Is There No Balm in Gilead? Is There No Physician There?

Q: What does the Bible say about the Balm of Gilead?

The Bible refers to the Balm of Gilead as a source of healing that symbolizes Christ's redemptive work for sin. The Balm of Gilead is mentioned in Jeremiah 8:22, where the prophet Jeremiah laments the spiritual sickness of God’s people, asking why they have not been healed despite the availability of this medicinal balm. This balm, literally derived from a tree in Gilead, is symbolic of the healing power found in Jesus Christ. Just as the balm of Gilead was known for its restorative properties, Jesus' sacrifice provides the ultimate healing for our brokenness due to sin. Theologically, it illustrates the doctrine of salvation that affirms Christ as the Great Physician who heals the wounds of our transgressions through His blood.

Q: How do we know that Jesus is our physician?

Jesus is our Great Physician who diagnoses our true condition of sin and offers healing through His sacrifice. In Scripture, Jesus is presented not only as a healer of physical ailments but also as the Great Physician who addresses the root cause of our spiritual maladies. In Jeremiah 8:22, when asked if there is no physician, the resounding answer is that Jesus is indeed this physician who has the authority and capability to heal our deepest wounds—those wrought by sin. Through His death and resurrection, He provides the only remedy necessary for our spiritual sickness. This idea emphasizes the total dependency of sinners on Christ, who takes our burdens and provides healing that is both immediate and eternal, hence reaffirming the doctrine of grace that finds its fulfillment in Him.

Q: Why is talking about sin important for Christians?

Talking about sin is crucial for Christians as it highlights our need for salvation and the grace of God. Addressing the subject of sin is vital for Christians as it lays the foundation for understanding our need for salvation. The Scripture begins with the account of sin in Genesis 3 and continues to illustrate its pervasive effects throughout biblical history. Sin is the source of all suffering, death, and spiritual separation from God, and it is through acknowledging our fallenness that we can experience the depth of God's grace. The awareness of sin drives us to seek the Balm of Gilead, which is ultimately found in Christ's atoning sacrifice. Understanding sin also fosters humility, reliance on God's mercy, and a greater appreciation for Christ's redemptive work on the cross, fulfilling the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith.

Q: Is there healing for every sin according to the Bible?

Yes, the Bible teaches that there is healing for every sin through the blood of Jesus Christ. The promise of healing for every sin is grounded in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, who is referred to as the Lamb of God. Scriptures such as 1 John 1:7 affirm that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin, not just some. This comprehensive atonement reveals God's grace and mercy toward humanity, extending healing to every aspect of sin—past, present, and future. Theologically, this underscores the doctrine of Penal Substitution, where Christ bore the punishment for sin on our behalf, offering not only forgiveness but also restoration to fellowship with God. Believers can thus find assurance and hope in the fullness of Christ's redemptive work.

Look. Go back to Jeremiah chapter 8
now with me. The last verse. Jeremiah asked,
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no position there? Why then, for he's saying that
there is. There is balm. There is a position.
And so he asks, why then is not the health of the daughter of
my people recovered? Jeremiah is called the weeping
prophet. In chapter 9, look at verse 1.
Oh, that my head were waters, mine eyes a fountain of tears,
that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter
of my people. All through this book, he wrote
a whole book called Lamentations. lamenting over the sad state
of his people and of himself because of sin. As did every
true prophet and apostle, every true preacher. Our Lord wept. I read again the
story of Joseph, part of it, just beginning in chapter 43
of Genesis through chapter 45. He was weeping throughout. Throughout. Every time he thought on his
brethren, he wept. It's a burden of the Word. A
burden to tell it. A burden for people to hear it.
A burden. And I think about this verse
often. I wish I thought about it more.
Psalm 126 says, He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious
seed, weepeth, shall doubtless come
again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Now, our Lord did say this. And
he was carrying his cross to Calvary. He said, weep not for
me. And he'd be glad that he was
going there. He said, but weep for yourselves
and for your children, didn't he? Scripture says, let your
laughter be turned to mourning. Better to enter the house of
sorrow than laughter. Because there's much to be sorry
about. A man born of woman is a few
days in full of trouble. History was full of trouble.
Jeremiah wept over them. Jeremiah was full of trouble. And the reason being was the
land was full of covetousness. The land was full of materialism. The land was full of idolatry. There was lots of religion, but
it hadn't healed anybody. It was full of false prophet.
How could we not look around at our society without a sense of sorrow. Look at verse 4. It says, Thus saith the Lord,
Shall they fall and not arise? Shall he turn away and not return?
Is there no turning back to God? The man says he's turned his
ears from the truth. We've got family. We've got children. We've got loved ones who don't
want to hear this. And we think, will they not turn
back? Will the Lord not turn them back?
Is that cause for weeping? Lord, don't leave them. Lord, is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?
Huh? Yes. The resounding answer is
yes, there is. Yes, there is. Verse 5, it says,
they hold my people, he's talking about his people, a perpetual
backsliding. That's me. That's the people
of God. You know, most of this is addressed
to the people of God, the daughter of the people. That's an idiom
for God's people, believers. Perpetual backsliding. Hold fast
to seek, believe lies, refuse to return. Oh, my. And on and
on it goes, talking about men professing themselves to be wise
and not ashamed of their sin. It just gets worse and worse.
And what they deal with, religion, doesn't do anybody good. They're only worse. They say,
peace, peace. You hear what's being preached
today. Look down at verse 17. It says,
I'm going to send serpents among you. They won't be charmed. Nothing
can call them off. They'll bite you, sayeth the
Lord. Does that sound familiar? It happened again. Children of
Israel back in Numbers, you know. Remember? God sent serpents,
fiery serpents among them. That bit them. And they were
all dying from it. They're all dying. Why? Sin. It was their fault. God, great mercy, grace to them. And all that He did for them. Sinned against Him. Rebelled
against Him. Over and over and over again.
God sent this serpent. And they're all dying from this
poison. Now, if we look around and don't
see the desperately wicked and evil state of things around us,
and it doesn't give us great sorrow, something's wrong with
us. If we don't weep, if it doesn't vex us like Lot, that's a bad sign. If we grow
insensitive to it and become comfortable with it, Oh boy, I don't know about those
things. And if we don't look within and see all of those things,
the propensity of all of those things, and don't sorrow over
what we see, we've got this disease. Now,
listen to, I'm going to read from Brother J.C. Philpott. Earlier I mentioned him as an
article in the Bulletin. I gravitate to him as much or
more than any other because he always deals with my problem,
and he always points me to Christ, the solution. I'm talking about
this disease, and the Lord called it being bitten by serpents,
the old serpent, Satan, who injected his poison into this world, into
mankind. And it permeated his body and
his soul. Human nature and everything in
this world is poisoned with sin. And listen to this. Scripture says
the whole head is sick, the whole heart is faint. From the sole
of the feet to the top of the head, there is no soundness in
him. Talk about mankind. Talk about
us. This is what God says about human nature. There's nothing
but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores that have not been bound
up or mollified with ointment balm. And here's what Brother Philpott
says about it. He really does get to the heart of it. He says, Every thought, every word, every
action is polluted by sin. Every mental faculty is depraved. The will chooses evil. The affections
cleave to earthly things and reject God. The memory, like
a broken sieve, retains the bad and lets fall the good. The judgment
is like a bribed or drunken man. who makes wrong decisions about
everything. The conscience is like a man
on opium. He's asleep and he's drugged. The lusts call out for fulfillment. Unbelief and infidelity murmur.
Tempers growl and mutter. Every bad passion strives for
the mastery. Oh, the evils of the human heart.
When let loose, they have filled the earth with misery, filled
hell with victims. The world brought the flood upon
the first world, burnt Sodom and Gomorrah with fire, and is
ripening the world for another total destruction." Sin. Who could not weep over that?
Now listen to this. He said, Every crime that has
made this fair, beautiful earth into a hell, Every crime that
is filled to air with groans and sighs and drenched the ground
with blood is in your heart and mine." Weep. Why do we talk so much about
sin? I admit, it's not a pleasant
subject. They said to Philpott, they said,
this is too strong a language. They said, you exaggerate things.
He said, oh, no. It can't be exaggerated. He said, sin cannot be exaggerated. If you'll look at Calvary's tree,
you'll see what it took to put away sin. Why? What God does. Sin. What God thinks of sin. That's
the only place you really get a sight of what God really thinks
about sin. Forget it. You've got to punish
it. Why do we talk so much about
sin? Why? I'll give you several reasons.
The Bible is all about it. It begins in Genesis chapter
3. From Genesis chapter 3, when
it came, the revelation, the end. It's just full of sin. The horrible consequences of
it. But interlaced is the balm. You don't need a balm. You don't
need a physician. You don't have this disease. Why do we talk so much about
sin? Why are you always dealing with sin, talking about sin?
Because it's the source of all our troubles. It's the source
of all evil and misery and sorrow and death. Death. Death. We're facing it all our lifetime,
subject to the fear of this thing called death. We all fear it. Death. Why do we have to die?
By one man's sin. Disobedience. Sin entered the
world. Death by sin. In Adam, all die. Isn't Obama and Gilead that?
In Christ, all made of Adam. Why do we deal so much with sin?
Why do we talk so much about sin? Because it's the first step
in salvation. If somebody's going to be saved,
the first thing they're going to know is what to save from.
And I'm here to tell you, it's the last step, too. If you find
out anything about your own sinfulness that you need saving, what you're
going to find out is you need saving from sin. Yourself. You
need saving from yourself. Not original sin. Personal sin. Saving from yourself. This old
man within. And you'll deal, if you find
out, if you ever find out, the rest of your days are going to
be spent battling this fellow until the day you die. And that's
what Paul said in Romans 7, who's going to deliver me from this
body of death? Is there no balm in Gilead? Yes,
there is. There really is. Have a great
position there. Then why aren't they healed?
Why do we deal so much with sin? Why do we deal with it? Because
it's why Christ came. Call His name Jesus. He shall
save His people from their sins. That's why. That's why Christ
came. In every congregation, there
are the very young, the very young and the very old and some
in between. In every congregation, the majority
of those are those in between. And I speak this from some experience. I've been young. I'm not old.
But I have been young. The very young, the very young
believer is full of faith and full of courage and full of vim
and vigor and got all the answers, and he really doesn't struggle
with sin too much. A very young, new believer. I
remember. I remember calling a friend of
mine and saying, I read some old writer that Brother gave,
and he just blessed me so much. And I thought, I found it. This is a secret. And I told
this fellow, I'm not going to struggle anymore with this or
that. I know now. Oh man, he kind of laughed at
me. He's an older man. He said, yeah, we'll see. You see, God in His mercy and
grace doesn't let a young believer be bombarded too much or he'll
quit real early on. It makes them full of faith and
courage. In fact, they're full of self-righteousness.
They look at these older ones and say, you've got a problem
with that? I'm over that. You just wait. It ain't over yet. How could she act like that?
How could they do that? You will. And then the very old. They want
to hear mostly about going home. I don't blame them. You know, in every message there's
something of that, isn't it? Going home. That's what the gospel
leads to. It always does. We're going home.
It's going to be over. Good news. But they're like David. They're very old. When David
was 70 years old, that's the definition of old, John, 70.
It says, the Lord had given him
rest round about from all his enemies. Thank God! Is there
ever going to be a time when I don't have to I mean, from
the moment I wake up to the minute I go to sleep and I have to wrestle
with this struggle, with these temptations, these trials. Well,
there seems to be some cessation of that in God's mercy and grace,
some peace to mark the end of that man, the end of his life
is going to be some rest from all of that. Thank God! I'm looking
forward to that. Not completely and totally mindfully,
but some of it. Thank God that the passions aren't
what they used to be. But now the rest of them, that's all they deal with. Do
you remember? Day in and day out. So why do we deal with it? Because
the rest of us, that's about all we struggle with. Anybody? David was about 45. My loins are filled with loathsome
disease." Isaiah was about 50. He said,
I'm a man of unclean lips. Daniel was about 40 and he said,
my cumbleness melted into corruption. John was about 50 or 60 and he
said, I hate myself. Paul was about 50 and he said,
oh wretched man that I am. And I've got good news for you,
though. Those who struggled that, those who know something of that,
and this is the goodness of God that leads a man to that. It's
the goodness of God. It's the great mercy of God for
you to find out you're a sinner. Great mercy. It's the only gospel
for sinners. You say that all the time, don't
you? Well, it's so. The Holy Spirit makes a person feel their
sin, and buddy, He doesn't leave them there. Is there no balm
in Gilead? Yes, there is. Yes, there is. But it's only
for those who know that they've got this disease. This position
is only for those who can't help themselves, cure themselves. The Balm of Gilead, what was
it? Actually, literally, this Balm of Gilead, Gilead was a
region east of Jordan, the Jordan River. There was nothing special
about it. In fact, Hosea called it a very
sinful place, iniquity, polluted. with blood. That's what Hosea
said about Gilead. But it was known for a tree,
a tree that gave off this gum or this rosin or resin, and this
special ointment or balm was made from that resin, from this
tree that only grew there. And it had great, God gave it,
great healing quality. It was very rare. It was no place
else to find. to be found. The precious ointment,
not to be found everywhere, rare ointment, it was there and it
would heal all manner of diseases. Now, what do you reckon that
bomb would be like? That tree? There would be a man, like a
tree, planted. And out of him shall be the precious
balm of Gilead." It is the blood. of Jesus Christ, God's Son, that
cleanses us from all our sin. It is the precious blood of the
Lamb, as without spot and blemish, that cleanses us from all sin. It is the blood that maketh atonement,
not any blood, not lambs and bulls and goats, but the blood
of God's Son that maketh atonement for the soul. It is through the
blood that we have redemption, even the forgiveness of sins. It is the blood. I want you to
look at that verse again with me. 1 John 1. If you don't know
it by heart, then know where it is, okay? For your own health. 1 John 1. I went back and looked
at it again with my own two eyes and was greatly blessed. 1 John
1. You have it? 1 John 1, verse 7. It says, if
we walk in the light, what's the light? I told you a long time ago, if
I ask you a question, you just need to give me one answer. Okay? Christ said, I am the light,
didn't He? If we walk in the light, that
is, by faith and cry as He is in the light, we have fellowship
one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, look
at it, cleanseth us from all All sin. Not some sins, not many sins,
not a thousand sins, not a million sins. All sins. Not past sins, not just present
sins, but future sins. All sins. Sins against God. Sins against His law. Sins against
His grace. Sins against His love. Sins against
every sin. Every thought. Every word. Every deed. Middle sin? No such thing. Worst sin? All sin. What is it? The blood
of Jesus Christ. Why was Christ crucified on Calvary's
tree? He was made to be sin. It is the blood. It is the blood. Christ's blood is the balm, and
Christ Himself is the great physician. Nothing. What can wash away my
sins? Nothing but the blood of the
Lord Jesus. What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ. Oh, precious is the flow
that washed me white as snow. No other fount I know, because
there is none. There is a fountain open for
all sin and uncleanliness, Nothing but the blood. All sand. Did
you read that with me? All sand. The reason we're not
shouting right now at the top of our lungs is because we don't
feel the depths of the disease. It really is a good thing to
be brought luck. This is the only place you can look up. Can you hear the cries of all
those people bitten by the serpent? When they looked, and all of
a sudden they looked and their flesh was made new. You'd think they'd never forget
it. Huh? Oh, they did. Perpetual backsliding. He's going to bring us down.
I'm going to show us that here in a moment. All sin. Christ,
His blood is the balm. Christ Himself is the Great Physician. Is there no balm in Gilead? Yes,
there is. Precious balm. It's the only
balm. It's the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That rare and precious thing that washes us from all
manner of sin. All manner of sin. You say, but
I feel like I've sinned against the Holy Spirit. If you fear that, you can be
absolutely certain that you have not committed it. You can be absolutely certain
that you have not committed that. You hear me? Those who have,
don't care. Alright, our Lord Himself is
not only that balm, but He's the great physician. It says in our text, is there
no physician there? Is there no physician? Yes, there
is. A great physician. You know,
if you're really ill, really, really deathly ill, you need
a specialist. You need someone who knows the
disease, don't you? The ins and the outs. What if
your head's sick? Well, you go to a head doctor,
I guess. What if your heart's sick? Well, you go to a heart
doctor. What if your feet are diseased? You go to a foot doctor,
don't you? What if your mouth has got a problem? You go to
a dentist, don't you? What if you've got all those
troubles? You go to one person. The Lord Jesus Christ. Great
physician. He knows disease. He encompassed
himself with our infirmity. And like a great physician, he
exposes it. That's the first thing he's going
to do. He's not going to mask it over. He's not going to say,
peace, peace, when there is no peace. He's not going to heal
the hurt of the daughter of Zion slightly. He's not going to tell
you, well, here's a drug. You're feeling bad. This will
make you feel better. He's going to say, no, you're
dying. Have you ever gone to a doctor, and he starts examining
you, and you've got a problem, and you don't have to tell him.
He finds it. You ever done that? He finds it. Oh! He says, is
that it? Oh, yes! And he keeps pressing
it. Oh! He finds out the problem. He causes us to know the problem
like the woman at the well. A woman at the well, she was
fine. Fine. Been through five marriages and
living with a fellow. She's religious, though. And
the Lord came to her, and the first thing He did was expose
her problem. He said, You've been married
five times. You're now living with a fellow. Oh. And He said, You've been coming
to this well to find water, and you're not going to find anything
here. He's going to keep coming to this well and not find he
created a first. He created a problem. It's her. Created a first. She said, but
I believe this. He said, you don't know what
you believe. He tore down her religion. He said, now. Now. And then he revealed himself
to her. He revealed himself. He causes pain. He causes discomfort. He doesn't treat the symptoms,
he treats the disease. Disease. And you won't need this
gospel unless you're desperate. You won't need sovereign grace
unless you help them. You won't need a sovereign Lord
to save you unless you're hopeless and helpless. You won't need
this Savior unless you're a bona fide sinner. And that's a fact. Why do we talk about it so much? You come to this great position,
and this great position is one who has love for the sick and
the afflicted. This cause came here into the
world. This man received sinners. This is one who takes every patient
that applies, and he takes them for free, without money, without
price. Great cost to him, great cost
to him, but no cost to them. No cost. I was going to show
you again the story of the Good Samaritan. I'll read to you anyway.
Our Lord told the story of this man who went down from Jerusalem
to Jericho. Boy, he fell, didn't he? From
Jerusalem, the city of God, to Jericho, the cursed city. This
fellow. That's us. That's man. Fell terribly. Fell among thieves. And it says
they stripped him of his raiment. wounded him and departed and
left him half dead. A man died in the garden. He died
spiritually. He didn't die physically, did
he? And by chance, it says, there
came a priest that way and he saw him. The priest, we couldn't
do anything for him, so he went on. Passed by. And then there
came a Levite, the law, a fellow under the law, and it says he
came to him. He looked on him and said he couldn't do anything.
He passed by. And here came a Samaritan. Jude, half-breed. That's the Lord Jesus Christ,
God and man. Here came a Samaritan, a good
Samaritan. It says he came where he was,
down in the gutter. Came where he was. When he saw
him, it says he had compassion on him. Looked with compassion. He touched with his feelings
and says, he went to him. This man can't come to him. The
Samaritan went to him. It says, when he found him, he
bound up his wounds and poured him balm, oil and wine. set him on his beast, the man
can't walk, he's wounded, set him on his own beast, brought
him to an inn, that's a church, took him there, took care of
him all the way, left him in the charge of this innkeeper,
and the day he left he said, now you take care of him, and
here's money, if you need anything, pay for it. That's this great position. He
says, when I come again, I'll repay you. He'd take care of
my wounded fellow. Well, I enjoyed that. Here's the question. Jeremiah
8. Listen to me. Why then is not
the health of the daughter of my people recovered? If there's balm for every sin,
if there's a physician that receives every sinner, Why is there no
peace? Why is there no joy? Why is there
no comfort? Why is there no praise? Huh? Why? Why? Why this downcast? Why? That's
what he's asking. He answered the question. Is
there no balm? Yes. Is there no physician? Yes. Then
why is there no health? Why is there no peace? Why is
there no comfort? Why? Anybody want to know? I did, because I often get down,
a lot. All right? Philpott gave three
things, and I'll add something else. Three reasons. Number one, he said, I haven't
sunk deep enough. I must not be incurable yet. And he brought out this. He said,
in many people still lurks a little bit of self-righteousness. They
still think there's something I must do. There's something
I must do. If I could just quit this, or
do this, or do that, or have more repentance, or have more
faith. If I can be guilty long enough. That's not faith. That's looking to you. You keep
looking in and that's all you're ever going to find. When it gets incurable, when
you find, in my hands, no price I bring, where are you going
to live? One day. It's gone. Then there's peace. It's so. I know this from experience.
Every time I begin to look at myself, I get in absolute despair. My guilt, my sin is ever before
me. But when I see the blood before
the Lord, my guilt is gone. Gone away. I tell you, I've got
something good here for somebody. Somebody. Anybody. Bomb. And
I didn't say it, the great physician did. He said it. Don't take my
word for it, but you better take his word for it. Here's another thing. He says
that it's not time yet. Another thing, he said, why is
it not healed yet? He said, well, it must not be
incurable. There's something else there,
you know, they're looking in, and it's not time yet. And he quoted this scripture,
the vision is for an appointed time. What vision? What vision? The Lord gives us visions? No.
We might see the sun. Everyone that sees the sun and
believes in him. The vision is for an appointed
time, in the fullness of time. At the end it shall speak and
not lie. It, he, Christ, crucified the
gospel. Though it tarry, wait for it. It will surely come. And not
Terry. Abraham waited 25 years for a
son. Joseph was two years in prison
waiting for deliverance. David, seven years to sit on
the throne. But did they? Yes, they did. According to promise. There's
another thing Brother Phil brought out. He said, there are hindrances. Oh my, this will cut you. There
are hindrances. There's still a lot of pride
there. There's still a lot of covetousness there. That gets
in the way. He said, it will be exposed.
If you're one of God's people, He will bring you down. He will
bring you down. Why? To make you look up. You're
not looking to Christ when you're full of pride. You're not looking
to Christ when you're full of covetousness. He said, there's
still playing with serpents. My, my. It's a deadly thing. He said, there's still darling
sins and lusts. He said, there's still sucking
some sweetness out of backsliding. That man hits her right on the
head, doesn't he? Right on the head. He said, but
if they're one of God's own, He'll bring them out of it. Yes, He will. If the child of
God, He'll bring them out. And here's my addition to all
that, okay? The chief reason why there's
no health, why is the daughter of my people not recovered? The
chief reason is unbelief. We're still looking, and it goes
along with Brother Philpott, we're still looking at ourselves.
How bad we are. How unfaithful we are. How sinful
we are. How guilty we are. We've made
no progress. We've got no fruit. If anything,
we're not better, we're worse. And it drives us to despair.
What's the problem with that? You're not looking to Christ.
Faith. What is faith? Faith is believing
Him. I wish I could get a hold of that.
Faith is trusting Him, not me. Don't trust yourself. Don't ever
believe in yourself. But always trust Him. Always
trust Him. Always believe Him, His mercy.
You can hope in His mercy. Why? Because that's what He is. He says, My mercy is higher than
the heavens. His love, trust in His love. Greater love hath
no man than this. Do you love your children? Do
you love your children? My two grandchildren, they're
my children. They came in this morning and my heart went out
to them. Would you give your life for
Him? In a minute! Our Lord said, get a hold of
this! Our Lord said, greater love hath
no man than this. Jesus Christ is love. He came for the great love wherewith
He loved His people. They're His children, so I don't
think I'm one of His children. Who'd He come for? Tell me who
his children were. God said in Psalm 2, ask me,
I'll give you the heathen. Who are they? Look, Mary Magdalene. Look! Look at her. Don't look to her.
What if she kept thinking about her past? What if she kept thinking
about herself? Huh? She's struggling with those
things all her life. She's going to. She was a harlot.
What's she going to do? Look to Him. Look to Christ. I'm hollering, but somebody get
a hold of this. Don't look at yourself. You see that man? He loved sinners. He came to
die for sinners. I'm talking to myself. He came
to die for sinners. His love is perfect. His mercy. What is mercy? What is mercy? What is mercy? It's for the undeserving. I don't deserve it. Then it's
for me. He said it's higher than the
heavens. Are you merciful to your children?
Even more. Get a hold of this, would you?
Look to Him. Grace is His grace. Will He keep
being gracious? It's sufficient. There's a great
cloud of witnesses. All of them sinners of the worst
kind to testify that there's balm in Gilead. There's a great
physician there. Just look to Him. Don't ever take your eyes off
of it. I'm going to give you one last illustration. You know,
somebody will say, this is how ridiculous our fears are. We say, but I'm too sinful. Has
anybody ever gone to the cancer ward and say, I can't come in
here, I've got too much cancer? Ever been turned away? No, you've
not come here. You've got awful cases of cancer.
You can't come in here. Silly, isn't it? That's no excuse. We've made that up. We must like
wallowing in our misery. My, my. It won't be incurable. You go to the only source and
you'll find balm. Yes, you will. The greatest illustration
of faith, we're talking about faith, looking to Christ, His
blood, looking to Christ, hoping in His mercy, hoping in His grace,
hoping in His love, hoping in His salvation. The greatest illustration
of that was the final illustration that our Lord gave right upon
this earth. The very last man that He saved,
the very worst man that ever lived, was a thief on a cross. That man did not, could not look
back in his past and find one good thing that he had ever done
to commend him to God. Not one. You know, we often look back
and say, well, you know, I haven't been that bad. I did that. Well,
I tried that. He didn't. He couldn't find one
thing. And even hanging on the cross,
dying, getting what he deserved, he looked over and cursed the
Son of God. Oh, my. That's your only hope, man. You're
going to reject Him now? You're at the point of death.
He did. He did. Rejected Him. Cast the same in His people. I'm going to tell you how merciful
our Lord is. I'll tell you how He delights
to show mercy. He doesn't have to. He gives
it to whom He will. There were two fellows doing
the same thing. They both deserved it. But God, who is rich in mercy. The very fellow that was cussing
him. The most worthless fellow to ever live. Not one good thing
in him. The Lord turned to him and with
a look, What'd it do? What'd it do? Smote him. Oh. He said, I'm dying and I'm deserving. And he's a holy man. And he's
a Lord of glory. And I've got one hope. I've got
one dying hope. I'm going to hope in His mercy.
And I'm going to call on Him. And He says, Lord, Would you
just remember me when you come into your kingdom? And with a
look, he said, Today, shalt thou be with me in paradise. And then the Lord, a few minutes
later, died. And he didn't hear another word.
The thief didn't hear another word. All he had to go on. All he had to go on was one word. That's all he had. One promise. His whole life depended
on what that man said to him. Does he have a good hope? Does
he have a good hope? That's all my hope. The day I die, I'm going to say,
Lord, I hope I may forget his name. What's my hope? That he
remembers me. Can he forget? He said, your father and your
mother may, but I can't. I've got your engraving on the
palm of my hand. Why is your health not healed?
It ought to be for 30 minutes. As you leave this place, have joy and be. Is there no
balm of Gilead? Yes, there is. It will cure every
ill. Is there no physician there?
He's the only one. He's the greatest. He's full
of love. He takes every case and He heals everyone that has
been healed. Everyone. Well then, look to
Him. That's good advice. Look to Him.
And be ye healed. Alright, Brother Gabe. I've heard of him in the 400s.

Is There No Balm in Gilead? Is There No Physician There?

What does the Bible say about the Balm of Gilead?

How do we know that Jesus is our physician?

Why is talking about sin important for Christians?

Is there healing for every sin according to the Bible?

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Is There No Balm in Gilead? Is There No Physician There?

What does the Bible say about the Balm of Gilead?

How do we know that Jesus is our physician?

Why is talking about sin important for Christians?

Is there healing for every sin according to the Bible?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

Comments

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