All humanity longs for something. It needs and desires something more than itself. It invents and subscribes to things that attempt to satisfy that need and desire. Religions, cultural norms and laws, hobbies and possessions, careers and status. All these things CAN attempt to satisfy the human longing for contentment and peace. Even some "christians" are not satisfied with just their religion, they need greater health, more wealth, and happiness too. But the absolute power of being in Christ is the absolute contentment and peace that only comes from him.
Healing
Jesus completely heals us from our sins! 1 Peter 2:20-24. The sin that you were a slave to, that ravaged your soul and conscience, is wiped away, paid for, erased, forever. Your past sins are taken care of. Your current sins are forgiven, and your future sins are not counted against you. Your sinful heart gets healed and it will forever prevent you from becoming a slave to your past sins. This is not saying you will never sin but it does mean that because you see your sin, recognize it as sin, you are now empowered to resist it and fight it. (also read Sinlessness and its Dilemmas)
Some false teachers will use this and teach that we can just rebuke sin and heal our flesh. But they fail to see the deeper purpose. Some times God allows our flesh to break so that our souls are saved! Some times God inflicts us with bodily issues so that our spirit is healed! God is always good, even when we are sick because our sickness is for your ultimate healing: salvation. (also read Healing for faith healers)
Often these 'healers' attempt to heal things that are not viable or tangible. Thus, their healing miracle is only assumed or implied. Why didn't Paul just tell Timothy to heal himself or find a healer instead of drinking something to help with his stomach ache? Why didn't Paul just ask for his thorn in his side to be healed? Why do some faith healers wear prescription glasses? Because IT IS NOT ABOUT your flesh! it is about the spirit! The flesh is sometimes healed SO THAT your spirit is healed. Some times the flesh is NOT healed SO THAT your spirit IS healed. This is why not everyone was given the gift of healing (1 Cor 12:29-30).
People BELIEVED Jesus was God and could do anything, even heal them; their SPIRIT was already healed, they had faith in the person of Jesus, so Jesus healed their bodies (Matthew 8:10, Luke 17:18-19, Matthew 9:27-30). Jesus may work through people but the end result is always for spiritual health and God's glory; always and forever.
Right-ness
Through the work of Jesus alone are we made right and blameless in God's sight. Jesus lived the life we can not live. His life and sacrifice was to pay the debt we owed for our eternal offense to God. He took our just punishment on himself. And in return, we were given his righteousness. Thus; making us right before God. We are justified to come to the throne of God's Grace because of the person and work of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Without Jesus or rejecting Jesus' work; we would remain in eternal debt for our offense to God, unable to ransom ourselves, and God's perfectly just and holy punishment awaits us as we live under his wrath and slaves to sin (Romans 1:18).
Also read By Christ's Works Alone
Eternity
That feeling you get when you have your first day off from a very long week of work. Or the feeling you get when a very fun entertaining adventure just happened. The completeness of that moment but then fades away and we lose that satisfaction. Drug addicts and anyone who has been addicted to anything understand this very well. Jesus is completeness and through him is eternal life (Romans 6:23).
Health fades. Wealth gets spent, lost, stolen, corrode, and left behind in the end. Happiness is a feeling that fades and gets instantly trumped when you stub your toe. Jesus offers something more grand than your flesh and materialism; life. And not just no worries about life but no worries about life for eternity. Through Christ Jesus, you have life forever (John 17:3).
YOU DO NOT LOSE IT! You HAVE ETERNAL life (John 3:36). You cannot have something for eternity if you eventually lose it. That means you do not have to worry about your life! It is in God's hands, for eternity! “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again... and I will raise him up on the last day (John 6).
Value
He is worth more than his works. You are worth more than your health, materialism and emotionalism. Jesus rebuked those who's end result is something of this world (John 4:48). The value of Christs work could pay for every sin that every human has ever committed from the beginning of time to the end of time; and still be more valuable to cover all sins for eternity! The value of Christs work is literally priceless. A value that makes all values seem small. There is NO material gain or emotional feeling that will ever satisfy the way Christ does. The dis-satisfaction in humanity is due to lack of trust in the actual value of Christ.
Health, wealth, happiness, and prosperity teachers devalue Jesus and teach that through Jesus you can get more... and then be satisfied. With genuine faith in Jesus, there is nothing more. The "and then be satisfied" is a lie that instigates our desires to covet and feel that we need more than just Jesus. We need Jesus PLUS improved health. We need Jesus PLUS wealth and prosperity.
Purpose
Because the absolute most valuable person with the greatest valued works has perfectly healed in the greatest way; the purpose of living is then given the ultimate reason for being. To worship God for his ultimate and priceless Grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
We are given an eternal value from God through Jesus. We are so satisfied in Jesus that we are compelled to serve and worship him! This new desire to serve God and worship Jesus gives us a new purpose of being in the world. Our purpose is to proclaim the riches of his Grace through the person and work of Jesus Christ. THE GOSPEL message becomes our purpose.
Also read The New You Forever | The Gospel message
Hope
The world is broken. We lose loved ones, our job, wealth, and so many other things that can make us feel like living is difficult or even impossible. I met a homeless man that was content and full of faith! He thanked God for his homelessness or he would not have come to the Lord. He said he would trade everything he has had all over again just to come to faith in Jesus. This caught me off guard.
Not only do we HAVE eternal life, not only do we HAVE God IN us, for us, and with us; but we have the perfect Hope that we will be raised up and live in perfect harmony with God in a new world for all eternity! And there is nothing in this world that can take that away! Jesus offers the ultimate hope for all time!
Also read Jesus Is Coming Back! and What Happens When We Die
Summery:
Jesus completely heals us, makes us perfectly right before God, for all eternity and gives us such a great value and purpose with a hope of unity in the coming new world; that those who truly believe and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord God and savior, will be satisfied in THIS WORLD and forever more.
Healing
Jesus completely heals us from our sins! 1 Peter 2:20-24. The sin that you were a slave to, that ravaged your soul and conscience, is wiped away, paid for, erased, forever. Your past sins are taken care of. Your current sins are forgiven, and your future sins are not counted against you. Your sinful heart gets healed and it will forever prevent you from becoming a slave to your past sins. This is not saying you will never sin but it does mean that because you see your sin, recognize it as sin, you are now empowered to resist it and fight it. (also read Sinlessness and its Dilemmas)
Some false teachers will use this and teach that we can just rebuke sin and heal our flesh. But they fail to see the deeper purpose. Some times God allows our flesh to break so that our souls are saved! Some times God inflicts us with bodily issues so that our spirit is healed! God is always good, even when we are sick because our sickness is for your ultimate healing: salvation. (also read Healing for faith healers)
Often these 'healers' attempt to heal things that are not viable or tangible. Thus, their healing miracle is only assumed or implied. Why didn't Paul just tell Timothy to heal himself or find a healer instead of drinking something to help with his stomach ache? Why didn't Paul just ask for his thorn in his side to be healed? Why do some faith healers wear prescription glasses? Because IT IS NOT ABOUT your flesh! it is about the spirit! The flesh is sometimes healed SO THAT your spirit is healed. Some times the flesh is NOT healed SO THAT your spirit IS healed. This is why not everyone was given the gift of healing (1 Cor 12:29-30).
People BELIEVED Jesus was God and could do anything, even heal them; their SPIRIT was already healed, they had faith in the person of Jesus, so Jesus healed their bodies (Matthew 8:10, Luke 17:18-19, Matthew 9:27-30). Jesus may work through people but the end result is always for spiritual health and God's glory; always and forever.
Right-ness
Through the work of Jesus alone are we made right and blameless in God's sight. Jesus lived the life we can not live. His life and sacrifice was to pay the debt we owed for our eternal offense to God. He took our just punishment on himself. And in return, we were given his righteousness. Thus; making us right before God. We are justified to come to the throne of God's Grace because of the person and work of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Without Jesus or rejecting Jesus' work; we would remain in eternal debt for our offense to God, unable to ransom ourselves, and God's perfectly just and holy punishment awaits us as we live under his wrath and slaves to sin (Romans 1:18).
Also read By Christ's Works Alone
Eternity
That feeling you get when you have your first day off from a very long week of work. Or the feeling you get when a very fun entertaining adventure just happened. The completeness of that moment but then fades away and we lose that satisfaction. Drug addicts and anyone who has been addicted to anything understand this very well. Jesus is completeness and through him is eternal life (Romans 6:23).
Health fades. Wealth gets spent, lost, stolen, corrode, and left behind in the end. Happiness is a feeling that fades and gets instantly trumped when you stub your toe. Jesus offers something more grand than your flesh and materialism; life. And not just no worries about life but no worries about life for eternity. Through Christ Jesus, you have life forever (John 17:3).
YOU DO NOT LOSE IT! You HAVE ETERNAL life (John 3:36). You cannot have something for eternity if you eventually lose it. That means you do not have to worry about your life! It is in God's hands, for eternity! “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again... and I will raise him up on the last day (John 6).
Value
He is worth more than his works. You are worth more than your health, materialism and emotionalism. Jesus rebuked those who's end result is something of this world (John 4:48). The value of Christs work could pay for every sin that every human has ever committed from the beginning of time to the end of time; and still be more valuable to cover all sins for eternity! The value of Christs work is literally priceless. A value that makes all values seem small. There is NO material gain or emotional feeling that will ever satisfy the way Christ does. The dis-satisfaction in humanity is due to lack of trust in the actual value of Christ.
Health, wealth, happiness, and prosperity teachers devalue Jesus and teach that through Jesus you can get more... and then be satisfied. With genuine faith in Jesus, there is nothing more. The "and then be satisfied" is a lie that instigates our desires to covet and feel that we need more than just Jesus. We need Jesus PLUS improved health. We need Jesus PLUS wealth and prosperity.
Purpose
Because the absolute most valuable person with the greatest valued works has perfectly healed in the greatest way; the purpose of living is then given the ultimate reason for being. To worship God for his ultimate and priceless Grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
We are given an eternal value from God through Jesus. We are so satisfied in Jesus that we are compelled to serve and worship him! This new desire to serve God and worship Jesus gives us a new purpose of being in the world. Our purpose is to proclaim the riches of his Grace through the person and work of Jesus Christ. THE GOSPEL message becomes our purpose.
Also read The New You Forever | The Gospel message
Hope
The world is broken. We lose loved ones, our job, wealth, and so many other things that can make us feel like living is difficult or even impossible. I met a homeless man that was content and full of faith! He thanked God for his homelessness or he would not have come to the Lord. He said he would trade everything he has had all over again just to come to faith in Jesus. This caught me off guard.
Not only do we HAVE eternal life, not only do we HAVE God IN us, for us, and with us; but we have the perfect Hope that we will be raised up and live in perfect harmony with God in a new world for all eternity! And there is nothing in this world that can take that away! Jesus offers the ultimate hope for all time!
Also read Jesus Is Coming Back! and What Happens When We Die
Summery:
Jesus completely heals us, makes us perfectly right before God, for all eternity and gives us such a great value and purpose with a hope of unity in the coming new world; that those who truly believe and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord God and savior, will be satisfied in THIS WORLD and forever more.
No comments:
Post a Comment
What do you think?