This past Sunday, Rob Golding of First Artesia CRC, pointed out that not only is health and wealth preaching false, but it is also shallow. God’s plan may involve suffering, poverty, illness, and a host of other hardships, but it is infinitely better than worldly prosperity. Take a listen to this short clip and be encouraged.
The following is the transcript of the video edited for reading.
Scripture has some bad news. The bad news is God does not necessarily will that you live till you are 150 and never get a cold, or covid, or sick, or cancer, and you are rich. That is not necessarily God’s will. That is the bad news, but here is the good news. The good news is the bad news. You see, the fact it is not God’s desire for your life is infinitely good news because that means that God’s desire for your life is better than that.
God is a perfect Father who has perfect love for his children, and so, if God does not want you to live a completely pain-free and rich lifestyle, that is because he has something infinitely better for you.
God does not have, necessarily, a big house in his plans for you. He has a kingdom for you. He does not necessarily have a new attitude for you, but he wants to transform you. It is not a bank account but an eternal weight of glory. Not superficial happiness, but deep and abiding joy. Not physical health, but spiritual and eternal life, and that abundantly.
What is a clean bill of health for the next 20 years, or 30, or 40, or 50, or 60, until you die? What is a clean bill of health knowing that you are going to have aches, and pains, and groan, and live in a futile world? What is that compared to being made new into a new creation who lives forever with God himself?
-Rob Golding
You can listen to the entire sermon here.
The Fight of Faith 