extreme where they actually worship the ground. That’s not it at all. You worship the creator, not the creation, but we are cognizant that this is his handiwork. No question about it.
Why the Second Heaven and Earth Is Still Corruptible
Look at Romans chapter eight, please. We’ll be back to Genesis. Now, the work of Jesus Christ did not resolve second heaven and earth issue of corruption. This second heaven and earth in which we live, not the first, God had to restore the first one and now we’re in the second. This second heaven and earth has abiding within it corruption. It cannot last. That’s right. So that’s why God is gonna create a new heavens and a new earth, Isaiah 65. So everything that you see will not last.
There’s been too much shed blood. There’s been too much activity of God’s enemy in this second heaven and earth. He’s not carrying this into the third. He’s gonna start with a clean slate. Reminds me of when David could not build the temple because he shed so much blood. See, God wanted it to be a clean break. Well, the future will be a clean break. That’s right. Romans chapter eight, verse 18.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. That’s right. For the earnest expectation of the creation waited for the manifestation of the sons of God. Even the creation in a figurative sense can’t wait for the sons of God. It’ll set in motion a series of events that will eventually bring about the third heaven and earth. For the creation was made subject to vanity, empty results. In other words, none of what you see is gonna make it into the future in the third heaven and earth. None of it. It’s futile.
Well, God’s got you covered. Don’t worry about it. And not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected the same in hope. This was according to God’s plan that eventually will restore all things. He will resolve every wrong and reward every right. Because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption to the glorious liberty of the children of God. Oh my goodness. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. Why? Because the way it was originally set up was interrupted.
That agreement with God and man was interrupted. And not only they, but we ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the spirit. When you’re born again, you’ve got the spirit of God within you. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to wit, the redemption of what? Our body. You’re gonna get a new body at the return of Christ. Back to Genesis four. This is part of our hope. And important to understand. Because all the healing that is possible in this life cannot resolve the corruption of the second heaven and earth.
If the Lord tarries, each one of us will eventually sleep in Christ. See the land can be restored, but it’s still corruptible. Our hearts can be restored and healed. Our bodies as well, but they are still corruptible. That is not gonna change. The only thing that changes that is the return of Christ. So the cursing resulted in the corruption of the second heaven and earth. And with it brought in sickness, disease and death. Genesis chapter four, please.
The Curse on Cain and How Idolatry Can Affect Health
Look here. Here’s the third cursing. And it’s dealing with Cain. The first murderer and the first in a long line of idolaters that institutionalized idolatry. Genesis chapter four, verse 11. And now art thou cursed. Talking God, speaking to Cain. He was cursed. He was reviled.
He was denounced by God. From the earth, from the Adamah. From the ground, which has opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand. When thou tillest, meaning when you work, the Adamah, the ground, the soil, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength. A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. There is strength within the earth itself, in the products that are produced from the earth. To bring us health and restore us back to health. Absolutely, God designed it that way. Cain is the first in a long line of people dedicated to idolatry.
Not just stumble upon it, follow it blindly. I’m talking about are committed, dedicated to it. It’s referred to as the way of Cain in Jude 11. It’s those that have completely sold out and dedicated themselves to idolatry. Cain is also referred to as coming out of the wicked one. That means he is completely, Cain, was completely in the adversary’s camp, totally. Not played with what people think about on the surface. This goes a lot deeper. That’s according to 1 John 3:12. So therefore, this curse notes the ground will not produce the strength man needs to stay healthy when idolatry is present.
That’s right. And idolatry moves in every culture. See, the idolatry can affect agriculture. It can affect livestock. It can affect pharmaceuticals, all of which can be traced back to the earth. They in and of themselves are not cursed. That’s not what I’m saying. It’s when man sticks his hand in there by the adversary’s direction and introduces idolatry with it. That’s right.
What man does with the resources of the earth can affect our health, especially when idolatry has its hand in it. Somewhere along the line, there are diseases and infections and causal attacks on our health that can be produced as a result of this idolatry. And it all goes back to a curse. But you’re not cursed, you’re blessed. You see what I’m saying here? This stuff is deep. Deuteronomy 27:15 tells us, “‘Cursed is the man that maketh any graven or molten image “‘an abomination unto the Lord, “‘the work of the hands of the craftsman, “‘and put it in a secret place.'” That means they hide it.
Cain’s City, a Temporary Mindset, and Why the Ancients Feared the Curse
And all the people shall answer and say amen. The other thing Cain does here is Cain builds the first man-made environment, more of a permanent dwelling. He built the first city. And it was a monument to his answer to God, which in essence was, I’m doing my own thing, I don’t need you. That’s Cain. You can read about it. See, this does not mean, and please don’t misunderstand me, this does not mean that cities are evil in and of themselves. No, they’re not. Absolutely not.
They provide protection, there’s interaction, there’s facilitating of human activity, all these wonderful things. But because you have that environment, things can go bad or good. Depends on the circumstances. And certainly if idolatry gets involved. Cain was not directed by God to build this city. Cain rejected God. He became the master of his own life, and with his own environment that he built, and God was not welcome. That is a problem. That doesn’t mean that we should all run to the hills and live in caves and trees and all these different things.
You know that’s not what it means at all. We want to invite God into our lives, into our homes, into our cities, into wherever we live. See, the great believers in the Old Testament, as noted in Hebrews, like Abraham, it said of them who looked for a city whose builder and maker is God, they confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. There’s nothing wrong with living in a city or living in a permanent dwelling, but you understand in your heart it’s temporary. That’s the point. It’s not permanent, it’s temporary. And keeping it in a temporary context really removes much of the challenges that the adversary would endeavor to infiltrate into your thinking. Look at Genesis 27. This stuff is real.
The ancients, Genesis 27, the ancients were very concerned about the effects of being cursed. You’ve probably read it. They were not interested in being on the opposite against God. They were not interested in being reviled or denounced by God because they knew that there were consequences. They were into being blessed by God, being in agreement with God. And during the time before the law, the Mosaic law, patriarchs or heads of families and tribes like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they were involved in some of these blessings and cursings. That’s right. Genesis 27, verse 12. It says, my father, Jacob is speaking about Isaac, peradventure will feel me and I shall seem to him as a deceiver and I shall bring a curse upon me and not a blessing.
These individuals were part of imparting these blessings and even key to the cursing. They were concerned about it. Look at Job. Many scholars are in agreement that Job is perhaps the first book ever written. It’s practical lessons, even before the Mosaic law are outstanding. Look at what Job says in a practical manner. He says in chapter one of the book of Job in verse five. And it was so when the days of their feasting were gone about, talking about his children, that Job sent and sanctified them. He’s trying to set them apart.
And let me say, whatever happened to the children of Job was their responsibility, not Job’s. And rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, he confessed this, it may be that my sons have sinned and look at this, and cursed God where? In their hearts. Thus did Job continue. It was an issue. They were concerned about it because they knew being on the wrong side of God brought consequences.
What the Adversary Is Really After: Lessons From Job
Look at chapter one, verse 11. Look at what the devil is really after. This is what he’s after in your life and mine right here. Verse 11, the devil speaking to God, but put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath and he will what? Curse thee to thy face. That’s what he wants from your life and mine. He doesn’t want us to bless God with all our soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name. He doesn’t want us to praise God. He wants us to curse God. Why? Because he knows that that’s our demise.
That’s the end. Job would not cross this line. He would not curse God even though he had great calamity in his life. That’s right. Look at chapter two, verse five. The devil again, put forth thine hand now and touch his bones and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face. Look at what the devil is after. And this again, like I’m saying, the ancients understood this. This has evaded so many in the Western world that God blesses and the adversary curses and the adversary moves many things in the direction of cursing because he knows if you stand up in opposition to God, you’re not gonna get the benefits of God.
Even Job’s wife fell prey. Look at this, verse nine. Then said his wife unto Job, unto him, dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die. There it is. It was so ingrained in the culture. And what is the adversary after? Cursing God.
Abraham, the Blessing of All the Families of the Earth, and Choosing Life
That’s what he’s after. Look at Genesis 12. Well, God picks out a man, tremendous man named Abraham and look what he says to him. The father of all them that believe God. The father, in a manner of speaking of faith, believing God. Look at this, Genesis 12, verse one. Now the Lord had said unto Abram. This is before he’s called Abraham. Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father’s house unto a land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation. Look at this. And I will what? Bless thee.
Doesn’t say curse you. Bless thee and make thy name great. And thou shalt be a what? A blessing. If God blesses you, then you’re a blessing to everybody. That’s right. And I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curses thee. And in thee shall all the families of the earth be cursed. No, it says be what? Blessed. Amazing.
Abraham is so key to all the families of the earth being blessed because he believed God. How about you? You’re of the descendants of Abraham because you believe God. That’s right. Look at Genesis 14. Abraham had a victory and God recognizes it by sending his priest Melchizedek in Genesis 14, verse 18. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, he was also the priest of the most high God brought forth bread and wine. And he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him and said, blessed be Abraham of the most high God possessor of heaven and earth. Wow.
And blessed be the most high God which has delivered thine enemies into thine hand. And he gave him tithes of all. See the bread and wine are the fruit of the ground. Where do you think they come from? They come from Adamah, the ground. They’re the fruit of it, made from wheat and grapes, typically. They represent the fruitful blessing of God upon man. When man is in agreement with God, nature responds. The Lord Jesus Christ would utilize bread and wine as a figurative representation of God’s blessing to man by way of his sacrifice, his broken body and shed blood in blessing from God. Look at Deuteronomy 30.
You are not cursed. You should not put those thoughts in your mind. You are blessed of God. And if you’re blessed of God, my goodness, you’re blessed of God and you receive his forgiveness and healing. Deuteronomy chapter 30. When the law came after Abraham, the law dictated who would be blessed and who would be cursed. You can read about it in the Mosaic law. The law institutionalized the benefits of the blessing and the consequences of the cursing. It just details it out beautifully.
So there’s no question. And Deuteronomy written in the final year of Moses’s ministry, the 40th year, when he’s about 120, he says this to the children of Israel. Verse 19 of chapter 30 of the book of Deuteronomy. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I’ve set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may what? Live. Amazing. Look at second Chronicles. Yet the children of Israel made many mistakes, yet God looked on their heart anyway, even under the law. How much more under grace does he just not even think about your challenges and sins and issues? It’s all been handled.
Hezekiah’s Passover: God Looked on Their Hearts and Healed the People
Look at second Chronicles chapter 30. Here, the King Hezekiah sends word to Israel and Judah, they were divided kingdoms by this point, to come to Jerusalem to keep the Passover. Some listened, some didn’t. Second Chronicles chapter 30 in verse 10. So the posts, those are the people carrying the communications, passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun. But they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. Here’s the King saying, come back and let’s recognize the Lord our God in the Passover. And some just mocked them. Some people are gonna mock you. You gotta make a choice. You’re gonna listen to him or not. Nevertheless, divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
Also in Judah, the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the King and of the princes by the word of the Lord. And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of the unleavened bread, which is Passover. In the second month, a very great congregation. They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem. Those were the altars to the false gods. And all the altars for incense took they away and cast them in the brook Kidron. So they got rid of the idolatry. Then they killed the Passover on the 14th day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed.
Why were they ashamed? It says, and sanctified themselves and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. In other words, they realized how off they were from the true word of God. They got humble and they said, oh my goodness, we have been off the word. And they stood in their place after their manner, according to the law of Moses, the man of God. The priest sprinkled the blood, which they received to the hand of the Levites. Watch this, for there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified. Therefore, the Levites had the charge of the killing of the Passover for everyone that was not clean to sanctify them unto the Lord. They weren’t doing it according to the law, but watch how God handles it. For the multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulon had not cleansed themselves, which they were required to do by the law.
Yet did they eat the Passover, otherwise than it was written. They contradicted the word of God. What does God do? Well, but Hezekiah steps in. He prayed for them saying, the good Lord pardon everyone. He brings in forgiveness. And watch this, that prepareth his heart to seek God. He’s praying to pardon everyone that prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers. Though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary, they completely did it the opposite. Look at this.
And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people. My goodness, ladies and gentlemen, what a tremendous God that we have. Even when they failed to keep the law, God looked on their hearts because they had prepared their heart to seek the Lord, their God. And like their spiritual fathers had done and he healed everyone, forgave them. How tremendous these truths actually are to us. See a heart that heals is a blessed heart. You’re not cursed. Why at times do we act as if we’re cursed? Why do we listen to the rhetoric of cursing things that are against God? Why do we introduce those narratives into our heart? Stop listening to that stuff. You are blessed of God.
In our hearts we kneel before God with praise. And we share that same heart with brothers and sisters. And it brings healing to our minds and our bodies. And even though the second heaven and earth is still in a corruptible state, God will bless the work of our hands and he’ll bless the food that we eat. You thank God for it and you bless it and you keep living. That’s right. These are tremendous truths here. And they run very, very, very deep in the scripture and in the heart of God’s people because God set it up. He wants us to understand he has not cursed you.
Blessed With All Spiritual Blessings: Christ Redeemed Us From the Curse of the Law
He’s blessed you. And there’s a big difference. Let’s go to Ephesians chapter one. This verse will mean a lot more to you now after what we’ve set before you. Ephesians chapter one. It won’t be just words. In Ephesians chapter one, verse three. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who have blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Wow. There’s no cursing in there. There’s no consequences of those curses either. There’s only blessing.
God’s favor towards you. And we bless God, we praise God. And in turn, we can share that with others because the blessings we’ve received have come to us and are embodied in the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. We are blessed in Christ, we’re not cursed. So the residual effects of these curses are still around us in the world, no question about it. And at times they do affect us, yes. This is when we adamantly claim, I am not cursed of God. I am blessed of God. You are blessed of God.
When you say God bless you, it has so much more meaning because it means you’re not cursed. All the benefits and specifically forgiveness and healing is yours, prosperity and blessing. Look at Galatians chapter three. In Jesus Christ, all the cursings are nullified except the second heaven and earth is still corruptible. Our bodies will be corruptible as well. That does not get resolved in this second heaven and earth arrangement. We will get the new bodies at the return of Christ. Here in Galatians chapter three, verse seven, know ye therefore that they which are of faith, faith is to believe God. The same are the children of Abraham, that’s you and me.
And the scripture foresee it that God would justify the heathen through faith. Not through the law, through faith, believing God. Preached before the gospel unto Abraham saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed. The law was not necessarily designed to bless people. It kept man in a state where in which Jesus Christ could come and fulfill it and then bring all the blessings to our lives. So then they which would be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. You’re just as blessed and even more so in Christ Jesus. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. See works leads to a mentality that feeds into the consequences of the curse.
It does, whether you say it or not, it doesn’t matter. Because unless we claim that we are blessed of God, we can fall prey to the consequences of these curses. Even though we’re not, we’re blessed. For as written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident. For the just shall live or continue to live by faith. And the law is not a faith. In other words, people didn’t keep the law by faith. They just carried out the works of the law.
But the man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. He has bought us back. We are no longer under any curse whatsoever. Being made a curse for us. He actually became the curse. For it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles, those not of Israel, through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith. Amazing.
He Came to Heal the Brokenhearted
Look at Luke chapter four, please. Jesus Christ set us free from the curse of the law and the consequences of it. In fact, he came that he might heal the brokenhearted. Luke chapter four, as he proclaims who he was according to Isaiah in his hometown of Nazareth. In verse 18, he reads from the book of Isaiah. It says, the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set them at liberty, them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. That phrase, to heal the brokenhearted, is in reference to Isaiah 61:1. And both in the Hebrew, in the Old Testament, and the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint, this phrase appears, absolutely. In the Hebrew, it would refer to, it refers to it as binding up the brokenhearted, which means like to bind up a wound or to comfort the distressed.
And in the Greek, it’s rendered heal the brokenhearted. See, you have to get to people’s hearts to heal them because the curse and the consequences of these curses have been with man since the beginning. And they come at us in different forms and shapes and sizes and in different disguises, but it’s the same stuff. Look at Mark 3. When Jesus comes on the scene to heal the brokenhearted, there was so much religion. There was so much hypocrisy in Judaism. That it even rubbed Jesus Christ the wrong way. In Mark 3, in verse one, and he, Jesus, entered again into the synagogue. And there was a man there which had a withered hand and they watched him, that’s the religious leaders, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day that they might accuse him. They weren’t interested in the man being healed.
They were interested in finding a point upon which they could accuse Jesus Christ. That’s religion. And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, stand forth. And he saith unto them, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days or to do evil? To save life or to kill? But they held their peace. They wouldn’t answer. They just wanted to accuse him, that’s all. So when he had looked round about on them with happiness and joy, it doesn’t say that. It says with anger. It didn’t sit well with Jesus Christ because they had no interest in the healing of the man, just to accuse.
Watch this. Being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, meaning the religious people, he saith unto the man, stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out and his hand was restored whole as the other. Wow. And the Pharisees went forth and straightway took counsel with the Herodians. The Pharisees were the religious echelon, elites. The Herodians were the political elites. So you got a conclave of the elites here against him, how they might destroy him. Wow.
This is the environment at the time of Christ. The religion and the politics became one. They were just an elite group endeavoring to control the people. You know what? The word says their hearts were hard. They were not following in the path of God’s blessing. They were actually puppets in the play of the curse and the cursing.
Hardness of Heart: When Religion Stands in the Way of Healing
That’s right. Look at John 12, please. You and I have to guard against this environment and not allow it to get into your heart. Jesus Christ came to heal the brokenhearted, to bring blessing to their lives. How many times do you read in the gospel where Jesus Christ is teaching, blessed are they, blessed are they, blessed are they. He brings blessings. He’s the ultimate expression and embodiment of God’s blessings to us. John 12, look at this, verse 37. But though he had done so many miracles, Jesus Christ, before them, yet they believed not on him.
It’s possible to get healed and deliverance and not attribute it to God. Yes, it’s possible. But then we don’t get the full wholeness, the complete soundness of heart, mind, body, and soul together, we don’t. And we want that wholeness, not just the healing. Verse 38, that the saying of Isaiah, that’s Isaiah, the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who has believed our report and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore, they could not believe because that Isaiah said again, he has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart and be converted and I should heal them. Amazing. Jesus Christ came to bring good news that healed people. These people were not interested. They were hard-hearted.
Now, the world and experiences can do this to people where they don’t see, they don’t understand with their heart. They don’t see what’s really behind what’s going on. And they don’t make the turn. The word converted is to turn or to become like another person. They make a change. And that’s sometimes what hinders them from being healed. Hardness of heart can be the result of using protective mechanisms to insulate ourselves from attacks by retreating inward instead of reaching upward. We reach upward for the shield of faith, the faith of Jesus Christ that’ll quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. By the time Jesus is coming on the scene, the people there have been so inundated with a tsunami of evil words, evil thoughts, hypocrisy, lying, that many of them just got hard-hearted.
See, hard-heartedness is not always a deliberate thing. It can happen over a period of time. It can be subtle and slow as people are conditioned into a negative environment. Our acceptance and rejection of what’s right and wrong is so important. And these negative environments are built with words. Blessing and cursing are transmitted through words.
Blessing and Cursing Are Transmitted Through Words
James chapter three, verses nine and 10. They say it so beautifully. Let me read James chapter three, verses nine and 10. Therewith, bless we God, even the Father. And therewith, curse we men. Talking about coming out of our mouth. Which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
Can it be any clearer? Don’t join the parade that is moving the nation in the narrative of the cursing. You are not cursed. The world and the earth is the Lord’s. And he wants us to be blessed because of what Jesus Christ accomplished. So many times people jump on the bandwagon of these toxic thoughts and not the blessing. Don’t be part of it. Look at another one here. Said blessing and cursing come through words, right? Well, let me read you Romans chapter three, verse 14. Romans three, verse 14.
It says, whose mouth, and the context is talking about Israel and the Gentiles, not the Christian, is full of what? Cursing and bitterness. Why? Because that’s all they know. They may not say those words, but they convey along the ideas that reflect the curse. Because what does the devil really want? What does the adversary want? He wants you to curse God in your heart. He wants the whole world to curse God. We’re not part of it. Let me read to you Romans chapter 12, verse 14. Now this is in the context of the saints, the born again believers, those from Israel and Gentiles that are now a new group, the church of God, the body of Christ. They’re Christians.
They’re called saints in many places. Romans 12:14. Bless them which persecute you, bless and curse what? Not. What’s it talking about? The saints, those that are born again. You may not agree with what they do. I get that. I understand that. But I have mutual respect for what God did in them in Christ Jesus. Now what they do with it, I may not respect at all.
Bless and Curse Not: Guarding Your Own Heart Toward Others
Because they may be doing things that are contrary to God’s will and God’s heart and the love that the word clearly demonstrate. So I don’t agree with their behavior. But what God did in them, that’s God’s business, not mine. So we bless them which persecute you. What’s it talking about? Those that pursue you at times. It doesn’t mean, like I said, that you now become BFFs or now you become in union, in agreement, in business and all these different. It doesn’t mean that at all. It just means in your heart, you don’t curse them. You just move on perhaps.
Maybe they’ll change their mind. I don’t know. Look at Mark chapter five, please. Words do make a difference because they convey blessing or cursing. Even the Corinthian church, which we’ll look at here in a little bit. They were concerned about speaking by the spirit of God that somehow it was calling Jesus accursed. Where’d they get this idea? Well, they have an idolatry background. And the cursing concept followed all the way through to that point. And the Corinthians thought, well, I don’t understand the language.
It’s referring to speaking in tongues. So it might be cursing. Well, that’s not true at all. It’s actually blessing, praising God. How interesting. Oftentimes the world takes the opposite view of what God says.
The Woman With the Issue of Blood: Healed and Made Whole
And then they try to convince you of it. Mark chapter five, in verse 25. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood 12 years. So this issue of blood would have resulted in her being unclean, she couldn’t be part of all the rituals of Judaism, which were very important to these people. It would have been a shame to her in so many ways. And had suffered many things of many physicians and had spent all that she had and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse. When she had heard of Jesus, you see that? When she had heard, she never met him. So someone spoke words in her presence that got her convinced. Someone spoke words in her presence that got her convinced.
She heard of Jesus, she’d never seen him. She was never personally engaged with him. That’s amazing. How powerful are words? Well, they can bring people to a point in their heart of deliverance. Just like in this situation. When she had heard of Jesus, then she takes action. Came in the press behind and touched his garment. For she said, these are words that she said to herself, if I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. Those are following in the path of the blessings of God.
You see it? Not the cursing. And straightway, the fountain of her blood was dried up and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. Not only was she healed, we’re gonna find out that she was also made whole. So the effect of 12 years of shame, discouragement, rejection, didn’t leave one scar on her heart and soul. She was whole, sound. Not only physically, but in her mind. And Jesus immediately knowing in himself that virtue or power had gone out of him, turned him about in the press and said, who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, thou seest the multitude thronging thee and sayest thou, who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. And the woman fearing, she had great awe and reverence and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him and told him all the truth. And look at how he responds.
He said unto her, daughter, daughter, thy faith, thy believing God hath made thee what? Not just healed, whole, whole. Go in peace and be whole of thy plague. In other words, no residual effect, no negative scar on her heart and soul. The scorched places of her soul were now a watered garden because they were covered by the blessing of God by way of the ministry of Jesus Christ. This is what God really wants. It’s just an illustration. Doesn’t mean you have to touch the hem of somebody’s garment. But her expectation was that she was blessed of God and she was gonna find that blessing by way of what she had determined in her heart. Look at Luke 17.
The Ten Lepers: Cleansed, Healed and Made Whole
Like I said, there’s no formula here. There’s no pattern that you follow. We trust in the Lord and then he guides our steps to bring us the healing and the wholeness that we need. Luke 17 in verse 12. And as he entered, Jesus, and as he entered into a certain village, there met him 10 men that were lepers, which stood afar off. Now it doesn’t say how long they were lepers, but this was a very dreaded disease, very communicable, very dangerous, very difficult to deal with for sure. That doesn’t say how long they were in this state. And they lifted up their voices and said, Jesus, master, have mercy on us. That’s the first thing that they said, mercy. See, in their minds, in the Eastern mind, cursing was there, the negative aspects of it. And at times it needed to be dealt with directly. Sometimes it wasn’t directly dealt with as certain records indicate.
But they asked for mercy. And when he saw them, he said unto them, go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed. They were cleansed. That means the plague was no longer in them. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, the cleansing resulted in the healing of the individual. He was healed, restored back to health, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God. Why is this so interesting? Because this man was gonna go away, not only cleansed and healed, he was gonna go away whole. The life of God was gonna come back to this man.
And he was not gonna carry the scars of this plague that he had dealt with and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So he wasn’t even of Israel. He was a half-breed, if you will. And Jesus answering said, were there not 10 cleansed? He doesn’t say healed, he says cleansed. How interesting. But where are the nine? There are not found that return to give glory to God, save the stranger. And he said unto him, arise, go thy way. Thy faith hath made thee what? He doesn’t say healed, he says whole.
The life of God came back into him in mind and body. He was no longer carrying the scar of being a leper. He didn’t carry that condemnation, that guilt, that shame. All of it was clear. This is what God wants for you and me. That’s right. So much of this is you can see in a heart that heals. The man was thankful and he glorified God. He gave God the recognition, the praise.
Forgiveness and the Man Sick of the Palsy
All of the blessings of God flow through this record in such a beautiful way. Look at Luke five, please. In verse 15. But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him and great multitudes came together to hear and to be healed by him of their infirmities. So he taught the word and it brought healing. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed. And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which would come out of every town of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. Really, what it’s talking about is the power of the Lord was present with him, Jesus Christ to heal.
That’s actually what it reads in the text. It was present with him to heal, period. And behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with palsy and they sought means to bring him in, to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. So in the Eastern culture, they would have sections in the roof that could be uncovered to air out things and so forth. It’s not that they were destroying this person’s house. This was common. And when he saw their faith, he saw that they believed God, he said unto him, man, thy sins are forgiven thee. So in this situation, it became very clear to Jesus Christ that there was an element of forgiveness that needed to be communicated.
Even though forgiveness and healing are tied into basically all healing of the mind and body, in this situation, it needed to be brought to clarity and to the fore. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason saying, who is this which speak of blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone? When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, why reason ye in your hearts? Look what their hearts were like. They were the hard hearted one. Whether it is easier to say thy sins be forgiven thee or to say, rise up and walk. But that you may know that the son of man has power upon earth to forgive sins. He said unto the sick of the palsy, I say unto thee, arise and take up thy couch and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them and took up that whereon he lay and departed to his own house glorifying God. And they were all amazed and they glorified God. Look at John, John chapter 16.
Is the Accomplished Work Less Powerful Than His Ministry?
Let me ask you a question. Where do we get the idea that the ministry of Jesus Christ was more powerful than his accomplished work? That if he were present here, everything would be different. That the ministry while he was on earth, as powerful as it was, which it was, the world had never seen anything like it, is in somehow not as powerful as his accomplished work. There’s somehow it has gone down a step. Can’t be true. That is not what Jesus Christ certainly communicated. Often Christians magnify the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, demonstrating the work of his ministry. And not the epistles, which explain the work of Christ. See, they’re both important.
We have the tremendous example of Christ, but it’s also important for us to understand that he transferred his authority to us in its fullness and totality as his ambassadors. In John chapter 16, in verse 19. Now, Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him and said unto them, do you inquire among yourselves that I said a little while and you shall not see me? And again, a little while and you shall see me? Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice. And you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail has sorrow because her hour is come. But as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more the anguish for the joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow, but I will see you again. And your heart shall rejoice and your joy, no man take it from you. How is he gonna see him again? In the gift of Holy Spirit, the Christ within you.
What he’s referring to is the fullness of the gift of Holy Spirit and the authority that he had was gonna be given to them. He was gonna depart, ascend into heaven, and then replacing Jesus Christ was gonna be the comforter, the gift of Holy Spirit and the power resident in the name of Jesus Christ. So no deliverance was gonna diminish. It only diminishes in our own mind, not in God’s. They didn’t understand it. And in that day, speaking about Pentecost, Acts chapter two, you shall ask me nothing. For verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my what? In my name, in my name. Now, again, in the Hebrew culture, when you say name, it carries the authority, the dignity, and all the fullness of what that name represents. It’s not a magical term.
He will give it to you. God would give it to them in the name of Jesus Christ. Hitherto have you asked me nothing in my name. Why? Because he was still there. They couldn’t use his name because he was still present. Now he’s not present.
Whatsoever You Shall Ask the Father in My Name
We use his name. Ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs. This word proverbs is very unique to the Gospel of John. It means like an enigmatic saying, a dark saying, hard to understand. Yeah. The reason why they couldn’t understand it is he had to explain to them that when he left, he would be replaced by the Holy Spirit and they would have his name full authority. So the healing power of the ministry of Jesus Christ never once diminished in God’s eyes. It was on full display on the day of Pentecost and beyond.
We see in the book of Acts. Where it diminishes is in our own minds. But the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father. At that day, you shall ask in my name, speaking about when they got born again. And I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you. I’m not gonna pray for you anymore. Not, you ask the Father, you go directly to him. For the Father himself loveth you because ye have loved me, you have loved me and have believed that I came out from God. Wow.
And I came forth from the Father and I’m coming to the world again. I leave the world and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, lo, now speaketh thou plainly and speaketh no proverb. No dark saying, no enigmatic saying. We now we’re getting it. When you’re gone, you’re gonna be replaced by the Holy Spirit and we’ll use your name. And that’s exactly what happened after his ascension, 10 days after his ascension. Fantastic. See, communion is the celebration of the union of the accomplished work of Christ.
With His Stripes We Are Healed
That’s all it is. A heart that heals is in union with the accomplished work of Christ. Look at Isaiah. So my point is simple. We think, well, if Jesus was here, everything would be great. Well, that authority to bring the life of God to the earth has now been vested in you and me. How far do we wanna take it? When we are in communion and in union with the accomplished work of Christ, we bring that healing wholeness in everything that we do. Isaiah chapter 53, verse three, speaking prophetically of the Christ, the Messiah. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows or pain and acquainted with grief or sickness.
And we hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs or sickness and carried our sorrows or pain. Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement or the discipline of our peace was upon him and with his stripes, we are healed. The bruising and the action against Jesus Christ came from the outside, it didn’t come from himself. The attacks came from outside and they marked his body with those attacks represented here by the stripes.
Look at first Peter, please. This is significant to a heart that heals because a heart that heals is a blessed heart, but it’s also in union with the accomplished work of Christ. Christ and his sacrifice allows the greatest blessing to mankind to be introduced, eternal life and prosperity, health and wholeness in this life. First Peter chapter two, verse 24, whose own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree. That we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed. His death gave us eternal salvation. By his sufferings, our bodies are healed. Look at Mark 14, our identity, our union in Christ is memorialized in communion. It’s not a ceremony, it’s just a representation to release us from self judgment and condemnation to really embody forgiveness and healing.
Communion, the Corinthian Church, and Discerning the Lord’s Body
Mark 14, verse 22, and as they did eat, Jesus took bread and blessed. He didn’t curse it, he blessed it and break it and gave it to them and said, take eat, this is my body. And he took the cup and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and they all drink of it. And he said unto them, this is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many. Look at first Corinthians 11. He blessed the bread, he gave thanks for the wine. Both are fruit of the ground, symbolizing the broken body and shed blood. Their eating of it was to represent that they were to digest the truth in their hearts regarding what he would accomplish. They were to make it part of them.
The Corinthian church did not do this. And that’s why Paul had to help them. It says in first Corinthians chapter 11, verse 26, for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord’s death till he come. In other words, as you partake of it, not as a ceremony, as an understanding that the truth regarding his broken body and shed blood becomes part of you. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat of this bread and drink of this cup unworthily, that means improperly, they don’t understand, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. What that’s talking about is they bring guilt to themselves, condemnation. They don’t receive forgiveness. And forgiveness, like I said, is central to healing. But let a man examine himself.
So let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. It’s not the bread and the wine. It’s what they represent, his accomplished work. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, unworthily is not in this verse, verse 29, eateth and drinketh damnation. Again, judgment to him what? Himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. This is what the Corinthian church was doing. For this cause, many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep. Paul is trying to teach the Corinthian church this is why they were dealing with these physical issues is because they have been blessed by God, not cursed. And in Jesus Christ, the blessings are complete.
The forgiveness is final. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. It’s kind of a difficult translation. It means for if we would judge ourselves truly, meaning if we continue to separate completely the old nature and the new, accept the judgment of God in Christ Jesus that we have been sanctified and justified, we should not be judged. In other words, we would not keep judging ourselves according to worldly standards. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world. What this is talking about is when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined to the truth of Christ so that we may not be condemned along with the world. And let’s close in Ephesians chapter one. These truths were written for us that we could rehearse again and again, the blessings of God, that you are not cursed.
You Are Blessed of God, Not Cursed
And the accomplished work of Christ is to become part of our very soul, the fabric of our heart. In Ephesians chapter one, it says in verse three, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Ladies and gentlemen, you and I are blessed of God. Heart that heals is blessed and in union with the accomplished work of Christ. In so doing, receiving that blessing, part of it is that forgiveness and healing that comes to our life. And then we can transmit, we can share as ambassadors for Christ this great truth that Jesus Christ came to end all the consequences of the curses, only blessing in our lives.
And our next webinar will be our fifth and final, Hearts Knit Together in Love, part five, on March 14. And you’ll see how all this ties together beautifully, each one of these webinars. What path in your heart are you on? Are you on the blessing path or on the cursing path? It’s up to you. Well, it sure was great to have you on. We love you very much and I’ll close with prayer. Gracious heavenly father, we bless your holy name and we receive that blessing in our hearts and in our bodies, our whole soul, just like our wonderful believing ancestor, David.
And for the healing that’s necessary for your people that receive this understanding, that you heal their minds and their bodies and you bring deliverance to their lives and the understanding, the deep, deep understanding that we are blessed of you and we are not cursed of you. Dear heavenly father, for all your wonderful people and keeping them in the hollow of your hand and reaching down with your healing deliverance, we pray and continue to pursue blessing you with all our soul. In the powerful name of Jesus Christ, amen. Well, God bless you. Thanks for being on.
Key Takeaways
- A heart that heals is blessed and is in union with the accomplished work of Christ.
- A heart that heals is a heart that kneels: an inward posture of praise that recognizes the Lord’s authority, character and dignity.
- Forgiveness and healing are inextricably tied together, and forgiveness is an action of love.
- There is no formula. Each situation is unique, and trusting the Lord with all our heart means having our expectation in him to provide the guiding steps that bring healing.
- Blessing and cursing are transmitted through words, so a heart that heals moves to quench the fiery darts of the wicked with the shield of faith.
- In Christ all the cursings are nullified, though the second heaven and earth remains corruptible until the return of Christ.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Rev. Rico Magnelli mean by a heart that heals?
A heart that heals is blessed and is in union with the accomplished work of Christ. It is not dry, brittle or hard, resisted to growth. It is alive and fresh and supple, and it has a resiliency that bounces back despite disappointment, despite discouragement, despite hurt. It is also a heart that kneels, keeping a mental posture of praise before God, and it is the gateway where the process of the healing of our minds and bodies makes necessary turns.
Why does this teaching say you are blessed and not cursed?
Because in Jesus Christ all the cursings are nullified. Genesis records the first cursings, on the serpent, on the ground for Adam’s sake, and on Cain, and the law then institutionalized the benefits of the blessing and the consequences of the cursing. Galatians 3 says Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, and Ephesians 1:3 says God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
How are forgiveness and healing connected in this teaching?
Forgiveness is an action of love and vital to all healing of the mind and body. Psalm 103 puts both benefits together: who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God says he will forgive their sin and will heal their land, and when Hezekiah prayed that the good Lord pardon everyone that prepareth his heart to seek God, the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people.
Scripture References
Psalm 119:32, 36; Proverbs 3:3-8; Psalm 103:1-4, 10-12; Ephesians 3:14; 2 Chronicles 7:13-14; Genesis 1:28; Genesis 3:14; Acts 10:38; Genesis 3:17; Deuteronomy 28; Isaiah 65; Romans 8:18-23; Genesis 4:11-12; Jude 11; 1 John 3:12; Deuteronomy 27:15; Hebrews 11:10, 13; Genesis 27:12; Job 1:5; Job 1:11; Job 2:5; Job 2:9; Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 14:18-20; Deuteronomy 30:19; 2 Chronicles 30:10-20; Ephesians 1:3; Galatians 3:7-14; Luke 4:18-19; Isaiah 61:1; Mark 3:1-6; John 12:37-40; James 3:9-10; Romans 3:14; Romans 12:14; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 17:12-19; Luke 5:15-25; John 16:19-30; Acts 2; Isaiah 53:3-5; 1 Peter 2:24; Mark 14:22-24; 1 Corinthians 11:26-32
