You Gotta Get Sick

If you're going to be healed, you've gotta get sick! 

Are you dishonest with your doctor? Most of us are. We lie to ourselves by not going to the doctor. How? Because we believe that if they don't examine us, then nothing's wrong. As long as the doctor doesn't have the chance to tell us something's wrong, then nothing's wrong. Something could actually be wrong, but as long as we don't know something's wrong, then nothing's wrong.

That's wrong! 

If we actually go to the doctor, we lie about our medical history. Have you not ever noticed that on the medical history form that they ask you for your height and weight? But what do they do as soon as they call you back? That's right - they put you on the scale! When I'm in the waiting room, I'm 6'2" 205. When I walk into the examination room, I lose an inch and gain 20 pounds. 

I think they put that height and weight question on there so that the doctor can look at your medical history form and tell immediately, "Yeah, he lied about the rest of this." 

Jesus our Healer

Jesus' critics asked him why he ate with sinful people. He replied,

Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

Luke 5:31-32

If you mislead your doctor, you may not get the proper diagnosis. 

If you can't be honest with yourself and with God you forfeit His forgiveness.

The Bible doesn't just say we have a sin problem. The Bible says that we have a sin nature. 

Paul admitted his problem in Romans 7:18. 

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

Romans 7:18

When I go to the doctor, my problem is not my lack of desire to be healthy. I want to have low body fat, low cholesterol, be full of muscle, and weigh 180 - but I overeat.

My problem is not what I want to be. My problem is what I am. 

When it comes to sin, our problem is not our failure to know what's right. Our problem is that our nature is to do what's wrong.

We are sinful.

We are sick.

The good news is that our Great Physician is ready to heal us if we admit our condition. 

Your doctor doesn't want to hear about how good you feel. The Doc wants to know where it hurts.

Jesus is not impressed by what we do right. The conversation He desires with us is about why we do wrong.

People who think they are well (or who ignore that they are sick) don't go to the doctor. People who think they're fine don't seek out the Savior.

Jesus wants to heal you, but you've gotta get sick.

Bible Study

Read Luke 5:27-32.

• What does this passage teach us about Jesus?
• How does this passage call for us to praise Jesus?
• How does this passage call for us to respond to Jesus?

Challenge

Take some time and write out some of the problems that you are having dealing with sin. If you do not know Jesus as Savior, repent of sin and turn to Him for salvation. Ask Him for eternal life and for Him to fill you with His Spirit. If you do, pray through these issues and search out passages in the Bible that address them.