Take Jesus at His Word!

The topic at the School of the Bible last night was trusting God, taking Him at His Word. We read a story from John’s Gospel in which a man came to Jesus to ask Him to heal His son who was in a village miles away. "The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed." (John 4:49-50, NIV)

Taking Jesus at His word is a noble aspiration, but it is not always an easy thing to do. Several complications arise.
What, exactly, is He saying to me?
Am I hearing Him clearly?
Am I projecting my wishes and desires in a way that is causing me to ‘hear’ what I want to hear?
Am I rejecting the whole of His words, picking and choosing only what I want?

The promise of divine healing is one of those areas where a Christian can and should exercise great faith coupled with wisdom! In Exodus 15 where there is the revelation of God where His Name is given as - "Yahweh Rapha"- the Lord, our Healer. Too often we understand that only in terms of miracles of divine healing, but God wants us to take Him at His word in an even deeper way. God made a great promise to His people saying, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”

Do you see the interaction of God and His people? God is the Healer, but His people have a responsibility to live in a way that facilitates health. We enjoy God’s healing, in part anyway, as a result of our obedience to His Word. He understands how we are made and teaches us how to live so that we can enjoy a better quality of life. So we find that healing is not just about a ‘miraculous intervention,’ but also, perhaps even primarily, about living the Word!

I belong to a national group of Christians that provides an alternative to standard health insurance. In Christian Medi-Share, about 35,000 Christian families join together to share medical bills. We pledge to observe a healthy lifestyle. To qualify for membership a person cannot use tobacco products, must avoid alcohol abuse, and must sexually active only within marriage. In addition, we are encouraged by those who direct the group to healthier diets and regular exercise programs, the goal being to conquer obesity, America’s number one health issue. Because we choose to live in ways that promote better overall health, instead of paying $800/$1000 month for health care coverage, Bev and I pay about $400, even at our age! This is a very practical illustration of the Scripture’s principle: living a holy life helps promote a healthy body.

Part of taking the Lord at His Word includes this unpleasant fact. God can and does allow some to suffer and/or to grow ill if they choose to live sinfully. In John 5, Jesus healed a man at the pool of Bethesda, and then gave the man this stern warning. “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” (John 5:14, NIV) Have you listened to the text that is so often read at the celebration of the Lord's Supper? "For if you eat the bread or drink the cup unworthily, not honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died." (1 Cor. 11:29-30, NLT) Even a superficial reading clearly reminds us that when we take the Bread and Cup as God's people, we accept a responsibility to live God-honoring lives. If we don't, we invite God to discipline us with sickness and even to take our lives! Are you willing to take the Lord at His Word when it is so hard?

Be careful about jumping to a judgment of those who suffer! Is sickness always the sign of God's displeasure or a lack of self-discipline? No! It is easy to reach a snap conclusion based on the 'facts,' in the process getting it all wrong. Jesus' disciples did exactly that. One day they saw something fairly common in their time- a blind man. They asked Jesus, (John 9:2) “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” Their smug assumption of moral failure is one that is all too commonly shared even today. Christians who have chronic illnesses not only have to deal with the suffering of their disease, but they must cope with other Believers who too readily conclude they ‘must have done something to be punished.”

Jesus' reply to His disciples requires tremendous faith to accept! “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins, he was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him.” John 9:3 Sometimes suffering serves to bring about the purposes of God, to redirect attention to Himself! Can you take God at His word in that situation? Oh, we all want the promises, what what if He asks us to walk a road of suffering or pain? God can use suffering to shape and mold us into the likeness of Christ. He uses these things to call the whole and healthy to compassion and self-forgetful service. And, He even uses these things for a display of His healing power.

Disciple, let me encourage you to ‘take Jesus at His Word!’ Eagerly embrace His promise and His commands. Through obedience that is childlike, discover the joy of living near to His heart, comforted by His Presence. It will allow you to live for the glory of God with grace in times of prosperity and in times of want; through sickness and health, in tests and in blessings. Here’s a promise about eternity that I love! It speaks of that wonderful place where God’s Word is clear, where His provisions for us are fully realized, and where sorrow is banished. Oh, what a glorious experience. Take hold of these words and believe them, won’t you?

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night.
They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.” -- Revelation 22:1-5 NIV
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“When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be.
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory.”