Understanding How To Receive Healing In Tough Times

The Truth About Healing
James Greer: [00:00:01] Can you imagine? Man, they had over 100 youth there, and I mean they rocked the house. Amen? So we're so proud of them. Many decisions made. And man, it’s unbelievable. I mean I think you're going to see them third service. They're going to feel the whole center row. It's going to be fantastic. Amen? Man, we're going to be preaching on healing today and how healing can bring happiness. But what I really thought today is I thought about physical healing though. You got Janice, Rawlin, and Randy, they've been in Houston all week, taking treatment for cancer. And she sends me pictures where sometimes her head’s shaved and where they do the operation. And Fred had treatments, and he had an operation Friday. And we said, how you doing? And, you know, Fred, they know I'm a sissy. That's the nicer word. They gave me a word to use where I didn’t get in trouble. And how they had operated in his head. And, man, they stay so positive. And their pictures were, both of them just smiling. And so continue to pray for them. Because really the message today is on healing, but it's more emotional healing, spiritual healing, and how you can have healing, you can have happiness. In fact, inside your bulletins, everybody is going to have a quiet time. And you should take time to go through this because if your heart is right, everything else in life would be right. I think that's one reason you see people like Janice and Randy, their spirit, it seems like it's just always right. I have a couple of verses I read almost every Sunday, one of them almost every Sunday. It’s Luke 11:28. It says, and Jesus replied and He said, yes.

James Greer: [00:01:45] But even more blessed are all who hear the Word of God. You're going to hear the Word of God today. Amen? And you want to be more blessed. Amen? Then you put it into practice. So I'm going to be preaching some of God's Word today. And I tell you, you can put it into practice today and you can be blessed. Amen? And then Matthew 5:5, I love it. In the new century version, it says, those who are humble are happy. So you can be blessed and you can be happy today. Humble people are happy people. Amen? And we're going to talk about ways that you can be happy. In other words, healing, true healing, we're going to talk about healing relational, racial, marriage, city, nation all has to come from the inside. It can't come from the outside. The problem with all healing, people are trying to make it come from the outside. It has to come from the inside out. Only true humility is the beginning of healing which can result in happiness. The Psalmist 60 verse 2 puts it this way. You have caused this nation to tremble in fear. You've torn it apart. Another translation says, it’s just broken apart, Lord. And for it has shaken it to depths. It says, you have been very hard on us and made us to breathe your [inaudible]. Another translation said, unable to walk straight. It's like drunk people. In other words, it says, you don't have your balance, you don't know where to go, you don't know what to do. But then it says this. But you have given us a banner to rally. A banner to rally is one of the words that God calls Himself. He says, Jehovah nissi, I’m the banner. Rally to me. All who love the truth will rally to it. And then when He says, when you rally to it, when you rally to God, then you can deliver your beloved people.

[00:03:46] Use your strong right arm to rescue us. I love it because He said, listen, I want to be your rallying point. I want to be, everybody that’s broken to pieces, everybody that’s been torn apart, God says, let me be your rallying point. Let me be the one to bring you back together. Let me be the one that brings victory. Come to me. He says, whether it's our nations, our cities, and families all torn apart and you feel like you need a healing, feel like you're just shaken, feel like you don't know what to do and where to go. I mean it seems like, have you ever seen people that are just drunk? Maybe you're one of them. Don't raise your hand. And wives and husbands, don't look at each other. You know what you do when you're drunk? This is what the big people tell me. You walk funny, talk funny, and do things you shouldn't do. Amen? But you don't have any direction in life. And what the Bible was saying is sometimes a nation gets that way. Feel like they’re just stumbling around. Sometimes marriages get that way, relations get that way. And God said, let me give you a rallying point. And really what He said more than a rallying point, let me give you a rally in person. Now, that's what is it. And the person's name is Jesus and Jesus said, I got a plan. Now He says, you got the right plan and you got the right person. When you got the right plan. You ready? Plus the right person. You get healing. Wouldn't y’all like to know what the right plan and the right person is and how the right plan works? This plan applies to marriage, relationship, racial, city, and nations. Amen? All right. Here it is. 2 Chronicles 7:14. It says, if my people. Uh-oh. Talking to Christians. See, when you look around and you see a nation falling apart, you start to say, look at those people, look at those people. And you start judging everybody else. And you're going to find out. God said, it starts in the house of the Lord.

James Greer: [00:05:46] If my people, if my Christians, if Journey Church, they’re called by my name, shall humble themselves. What did I tell you about humility? Humble people are what? Happy people. Humble people are happy people. If they will humble themselves and they'll pray and they'll seek my face and turn from their wicked way, they will hear from Heaven. Man, when you're humble and you hear from Heaven. And they’ll forgive their sins and they'll heal their land. I could tell you, if we didn't do anything else, if you learned to humble and hear, you heal. That is good, Brother James. Because you don't hear from God till you’re humble. But when you’re humble, you hear. And when you're humble and you hear, you'll be healed. Amen? I mean we need healing. I mean there's never been a time in history that marriages need more healing than ever before. Amen? Schools, relationship, racial, city, nation. God says, listen, I guarantee, you do your part, God always does His part and then some. And it starts with humbly confessing our sins. The problem and reason we don't do this is pride. It's almost like we said, we don't need God. We want our way, not God's way. James 4:6 says this. He gives more grace, but therefore he says, God resists the proud. He opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. People say, well, you know, I just don't know what I'm gonna have a sin. Yeah, you do. Because the Bible says you say you have not sinned, you deceive yourself and the truth’s not in you. You're actually making God a liar. The problem is pride blinds us. Pride is self-deceptive.

[00:07:37] What you do is, listen, you look at the sins of everyone else. You can see the sins of other races, other cultures, other denominations. That's why we said we started saying, hey, we're multidenominational church that focuses on Christ. Amen? That way we don't have to fight between ourselves. That's a good idea. Don't focus on the problems of your mate. Everybody else but self. So it's easy to focus on the problems of everybody else but yourself. If you want healing, you know where it’s got to start? Personal humbling and confessing. You've heard me say, hate the sin and love the sinner. Amen? How about love the sinner and hate your own sin? See, it's easy for sin in other people. One of the main problems, we spend more time, you ready?, accusing others and excusing ourselves. That is good, Brother James. We accuse and excuse. We don't practice humility. I’ve been teaching how we criticize what we don't understand. But prideful, self-deceiving people, they justify instead of trying to identify. See, when you humble yourself, you try to identify what's going on with the other person, the other culture, the other race. When you're prideful, you try to criticize because you don't really understand. So see, prideful people, they justify instead of identify. And so you got a lot of people, Christians today, they're justifying what they're doing instead of trying to identify what they should be doing.

James Greer: [00:09:31] We're going to change some lives here today. James 4:12 says, God alone who gave the law is the judge. Not James. God. He alone has the power to save and destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor? Uh-oh. What right do you have? What right do you have to judge your neighbor? Say well, I don't really know who my neighbor is. Well, you're sitting next to one. What right do you have to judge anybody at church? What right do you have to judge your neighbor? What right do you have to judge another culture? What right do you have to judge another race? What right do you have to judge another one because of the way they look? Everybody can't be this good looking. There's somebody. That could be pride. I got to be careful. Economic status, intellectual ability. When you're judging your neighbor for those reasons, you're really playing God. Uh-oh. When you sit around and say, look at them, look at them, look where they live, look how they talk, look how they dress, look the way the color is, you're playing God. Now I’m gonna tell you, you better be careful when you start playing God. There's only one God and you're not Him. Romans 2:4 has a warning. So when you, you're just a mere human being, you begin to pass judgment on them, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?

[00:11:14] Now things are fixing to change. When we judge others for race, for economic status, for looks, for culture, for anything, you ready?, you're inviting judgment on your own self. Now, this is going to get real personal now. And you hadn't heard this, but you're going to. What a lot of people call misfortune is missing your fortune. You call it misfortune, but you're missing the fortune and blessings that God has for you. You're inviting judgment instead of enjoying justification. The Bible says in Romans 5, you're justified by faith just as you have never sinned. When you get saved through the faith of Jesus Christ, if you're here today and you're not sure that you’d die, if you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and you should, if you've never done that, you get just as if you had never sinned. Because God looks down through the blood of Jesus Christ and He washes away all your sins and you become justified just as I have never sinned. Amen? But. And when you go to Heaven, you’ll be just as you have never sinned. But till then, God says, if you start judging other people, I'm going to judge you. So now you're inviting judgment instead of living just as you have never sinned before. So a lot of what you’re calling misfortune, just had a bad thing happen. No, no, no, no, no. You've been sitting around talking about somebody, gossiping about somebody, lying about somebody, judging somebody else. God says, okay, you invited that one. You invited that one.

James Greer: [00:13:11] You invited that one. You invited that one. You invited that one. You invited that one. God does not want that. God said, I've come that you could have life and you can have a more abundant life. But let me tell you what. God's not going to let you be God. God is a jealous God. He's going to be God, not you. Oh, Brother James, you’re preaching now. You know what 1 Peter says? 1 Peter 4:17? For it is time for judgment to begin at God's household. Judgment [inaudible] start at Journey. First, begin with us. What will be the outcome? Be for those who do not obey the gospel of God. I’ll tell you, the judgment will. Judgment starts with God's people in God's house at Journey Church. Do you want judgment or do you want to be justified? Just as I’ve never sinned because I'm going to deal with my sins. I'm gonna confess sins. Judgment needs to start in the family of God. The question is, do you want your family, your marriage, your city, your school, your relationship, you want to be healed and happy? Or do you going to be judged? Do you understand? It's almost that simple. You got to humble yourself and confess your sins. James 5:16 says, confess your trespasses one to another that you might be what? Healed. What are we talking about? Healed. Humble people are happy people. They have humbled themselves as the beginning of being healed. When you get healed, that's when you're happy. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Uh-oh. Righteous again. There you are. Righteous. It's like being justified. You’re righteous before God. When you're right with God, you're right with God and you're right with other people. Listen, you'll not be healed and happy without being humble.

James Greer: [00:15:08] You'll not be healed and continue to be happy without being humble. Some people need to quit being so dangum touchy. I mean really, quit worrying about it. Everybody's not after you. Just because somebody didn’t say hi, maybe they didn't see you. I had somebody say, Brother James didn't say hi. I probably didn't know who you were. I mean I don't know if I know you here, at home, at work, whatever. Come up to me and speak. Say, hey, Pastor, I'm one of yours. Speak to me. I say, okay, it’s no problem. I mean don't get upset about it. Don't tell my wife or somebody else. Just say something. Don't be that touchy. Amen? Let's be humble. Let's be happy. And listen, a lot of stuff, it's just not worth fighting over. Amen? Let it go. I'm serious. I'm talking about in your home, in your work. Everybody, let's humble ourselves a little bit. Put yourself in their position. But if you will truly humble yourselves before God and before man, you ready?, nothing can stop you from being healed and happiness. If you will truly humble yourself before God and before man, nothing can stop your healing and happiness emotionally. But you're saying, well, they didn't forgive me. You say, I humbled myself, I went to them, I said I'm so sorry, will you forgive me? And they don't forgive me. You can't control them. You can control you. But I want to be healed. I want to be reconciled. I didn't say that. I didn't say you can make them reconcile.

[00:16:56] Jesus Christ is a great reconciler. He died on the cross to reconcile us between us and God. Amen? I didn't say. So you said they don't forgive me, that the relationship's not healed. They're not reconciled. I didn’t say that, did I? I said, if you humble yourself before God and man, you can be healed and happy. And you say, well, I'm not happy because my relationship is not healed. You're still looking to the wrong people to bring happiness. No person can always bring happiness. Your happiness has to come from Jesus Christ. Amen? Until you learn that, you're never going to be happy. There's a lot of y'all right now that have tried to be happy because you have tried to heal your relationship with somebody else and they don't want to be happy. You can't make them happy. You're not God. Till they get ready to be happy with God, nobody can make. God can’t even make them happy. Amen? Let it be. You be happy. I'm trying to teach you a truth, man. A lot of Christians, the devil keeps trying to make them miserable when God’s trying to make them happy. You do your part. Leave the rest to God. Homework. Write down every sin that God brings to your mind. God, is there anything in my life that’s unpleasing to you? Outbursts of anger, lying, jealousy, gossip, bitterness, pride, prejudice, rudeness, disrespectful, jealousy, selfish, unkindness, drunkenness, sexual immorality, drug abuse, gluttony which they don't usually use in church, stealing. That's to say a few.

[00:18:54] Now, the ones that stick out, I want you to be writing down either in your mind, your heart, or on a piece of paper. Now, I'm going to read a short list from 2 Timothy 1. Says, you’re going to know this, Timothy, he said in the last days, some things are going to happen. He said, there's going to be difficult times are going to come. We're living in the last days if you don't know that. And he says, one of the ways you'll know is difficult times. People are going to be lovers of themselves. They’re going to love their money. They're going to be very boastful, proud, scoffers of God. I've never seen so many people so arrogant against God like they do now. Disobedient to their parents. You better thank God you've got a church, you have your kids at children's camp and youth camp, that our youth leaders, our children's leaders, they pour into your kids and they don't teach your kids to be disrespectful. If you're a parent, I’d have my kids and church and children's department and youth department every single Sunday. They don't teach that ungratefulness. Some people you can't please today no matter what. Nothing is sacred. They'll be unloving, unforgiving. Many problems would be solved today if you’d just forgive people and move on. Slander. Slander is when you get, you ready?, when you get through talking to somebody, the person you talked about, they think less of. That's a sin. When you slander, that's a sin. When you talk to somebody and when you left, now you talk about them, now they think less of the person when they left you. Gossip's when you're not part of the problem or solution. So don't gossip. Don't slander.

[00:20:57] Lack of self-control. There's never been a time people road rage. One of the other cities, a little child just got shot and killed. People beating each other up on the street. People are cruel. They hate. Betrayal of friends, recklessness, puffed up, pride, lovers of pleasure more than God. I'm going to do what I want. I’m going to have my hobby. I’m going to have my pleasures. And you better not say anything because I'll be cruel and hateful. I told you, there's a few things you can do to just quit some of that, some of that fighting. Is this going to matter in eternity? Is this a biblical point of view or is this my own point of view? And is this something we really have to agree on? They act like they're religious, but they reject the power. Man, God's got power. Man, God's got power here. God can change everybody's life here today. God wants you to experience that power, that love, that joy, that peace. He doesn’t want to bring judgment on your life. He wants to bring justification, just like you have never sinned. He wants you to have a freedom. He wants you to have the power. He said, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. He wants you to be able to pray and say, man, prayers are going to be answered. Stay away from the other people. Those people just come to church and have no power. Those people who talk religion and see no results. Those people that come to church and act a different way. God said, don't do that. Don't just keep playing church. It's time to live. Basically, what He's saying is we can humbly confess our sins and be happy. And what I did is encourage you to write down a feel of the sins. We can pray. We're going to have that opportunity to seek His face. It says, we can turn our back completely and be healed.

[00:23:06] Now's the time to do that. I'm going give an invitation in a minute somewhat different than normal. I'm going to give you an opportunity to lay the sins that God placed upon your heart on the altar but leave them there. Don't take them home. See, Satan wants to let you bring them back with you. God wants to free you from them. But let me give you free advice. Don’t say you have not seen it because you make yourself a liar, you make God liar. Because you’ve sinned. I’ve sinned. You’ve sinned. Everyone of else has sinned. Acts 3:19 says, repent ye therefore and be converted, that your sins might be blotted, a time of refreshing comes in the presence of God. God wants a newness. He wants a refreshing. But guess what? He says, for it is time for judgment begin with God's house, God's people now. 1 Corinthians 11:31 says, if you judge yourself, you shall not be judged. That's pretty plain. Amen? So do you want a judgment or justified? You want humble and happiness or possible harm? I think God’s Word makes it pretty clear. I think we have the choices that we get to make. And I think it said God made it real clear. Guess where it was to start? In the House of God.

James Greer: [00:24:40] Guess where you're at today? The house of God. Isn’t it wonderful that God's timing is perfect and you're not here by accident but you're here by divine appointment? And I'll give you that wonderful opportunity as you stand. God, you're such an awesome God. Would you stand? I thank you that your Word is so powerful in this church at this time. We are your people. For those that may not know you, that are not justified, just that as they have never sinned the first time, that they would come and invite you into their heart. They would make it public and not be ashamed of you. For those that need to be baptized, today's the day to do that. Walk down and say, hey, I want to follow through in public baptism. For all the rest of you, I know that you have sinned in your life. I have sinned in my life. I know the one that God pointed to me. And God, I want to confess it to you right now and I'd like for you to forgive me of it and others. And God, I'd like for us to leave them here. He said, for judgement's to start at your house. God, I want us to humble ourselves. I want us to hear from you. I want you to heal us. And I want happiness. I want for everybody here. God, whether it’s to join the church, pray, baptism, but most of all, leave our sins here. God, I pray this is a special time, God, that you would get the honor, that you would get all the glory. It’s in your name I pray. Amen.

Bruce Goulart: [00:26:22] On behalf of Pastor James, I want to say thank you for tuning into our online experience today. Man, what an amazing week 3 of True Colors. And I just want to say, if you need someone to pray with you right now, we have people on standby that are willing to pray with you. There's a link down to the description that you click on, fill out, and someone will go with you right away. Next week, we are going to have three amazing messages with Pastor Andrew, Pastor Richie, and Pastor Darrell. So I hope to see you next week. Thank y’all.

Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.