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[0:00] A Pastor's Reflections, The Cure, Exodus 9, 20-21. He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh, made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses.

[0:13] And he that regarded not the word of the Lord, left his servants and his cattle in the field. Ezekiel 33, 11. Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

[0:27] But that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn you, turn you from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? 2 Peter 3, 9.

[0:40] The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. It is a very difficult thing to watch someone suffer with pain or sickness and know that there is nothing that they or anybody else could do to help them.

[0:55] And yet as frustrating as this may be, I believe it is even more difficult to watch someone make choices that you know will bring irreparable harm to their life.

[1:08] Instead of a sickness of the body, it is a sickness of the heart. Not only is there a cure for this sickness, but that cure is available to any who would choose it.

[1:19] Unfortunately, many refuse the cure and choose to remain in sickness instead. God's word does not leave any room for negotiation.

[1:31] Why? Because just as God does not change, neither does his word. For God to ever change would mean that he is not God. God either is God or he is not.

[1:43] There is no middle ground. The same is true then for God's word. God's word is spoken as something that already is, not as something that might be. The choice to reject God's word is not something to be taken lightly.

[1:59] To reject his word is to reject the only thing that is true and eternal. When the true and eternal is rejected, there is no other choice but the lie and death.

[2:11] As hard as it is to watch someone reject the only cure for their sin-sick heart, it is even more difficult to realize that there is nothing that we can do to force them into that cure.

[2:25] We are left to stand by and watch as someone we may love very dearly chooses to reject the true and eternal and to continue on a path that only leads to death and lies.

[2:38] Can't anything more be done? It already has. Colossians 1.20 And having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself.

[2:53] The cross is, was, and is all that shall be done to cure a sin-sick heart. The eternal God enacted an eternal cure upon the cross.

[3:04] If there was any other solution or if anything more could be done, then God would not be God. God's cure is 100% effective, eternal, and enough.

[3:16] Is it hard to stand by and watch someone reject their only cure? Yes, very. But know that it is even harder for God. God loves every sin-sick heart that has come into being, and at the expense of his own life, he has made a cure available to any who would partake of it.

[3:35] The next time you find yourself frustrated by someone's refusal of the cure, remember that God is not helpless, and he has not left you helpless either.

[3:47] James 5.16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Father, thank you that we are not left alone to carry the heaviness for those who reject your word.

[4:00] You understand better than we do the heartbreak of watching someone suffer from a condition they do not need to remain in. Use us to be an effective means of administering your cure in this world.

[4:13]  Amen.