Are we to suffer sickness
Are we to suffer sickness, oppression, depression and poverty?
Let’s look at Jesus for the answer to this question. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the express image of God on the earth. And in John 4:34 Jesus said, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me...”
Jesus did the will of God on earth.
John 12:44,45 ‘Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me believeth not on me, but on Him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth Him that sent me.
John 14:6-9 ‘Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him. Philip saith unto Him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have 1 been so long time with you, and yet host thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?’
In other words, Jesus was saying to Philip, “What you have seen me do is what the Father does, what He does, I do. The way He acts, I act. He acts the same way! act. He and I are One.” Acts 10:3 8 ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were op_pressed of the devil; for God was with Him.’
Jesus healed everyone who came to Him. He never refused anyone healing. He never turned to anyone and said, “Well, I think that lump on your neck should stay,” or “I believe it will do you some good to be in pain,” or “That leprosy, when your toes and fingers fall off, will be a great testimony to God — I think you should stay that way.” NO, NO, NO, HE NEVER SAID THAT.
Jesus said in Luke 4:18,19...“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
If the men in the synagogue that day, had received those words, they would have been set free, but instead, they wanted to kill Jesus. Affliction and persecution arise for the Word’s sake. There were times, when the healing power of God was manifested in Paul’s ministry, that the people would attempt to stone him and chase him out of town. When Peter ministered to the lame man and he was healed, the religious people had him imprisoned.
A spirit of religion has kept the Body of Christ in bondage and locked us into tradition where we have been taught unbelief and not the Word of God.
Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have Life, and that they might have it more abundantly”.
Jesus was not confused about what He was saying. He knew the will of the Father because He and the Father were One. Jesus came to set us free and give us abundant life. Luke 5:12,13 ‘And it came to pass, when He was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought Him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And He put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.’
Many people today know God is able but they do not know if He is willing.
God is just as willing as He is able. Jesus said in verse 13 “I will”. If God healed one person, it is His will to heal all because God is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34 and Rom. 2:11)
Matthew 8:17 ‘...Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses.’
Either He bare our sicknesses or He didn’t. Either He took our infirmities or He didn’t. The Word says He took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses, so that means we should not have to suffer sickness.
Jesus loves us. He went to the cross for us. Isaiah 53:4,5 ‘Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.’
He bore our griefs.
He carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions. By His stripes we are healed. When God says we are healed, then we are healed. Jesus Christ finished it once and for all. What He did on the cross was a total work. It was completed. He has redeemed us from the curse of the law. We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings. We are to prosper and be in health even as our soul prospers. We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus and we are victorious in every situation.