Many of you know I love to teach about healing, how and why it is a part of salvation, but there is a whole lot more to salvation than healing.  After all, what good is it having a healed body if you were to still end up being shut out of the Kingdom of God?  Really, it’s about a new life in Christ Jesus, so let’s talk about that today.
   A new life; exactly what does that mean to you?  Does it mean starting over and being able to erase past misnakes xxxxxxx mistakes? Or does it mean starting anew right now where you are and not making those mistakes again?  That was what Jesus and Peter meant when they talked about “REPENT”: stop doing what you’re doing that is wrong and turn from it and do what is good and right.  That’s a start, but it isn’t THE start.  First, you need to turn to Christ Jesus, because whether you realize it or not, you cannot truly repent on your own strength.  I know, having tried it many times before I came to Christ Jesus.  Sooner or later it was the same old, same old cycle again that I couldn’t break out of.  It wasn’t because I wasn’t trying, and maybe it’s not because YOU are not trying.  But a new life begins with YOU, not singular, but plural, meaning YOU and CHRIST JESUS in you.  There you go, that’s what I’m trying to say, YOU and CHRIST JESUS in you, that’s the start of a new life. Where do we go from there?
   Having begun a new life in Christ Jesus doesn’t mean all your problems will go away like magic.  The huge difference is when you’ve run out of YOU trying to fix things, then Christ Jesus in you takes over, and He brings with Him unlimited power, unlimited love, unlimited patience, and your problems just don’t have the ability to overpower Him or wear Him out.  No, He will wear out your problems and overcome them and you, namely you and Christ Jesus in you, win.  Win over what?  Let’s have a look.
   Well, we already know you win over sin, that sin shall no longer have dominion over you.  Does that mean you won’t be tempted to sin?  No, that means Christ Jesus in you give you power to overcome and walk away from sin, by YOUR choice, and you can refuse the devil’s choice hounding you to give up and give in.  Ever notice how the devil beats you up with guilt when you stop doing certain things, and when you finally give in and do them, then he beats you up for giving in?  That’s because when you’re dealing with the devil you’ll never win without the blood of Jesus protecting you.
   Ok, how about healing? How does that work?  Well, it’s written in Psalm 103:2-3, Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.  Yeah, I know, you’ve heard that one before, but even though you’re saved, you’re still sick, what gives?  Everyone gets sick, right?  Uh, NO, not necessarily: it depends on WHO you know and WHAT you know.  God’s word says in no uncertain terms that YOUR sins and YOUR sicknesses were put upon Jesus, and HE BORE THEM AWAY for you.  Away from WHOM?  Away from YOU!!  Didn’t you know that?  Suppose you owed the bank for a car you bought, and someone went to the bank and bore that debt for you, and paid it off for you, would you continue to go to the bank and make the payments?  Well you wouldn’t if you had half a brain!  But the bank will let you keep giving them money if you insist, if you don’t have anything better to do.  Listen, when the debt is stamped PAID, that means YOU ARE DONE PAYING FOR IT!  Christ Jesus paid off your sin and sickness, why are YOU still making payments?  HUH???  Oh, that’s just in the spirit, isn’t it?   DUH!!  Doesn’t sin from the spirit affect your PHYSICAL life?  Doesn’t sickness in the spirit affect your BODY?  C’mon now, THINK!!  Failing to see and understand that is what keeps people in their rut of sin and sickness.
   If someone pays off all your debts, what do you do?  Well, wouldn’t you start by saying THANK YOU?  Would you go back out and get in debt again?  You would unless the one who paid your debts also freed you from the desire to be in debt.  That’s part of the new life, my friend, Christ Jesus not only sets you free, He delivers you from the captivity of the old life, and behold, as it is written in 2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  There you are, a NEW creature cannot live an OLD life, therefore, a NEW creature HAS a new life, and it can’t be any other way!
   But you have to read the “fine print”: “Therefore IF any man be in Christ”.  There are two words we need to pay attention to here; “IF”, and “BE”.  “IF” is the qualifier, that means “BE” is the condition that must exist before the promise is unto you.  You can’t “BE” in Christ Jesus if you had once started and quit.  “BE” is ONGOING, CONTINUOUS ACTION.  I say that because there are some who “WERE” at one time in Christ Jesus and abandoned Him.  So then, they are disqualified from the status of “BE”.  It’s like a job, if you BE an employee of a company, excuse my English, you’d say it “ARE” and employee, then you enjoy the benefits of that employment, a paycheck and all.  But if you get disgruntled and quit, then you “WERE” and employee, but aren’t anymore, and you no longer are part of the company and no longer enjoy the benefits thereof.  Here’s where I’m going to step on some religious toes with a reference to what the Apostle Paul wrote in Hebrews 10:35-39;
Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Heb 10:37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Heb 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Heb 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Paul also said of himself that he continued in Christ Jesus, not giving up, in 1 Corinthians 9:27,
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway
    So before going further, if you find you are presently a “past” disciple of Christ Jesus, then you must remedy that right now.  For the “backslider” I say this: slide back to Jesus!  Christ Jesus never left YOU, you left HIM, and He hasn’t gone anywhere, He’s right were you found Him the first time: waiting for you to join Him,  His arms are outstretched to you, His blood was shed for YOU, why will you let the devil talk you into separating yourself from the One who loves you unconditionally?  The devil has no power to separate you from Christ Jesus, but YOU DO. 
   Jesus said some pretty startling things in Matthew 10:22-33 that gave us serious warning about not just starting off with Him, but CONTINUING with Him:
Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Mat 10:24  The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
Mat 10:26  Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Mat 10:27  What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
Mat 10:28  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Mat 10:29  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
Mat 10:30  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Mat 10:31  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Mat 10:32  Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 10:33  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
   You see, the new life in Christ Jesus may not be a bed of roses, for there will also be thorns in your bed, BUT, as you remain IN Christ Jesus, you have power to overcome sin, sickness, and everything else the devil brings your way, for Christ Jesus IN you gives you victory over all the power of the enemy, and Jesus Himself said so in Luke 10:19-20:
Luk 10:19  Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Luk 10:20  Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
   That’s what you really need to see right now: sin and sickness and all the power of the devil truly has no dominion over you except what you ALLOW him to have over you.  And if you’re smart, you won’t give the devil ANY area of dominion in your life ANYWHERE!   A new life awaits you today, not like slapping a new paint job on a rusted out car, but a truly NEW LIFE in Christ Jesus; one where you win, and the heavenly Father is exalted.