THE REAL JESUS

SEE THE REAL JESUS

MATTHEW 4:24  News about Him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to Him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon-possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—He healed them all.

The Bible tells us that if you want to know what God is like, just look at Jesus. If you want to know how the Father feels about healing the sick, just look at Jesus! Jesus ALWAYS healed the sick who came to Him. The blind, lame, mute, deaf and demon-possessed—He healed them ALL!

Jesus never gave sickness to anybody. You’ll find Jesus healing lepers when He was on earth, but you’ll never find Him calling anyone over and saying to the person, “You are too healthy and good-looking. Receive some leprosy to learn how to be humble!” No, when a leper came to Him, uncertain that Jesus would want to heal him, Jesus, full of compassion, told him firmly, “I am willing. Be healed!”

That’s your Jesus. That is your God. Come confidently to Jesus, the Lord who heals you—today and always (Exodus 15:26)!

THE FINGER OF GOD (3)

'...And He gave to Moses...tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.' Exodus 31:18 ESV

The finger of God in stone. Why do you think God wrote the Ten Commandments in stone? Because His principles are permanent and unchanging. You say, 'But what about all those people who have never heard God's Word? How will He judge them?' Paul answers: 'Even Gentiles, who do not have God's written law...show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it...They demonstrate that God's law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.' (Romans 2:14-15 NLT) Your conscience acts like a compass. If you let it, it'll guide you right. But when you reject its warnings, its voice gets quieter and quieter until you can no longer hear it. That's a dangerous condition to be in. Paul writes, 'Having faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected, concerning the faith, have suffered shipwreck.' (1 Timothy1:19 NKJV) Picture yourself standing on a bridge, dropping pebbles into a pond and watching the ripples go out to the edge. It's just a little pebble, but look at the effect it has! Yet in winter, when that same pond freezes over, you can drive a truck across it. Your conscience is like that. When you keep disobeying God, your heart becomes calloused and hardened and you no longer hear Him speaking to you. Paul writes, '...I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.' (Acts 24:16 NIV) That's a good rule of thumb for you to live by!

KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS  :

'The boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves...' Matthew 14:24 NKJV

Jesus had accompanied His disciples in a previous storm and calmed it. But now He was up on a mountain praying, and they were alone, 'tossed by the waves'. Why? Because sometimes the teacher has to step back in order to see how much the pupil has learned. Is that what's happening in your life at the moment? The Sea of Galilee is only about 21 km long and 12 km wide. But when the wind sweeps down from the Golan Heights it can churn those waters into a blender for two or three days, and it could sink a fishing boat like the one the disciples were in.

Note the words, 'tossed by the waves'. Is that where you are today? In the middle of a divorce, tossed by guilt? In the middle of a home foreclosure, harangued by creditors? In the middle of an illness, tossed by pain, and an even more painful prognosis? 'Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him...they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."' (Matthew 14:25-27 NKJV)

Here are words worth writing down and recalling often: '...Take courage. I am here!' (Matthew 14:27 NLT) You will never go where Jesus cannot reach you. Look over your shoulder; that's Him following you. Look into the storm; that's Him coming toward you. Today, open your eyes and recognize Him.

ABUNDANT LIFE
 Jesus said in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." As for me, I've had nothing and I've had a lot. I've been sick and I've been well, and I'll tell you what I think. Being well with money is a whole lot more fun than being sick with nothing. The choice is up to us. The Scripture says, "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life" (Deut. 30:19). What more do we need to convince us? We have been redeemed from the curse of the law, the curse of poverty, and the curse of sickness.

 It was prophesied in Isaiah 53 that the Messiah would suffer on our behalf. In verse 5 it says, "And by His stripes we are healed." In Matthew chapter 8 the scripture in Isaiah 53 is fulfilled: "When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.'" (Matt. 8:16,17).

 We also see Isaiah 53 quoted in 1 Peter 2:24, but there it is looking back on the prophecy: "Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you were healed."

 "Bore our sins" is in the past tense. It says "were healed" because we were healed when He bore the stripes for us. Isaiah was looking forward; 1 Peter 2:24 was looking back. It has already happened. That means Jesus paid the price! He paid the price for eternal life, healing, and prosperity - all three parts of the curse of the law.

 In Romans chapter 3, it says clearly how He paid the price. He did it by His blood. Without the blood of Jesus, we do not have everlasting life. Without the blood of Jesus, we do not have healing. Without the blood of Jesus, all we have is poverty. The blood of the Lamb redeemed us from all of these things, and He is the Lamb

Free Christian Ebooks http://walthope.tripod.com