Most of us can earn a salary or create wealth. There are many very rich people in the world who believe they have become very rich because of their own doing. You can be clever, design, invent and be talented. There are great musicians in the world, amazing sportspeople. Most people, give no credit to God for their capabilities.
There exists a single act that lies beyond your capability, which is granting yourself perfect health.
It remains unattainable for even affluent, intelligent, and gifted individuals to attain divine physical health solely through their personal abilities. Life, breath, and health can only come from one place and that is from the God who has given life to all. You can have the best diets, vitamins, antiaging medicines, and Botox but you cannot protect yourself from diseases and death. No matter how good your security is, sickness will find a way into your most safe place.
Adam introduced the world to sickness and death.
Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
From that day death started creeping into every human life on earth. The day you are born, you start dying. Sounds terrible and not something we really want to think about, but it is the truth.
But God!
From before the foundation of the world, God had everything planned, disobedience, unbelief, and sin did not catch God off guard.
1 Peter 1:17-21 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory so that your faith and hope are in God.
We were bought back by the blood of Jesus, not with silver or Gold or any of our own behaviour or clever ideas or traditions of our forefathers. Jesus paid with His own life the ransom for our lives. The Atonement.
Exodus 30:11-16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them. 16 Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD, making atonement for your lives.”
The meaning of atone or atonement at its root means “to cover.” There are many other words associated with it, among them are: cleanse, forgive, be merciful, and reconcile. It has been said that atonement is the foundation of all other doctrines. This is because without what Jesus Christ did on the cross, there would be no need for any other doctrine.
Psalm 103:1-5 Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits—
3 Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy;
5 Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!
Psalm 103 starts with Bless the Lord oh my soul.
3 John 2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
A definition for soul “nephesh” is first taken from the Bible story of creation. “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7 KJV).
Soul came into being when God breathed into the body. Body (dust) + breath (spirit) = life (soul).
At death the opposite procedure takes place; The body turns to dust again, and the spirit or breath goes back to God, who gave it. It returns as a breath. The soul ceases to exist. Body (dust) – breath (spirit) = death (no soul). Thus, according to God’s Word, souls die.
Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins shall die.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
So, we see a human as a soul, a person, a living being. The soul is, three parts; your mind, your will, and your emotions.
John is therefore praying for his friend saying just as your soul is in good health may your provision and your body be healthy. David writes in Psalm 103 bless the Lord oh my soul, be grateful my soul, and forget not the benefits of the Lord.
The benefit of something is the help that you get from it or the advantage that results from it. From knowing and believing God the benefits are, God forgives [every one of] all your sins, and He heals [each one of] all your diseases, Psalm 103:3.
It is therefore very clear that the atonement is equal for not only your soul but also your body.
Jesus demonstrated that both healing and forgiveness are just as easy or just as powerful.
Luke 5:17-26 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. 20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”
Another clear benefit is Psalm 103:4 redeems your life from the pit and corruption.
Who redeems your life, who buys back your life from death in whatever danger you are exposed to. The pit refers to the grave since it is there that the body returns to corruption.
Psalm 118:17 I shall not die but live, And declare the works of the Lord.
Only the living can be of any purpose, speak of His goodness and praise God.
Isaiah 38:18 For Sheol (the place of the dead) cannot confess and reach out the hand to You, death cannot praise and rejoice in You; they who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness [to Your promises; their probation is at an end, their destiny is sealed].
Psalm 115:17 The dead praise not the Lord, neither any who go down into silence.
Since the deceased people are unable to express their praise towards him, we can confidently believe that it is not His will that his people undergo death and corruption. Instead, God will forever safeguard believers that give blessings to Him. There will be a day when those who have died will be resurrected. Then the heavenly and earthly will join as one, harmonizing in a chorus of praise and adoration before his majestic throne for all eternity.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Note this scripture says, “We who are alive and remain” In other words there are those who die but there are those who are alive.
When we wake up in the morning, we pray for God to be with us in the day. We do not wake up and say today I will die, today I will have a large accident, today I will get some awful disease. I think most of us believe we will see next year, our future grandchildren and live good lives into our old age.
Psalm 33:18-19 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, 19 To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine.
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.
Psalm 103:5 Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!
I spoke about the fact that we cannot give ourselves health or even protect our lives from death no matter how talented or rich we are. It is God who gives us health and life.
Health and life are the only real way we can show His glory. The main issue is that we confess differently and oftentimes believe just like the world believes. Must get old and weak and have pain. Retire and wait for death. Why not believe That God restores our youth like an eagles?
Romans 12: 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Instead of longing to leave the earth, have an expectation that God redeems our body.
Romans 8 Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
Death is not a friend it is an enemy. 1 Corinthians 15 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
Sin and death can be under our feet. Stand and see the salvation of the Lord.
Exodus 14:13-14 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more forever. 14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
