What would you think of someone who through ignorance, or worse yet their own choice, decided to pay all of their medical bills on their own instead of using the benefits package provided by their employer? You have a Heavenly Benefits Package and it is called SOZO! Every Christian should be aware of this amazing insurance package but sadly, many Christians don’t know it, use it or understand it. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross provided us with EVERYTHING we will ever need … now and through eternity. His work was complete and perfect. It is a gift to us from a God who loves us with an everlasting, never-ending love. Every good and perfect gift comes from God. God’s Word tells us that the only way we can receive all the good gifts that God has provided us is through faith. Faith is the essential ingredient … the flour to the cake. “We must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31) We need to have belief and faith in order to be saved and receive all the great gifts God has for us.
So what does it mean to be “saved”? To best describe the meaning of “saved” we need to examine the word SOZO. SOZO is a New Testament word that is found 118 times throughout the Gospel. It describes the provisions of our salvation and it gives us the most comprehensive understanding of Jesus’ work on the cross. SOZO is an action word that describes ALL God’s benefits to us and it has three distinct meanings. First, SOZO means SALVATION. All Christ followers should know that we have been delivered from the bondage of sin. We have been saved from spiritual death through forgiveness of sins. “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for he will save (SOZO / salvation) His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) Second, SOZO means HEALING:
- To save one from suffering from a disease;
- To make well, heal, restore to health;
- To be healed or saved from physical death by healing;
- To preserve and make whole.
“Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were (SOZO / Healed) made well.” (Mark 6:56) Third, SOZO means DELIVERANCE:
- To deliver from every evil that obstructs and hinders;
- To be delivered or rescued from danger or destruction, to protect and keep safe;
- To be saved from under the Devil’s power;
- To be restored into wholeness of God’s order.
When the evil spirits were delt with, physical healing followed. “They who also had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was (SOZO / delivered) healed.” (Luke 8:36) Jesus’ perfect work (SOZO) on the cross bought us all these things. We can walk in total victory and freedom in every area of our lives … RIGHT NOW, not just when we get to Heaven. At the moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we receive our amazing heavenly benefits package – God’s Universal Insurance Plan – Salvation, Healing and Deliverance! Remembering God’s promises is more than a onetime event. It is a lifetime of contending and appropriating them into our life. Make sure you claim all of your good gifts from the Heavenly Warehouse! Use some of your quiet time this week to appreciate and appropriate these gifts. In the next Power Tools email we will be exploring the exchanges Christ made for us on the cross.