Is There a Cure?

A Medicine for This and a Medicine for That

I have a routine that almost every morning I go through the headlines of the news to see what is happening. As I scroll down, I will always get to articles that claim to offer amazing health results if I do just these 4 exercises, or drink this natural supplement, or apply this amazing cream.

· Cardiologist reveals how older men can flatten their stomach quickly

· Fitness expert reveals 6 pillars of strength training that older adults should master

· Protein boosters and superbug scares, plus a trending military workout

I’ll be stronger, thinner, younger, and, well, just healthier. All I need to do is buy their product or adopt their plan!

We Are in Desperate Need of Relief

In all seriousness, we look around, feel the anxiety and uncertainty within and realize that we need relief. But the relief that we need goes far beyond the promises of the pharmaceutical industry…we need Someone. Someone who can heal us from our hurts, our fears, even ourselves.

There is a Cure!

Let’s begin in the OT with a prophet named Jeremiah. He asks a strange question…

Jeremiah 8:22 NIV

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?

Balm not bomb – let the record show! Let’s take a quick historical and archaeological trek to see what Jeremiah is talking about.

Substance of uncertain identification and one of several resins used in the Near East for medicinal purposes. It did not grow in Gilead, however, but may have received its name from being exported to Egypt and Phoenicia from Gilead (Gn 37:25; Ez 27:17). The substance supposedly had astringent [substance that tightens body tissues, often used in skincare to control excess oil and minimize pores, but also found in products like antiperspirants], antiseptic, and other therapeutic qualities.[1]

Although balm is associated with Gilead, there is no evidence for a balm-producing tree or shrub ever having grown there, although the boundaries of Gilead were never well defined. There are two possibilities: either the reference is to something other than balm (see comment on 46:11), or Gilead was the importer of balm rather than the producer of it. The King’s Highway, the main trade route in the region, passed through Gilead, and balm was a primary commodity of trade. Spice caravans from the east followed that route, and no doubt balm was traded there (see Gen 37:25). Balm was probably the resin of the storax tree, obtained by an incision on the bark of the tree. It was believed to have had medicinal qualities. Josephus claimed that En-Gedi near the Dead Sea was a major center for the cultivation of perfume-producing plants (including balm), a fact confirmed by archaeologists, who have discovered at Tel Goren at En-Gedi on the west shore of the Dead Sea something that appears to be a balm installation.[2]

Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet because of the timing of his life. Israel and Judah were crumbling and the exile to Babylon was beginning. The people were broken…so was he. In the middle of all of that he asks the rhetorical questions, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?”

The senseless assassination of Charlie Kirk has shaken our nation. Kirk was an eloquent defender of Christian beliefs and values. He was brilliant, self-taught, courteous yet courageous, self-controlled but strong. His assassination has made us ask many questions. Will evil overcome? Has our world become too corrupt to bear? Is my voice threatened as well?

It makes me think about the same thing that Jeremiah wondered. Is there a cure? Is there hope? Is there healing for me.... for you...for this nation…for the world? The answer is YES!

Jesus is the Cure

I would love to work our way through the congregation this morning and respond to this question, “How has Jesus been your cure?” I believe that we would learn a lot about one another and a lot about Jesus. A week ago Cindy and I were ministering to veteran couples at Eagle Summit Ranch, and we were participating in an exercise. Each one of us were asked to say something positive about our spouses. Cindy’s response was that I was “home”. I was blessed to hear that. I received that she felt comfortable, secure, and loved.

I will borrow from Cindy and say that Jesus is ‘home’ for me. He provides my comfort, security, and I know that I am loved. He is where I go when times are hard. He is also my peace and strength. I’ve always liked Ravi Zacharias’ explanation that in Christ we can understand our origins, meaning, morality and our destiny. He is my home, and I hope that He is yours as well.

Do you recall these men and women in the New Testament?

· Peter (the fisherman) – Impulsive and fearful, even denying Jesus, yet transformed into a bold leader who preached at Pentecost and helped establish the early church.

· Mary Magdalene – Once bound by seven demons, she found freedom in Christ and became the first witness of His resurrection.

· Zacchaeus (the tax collector) – A greedy man despised by his community, yet after meeting Jesus he gave away half his wealth and made restitution to the poor.

· Paul (Saul of Tarsus) – A fierce persecutor of Christians, his encounter with the risen Christ turned him into the greatest missionaryof the church.

· The Samaritan Woman at the Well – Shunnedby her village, she encountered Jesus and became a bold witness, bringing her whole community to hear Him.

· Thomas (the doubter) – Known for skepticism, but after seeing the risen Jesus, confessed Him as “My Lord and my God.”

· The Roman Centurion at the Cross – A hardened soldier, moved by Jesus’ death to declare, “Surely this man was the Son of God.”

· The paralyzed, the blind, the mute, even the dead -

We don’t have the record for what every one of these people did after they found their cure in Jesus. We do know that some of them served Jesus passionately for the rest of their lives and some, like Peter and Thomas, gave their lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Because it is missions’ month let me shine a light on some of the missionaries that we support.  It is not because it is an easy life, but because missionaries know that the only cure for this world is Jesus that fathers and mothers take their families to:

Alaska…Egypt…Iraq…Israel…Nations within the Live Dead missions’ project

It is because God has birthed within the hearts of godly men and women that they go into populations like:

College football programs, liberal college campuses, exploited and trafficked women, the poor and needy in our own communities, veterans suffering from PTSD and battle wounds.

I didn’t make up this list, these are some of the missionaries that you and I support as a church. They have a wound, but we have a cure. What Jeremiah called the balm of Gilead is the grace of God through Jesus Christ….and it is our business!

Apply the Ointment Today

Some of you are probably humming the melody of an old hymn, There is a Balm in Gilead. Its lyrics go like this:

Chorus:

There is a balm in Gilead,

To make the wounded whole;

There is a balm in Gilead,

To heal the sin-sick soul.

Sometimes I feel discouraged,

And think my work’s in vain,

But then the Holy Spirit

Revives my soul again.

(Chorus)

If you cannot preach like Peter,

If you cannot pray like Paul,

You can tell the love of Jesus,

And say He died for all.

(Chorus)

Don't ever feel discouraged,

'Cause Jesus is your friend,

And if you lack for knowledge,

He'll not refuse to lend.

The “Prince of Preachers” said this about Jeremiah 8:22:

it was not for want of balm and a physician, but because they would not admit the application nor submit to the methods of cure. The physician and physic were both ready, but the patient was wilful and irregular, would not be tied to rules, but must be humoured. Note, If sinners die of their wounds, their blood is upon their own heads. The blood of Christ is balm in Gilead, his Spirit is the physician there, both sufficient, all-sufficient, so that they might have been healed, but would not.[3]

It is true for us today as well. There is a cure…He is ready…. He is available…He just needs to be asked.

There is positive news today.  According to Lifeway Research there are 8 areas for encouragement:

8 Areas for Encouragement

1.  Christianity (the cure) is growing faster than the rate of population around the world.

2. Pentecostals are among several of the Christian groups that are growing fastest.

3. Africa and Asia are experiencing rapid growth

4. Christianity is spreading globally.

In 1900 95% of the world’s population lived in Christian countries. Currently 49% live in traditionally non-Christian countries.

5. Atheism is shrinking (current growth rate of -0.12%)

6. More churches are being planted and missionaries sent out than ever before.

7. Fewer people are without access to the Gospel.

 In 1900 54% of the world had access to the Gospel. In 2000 it fell to 30%. In 1900 only 227 languages had NT translations. In 2000 it rose to 2,400.

8. More money is being given to Christian causes. In 2024 it was expected to be $1.3 trillion dollars.

There is a balm in Gilead!

We Don’t Need to Be Sick

Jeremiah was overwhelmed by the fact that they had a cure for their problems. He used the Balm of Gilead to remind them of the power and goodness of God. Today by the Grace of God we have the good news of the Gospel – through faith in Jesus Christ we are saved. Our sins are forgiven and we have eternal life.

This is the message that we are able to share…ourselves and through the lives of missionaries across the world.

This past week I received a request from a world missionary for increased giving. Due to increased costs he and his family were facing having to come off the mission field to raise more money. He is not alone; others are facing the same need.

Next week Virgil Rodriquez will share his heart for the Hispanic populations in the US. Matt Powell and his family will share his heart for North Africa. They carry with them the Balm of Gilead.

South Texas Network supports 66 world and US missionaries. There are many more preparing to be commissioned as fully appointed missionaries. We have the privilege of sharing in the work of supporting them.

In front of you are Faith Pledges. This is an opportunity for you to help these missionaries administer the cure to a sick world. There is no reason in my mind for you to do nothing. At a minimum make a commitment to pray…and then pray! A $5 commitment is the cost of 2 cokes at the local gas station.

Let’s close with this:

If you cannot preach like Peter,

If you cannot pray like Paul,

You can tell the love of Jesus, (or be a supporter of missions!)

And say He died for all.

There is a balm in Gilead,

To make the wounded whole;

There is a balm in Gilead,

To heal the sin-sick soul.

[1]Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Gilead, Balm Of,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 866.

[2]Victor Harold Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, electronic ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), Je 8:22.

[3]Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 1241.