Does God always heal, and what is wrong with us when prayers for health seem to go unanswered? This sermon walks through three healings in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 8): the leper, the centurion’s servant and Peter’s mother-in-law, showing that Jesus breaks religious, ethnic and cultural barriers, and that His miracles are signs of the coming kingdom. We live between the ‘already’ and the ‘not yet’, God heals some on this side of eternity and others on the far side, yet He always cares for His children. Listen and regain confidence in praying for the sick.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Matthew records three healings right after the Sermon on the Mount: a leper, a centurion's servant, and Peter's mother-in-law. What barriers does Jesus break in each story, and how did people around them view these individuals?
- Jesus touches the leper and then sends him to the priest to offer a sacrifice. What do that touch and that instruction reveal about how Jesus restores a person to God and to other people?
- The sermon warns against two extremes: promising more than God promises, and limiting His work through unbelief. Which one are you more inclined toward, and why?
- Peter's mother-in-law does not ask for healing and nothing is said about her faith, yet Jesus heals her. How does this story answer the idea that not being healed means too little faith or less worth in God's eyes?
- We live between the "already" and the "not yet": Jesus has defeated sickness and death, yet we still get sick and die. How does this shape the way you see your own suffering and that of people you love?
- The speaker says God always heals His children: miraculously, through doctors, on this side of eternity or the other. Who that is sick or suffering will you pray for with that kind of trust this week, and how can you support them?
