The I WILL Miracle
Introduction
Matthew 8:1-4
Jesus was coming down the mountain after preaching his great sermon known as “the Sermon on the Mount”. The Bible says there were multitudes that were following him. It had been a long time since a prophet had entered the land of Israel and spoke the oracles of God with power.
When Jesus got to the bottom of the mountain, with the multitudes still with him, a leper approached him. Now let’s examine closely this encounter this morning.
I. The Man and his Problem
A. Leper – Leprosy is a deadly contagious skin disease.
For all practical purposes, it was an incurable disease in the days of Jesus. Like AIDS today, it was terrifying because there was no known cure. So infectious was this disease that the Laws of Israel required that someone with the disease had to live outside the city (Lev. 13:45-46). They were treated as unclean and quarantined (Numbers 5). Their quarantine was far more severe than what we experienced with COVID-19. Leprosy was a contagious disease and began as a small spot below the surface of the skin. The hair within it turned white. The flesh would become raw with unsightly sores and scales of white color. It would sometimes spread to attack the entire body. Lepers were considered defiled and unclean and were required to shout “unclean, unclean” to keep others away. In that day anyone who came in contact with a leper became ritually unclean (Lev. 13-14). To come in contact with a leper was risking contracting and dying of the disease. Lepers were outcasts. They were to live in Leper camps or colonies.
B. There was no hope for the Leper
It’s like contracting Lou Gehrig’s (ALS) disease today. My son’s mother-in-law had that dreaded disease. She felt trapped, claustrophobic, and terrified. All of her muscles slowly quit working. She was trapped in a frozen body. Visiting with her one day, I remember thinking how she was robbed of life. The good news is that she was a Christian and angels appeared to her and Jesus took her home.
C. The Leper was caught in a prison of flesh that was slowly dying
Listen friend, no medical doctor, no priest, no power on earth could release him from the prison sentence of death that this disease had placed on him.
Leprosy still exists today and is very treatable with a couple medications over a couple week period. My dermatologist has had a couple patients here in the United States he treated successfully.
Let’s stop right here. No one else could help this Leper, but Jesus could. Listen, when all things seem impossible and there is no more hope, nothing is too hard for Jesus, nothing is impossible to him. Jesus can when no one else can. Jesus will when no one else will. The song writer said, “Nothing is impossible when you put your trust in God.”
II. The Man and His Faith
A. The leper was unclean
According to the Law of Moses he could never enter the gates of Jerusalem for it was the Holy City, dedicated to God. That leper had to get to Jesus before he entered the gates and so he came as fast as he could. With every step he took, faith would grow a little stronger! With every step, hope grew stronger! Have you every thought to yourself, “If I can only get to Jesus?”
B. Thank God this man did not wait until he got better to come to Jesus
Listen, if he had waited until he got better, he might have died and not have the chance to see Jesus.
1. This leper came to Jesus with his sickness and all.
2. He came to Jesus in pain and all.
3. He came to Jesus in desperation and all.
You know you have a lot of people say that when they get better, when they start living right, that is when they say they will come to church, and get with Jesus. But you will never get right, nor will you get better on your own. You need to come to Jesus so he can make you get right and better because He is the only one who can make you right and better!
C. Why did this man come to Jesus?
HOPE. That little four-letter word carries so much meaning. It is a powerful word. It is a penetrating word; it is an inspiring word. HOPE.
Hope is a powerful thing but when it is gone, only emptiness, loneliness, despair and surrender can be the result.
That’s the hopelessness that the sinner faces every day. Leprosy here represents sin. There is no hope for a better life, for eternal life, or for deliverance from the bonds of sin that hold them to their lifestyle.
The Alcoholic is taught that he will always be an alcoholic!
The drug addict is taught that he will always be a drug addict!
The thief is taught that he will always be a thief!
All the world can do is attempt to control how much alcohol, drugs and criminal activity that people do. The world does not have the power to set men free from anything!
But Jesus — there’s that little phrase again! But Jesus can set them free, and Jesus will set them free!
When that leper, representing the absolutely hopeless condition of the sin-sick soul, came to Jesus and fell down before him, and worshipped the Lord, and confessed that Jesus was the only one who could set him free, and cast himself upon the mercy of Christ, he was showing us just what it takes to be set completely free from all the bondages of sin that hold us back. This Leper was living out faith, claiming faith, exhibiting faith.
You can’t whip the devil on your own, but Jesus has already conquered him! You can’t defeat all the powers of darkness in your own power, but Jesus’ blood has already beaten them once and for all.
We must cast aside everything that holds you back. Cast aside your pride! Cast aside your own abilities! Cast aside your hopelessness! Cast aside the teaching that you can’t be delivered. Listen, friend, that thought has been given by the world! Cast aside every little weight and every sin that so easily drags you down and then worship the Lord Jesus Christ! I believe that Jesus not only has all power in Heaven and in Earth to set you free once and for all, but I also believe that it is his perfect will do to just that! Read with me again verse 2. “A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Matthew 8:2 NIV.
III. The Man and His Cleansing
A. Jesus Delivered the Man
Jesus looked back at that leper and said, “I will, be thou clean!”
What power there was in those words! Instantly, the prison bars of leprosy were broken! Instantly, that leper was a leper no more! Instantly he was made every bit whole! He may have been told that once a leper, always a leper, but Jesus set him free, and he wasn’t a leper now!
B. Jesus does not Deliver Halfway
Listen, Jesus doesn’t deliver halfway! If we aren’t completely delivered, it’s because we are holding something back ourselves! We can’t expect Jesus to set us completely free if we aren’t completely surrendered and committed to him.
All too often we come to the Lord seeking deliverance, but all we want is just enough deliverance to make life tolerable again. We don’t want to commit fully, so we just take what Jesus will give and go back to doing what we want to do again.
Say this with me, “If we will fully surrender, then he will fully deliver!”
Now the reason why this leper man was healed of his leprosy was because Jesus was willing to heal this man because the leper said, “If thou wilt, thou can make me clean,” and Jesus said, “I wilt, be thou clean,” and immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
C. Jesus is Willing to Deliver YOU
And guess what? Just as Jesus was willing to heal this man from his leprosy, Jesus is willing to heal us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually today. Not only that, Jesus is willing to save us today.
Jesus is willing to forgive us our sins today.
Jesus is willing to deliver us today.
Jesus is willing to set us free today.
Jesus is willing to lead and guide us today.
Jesus is willing to love and care for us to day
Jesus is willing to answer our prayers today.
Jesus is willing to strengthen us, provide for us, anointed us, fill us, and bless us today. Glory!
But the question is:
Are you willing to let Jesus heal you? Behold there came a leper”. The first thing that this leprous man had done was he came to Jesus. That is a lesson for us to learn right there. If you want Jesus to do anything for you, you must learn to come to Him.
In Isaiah, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be a scarlet, they shall be a white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
In Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me all that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
In Johns Gospel we read, “I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
In Hebrews 4 we have the promise: “Come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.” That is, whatever we need, Jesus says to “Come to me” that you may find mercy, grace, and help in the time of your need. Jesus stretched out his hand and he touched him and when he did instead of Jesus body receiving defilement, Healing went from the hand of Jesus into the life of this Leper.
The songwriter Dottie Rambo wrote:
I feel the touch of hands so kind and tender.
They're leading me in the paths that I must trod.
I'll have no fear for Jesus walks beside me
For I'm sheltered in the arms of God.
So, let the storm clouds rage high,
The dark clouds rise,
They don't bother me;
For I'm sheltered in the arms of God.
He walks with me,
And naught of earth shall harm me,
For I'm sheltered in the arms of God.
Friend, Jesus will shelter you, touch you, forgive you, deliver you, love you, strengthen you, and heal you today if you will but reach out to Him in faith.