A friend was recently telling me about a dream(or vision, I can’t quite remember) in which Jesus was pacing back and forth in front of the throne, wanting her to come with Him. He was somewhat agitated. He led her to huge storeroom, filled with rows upon rows of shelves. The shelves reached to the ceiling and there were boxes and bins of every sort on those shelves. She asked Jesus, “Where are we? What is this?” He said, “This is all the stuff I’ve bought and paid for and it just sits here. No one comes to get it!” (It might not be word for word, but the general idea.) “How do we get it?”, she asked. “Just reach up and take it.”
As we remember His death and resurrection this week, it might be good to reflect on everything that His sacrifice bought and paid for, stuff that might be still sitting on the shelves, unused unclaimed.
We all recognize that His death on the cross purchased our salvation. We realize fully that believing in His atoning sacrifice is our ticket to heaven. But, I believe His death on the cross was far more than just to ensure our retirement. Our abundant life was to begin the moment we accept His provisional payment for our sins. So, what else did His blood purchase for us?
Healing.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows….with his stripes we are healed. Is. 53:4a, 5b
The Hebrew word for grief is ‘choliy’ which means “malady, disease, sickness” and the word for sorrows is ‘makobah‘ which means “anguish or affliction, pain”. He bore our sickness, illnesses, maladies, afflictions to the cross. His stripes paid for our healing. The New Testament never tells us to pray for the sick…..it tells us to heal the sick. His death on the cross has given us authority over any disease, illness or affliction. Now, the next question is always, “Then why isn’t ____________ healed?” I don’t know. I can’t explain God, will not defend or answer for Him, and I refuse to allow my experience to dictate truth that is opposite of God’s Word. I have experienced healing in my life and have seen some healed through my touch/words. I believe-by faith-that His death has given me this authority and choose to act on that belief. It’s bought and paid for!
Power to sin no more.
How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin!! For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under law, but under grace. Rom. 6:2-7,14
We are dead men and dead men don’t sin. We died the moment we knelt at the cross. But, again, just like healing, it takes faith to believe that I am a dead man, raised up with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly placess.(Eph. 2:5). The life that I live, the life others see, is Christ living in me, by His faith.(Gal 2:20) If Christ is truly living in me, is He helpless against sin? Is sinning inevitable for Christ? If the answer is no-and it is-then neither is sinning inevitable for the Christian. Watchman Nee once said,
“May we not deceive ourselves, imagining that sinning is inevitable for a Christian. I think no thought hurts our Lord more than this.”
We do sin, occasionally, but it need not be inevitable. Romans 6 is very clear on that. Christ death on the cross purchased for us the power and ability to live in victory over sin!
Healing and victorious living are just two of things things stored in those boxes. I’m not sure which aisle or shelf they’re on, but I know they are there. And, it can be yours. It may take perseverance in searching though.
It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. Prov. 25:2
So, keep on searching….it is there….it’s already been paid for. And….there’s more in those boxes that’s yours to claim. More on that later…..