John 8:31–44 (NLT) 31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” 34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. 37 Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message. 38 I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.” 39 “Our father is Abraham!” they declared. “No,” Jesus replied, “for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example. 40 Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41 No, you are imitating your real father.” They replied, “We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.” 42 Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does…
John 8:34 (NIV) Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.
“Anything you can’t say no to is bondage.”
James 1:14–15 (NLT) 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
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Genesis 4:7 (NIV) If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
Genesis 4:12(NIV) When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” Sin will always leave us restless and wandering.
Galatians 5:1 (NIV) It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Romans 8:2–3 (NIV) 2 Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man.
The Yoke of Jesus. Matthew 11:28–30 (NIV) 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Taking the yoke of Jesus: 1. Come to me. An invitation! To be in connection with him.
2. Take my yoke.
“Every aspect of the ministry of Jesus is grace-filled.”
John 1:14 (NIV) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Grace gives us the power to say no.
Titus 2:11–12 (NIV) 11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.
Jesus was yoked with the Spirit. “The same Spirit that rested on Jesus rests on us.”
Isaiah 10:27 (NIV) In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat. (“The anointing breaks the yoke.” -KJV)
3. Learn from me. “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart
2 Corinthians 3:17–18 (NIV) 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
4. Discover rest.
Ezekiel 34:27 (NIV) They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.
3 John 2 (NKJV) Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
Healing Promises: 1.Exodus 15:26 (NIV) I am the Lord, who heals you. 2.Psalm 103:2 (NIV) Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. 3.Psalm 107:20 (NIV) He sent out His word and healed them. 4. Malachi 4:2 (NIV) The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.
5.Isaiah 53:3-6 (NLT) 3 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.
“Physical suffering for physical healing.”
Objections & assumptions about healing: 1. Somebody Sinned John 9:3 (NIV) “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.
2. Somebody doesn’t have enough faith. James 5:14-15 (NLT) Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offeredin faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well.
3. It’s not God’s will.
Luke 5:13 (NLT) Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
“He is willing to heal.”
Acts 10:38 (NLT) You know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Power: God is moving today.
Walking in Healing: 1. Believe Luke 12:32 (NLT) It gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
2. Nurture Expectation
3. Steward Health
4. Pray Matthew 6:10 (NIV) Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
The Full Gospel: “We can preach healing without the Gospel, but you can’t preach the full gospel without healing.” Healing is a mandate.(MARK 16:18, Mt 28) Matthew 10:7-8 (NLT) 7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!
“Healing is a promise to us and a gift passing through us.”
Ezekiel 47:12 (NLT) …for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”
Mark 2:1-12 (NIV) 1 when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately, Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....” He said to the paralytic, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
“When Jesus saw their faith….” Faith-filled friendships 1. Committed to community
Acts 2:42-44 (NLT) 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. “Isolation robs us of power.” “We follow Jesus together.”
2. Contend for breakthrough “Friends find a way.” 3. Carry weight Proverbs 27:6 (NKJV) Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
Find Friends that position you to walk right.
What Jesus reveals Jesus: The 5th friend: Luke 5:20(NIV) Friend your sins are forgiven
1. Himself
2. Our identity “Son, Your friends are forgiven.”
“We discover who we are when Jesus reveals who he is.”
3. Our position “Son, Your friends are forgiven.”
4. Our condition & direction “Get up, take up your matt and Go home.”
Promises of wholeness: 1) 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NLT) Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
2) Isaiah 53:5 (NIV) He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
3) Romans 14:17 (NIV) The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
“Peace and Joy are Kingdom realities, not life occurrences.”
4.) John 14:27 (NIV) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
“The presence of peace in your life cannot be outsourced.”
5) 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV) For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
John 16:33 (NIV) In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
Bringing order to our soul: 1. Believe the right things
“Everything in the kingdom is apprehended by faith.”
Romans 15:13 (NIV) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Do you believe him?
Do you take him at His word?
What about what he says about you?
Matthew 14:24–33 (NLT) 24 The disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” 28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” 32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.
2. Say the right things Proverbs 10:11 (NLT) The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain. Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) The tongue has the power of life and death
3. Do the right things Isaiah 48:17-18 (NLT) 17 This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow. 18 Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.
4. Pray about all things. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Ministry: 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Psalm 46:1–11 (NIV) 1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 8 Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
3 regions of the brain 1. Instinctual 2. Emotional 3. Rational
Matthew 16:22-26 (NIV) 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
The Kingdom Mind: A mind governed by the Spirit. Romans 8:5–6 (NIV) 5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
Luke 6:43–45 (NIV) 43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
The Renewed Attitude. Ephesians 4:22–24 (NIV) 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Romans 12:2 (NIV) Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
1. Gratitude 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT) Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6–9 (NIV) 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
“Gratitude is the guardian of peace.”
Luke 17:12–19 (NIV) 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
2. Dwell on what is true and good. Train your brain: Philippians 4:8–9 (NIV)8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
1. What is true: The word: Center For Bible Engagement: Those who read their bible 4 times a week.
Feeling lonely drops 30%
Anger issues drop 32%
Bitterness in relationships drops 40%
Alcoholism drops 57%
Sexual immorality 68%
Feeling spiritually stagnant drops 60%
Viewing pornography drops 61%
Sharing your faith jumps 200%
Discipling others jump 230%
Feeling of loneliness drops 30%
A. Be Objective:
C. Be Hopeful:
C. Leverage the Imagination: 2 Corinthians 10:5(NIV) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
3. Pursue Humility. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” Rick Warren Philippians 2:3–5 (NIV) 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in Humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
Psalm 23:5 (NIV) You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Psalm 23:1–3 (NIV) 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul.
1. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” Romans 8:6 (NIV) The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.
2. “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters”
“The Lord leads us to rest as much as He leads us to action.”
3. “He restores my soul. “
You cannot have restoration without rest.
Psalm 43:5(NIV) Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
“The best you is the rested you.”
Mark 2:27–28 (NIV) “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Genesis 2:2 (NLT) On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. Exodus 20:28(NIV) Remember the sabbath by keeping it holy.
Rest is a command with befits.
The Practice of Rest Rest is a practice and a posture.
1. Divert Daily: Devotional rest
2. Withdraw weekly: Sabbath
3. Abandon Annually: Vacation
Our rest is in Jesus.
Matthew 11:27-30 (NLT) 27 “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
The Human Soul "You don't have a soul, you are a soul, you live in a body." 1. The soul is who you are: The seat of the mind, will, and emotions.
2. More than meat.
If we are merely meat, we have no meaning.
Genesis 2:7 (NIV) God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Matthew 1:21 (NIV) You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save His people from their sins."
Christ in the Crisis. There is the promise of wholeness and wellness in the midst of suffering.
Christ is greater than your crisis.
1 Peter 2:25 (NIV) For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
2 Paradigms of a Healthy Soul #1. God desires you well. 3 John 2 (NKJV) Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
Mark 5:24–34 (NIV) 24 …A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" 31 "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'" 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
She got Whole. Physically: The bleeding stopped. The Emotional & Mental distress ends. "Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
#2. Wellness is found in wholeness.
Our union with Christ. When we have union with Christ, the priorities flow easier.
1 Corinthians 6:17 (NIV) He who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
Ephesians 5:30(NV) We are members of his body.
John 17:21 (NIV) Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us…
John 14:20 (NIV) On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
Romans 8:17(NIV) Co-Heirs with Christ.
John 15:4–5 (NIV) Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Psalm 91:1 (NIV) He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Close. Psalm 103:1–5 (NIV)1Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things…
