How Does Christ Heal Us?
Good Morning Friends,
If all the things about Jesus were small enough to understand it would not spark the Spirit big enough in us to prompt us to worship. The mystery is that God is like us and not like us. There are going to be things we cannot wrap our mind around but that does not deny the truths of Scripture, but only our own shortcomings. We do need however to understand that Jesus is God with us but also one of us. He takes on our sin, so the poison of our failures and our wilderness experience will not kill us but give us the opportunity to be saved through God’s love not condemnation. Jesus healed a lot of people in the Bible and more than we can count on the cross. With that in mind we explore a very practical question. How Does Christ Heal Us?
Scripture: From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
Numbers 21:4b-9 (NRSV)
who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:6-11 (NRSV)
No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:13-17 (NRSV)
Message: John 3:16 is often quoted and today we look at this and the surrounding passages against the backdrop of the cross and an Old Testament story about a snake in the wilderness and what it reveals to us about the fact that God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son. So, Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. Just as Israel sinned against God and their sin brought the poison of evil into their lives, so too it was for the Jews 2000 years ago and for us today. Jesus makes the connection with this story about sin and the only way to be saved from its negative reality in our lives. What Jesus was telling everyone was this…all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and everyone needs a do over. And that is the personal and powerful solution the Father provides in Christ on the cross. Top of FormBottom of Form When Jesus died on the cross, He was “lifted up” so that everyone who looked to Him could be healed from the poison of their sin, and could be cured of the damage their sin had brought into their lives. So, to love people like God loves us we need to point people to the cross for healing. Now this is what Jesus is telling us. The only way anyone is going to be healed of the poison in their lives caused by their own sinfulness will be if Jesus is lifted up for them to see. And that is why it is important for us to lift up the healing power of Christ for others to see. Friends, God loved us, so He sent His son so that we could look on Him. Maybe this is the only way we can love like God.
Pray our faith in Christ heals us. Pray we realize that Jesus is the image of the living God. Pray we find joy in submitting to God’s love and God’s will. Pray we think of others. Pray we serve others. Pray we sacrifice for others. Pray we lift up our belief in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus for others to see.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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