By His Stripes We are Healed? : Purity 437

 Purity 437 06/05/2021 Purity 437 Podcast

Good morning.

Today’s photo come from our mountain hiking
friend who is exploring the Catskills as this scene was captured somewhere
along the Blackhead Mountain loop on May 24th. Hiking Blackhead Mountain is
rated as difficult and there are several options of hiking it with distances ranging
from 4.4 to 13.8 miles long.  (https://www.catskillhiker.net/Catskill35/peaks/blackhead.shtml).  So if you feel like following in our friend’s
footsteps, you should plan ahead and take the advice of those who have gone
before you.  

I for one have not made
any expeditionary plans but have a somewhat full schedule of activities this
weekend that will give me the opportunity to appreciate some friend’s company and
to praise the Lord. Sometimes you don’t have to plan anything. Sometimes you
just have to show up and take advantage of the planning of others.  

We made it to the
weekend and no matter if you are going to travel, meet up with friends and
family, or just stay at home, I pray that you accomplish whatever you hope to
do and find some peace and rest even if you don’t.     

This morning’s meditation
verse is:

Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV)
⁵ But He was wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for
our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Today’s verse is
an Old Testament prophecy that describes the Messiah as a suffering servant,
and it is clear to Christians that this verse in Isaiah is describing Jesus
Christ and His atoning work on the Cross.

While most. if
not all Christians, would agree that this verse describes our being forgiven of
our sins and being justified by Christ’s sacrificial suffering and death on the
cross, there can be quite a difference of opinion over what the phrase “by His
stripes we are healed” can mean. 

Some use this
verse as a prayer, or even as a promise, that God can and will grant physical
healing from injury or disease.  

Perhaps,
surprisingly, I would have to agree with more conservative Christians and say
that using this verse as a mantra to receive healing is a misinterpretation of
the verse as the context clearly refers to our “transgressions” and “our iniquities”
as the things that we had to be “healed” of and the purpose of the Messiah’s
suffering was for “The chastisement for our peace”, with God.   We need to be forgiven and “healed” of our
sins to be reconciled with God and have peace with Him.  

Now when place
our faith in Christ we are healed of sin, meaning we have the power to say no
to sin and live a righteous life and in a way we are healed of all diseases
because we are given eternal life.   

In terms of
asking for physical healing, and as a biblical scholar, I think we shouldn’t
necessarily use Isaiah 53:5 as a “healing verse”, although in a general overall
“salvation is healing and new life” sense, you could. 

But I think
there are plenty of verses in the New Testament where Jesus actually heals
physical disease and demonic activity where He states phrases like “your faith
has made you well” that are more appropriate for the Christian to use as
prayers for healing. 

But I also
think God hears us even if we don’t use Bible verses to get our message across.
Bible verses aren’t magic words that we use to push God’s hand. Believe me I
have tried. 

God is all
knowing and loving. He can see the intents of our hearts so while I think that
He appreciates it when we attempt to please Him by knowing and using His word
in prayer, I think He will do things according to His purposes regardless of
whether we follow some Bible verse formula or not.  

Now I am not
saying that God doesn’t heal or that we shouldn’t pray for healing. I have prayed
over myself for healing when feeling in pain or when feeling I was becoming ill,
and I believe I received healing as the symptoms were stopped in their
tracks. 

However, I have
also prayed for healing over things and have not received healing and had to
take medication or have procedures done to be cured.  

But as a
Christian, I pray for healing first.  If
I don’t receive healing, then I go to the doctor. And after I go to the doctor,
I pray for the treatments to work.  

Even in the New
Testament times, Apostles could heal people miraculously but would also get
sick themselves, as Paul had some sort of eye ailments and a “thorn in the
flesh”, Timothy had stomach issues, and Epaphroditus got sick and almost died.

So even back
when Apostles were working miracles, God allowed illness and disease for His
purposes.  But just as back then the
Apostles remained faithful even to death, so must we remain faithful today.  

So keep walking
and talking with God. Pray for healing because God may grant it but even if it
doesn’t come we can take comfort in knowing that He will give us strength and
He will one day completely redeem us with glorified bodies which will transcend
death itself.     

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org
where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my
brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we continue with Dr. Neil Anderson’s Victory
Over the Darkness, concluding Chapter 1, with the section on “Who I Am in
Christ”. 

 

As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase Dr. Anderson’s books for your own private study
and to support His work. If you need this title you can find it online at several
sites for less than $15.00:

 

Who I Am
in Christ

I Am Accepted

John 1:12	I am God’s child.
John 15:15	I am Christ’s friend.
Romans 5:1	I have been justified.
1 Cor. 6:17	I am united with the Lord, and I am one spirit with Him.
1 Cor. 6:20	I have been bought with a price. I belong to God.
1 Cor. 12:27	I am a member of Christ’s Body.
Ephes. 1:1	I am a saint.
Ephes. 1:5	I have been adopted as God’s child.
Ephes. 2:18	I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit.
Col. 1:14	I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
Col. 2:10	I am complete in Christ.

I Am Secure

Romans 8:1-2	I am free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28	I am assured that all things work together for good.
Romans 8:31-34	I am free from any condemning charges against me.
Romans 8:35-39	I cannot be separated from the love of God.
2 Cor. 1:21-22	I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Phil. 1:6	I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected.
Phil. 3:20	I am a citizen of heaven.
Col. 3:3	I am hidden with Christ in God.
2 Tim. 1:7	I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.
Hebrews 4:16	I can find grace and mercy in time of need.
1 John 5:18	I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I Am Significant

Matthew 5:13-14	I am the salt and light of the earth.
John 15:1, 5	I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life.
John 15:16	I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
Acts 1:8	I am a personal witness of Christ.
1 Cor. 3:16	I am God’s temple.
2 Cor. 5:17-21	I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
2 Cor. 6:1	I am God’s coworker (see 1 Cor. 3:9).
Ephes. 2:6	I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephes. 2:10	I am God’s workmanship.
Ephes. 3:12	I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Phil. 4:13	I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

 

Victory Over the Darkness: Realizing the Power of Your Identity in Christ.

—————————-more
tomorrow————————

 

God bless
you all!

 

Join our “Victory
over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via
the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is
also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, and Audible.com. 

Email me
at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be
encouraged.

 

Encouragement for the Path of Christian
Discipleship