THE "GOS-PILL" OF JESUS CHRIST

(Scripture: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the goodnews is preached to the poor. Matthew 11:5)

Prayer: Dear Jesus: thank you for your great love towards us, thank you for dying so that we can have eternal life. Help me now to share this good news of salvation and may all of us be blessed. Amen.

One day this week I was looking for something in our medicine cabinet at home. I was amazed to see how many different types of pills there were in there. I've brought a few examples to show you this morning. These are pills that are taken for allergies. Here are some pills that are taken to relieve fever. Here are some pills that can be taken when we have a headache. These are some medicines the doctor gave me to cure an infection. These are just a few of the pills that were there. As I looked at all of these pills, I started thinking, wouldn't it be wonderful if someone could develop a pill that would cure everything! No matter what was wrong with you, this one pill would cure it.That would be wonderful! wouldn't it?

Look at all of the people here this morning. When there are this many people together, they have a lot of different problems in their lives. Some may be hurting because a loved one has died. Another may be hurting because his family has broken apart. Someone else may be hurting because he has lost his job and doesn't know how he is going to pay his bills and provide for his family's needs. Some may be hurting because they are seriously ill. Or, perhaps, someone they love is seriously ill.

I was thinking…wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a pill that would help people with all of those different hurts?

Well, thanks to God, there is such a pill! It is called the "Gos-pill." It is the "Gos-pill" of Jesus Christ. The word gospel means "good news" and the good news is that Jesus loves us, cares for us, died for us, and He is able to take away the suffering and pain in our life. The one pill that can help us through all the hurt and pain in our life is the "Gos-pill" of Jesus.

Some of you have some pretty heavy burdens to carry in life. Perhaps you have a physical handicap that makes your life difficult. Or, perhaps your father has lost his job and your family is having financial difficulties. Maybe someone in your family has cancer or some other serious illness. I don't know what the burdens are that you have in your life, but I do know that there are some that you just can't carry by yourself. Well, guess what? You don't have to! Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). There is no reason for you to struggle with burdens that are too heavy for you. If you will turn to Jesus, he will help you carry your burdens! And there is no burden too heavy for Jesus.

Do you know what this is? It is a bottle of medicine called calamine lotion. Calamine is a medicine that is sometimes used to help stop itching. Have you have ever had the chicken pox? When you have chicken pox, it starts out like a cold -- you feel lousy, have a runny nose, and run a fever. Then, all of a sudden, itchy red bumps start to break out all over your body. The itching drives you crazy! But, you can't scratch, because that just makes it worse! It is a very uncomfortable feeling, but it isn't hopeless. Rubbing on some calamine lotion may help to ease the itching. In a few days, the sores go away, the itching stops, and life is back to normal again!
During the time when Jesus lived upon the earth, leprosy was very widespread and was a dreaded disease. When someone had leprosy, they were covered with sores all over their bodies. Unlike chicken pox, these sores didn't just go away. When someone had leprosy in those days, it was hopeless, because there was no cure. To make matters worse, other people considered them to be unclean and were not allowed to touch them. Many people believed that people who had leprosy got the disease because of some terrible sin they had committed. Lepers could not stay with their family…they were "cast out" of society.
One day a man with leprosy came to Jesus. The man knelt down before Jesus and said, "If you will, you can make me clean". Jesus looked at the man and he felt love and compassion for him. He reached out his hand and touched the man and said, "I am willing, be clean." Immediately, the leprosy left the man and he was cured (Matthew 8:2 & 3).
Sometimes, we may find ourselves in a situation where we are uncomfortable…something like when we had the chicken pox. But there may come a time in our lives when we find ourselves in a situation that is truly hopeless. When that happens, where can we turn? How do we find hope in a hopeless situation? We can turn to Jesus!

The Bible is a lot like a first aid kit. It has the answer to all of the hurts that we have in our life. If we get into a scrape, the Bible has the answer. If someone makes a cutting remark and it really hurts us, the Bible has the answer. If we have a burning question and just don’t know what to do, the Bible has the answer. Some of us have been doing a Bible Course.

That is great, because when you are hurting, it is important to have God’s first aid kit and to know how to use it. The Bible says, “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” Knowing how to use God’s first aid kit will save your life! When the situation is hopeless, Jesus is our only hope!

We live in a world that is constantly changing. People change, the seasons change, knowledge changes, disease changes and medicine changes.Nothing ever seems to stay the same. In a world that is constantly changing, it would be nice if there was at least one thing that we could count on to stay the same when everything around us is changing.

Well, there is something that never changes. The Bible tells us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever"!(Hebrews 13:8). When everything around us is changing and we don't know what to believe, what to think or what to do, we can always know that Jesus remains the same.His love for us remains the same.His truth remains the same. That is one thing we can count on. The “Gos-pill” of Jesus Christ remains the same, and it has the cure for even the new ailments.

Let us ensure that we always have the “Gos-pill” of Jesus Christ with us at all times. If this is your desire can you please stand?

Jesus sees your commitment; thank you and God bless you!

Please be seated.

1