With everything that is happening with the Corona Virus, we need to remember that the Bible teaches us that we don’t have to be sick. On January 17, 1993 Duane Miller was healed of throat condition that reduced his speech to a raspy whisper. While teaching his Sunday school class from Psalm 103 at the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, Duane reaffirmed his belief in divine healing and that miracles had not ended with the Book of Acts. The miracle happened when he got to verse four, which says ‘who redeems your life from the pit’. On the word ‘pit’, his life changed. The word was completely clear. He paused, startled. He said a few more words—all in a normal clear tone—and stopped again. The class erupted with shouts of joy, astonishment, and sounds of weeping. God completely healed him. 1
How’s that for a healing testimony? While he read the Word, he received health. Doesn’t that match the scripture in Proverbs 4:20-22?
Proverbs 4:20–22 (KJV) — 20 My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh.
Get ready to be healed today. We are going to be reading some healing verses, God may choose to heal you this way this day as we discuss “Why You Don’t Have to Be Sick in Light of the Bible”. So, hook your faith up to His Word today. All this and more on this week’s Light on Life.
Listen to the Audio
Click to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in iTunes
[Tweet “Are you weak by reason of some degeneration? Then God has some therapy for you.”]
Read the Notes
You can view a basic transcript of this podcast at the bottom of this section.
Accept the Challenge
Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put into operation.
This week’s call is:
The New Testament is full of healing words. That’s why you don’t have to be sick. You can receive your healing. God can bring you through to safety, give you His kind of therapy for your body and restore to a pristine mint condition. All you have to do is trust Him and believe you receive it in the name of His Son Jesus.
Join the Conversation
Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).
This week’s question is:
Question: It’s always good to talk about your healing testimony. How did the Lord heal your body? Please share your story, in the comments section below.
About Emery
Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 40 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 35 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.
Subscribe to the Podcast
If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe.
Share the Love
If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate it on Stitcher Radio and leave a review. If you have a suggestion for a Bible topic you would like to see taught, or if you have a question, please e-mail me at emery@emeryhorvath.com
Podcast Notes
New Testament Healing Words: Why You Don’t Have to Be Sick
- So in previous podcasts, we’ve taken a looked at two healing words found in the Old Testament, the words ‘rapha’ and the word ‘marpe’.
- Again, please forgive me if I don’t have these words pronounced exactly correct.
- I am not a scholar by any stretch.
- I just have some good books to help me and us along the way here.
- So, now that we’ve covered healing words in the Old Testament, let’s see what we can find out if we go to the New Testament and look at the healing words there.
The Greek Word ‘Diasozo’ Shows Us Why We Don’t Have to Be Sick
Matthew 14:34–36 (NKJV) — 34 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, 36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.
- The words ‘were made perfectly well’ are all one word in the Greek.
- It is the word ‘diasozo’.
- ‘Diasozo’ is a verb which means to save, or to cure.
- It means receiving health or safety.
- The concept of the word carries the thought of transportation through an ordeal to safety on the other side.
- The word ‘diasozo’ would certainly work to describe this ordeal of this young boy who fell into the gorilla pit.
- God ‘diasozed’ this child, brought him through to safety.
‘Diasozo’ in The Healing Arena
- But, the word is also in the New Testament in the healing arena.
- The Greek word is a compound word contains ‘dia’ which means through and ‘sozo’ which is the word to save or to make well.
- That is an attack came, you experienced symptoms, discomfort, pain, and on and on.
- And, Jesus by his healing power correcting that situation.
- That is, He took you through that ordeal to a saving safe place of salvation in the form of healing on the other side.
Luke 7:1–3 (ESV) — 1 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal (diasozo) his servant.
- The centurion asked Jesus to bring his servant through this sickness to safety.
- That’s ‘diasozo’.
- Again, ‘diasozo’ is not just a healing word.
‘Diasozo’ Also Mean Safety
- It’s in the New Testament with the idea of safety.
Acts 27:42–28:1 (ESV) — 42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land. 1 After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta.
- Everyone one of these words, in boldface in the show notes, are all the Greek word ‘diasozo’.
- In the first case, Paul came through the ordeal of a potential death threat against his life to safety.
- In the second and third case, the word ‘diasozo’ describes the bringing through to safety of the entire crew from a devastating shipwreck.
- So, if you’re sick, you don’t have to be,
- God can bring you to safety.
- If you are in danger, God brings you to safety.
- Let’s look at the next Greek word, the word ‘therapeuo’.
The Greek Word ‘Therapeuō’ Shows Us Why We Don’t Have to Be Sick
- You can see our English word ‘therapy’ in this Greek word.
- ‘Therapy’ is the treatment to relieve or heal a disorder.
- But, this is not natural therapy.
- This is God’s kind of therapy.
- What is God’s kind of ‘therapy’ for diseases?
- It’s the anointing of His Presence.
Matthew 4:23 (ESV) — 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues (that means He was there… Presence) and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
- The Greek word ‘therapeuō’ is a verb which means to heal or to restore.
- It means to heal sickness or restore someone to the right condition.
- Notice that both the Old Testament ‘Rapha’ and the New Testament word ‘therapeuo’ have in them the idea of put something back to its original condition.
- ‘Rapha’ has in it the idea of fix or repair.
- ‘Therapeuo’ has in it the idea of restore.
- Divine healing is fixing, repairing or restoring.
- It’s why you don’t have to be sick.
- Think about the concept of restoring for a moment.
- People restore furniture.
- When they do, they are putting that piece back to its original antique condition.
- Some like to restore old cars.
- They like to either put them back or bring them up to the way they originally were.
Nehemiah Restored the Wall
- Nehemiah took part in a restoration project.
- He restored the Wall of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 3:8 (ESV) — 8 Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
- The wall came down.
- It had decayed with time.
- Nehemiah restored it.
- He put it back to its original function.
- If you are going to restore something, that means there has been degradation from an original pristine mint condition state.
- Sin has caused the original universe to be out of order.
- It has caused it to degrade.
- Planet earth has eroded from its pristine mint condition state.
- God’s exceptionally strong desire is to reverse that.
- He wants to restore the universe to its pristine mint condition.
Jesus Is the Way to Restoration
- Jesus is the door to that end.
- He is the way to that restoration.
- The concept of a restoration means that divine healing isn’t just for diseases, germs, and viruses.
- It also means the restoration of what’s broke.
- Broken bones fall under the category of this word because what’s broken needs to be repaired, fixed and restored.
- It refers to sprains because what’s sprained needs to be repaired, fixed and restored.
- The word restoration refers to disc’s in the spine which are bulging because what’s bulging needs to be repaired, fixed and restored.
- It refers to nerves that are pinched because what’s pinched needs to be repaired, fixed and restored.
- Restoration covers imbalances in the body like blood imbalances, visual imbalances, chemical imbalances because what’s imbalanced needs to be repaired, fixed and restored.
- Divine healing is not just about healing from a named disease.
- It’s about restoration from all the effects of disease.
‘Therapeuō’ Means You Don’t Have to Be Sick of Disease and Affliction
Matthew 10:1 (ESV) — 1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.
- Notice this use of the word ‘therapeuo’ here in Matthew ten.
- It connects here to disease AND affliction.
- Jesus gave the disciples authority to ‘therapeuo’ diseases and affliction.
- The Greek word ‘affliction’ here means a condition of bodily weakness 2
- Is there a weakness in your body by some condition, by some sickness, by some problem.
- What about your back?
- Is your back weak by reason of some degeneration?
- And your arms, are they weak because of some condition, a pull, a sprain, a bone spur?
- Are your legs weak by reason of the same?
- Then God has some therapy for you
- Here’s another use of the word.
Demons Fall Under the Purview of ‘Therapeuō’
Matthew 8:16 (ESV) — 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.
- Demons being cast out of people falls under the purview of ‘therapeuo’ because demons inhabiting people, possessing or oppressing people is not man in pristine mint condition.
- Demons are intruders.
- They are not part of God’s original creation.
- They don’t come to aid man, assist man, or make men better.
- Quite the opposite.
- They are all liars.
- They are all killers and destroyers.
- And, their time on planet earth is short.
The Greek Word ‘Iaomai’ Shows Us Why We Don’t Have to Be Sick
- Here’s another Greek healing word which has within it the idea of restoration.
- The word ‘iaomai’ is a verb which simply means to heal or to restore something to a state of health or wholeness.
- It means healing or become free from illness or injury.
- Sounds exactly like ‘therapueo’ doesn’t it?
Matthew 8:8 (KJV) — 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed (iaomai).
- The healing of the Centurion’s servant uses the word ‘iomai’.
- So does the woman with the issue of blood.
Mark 5:29 (KJV) — 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed (restored to wholeness) of that plague.
- In fact, both Mark and Luke use this word to describe the woman with the issue of blood’s restoration to wholeness.
- What I want to encourage you to believe God for is the complete restoration of your body.
- Don’t just believe for the pain to leave or for your comfort level to return.
- If sickness has stolen anything from you, if you’ve lost mobility, lay claim to your complete restoration.
The Greek Word ‘Katharizō’ Shows Us Why We Don’t Have to Be Sick
- The word means to cleanse or purify.
- To cleanse someone from impurity, usually leprosy.
- To the leper in Mark chapter one, Jesus said ‘You are clean’.
- Be ‘katharizō’.
- In the cleansing, there is healing.
- Do you remember the leper in Mark one?
Mark 1:40–42 (KJV) — 40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. 42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
- Notice what Jesus didn’t say.
- He didn’t say “I will. Be healed.”
- He said “I will. Be cleansed.”
- In the cleansing, there is healing.
Matthew 11:5 (KJV) — 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
- Notice in Matthew eleven, the blind, lame, and the dead, receive healing but lepers cleansing.
- Which is why there is a different Greek word used here.
Matthew 10:8 (ESV) — 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
- Jesus told the disciples to cleanse the lepers.
- Again, another case where the more common words for healing could have been used and weren’t.
- Do you have a skin disorder of any type?
- Are you embarrassed or humiliated by its presence in your body?
- Does it make you feel unclean?
- Then there’s a special New Testament word that Jesus expressly used for your case, the word ‘katharizō’.
#S4-041: Why Your ‘Want To’ Needs to Be Fierce to Receive Healing from God [Encore Podcast]
References: