Many years ago, two married ladies were cheating on their husbands. Both of them became pregnant with their lover's child. The child of the first lady died in her womb when she was eight months pregnant. The second lady (a pastor's wife) delivered her baby but three days after giving birth she became ill and stayed in the hospital for several months. Although she returned home she was never the same and was unable to care for her child. Something happened to her mentally and physically, she would not bathe, she could not speak or care for her children, she merely wrote numbers and words in a notebook. The oldest daughter became mother to the newborn and the other seven children. Did God bring or allow sickness to come upon the ladies to reprove them and perhaps save their souls, leading them out of a sinful lifestyle?
Although referring to the church in Thyatira Jesus said, "And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." (Revelation 2:21-23).
I have seen many "cast into a bed. They were cast into a bed of sickness, affliction and tribulation because of sin. I know people don't like the idea of thinking that God punishes people for sin but He does and is not ashamed to admit it.
In the book of Genesis, God unashamedly admitted that it was His hand and His will to destroy the earth and everyone on it except Noah and his family because the earth was filled with violence. The text reads: Genesis 6:17 "And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die."
Did you read that, He said, "I, even I do bring a flood." Yes, God wanted everyone to know that "He" was the one sending the flood and killing everybody!
Paul said, "All Scripture is God breathed and useful for training in righteousness, doctrine, correction and rebuke." (2 Timothy 3:16). He also noted the narrations of scripture regarding the events in the lives of our fellow brethren were written as examples for us (1 Corinthians 10:6).
I know God was merciful to the ladies and gave them many years to repent before punishing them. The second lady was a family member as a child I would answer the telephone and knew the men calling her were not her husband and the first lady was a neighbor.
Jude 1:4, says "There are certain preachers who turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. These men deny the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." Due to their erroneous teaching these men and women deny the very reason Jesus came to the earth, which was to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and the works of the devil are manifested in the works of the flesh.
Jesus came to destroy Satan's power over you and He completed the task successfully! Sin no longer has power over you but you can yield to it and become subject to punishment. You may be handed over to Satan as noted in 1 Corinthians 5:5. In that text a man is living with his father's wife (sounds like a Jerry Springer or Maury Povich type situation). Paul said, hand the man over to Satan. We know what happens when someone is handed over to Satan, take a look at what happened to Job, sickness came upon him, All ten children were killed in an accident, and all his financial resources were devoured. One day he's the richest man in the East and the next day he's the poorest. You can believe false teachers and their twisted view of grace but you do so at your own peril.
Perhaps sin in your life is keeping you from getting the breakthrough you are expecting. We've prayed for you, and anointed you, you've been to healing services and you are confessing healing but healing hasn't come.
There is a man in scripture who could not walk and Jesus contributed the condition to sin.
Let’s read the account: Now there is in Jerusalem a pool near the Sheep Gate. This pool in the Hebrew is called Bethesda, having five porches (alcoves, colonnades, doorways). In these lay a great number of sick folk—some blind, some crippled, and some paralyzed (shriveled up)— waiting for the bubbling up of the water. For an angel of the Lord went down at appointed seasons into the pool and moved and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was cured of whatever disease with which he was afflicted.
There was a certain man there who had suffered with a deep-seated and lingering disorder for thirty-eight years. When Jesus noticed him lying there [helpless], knowing that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, Do you want to become well? [Are you really in earnest about getting well?] The invalid answered, Sir, I have nobody when the water is moving to put me into the pool; but while I am trying to come [into it] myself, somebody else steps down ahead of me.
Jesus said to him, Get up! Pick up your bed (sleeping pad) and walk! Instantly the man became well and recovered his strength and picked up his bed and walked But that happened on the Sabbath.
So the Jews kept saying to the man who had been healed, It is the Sabbath, and you have no right to pick up your bed [it is not lawful]. He answered them, The Man Who healed me and gave me back my strength, He Himself said to me, Pick up your bed and walk! They asked him, Who is the Man Who told you, Pick up your bed and walk? Now the invalid who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had quietly gone away [had passed on unnoticed], since there was a crowd in the place.
Afterward, when Jesus found him in the temple, He said to him, See, you are well! Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you. John 5:2-14 (AMP)
The Paralytic
In another case, Jesus healed a paralyzed man but before he healed him, he said your sins are forgiven. This points out that his paralyzation was due to sins he had committed. Let’s look at the account: Then they came, bringing a paralytic to Him, who had been picked up and was being carried by four men. And when they could not get him to a place in front of Jesus because of the throng, they dug through the roof above Him; and when they had scooped out an opening, they let down the [thickly padded] quilt or mat upon which the paralyzed man lay.
And when Jesus saw their faith [their confidence in God through Him], He said to the paralyzed man, Son, your sins are forgiven [you] and put away [that is, the penalty is remitted, the sense of guilt removed, and you are made upright and in right standing with God]. Mark 2:3-5 (AMP)
Matthew Henry says, “Sin is the procuring cause of all our pains and sicknesses. The word of Christ was to take his thoughts off from the disease, which was the effect, and to lead them to the sin, the cause, that he might be more concerned about that, to get that pardoned. God doth then graciously take away the sting and malignity of sickness, when he forgives sin; recovery from sickness is then a mercy indeed, when way is made for it by the pardon of sin. See Isaiah 38:17; Psalms 103:3. The way to remove the effect, is, to take away the cause. Pardon of sin strikes at the root of all diseases, and either cures them, or alters their property.”
So while you may have faith to move mountains you may not be healed if you are practicing sin.
The Apostle James said, as Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:14-16
Notice a key part of being healed is confessing your faults to one another. That means if you have sinned against someone, done them wrong, cheated on them, returned evil for good, gossiped and slandered, molested, betrayed, etc. you need to admit your wrong to that person (not a stranger, not the pastor) but apologize to the person you harmed, and after you’ve done that your sins will be forgiven and you will be healed!
I pray that you will go home and review the scriptures noted in this message. I pray that you will study them and meditate upon asking God to reveal His truth to you. Don't be wise in your own eyes and don't say what many say when confronted with scriptural truth "I know the verse says this but it really means this."
Trust and obey scripture and live!
