Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. But there are few things that
are more repulsive than a festering and oozing sore that does not
respond to treatment. Yet this is an exact illustration
of the innate sin nature of all men, out of which all man's troubles,
self-centered attitudes, and wicked actions stem. All men,
without exception, inherit this mortifying disease, and there
is no remedy that a man can find or devise to actually cure it.
This is a malady which causes pain in all men. Yet its true
insidious and incurable nature goes undetected by the vast multitude
of men. Most are content to modify its
effects and treat its external symptoms by various means that
are handed down from generation to generation. There are many
physicians of no value who would apply various salves and ointments,
and no shortage of those who are satisfied with these poultices,
which heal slightly but do not treat the disease itself. Neither
these physicians nor their patients understand or believe that this
disease is as crippling and deadly as it actually is. Just as the
woman with the issue of blood had spent all of her money on
physicians who could not heal her disease, so too will men
seek out various remedies and healings for their problems when
they have no idea what their problem actually is. These healers
include Dr. Self-Righteousness. He is the
oldest physician on record and has produced many other doctors
of dubious distinction, which ply their remedies to the unsuspecting
patients. Adam made his acquaintance in
the Garden of Eden. He is the physician of record
at the birth of all of Adam's posterity. Many will deny any
connection to him, yet an examination of the birth certificate always
confirms his presence at their birth, and their denials only
serve to prove that fact. Then we have Dr. Religion. He
is the oldest son of Dr. Self-Righteousness. He prescribed
a fine sacrifice for Cain, which was to be offered with the proper
fanfare. It was this doctor's prescription which caused Cain's
anger at the rejection of his sacrifice and also the subsequent
murder of his own brother. Dr. Religion practices in all
countries and does the most damage when he is closest to speaking
the truth. And then we have Dr. Freewill. He is the brother of
Dr. Religion and practices in the
same building. In fact, most of Dr. Religion's
patients visit him regularly because they simply adore Dr.
Freewill. Dr. Freewill is so loved by his patients
that they will defend him to the end and will often seek to
destroy those who speak ill of him. His prescriptions are cherished
by Dr. Religion's patients. And then
we say Dr. Law. Just adjacent to Dr. Religion's
office, and clearly able to be seen from Dr. Freewill's window,
can be found the medical suites of Dr. Law. He is a physician
of great note, but was never trained to heal or help men with
an oozing sore, and really only ever stirs up more corruption.
Yet there are many who, having spent much time in Dr. Religion's
care, feel certain that Dr. Law can offer a remedy for their
problems. Dr. Self-Righteousness always sends
his patients to Dr. Law, and many of them report
that they are helped by taking a dose of medicine from both
men. And then we have Dr. Self-Help. He is one of the younger
doctors, but he has an enormous following. His offices are also
very close to Dr. Religions, and they often collaborate
with one another in dispensing their medications. Dr. Self-Help
has written several books on positive thinking, the keys to
happiness, and numerous other how-to books. He is the biggest
supporter of Dr. Freewell's therapies and would
actually go out of business if Dr. Freewell quit administering
his potions. He often dispenses smiley pills
and assures his patients that God is only interested in making
them happy. His most common advice is to ignore the oozing wound
and focus on positive thoughts, assuring them to simply exercise
faith and then all of their problems will be solved. He usually tells
men that they wouldn't even have an oozing sore if they just loved
themselves more. Make-believe is his most potent
medicine, especially when mixed with Dr. Self-Righteousness's
prescriptions. Sin is not simply found in the
bad things that men do, but is the very root because of their
love for any way which is not perfectly righteous before God.
David understood that he had not simply broken the commandments
of God, but that his very heart was in enmity with God and was
a sore which continually ran. Paul expresses the hopelessness
of his ability to solve his problem and to declare the only remedy
for this running sore. Oh, wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through
Jesus Christ, our Lord. This running soil must be excised
and drained of its corruption, which will occur in the day of
the resurrection when this corruptible flesh shall put on immortality
according to the power of life given to every one of the elect
sons of God. O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and
the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. If you would like
a free transcript of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.