It Works Life Cancer & Is Just As Deadly

“It Works Like Cancer, Is Just As Deadly, And

Takes You To ICU”

2/9/14 2 Chronicles 26:1-16 Philippians 2:1-18

We are in week 3 of “From Triage To Transformation.” Do you want to get well.” Pastor Toby preached on the Crisis that leads us to get help. Pastor Kellie preached on what it is that takes us to the Emergency Room. Today we’re going to find out “ why it is that we are in the ICU unit.” One of the great fears that people have is getting a bad diagnosis after going to the doctor when they have noticed something different about their body and the way they feel. They get all these test done and then they have to sit back and wait. Some people are terrified that the doctor is going to say, you’ve “got cancer.” Some of you here have heard those words, and you know the emotions and the fears that went through you. Am I going to die? Am I going to see my kids grow up? What’s going to happen to my family?

The thing about cancer, is that by the time you recognize it as a problem, it has already had an opportunity to have already grown inside of you and to have taken root while you were going about your everyday business. Cancer does not care how old you are, what color you are, how gifted you are, how intelligent you are, how rich or poor you are, or even how busy is your schedule is and what plans you may have for your life. Although nobody desires to hear the words, “you have cancer” in actuality those can sometimes be the best words that come from your doctor’s mouth.

John Maxwell told of two friends who were talking, and one told the other how discouraged he was in that the doctor had told him he was in the early stages of prostrate cancer. His friend told him, but can’t you see, “that’s also some good news.” His friend said what,” how is that good news” He said “don’t you see, they discovered it in time to do something about it to stop it from spreading.” Even though we may not want to hear an accurate diagnosis, the earlier we hear it, the more we can do to fight it.

Even when things are discovered in time, you may still end up in the Intensive Care Unit. That’s where the proper medication and fluids are poured into your body. When you are in ICU, you are completely dependent on those around you. If they do not help you, or if you do not receive their help, you are in for some real trouble. Sometimes when people are in ICU, special measures have to be taken because what they have, can be passed on to others, and they too will become infected.

We often notice when our physical body is headed for the ICU unit, but we are not as quite as perceptive when our spiritual body is headed for the ICU unit. Not only that, we are part of a larger body that can be infected by our spiritual condition. We are called the body of Christ. We are the cells that the Spirit of God flows through to keep the body of Christ healthy. But what happens when one of us becomes diseased. You can defined disease in any way that you choose. But one thing about a disease, is that if it is not taken care of it will spread through the body and cause more damage.

One day a group of people were complaining that Jesus was hanging with the wrong group of people. They were concerned that Jesus was spending too much time at parties with people whose lifestyles were below the moral standards of the day. We like to think church should be designed for us good moral people. We’d be surprised to know that Jesus said, Luke 5:31-32 (NIV)

31 Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." The reason we have our red crosses and hospital gear on is to remind us that the church is to be a hospital where people come to be made well again. Jesus is here today looking for people who desire to repent from what they were last week so that they can be made well.

Today were are going to look at man today who was headed for the ICU unit and didn’t know that he needed to be there. The reason he needed to be there was there was a spiritual cancer was growing inside of him, that is found way too often in us, that does a lot of damage, without us being aware of what it is doing to the heart of God.