When asked what blessings Jesus has provided for those who believe on Him, a typical believer would answer that they have been provided forgiveness of sins and a place in Heaven for all eternity. This is not a wrong answer, however it is also not a complete answer. Jesus has given us countless blessings which pertain to this life here on earth, and many believers are quite simply not taking everything which Jesus has provided for them.
So after last-week’s message about Receiving From Jesus, it is now time to examine all that He has provided for us to receive.
I want to show you something special about the heart and nature of Jesus, something that still many believers do not fully understand. Let’s read John 7:37:
“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink”
Here we see Jesus at the final day of a celebration feast, and I believe that as He looked around and He saw the people eating and drinking, He saw something else in that moment as well. I believe that He saw the malnourished spirits, skinny and starving, even as their bodies were enjoying the feast meal.
I believe that this is what caused Him to stand up and cry and say the things that He said in the verse which we just read. He saw the sickly and under-fed spirits of the people, and He saw how oblivious they were to their own need, as they were celebrating at the feast.
What I say now, I am going to say deliberately by the Holy Spirit… Jesus came to feed us. He came to be used and utilized by us!
Now some people would say that statement is blasphemy. That we should be serving Jesus, we should be giving to Him. Honestly though, man is not able to give to Jesus. We are completely and totally bankrupt without the provision of Christ. Without Him giving to us, we have nothing to offer Him.
There is another scripture which confirms that Jesus came to provide to us, and that we are utterly empty without Him. Look at John 4:6-10:
“Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
There comes a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus says to her, Give me to drink.
(For his disciples were gone away to the city to buy meat.)
Then says the woman of Samaria to him, How is it that you, being a Jew, ask drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give me to drink; you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water.”
First, let’s clear up the fact that Jesus’ Spirit is never tired; His physical body was weary, but His Spirit is always full of life, and furthermore I believe that in this moment He allowed His body to rest simply to have this interaction which we read.
Second, Jesus asks her for a drink. He did not need to ask her for anything. He could’ve commanded the water to come out of the well directly and it would have obeyed Him. So what was His purpose in asking the woman for a drink? The answer is in verse 10… “Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give me to drink; you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water.”.
His purpose for asking her, was to show her how completely empty she was apart from Him. To show her that truthfully she has nothing to give Him. And what was Jesus’ remedy for this situation? Receive from Him! Drink from Him! Then you will have living water to satisfy all of your needs!
So now that we have established that He has indeed come to serve us, what has He made available? To answer that question, look no further than the sufferings of Jesus Christ. Every suffering which He suffered represents something which He has given to you and me. For example:
When He first became afraid in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His precious blood came out like drops of sweat, that right there is His redemption for you and I from anxiety, worry, fear and the torment of self.
Most of us have the verses of Isaiah 53 memorized that He carried our sicknesses and bore our diseases and by His stripes we were healed., but how many of us know that in the original Hebrew text, these words are sharpened and clarified to actually mean physical sicknesses and diseases? Some people try to spiritualize these verses and say that it is not talking about physical suffering, but the original Hebrew word is choliy, which means “physical malady”. There it is my friends, one of the benefits of Jesus’ death was physical healing for your bodies, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise or talk you out of it!
When He was mocked and shamed by the soldiers, that was His provision for your honor, so you never have to be ashamed again.
When He who had everything, literally the richest most wealthy being in the universe was stripped of everything to where He was totally naked on that cross (they gambled for His clothes), that was His provision for your prosperity and redemption from poverty.
Now some say, “James, that’s crazy!”… Read 2nd Corinthians 8:9:
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich.”
There’s no way around these simple and easy to understand verses. Is it only referring to financial provision? No, but financial provision is part of it. Again, don’t let anyone talk you out of the blessings that are rightfully yours in Christ Jesus.
Another blessing is protection. Jesus stated plainly that He could’ve escaped at any time. The soldiers did not take Him by force – they couldn’t – no, He willingly surrendered Himself for all of us. In short, He became vulnerable for us, so that we would always be protected. In your own time, when you are alone with the LORD, or with your family, read the full chapter of Psalm 91, and you will see just how completely protected you are in Christ today.
These are just some of the benefits which Jesus has given to us trough His completed work. It’s time that start truly honoring Him by taking everything which He paid to give to us. Amen.