The Healing Cross
    
 Mar 20    2005

Romans 5  New International Version

5:1  Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2  through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4  perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
7  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
8  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9  Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!
10  For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
11  Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
12  Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--
13  for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.
14  Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
15  But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
16  Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
17  For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18  Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
19  For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20  The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
21  so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.






We live in a temporal imperfect world. Nothing in this physical environment goes unscarred by the weathering hands of time. Flowers wither, rocks crumble, even, as many of us know all too well, our human bodies slowly but surely deteriorate. Everything about this physical sphere is in a state of decay. The world was not created this way though. It was created perfect without decay or death. So what happened? Well, I’ll tell you. It got sick, it contracted a disease
In the beginning, God spoke, and out of the void his word was transformed into the marvelous creation and although he created the heavens and earth and this entire vast global menagerie, he had one more thing to make. His final creation would be something he could communicate with and someone he could give this creation to. Therefore, reaching down and picking up some clay God carefully and lovingly sculpted the first man, Adam (which means from the earth). Man was the only thing he physically made, all else was simply spoken into existence. Then again reaching down from the heavens God put at little of himself into man creating the soul within our mud suits. God breathed into man, giving him physical life and Spirit. With these come all that make us special and allows us to bond with God and all that can lead us to down the wrong path and separate from Him. Yes, God gave us free will the same free will that would eventually lead us from him and also which will bring our salvation. But God didn’t end there; next he created Eve from Adam’s rib so that they would be connected with each other able to bond as one. The two lived in the paradise that God created with their lives focused solely and jointly on their Father in Heaven.
Back to “So what happened?”
You all know the story so I’ll sum it up quickly. God gave Adam and Eve everything in Paradise but had only one request that they not eat of the tree of knowledge.

Genesis 2:16,17  And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

With this Satan saw an opportunity he was the carrier of the disease. Finding Eve alone in the Garden Satan said to her.

Genesis 33:2-6  "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"  The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.  "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Adam and Eve transgress the Divine command, and fall into sin and misery. Satan has effectively infected man with the disease that would bring about his fall. Sin and knowledge of self. In short man from this point forward was selfish. Now, can’t we all agree with that. It was from this point on that man turned from God in order to please himself. Although God provided everything in paradise from this point man began to think he wanted more. With this the disease took root and the decay began. And because they were diseased God sent them out of paradise into quarantine.

But wait, was God defeated by Satan?

Hardly

This was just a small battle in the war between God and Satan. The perimeters were drawn God (sprit) on one side Satan (self) on the other and the battle front was in the heart of each one of us. For in each of us lies the warring factions spirit (the gift of God) and flesh (the physical realm relinquished to Satan).  This was where God put his grand plan into action.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

God’s plan was a two-phased one that would:  1)initially allow Him closer contact to his tainted creation and a temporary treatment for the symptoms 2) introduce a cure which would totally annihilate sin itself and restore the creature to a purified state.  This same two-phase idea is used in Medicine today with excellent results in areas such as cancer and other diseases. This is our God Jehovah-Rapha which means God: our physician

The element that was common to both of these purification phases was the shedding of blood. Blood is essential to life but if disease enters into the blood it may also be the carrier of death. In a way it is like a poison snakebite (the comparison is appropriate I believe). Once bitten you must prevent the blood from spreading to the body and if you can you may even try to suck out the affected blood. Simply put, the substance of blood is the ultimate common denominator. It’s presence and or absence, affects the vital functions of flesh and spirit

Leviticus 17:14 For the life of every creature is its blood.

God’s first phase was to narrow the gap placed by Satan between God and man. This meant that a union would need to be formed and an agreement made and this is what God did sealing with the blood of a slaughtered animal. As I said before the creation was perfect with no decay or death. So how would this creature man understand the idea? For the wages of sin is death. God decided on a visual aid and God himself brought the first death into the world by killing a beast and making clothes for this man and woman

Genesis 3:21  The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

This event instituted the practice of sacrifice allowing a temporary coving for sin, temporary relief of the symptoms. This was to be the means through which impure man could be allowed contact with God and through this contact God could bless. With each sacrifice man was to give his best. While the flesh screamed keep it for yourself the spirit said all belongs to God give it unto Him. You see the spirit is like a piano string or a tuning fork perfectly tuned to a particular note in this case the voice of God. When he speaks it vibrates sounding out His perfect will. It can not over-ride free will. Thus the choice is man’s: to honor God or satisfy himself.

Exodus 20:24 "'Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you.

God desired a one-on-one relationship with humanity to supply man’s needs: spirit, soul, body. Most of all though God wanted to heal his people.

Exodus15:26  For I am the LORD, who heals you."

Phase one occurred over many years and suffered many setbacks as humans forgot or were to just darn selfish/lazy/stupid to do as they were instructed. They often regressed and the symptoms and decay got worse.

Finally Jehovah- Rapha: the great physician decided it was time for phase two.
From the beginning, God’s strategy was to break through Satan’s barrier, eradicate sin and restore man to his rightful place in paradise. To due this a cure was needed. Pure blood from the same species that was tainted- man. But human blood alone could not be used for it was all tainted.

Romans 3:23 23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

The only alternative was to exchange man for a substitute that harbored the same rare combination of flesh and spirit. It had to have a pure, sinless bloodline just as the first animal slaughtered by God. In other word since Adam was the first man and given life by the breath of God at before falling into sin was pure. The substitute must also be from God. Therefore the only way to reconcile man and destroy the disease was for the Lord to sacrifice His only begotten Son to be the ultimate sacrifice.

Romans 5:14   Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

John 3:16  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:18  Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.

Possessing the very Spirit of the Almighty, the son of God honored the will of the Father. Clothing himself in man’s flesh (the mud coat) through the virgin birth, Jesus Christ came to earth and became the sole supplier of what this temporal imperfect world needed most the healing balm of the divine blood.

Isaiah 53:5-10 5  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.  By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.  He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.  Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

In the Garden of Eden Eve fell to temptation by listening to Satan and picking of the fruit, Adam ate the fruit thus choosing themselves over God. In the Garden on the Mount of Olives Jesus chose God over himself.

Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Luke 22:42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

He died on the cross for you so that you may be cured by his life giving blood. He died so that you may be cured and made pure. His sacrifice for your sins, His blood and not yours. Though this act, He allows you to reconnect. He breaks the power of the flesh with the strength of the Spirit. Through the cross he opens the doorway to paradise again. You no longer need to live in quarantine you are cured and your father Jehovah Rapha is waiting for you.