Lesson 5What is Christ Like? |
I pray that these lessons on what God the Father and God the Son are like have caused you to examine your life. Due to the fact that you have God the Holy Spirit living in you, there should be some of God’s characteristics manifesting in you. If not, then the question is, are you letting God be God in your daily life or do you let Him be God during Sunday services and/or in weekly bible studies only?
We have learned a lot about God the Father and what He is like. We have seen that God the Son, Jesus, showed these same characteristics in His earthly walk. I pray that as you read your Bible you see these characteristics being shown by the disciples. You also see how God the Father still provides for them in the body and in the spirit. The provisions may not have been what they wanted, but their needs were met. In order for this to occur they had to follow God and do what was asked of them, even if they could not see the reason or the end purpose.
Before we move on to the next name of God, answer this question. Have I limited God in the kind of work He can do in my life? If I have, then I need to ask God to forgive me. I need to stop what I am doing and ask God to show me what he wants to do through me to reach and fulfill His plan.
The next name for our study is Jehovah-Rophe (Je-ho′-vah Ro′- phay) which means the Eternal Healer. Why do you think God wanted us to know Him by this name? What is He trying to heal us from? The second part of this name, rophe, is translated physician. Before we look at scriptures on this name, what kind of physician do you think God wants us to see in Him? In all occurrences of sickness, it is God who heals diseases. No sickness or disease can be healed without God’s action.
In Exodus 15:22-26, we see the Healer at work, but what is He working on? Also in Deuteronomy 7:12-15, God says that He will take away sickness. So some people must be sick and if they are sick they need a Healer (physician). Examine the following scriptures and note what you see in them: Deuteronomy 28:27, 58-61; II Kings 20:1-5; Psalm 41:1-4, 103:1-3; Jeremiah 33:6; Isaiah 57:18-19.
Jesus healed many during his earthly ministry. He even raised the dead. But even more amazingly, Jesus gave the power to heal to His disciples. See Matthew 10:1.
Matthew 10:1
1. And when he had called to him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
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