How does a seasoned physician weave together life-saving medical interventions and the transformative power of faith? Join us on "More Than Medicine" as we explore this profound intersection with Dr. Robert Jackson. In this week's episode, titled "One Effective Treatment," Dr. Jackson shares a gripping narrative of a football coach diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis in the 1990s, illustrating the critical urgency of both medical and spiritual decisions. Listen closely as he turns a life-threatening medical condition into a powerful metaphor for the spiritual rebirth available through Jesus, rooted in the profound message of John 1:12.
Dr. Jackson doesn't stop there; he provides a comprehensive look at various medical conditions that require drastic surgical measures, such as certain cancers and syphilis, and how modern technology has revolutionized these treatments. This episode is a masterclass in blending practical medical knowledge with deep spiritual insights. Be prepared to gain not only valuable medical advice but also heartwarming reflections on the importance of faith when facing life's most critical challenges. Tune in and be inspired by the powerful stories and insights that highlight the indispensable balance between healthcare and spiritual well-being.
How does a seasoned physician weave together life-saving medical interventions and the transformative power of faith? Join us on "More Than Medicine" as we explore this profound intersection with Dr. Robert Jackson. In this week's episode, titled "One Effective Treatment," Dr. Jackson shares a gripping narrative of a football coach diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis in the 1990s, illustrating the critical urgency of both medical and spiritual decisions. Listen closely as he turns a life-threatening medical condition into a powerful metaphor for the spiritual rebirth available through Jesus, rooted in the profound message of John 1:12.
Dr. Jackson doesn't stop there; he provides a comprehensive look at various medical conditions that require drastic surgical measures, such as certain cancers and syphilis, and how modern technology has revolutionized these treatments. This episode is a masterclass in blending practical medical knowledge with deep spiritual insights. Be prepared to gain not only valuable medical advice but also heartwarming reflections on the importance of faith when facing life's most critical challenges. Tune in and be inspired by the powerful stories and insights that highlight the indispensable balance between healthcare and spiritual well-being.
Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus is more than enough for the ills that plague our culture and our country. Hosted by author and physician, Dr Robert Jackson.
Speaker 2:
Papa, can you tell me a story? Do you really want me to tell you a story? Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Welcome to Devotions with Dr Papa. Grab your Bibles gather around and let's look into the written word, which reveals to us the living word, which is our Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:
Well, I informed you a week ago that I would entertain you with a series of lessons regarding biblical insights that I had gained over the years from my medical practice. Today's lesson I want to entitle One Effective Treatment. I want to introduce the lesson with a verse of scripture John, chapter 1, verse 12, which says as many as receive him, to them God gives the right to become the children of God, even to as many as believe on his name. Now, keep that verse in mind as we go through this little story from my medical practice. I want to start with describing aortic valvular stenosis. Some of you are familiar with this, and what that means is that the aortic valve becomes stenotic. It means that it becomes tightly closed, usually due to tightly closed, usually due to arteriosclerotic valvular disease. That means that due to age and arteriosclerosis, the valve becomes tightly closed not completely closed, but constricted and it usually creates a heart murmur.
Speaker 2:
So one of my patients came to see me for his annual physical back in the 1990s. He was a football coach of a rather large high school near my medical practice and when I listened he had developed a harsh grade three out of six heart murmur. I was a little bit surprised, and so was he. I sent him for an echocardiogram and, sure enough, he had developed severe aortic stenosis. And I told him, coach, you're going to need surgery, and in fact you're going to need open heart surgery, which was the treatment for aortic stenosis back in the 1990s. Well, he was shocked, he was surprised and he wanted to know if there were any other options, any medical treatment. I said no, sir, there's no other effective treatment for aortic stenosis other than surgical intervention. And I said if you don't pursue the surgical treatment, you will be prone to sudden syncope, sudden fainting or even sudden death. Well, I sent him to the cardiologist and the cardiologist informed him of the very same thing and said sir, you need urgent surgical intervention.
Speaker 2:
Well, he was in the middle of spring football practice at his very large high school and he was the head coach, and he said y'all need to let me think about this. And both I and the cardiologist said well, don't think about it long, because this is very serious and there's only one effective treatment for your condition, and that is surgery. Well, in the middle of the summer, while he was thinking about it, immediately after spring football practice, he took his family two sons, several grandchildren to a theme park in Florida and while there he suddenly passed out. While there, he suddenly passed out, hit his face on the concrete, broke multiple bones in his face and ended up having to have a surgical treatment for the broken bones in his face. Well, this convinced him that he needed to urgently have the aortic stenosis valvular surgery. Well, you see, for aortic stenosis of that degree, there's only one effective treatment and that's aortic valve replacement surgery. Now, thankfully, today that surgery can be done with a catheter. It's a one-day surgery, you don't have to open the chest and patients go home the very next day. It's an amazing advancement in surgical technique, but it wasn't available for him back then.
Speaker 2:
There are many things in medicine that have one acceptable treatment, one surgical cure, especially cancers that require removal of one lung for lung cancer, or the entire prostate for prostate cancer, or part of the colon for colon cancer, to achieve a surgical cure. A radical surgical intervention is the only acceptable effective treatment. Anything less is unacceptable and inadequate. Here's another example the standard treatment for syphilis at any stage is long-acting penicillin, a long-acting penicillin injection. And I'll be honest with you, that penicillin looks like Elmer's glue. I don't know if any of you, some of my older patients, some of you will remember way back when you were younger when doctors used to give long-acting penicillin injections, you remember seeing that penicillin in the syringe. It was white, it was thick and it looked like Elmer's glue.
Speaker 2:
Well, I had a patient some years ago when I was first in medical practice, who was in the hospital. He was diagnosed with secondary syphilis. Well, I ordered for him an injection of long-acting bisilin, as we called it, and sure enough, that injection came in a glass syringe and the syringe was about as long as well. It was about three inches long, really Looked like double-aught buckshot, about as big around about as long as a three-inch double-aught buckshot, and the needle was about two and a half inches long. Buckshot and the needle was about two and a half inches long. And I remember the day that the nurse walks in the room with that glass syringe pointed up in the air, with that two and a half inch needle.
Speaker 2:
And when the patient it was a man when he saw that syringe, that thick white Elmer's glue looking penicillin and that long needle, he immediately jumped out of bed with that little skimpy hospital gown, exposing all of his vitals, and he ran with his back up against the wall and he said who is that for? And the nurse smiled and she said, sir, it's for you. Dr Jackson has ordered this for you. And he said immediately oh no, you're not sticking that in me. And she said yes, sir, it's to be stuck in your buttock. And he screamed like a little girl and said oh no, you're not putting that in my behind. Well, about that time I walked in the room and I very calmly explained to him. I said, sir, this is the only effective treatment for your syphilis infection and it's a long-acting penicillin that'll stay in your system for over two weeks and it's the only acceptable treatment for your condition. And he said, doctor, I believe you, but y'all are not putting that in my behind. Well, you see, he was believing, but he was not receiving. You see, john 1, 12 says as many as receive him. To them, god gives the right to be the children of God even to as many who as believe on his name.
Speaker 2:
Well, let's switch to another patient. I was discussing with my patient, john, his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer. His urologist had recommended a total prostatectomy and I asked him I said John, what's the cure for your prostate cancer? And he dropped his head and he said well, he said I had to have my prostate completely removed. Well, he had lived a really rough life and I had shared the gospel with him a few times. And so I switched channels and I said John, what's the cure for your sin problem? And he looked at me like a coon in a tree and he didn't know what to say.
Speaker 2:
Well, he had been raised Catholic. And he said to me with a straight face Doc, if I go to Catholic Mass nine consecutive Fridays in a row, there's no way that I cannot go to heaven. Well, I didn't want to tell him. Well, back up, before I say that, I asked him. I said well, why don't you do that? Why don't you go to Mass for nine consecutive Fridays? And he answered me. He said well, doc, that's nearly impossible. And I said you mean you can't go nine Fridays in a row? He said, no, I don't know anybody who's done that. Well, I didn't want to tell him that I had been to Sunday school for 12 years in a row, with perfect attendance, from the time I was in the first grade to the time I was in the 12th grade, even when my family went out of town on summer vacation.
Speaker 2:
I thought that might crush his spirit and, you see, he just did not understand the gospel message that I had shared with him. So I told him the story of my patient who had syphilis and I said to John I said, john, this patient of mine was believing that the medication would help him, but he wasn't receiving the medication, him, but he wasn't receiving the medication. And I said, john, I have shared with you the gospel message and you told me your very self that you believed in God and you believed in Jesus, but you have never received him as your only Savior or the true King of your life. I said you might be believing in who Jesus is, but you've never received him as your true King and your only Savior. And he still looked at me like a coon in a tree. He was not comprehending. So I asked him one more time. I said, john, if you stood at the gate of heaven and god asked you, why should I allow you into my heaven? What would you say?
Speaker 2:
And john looked at me and he said well, you know, doc, I've been a good husband. I've been good to my children. He said I paid my taxes on time. He said I was a good employee and I always showed up on time. He said I've never been to jail. He said, but I and he started listing off all the things that he had done good. And then he started listing off the things that he'd never done bad. He said I had never killed nobody, I had never shot or stabbed anybody. And then he said well, you know, I do smoke. And he said I drink a little bit. He said I used to smoke pot. And I looked at him.
Speaker 2:
I said well, what do you do to erase your sins, john? And he looked at me. He said I don't know, doc, I had never thought about that. And I looked at him and I said, John, there's only one thing that can wash away our sins. I said that's the blood of Jesus. And I looked at him and I said I teach my third grade boys in Sunday school what can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Speaker 2:
And I said, john, there's only one effective treatment for your prostate cancer. And I said you've got to have your prostate completely taken out. And I said there's only one effective treatment for your sin problem and that's the blood of Jesus. And you're going to have to learn to trust in Jesus. You've got to not just say that you believe it. I'm telling you, the demons in hell believe and tremble and they're not saved.
Speaker 2:
I said, john, you're going to have to receive Jesus as your only Savior and trust in Him as the true King of your life. And he still stared at me like a coon in a tree. And then he said to me Doc, I'm going to have to think about that. And I looked at him and I said, john, that's exactly what my patient said. He was staring at that syringe full of Elmer's glue Really, it was penicillin and he said, doc, I got to think about this. And I said, ok, you think about it. And overnight his family browbeat him into getting that shot the next day. And, you see, he became a receiving believer. And I said, john, you're going to have to become a receiving believer. You can't just look at me and say I believe Jesus can save me. You're going to have to receive him as your only savior and receive him as the true king of your life. And I said, john, you're going to have to pray about that and you're going to have to listen to the voice of Holy Spirit. He will convince you of the truth.
Speaker 2:
Now, some of you listening to me right now are in the same boat with my patient, john. All of your life you've said I believe in Jesus, I believe in the Bible and I believe that Jesus can save me, but you've never received him as your only Savior, you've never received him as the true king of your life. And you're going to have to go to that next step. You're going to have to recognize and confess that you're a sinner. You need to repent of your sin, turn your back on your sins and receive Jesus as your only Savior and the true King of your life. Now, like my patient, you're saying you know, doc, I need to pray about that and that's okay, but listen to the voice of Holy Spirit. He will convince you of the truth. So what about you, dear listener? Are you in the same boat with my patient, john? If you are, listen to the voice of Holy Spirit. He will convince you of the truth.
Speaker 2:
I want you to know your doctor loves you and I'll be praying for you. If you pray to make Jesus your only Savior, if you pray to make Him the true King of your life, would you email me at jacksonfamilyministry and just let me know so that I can rejoice with you. If you want me to pray for you, I would be delighted to do that. If you email me at jacksonfamilyministrycom, my wife, ms Carlotta, and I will be glad to pray for you about just about anything. You just let me know. All right, that's the end of our lesson for today. If you like it, just follow, like or share or download if you will. That's the only way I have to know how many people out there are listening.
Speaker 2:
I'd also like to promote my books for you one more time. The first one is the Family Doctor Speaks the Truth About Life, which is my pro-life book. The second one is the Family Doctor Speaks the Truth About Seed Planting, equipping Believers for Evangelism. The third one, family Doctor, speaks Turkey Tales and Bible Truths, and then my most recent book is the biography about my father on laughter-silvered wings. And all of these can be obtained through Amazon or through the Baptist Courier or through Jackson Family Ministry, and we'd be delighted to help you get a copy of any of those books. All right, that's wrapping up for today. We'll be back again next week and I'll share you another insight learned from my medical ministry. Thank you, and the Lord bless you real good.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry, dr Jackson's books, or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, instagram or their webpage at jacksonfamilyministrycom. This podcast is produced by Bob Sloan Audio Production at bobsloancom.
