The Healing Word

Guest (Male): The Healing Word Ministry, on one place, is brought to you by the generous donations of people like you. At any time during today's message, feel free to send a prayer request or make a donation using the links provided. Now, I pray you will be blessed as Pastor Jack Morris delivers a message from the word of God that will encourage and strengthen your faith in him.

Pastor Jack Morris: Friends, listen to me. Do you care? I know you do. But do you really care about his scars? What this holy table means today? And the power and the glory that will come from what this represents. Healing, wholeness, and forgiveness, mercy, and grace. It's all to be found in the emblems of what this represents. Do you see scars today? Scars for you and me.

Guest (Male): After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples several times before ascending into heaven. And we have learned from scripture that among other things, he showed them his hands and the scars that were the result of his death on the cross. Pastor Morris is going to discuss those hands and what they can mean to us in today's message, hands of love.

Pastor Jack Morris: Hands of love. I want to talk about hands today and want to talk about his hands of love. And I pray that we will think and remember and and praise and celebrate that he has reached out to us and touched us with hands of love, hands of mercy, hands of compassion. How blessed we are to be blessed in this way by our Lord. Well, let me just talk about the hand just a moment. You want to look at your hand? Look at it. See all those rings and the hand. It's one of the means by which humans have changed the world with human hands.

Now, if humans can do that, can change this world with their hands, building great buildings and skyscrapers with their hands, great machines with their hands, little tiny electronics with their hands. Think of their hands on the keyboard, the hands on the guitar, the hands holding the hymnals, the shaking of hands, the hugging and patting on the back with the hands, the artist drawing and painting pictures with their hands. How about when we do some great accomplishment, a high five with your hand. Friends, look at the things that you do with your hands. I suppose that the hand is perhaps the most visible and an and an an important part of the human body.

Now, that statement, I know somebody's going to disagree with it. Now, I'll say it again so you can disagree with it. That the that the hand is the most common part of the human body. Now, here's where you're going to disagree. Somebody's going to say, oh no, pastor, it's the tongue. It's the tongue that is the most prominent. Well, I'm I'm not going to argue with you on that one. I'll let that one go. But the hand is so very very significant. Isn't it wonderful when you come in church and somebody reaches out and shakes your hand or gives you a hug and you make that that physical contact.

A Dr. Paul Brand, who is a Christian surgeon, who did surgery on the hand, the physical hand for over 40 years. It's estimated that he did 10,000 surgeries in his ministry of surgery. He's a Christian man. He said he likes to go to concerts, pianist concerts in particular, and he likes to get up close to the front where that I like people who get up close to the front. Hello way back there. But when you can't get up, you have to go back there, right? So, but he likes to get up close to the front where he can watch the pianist uh play with the his or her hands on the keyboard.

He said it's a it's a ballet of fingers. He watches it and he's blessed by it. I got to thinking about the human hand and I thought about Jesus and his hand, our savior, and how he our savior came into this world. What an entrance he had. The almighty God becoming an infant, coming in and those tiny little hands. Little tiny hands, baby hands that you know how the baby's hand will jerk like that. And you look at it, it has dimples on the knuckles. And Jesus had those little tiny miniature fingernails. Now, these are the hands that put the sun, the moon, the stars, and the planets all in place.

These were the hands. Have you gone to the seashore and you've seen a dad and his son making these little sand castles and and some of them are really artistic. Well, one day the Lord took dust and he made the image of a man, not a sand castle, but the image of a man. And then he breathed on it and that began became a living soul. And that's why you and I are alive and here today. But the his hands and those infant hands, those magnificent hands, those hands from which strength and glory flow through us, to us, through those hands of our Lord.

I want you to think about his hands today. He grew up and adolescence, becoming adult. Now, he becomes a carpenter. Now, his hands are rough, calloused. He's in the carpenter shop. He's the carpenter of Nazareth. They didn't have two carpenter shops in Nazareth. They only had the one and he worked with his hands all of those years. Think what happened to those hands, hands of compassion, a physician's hands, a hands through which strength and healing flow. Psalm 89 says, my hand will sustain him. Surely my arm will strengthen him. God is trying to say something to us that he is reaching out, blessing and touching and sustaining even those who feel discouraged and down, feel like throwing in the towel and giving up.

There's healing and strength in his hands. And he is reaching out today as he did when he was here on earth in the flesh and continuing to touch and to minister. I think of those hands. When he came off the mountain, there was a leper in the valley. And that leper said to him, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me whole. You can make me clean. Now, I want I want you to listen to me, friends. He said, if you are willing. Now, when you go to the Lord today or any other time, you got to say something to him.

Lord, I'm in need. This man was a leper. Well, what's your need and and what's my need? Lord, if you are willing, if you will say something to today, you can say, Lord, if you are willing, you can lift the sorrow that's in my heart. Lord, if you are willing, you can lift this depression off of me. Lord, if you are willing, you can Okay, you finish the sentence. He's willing. He said so. Jesus did to that leper. And he said, I'm willing. Now, that leper may have lost some of his fingers. A horrible cancer made an ear or a nose or his face was oozing.

He would have to stand off at a distance and call out unclean. No one could touch him. It had no doubt been years since he felt the touch of a human hand. Come on, reach over and touch somebody's hand this morning. Can you touch a hand? Cold hands, warm hands. Jesus was willing and he reached out and that man's face may have been oozing with sores. Oh, who would touch a thing like that? But Jesus said, I am willing. I am willing. There there is no condition in your life or my life that he's not willing to take care of it when we take that condition to him.

And Jesus touched that man and healed him immediately. Now, he can go home to his wife and embrace her and take his children in his arms. Jesus is willing. He's willing. One evening, Jesus and the apostle Peter were going home to Peter's house. Peter allowed Jesus, gave Jesus a room in his house at Capernaum. Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man doesn't have any place to lay his head. Jesus lived in abject poverty on this earth when he was here. But because of his poverty, you and I have become rich.

But Jesus is now going home to Peter's house. Peter's mother-in-law was going to no doubt fix dinner for them. But when they arrived, she was sick. She had a fever, a high fever. She was in bed. She wasn't able to get up. And Jesus walked in to the room. And what did he do? Touched her hand. He's still reaching out his hand. Oh, I I believe somebody is going to be touched by the master's hand today. He touched her hand. She got up and ministered to them. I believe that man she cooked their meal for them.

The Lord's on the job. He's right here right now. There was a time that he was out on the road and Jairus came and told Jesus said, my daughter's at home. She's sick. She's she's very very sick. And just then some friends from Jairus's house came and said, don't bother the master anymore. Your daughter's dead. She's dead. Jesus said, let's go to your house anyway. Let's go to your house. Got there. All the people were groaning and moaning and crying and the flute players were playing and it was a sad time. Jesus put the ball out.

He went into the room where that little 12 year old girl was. And what did he do? Took her by the hand. Took her by the hand. And that little girl raised up out of that place of death. He does the impossible. He does the seemingly impossible because there's nothing impossible with God. Can you say that there's nothing impossible with God? There's not a condition in my life or your life or your family or mine that he can handle it. He is the almighty God, the deaf, the blind. Put fingers into their ears, put his hand on their eyes.

They would come away seeing. They would come away hearing. And then I think the most tender story in all the Bible was when Jesus took those little babies in his arms, those little children. I'm calling them babies. They were little children. It's the scripture says this. He put his arms around them and then put his hand, his hand on them and blessed them. He blesses with the laying on of his hands. These are the things that Jesus does. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you felt the touch of his hand on you today? The touch of his hand.

Remember that chorus? Come on. I think I can sing it. He touched me. Oh, he touched me. And all the joy that floods my soul. Something happened and now I know he touched me and made me whole. Now, notice that he touched me. The joy came. Joy flood my soul. Something happened. Friend, go to church. Something's going to happen. Go to prayer. Something's going to happen. The Lord is doing great things. I want you to sing it again and I want you to reach up so he can reach down and touch your hand. Come on.

Put your hand in his hand. Put your hand in the hand of the man. Come on. He touched me. Oh, he touched me. And all the joy that floods my soul. Something happened. Happened. And now I know he touched me and made me whole. Everybody says amen. God's still touching people today and ministering to their needs. I'm excited for what he's doing here today and how he's blessing and he's ministering. He touched me. Something happened. Joy flooded my soul. Listen, discouraged saint. He touches you today and joy will come and the strength of the Lord will come.

For joy is the strength of the Lord. He touched me. Healing hands.

Guest (Male): At the Healing Word Ministry, we're here to bring the light of God's love and power of his word into the lives of those who need it most. Every message, every prayer, and every moment of encouragement is crafted to help you find peace, guidance, and strength in your journey of faith, meeting you where you are with hope and compassion. But this ministry is only possible through the generosity of people like you. If the Healing Word has blessed you or someone you love, we invite you to prayerfully consider pledging your financial support. Your gift goes directly toward creating life-changing content, offering healing prayers, and spreading the message of God's love to people everywhere.

Simply visit the healingword.com and click on donate now to make your tax-deductible contribution. Together, let's continue to share the beautiful blessings of God's word with the world in need.

Guest (Male): Now, let's join Pastor Jack Morris for the conclusion of today's message.

Pastor Jack Morris: Pilot called out to the people, this pagan man, he says, why? I don't know why you want me to crucify him. The very question he asked, why? What evil has he done? He's only healed. He's only blessed. He's only raised the dead. He only put his hands on children. Why do you want him crucified? And the scripture says, they cried out that much the more. Crucify him. Crucify him. And then the Bible says they led him away to Golgotha, to Calvary, where they crucified him. Well, Easter Sunday morning came and Jesus rose from the dead.

And when he came out of the grave, oh my God, my God, open my mind, open my heart. Father God, open the mind and heart of the people who I'm speaking to now. Listen like you've never listened before. He came out of the grave. I'm moving toward quickly now to the close of my sermon. He came out of the grave with scars at his hand. Now, here's what I want you to hear. He was now in a glorified, resurrected body. When we go to heaven, there's not going to be any sickness, any disease. There's only going to be health and healing.

There's not going to be any amputees there where if a limb had been severed in any way, it will be restored. Everything will be beautiful with the exception of Jesus who is scarred and scarred for eternity. He has scars that he'll carry as a message of love, hands of love forever and ever. You know, when you go away on a trip somewhere, sometimes we will buy a souvenir and bring home or maybe something inexpensive like a coffee cup or a scarf or some little thing like that. But but everything that is uh that is imported must must reveal where it came from.

You look and it'll say made in China, made in Mexico, made in Korea. Jesus is going to lift his hands and say made on earth. This wasn't made in heaven. This was made on earth. This is the only thing on earth that's going to get into heaven. Do you do you understand what I'm saying? Nothing of earth goes to heaven except his scars. And he'll never be healed of those scars. Easter Sunday morning, he rises from the dead. He speaks to Mary Magdalene who is weeping. That afternoon, he walks the Emmaus road with Cleopas and Simon.

That evening, the disciples are in the upper room with bolted doors for fear of the Jews. And all of a sudden, Jesus appears, comes right through the wall. He didn't knock the door. They didn't know open the door for him and say come in. He just appeared. The very first thing he said to them was peace. Peace be unto you. And when they saw the Lord, the scripture says they were overjoyed. He showed them his hands. Friend, if you and I could get a vision of his hands, you and I would be overjoyed, meeting joy beyond measure.

The sadness and the depression and the sorrow and the grief would just go out of our lives immediately. Somehow, I've got to see his hands this morning. I've got to see his scars when I come to this table. He showed them his hands. One was missing. God helped the person who who sees it's okay to miss church. Jesus then breathed on those disciples and said, receive the Holy Spirit. Thomas wasn't there. That service was never again repeated. Maybe somewhere along the way later, Jesus breathed on Thomas. But Thomas wasn't in church that Sunday. And he missed the fellowship of the saints.

He missed seeing Jesus. Friend, you only have one time at the first time. And Thomas missed it the first time. They told Thomas about it. And Thomas said, I don't believe it. Basically, I'm using my own words now, paraphrasing. Unless I see the nails in his hands, unless I can put my hand in his side, unless I see the prints of the nails in his feet, I will not believe unless I see. One week later, again, every time Jesus appeared after his resurrection to the time he went back to heaven, 40 days, every time was on Sunday, on the Lord's day.

That's why we don't worship on Saturday. We worship on Sunday because Saturday Jesus is dead, but on Sunday, the first day, Jesus is alive. Can somebody say praise the Lord? So, here Jesus appears and Thomas is there. And again, Jesus says peace. Friends, there's no peace unless you and I recognize the scars, the sacrifice that he made. And he showed them his hands again. And pilot said, oh, my Lord and my God. That's the only way we'll bow before him, calling him Lord, calling him God, submitting our lives, not our reasoning, not the way we think it should be, or how many of us interpret the Bible.

We interpret oh, that's the Old Testament. That that's the New Testament. Things have changed. We'll do it a little bit differently. He will understand. No. He showed him his scars. And pilot then then Thomas said, my Lord and my God. Would you put the scripture of Zechariah? There it is. I'm going to read it to you now. You look at it, you follow along. I'm going to read it from the screen back here. And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look upon look on me, the one they have pierced.

And they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a first born son. We read the scripture, we know that happens at the second coming. The Jews are going to look and they're going to see his scars. Friend, listen to me. Do you care? I know you do. But do you really care about his scars? What this holy table means today? And the power and the glory that will come from what this represents. Healing and wholeness and forgiveness, mercy and grace. It's all to be found in the emblems of what this represents.

Do you see scars today? Scars for you and me. Hallelujah. Do you love him? You know very well he loves you and me. Though we're unworthy, we've done everything to not deserve his love, but his scars. The last thing he wanted his followers to see, uplifted hands. Going back to heaven, scars. Today, I pray we'll get a picture in our mind of our savior's love revealed by his scars. Amen. Amen. Bow with me for just a moment.

Guest (Male): We hope that the message today, hands of love, has encouraged you to focus on Jesus's sacrifice on the cross for your sins and mine and how his love is always available to heal any sickness or grief. I encourage you to reach out to him in prayer and thank God for what he's done in your life. Are you seeking a way to start your week filled with hope and inspiration? Every Monday morning, receive a fresh devotional delivered right to your inbox to uplift your spirit and encourage you throughout the week. Pastor Jack Morris carefully crafts each message with scripture that speaks to the heart, reflections to inspire growth, and practical steps to help you live out your faith every day.

These are words of hope and strength meant to meet you right where you are. Ready to begin? Just visit the healingword.com and click the banner to sign up. Start each week with renewed purpose, feeling connected to God and ready for what lies ahead. If the Healing Word has blessed you or someone you love, we invite you to prayerfully consider pledging your financial support. Simply visit the healingword.com and click on donate now to make your tax-deductible contribution. Together, let's continue to share the beautiful blessings of God's word with the world in need.