Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Healing Grace: Consider Jesus and not your imperfections and receive your healing

For it’s by God’s grace that you have been saved. You receive it through faith. It was not our plan or our effort. It is God’s gift, pure and simple. You didn’t earn it, not one of us did, so don’t go around bragging that you must have done something amazingEphesians 2:8-9 Voice

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 2 NKJV


 In the recent weeks, we've been studying the healing Grace of Almighty God. So far we've seen that God is always good. That He is for us and never against us. That He isn't orchestrating evil in your life. We've seen He is there for us even in the darkest of times, bringing peace and assurance. 

 Why minister on the truth of healing? Why teach His healing Grace? Because we are boldly proclaiming the full Gospel of the Grace of God. Any gospel that reveals God sometimes heals and sometimes wants you sick, or sometimes brings deliverance and other times brings affliction isn't good news. 

 A gospel that only offers you forgiveness, and a guaranteed destination of Heaven, but is powerless to heal your body or abundantly bless you in this life is not the true gospel. This kind of "gospel" only serves to diminish expectations, dissipate hope, and deter faith. Where is the good news when we tell people God will only take care of you after you die, but until then you're on your own?

 Christ and His Finished Work has done so much more. He has provided for us all things that pertain to our life. That is good news, but you may be saying, "what if I don't merit Him doing anything for me?" Some may be wondering "what if this illness and infirmity were of my own making?" 

 This is of great importance that we address and answer these questions. Many in the Body of Christ have been taught that the reason they've not experienced the healing power of God is because their sins and shortcomings have disqualified them. Their faulty faith failures have short-circuited the receiving process. What is Jesus attitude on this?

21 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.” 
23 But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.” 
24 Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”
25 But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”
26 Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
27 She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”
28 “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.”And her daughter was instantly healed. Matthew 15:21-28 NLT
 This is an amazing example of God's healing Grace. At this time, Jesus was operating under the Old Covenant and hadn't yet paid the price for all mankind. He was ministering to the House of Israel only at this time. Yet we see the faith of this Gentile woman, who reached out and grabbed hold of God's Grace and power and received her miracle.
 At first glance, it seems Jesus was being cruel to the woman. I see deeper, that Jesus was leading her to a place where she could receive, even though she couldn't merit it. This woman was outside of the Commonwealth of Israel. She had no Covenant right to ask for anything. Yet, she received, how so?
 Jesus told her the Covenant didn't yet extend toward her. What she did is consider Jesus and His great Grace towards Israel and said surely with so much Grace I will simply take from the overflow, just the "crumbs" falling from the table. This is all I need to receive my miracle. She had so much faith in just a drop of His goodness and Grace that Jesus marveled at it. 
 This woman considered Jesus and not her imperfections and received. She didn't consider, "well I am not a Jew this healing is not for me." "I don't merit this healing because my people serve a different god." She looked past her demerits and embraced His goodness and kindness and Grace and received her miracle!
Now stay focused on Jesus, who designed and perfected our faith. He endured the cross and ignored the shame of that death because He focused on the joy that was set before Him; and now He is seated beside God on the throne, a place of honor.
Consider the life of the One who endured such personal attacks and hostility from sinners so that you will not grow weary or lose heart. Hebrews 12:2-3 Voice
 What is the answer for us when we find ourselves in the trouble of our own making? What do we do when we know we haven't been living lives that are honoring to the good name of the Lord? What about when we have believed by faith we are healed but as of late have been wavering and faltering? 
 Hebrews gives us the answer. Stay focused on Jesus and His faithfulness. Consider Jesus and not your faults and failures. Certainly, we don't celebrate living in a manner that is sinful and selfish. Yet, we must realize no one is able to merit one thing from God based upon performance. God's standard is 100% perfection 100% of the time. This is why our focus is Jesus and not performance.
 This Covenant was cut between God and the Son Jesus, not us anyway. Therefore it is Jesus performance and obedience that is the root or basis of this Covenant. Our performance has nothing whatsoever to do with our receiving. So many ministers want to find ways to disqualify and exclude God's people from receiving.
 Christ and His Finished Work provided a complete redemption. This Gospel of Grace isn't a half measure gospel. This Gospel doesn't provide for eternity only. This Blood that was shed isn't saying I purchased you an eternal address in Heaven but as for healing and provision you need to find your own help, I'll just be waiting for you when you get to Heaven.  
 In summation, if you want to receive your healing stay focused on the Lord Jesus and His Finished Work and not your sins and imperfections. His shed Blood has forever qualified you to receive all that Grace has purchased in eternal redemption. God isn't looking down upon you with folded arms and a frown of disappointment. He isn't looking for ways to withhold healing and provision from coming your way. He is a good Father who is perfectly and perpetually satisfied with Jesus Finished Work and receives good pleasure when He supplies all your needs. 
photocourtesyofStuartMiles@freedigitalphotos.net

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