Needing And Seeking A Physician

Introduction

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the services of the Decker Prairie Church. Those of you who are visiting, we have, as usually the case on the Lord’s Day, a lot of folks visiting from a lot of places, and today is no exception. We’re glad that you’re here. If this is your first introduction to our group and what we’re all about, we especially are glad you’re here and want you to know that we’re just trying to do here what the Bible says. Do things the way the Bible instructs us to do them so that we might bring honor and glory to our God. And so we’re glad that you’re here. And some of our folks who have been away despite what I said Wednesday night, we’re very glad that you’re back.

I’ll just correct that, right? I’ve had my fun. But it’s it’s very glad. We’re very glad that you all are back. And it’s good to see everyone. I’ve been announcing that tonight I’m going to speak about Hollywood marriages. That’s not really the title of the sermon. But we’re going to contrast God’s model for marriage versus the Hollywood model. This sermon has been well advertised. I don’t know that it’s going to be that great, but so you don’t, I don’t want to put your hopes up there too high. But I’ll I’ll give it my best effort tonight. Wretched. Absolutely miserable. You know what I’m talking about. You’ve been that sick before, right? Only a few occasions in my life when I was a kid, I had chicken pox and mumps.

Most kids get those.

I guess it was a virus. I don’t know what it was. But for 24 hours, my head couldn’t get off the pillow. I could not get it off the pillow. And then we had to fly home the next day. I was only feeling marginally better as I got into the airplane. Sherry gets it. Her trip home was worse than mine. You know when you really need to lay your head down and you can’t. We’re on the airplane for seemingly forever, and the people around us are going, ooh. That’s how miserable. When you’re that sick, you’re going to do whatever it takes to feel better. And we’re calling the doctor, you know, when we’re feeling that bad, because we’re going to get a remedy to our physical condition.

And so we see the value of a physician. Unfortunately, spiritually. Some people prefer to stay sick. And that’s really illogical, if you think about it. Because the condition of your soul is far more important than the condition of your physical body. Perhaps because the pain is delayed. If your soul is not ready for the judgment, you’re not experiencing any pain in the flesh. And thus we far more regard pain in the flesh than pain in our souls. But the pain of God’s judgment and hearing the verdict that we must spend eternity away from his presence, I want to tell you, is far worse than any physical condition for which we seek a remedy. God’s judgment, his wrath against the sinner. We need to seek the great physician.

Our lost condition is what I’m talking about as one resides in spiritual illness. And this analogy, and so I talk about drawing this physical analogy to the spiritual truth. It is very important, and the scriptures speak to that end. And I want to look at a couple of passages with you as we begin this morning before we get to some specifics. In Jeremiah chapter 8. Now, it’s important to understand the times and condition of God’s people during the days of the weeping prophet Jeremiah. We’re around the 600 BC time. God is going to destroy the city of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. And Jeremiah is the prophet in the city, trying to wake up as many people spiritually as he can. And yet the people of Jeremiah’s day.

Everything’s cool. The temple of the Lord, it’s right down the street there. The temple of the Lord, that’s God’s presence. That represents God’s presence among his people. But they didn’t realize God was long gone. And so Jeremiah says in chapter 7, you better amend your ways and your deeds. Do not trust in deceptive words, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. In fact, when he comes to the next chapter in chapter 8, he says in verse 18, My sorrow is beyond healing. My heart is faint within me. Behold, listen. Do you hear this? The cry of the daughter of my people from a distant land. Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her king not within her? Why have they provoked me, God says, with their graven images, with their foreign idols?

Harvest is past. And summer is ended. And we are not saved. What a tragic statement. For the brokenness of the daughter of my people, I am broken. I mourn. Dismay has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored? They have not turned to the great position. My people have committed two evils. God said earlier through Jeremiah in chapter 2, they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters. And they have hewn then out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. They’re not turning to the physician, the one that could heal them. There’s no bomb in Gilead. Because they are saying in verse 11 of chapter 8, peace.

But there is no peace. As he speaks of the brokenness of his people in verse 11, he says, they’re not ashamed of the abominations which they have done that have caused their lost spiritual condition. And when we come to chapter 30, in chapter 30, verses 12 through 15, again, this illness analogy is drawn. Your wound is incurable, and your injury is serious. If you broke your arm, you wouldn’t tell your closest family members, ah, no big deal. It’ll get better, you know. I can live with this. You’re going to go to the doctor and have him set it. You’re going to go through a little pain to get that thing fixed. Spiritually, your injury is far more serious. He says of his people, your wound is incurable.

It’s terminal. That’s how persistent they were in their rebellion. That’s why there’s no bomb in Gilead. There’s no one to plead your cause. There is no healing for your sore. No recovery for you. And where are your lovers? All your lovers, their spiritual adulteries, talking about, all your lovers have forgotten you. They do not seek you. They’ve used you up, and now they’re done with you. For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, with the punishment of a cruel one. Because your iniquity is great, and your sins are numerous. Why do you cry out over your injury? Your pain is incurable because your iniquity is great and your sins are numerous. I have done these things to you. Jesus too lamented the spiritual condition of some people that he preached to on a regular basis, the Pharisees.

He says in Matthew chapter 9 and verse 12, it is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means. I desire compassion and not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. It is only those who acknowledge their lost spiritual condition can they find the remedy in the great position. And here he was, the creator of all, God in human flesh, the great physician in their presence, and they’re saying, no thanks. I’m going to stay just where I am. I reject you.

Not those who are healthy, at least in their own mind. They’re not really healthy. But they perceived their condition as health. Coming back to that thought in a minute. They perceived their condition as health, and so they rejected the truth of the great physician. Even those who are in Christ, and let me just go ahead and say here now, Jared may come back to this Wednesday night. The unbeliever of 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 14 is not necessarily one who has never been in Christ. That’s another failing in the analogy when people want to draw the marriage to the believer and unbeliever. The unbeliever of 2 Corinthians 6.14 is not necessarily one who has never been in Christ, but who is not living consistently with that message.

But in Revelation chapter 3, we read about some who have been in Christ, who have been baptized for the remission of their sins, who are now spiritually sick again. The Laodiceans. Neither hot nor cold, lukewarm. Well, maybe it’s not that serious. Maybe once saved, always saves is still true, really. Really? Jesus says, I’m going to spew you out of my, out of my mouth. If you don’t repent. That doesn’t sound good. But they don’t recognize their condition. The Laodicea is, hey, we’re God’s people. As I’ve helped my young friend Adam LaRue write this sermon when he was working with me one summer at Eastside in Baytown. We’re all very good people here in Laodicea. And I said, after each point you make in the lesson, I want you to repeat that.

We’re all very good people here in Laodicea. Thought it was very effective. We’re good folks. We’re in the Lord. We’ve been baptized into Christ. But you’ve grown lukewarm. You don’t recognize your spiritual condition. You say you’re rich, but you’re not rich spiritually. You have need of nothing. Oh, but you do have spiritual needs because of your loss. You are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. Says you need a fix for this. And you can only find it with me. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich. That’s not material gold, that’s spiritual. And white garments. We are to clothe ourselves with Christ. That’s where it all began when we were baptized into Christ. We put on Christ.

We’re clothed ourselves with Christ in Galatians 3 and verse 27. And they’ve lost their garments. You need to come buy them back from me. Clothe yourselves with righteousness is what he’s saying. That you may clothe the shame of your nakedness and get I salve for your eyes. Because you don’t see your spiritual condition for what it is. You need to get some ISA from me. Those I love I reprove and discipline, be zealous, therefore, and repent. Hold that thought right there. Christians who need to repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will dine with him and he with me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with me on my throne as I sat down with my father on his throne.

Why do we struggle to bring people to the Lord? I think many of us have lamented the times we live in and the disinterest that people have of spiritual things and doing anything different than they’ve always done. It’s the family religion or tradition. It was good enough for them, good enough for me. Everything’s okay in my relationship with God. They do not sense a need. Like the people of Jeremiah’s day, like those in Laodicea, like the Pharisees. Wow, that’s three different times seems to be a trait in people, doesn’t it? They don’t recognize their spiritual condition for what it is. It’s only the United States of America that’s like this, right? In other parts of the world, people are more hungry for the message of gospel, the gospel and willing to listen.

Not necessarily.

Mike was telling me about his work in Hungary, and I thought he was going to tell me that people there were hungry for the truth. That’s a bad joke, I know. Boy, you’re all a tough crowd this morning. But no, they weren’t hungering for the gospel over there. In fact, he said there was so much complacency, it was so difficult. They’re just to get any kind of study at all. People just weren’t, they were satisfied. Again, I don’t feel anything physically. I feel pretty good. Must be okay. Everything must be okay with God. Same way people reason to biblical times. One of the greater difficulties is to get people to sense that they need a physician. You’re sick. You need to go to the doctor. That’s all I want to talk to you for a minute about needing and seeking a physician and realizing the awful nature of spiritual illness.

I’m not sick. I feel fine. I feel just great. In fact, living in sin isn’t as bad as some people say it is. Sort of having a good time here. But if we could only see the condition of the soul as it is racked with spiritual cancer or heart disease. That’s really where it all begins. And because people do not perceive any sense of sin, there is no sense of their need to change or to seek God. And some people say, Well, I’ve done some religious things, I feel saved. You realize how many people in the scripture did some religious things and who were not saved. Lord, are there just a few who are going to heaven? We looked at this passage recently in Luke chapter 13 and verse 23.

What a great question. Who’s going to go to heaven? And Jesus, oh no, don’t sweat it. It’s not that big a deal. Do whatever you like. He didn’t answer that way. He said, strive to enter. Many will desire to enter. It’s not that they have no concern for spiritual things, so they don’t want to go to heaven. He says, Many will desire to enter, but they will not be able. Why would Jesus say something like that? Because he said on other occasions, I am the way, the truth, and the life. What he did not say in John 14 and verse 6 is that Tony Locke is the way, the truth, and the life, and I can do whatever I want. And that’s how we want that to read.

People want that to read. They want to put their own name in there and say, I am the way. Our culture, it says, I am the way. And God just needs to get on board. And Jesus, who said, I am the way, said. If you abide in my word, then you are disciples of mine, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. And that free there is the rectifying of this spiritual illness. This spiritual condition. And the truth is the key to that. Not my truth. That’s what truth is. Truth is whatever you want it to be today. No, truth is objective. Truth is a standard. Truth is what God has revealed in this book and how we measure up to the mirror of God’s word, according to James chapter 1.

How are you measuring up? We need to know what the standard is. We need to know what it instructs us to do to fix this condition of sinfulness. Ultimately, the people of Jeremiah’s day got it, but it was too late. The Babylonians were upon them. All flesh was destroyed. The city was burnt with fire. Only a few captives who were already in Babylon survived. Don’t let that happen to you. Understand the awful nature of residing in the status of being lost.

1. The Presence of Sin Is Always a Matter of Urgency

And so I want to tell you two things about this. Needing and seeking a position. Number one, the presence of sin in our hearts and wives is always a matter of great urgency. We talked last week about how grace works. We talked about the role of baptism in God’s plan a couple weeks before that. And one thing we talked about last week is sin’s always a big deal. And the presence of sin is always a matter of urgency. You see, the sickness that besets us spiritually has to do with us going our own way and rejecting God’s righteousness or his right ways. And because we transgress the will of God, we commit sin. And so whenever it is present, like it was, even in those who at one time in their lives had determined, I’m not going to walk in those vain ways anymore.

I’m going to serve the risen Savior, Jesus Christ. I’m going to be baptized into Christ. That’s what the Laodiceans have done. And they rose to walk in newness of life, and now they’re going back to unholy ways. They’ve lost their zeal and enthusiasm for the Lord. They’re loving the world again. More about that in a moment. And they’re sick and they don’t even know it. He says, You need to get some ISA from me. Those who I love, I discipline. I reprove. And then he challenges them to repent. The presence of sin is always a matter of urgency. Well, let me give you some specifics here. This is obviously not everything, because we’d be talking about every violation of the New Testament covenant and pattern. But let me give you some things to think about.

Lust. The occasion of lust is no small matter ever. No matter what form it may take. No matter that many others are consumed by it, and you’re in a big crowd, because it’s the problem of our times in America. What was generally a male problem in generations past is now being promoted very heavily to females as the way to spark things, to make life better. Lust is a sin to be prayed about and defeated. I think sometimes the modern mood is, well, I just can’t overcome it. It’s so pervasive, it’s so powerful. If you’re going to say that about lust, you can say that about anything. And just partake in all of them. And again, God’s just going to have to overlook it. Remember, we talked about that last week.

It’s a sin to be prayed about and conquered. Oh, it’s like the tongue. Perhaps there will be an occasion of stumbling somewhere down the road. I’m not saying that once you defeat it, you’ve defeated it forever. But I’ll tell you, we better be making a serious fight against it. And then there’s the occasion of grief. It’s the monster that drives so many people today. Well, I don’t have that problem because I’m not filthy rich. You don’t have to be filthy rich to be driven by greed. In fact, the wise writer talks about that in Proverbs chapter 30 when he says, Two things I have asked of thee. Proverbs 30 and verse 7, do not refuse me before I die. Keep deception and lies far from me.

And then he says, the second thing, give me neither poverty nor riches. He didn’t want either extreme. Feed me with the food that is my portion, lest I be full and deny thee and say, Who is the Lord? Or in the poverty condition, lest I be in want and steal and profane the name of my God. The person who is in want and steals is just as much the greedy person as the rich man who is full and says, I don’t need God. Beware of the monster called Moor. Spiritual neglect. It may be the most underrated problem of our time. Our culture has been influenced, has influenced us to believe that as long as we throw a little attention God’s way, that’s good enough. Just a little his direction.

And that’ll suffice. But then we can otherwise live a self-centered, self-consumed, self-serving life. Presence of sin is always a matter of urgency. And these things will lead us to a love for this world. That feeds into that. Which is hostility toward God, as we saw last week. I want to give you another thought here. Even the matter of defying civil authority. You know, we by the way, yeah, lust is a problem. Lust’s a problem. The abuse of the tongue, I couldn’t put that up there. Greed, neglect, love of this world, yeah, that’s hostility toward God. Big sins, you know, we’ve got to deal with those, but what about this matter of our responsibility to government? Well, I don’t like the president. I don’t like the Congress.

They don’t care about me. Do you think Caesar really cared about the Christians in Jerusalem? You know, I’m going to legislate things that are really in the best interest of those Christians in Jerusalem. Those people in Texas. We love the people in Texas. And so we as the Congress, and as the President of the United States are going to do things that cause the Texans to be happy. They don’t care, folks. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have an obligation to submit to every ordinance of human government or to pay our taxes. As Jesus talks about, render unto Caesar, the things that are Caesar, and render unto God, the things that are God. Pray for those who are in authority. 1 Timothy chapter, pray for all men.

You mean I have to pray for President Obama? Yeah. That’s what 1 Timothy chapter 2 is telling us. But there’s another thing here.

What about drinking? In regard to the. Even if, even if you can justify in your mind the act of social drinking. Which you should not do.

You know there are laws about underage drinking. Every state has different laws about that, but unless you’re 21 years of age, if somebody gives you alcohol or provides you alcohol who is not your parent, you are subject to misdemeanor charges. And the person who gave that alcoholic beverage to you. Do you realize how many people violate that law all the time? Not to mention the fact that they’re forfeiting so bright. You remember I said, if you think social drinking is okay, you shouldn’t think that way, and I preached about that a lot. But even in this matter of what our government says, this is not a preacher edict. This is about what our government says. You are in violation of the law if someone gives you an alcoholic beverage and you’re under the age of 21 and it was not your parent.

You realize how many people do that? And 30 years ago, most of the high school kids I went with had access to alcohol, and I really don’t think that it was their parents who were supplying it all the time. Now, sometimes they do, I understand. Let me give you something else. There’s a lot of people today promoting marijuana. It’s not such a bad thing. There’s medical marijuana, and really it shouldn’t even be against the law. You know, it’s against the law for a reason to have possession of this substance. Just like there are very good reasons why the 21 age for drinking is present. At least our society and government has seen the need for that. What about this business of marijuana? If you’re in possession of this, you are defying civil authority and you are subject to criminal prosecution.

Well, but it shouldn’t be that way. It’s really not that bad. As I was thinking about this, because marijuana use is on the rise. Christians are starting to justify it, just like they’ve tried to justify social drinking in recent days. So I contacted Kevin Simpson this week. When I first moved to Auburn, Alabama in 2006.

Motorcycles are dangerous. He was living away from the Lord at that time. Nearly killed it. Sherry and I went to see him in ICU. He was a mangled wreck. He somehow survived, thankfully. His problems did not vanish immediately. He made an immediate turn to God, but had some struggles that followed. But within the last couple of years, Kevin has really turned the corner. And he now is a counselor for those who have abused various drugs. So I said, I’m going to go here. Here’s a man with experience. And so I contacted him via Facebook and sent him a message and said, Kevin, is there something you can help me with the subject of marijuana? And here’s what he said. I asked about marijuana being a gateway drug, and he said about the justifying of its use.

I hear this nonsense all the time. The argument is usually that marijuana grows on God’s earth, so it must be good. To which I reply, cocaine and heroin grow on God’s earth. Most people who get all into the debate of weed being legalized and medical marijuana just really want to be able to get high without getting in trouble or without being judged. Bottom line is that marijuana, THC, is an extremely potent and addictive mind and mood-altering substance. He says, just because you cannot overdose on it does not mean it is not dangerous. He goes, I have several people in my facility right now who have lost everything from smoking weed. When people, especially Christians, tell me it’s no big deal to smoke weed, I usually ask them, why are they debating and defending fiercely something if it’s not a big deal?

And if it’s no big deal, then it will be no big deal not to smoke it or illegally buy it or be dishonest to people about it. He said, Now my drinking did my drinking Gatorade is no big deal. Therefore, if someone told me that it had even the 10% chance of ruining my life or putting me in jail, I would have no problem putting Gatorade down forever. I would not defend it, march for it, debate against people over Gatorade’s right to exist.

2. Godly Sorrow Produces Repentance

In my experience, people that defend and justify smoking marijuana are already in the grips of its power and cannot or are unwilling to put it down. The presence of sin is always a matter of urgency. One final point. What are we going to do about the problem of sin? We can’t just coexist with it. It’s our spiritual problem. It’s what harms our relationship with God. And here is the consistent message on how to deal with sin in our lives. And perhaps this is the part that we need to be emphasized. And this really goes right in hand with how grace works that we talked about last week. When sin in our lives, God is saying, you need to repent. Isn’t that what we read? In Revelation chapter 3, godly sorrow.

2 Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 10, godly sorrow. Why godly sorrow? Because it goes against everything that God’s holiness is and what he has instructed us to do. It is harmful to us. Godly sorrow produces repentance. And I’ll tell you, we talk about conversion. We talk about baptism a lot because a lot of people undervalue the role that baptism plays. It is the culminating step that places us in Christ. The blood of Christ washes away our sin. We rise to walk in newness of life. And so we talk about the faith that leads to confession and baptism, but I’ll tell you, we must not overlook repentance. No true conversion happens without it. It is at the cornerstone of all those sermons preached by Peter and the apostles, beginning with the very first one on the day of Pentecost.

Those people believed they were convicted. We have put to death the Son of God. What do we do? They were pierced to their hearts. The first word out of Peter’s mouth was what? Repent. Godly sorrow produced a repentance. Godly sorrow alone, I’m sorry. Judas was sorry for what he did, but he didn’t repent. Peter repented. We’re denying the Lord. He changed his course. Repentance is a determination. I’m not going this way anymore. I’m going this way. It’s not, well, this isn’t a good place, and I really shouldn’t be here, but I’m going to live with it. Take my chances. The presence of sin is always serious matter. Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin.

Jesus’ point to all of those people thought. Unless you repent, you’re going to perish. You’ve got to turn from a vain and empty and sinful lifestyle that is damaged to your soul. Repent and be converted. Peter said in the very next chapter 3 and verse 19, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. It is an essential step. Corneas, what happened at the household of Corneus? All kinds of things happened. The Holy Spirit descended. He was ordered to be baptized. But when Peter is summarizing it, what does he say? God granted them the repentance that leads to life. Repentance. That’s the acid test. As we saw in 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 10. And finally, this morning in Romans chapter 2.

Conclusion

The goodness of God leads you not just to salvation, but to repentance. Well, boy, that was a hard sermon. He talked about some things I’ve got to give up. To serve the Lord. I don’t think I liked hearing that too much. Someone might say. I’m not your friend. If I get up here and merely tell you things that you like to hear, I’ve got to tell you things that will get you to heaven.

And without repentance.

Times of refreshing will not come from the presence of the Lord. Lukewarmness for a Christian will not get us there. We’ve got to be faithful to the Lord. How’s your soul? As heaven looks down. Boy, really needs a doctor. Oh man, Sean, I should have had you lead the great position. We’re going to change it? What’s the great position? Somebody find that number. That’s what we’re going to sing. Sean’s going to do this on the fly. The great physician now is near the sympathizing Jesus. He looks down from heaven right now. He’s sitting on the throne of the Majesty on high. 338. 338.

Do you need to come to him while there’s time and opportunity? That’s how we conclude each lesson that is preached here. And so if you need to respond, come now as we stand and sing together.