“Lord, Please Let the Operation Begin!”

Posted by on April 18, 1999 under Sermons

On April 19, 1995, four years ago tomorrow, there was an enormous explosion at the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. As rescuers searched for survivors, they located Daina Bradley. She was lying in six inches of water. Her face was barely visible as she lay bleeding under a blanket of concrete dust.

There was a problem. Her leg was trapped under some debris that could not be moved. She had only one hope for survival. She would die if she were not removed from those circumstances quickly. Only by amputating her leg was there any chance that her life could be saved. Even that offered no guarantee.

James Sullivan, an orthopedic surgeon, crawled to Daina. There was so little space that he had to climb on top of her to work. He broke four scalpel blades attempting to remover her leg. He had to complete the amputation with a pocket knife.

There was no anesthesia. As he worked, he prayed that she would not die as a result of what he had to do.

Because James Sullivan removed her leg, Daina Bradley lived.

Matthew 18:7-14, Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell. See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. [For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.] What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)

  1. Somewhere along the road to being religious, we lost sight of God’s greatest desire.
    1. God’s greatest desire is clearly obvious in Jesus.
      1. God’s greatest desire is to give all humanity life.
      2. John wrote John 3:16,17, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
      3. When Mary conceived as a virgin by the will and power of God, an angel told Joseph not to be afraid to marry her. Matthew 1:21, “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
      4. It was Jesus who gave this invitation: Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
      5. It was Jesus who said in Matthew 20:28, “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
      6. Jesus declared in John 12:32, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
      7. Paul wrote 1 Timothy 1:15, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.“ (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
      8. Peter wrote 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
    2. Somewhere along the road to being religious we Christian individuals became blind to God’s greatest desire.
      1. We became blind to God’s greatest desire for us personally.
      2. We became blind to Jesus’ greatest desire for us individually.
      3. How would you complete this statement–honestly? “God’s greatest desire for me is … ”
      4. “God’s greatest desire for me is to:”
        1. “Judge me.”
          1. Wrong. He did not have to send me a Savior to judge me.
          2. Will God judge me? Yes.
          3. But His greatest desire is to forgive me, not to pronounce me guilty.
        2. “Condemn me.”
          1. Wrong. Were that His greatest desire, He did not have to subject His Son to the pain of death on the cross.
          2. Will He condemn me?
          3. Only if I force Him to–by refusing to enter Christ and live in His forgiveness.
        3. “Punish me.”
          1. Wrong. Were that His greatest desire, He could have done nothing. All He had to do was let us pay the consequence of our mistakes, and our punishment would be certain.
          2. Will He punish me?
          3. Only if I force Him to–by rejecting His love.
      5. “Then what is God’s greatest desire for me?”
        1. God’s greatest desire is to save my life.
        2. God wants to give me life right now, a life that not even death can end.
  2. “If God’s greatest desire is to save my life, that is fine with me. He certainly has my permission!”
    1. If God is to save my life, I must assist God as He performs surgery on me.
      1. If I refuse the surgery, I will die.
        1. God will not kill me.
        2. My condition will kill me.
      2. The evil in me will kill me.
        1. It is the evil within me that is eating my mind.
        2. It is the evil within me that is eating my heart.
        3. Evil invaded my reasoning.
        4. Evil distorted my judgment.
        5. Evil deceives me every day of my life.
      3. Evil places me in deep denial.
        1. I tell myself that there is nothing wrong with me.
        2. I tell God that there is nothing wrong with me.
        3. Anyone who seriously suggests there is something is wrong with me angers me.
    2. If God is to save my life, first I must allow God awaken me to the evil that is killing me.
      1. I must let God teach me how to identify the things that support the evil within me.
      2. I must learn how to stop trusting me and trust God more completely.
      3. My confidence must be in God’s promises even when I do see or understand.
      4. I must believe in my life the impossible becomes the possible through the forgiveness of Jesus Christ and the love of God.
  3. Each of us as a Christian has a personal problem in allowing God to save his or her life–none of us are exempt from the problem.
    1. This is the truth: the more confidence I have in my own righteousness, the bigger my spiritual problem becomes.
      1. We do not see ourselves as needing help, but as giving help.
      2. Our great confidence in our own answers refuses to let God teach us.
      3. Our absolute certainty that we are right refuses to allow God to correct our concepts.
      4. It is probable that the most difficult lives to save are the persons who are certain that God already has completed His work in them.
    2. These are some identifiable Christians who fight God tooth and toenail as God earnestly seeks to save their lives.
      1. Christians who want God to save their lives while leaving all their ungodliness alone fight God fight God.
        1. “Save my life, but don’t change it.”
        2. “Let me stay who I am while I do all the things that I delight in doing.”
        3. “My sins are not bad for me; they won’t hurt me; leave them alone.”
        4. They don’t want surgery.
      2. Christians who want to be involved in Christ and to live unspiritual lives simultaneously fight God.
        1. When they are doing something for Christ, they want to do it 100%.
        2. When they are being unspiritual, they want to do it 100%.
        3. They partition their lives: they declare that Christ does not influence the unspiritual part of their lives and the unspiritual part of their lives does not influence Christ’s part.
        4. They don’t want surgery.
      3. Christians that regard spiritual defects to be spiritual assets fight God.
        1. Ungodly attitudes are an asset in defending the truth.
        2. Hard hearts are an asset when stressing obedience.
        3. Being without emotion is good because emotions produce error.
        4. Being a legalist is good because law keepers will not make the mistakes that are made by those who love, show compassion, and are merciful.
        5. Having deep feelings for God without knowledge about God is good; your feelings always will show you what is right.
        6. They don’t want surgery.
  4. Why does Jesus despise people who become stumbling blocks? Because stumbling blocks prevent God from saving lives.
    1. How can we become a stumbling block?
      1. A stumbling block person creates temptation.
      2. Jesus said that we live in a world filled with spiritual hazards that can destroy us.
      3. He gives a sober, serious warning to the person who allows evil to use him or her to create temptation.
    2. Notice that Jesus declared that we have two reasons for concern.
      1. We must be not be the reason that someone else stumbles.
      2. We must not cause ourselves to stumble.
        1. Even if it is something as basic to life as a hand, a foot, or an eye causes us to be tempted, remove it.
        2. Jesus was not talking about performing physical amputations.
        3. Jesus was saying that we will allow God to amputate anything, no matter how basic to life it seems, to escape the spiritual hazards that seek to kill us.
    3. Why will a Christian do that? Because the Christian understands that God wants to save our lives.
      1. God does not want to “least” person to die.
      2. God does not want the “lost” to die–even if the person is like the ignorant, none observant sheep that wanders off.
      3. It is not God’s will that even the most insignificant person perish.
      4. It is not God’s will that you die; God wants to save your life.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to the evil that wishes to kill us. Open our eyes and hearts to your deep desire to save our lives.

I wonder if Daina Bradley looked down at one leg and cursed James Sullivan for amputating the other leg. I wonder if Daina Bradley look down at one leg and thanked God that James Sullivan removed her leg to give her life.

God wants to give you life. But there is a difference. Anything that you allow God to amputate makes you spiritually whole. You lose nothing by turning from those things that seek to kill you.

Matthew 16:24,25, Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)

Are you carrying the cross, or are you trying to save yourself?