The Great Physician Pt 1

Date: 12/4/22

Text:

Thesis:

Introduction:

The great physician.

This is a name you will not find directly related to Jesus through the Bible, however, when we look at what Jesus did for us on that Cross and how he said that he came to seek and save the lost, we understand Jesus is the great physician and thus attribute this name to Jesus.

b. Jesus showed us on the cross that he was the great Physician.

B. All Medical students before becoming doctors take the Hippocratic oath, and they promise in this oath to “Do no harm.”

Body:

I. Implicit in the statement “do no harm” is the understanding that harm can be done.

A. All physicians have it within their ability to do harm, but there is the expectation that they will do that which is most ethically upright and morally correct.

1. That is the expectation we have for all doctors, whenever we are preparing to get something as simple as a prescription, or maybe something as difficult as undergoing an operation, we would hope that all doctors do that which is right.

a. And so we have words we use to describe this: Ethics and morality.

b. Philosophy does not make a distinction between these two, and both are used to refer to the mindset that motivates right or wrong action.

c. I want to notice how we have made a distinction between these words.

2. Ethics – “Value of right and wrong, good and bad, that are imposed by an outside group, society, or profession.”

a. Hospitals, clinics, and health organizations all determine what is the best course of action for their staff to make sure they all line up with their ethics. – have you heard of this thing called malpractice?

3. Morals – “Value of right and wrong, good and bad, that are imposed by oneself.”

a. I have my own conscience to govern my actions.

b. Sometimes the worlds view of ethics and God view of Morality are opposed.

4. In modern medicine, many consider abortion to be an ethical practice, but in the eyes of God it is unethical, immoral, it is murder. Also today, many Doctors are offering Gender transformation surgery and prescribing hormonal inhibitors to children as young as 12yrs old.

a. This is considered ethical in the eyes of many today.

b. I don’t mean to speak bad of all doctors, there are a lot of good doctors who do their part to fulfill their oath of “Do no Harm.”

c. Patch Adams, Ben Carson, are two good doctors I know of, but we are not here to talk about good doctors, but the Great Physician.

B. Jesus had the power to do much harm…

1. Matt. 26:47-53

2. We sing that song “He could have called ten-thousand angels…”

a. More than 12 legions of angels

b. 144,000 angels

c. 1 angel in Isaiah 37:36 killed 185,000

d. Just imagine many 144,000 angels could kill.

e. And yet… I don’t read where Jesus called his angels to destroy the world.

C. But Jesus did what was most Ethically upright and morally correct.

1. That is why in Matt. 26:39 Jesus went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

II. “Do no harm” Explicit in this simple precept of medicine is the promise to provide the best of care and to promote the wellbeing of others.

A. This is done when both the practices and procedures are performed with the highest integrity and upmost ability.

1. You wouldn’t want someone new to medicine to be performing your surgery, you would want a doctor with a great deal of experience.

a. You would want the best.

b. It reminds me of that one doctor who came to his patient with bad and worse news, which do you want first?

2. Would you trust your life in the hands of someone who is not Jesus?

B. A doctors character and ability reflect the status on the hospital in which they work.

1. Jesus reflects the nature of God and especially when it comes to providing the best of care for mankind.

2. If you’ve seen me you’ve seen the father, I and the father are one.

C. “Do no harm” is also a responsibility to provide proper care, care that is necessary to avoid future harm.

1. The devastating effect of sin in our lives.

a. Isaiah 53:5, “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”

b. 1 Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

Conclusion:

A. Question I have to ask this morning is have you undergone Jesus’ life-giving operation? – Baptism

1. 1 Peter 3:21, “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”