Hi, I'm Pastor Ryan Clark. As a pastor, I visit a lot of people in hospitals each and every week. Now, why do you go into a hospital? You go into a hospital either because you get hurt or because you find out that you're sick. Nobody's going into a hospital just for fun. You realize your need, and then you go to the place that you know can help you with whatever that need is.
One day, Jesus was doing ministry amongst the tax collectors and some other shady people of his day, and some of the religious leaders there were questioning why he was doing this. Jesus’ reply, "It's not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." Those who were cheating others or those who were using others were sick spiritually, and here's the point.
They knew it. They knew they were sick, and so what did they do? They went to a place where they knew they'd find help for their spiritual sickness. They went to Jesus, and in Him, they found forgiveness and a fresh start for their lives. You know, ironically, it was the religious people of Jesus' day who were the least likely to see their need for Jesus.
Why would they need forgiveness? When they compared themself with the tax collectors or the prostitutes of their day, they thought they were doing pretty well. Well, beloved, things really haven't changed that much. I think there are many out there today that are doing the same thing. They're comparing themselves to others and saying, "Well, in comparison with all these other people, I feel like I'm doing pretty okay."
But hear this, God doesn't grade on a curve. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Be perfect, therefore, as your Father in heaven is perfect." St. James says it this way, he says, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point in it is guilty of breaking all of it." Every single sin that we commit against God is a rebellion and an act of rebellion against our maker, and every single one of them is very, very serious.
If you only sin one time a day, how many sins would that be? How long have you been here on this earth? If you are 40 years old, you have been on this planet almost 15,000 days. That's a lot of sin on our records. And if we're gonna be honest, we sin a whole lot more than just one time a day, don't we? Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit."
Who are the poor in spirit? They're the ones that recognize that they are sinners. They recognize that they have a spiritual need. Are you poor in spirit? The good news of Jesus' Gospel is that Jesus Christ came here to live a perfect life in your place, and then to die on a cross, once again, in your place so that you could have forgiveness and a fresh start in your life, no matter what you've done.
All you have to do is, number one, recognize your spiritual sickness, and then number two, go to the spiritual doctor, Jesus. Ask Him for forgiveness, receive that forgiveness, and then take your fresh start that He gives you through that forgiveness and try to live and serve the one who loves you and died for you.
You know, that's what Christians are. We aren't perfect by any means. We are sick people who know who the doctor is, and then we get together regularly to remind each other of that and to take one another to Jesus. If you don't have a church family, we'd love to have you come and join us at St. John's. We'd be honored for you to come with us to Dr. Jesus. God bless you.
