Carl wrote:
>
> In the following sermon, Charles Spurgeon not only shows the love of
Jesus
> Christ towards others but also how faith is exhibited and how God
responds
> to that faith. It is a very encouraging and uplifting sermon.
>
> May God bless,
> Carl
> my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
> my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
>
> ---
>
> The Lord And The Leper
A fable written by humans about an imaginary son of a god.
How do we know that?
Well the son of a loving god would have cured every leper in
the land not just one leper., but of course had the myth
writer so claimed he would have been revealed as a charlatan
after a few weeks when a leper came walking over the nearest hill.
Oh yes the bible has to be careful, but as is obvious to any
sane individual it is not careful enough.......
bob
humanist
Genesis 1:11-12, 26-27 Trees were created before man was created.
Genesis 2:4-9 Man was created before trees were created.
Genesis 1:20-21, 26-27 Birds were created before man was created.
Genesis 2:7, 19 Man was created before birds were created.
Genesis 1:24-27 Animals were created before man was created.
Genesis 2:7, 19 Man was created before animals were created.
Genesis 1:26-27 Man and woman were created at the same time.
Genesis 2:7, 21-22 Man was created first, woman sometime later.
Genesis 1:31 God was pleased with his creation.
Genesis 6:5-6 God was not pleased with his creation.
..
> by C.H. Spurgeon
>
> "And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to
him,
> and saying unto him, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. and Jesus,
> moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith
unto
> him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately
the
> leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed."-Mark 1:40-42.
>
> Beloved, we saw in the reading, that our Lord had been engaged in
special
> prayer. He had gone alone on the mountain-side to have communion with
God.
> Simon and the rest search for him, and he comes away in the early
morning
> with the burrs from the hill-side upon his garments, the smell of the
field
> upon him, even of a field that the Lord God had blessed; he comes forth
> among the people, charged with power which he had received in communion
with
> the Father; and now we may expect to see wonders. And we do see them;
for
> devils fear and fly when he speaks the word; and by-and-by, there comes
to
> him one, an extraordinary being, condemned to live apart from the rest
of
> men, lest he should spread defilement all around. A leper comes to him,
and
> kneels before him, and expresses his confident faith in him, that he can
> make him whole. Now is the Son of Man glorious in his power to save.
>
> The Lord Jesus Christ at this day has all power in heaven and in earth.
He
> is charged with a divine energy to bless all who come to him for
healing.
> Oh, that we may see today some great wonder of his power and grace! Oh,
for
> one of the days of the Son of Man here and now! To that end it is
absolutely
> needful that we should find a case for his spiritual power to work upon.
Is
> there not one here in whom his grace may prove its omnipotence? Not you,
ye
> good, ye self-righteous! You yield him no space to work in. You that are
> whole have no need of a physician: in you there is no op****tunity for
him to
> display his miraculous force. But yonder are the men we seek for.
Forlorn,
> and lost, full of evil, and self-condemned, you are the characters we
seek.
> You that feel as if you were possessed with evil spirits, and you that
are
> leprous with sin, you are the persons in whom Jesus will find ample room
and
> verge enough for the display of his holy skill. Of you I might say, as
he
> once said of the man born blind: you are here that the works of God may
be
> manifest in you. You, with your guilt and your depravity, you furnish
the
> empty vessels into which his grace may be poured, the sick souls upon
whom
> he may display his matchless power to bless and save. Be hopeful, then,
ye
> sinful ones! Look up this morning for the Lord's approach, and expect
that
> even in you he will work great marvels. This leper shall be a
picture-yea, I
> hope a mirror- in whom you will see yourselves. I do pray that as I go
over
> the details of this miracle many here may put themselves in the leper's
> place, and do just as the leper did, and receive, just as the leper
> received, cleansing from the hand of Christ. O Spirit of the living God,
the
> thousands of our Israel now entreat thee to work, that Jesus, the Son of
> God, may be glorified here and now!
>
> I. I will begin my rehearsal of the gospel narrative by remarking,
first,
> that THIS LEPER'S FAITH MADE HIM EAGER TO BE HEALED. He was a leper; I
will
> not stay just now to describe what horrors are compacted into that
single
> word; but he believed that Jesus could cleanse him, and his belief
stirred
> him to an anxious desire to be healed at once.
>
> Alas! we have to deal with spiritual lepers eaten up with the foul
disease
> of sin; but some of them do not believe that they ever can be healed,
and
> the consequence is that despair makes them sin most greedily. "I may as
well
> be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb," is the inward impression of many a
> sinner when he fears that there is no mercy and no help for him. Because
> there is no hope, therefore they plunge deeper and yet deeper into the
> slough of iniquity. Oh, that you might be delivered from that false
idea!
> Mercy still rules the hour. There is hope while Jesus sends his gospel
to
> you, and bids you repent. "I believe in the forgiveness of sins": this
is a
> sweet sentence of a true creed. I believe also in the renewal of men's
> hearts; for the Lord can give new hearts and right spirits to the evil
and
> unthankful. I would that you believed it; for if you did, I trust it
would
> quicken you into seeking that your sins might be forgiven and your minds
> might be renewed. Do you believe it? Then come to Jesus and receive the
> blessings of free grace.
>
> We have a number of lepers who come in among us whose disease is white
upon
> their brows, and visible to all beholders, and yet they are indifferent:
> they do not mourn their wickedness, nor wish to be cleansed from it.
They
> sit among God's people, and they listen to the doctrine of a new birth,
and
> the news of pardon, and they hear the teaching as though it had nothing
to
> do with them. If now and then they half wish that salvation would come
to
> them, it is too languid a wish to last. They have not yet so perceived
their
> disease and their danger as to pray to be delivered from them. They
sleep on
> upon the bed of sloth, and care neither for heaven nor hell.
Indifference to
> spiritual things is the sin of the age. Men are stolid of heart about
> eternal realities. An awful apathy is upon the multitude. The leper in
our
> text was not so foolish as this. He eagerly desired to be delivered from
his
> dreadful malady: with heart and soul he pined to be cleansed from its
> terrible defilement. Oh that it were so with you! May the Lord make you
feel
> how depraved your heart is, and how diseased with sin are all the
faculties
> of your soul! Alas, dear friends,-there are some that even love their
> leprosy! Is it not a sad thing to have to speak thus? Surely, madness is
in
> men's hearts. Men do not wish to be saved from doing evil. They love the
> ways and wages of iniquity. They would like to go to heaven, but they
must
> have their drunken frolics on the road; they would very well like to be
> saved from hell, but not from the sin which is the cause of it. Their
notion
> of salvation is not to be saved from the love of evil, and to be made
pure
> and clean; but that is God's meaning when he speaks of salvation. How
can
> they hope to be the slaves of sin, and yet at the same time be free? Our
> first necessity is to be saved from sinning. The very name of Jesus
tells us
> that: he is called Jesus because "he shall save his people from their
sins."
> These persons do not care for a salvation which would mean self- denial
and
> the giving up of ungodly lusts. O wretched lepers, that count their
leprosy
> to be a beauty, and take pleasure in sin which in the sight of God is
far
> more loathsome than the worst disease of the body! Oh, that Christ Jesus
> would come and change their views of things until they were of the same
mind
> as God towards sin; and you know he calls it "that abominable thing
which I
> hate." Oh, if men could see their love to wrong things to be a disease
more
> sickening than leprosy, they would fain be saved, and saved at once!
Holy
> Spirit, convince of sin, that sinners may be eager to be cleansed!
>
> Lepers were obliged to consort together: lepers associated with lepers,
and
> they must have made up a dreadful confraternity. How glad they would
have
> been to escape from it! But I know spiritual lepers who love the company
of
> their fellow lepers. Yes, and the more leprous a man becomes, the more
do
> they admire him. A bold sinner is often the idol of his comrades. Though
> foul is his life, others cling to him for that very reason. Such persons
> like to learn some new bit of wickedness, they are eager to be initiated
> into a yet darker form of impure pleasure. Oh, how they long to hear
that
> last lascivious song, to read that last impure novel! It seems to be the
> desire of many to know as much evil as they can. They flock together,
and
> take a dreadful pleasure in talk and action which is the horror of all
pure
> minds. Strange lepers, that heap up leprosy as a treasure! Even those
who do
> not go into gross open sin, yet are pleased with infidel notions and
> skeptical opinions, which are a wretched form of mental leprosy. O
horrible
> malady, which makes men doubt the word of the living God!
>
> Lepers were not allowed to associate with healthy persons except under
> severe restrictions. Thus were they separated from their nearest and
dearest
> friends. What a sorrow! Alas! I know persons thus separated, who do not
wish
> to associate with the godly: to them holy company is dull and wearisome;
> they do not feel free and easy in such society, and therefore they avoid
it
> as much as decency allows. How can they hope to live with saints for
ever,
> when they shun them now as dull and moping acquaintances?
>
> O my hearers, I have come hither this morning in the hope that God would
> bless the word to some poor sinner who feels he is a sinner, and would
fain
> be cleansed: such is the leper I am seeking with my whole heart. I pray
God
> to bless the word to those who wish to escape from evil company, who
would
> no longer sit in the assembly of the mockers, nor run in the paths of
the
> unholy. To those who have grown weary of their sinful companions, and
would
> escape from them, lest they should be bound up in bundles with them to
burn
> at the last great day-to such I speak at this time with a loving desire
for
> their salvation. I hope my word will come with divine application to
some
> poor heart here that is crying, "I wish I might be numbered with the
people
> of God. I wish I were fit to be a door-keeper in the house of the Lord.
Oh,
> that my dreadful sinfulness were conquered, so that I could have
fellow****p
> with the godly, and be myself one of them!" I hope my Lord has brought
to
> this place just such lost ones, that he may find them. I am looking out
for
> them with tearful eyes. But my feeble eyes cannot read inward character;
and
> it is well that the loving Saviour, who discerns the secrets of all
hearts,
> and reads all inward desire, is looking from the watch-towers of heaven,
> that he may discover those who are coming to him, even though as yet
they
> are a great way off. Oh that sinners may now beg and pray to be rescued
from
> their sins! May those who have become habituated to evil long to break
off
> their evil habits! Happy will the preacher be if he finds himself
surrounded
> with penitents who hate their sins, and guilty ones who cry to be
forgiven,
> and to be so changed that they shall go and sin no more.
>
> II. In the second place, let us remark that THIS LEPER'S FAITH WAS
STRONG
> ENOUGH TO MAKE HIM BELIEVE THAT HE COULD BE HEALED OF HIS HIDEOUS
DISEASE.
> Leprosy was an unutterably loathsome disease. As it exists even now, it
is
> described by those who have seen it in such a way that I will not harrow
> your feelings by repeating all the sickening details. The following
> quotation may be more than sufficient. Dr. Thomson in his famous work,
"The
> Land and the Book," speaks of lepers in the East, and says, "The hair
falls
> from the head and eye-brows; the nails loosen, decay and drop off; joint
> after joint of the fingers and toes shrink up and slowly fall away. The
gums
> are absorbed, and the teeth disappear. The nose, the eyes, the tongue
and
> the palate are slowly consumed." This disease turns a man into a mass of
> loathsomeness, a walking pile of pests. Leprosy is nothing better than a
> horrible and lingering death. The leper in the narrative before us had
sad
> personal experience of this, and yet he believed that Jesus could
cleanse
> him. Splendid faith! Oh that you who are afflicted with moral and
spiritual
> leprosy could believe in this fa****on! Jesus Christ of Nazareth can heal
> even you. Over the horror of leprosy faith triumphed. Oh that in your
case
> it would overcome the terribleness of sin!
>
> Leprosy was known to be incurable. There was no case of a man being
cured of
> real leprosy by any medical or surgical treatment. This made the cure of
> Naaman in former ages so noteworthy. Observe, moreover, that our Saviour
> himself, so far as I can see, had never healed a leper up to the moment
when
> this poor wretch appeared upon the scene. He had cured fever, and had
cast
> out devils, but the cure of leprosy was in the Saviour's life as yet an
> unexampled thing. Yet this man, putting this and that together, and
> understanding something of the nature and character of the Lord Jesus
> Christ, believed that he could cure him of his incurable disease. He
felt
> that even if the great Lord had not yet healed leprosy, he was assuredly
> capable of doing so great a deed, and he determined to apply to him. Was
not
> this grand faith? Oh that such faith could be found among my hearers at
this
> hour! Here me, O trembling sinner: if thou be as full of sin this
morning as
> an egg is full of meat, Jesus can remove it all. If thy propensities to
sin
> be as untamable as the wild boar of the wood, yet Jesus Christ, the Lord
of
> all, can subdue thine iniquities, and make thee the obedient servant of
his
> love. Jesus can turn the lion into a lamb, and he can do it now. He can
> transform thee where thou art sitting, saving thee in yonder pew while I
am
> speaking the word. All things are possible to the Saviour God; and all
> things are possible to him that believeth. I would thou hadst such a
faith
> as this leper had, although if it were even less it might serve thy
turn,
> since thou hast not all his difficulties to contend with, since Jesus
has
> already saved many sinners like thyself, and changed many hearts as hard
as
> thine. If he shall regenerate thee, he will be doing for thee no strange
> thing, but only one of the daily miracles of his grace. He has now
healed
> thousands of thy fellow lepers: canst thou not believe that he can heal
the
> leprosy in thee?
>
> This man had a marvelous faith, thus to believe while he was personally
the
> victim of the mortal malady. It is one thing to trust a doctor when you
are
> well, but quite another to confide in him when your body is rotting
away.
> For a real, conscious sinner to trust the Saviour is no mean thing. When
you
> hope that there is some good thing in you, it is easy to be confident;
but
> to be conscious of total ruin and yet to believe in the divine
remedy-this
> is real faith. To see in the sun****ne is mere natural vision; but to see
in
> the dark needs the eye of faith: to believe that Jesus has saved you
when
> you see the signs of it, is the result of reason; but to trust him to
> cleanse you while you are still defiled with sin-this is the essence of
> saving faith.
>
> The leprosy was firmly seated and fully developed in this man. Luke says
> that he was "full of leprosy": he had as much of the poison in him as
one
> poor body could contain, it had come to its worst stage in him; and yet
he
> believed that Jesus of Nazareth could make him clean. Glorious
confidence! O
> my hearer, if thou art full of sin, if thy propensities and habits have
> become as bad as bad can be, I pray the Holy spirit to give thee and
renew
> thee, and do it at once. With one word of his mouth Jesus can turn your
> death into life, your corruption into comeliness. Changes which we
cannot
> work in others, much less in ourselves, Jesus, by his invincible Spirit,
can
> work in the hearts of the ungodly. Of these stones he can raise up
children
> unto Abraham. His moral and spiritual miracles are often wrought upon
cases
> which seem beyond all hope, cases which pity itself endeavours to forget
> because her efforts have been so long in vain.
>
> I like best about this man's faith the fact that he did not merely
believe
> that Jesus Christ could cleanse a leper, but that he could cleanse him!
He
> said, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." It is very easy to
> believe for other people. There is really no faith in such impersonal,
proxy
> confidence. The true faith believes for itself first, and then for
others.
> Oh, I know some of you are saying, "I believe that Jesus can save my
> brother. I believe that he can save the vilest of the vile. If I heard
that
> he had saved the biggest drunkard in Southward I should not wonder."
Canst
> thou believe all this, and yet fear that he cannot save thee? This is
> strange inconsistency. If he heals another man's leprosy, can he not
heal
> thy leprosy? If one drunkard is saved, why not another? If in one man a
> passionate temper is subdued, why not in another? If lust, and
covetousness,
> and lying, and pride have been cured in many men, why not in thee? Even
if
> thou art a blasphemer, blasphemy has been cured; why should it not be so
in
> thy case? He can heal thee of that particular form of sin which
possesses
> thee, however high a degree its power may have reached; for nothing is
too
> hard for the Lord. Jesus can change and cleanse thee now. In a moment he
can
> impart a new life and commence a new character. Canst thou believe this?
> This is the faith which glorified Jesus, and brought healing to this
leper;
> and it is the faith which will save you at once if you now exercise it.
O
> Spirit of the living God, work this faith in the minds of my dear
hearers,
> that they may thus win their suit with the Lord Jesus, and go their way
> healed of the plague of sin!
>
> III. Now, notice, thirdly, that this man's faith WAS FIXED ON JESUS
CHRIST
> ALONE. Let me read the man's words again. He said unto Jesus, "If thou
wilt,
> thou canst make me clean." Throw the emphasis upon the pronouns. See him
> kneeling before the Lord Jesus and hear him say, "If thou wilt, thou
canst
> make me clean." He has no idea of looking to the disciples; no, not to
one
> of them or to all of them. He had no notion of trusting in a measure to
the
> medicine which physicians would prescribe for him. All that is gone. No
> dream of other hope remains; but with his eye fully fixed on the blessed
> Miracle-worker of Nazareth, he cries, "If thou wilt, thou canst make me
> clean." In himself he had no shade of confidence; every delusion of that
> kind had been banished by a fierce experience of his disease. He knew
that
> none on earth could deliver him, and that by no innate power of
constitution
> could he throw out the poison; but he confidently believed that the Son
of
> God could by himself effect the cure. This was God-given faith-the faith
of
> God's elect, and Jesus was its sole object.
>
> How came this man to have such faith? I cannot tell you the outward
means,
> but I think we may guess without presumption. Had he not heard our Lord
> preach? Matthew puts this story immediately after the Sermon on the
Mount,
> and says, "When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes
> followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and wor****pped him,
saying,
> Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." Had this man managed to
stand
> at the edge of the crowd and hear Jesus speak, and did those wondrous
words
> convince him that the great Teacher was something more than man? As he
noted
> the style, and manner, and matter of that marvelous sermon, did he say
> within himself, "never man spake like this man. Truly he is the Son of
God.
> I believe in him. I trust him. he can cleanse me"? May God bless the
> preaching of Christ crucified to you who hear me this day! Is not this
used
> of the Lord, and made to be the power of God unto salvation to every one
> that believeth?
>
> Perhaps this man had seen our Lord's miracles. I feel sure he had. He
had
> seen the devils cast out, and had heard of Peter's wife's mother, who
had
> lain sick of a fever, and had been instantaneously recovered. The leper
> might very properly argue-To do this requires omnipotence; and once
granted
> that omnipotence is at work, then omnipotence can as well deal with
leprosy
> as with fever. Did he not reason well if he argued thus-What the Lord
has
> done, he can do again: if in one case he has displayed almighty power,
he
> can display that same power in another case? Thus would the acts of the
Lord
> corroborate his words, and furnish a sure foundation for the leper's
hope.
> My hearer, have you not seen Jesus save others? Have you not at least
read
> of his miracles of grace? Believe him, then, for his works' sake, and
say to
> him, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean."
>
> Besides, I think this man may have heard something of the story of
Christ,
> and may have been familiar with the Old Testament prophecies concerning
the
> Messiah. We cannot tell but some disciple may have informed him of
John's
> witness concerning the Christ, and of the signs and tokens which
sup****ted
> John's testimony. He may thus have discerned in the Son of Man the
Messiah
> of God, the Incarnate Deity. At any rate, as knowledge must come before
> faith, he had received knowledge enough to feel that he could trust this
> glorious personage, and to believe that, if he willed it, Jesus could
make
> him clean. O my dear hearers, cannot you trust the Lord Jesus Christ in
this
> way? Do you not believe-I hope you do-that he is the Son of God; and if
so,
> why not trust him? He that was born of Mary at Bethlehem was God over
all,
> blessed forever! Do you not believe this? Why, then, do you not rely
upon
> God in our nature? You believe in his consecrated life, his suffering
death,
> his resurrection, his ascension, his sitting in power at the right hand
of
> the Father; why do you not trust him? God hath highly exalted him, and
> caused all fullness to dwell in him: he is able to save unto the
uttermost,
> why do you not come to him? Believe that he is able, and then with all
thy
> sins before thee, red like scarlet-and with all thy sinful habits, and
thy
> evil propensities before thee, ingrained like the leopard's
spots-believe
> that the Saviour of men can at once make thee whiter than snow as to
past
> guilt, and free from the present and future tyranny of evil. A divine
> Saviour must be able to cleanse thee from all sin. Only Jesus can do it,
but
> he can do it-do it himself alone, do it now, do it in thee, do it with a
> word. If Jesus wills to do it, it is all that is wanted; for his will is
the
> will of the Almighty Lord. Say, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me
> clean." Faith must be fixed alone on Jesus. None other name is given
among
> men whereby we must be saved. I do pray the Lord to give that faith to
all
> my dear friends present this morning who as yet have not received
cleansing
> at the Lord's hands. Jesus is God's ultimatum of salvation: the unique
hope
> of guilty men both as to pardon and renewal. Accept him even now.
>
> IV. Now let me go a step further: THIS MAN'S FAITH HAD RESPECT TO A REAL
> MATTER-OF-FACT CURE. He did not think of the Lord Jesus Christ as a
priest
> who would perform certain ceremonies over him, and formally say, "Thou
art
> clean"; for that would not have been true. He wanted really to be
delivered
> from the leprosy; to have those dry scales, into which his skin kept
> turning, taken all away, that his flesh might become as the flesh of a
> little child; he wanted that the rottenness, which was eating up his
body,
> should be stayed, and that health should be actually restored. Friends,
it
> is easy enough to believe in a mere priestly absolution if you have
enough
> credulity; but we need more than this. It is very easy to believe in
> Baptismal Regeneration, but what is the good of it? What practical
result
> does it produce? A child remains the same after it has been baptismally
> regenerated as it was before, and it grows up to prove it. It is easy to
> believe in Sacramentarianism if you are foolish enough; but there is
nothing
> in it when you believe in it. No sanctifying power comes with outward
> ceremonials in and of themselves. To believe that the Lord Jesus Christ
can
> make us love the good things which once we despised, and shun those evil
> things in which we once took pleasure-this is to believe in him indeed
and
> of a truth. Jesus can totally change the nature,and make a sinner into a
> saint. This is faith of a practical kind; this is a faith worth having.
>
> None of us would imagine that this leper meant that the Lord Jesus could
> make him feel comfortable in remaining a leper. Some seem to fancy that
> Jesus came to let us go on in our sins with a quiet conscience; but he
did
> nothing of the kind. His salvation is cleansing from sin, and if we love
sin
> we are not saved from it. We cannot have justification without
> sanctification. There is no use in quibbling about it; there must be a
> change, a radical change, a change of heart, or else we are not saved. I
put
> it now to you, Do you desire a moral and a spiritual change, a change of
> life, thought and motive? This is what Jesus gives. Just as this leper
> needed a thorough physical change, so do you need an entire renewal of
your
> spiritual nature, so as to become a new creature in Jesus Christ. Oh
that
> many here would desire this, for it would be a cheering sign. The man
who
> desires to be pure is beginning to be pure; the man who sincerely longs
to
> conquer sin has struck the first blow already. The power of sin is
shaken in
> that man who looks to Jesus for deliverance from it. The man who frets
under
> the yoke of sin will not long be a slave to it; if he can believe that
Jesus
> Christ is able to set him free, he shall soon quit his bondage. Some
sins
> which have hardened down into habits, will yet disappear in a moment
when
> Jesus Christ looks upon a man in love. I have known many instances of
> persons who, for many years, had never spoken without an oath, or a
filthy
> expression, who, being converted, have never been known to use such
language
> again, and have scarcely ever been tempted in that direction. This is
one of
> the sins which seem to die at the first shot, and it is a very wonderful
> thing it should be so. Others I have known so altered at once that the
very
> propensity which was strongest in them has been the last to annoy them
> afterwards: they have had such a reversion of the mind's action that,
while
> other sins have worried them for years,and they have had to set a strict
> watch against them, yet their favourite and dominant sin has never again
had
> the slightest influence over them, except to excite an outburst of
horror
> and deep repentance. Oh, that you had faith in Jesus that he could thus
cast
> down and cast out your reigning sins! Believe in the conquering arm of
the
> Lord Jesus, and he will do it. Conversion is the standing miracle of the
> church. Where it is genuine, it is as clear a proof of divine power
going
> with the gospel, as was the casting out of devils, or even the raising
of
> the dead in our Lord's day. We see these conversions still; and have
proof
> that Jesus is able to work great moral marvels still. O my hearer, where
art
> thou? Canst thou not believe that Jesus is able to make a new man of
thee? O
> brethren, who have been saved, I entreat you to breathe a prayer at this
> time for those who are not yet cleansed from the foul disease of sin.
Pray
> that they may have grace to believe in the Lord Jesus for purification
of
> heart, pardon of sin, and the implantation of eternal life. Then when
faith
> is given, the Lord Jesus will work their sanctification, and none shall
> effectually hinder. In silence let us pray for a moment. (Here there was
a
> pause, and silent prayer went up to heaven.)
>
> V. And now we will go another step: THIS MAN'S FAITH WAS ATTENDED WITH
WHAT
> APPEARS TO BE A HESITANCY. But after thinking it over a good deal, I am
> hardly inclined to think it such a hesitancy as many have judged it to
be.
> He said, "If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." There was an "if" in
this
> speech, and that "if" has aroused the suspicions of many preachers. Some
> think it supposes that he doubted our Lord's willingness. I hardly think
> that the language justly bears so harsh a construction. What he meant
may
> have been this-"Lord, I do not know yet that thou art sent to heal
lepers; I
> have not seen that thou hast ever done so; but, still, if it be within
the
> compass of thy commission, I believe thou wilt do it, and assuredly thou
> canst if thou wilt. Thou canst heal not only some lepers, but me in
> particular; thou canst make me clean." Now, I think this was a
legitimate
> thing for him to say, as he had not seen a leper healed-"If it be within
the
> compass of thy commission, I believe thou canst make me whole."
>
> Moreover, I admire in this text the deference which the leper pays to
the
> sovereignty of Christ's will as to the bestowal of his gifts. "If thou
wilt,
> thou canst make me clean";-as much as to say, "I know thou hast a right
to
> distribute these great favours exactly as thou pleasest. I have no claim
> upon thee; I cannot say that thou art bound to make me clean; I appeal
to
> thy pity and free favour. The matter remains with thy will." The man had
> never read the text which saith, "It is not of him that willeth, nor of
him
> that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy," for it was not yet
written;
> but he had in his mind the humble spirit suggested by that grand truth.
He
> owned that grace must come as a free gift of God's good pleasure when he
> said "Lord, if thou wilt." Beloved, we need never raise a question as to
the
> Lord's will to give grace when we have the will to receive it; but
still, I
> would have every sinner feel that he has no claim upon God for anything.
O
> sinner, if the Lord should give thee up, as he did the heathen described
in
> the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, thou deservest it. If he
> should never look upon thee with an eye of love, what couldst thou say
> against his righteous sentence? Thou hast wilfully sinned, and thou
> deservest to be left in thy sin. Confessing all this, we still cling to
our
> firm belief in the power of grace, and cry, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou
> canst." We appeal to our Saviour's pitying love, relying upon his
boundless
> power.
>
> See, also, how the leper, to my mind, really speaks without any
hesitancy,
> if you understand him. He does not say, "Lord, if thou puttest out thy
hand,
> thou canst make me clean"; nor, "Lord, if thou speakest, thou canst make
me
> clean"; but only, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean": thy
mere
> will can do it. Oh, splendid faith! If you are inclined to spy a little
> halting in it, I would have you admire it for running so well with a
lame
> foot. If there was a weakness anywhere in his faith, still it was so
strong
> that the weakness only manifests its strength. Sinner, it is so; and I
pray
> God that thy heart may grasp it-if the Lord wills it he can make thee
clean.
> Believest thou this? If so, carry out practically what thy faith will
> suggest to thee-namely, that thou come to Jesus and plead with him, and
get
> from him the cleansing which thou needest. To that end I am hoping to
lead
> thee, as the Holy Spirit shall enable me.
>
> VI. In the sixth place, notice that THIS MAN'S FAITH HAD EARNEST ACTION
> FLOWING OUT OF IT. Believing that, if Jesus willed, he could make him
clean,
> what did the leper do? At once he came to Jesus. I know not from what
> distance, but he came as near to Jesus as he could. Then we read that he
> besought him; that is to say, he pleaded, and pleaded, and pleaded
again. He
> cried, "Lord, cleanse me! Lord heal my leprosy!" Nor was this all; he
fell
> on his knees and wor****pped; for we read, "Kneeling down to him." He not
> only knelt, but knelt to Jesus. He had no difficulty as to paying him
divine
> honour. He wor****pped the Lord Christ, paying him reverent homage. He
then
> went on to honour him by an open acknowledgment of his power, his
marvelous
> power, his infinite power, by saying, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst
make
> me clean." I should not wonder if some that stood by began to smile at
what
> they thought the poor man's fanatical credulity. They murmured, "What a
poor
> fool as this leper is, to think that Jesus of Nazareth can cure him of
his
> leprosy!" Such a confession of faith had seldom been heard. But whatever
> critics and skeptics might think, this brave man boldly declared, "Lord,
> this is my confession of faith: I believe that if thou wilt, thou canst
make
> me clean." Now, poor soul, thou that art full of guilt, and hardened in
> sin,and yet anxious to be healed, look straight away to the Lord Jesus
> Christ. He is here now. In the preaching of the gospel he is with us
alway.
> With the eyes of thy mind behold him, for he beholdeth thee. Thou
knowest
> that he lives, even though thou seest him not. Believe in this living
Jesus;
> believe for perfect cleansing. Cry to him, wor****p him, adore him, trust
> him. He is very God of very God; bow before him, and cast thyself upon
his
> mercy. Go home, and on thy knees say, "Lord, I believe that thou canst
make
> me clean." He will hear your cry, and will save you. There will be no
> interval between your prayer and the gracious reward of faith, of which
I am
> now to speak.
>
> VII. Lastly, HIS FAITH HAD ITS REWARD. Have patience with me just a
minute.
> The reward of this man's faith was, first, that his very words were
> treasured up. Matthew, Mark, Luke, all three of them record the precise
> words which this man used: "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me
clean."
> They evidently did not see so much to find fault with in them as some
have
> done; on the contrary, they thought them gems to be placed in the
setting of
> their gospels. Three times over are they recorded, because they are such
a
> splendid confession of faith for a poor diseased leper to have made. I
> believe that God is as much glorified by that one sentence of the leper
as
> by the song of Cherubim and Seraphim, when they continually do cry,
"Holy,
> holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth." A sinner's lips declaring his
confident
> faith in God's own Son can breathe sonnets unto God more sweet than
those of
> the angelic choirs. This man's first faith- words are folded up in the
fair
> linen of three evangels, and laid up in the treasury of the house of the
> Lord. God values the language of humble confidence.
>
> His next reward was, that Jesus echoed his words. He said, "Lord, if
thou
> wilt, thou canst make me clean"; and Jesus said, "I will; be thou
clean." As
> an echo answers to the voice, so did Jesus to his supplicant. The Lord
Jesus
> was so pleased with this man's words that he caught them as they leaped
out
> of his mouth, and used them himself, saying, "I will; be thou clean." If
you
> can only get, then, as far as this leper's confession, I believe that
our
> Lord Jesus from his throne above will answer to your prayer.
>
> So potent were the words of this leper that they moved our Lord very
> wonderfully. Read the forty-first verse: "And Jesus, moved with
compassion."
> The Greek word here used, if I were to pronounce it in your hearing,
would
> half suggest its own meaning. It expresses a stirring of the entire
manhood,
> a commotion in all the inward parts. The heart and all the vitals of the
man
> are in active movement. The Saviour was greatly moved. You have seen a
man
> moved, have you not? When a strong man is unable any longer to restrain
> himself, and is forced to give way to his feelings, you have seen him
> tremble all over, and at last burst out into an evident break-down. It
was
> just so with the Saviour: his pity moved him, his delight in the leper's
> faith mastered him. When he heard the man speak with such confidence in
him,
> the Saviour was moved with a sacred passion, which, as it was in
sympathy
> with the leper, is called "compassion." Oh, to think that a poor leper
> should have such power over the divine Son of God! Yet, my hearer, in
all
> thy sin and misery, if thou canst believe in Jesus, thou canst move the
> heart of thy blessed Saviour. Yea, even now his bowels yearn towards
thee.
>
> No sooner was our Lord Jesus thus moved than out went his hand, and he
> touched the man and healed him immediately. It did not require a long
time
> for the working of the cure; but the leper's blood was cooled and
cleansed
> in a single second. Our Lord could work this miracle, and make all
things
> new in the man; for "all things were made by him; and without him was
not
> anything made that was made." He restored the poor, decaying, putrefying
> body of this man, and he was cleansed at once. To make him quite sure
that
> he was cleansed, the Lord Jesus bade him go to the priest, and seek a
> certificate of health. He was so clean that he might be examined by the
> appointed sanitary authority, and come off without suspicion. The cure
which
> he had received was a real and radical one, and therefore he might go
away
> at once, and get the certificate of it. If our converts will not bear
> practical tests, they are worth nothing; let even our enemies judge
whether
> they are not better men and women when Jesus has renewed them. If Jesus
> saves a sinner, he does not mind all men testing the change. Jesus does
not
> seek display, but he seeks examination from those able to judge. Our
> converts will bear the test. Come hither, angels! Come hither, pure
> intelligences, able to observe men in secret! Here is a wretch of a
sinner
> who came hither this morning. He seemed first cousin to the devil; but
the
> Lord Jesus Christ has converted him and changed him. Now look at him, ye
> angels; look at him at home in his chamber! Watch him in private life.
We
> can read your verdict. "There is joy in presence of the angels of God
over
> one sinner that repenteth"; and this proves what you think. It is such a
> wonderful change, and angels are so sure of it, that they give their
> certificates at once. How do they give their certificates? Why, each one
> manifests his joy as he sees the sinner turning from his sinful ways.
Oh,
> that the angels might have work of this kind to do this morning! Dear
> hearer, may you be one over whom they rejoice! If thou believest on
Jesus
> Christ, and if thou wilt trust him, as the sent One of God, fully and
> entirely with thy soul, he will make thee clean. Behold him on the
cross,
> and see sin put away. Behold him risen from the dead, and see new life
> bestowed. Behold him enthroned in power, and see evil conquered. I am
ready
> to be bound for my Lord, to be his surety, that if thou, my hearer, wilt
> come to him, he will make thee clean. Believe thy Saviour, and thy cure
is
> wrought. God help thee, for Jesus Christ's sake! Amen.
|
