SERMON BY: OKPAN CLEOPAS (MINISTER)
TOPIC: THE GREAT PHYSICIAN
“Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matthew 9: 10-13).
A physician is a Medical Doctor; a licensed medical practitioner. He treats health-related and challenging cases. He cares for the sickly and hospitalised patients with the intention of helping them to recover and be in health. According to Jesus, it is only those who are sick that need a physician (Matt. 9: 12). Prospering in health, of course, has been the will of God for His children. This was John’s prayer for Gaius that he may be in health (3 John 1: 2).
It is evidently clear from the pages of the New Testament that all through the earthly ministry of Jesus He went about doing good (Acts 10: 38), proving Himself to be a physician by healing all kinds of diseases. No matter how complex the health situation may be, Jesus never failed to restore perfect health to people. By the power of His word He was able to take care of cases that were humanly impossible, such that even death succumbed to His command (Luke 4: 18, 35, 40; 7: 14, 15). Jesus Christ is indeed our Great Physician.
Since the emergence of the deadly virus called COVID-19, scientists and Medical Practitioners the world over have been battling to find both a cure for the virus and a vaccine to prevent its infectious spread. There is palpable fear as to what will become of our world, with the way reports of casualties and fatalities are trooping in, should there be no cure. But for the faithful Christians, our expectations are high and sure because we have a GREAT PHYSICIAN, who is able to demonstrate His supremacy to quench the fiery darts of any deadly disease, including Coronavirus. But more than this is a spiritual sickness (SIN), which is capable of destroying a soul both in this life and in eternity. Our Lord is capable of healing this spiritual sickness too (Matt. 11: 28).
Now, What Makes Jesus Christ Very Unique as a Great Physician?
The scripture says that Jesus knows all men and what is in them (John 2: 24, 25). We are open before Him; He knows our frame (Psalm 103: 14). Therefore, every health and spiritual challenge that we have we can be sure that He knows them all (Psalm 139: 4-6; Romans 11: 33). He is always willing and able to heal and deliver every sick and troubled soul that comes to Him for help (Hebrews 7: 25). Since He knows our needs, he will supply them according to His riches in glory (Phil. 4: 19). Surely, our great physician who does not wish that anyone should perish (2 Peter 3: 9) is ever ready to treat every problem that is brought to Him without rejecting anyone (John 6: 37). In fact, He welcomes everyone and their problems (Matt. 11: 28). Again, His uniqueness is seen as He demonstrates His sympathetic nature (Matt. 9: 36).
The Deadly Disease of Sin:
Sin is a deadly disease. It is a spiritual sickness that ruins everything pertaining to the life of any individual that finds pleasure in it (Isaiah 1: 4, 5). It yields no benefit to the sinner, but leaves a sad and terrible tale of woes which batter a person’s relationship with God (Isaiah 59: 1, 2), as well promoting the destruction of the individual (James 1: 14, 15). The sad truth is that everyone is plagued by this terrible disease of sin (Romans 3: 23).
The Great Physician’s Prescription:
Every sickness requires adequate adherence to medical prescriptions for the health challenge to be brought under control. But our Great Physician, to whom all authority has been given (Matt. 28: 18), has unfettered ability to heal all manner of diseases, even those ones that have no known cure. In fact, by His stripes we are healed (1 Peter 2: 24).
The disease of sin, on the other hand, requires certain scriptural prescriptions to receive divine cure. These prescriptions must be adhered to through obedience to divine instructions (Romans 6: 17, 18). So, the prescription to eliminate the disease of sin includes the following: Hearing the gospel of Christ (Rom. 10: 14, 15), believing the gospel (Mark 16: 15, 16), repenting from past sins (Luke 13: 3; Acts 2: 38), confessing Christ as Son of God (Matt. 10: 32, 33), baptising for forgiveness of sins (Acts 2: 38; Gal. 3: 27), and living faithfully till the end of one’s life on earth (Rev. 2: 10). Faith in God is needed to take the medicine that the Lord prescribes in His word (John 3: 14-16). This is because it is impossible to please God without faith (Heb. 11: 6).
Conclusion
It is a fact that the sick who refuses to see a physician to prescribe and give him the right medication may relapse and die. So it is with those who indulge in sin and refuse to repent. They may relapse spiritually and receive the wages of sin, which is death (Rom. 6: 23). As we therefore work very hard to do away with all manner of endemic and pandemic diseases, we must not lose sight of the fact that there is a disease that is of eternal consequence, SIN, and which we must deal with now. That is why we all need the Great Physician, the Sympathizing Jesus.