God said if you abide in His Word, then you are His disciple indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.    I hope this brings revelation to you.    This week I’ve been hearing the word “redeemed” a lot, and have been giving it a lot of thought.  We hear that word often, but do we really, I mean REALLY know what it means?

It is the Greek word, exagorazō

ex-ag-or-ad’-zo

From G1537 and G59; to buy up, that is, ransom; figuratively to rescue from loss (improve opportunity):redeem. r

     I believe if every man and woman of God knew what Jesus purchased for them, they’d be shouting mad at preachers who tell them, “Well, that is not for today”,or on some other things, “we are still required to do that”.  Recently, God has had me going back and deeply researching some things I had accepted from others as “truth” and found out there have been some things that, for lack of a more tactful word, we’ve been lied to about from various pulpits.  And it’s my fault for taking their word for it, so I have nobody to blame but myself.

    It’s amazing how someone can twist something and it sounds so right, but in real life, it just doesn’t ever seem to materialize.  And you keep hoping and believing, and several years have passed and still nothing, no breakthrough, no harvest on all your sowing, I’ll use for an example.  You know what I mean.  I recently watched one very prominent minister on  a TV broadcast that was posted on U-tube, and I sat there with my mouth hanging open in shock!  I was appalled what I saw and heard;  “You’re just one check away from your breakthrough! You’re just one check away from your miracle!” “Call that number on your screen right now!”  And then people try to hold God responsible to back promises that men made in His name, that when you really search it out, God never made in the first place.  It’s shameful how some people are exploiting God’s children for their own profit.  What’s really sad, though, is God is getting blamed for not keeping His word when people have given to so-and-so and then God doesn’t make them rich like they were led to believe He would.  Well, enough of that.  Let’s move on.

    Thank God, healing is not a “pie in the sky” thing.  It’s real, and it’s for now, and you CAN indeed receive it.  And no, you don’t have to give me an offering to receive it, either.  Yes, this ministry has bills to pay like everyone else, but I am not going to use God’s word or anything else to con people out of their money.

      We know that Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law, according to Galatians 3:13-14, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 

    When we look in God’s word at promises given, for example, we need to know who God was talking to, and when.  Was He talking to all mankind, or just the Israelites, and then breaking it down, was it Spiritual Israel (those of the faith of Abraham), or physical Israel, or the Gentiles, or the Church?  Then you have to deal with, which covenant?  Some of these studies can be a real eye-opener, as well as a real can-of-worms opener.  But the scriptures speak clearly if we will just take the time to look and study it out.  God does not want us to be deceived.  And God is getting tired of people speaking things in His name and twisting them to say something else.  For this, I believe judgment will be, and perhaps already is, coming on those who are deliberately doing so for their own profit.

    If you look in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 you will see the blessings that God will give to those who diligently seek Him, and obey Him.  But verses 15-68 tell of the curse that is against those who disobey.  So first off, who is God talking to in these verses?  The Nation of Israel.  Does that affect us today?  It affects those of us who have received the Lord Jesus as our Lord and Savior, as we have been “grafted in” and adopted into Spiritual Israel, through Jesus.  While we are not physical Israelites, we are spiritual Israelites, and heir to the covenant promises made to Abraham and passing down through Isaac. 

            So, if we are redeemed from the curses in Deuteronomy 28:15-68, does that mean there are no consequences for disobedience?  Let’s clarify something here; if you love the Lord, why would you want to disobey Him in the first place?  You wouldn’t.  And for times we disobey out of weakness of the flesh, or just plain ignorance, there is forgiveness in the form of grace.  Let’s look at 1 John 2:1-6;

            My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.  

            The Scripture clearly shows the difference between a believer and an unconverted sinner.  The believer may not do everything right all the time, but it is not because they are deliberately living in sin.  And the believer is striving to live by the word of God in every area of their life.  So by grace, the believer is delivered from the curse. Grace is a “safety net”, not a “trampoline” for those who would abuse it.

            But there’s more.  Sickness is part of the curse that Jesus delivered us from.  Sickness is not good, so it is listed as a curse.  When we say that Jesus redeemed us from sickness, it means a ransom has been paid to keep sickness off of us and out of our body.  

             Does that mean you cannot get sick?  No more than it would mean that I could not step out in front of a moving train and get run over.  A deliberate act by me to get hurt would not result in God just snatching me out of harm’s way.  That may happen on a video game, but not in real life.  If I see a piano falling out of a building, and I run over it to see if I can catch it, I’ll end up flatter than a run-over hat.  And if I choose to be stupid with my health and do stuff to deliberately try to get sick, such as drinking poison or transfusing myself with blood from someone with AIDS, then I’ll get sick and die.  But If I’m doing what I can to protect the health God gave me, He will protect me from what I cannot protect myself from by my own diligence.  That does not mean I can smoke cigarettes, and stuff myself on fried foods and junk foods and walk in divine health, because God says to take care of your temple, and to not tempt Him.  Don’t think you can live in sin and get away with it.  We still have choices to make.  We can’t continually make wrong choices and then go whining to God because we got sick or got judged for abusing God’s temple.

            Being redeemed from sickness is a most wonderful thing.  It’s been nearly 15 years now that God healed me from cancer and I don’t get sick anymore.  It’s like having a hedge of protection around me.  Let’s look at what Psalm 91 has to say about protection from sickness in verses 9 and 10;

Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

            And that’s just exactly what it means.  Even if everyone around you is dropping like flies from an epidemic, God says He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty, and that means you’re safe. 

            Being redeemed from sickness means Jesus bore all your sicknesses and diseases for you, so you don’t have to bear them.  He took your sicknesses in your place, for you, and instead of you having them.  That’s the plainest way I know to express it.  Yes, there are benefits for loving the Lord.  It means no more running to the doctor when sickness comes calling, or running to the pharmacy for a bunch of medicine.  Basically, it means when sickness comes calling, you’re invisible.

              Now, I know some people may argue with me, saying that doesn’t mean you won’t get sick sometimes.  And that’s their privilege.  They can get sick if they want to, but not me.  I’m done with that, because Jesus paid the price for me.  I’ll give you an example: if you went to the bank and paid off my house for me, I sure wouldn’t keep going to the bank and making payments on it!  Why not?  Because you paid it off!  Would it make you happy to know that if you’re a disciple of Jesus you never have to have another sick day in your life?  It sure did me. I’m redeemed from sickness.  And I love every minute of it. 

            Once YOU realize that part of your salvation includes healing, your life will never be the same.  Psalm 103:2-5 says, Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

            Those verses are some of the best news I’ve ever heard.  And I didn’t just “hear” those verses, I am “living’ them.  And you can, too!  It’s a great life being redeemed from sickness, disease, maladies, and the junk the devil wants to put on us.  In fact, I highly recommend it to every child of God. 

              The Lord Jesus has already paid for your healing in full.  There was no part left “unpaid”.  It is done, and you’re redeemed from sickness, so why not enjoy it?