Health In Jesus

Dear Providence Saints,

I wanted to clarify something I said yesterday. Recall, I said this in our Assurance of Pardon. They were meant to be Words of Assurance but may have been misunderstood. My plan was to 'encourage' you not 'discourage' you. I am sorry I was not more clear. I will explain below.

This is what I said on Sunday.

Words of Assurance

We live in an age that is obsessed with health. Health with all vegetables. Health with all meat. Health with oils. Health with vitamins. Health with exercise. These things are all fine, in and of themselves, but we need to learn to think like Christians, instead.

         The Bible says 1Tim. 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

         Our real health is to be found in Jesus Christ, not counterfeits. He gives health to our mortal bodies and health to our souls. Jesus is health now and health later. Our sickness is sin. Our disease leads to death. But in Jesus Christ we have life and that abundantly.

When I say that our health in is Jesus and that our problem is sin, I do not mean that your particular sins caused your particular ailments. We are fallen human beings and this fall causes both sin and death. Sickness flows from sin and death and leads to sin and death. Particular sins 'can' cause particular ailments. James 5:14-15 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. So when we are sick, we should be quick to confess our sins, particularly things like anger, bitterness, resentment, fear, anxiety. But, in this life, we will not be completely free from these sins. And confessing them will not necessarily fix the problems in our bodies that are broken. Confession and forgiveness will most definitely meet the need of reconciliation with God and man.

But we don't need to fret about these ongoing sins because there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ. This forgiveness gives us peace in the midst of suffering and sickness, physical, mental, emotional. There may be earthly remedies for our various sufferings in this life. Those remedies might include diet, exercise, oils, vitamins, and medicines. As one who embraces God's kindness to us in modern medical and technological advances, I think we should utilize all of the resources as He provides them. Amen and thank you, Lord!

But, we need to hold them loosely. All of the earthly fixes are temporary fixes. We are still going to get sick. We are still going to get old. We are still going to die. Health and wealth waxes and wanes but God's Word to us in Jesus Christ stands forever. To the extent that we have that settled, we have peace with Him. What I am saying is THAT peace is the sort of real health that is paramount. You might still be sick, you might still be suffering and I encourage you to use whatever helps there are available to give you real relief from your bodily suffering. But in Jesus, you are forgiven and you can rest in that peace and it can never be taken from you. For the promises of God in Christ are yea and amen!

Blessings,

Pastor Hurt