the basic message #E34
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Have you ever been to the burn unit of a hospital? For those who haven’t, let me tell you in the kindest terms I can use. Basically, it’s like a torture chamber, except that the dedicated workers are trying to save, rather than destroy an individual. Screams of pain, groans, even cursing are all regular sounds that can be heard. Why? Beyond the sheer agony of the pain of a burn, the real pain begins during therapy. Serious burns require action that make even the strongest person weak. When flesh is damaged beyond repair, there is only one thing that can be done with it- it must be removed.
Revelation 9:20-21
The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plaques still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshipping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood- idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
When a severely burned person begins therapy, they begin an unusual relationship with their therapist. First of all, the injured person must decide whether they want to live or die. If they want to live, they must commit to days, weeks or months of painful therapy. There will be times that they may curse and scream at the therapist, but the patient knows that the therapist is only trying to save their life. There will be times that the patient might feel like dying is the best solution. It’s time to make my point.
All of us are afflicted like the burned person, but the difference is that their flesh is damaged, while our souls are damaged. We are fully aware of the state of our soul, but we’d rather not think about it. We don’t suffer from physical pain, but the mental pain we suffer from daily never subsides. In the passage from Revelation above, we learn that even after God sends down plaques on the wicked (like many of us), they still didn’t repent. Oh, maybe we don’t worship demons, but do we make idols of gold and silver? I would imagine we worship a bank account or a retirement account instead of gold and silver. Do we make idols of stone and wood? I have seen some fine homes made of stone and wood that the owners made into an idol. How can a home become an idol? Simple- when the pursuit of a home (or anything) becomes more important than worshipping God, it’s an idol. I’m a little puzzled how people are unable to look around and see the idols they've created in their own lives. And by the way, it’s not just the wealthy who create idols. That homeless guy standing on the side of the road may have made cigarettes and beer his idols.
So, you ask, how does the burn unit tie into all of this? Our souls are very much like severely burned flesh. If untreated, they simply begin the process of rotting until the entire body is diseased. Our soul therapist is Dr. Jesus Christ. He is ready to begin the healing process immediately, but the patient must give the authorization. Dr. Jesus has interns on earth to assist him. They are know here as pastor, minister, priest, friend, etc. They too can only help you with your permission. You can confidently declare, “I’m OK with God, I don’t need your help”, or you can begin the road to recovery. You can tell your pastor only the things about you that you want to reveal, but soul problems unaddressed are like a piece of burned flesh not removed, the infection will worsen and cause bigger problems later. There is one important difference between the burn patient and the person with the afflicted soul- the worst thing that can happen to the burned person is that they might die.