Matthew 8:16-17
When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”
1 Peter 2:24
who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
You can’t turn on a TV or go onto the internet without coming across something about health. We live in a society that is ever more conscious of living healthy while diseases seem to be increasing in number…
Did you know that 2000 years ago when Jesus went to the cross to atone for the sins of the world, that He also paid for our healing? When Isaiah the prophet spoke about Jesus, he said that Jesus would be wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities and by His stripes we would be healed. Jesus when he took the beating of the Roman whips on His body, took all our sickness and disease from us.
Isaiah 53:5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Death entered this world because of the sin of Adam and sickness is slow death. Jesus removed sin, thereby dealing with death and sickness.
Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Romans 5:15
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
The Bible tells us that we are free from the curses of the law because Jesus took the curse for us. He fulfilled the law so that we, in Him, could have all the blessings without any of the curses! Sickness is a part of the list of curses given in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. (See the blessings listed in Deuteronomy 28:1-14). It is clear from Deuteronomy 28 that God defines sickness a curse, not a “blessing in disguise”.
Galatians 3:13-14
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
David in writing Psalm 103, had a revelation of the redemption available to us in Jesus, which includes freedom from sickness and disease.
Psalm 103:1-6
Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed.
It’s time we took what is ours. Jesus paid for us to be healthy, so when sickness and disease come knocking on our door, we need to resist it.
Imagine I went to the electronics store and bought you a TV, came and gave you the receipt and said go and collect it from the store. If the store then tried to charge you again for the TV, you would be outraged. You would declare loudly that the TV was paid for and demand that they hand it over.
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and sickness is a burglar coming to steal from us. We need to take hold of the promises of God and declare what Jesus has done, “by whose stripes you were healed”. Your sickness and disease has already been paid for by Jesus, you don’t have to go through it, thereby paying a second time!