Sermon
#360
Title: How Does A Sinner Approach The Lord
In Order To Obtain Mercy?
Text: Matthew 8:2
Reading:
Subject: The Healing of the Leper
Date: Sunday Evening - September 20, 1981[1]
Tape #
Introduction:
This
is a solemn occasion. I am standing before you with this awesome responsibility
- I must preach to you the Word of God. Nothing in all the world is more
serious than that. And you who are setting before me have a great
responsibility as well - If God the Holy Spirit is pleased to speak through me,
you are going to hear a man preach the gospel of God’s free grace. That is a
great privilege. But it is also a great responsibility. When you stand before
God in the day of judgment, you will have to give an account of what you have
heard. That is an awesome thought. You and I will give an account of every
sermon we have heard. What is more, we will be required to give an account of
every sermon we had opportunity to hear. Let me say a few things about this
matter of preaching and hearing the gospel, which might impress your hearts
with the solemnity of this occasion.
1.
Every true sermon is a proclamation
of the Word of God. Paul said to Timothy, “Preach the word!” Preaching is the faithful exposition of the word
of God. “To the law and to the testimony:
if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no life in
them” (Isa. 8:20).
2.
For another thing, all true preaching is Christ centered (1 Cor. 2:2; 2 Cor. 4:5). Jesus Christ and him
crucified is the foundation and essence of all gospel doctrine; and therefore
he is the foundation, essence, and substance of all true preaching. Preaching,
if it is true, biblical, and apostolic, exalts the person and Work of Christ.
3.
Again, biblical preaching is plain,
simple, forceful, and practical (1 Cor. 2:1-5). The true preacher addresses
men where they are. Preaching, true, gospel preaching rises from personal
experience. Sermons may be produced by much study. But messages are born from
experience. The real preacher puts himself into the position of his hearers,
and tries to answer the very questions they are asking.
4.
And every true preacher carries a message
sent from God (Rom. 10:15). The preacher is a man with a burden on his
heart and a message in his soul. He must deliver the burden of the Word of the
Lord. He must declare the message God has given him.
5.
Once more, the preacher who is sent of God and declares the message of
God will be successful. All true
preaching gets results (2 Cor. 2:14-17; Isa. 55:11). The preacher’s success is
not to be measured in worldly terms. His success is just this - He accomplishes
the purpose of God.
Now,
today, I believe, I have a message from God for you. I hope that God the Holy
Spirit will give me power to declare it and that he will give you ears to receive
it, for the glory of Christ. I want to be plain, practical, and forceful, as I
try to persuade sinners to seek mercy at the hands of Christ Jesus. This is my
subject - How Does A Sinner Approach The
Lord In order To Obtain Mercy? You have my text in Matthew 8:2 - “Behold, there came a leper and worshipped
him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”
Our Lord had just finished his Sermon on the
Mount. “The people were astonished at his
doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” When
he came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed after him. And there
was one man full of leprosy who made his way through the crowd. He came through
the great mass of men, crying, “Unclean,
unclean.” When he got to the Savior, he fell down at his feet and
worshipped him, saying, “Lord, if thou
wilt, thou canst make me clean.” “And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched
him, saying, I will; be thou clean.” Here is an unclean leper seeking mercy
from the hands of Christ. And he obtained mercy. The Lord made him whole. Oh,
may this miracle be repeated today! Is there a man or woman in this place like
the leper, unclean, hopeless, helpless, friendless, and alone? There is hope
for you. If one has been made whole, why not another? Does God forgive sin;
then why not my sin? Does God justify the ungodly; then why not me? Does Christ
receive sinners; then why not me? Is there mercy with the Lord for the guilty;
then why not for me? Did Christ die for sinners; then why not for me? Does God
save the unrighteous; then why not me?
Proposition:
My friend, if you would obtain mercy, you
must seek mercy like this poor leper - From the hands of Christ.
Divisions:
1. This man came to our Lord
with a deep sense of his need.
2. This leper came to Christ in
great humiliation.
3. This man came to the Lord in
faith.
4. This man came to the Lord in
total submission.
5. This man obtained mercy, and
so may you.
I. My first point is this - THIS MAN CAME TO THE LORD
WITH A DEEP SENSE OF HIS NEED.
We do not read anything else in the Bible
about this history of this man. We do not know who his parents were, where he
was from, how old he was, or what became of him. He seems to be set before us
for one reason - He shows us how a sinner must come to the Lord, if he would
have mercy. And the first thing is this - He must have a sense of his need.
A. You are all familiar with what leprosy is and what it represents.
Leprosy was a loathsome disease, common
during the days of our Lord’s ministry. And it fitly represents the plague of
sin with which sons of Adam are diseased. Mr. Thomson in his famous work, “The
Land and the Book,” describes lepers in Israel like this: “The hair falls from
the head and eyebrows. 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.” The leper is a loathsome, miserable, outcast creature. He is
walking death.
1. Leprosy, like sin, is a
loathsome, unclean disease.
2. Leprosy, like sin, was an
incurable disease.
3. Leprosy, like sin, is a
consuming disease.
4. Leprosy, like sin, is a sure
forerunner of death.
B. The man in our text had a keen sense of his desperate need.
Here was a man whose body was covered from
head to toe with leprosy. His disease was always before him. There was no
hiding it. His body was covered with ulcers oozing with a liquid of sickening
smell. His body was racked with pain. Luke tells us that he was “full of leprosy.” He knew that he
needed help. He needed supernatural, merciful, divine help. He needed the help
of God. Without it, he would surely die.
Now,
this is the very reason why many of you have never come to Christ, you do not
have any sense of need. You do not feel that you need Christ. But some of you,
I have reason to believe, are like this leper. You have come to feel your need
of Christ. The plague of sin in your heart causes your very soul to burn with
fever. You are lost, helpless, unclean, and doomed. You know that without
Christ, you will surely die. You need him and you know it.
1. His power to heal you.
2. His blood to cleanse you.
3. His righteousness to cover
you.
4. His mercy to save you.
This
is the first step toward salvation. Those who sense their need of mercy will
soon obtain mercy.
All the
fitness he requireth
Is to feel
your need of Him.
II. The next thing is that THIS LEPER CAME TO CHRIST
IN GREAT HUMILIATION.
Luke says that, “Seeing Jesus, he fell on his face.” Mark tells us that he came “Kneeling.” And that is just the way you
must come to Christ, kneeling and falling on your face at his feet. Sinner, you
must come down - Down from your pride - Down from your self-righteousness -
Down from your self-sufficiency - You must come down in your own eyes - Down,
down, down, all the way down to the feet of Christ (Lk. 18:9-14).
A. If you ever see who and what you are, you will come down.
1. You are a poor son of Adam.
2. You are full of uncleanness.
3. You are cursed, condemned,
and ready to die.
4. You are helpless.
5. You are unworthy of God’s
slightest notice.
B. If you ever see who Christ is and what he is, you will come down.
1. He is holy, righteous, and
true.
2. He is a God full of mercy,
love, and compassion.
3. He is a God able and willing
to save.
4. He is a Fountain opened for
cleansing.
5. He is God, whose glory it is
to forgive sin.
C. God knows how to bring sinners down to the feet of his Son.
1. God brings sinners down in
his providence.
2. God brings sinners down by
the law, pronouncing their uncleanness.
3. God brings sinners down by
the gospel.
4. God brings sinners down by
revealing Christ to them.
Can
you go with me this far? Do you feel your desperate need of Christ? Has your
heart been broken and humbled at the feet of Christ? (Job 42:5-6). I hope you
can also follow this leper in the next thing.
III. This is the third thing that i want you to see - THIS MAN CAME TO THE LORD IN GREAT FAITH (Heb. 11:6).
This
is the main point. I do not know how he came to have this faith. Perhaps he had
heard our Lord preach. Perhaps he was familiar with the Old Testament prophets.
Perhaps he had heard the fame of our Lord from others. But this much I know, he
knew who Christ was. He believed his claims. And he came to the Savior, full of
faith.
A. The leper came to the Lord by himself.
1. Others had been led to
Christ by one of his disciples, but not him.
2. Others had been picked up
and brought to the Lord, but not him.
3. Others who could not come
and were not brought were blessed by a visit from the Lord himself, but not
this leper.
4. Everyone had given this poor
man up as a hopeless case. He was a lonely, isolated man.
No
man cared for his soul. No one could or would take him to the Savior. But it is
our Lord’s delight to save the hopeless, the helpless, and the friendless.
B. This leper came to the Lord against many obstacles.
1. He had no precedent to
follow.
2. He had no promise of cure.
3. He had no invitation to
come.
4. He had no legal right to
come.
C. This leper came to Christ confessing great faith.
1. He worshipped Christ as God.
2. He believed Christ to be
Lord.
3. He knew the Christ had it in
his power to make him whole and clean.
4. He confessed his faith in
his own words.
Application: This
is the point, my friend, Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?
·
Do you believe Christ is who he says he is?
·
Do you believe Christ has done what he claims to have done?
·
Do you believe Christ has power to save you?
D. Now, this is the thing that strikes me most, this leper’s faith was a
very personal matter.
He believed that Christ could heal him!
IV. Again, THIS MAN CAME TO THE LORD
IN TOTAL SUBMISSION.
He recognized that the whole issue was in the
hands of Christ. “Lord, if thou wilt,
thou canst make me clean.”
A. Beloved, this matter of salvation depends upon the will of our Lord.
1. Christ has the right to save
you.
2. Christ has the power to save
you.
3. I want you to see that the
whole matter of God’s saving grace lies under the control of his own sovereign
will (Rom. 9:16, 18).
B. Recognizing the sovereignty of Christ power and the sovereignty of his
will, he submitted to the Lord with joyful hope.
1. There was a total surrender
to the Lord. He simply threw himself upon Christ. And you must do the same. “Lord, if you will you can save me.” (Illustration:
Lee to Grant)
2. Yet, he had hope. The Lord
had never refused such a request before. And there is hope for you. God never
has yet turned away one seeking, believing, submissive sinner. It seems likely,
therefore, that he will not turn any away now.
Perhaps he
will admit my plea,
Perhaps will
hear my prayer;
But if I
perish, I will pray,
And perish
only there.
I can but
perish if I go,
I am resolved
to try;
For if I stay
away I know,
I must forever
die.
But if I die
with mercy sought,
When I the
king have tried;
This were to
die (delightful thought!)
As sinner
never died.
NOTE: The
leper could not be worse off, even if he had been rejected. And if it were to
happen that you sued for mercy and obtained it not, what would be your loss?
V. But, I am here to tell you, in the last place, that THIS MAN OBTAINED MERCY, AND SO MAY YOU.
A. Look at the great reward of his faith.
1. The Lord showed him
compassion.
2. The Lord touched him.
3. The Lord healed him.
·
His healing was immediate.
·
His healing was complete.
B. You too may obtain mercy at the feet of King Jesus.
1. He is willing to show mercy.
2. He invites you to come.
3. He has power to meet your
soul’s need.
Application:
Let me do what I can to persuade you to come
now to the Lord. Come like this leper. Come with a sense of your need. Come in
humiliation. Come in faith. Come in submission. But do come to Christ. Come to
him now.
·
Knowing your danger, I persuade you to come.
·
Knowing the love of Christ, I say, come.
·
Knowing the power of Christ, I say, come.
·
Knowing the merits of Christ, I say, come.
·
Knowing the will of Christ, I say, come.
Yes, I know his will in this
matter. It is his will to show mercy to perishing sinners. He has saved others
just like you. Who can tell? Maybe he will save you too (Ezek. 33:11; John
6:37-40). I know that it is the will and pleasure of Christ to save sinners
because...
·
He has said it.
·
He died to accomplish it.
·
He sent me to preach it to you.
·
He lives to do it.