SNT 0658 Healing
Discusses the disciples on the mountains and their coming down to the "valley of human need"; the importance of building our believing in the Word and not in individuals.
January 20, 1974
SNT 658
Format: audio
Publication Date: 01-20-1974
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
Mat 17: 1-5, 9
Mat 17:5-17
Mat 17:16-21; Isa 58:3, 4
Isa 58:5, 6; Mat 17: 21; Heb 11:13
snt-0658_healing(vpw)
Take your Bibles tonight and go to the gospel of Matthew, the 16th chapter.
For many years now, I've had it in my heart to someday write a book on healing. Just haven't gotten around to it. You see, I believe one of the reasons that I haven't gotten around to it is because there have been men like Oral Roberts and others who have given a great deal of their life simply ministering healing and working in that field. And so I've never done a great deal of work as far as writing some of these things.
In the advanced class, we cover this whole Ministry of Healing in a great and wonderful way. There's a lot in the Word of God on healing. But you see, the ministry of The Way sort of chooses a middle road. You can go lopsided on the healing. You go lopsided on organic foods. You can go lopsided eating all the white bread in the world and all the pie and cake. So most people go lopsided But we, in The Way ministry, there is a balance in The Way ministry. And that is, we don't overemphasize speaking in tongues. I think tonight must have been the first time we've had a teaching on that greatness of speaking in tongues in I don't know how long. I can't recall the last time. But that's me anyways, I forget from week to week.
But same way with healing. I just don't recall how long it has been since we've had a wonderful teaching on healing or a teaching on healing here, but week after week this is part of our life, part of our ministry, to help people. Almost every week. Well, more than that. Almost daily. Many times, two, three, four, five times a day people call in or they write they need help. Well, that's what we're here for, to help people.
And we have just seen signs, miracles and wonders through all these years among our people, and we thank God for it.
Tonight, the 16th chapter or the 17th chapter of Matthew is where I'd like to begin. I can't teach you everything in these chapters tonight, but I'd like for you to get a vision of the greatness of this, because the ministry of the Word is a fantastic thing. And it's so easy that people can put their ministry on a pedestal instead of bringing the ministry down into human need.
This ministry has to minister at the Twig level. I honestly believe that if the Twig leader is on the ball like he's supposed to be, that there is nobody in his Twig but that their needs get met. Now, there may be times, in a great audience like this here tonight, that it's impossible for me to meet all of your needs. But it's never impossible to have your need met if that twig is sharp and is where it's supposed to be. Because every time the twig meets, it just meets every need. If a person has a physical need, they ministered to it. If it's a financial need, they lift it. If it's some other need. Our God is in the business of meeting our need according to His riches and glory through Christ Jesus.
Now, here in the 17th chapter, you have a tremendous record of an occurrence that set the pattern for the ministry of healing.
Matthew 17:1-3:
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, [three of the 12 apostles] and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
The great law giver, as well as the great prophet. And in Matthew 17:3
And all of the theological works basically teach that Moses and Elijah made a personal appearance there. That is not true. Moses and Elijah are dead. They are waiting for the resurrection. But God can within his own laws operate – never outside of his laws. And one of the ways in which God operates is by a vision. Moses and Elijah did not appear, but God showed it to Jesus and Peter and James and John like a vision. The vision is like a TV picture. They just stood there and they saw it. Whether their eyes were open or closed wouldn't make any difference. They just saw it. It sounds so in verse 9. The last part of the verse says,
Matthew 17:9:
… Tell the [what?] vision to no [what?] man,…
This has been in the Word of God for centuries, and yet everybody misses it. It's the same as a little preposition to and for, how they read those words but it never hits them that all scripture addressed to us is to us. All other scripture is F-O-R, for our learning. There's a tremendous difference between the preposition to and for. Here, Moses and Elijah appeared in a vision at the time of the transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The word appeared, you know, simply means they saw it objectively by revelation. That's how they saw it.
Now, verse 4.
Matthew 17:4:
Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, [it would be good, or it’s] is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
Isn't that just our beautiful Peter? Our wonderful and impetuous, glorious Peter. Always right on. He said, Lord, it's so tremendous up here on the Mount of Transfiguration. Here is where we get the vision of Moses any Elijah, and it's a mountaintop experience. And right up here at the mountain I’d just love to stay.
Wouldn't it be great if we could just all stay at International all the time? Wouldn't it just be wonderful if we could just sit and listen to the great musical production just full time?
So Peter said, Lord, if you don't mind, we'll just build tabernacles up here for you and for Moses and for Elijah. We'll have you as the Son of God, we’ll have Moses the great law giver, we’ll have Elijah the prophet. And we've got it all together. Yup.
And he had a little interruption.
Matthew 17:5:
While he [was] yet [speaking] spake, [verse 5] behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
You see, the mountaintop experience was fantastic, but beyond every mountaintop experience stands [a god 00:08:26]. God covered the mountaintop in that cloud. You just can’t go to a mountaintop and say, we've arrived. It's always bigger because God is there. Bigger than any mountain, it's God. And God said, “This is my beloved Son.”
Class, it seems to me that God ought to know who he was. Right? I am pretty sure that most of you know your children. Right? You see, this sounds sort of asinine, stupid, everything else that I even brings crazy things like this up. But they're not crazy. They're not stupid, they're not asinine. Because all the asinine, stupid stuff has been on the other side where they say God didn't know. They don't say this but that's what they mean; God really did know that Jesus Christ was God – He really didn't.
Well, He surely did. God knew that Jesus Christ was not God. He knew that he was His only begotten Son. For God so loved the world that he did what? {Gave}. His only what? {Begotten Son.}
Here, God himself says, this is my what? {Son.} All right. Is it his son? {Yes.} I want to tell you something. If he had been God, you know what God would have said? “Yes, sir. Here I am, man.” That's right. But He didn't say that. He said on this beautiful Mount of Transfiguration, out of the midst of that cloud, that voice. And everybody heard it there, Peter, James and John and Jesus. And He said, this is my beloved son, hear him.
Hear him.
So if I'm going to be listening to anybody, I'm going to be listening to the Lord Jesus Christ and not the theologians. I'm not going to even be listening to myself. I'm going to listen to what he has to say, because what I think doesn't make a bit of difference in the world. What does God think? What does God say? What does His Word say? His Word says,
Matthew 17:5:
… This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;…
He was well, pleased in him. It’s that beautiful? So when he was dying on the cross, how could he forsake him if He was well pleased in him? And if he was God, how could God forsake himself? That's the next stupid thing. Right. And the Word said that when God raised him, he sat down on the right hand of God. So God’s sitting on himself.
Do you know why we don't see great signs, miracles and wonders in healing? Because we're so wrong on God's word. And, therefore, man’s believing in the greatness of God’s Word is not there. They just hold up the book. That’s right.
Ted, you're sitting back there and I talked to you, I forgot to tell you earlier. I want everybody in Way productions to spend a Sunday morning watching TV. I want you to start with the break of dawn, which is now around 11:30. I praise the Lord they can't retire the sun anyways. It still comes and goes as it pleases. But I want you, in the Corps and all the production, I want you to watch every religious production that's on there. See how they set it up. See how tremendous it is, and listen to the Word. It'll blow your mind. It really will. I sat through two of them this morning until they get to the teaching part, then I can't stand it, you know, I guess.
Because, these are sincere and honest men, but sincerity and honesty is no guarantee for truth. Truth is truth. If the devil had it on his heel, I'd still be true. It's the truth of God’s Word you've got to be after.
And we live in the kind of culture, in the kind of a country and a kind of a world where God is just some ethereal type of thing. He's a nice name to use in vain and all these other things that [Mardell 00:13:29] was saying about. And therefore, there’s not very much believing in the great depths of God's ability, what He’s able and willing to do.
But for those of us that have been in this ministry awhile, our believing is growing up daily. Day by day we see that the Word of God has to be God's will. That it means what it says and it says what it means and that nobody can know God's will without knowing His Word. Well, His Word says,
Matthew 17:5:
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Doesn't say listen to Wierwille. That’s right. Wierwille, if he’d be off on God’s Word, he’s be off as much as anybody else would be off. If anybody’s off the Word, they're off. We are just men called. That's all. Well, praise God we endeavor to stay on the Word.
But the point I want you to see is that, the important thing is that you hear what God did in Christ Jesus. And you're all intelligent enough that you can read it yourself. [Mel 00:14:42].
When the disciples heard this voice, it sort of blew their stack. Right. They fell on their face and they were so afraid.
Matthew 17:6:
And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
Because they had just said, we’re going to build a tabernacle. Great. We build a tabernacle.
I see things written in between these lines that maybe you don't see. When the Lord shouted from heaven, He said, “Peter! [inaudible 00:15:14] you down there! Try.”
Peter was way off in left field on that mountain. God didn't want any tabernacles built up there. Peter should have waited for the revelation to come before he jumped. So God shot… I see that written in between these lines. It ended up with a great truth; look, this is my beloved son, hear him. He'll tell you what to do. He'll lead you. If he wants to stay up on the mountain, he'll say so. If he doesn't want to stay up on the mountain, he'll say so too. So, Peter, get your little old fanny where you belong. I want to talk to you.
And I can see why old Peter plunked himself on his face. Right. He hadn't need’ve gone the other route.
So now.
Matthew 17:7:
And Jesus came and [he] touched them,…
Ah, people, isn't that something? That Jesus was fantastic. After Peter blew it like this, Jesus came and he touched. Reminds me of the man in John 9. Remember? Other places, the woman that had the issue of blood. Remember? Who just came and touch the hem of his garment. Man, if you touch him and he in turn touches you, something happens to you.
If you need salvation, you'll get born again. If you need healing, you'll get healed. It's all in what Christ did. It's in what he [accomplished 00:17:20]. So Jesus comes and he just touches him. He says, okay, Peter, come on. Let's get up. John, come on. Let's go. James, come on, come on, come on.
And I have a picture in my mind that all of these men were just crying. They knew they had blown it. You know, you get so excited about this thing, like Peter did, and he just blew it up. [That’s all 00:17:48] But Jesus didn't come with a ball bat and hit him over the head. That's right. He didn't come and say, look, you good for nothing. But he said, come on, fellas. He just touched.
What a beautiful thing to be touched by the Lord Jesus Christ. And you and I are still touched by him when that word is rightly divided and you hear what he has to say.
Look at that next verse.
Matthew 17:7:
[He] said, Arise,…
Arise. What a king. Whenever you're touched by him or by that Word, there's one thing you have to do, is arise. You can't sit at that same place. If you need healing, you've got to claim it and you've got to rise. You've got to walk on it. You've got to move out with it. That’s right.
He said,
Matthew 17:7:
… be not afraid.
be not afraid. And one of the greatest things that ties people up in every category of life is fear. And all through the Word when you hear Jesus speaking, it's always that same declaration; be not afraid. Do not be afraid.
So many times in the world, they build fear in you. Time and time again they build fear in you, the world. But the Word of God builds positive believing and love. And you've got to stay around the people that are gelling the Word because you get enough in the world. Even if you mingle with all The Way people and all the believers, you’re still out there in the world – in the shops and factories and farms and other places. You’ll get enough negatives. So you've got to keep building the positive truth of God’s Word in your life.
Matthew 17:8:
And when they had lifted up their eyes, [the show was over with] they saw no man, [except] save Jesus [there] only.
And as they came down from the mountain,…
What was the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, stay up on the mountain? No. You can have a mountaintop experience with God giving you revelation and everything else, but you have to get that experience and utilize it down in what I call the valley of human need.
Now, watch this thing develop.
Matthew 17:9-13:
… they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. [which means they killed him, and this Elijah was John the Baptist] Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer…
[Verse 13] Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of [whom?] John the Baptist.
It wasn’t John the Baptist who appeared in the revelation. It was Elijah. But John the Baptist had been here for the children of Israel. There had not been a prophet for 400 years to Israel. Not a man of God. They had priests, they had servants, they had everything else but no wonderful man of God after Malachi. Malachi was the last one. Approximately 400 years.
And then came John the Baptist. And John the Baptist’s ministry lasted just about six months. By that time, they had killed him. That's what Jesus is talking about. That wonderful John the Baptist .
Verse 14.
Matthew 17:14-15:
And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
You see, it was tremendous on that Mount of Transfiguration, but Jesus Christ and the disciples had to come down and minister the greatness of what they'd experienced on the Mount down in this valley of human need. And when they came down from the mountain, they immediately ran into the world situation. And in the world situation, class, the need is fantastic.
Look round about you at your neighbors. People who are supposed to be your friends, or you thought they were. Just looked at them. Look at the need they have. Look at the need in our state, in our country. There’s only one way that need will ever be met, and that is by people coming back to the integrity and accuracy of God’s Word, and you teaching it to them. Each one has to win one. Each one has to witness. Each one has to lay it on the parties who need it with the greatness of the truth of His Word.
Verse 16.
Matthew 17:16:
And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
Isn't that beautiful? It's wonderful when you can always blame somebody else for your own unbelief. That's exactly what this father was doing with his son. The son needed healing, needed deliverance. He brought him to the apostles while Peter, James and John and Jesus were up on the Mount of Transfiguration. And he asked them to pray or to minister to him and so forth but nothing happened. That's what he's reporting.
Matthew 17:16-17:
And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
Jesus Christ never allow this man to hang this rope around the neck of the disciples. He did not say that the disciples lacked the believing. He said it was the generation, the man himself.
The other record of this and things that augmented it are written in Luke 9, I believe. You have to read it some time. You've got a center of reference. You read it this week. Put it together for yourself.
You see, whenever a baby, whenever a child cannot believe for itself, the parents have to believe for it. I remember a couple of years ago I had [inaudible 00:25:42]. She was so interested in that grandchild of hers, and she wanted to bring that grandchild and wanted me to minister to it. I didn’t minister it, then she was angry. She wondered why I didn't have any love. I told her, I said, look, that's not your baby. You’re grandma. If daddy and mommy want that baby delivered, they brought it in the world let them bring it. That’s the Word. All through the Word.
See, it's a cop-out. Daddy, a mommy didn't have the audacity or believing in God to bring their child. Grandma thought she did. So Grandma wants to do it. Grandma can’t do it. The children are the responsibility of daddy and mommy. And if they want God's deliverance, they got to go the way of God’s Word.
This man had brought his own child. Jesus said,
Matthew 17:17-18:
… bring him hither to me.
[verse 18] And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he [the devil] departed out of [the child] him: and the child was cured from that [what?] very hour.
That means everybody that has a sickness has a devil. Oh, how stupid can you get? Everybody that has a ball bat doesn't play for the Cincinnati Reds. But to see you can get so devil-conscious and devils spirit conscious that you don't just get your eyes closed.
Now, I know devil spirits and I know how they operate but not every sickness, every disease, is a spirit. But this particular one was. And to cast out a devil's spirit is to do a cure.
In verse 16, the father knew this. He said the disciples could not what? Cure him. They're casting out of a devil's spirit is the doing of a cure. If you have a recovery, like you do in the Word, then there is no cause to remove. Here there is a cause.
Whenever a doctor does a cure, he has to remove a cause. Once the cause is removed, the symptoms will disappear. And it's also called… In the Word of God, the doing of a cure is a miracle.
Jesus Christ rebuked the devil. He rebuke the father. He didn't say, look, you should have prayed longer, you should come to a meeting at The Way International. No. He didn't say any of that. Furthermore, he didn't look at the child and say, look, you little child, what’s the matter with you? He didn't say that. He got to the cause of the thing. He spoke to the spirit that had done this to this child. And the spirit, he commanded it to leave and the child who was cured from that very hour. It means pronto, immediately, right away, booms, quick. Right now. Because if the cause is due to a spirit, once the cause is removed the symptom does what? That’s right.
Matthew 17:19-20:
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, [I like that. And the disciples] and said [to Jesus], Why could not we cast him out? [How come we couldn't get the job done?]
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief:…
That is not accurate. If you read it in the other gospel, you'll find out it was the unbelief on the part of the father. And the father had instilled this, that he wanted Jesus to do it. The disciples said, well, he's up on the Mount of Transfiguration. We'll try. Well, in the ministry of healing, you don't try. Either do or you don't.
But, you see, these disciples were just like Peter up on the Mount of Trans… They were learning. Well, what about people in The Way ministry? You have to give my people in The Way ministry the same privilege to learn. We make mistakes. We're not always right on. But, bless God, we're more right on than we've ever been before if we'd have never started. And if you're afraid of making a mistake, you're never going to be right on on anything anyway. The touch of Jesus is still available to people today as it was then. Where he lifts us up and he says, okay, brother, okay, sister, let's start again. That's the kind of savior we have.
And the unbelief was on the part of the father to the end where he thought only Jesus could do it. Now, this is something I've driven heavy in The Way ministry through the years, and will keep driving it more and more and more. Because people have the same idea regarding the ministry of a man.
I have been with Oral Roberts when he would minister to 3, 400 in one night. The poor fella. All the rest of the believers did nothing but watch. And he'd just be so totally exhausted. Other men that I've been with. And so what happens, people build their believing in a man rather than in the integrity and accuracy of God’s Word.
We in this ministry want you to build your believing on what the Word says. The man is only the vessel that does the ministering at that moment. And the same God that lives in me is the same God that’s in you. That’s right. And therefore, you have that same ability before God that I have.
But, let's say you’ve got your mind made up that only if Dr. Wierwille ministers to me will I be delivered. What's going to happen to you? Same as this. They will not be delivered unless I minister to them.
So what we want to build in a whole healing ministry – Jesus did this too – that the people have believing in God and His Word rather than in the individual. Understand? Because later on he sent out the 12 and they got tremendous results. Then he sent out 70 more men and they got tremendous results in delivering people. Because the people began to believe in the Word rather than in the individual.
The reason Oral Roberts had to minister to all of them, because that's their program. That's how it was set up, so he had to do the job. Billy Graham, he doesn't do this trip. But whatever, the guy that used to be down here in Indiana. [inaudible 00:34:12] knows who I’m… to meet up. Jenkins, same way in Columbus area. He's still down there in that area. Well, that's their privilege. But if Jenkins dies, what happens?
But if you build your believing on God’s Word, then man is not important, the Word is. Don't you see it. Then the ministry goes on. It's built on the Word.
Then comes the great part in this 20th verse.
Matthew 17:20:
… for verily I say unto you, If ye have [believing, the word pistis] faith as a grain of mustard seed,…
Now, it doesn't say size of a grain of mustard seed. The size is not important. The quality of the seed is what's important. The life that's there is what's important. In your quarterlies and commentaries they'll talk about size. the Word doesn't talk about that size because, if you have believing as a grain of mustard seed, a very small seed, but when that seed is planted and it begins to mature it gets to be a big old tree. All the potential is in that little seed. Has nothing to do with the size, has everything to do with the life that's in it. If the thing was three feet long, four feet thick, still wouldn't make any bigger tree.
That's what Jesus is saying. If you have believing that has vitality in it, all the vitality that's needed… Get it? Like a grain of mustard seed has all the vitality that's needed to make it a big old tree. He said,
Matthew 17:20:
… ye [can] shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall [what?] remove; [and the shall is in the absolute tense. Absolutely be removed] and nothing shall be impossible unto [what?] you.
And when the Word says nothing impossible, it means what? Nothing impossible. If nothing ever happens, it's still true that nothing is impossible. If nothing ever occurred in anybody's life, it still would be God's will for it to occur.
But we're living in a day and time that's so low ebbed from a believing point of view, it's unbelievable. That's right. Even among the best of us, how many, many, many times we're exposed to unbelief and doubt and negative.
He said to these disciples,
Matthew 17:20-21:
… nothing shall be impossible unto you. [Nothing]
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
And so there they have taken it and they’ve spent 24, 36, 48, three weeks praying. Then they fast – you now, don't eat any breakfast or dinner or supper or potatoes or cherry pie a la mode. Fasting.
The word prayer means believing. What good is it to mutter a lot of words, unless you do one thing. What? Believe. And that's what he's talking about. Because in verse 20 was talking about unbelief. The positive side is believing.
And in Isaiah, if you'll take a look at it… Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah. In Isaiah 58 and in verse 6. Well, I'll start reading verse 3.
Isaiah 58:3:
Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not?...
In other words they said, what are we fasting for? You didn't see anything, God. You didn't see how hard we worked down here fasting. We gave it up for lent, or something.
Isaiah 58:4:
… have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge [of how we’ve sacrificed for you, God] ? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
Really something. Labors means things whereby you grieve everybody else. You’re putting the grieve into them. He said,
Isaiah 58:4-5:
… ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to [try to] make your voice to be heard on high [before God].
Is it such a [It’s not that kind of] fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, [be all bent over and out of shape] and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and [would that be] an acceptable day to the LORD?
Nope. Verse 6 he gives the answer.
Isaiah 58:6:
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, [and the word oppressed means the broken ones go free. Freedom. Be released] and that ye break every yoke?
That’s the fast. It’s not an abstaining from food. It is not going and burning special candles or afflicting yourself with a whip. The fast is to loose the bands of the wicked. To undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free. That you break every yoke. You break what? Every yoke. Every yoke. Whatever is holding you in, encasing you. That yoke which is binding you. That's the fast to break it. To break it. It's not a fasting of food, it's a fast thing of breaking the yoke.
And all sickness is a yoke of fear. All anxieties, all frustration, these are all yokes. And the ministry of the Word is to break the yokes so that people are again set free.
That's the fast. That's why Jesus said,
Matthew 17:21:
… this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Believing to do the will of God, and that was to set the captives free.
There is no other way, class, to get the deliverance that God has made available than to build believing in God and His Word. Now, you say to me, “Well, all men have died.” That's right. I know that. You don’t have to tell me. You know why? Because men reached the point, no matter who they are, they reach that point that this matter of believing for deliverance is just too much for them. They just don't believe.
It says in Hebrews 11, and we covered it in a tremendous way this past week in that seminar on pistis. Listed all the great men. From Noah, Enoch, all of those men. Abraham, Sarah. Right down the line. And it said these all died.
The only reason I can see in the Word for anybody dying is because we quit believing. And all the men quit believing, so all men die.
But God sent His Word that it has the potential in it that you can believe to be delivered. And we can be delivered as long as we believe. And it's doing the work. It's just doing it. I'm not anything special, it's God who is special and His Word is special. I have no more power than you do. Same God. It’s His Word. The Bible says he sent His Word and healed them. The greatest healing is in that Word. And when we believe that Word, then that deliverance begins to come.
Something else that I've learned in these years of our ministry, and that is the cause is often far removed from the symptom. You have a symptom of a bad stomach, the cause could be in the head. Many times the cause is far removed from the symptom. And you cannot condition your life by symptoms. You have to condition your life by what the Word of God says. Symptoms or no symptoms, we’ve got to go to the Word.
Now, we have in this ministry straight some great, wonderful doctors. Medical man, osteopathic physicians, surgeons, chiropractors. We have wonderful doctors. Got a doctor sitting back in the audience listening to me teach you on healing tonight. Beautiful. Have them all over. Wonderful men. We never have any fight in The Way ministry with the medical profession. That's right.
But in The Way ministry, we do not belittle the Word. All of our medical men hold up the Word. They believe in God’s Word. He knows what his ministry is. He knows that if I believe big enough, I'd never need his service. But when I do not believe big enough, he's my brother in Christ and he does the best he can to help me.
If I broke my arm, I’d believe God to heal it. But if God didn't heal it, I'd go see a doctor and get the stupid thing set. Because I know something, that no doctor can heal. And every doctor knows they can’t heal. But if they remove the cause, if they set that arm right, the nature of the body is to heal itself. They simply help it along.
And these are wonderful Christian men. And I get very indignant. As all people know in the advanced class, that if anybody runs down the medical profession I get a real indignant, because I have seen very few Way grads who can handle the Word as efficaciously as I've seen men transplant corneas. That takes a little bit of doing.
And until you and I can handle the Word of God with that minute accuracy and that sharpness, which takes training, working, who am I to point my finger at one of my fellow brothers or sisters in the ministry?
So we've got a great ministry, people. It's not off on a tangent. We're not out there and say when your arm is broke it really isn’t broken, you just think it's broken. That's neither Christian nor scientific. Right. If it's broken, it's broken. Soup is soup, apple butter is what? {Apple butter.} You see? You’re right on.
And of course, my wonderful [Grace Bliss 00:48:31] is in here who I think has the finest knowledge on organic foods and lessons in living in the entire world. This is [David Zehnder 00:48:42] working with her very closely. You see, we believe in all this. You people who ate lunch with us here this noon pretty well ate the best food money can buy. This is The Way.
I don't try to be lopsided. I don't want to be lopsided because all I have ever seen in people is lopsidedness, They go off on one tangent or another. Why not just come back to the beauty of God’s Word and declare what that Word says and then watch this thing grow? Because as you believe, there’ll be growth. As you believe there'll be growth. As you believe, there'll be more growth.
And I just thank God for His deliverance. I thank God for His Word. And that Word stands faithful and sure. That's why we have a healing ministry. It's in the Word. It’s in the Word.
[Sam 00:49:47] is in here tonight, and Dorothy. They knew Florence [inaudible 00:49:54], And they know if they didn't forget it, and if they did they go to the hospital [inaudible 00:50:00] and find it out. Florence [inaudible 00:50:02] had incurable cancer. We ministered to her, and Florence got delivered, and Florence never died of cancer. She died by lighting her match too close to the fire or whatever - it's too far away and burned up.
But, boy, we just saw things. Began in we've got saw things began in Van Wert, and then through the years we've seen more and more. And today, people, we have believers all over the world who are being delivered. And we're going to have more tomorrow, because we are a body that have dedicated ourselves to rightly dividing the Word. That we don't handle the Word of God deceitfully, and endeavor to make that Word live. And we're going to see more and more and more.
We have our medical men that they never do an operation, they never lay their hands on people, so to speak, without praying, without speaking in tongues. We have medical men that go around in the hospital and the Corps is with them – everybody in the third Corps has to spend a day with them – who never gives a negative to any of his patients. If it's the worst situation possible, he'll tell them the truth, he won't lie, but he'll always tell them God is not dead. God still can do things. Isn't that right?
Some of you kids that have just been through this in the last two, three, four, five weeks, how positive is he? You bet your life, [inaudible 00:51:50].
You see why our ministry is so terrific? Because God is putting together in this body of believers around the world not only people who love this Word, but people who have ability. Loving the Word, they have ability in other fields besides just teaching like I do. A lot of things I can’t do. I'm stupid in lots of things. That's right. Well, bless God, you aren't. You can do your thing beautifully. I couldn't do things that you men and women do. That's right.
But all of us can love God and His Word, and that's what we're doing. And we're just seeing all over the country men and women being blessed by this Word. And we just thank God for it, the greatness of it. And I thank God that healing is still available today.
Shall we pray?
Father, for your loving kindness and tender mercy and your goodness to us, I thank you. For your blessing upon the lives of all of our people here and around the nation. And may there just be a continued growth in the greatness of your Word and of your [power 00:53:13] and all your goodness unto us through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
[end: 00:53:18]