** once we know it’s God’s will to heal, we must act on that knowledge. Knowing something but not doing anything about it is useless. **

Date:   9/21/2018 10:01:37 AM ( 6 y ago)

Blog: My Unusual Road of Life....
by kerminator

** once we know it’s God’s will to heal, we must act on that knowledge. Knowing something but not doing anything about makes it useless. **

Date: 9/21/2018


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Above All Things
By W. Kent Smith | September 3, 2018

(John 10:10)
any people assume that the thief in John 10:10 is the devil, but they assume this because they have heard this view many times, not because they examined the text carefully in context.

Of course, the devil does come to steal, to kill, and to destroy; but we often quote the verse this way and miss the text’s direct applications because we have not stopped to read the verse in context.

When Jesus speaks of “the thief,” he speaks from a larger context of thieves, robbers, wolves, and strangers who come to harm the sheep (10:1, 5, 8, 10, 12). In this context, those who came before Jesus, claiming his authority, were thieves and robbers (10:8); these tried to approach the sheep without going through the shepherd (10:1). This was because they wanted to exploit the sheep, whereas Jesus was prepared to die defending his sheep from these thieves, robbers, and wolves.

The point becomes even clearer if we start further back in the context. In chapter 9, Jesus heals a blind man and the religious officials kick the blind man out of the religious community for following Jesus. Jesus stands up for the formerly blind man and calls the religious leaders spiritually blind (9:35-41). Because there were no chapter breaks in the original Bible, Jesus’ words that continue into chapter 10 are still addressed to the religious leaders. He declares that He is the true Shepherd and the true sheep follow His voice, not the voice of strangers (10:1-5).
Those who came before Him were thieves and robbers, but Jesus was the sheep’s true salvation (10:8-9). The thief comes only to destroy, but Jesus came to give life (10:10).

In other words, the thief represents the false religious leaders, like the Pharisees who kicked the healed man out of their synagogue. The background of the text clarifies this point further.

In Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 34, God was the shepherd of His scattered people, His sheep; these Old Testament passages also speak of false religious leaders who abused their authority over the sheep like many of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day and not a few religious leaders in our own day..

So, how does God make provision for our health?
It all happened at the cross. Scripture tells us that at the same time Jesus took our sins, He also took our infirmities, bore our sicknesses, and carried our pains.

Isaiah 53:4 says, “Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”

This is an amazing picture of God’s love toward you and me. Jesus knew the horrors and pain He would experience, yet He still went to the cross. And He did so willingly. He was taunted to come down from the cross, but His love for you and me kept Him up there until He cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

When Jesus cried, “finished,” He was actually fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy mentioned above. Matthew 8:17 says, “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”

God’s plan for our redemption was complete. He left nothing out. Jesus took all that was wrong and freely gave us everything that is right. On the cross at Calvary, Jesus took our sin; therefore, when we place our faith in Him as Savior and Lord, we freely receive His righteousness.

Likewise, on the cross, Jesus took our weaknesses, sicknesses, and pains so that we can receive health from the finished and complete work of the cross! And if He took our sicknesses, we shouldn’t keep them!

God’s love for us is the central theme of His Good News. The moment we accept Christ, God has given us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). It only makes sense that this would include physical, mental, and emotional health. Those are some pretty important things that pertain to life and godliness!

Scripture plainly paints a picture that God wants you well, so why isn’t everybody healed?

Watch Andrew Mommack all this week on the Gospel Truth broadcast as he tackles this subject. He’s entering his seventh week of teaching God Wants You Well, so if you haven’t been watching from the beginning,
I encourage you to go back and view the previous broadcasts at http://www.awmi.net/video/.

Jesus took your pains, sicknesses, and weaknesses so that you would be free of them. So, walk in the health He has given to you. He wants this for you—above all things!

Written by W. Kent Smith

For resources in the U.S., go to http://www.awmi.net; outside the U.S., go to http://www.awme.net.


 

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