Let’s be honest, we all like to receive free things. Free food, free tickets to shows or sporting events, usually if it’s free, we like it.
God too, is also into free things, but He is into giving them rather than receiving, and most of us don’t even yet fully realize all of the wonderful gifts which He has freely given to us as His beloved children.
So today we will be exploring these free gifts, and what they mean for us as believers.
We saw last week as we read Ephesians 2:8-9, that not only is grace a gift, but faith also, so we are not going to cover the same area twice (if you missed last week’s teaching, you can read the text version here). Instead we will be focusing on some other things which the Bible clearly mentions as “free gifts” but ironically, many believers do not really consider them to be free.
The first scripture which we will be looking at today is Matthew 10:8:
“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give.”
My friends, this scripture is not very hard to understand, in-fact, some would consider it quite simple, but just so that there is no misunderstanding, this scripture is making it clear that healing is a free gift! And so is removal of evil spirits!
Now there are two main arguments that people usually bring up against what I have just said, and time-permitting, I am going to address both of them today because each of these arguments has been responsible for robbing the people of God from these free gifts, and for our own sakes it needs to end. The people of God are sick and dying today, not receiving healing because of these man-made arguments against what is plainly stated in God’s Word.
Okay so the first argument is that this power was only given to the twelve apostles of Jesus, and when they went to Heaven, the healings and power stopped. People usually get this idea from Matthew 10:1.
There are a whole host of logical human arguments that I could make about why this is not true, but it would not really be of much value to someone who just wants the Biblical truth, and honestly I understand that, so let’s just go right to the Bible and see what it says. A very important point to remember though is that you should never allow one verse of scripture that may not be well explored or understood to rob you of something that is plainly stated in other scriptures.
Take a look at 1st Corinthians 1:20:
“For all the promises of God in him are yes, and in him Amen, to the glory of God by us.”
All the promises, every single one of them in Christ is Yes and Amen to the glory of God in us. That includes also then the promise in Luke 10:19:
“Behold, I give to you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing will by any means hurt you.”
Well now that certainly covers healing and removal of evil spirits doesn’t it? Yet that is still not good enough for some because they say that this was just for the seventy which Jesus sent out. So now let us look at Ephesians 2:19-20:
“Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone”
As believers in Christ, we are fellow citizens with the saints, part of the very household family of God, built upon the apostles and prophets. These men are often revered as extra holy or supreme in one way or another, but let us remember that they were what they were specifically because of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit – The same Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit that you and I have today!
Okay, so the second argument most often heard is that in order to receive healing and deliverance from God, you must do something beyond simply receiving it. You must be perfect in word and deed, you must have absolute faith in God, be super-close to Him and love Him unconditionally with all of your heart, and then maybe you will get healed.
My friends, these man-made ideas are taking what God intends as a free gift and making us think that we have to earn them… and that has been a trick of the enemy ever since the Garden of Eden.
My time today is almost up, but look at the man who was blind from birth that was healed in John 9. We are not going to read the whole story here because of time, but there is one part that I want to call your attention to. This man received his healing from Jesus – before he even knew Jesus at all! He did not know of Jesus, he did not recognize Jesus as LORD or God, Jesus did not mention that the man had great faith, and the man’s parents were too afraid to acknowledge Jesus also! Let’s look at the statement of this man John 9:24-25… and remember he said this after he received his healing from Jesus:
“So they sent a second time for the man who had been blind and they said to him, Give glory to God: it is clear to us that this man [Jesus] is a sinner.
He said in answer, I have no knowledge if he is a sinner or not, but one thing I am certain about; I was blind, and now I see.”
The blind man who was healed had no prior knowledge of Jesus. He didn’t even know if Jesus was a sinner or not! Yet by the mercy and grace of our LORD, the healing which is a free gift, was given to this man, and he ended up coming to know Jesus as the Christ. It is the goodness of God which leads people to repentance! Stop disqualifying people, stop disqualifying yourself, receive salvation, receive healing, receive righteousness, it is paid for by Jesus Christ, free gifts from God to you!
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