God has a hospital

 

1)      Before Teresa and I returned from Illinois, my father had to be taken to the hospital.

2)       Doctors were able to quickly take care of the issue, but that incident made me realize some things.

3)      There are several parallels between an earthly hospital and the faith called Christianity.

4)      This morning we will explore several of these similarities.

5)      Our first point is that God has a hospital.

6)      It is not a hospital for broken arms, bad knees, and diseased organs.

7)      God’s hospital is for just one kind of problem:  sin.

8)      Prov. 15:29 says God is “far removed from the wicked” (sinners).

9)      As we will see in tonight’s lesson, sin separates people from God.

10)  When a child is first born, they are not affected by sin.

11)  Ezekiel (18:20) said, “The soul that sins shall die.” 

12)  We cannot get infected with sin until we are old enough to really know right from wrong.

13)  God’s hospital is for those who are accountable for their actions.

 

14)  Sometimes hospitals have a special section for children.  There is a newborn area.

15)  There are also special wards and floors for children in their later years.

16)  God has done a similar thing in the spiritual realm—He has a special place for children.

17)  Infants and small children are part of God’s kingdom (they are in fellowship with God).

18)   Only those old enough to be accountable for their actions can be part of God’s hospital (the church).

19)   When children reach the time when they know right for wrong, then it is time to seek out the hospital.

 

20)  While in the hospital I was reminded that people come with varying problems.

21)  One person might come through the doors and barely be alive due to a wreck.

22)  Another may come into the ER because they have a runny nose.

23)  I actually saw someone who said they had a problem like a runny nose.

24)  God’s hospital is similar because it treats people who are affected by differing levels of sin.

 

25)  Col. 3:7 says there are those who “live in sin.”

26)  Even now we find some who find pleasure in sin—they live for it.

27)  They more some can sin, the more fun they seem to have.

28)  Others want to be “good people” (still guilty of sin), but they do not actively seek vice.

29)  Before becoming a Christian Paul (Phil. 3:6) wanted to live a “blameless” life.

30)  He did not want to live in sin.  He wanted to be as good as he could be.

31)  Even trying to live as good as he could, he still needed God’s hospital.

32)  It is not how much sin we have; it is simply that fact that we have sin.

 

33)  While at the hospital the surroundings reminded me of 24/7 availability.

34)  Not many things are open all day on Christmas and New Year’s day.

35)  Hospitals, however, are open.  They do not take a day off or shut down for a while.

36)  God’s hospital for sinners (the church) is also always open.

37)  In Acts 16 the Bible says it was about midnight.  A man was taught the gospel.

38)  He realized he needed spiritual medical attention and he sought treatment.

39)  Luke says he found healing—he was treated.

40)  Earlier (Acts 2) Luke says people were taught at the 9^th hour (Acts 2:15).

41)  On this occasion it was 9 a.m.

42)  Whether late at night or during the day, heaven’s hospital is open.

 

43)  In the physical realm, a hospital may not always have the best doctor available.

a)      Some of the best doctors may be across town.

b)      Perhaps the best doctors have the night off.

c)      In heaven’s hospital, Jesus is the “great physician.”  He is the healer. 

d)     The Bible assures us Jesus Christ is always “on duty.”

e)      With the Lord, there are no vacations, no nights to sleep, no time off.

f)       Rev. 3:20 says Jesus stands at the door and knocks.  Jesus is always ready.

44)  Not only does God’s hospital always have the best healer on duty, all are healed.

45)  While waiting for my father I listened to one woman’s story.

46)  She had fallen down some stairs and thought her elbow was broken.

47)  A nurse told her they would take some x-rays, but their pictures might not be good enough.

48)  More than likely the person seeking treatment would need to see another doctor.

49)  She would need to find a specialist who did not work at the hospital.

50)  Hospitals sometimes cannot cure people—they may say to some patients, “sorry.”

 

51)  God’s hospital never turns anyone away because they are too sick.

52)  God has never been presented with a case He could not heal.

53)  The apostle Paul said God has already been presented with His toughest case.

54)  In 1 Tim. 1:15 Paul said he was the “chief of sinners.”

55)  Paul went to God’s hospital and God took care of every single sin.

56)  God has already performed surgery on the worst offender and it was completely successful.

57)  Hospitals are often rated for their “success” rate – God’s rate will always be 100%.

 

58)  Related to this point is the fact that hospitals may only heal someone temporarily.

59)  A medical condition is treated and fixed for a while, but it returns.

60)  In God’s hospital, the treatments are perfect in every way and they last.

61)  When God cleanses sin, there is not some trace of the transgression left behind.

62)  1 Jn. 1:9 says God can wipe away “all unrighteousness.”

63)  Hospitals often leave scars; God is in the business of scar free surgery.

64)  Heb. 10:22 says, “having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.”

65)  After baptism there is a “clean conscience” (1 Pet. 3:20-21).

66)  A person becomes a “new creature” (2 Cor. 5:17).

 

67)  If a person is checked into a hospital, they are usually identified.

68)  One common technique is the creation and attachment of a bracelet.

69)  A durable plastic bracelet is placed on a person’s wrist.

70)  A similar thing is true in God’s hospital.

71)  If we become a “patient” of God’s, we are identified.

72)  We are known as a “Christian.”  We are disciple, a brother and sister of Jesus.

73)  We are “in Christ” and we “in the house of God.”

74)  Some seemed to be ashamed of these and other Biblical descriptions.

75)  There are those who seem to prefer being called after some man.

76)  This is often a prominent religious person from the past.

77)  No man has saved us, so why would we want to bear the name of a mere man?

 

78)  Others allow themselves to be described by a religious practice.

79)  We have been saved by Christ and we honor Him by using His name.

80)  If we are going to people the people of the Bible, we need to use Bible designations.

 

81)  Imagine if someone were hospitalized in Elkhart and wanted a bracelet that said Goshen.

82)  That would not make any sense.

83)  Bracelets identify who we are, just as Biblical descriptions state who we are.

84)  Christian means we are a follower of Christ.  Disciple means we learn from Jesus.

85)  Believer means we believe in Jesus.  Saint means we are trying to live a godly life.

86)  Church of Christ means we want to be in the one church built by Christ.

 

87)  While in the hospital with my dad I spent some time roaming the halls.

88)  When I was in the room dad wanted to talk so it was best for me to be elsewhere.

89)  I saw some areas where some things were locked up in cabinets.

90)  Presumably those items were “controlled substances” – things like narcotics.

91)  In God’s hospital there are also some controlled substances.

92)  God has something called “spiritual blessings” (Eph. 1:3).

93)  These blessings are controlled; they are under tight guard.  Eph. 1:3 says they are “in Christ.”

94)  If we are not in Christ, we have no access to those blessings.  The blessings are off-limits.

95)  One could probably break into a hospital cabinet, but we cannot break into Christ.

96)  We must get into Him and access the spiritual blessing through baptism – Gal. 3:27.

97)  One spiritual blessing is the benefit (power) of Jesus’ blood.

98)  If we do not become a child of God, we have no access to His cleansing blood.

99)  Through Christ we can access all the good things controlled and regulated by God.

100) It is therefore absolutely necessary for us to become and stay a faithful Christian.

 

101) As a wandered a bit I saw the x-ray room.  That also reminded me of something.

102) With x-ray equipment doctors can see what is taking place inside a person’s body.

103) God’s hospital is also associated with the image of x-rays.

104) God knows everything about us – He is omniscient.

105) Listen to 2 Chron. 16:9 – READ

106) God’s eyes patrol the earth, looking for righteous people.

107) We therefore cannot hide sin (or good) from God.

108) Even God’s word is like an x-ray machine, Heb. 4:12.

 

109) X-rays are not free—they cost.  Hospitals charge people for their services.

110) Nothing there is free, and the bills they send out need to be paid.

111) God’s hospital also has a bill that needs paid—a very big bill.

112) The bill is so big we could not pay it.  If we gave every penny we make, we could not pay it.

113) If we took all the wealth in the world, we could not pay it.

114) Jesus paid the bill for man’s disease of sin and He paid it in full.

115) This is one of the reasons we love, submit to and obey the Lord.

 

116) Sometimes a hospital tries to treat someone, bills them, but the person is still sick.

117) Patients and transferred and people are ultimately billed by two or more hospitals.

118) It is very frustrating to be shuffled from hospital to hospital, doctor to doctor.

119) With God, there are no referrals.   Jesus said, “come unto me ALL ye that labor.”

120) God’s hospital is the only one we need.

121) One of the interesting things about Jesus is the availability of beds.

122) As my father was in the waiting room, the tech said, “we are very busy today.”

123) “You will need to wait for a bed.”

124) God has plenty of room in His hospital, even though He does surgery every single time.
 

125)   I had a conversation with a nurse; I asked her out of every 100 people who many were really ill.

126) She couldn’t give me a number but then thought about my question for a while.

127) She said, “Let me use 5 instead of 100.  4 out of every 5 people are not terribly sick.”

128) When people use the ER for non-emergency issues, it fills up fast.

129) Doctors may really struggle to keep up.  Heaven’s hospital has no problem.

130) Beds are always available, and God does surgery every single time.

131) This surgery is described as baptism, Col. 2:11-12.

132) In baptism there is a spiritual surgery; it is as if God cuts away man’s sins.

133) The person is then a new creature in Christ.

 

134) Surgery can be a messy experience.  There is blood and maybe a foul smell.

135) As we noted from 1 Tim. 1, God has performed the worst type of surgery.

136) He does not mind getting His hands dirty.

 

137) With human hospitals there is often fear, dread, worry, anxiety, and other things.

138) In heaven’s hospital there is rejoicing – Lk. 15:10.

139) With human hospitals a doctor may come out and say, “I have some bad news.”

140) In heaven’s hospital Jesus says, “I am life.”  Death loses its sting, 1 Cor. 15:55.

 

141) Hospitals eventually discharge a person to go their own merry way.

142) When a person leaves, they may boast about what they hospital did for them.

143) Jesus said once said to a man, “Go and tell the great things God has done for you.”

144) If we have been treated at heaven’s hospital, this is also our obligation.

145) We have been treated, the bill has been paid, and we need to spread the news.

146) Part of our “discharge instructions” include preaching the gospel to every creature.

147) Have we been to heaven’s hospital?

148)   If God has performed spiritual surgery on us, are we encouraging others to also seek treatment?