church

INI
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
February 7, 2010
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

WHAT'S YOUR DIAGNOSIS?
Mark 2:13-17

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has
made us kings and priests to God and His Father, to Him be glory and
dominion forever and ever, Amen. Our text for today comes from the Gospel of
Mark, chapter two, beginning with the thirteenth verse, as follows [KJV]:

And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto
him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus
sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose
and followed him. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house,
many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for
there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees
saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it
that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he
saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they
that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. These
are the Words.

In Christ Jesus, who heals all our diseases, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

I was reading the newspaper some ago when I noticed an interesting ad. It was
an ad from a nearby clinic, telling the days that certain specialists would be
visiting. The "visiting specialist" system makes a lot of sense - especially, say
for the inner city clinics. Doctors who are skilled at treating certain diseases can
come in one day a week, or one day a month, and help the people who need
their specific skills. There are some drawbacks, though. For one thing, you have
to be there when the doctor's available. Also, you have to have a correct
diagnosis beforehand; obviously, if you don't know you're sick, all the medical
skills in the world won't help you.

We happen to have a visiting specialist with us here in church this morning.
He's the same Doctor who once passed through the little town of Capernaum
on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. On that day, a terribly sick man named Levi
took advantage of His visit and found a cure for his disease. The disease was
sin, and the doctor was Jesus Christ, also known as The Great Physician. Today
- right now - that same Doctor is available to you for consultation. Can He help
you? Well, that depends. It depends on how you answer the question that is our
theme for today --

WHAT'S YOUR DIAGNOSIS? Because you see…
I. You can be too "healthy" for the Great Physician,
II. But you can never be too sick!

There are popular doctors and there are unpopular doctors. Some get a bad
reputation and, consequently, fewer patients. Others gradually build a good
reputation and find themselves with all the patients they can handle. Our
family’s had both kinds, and you probably have, too. Well, if you judge by
popularity, Jesus was a very good "Doctor" indeed. Patients literally flocked to
see Him! Our text says, "Then Jesus went out again by the sea; and all the
multitude came to Him, and He taught them." One of those who followed Jesus
that day was a tax collector named Levi, also called Matthew. We can picture
the peaceful scene that day on the edge of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus speaking the
word of life to his breathless audience while the gentle waves lapped at the
shore. Can you imagine? What a Bible class that must have been!

Later, Jesus sat down to dinner at the home of His newest disciple, Matthew.
Others were there: His disciples, and also many of the common people who had
been attracted to His teaching. These were folks whom the religious leaders of
Israel despised, mostly because they didn't keep all the minor rules and
regulations that Jewish law and tradition required. The Pharisees simply referred
to them as "sinners". And, as you might expect, the Pharisees got their noses
out of joint a little when they saw Jesus associating with these "sinners". When
the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto
his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

Actually, the Pharisees were correct in their diagnosis - these people really were
sinners. But they were mistaken about themselves. They considered themselves
above the common people, and they would have been oh, so offended if anyone
had had the nerve to call them sinners! But Jesus had an answer ready for them.
He said, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are
sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Some medical conditions are worse than others. HIV/AIDS, as you know, is a
frightening disease that for a generation now has afflicted our country.
World-wide, the disease has already claimed the lives of millions of people.
Even more frightening, though, experts tell us that there are many millions more
- particularly in sub-Saharan Africa - who are infected with the disease and
simply don't know it yet! Naturally, they won't go see a doctor as long as they
think they're healthy. And that of course is how the disease continues to spread.
The Pharisees were in a similar situation. They were infected with the same
disease of sin as the people seated around that table with Jesus. Only they
didn't know it. They had incorrectly diagnosed themselves as spiritually
"healthy." They considered themselves righteous, without sin, and therefore in
no need of a Savior from sin. They were standing in the presence of the very
Son of God, but Jesus couldn't do them any good as long as they refused to
confront their own sin.

WHAT'S YOUR DIAGNOSIS? Are you too "healthy" for the Great
Physician? Are you having trouble recognizing the sin in your life, and the need
for a Savior? What about those among us who frequently skip worship services
on Sunday, who miss the Lord's Supper for months at a time? Do they consider
themselves "healthy" enough the way they are, with no need of the Word and
Sacrament? What about those among us who occasionally overindulge in
alcohol? Which of course just a euphemism for drunkenness, which is a
besetting sins that can rob you of your very salvation. What about your
marriage? The Bible says, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the
church.” Have you husbands at all times shown the same self-sacrificing love
and consideration toward your wife as Jesus does toward His believers? If not,
why not? What’s your excuse? There is no excuse! The Bible says, “Wives,
submit yourselves unto your husbands, as unto the Lord.” Have you wives
always willingly submitted yourselves to the authority of your husband, whom
God has placed as the head of your family? If not, why not? What’s your
excuse? There is no excuse! Do you allow yourself to take God’s holy name in
vain, and think it a minor matter? It’s not minor! The Lord says, “I will not hold
him guiltless who taketh My name in vain.”. Do you have some other pet sin?
Some sinful activity that you are currently involved in that you know is wrong,
but you’re unwilling to give up? Perhaps you think you can you get by without
repenting of that sin. Maybe you think you're "healthy" enough the way you are!

NO! Let's you and I not make the mistake the Pharisees made. God forbid that
we should ever turn away our Great Physician by thinking we're too 'healthy' to
need Him. Our corrupt and sinful nature still clings to us, and we need Jesus'
forgiveness for every part of our life! If you don't think that's true, Martin
Luther once said, then you need to put your hand into your shirt and see if
you're still made of flesh and blood. If you are, then go to Paul's letter to the
Galatians and hear what sort of stuff comes from your sinful flesh: "The works
of the flesh are obvious:" Paul says, "sexual immorality, impurity and
debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hated, discord, jealously, fits of rage,
selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the
like." --Gal 5:19 NIV.

Be extremely careful in diagnosing yourself, because you can be too "healthy"
for the Great Physician. At least think you are. But if you've listened to this
sermon so far and come to a correct diagnosis - if you've realized exactly how
sick with sin you really are - then I've got good news for you. You can never be
too sick for the Great Physician. There is no sin too great for Jesus to forgive!

To prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt, God gives us the wonderful
example of Matthew, the tax collector. In our country, nobody feels any
particular affection for the IRS, especially now as we approach tax time. But if
you came across an IRS employing walking down the street, you probably
wouldn’t spit on him and cross to the other side. They would in ancient Israel!
Being a tax collector for the Romans in those days was a whole different thing.
A publican betrayed the Jewish nation by collaborating with the Romans, and
he earned his salary by collecting more money than the Romans demanded. A
tax collector was by definition a traitor and a thief. He was the lowest of the
low. Sin was his way of life.

Such a man was Matthew. He had sinned, on purpose, times without number.
The established church of the day would have nothing to do with him. And yet
it was this very many, this sinful Matthew, whom Jesus called to repentance. At
a word from Jesus, he closed up shop and left everything to follow the Lord. He
probably had a hard time believing it was true. Could there really be forgiveness
for a sinner like him? Yes! In Jesus, the Great Physician, even wretched
Matthew, the publican, found forgiveness and peace!

What's your diagnosis? Sick with sin? In desperate need of a doctor? Perhaps
you, like Matthew, have thought to yourself, "It's no use! How could there be
forgiveness for a wretched sinner like me?" But rest assured -- your Lord Jesus
will not turn you away. In His Holy Word He promises, “He that cometh unto
Me I will in no wise cast out.” You can't be too sick for the Great Physician! No
matter what kind of sins you've got in your background, Jesus is here today,
urging you to bring them to Him for forgiveness. He doesn't ask you how big or
how many those sins are. He doesn't ask how often you've come to Him before.
He simply says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and
lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My
burden is light." --Mt 11:28-30.

Believe it, because it's true. There's absolutely no reason for you to drag the
guilt of those sins around with you like a ball and chain. If you feel your sins are
especially serious, why, that means the Gospel is especially for you. Paul says,
"Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more!" Jesus paid for every one of
your sins with the precious blood He poured out on Calvary. There's no reason
why everyone in this building can't walk out of this service today with a clean
slate, absolutely innocent, and fully accepted by God in Jesus Christ! Once
again today, our Savior is opening the gates of heaven to each one of us. Our
Great Physician is offering us the perfect cure for our disease of sin.

They say that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." While that may be a
perfectly valid pitch for preventative medicine, as far as it goes, it certainly
doesn't apply to our message for today. Preventative medicine won't work in
this case, because each of us has already got the disease of sin. So let's turn with
confidence to our Great Physician, Jesus. He's promised to heal us, and He will
heal us. He's one Doctor we don't want to keep away! AMEN.