I Will

I WILL

Matthew 8:1-4, "When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper 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. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them."

Jesus had just finished his Sermon on the Mount. Chapters 5 – 7 give us all the great teachings of Jesus as he stood on the mountainside and spoke to the multitudes that followed him. His words were spoken with an authority and power that none had known before.

It had been a long time since a prophet had entered the land of Israel and spoke the oracles of God with such power. John the Baptist had come preaching but even his powerful preaching could not compare with the power behind the words that Jesus spoke.

When Jesus spoke, the whole world listened and all of creation stood at attention until the commands were given and the words that he spoke had come to pass. Here was the Creator of all things, who spoke the worlds into existence, standing upon a hillside, speaking to the heart of every man who would hear him.

Have you often wondered what it may have felt like if you had been there to hear Jesus speak? What power and anointed there must have been in his voice. This was God in the flesh, not some mortal man.

I think that the closest we can come to that experience is when we hear the Word of the Lord preached and taught under the anointing of the Holy Ghost. After all, the Word of the Lord is alive, quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword and when you couple that with God’s anointing to speak the living Word of God, I think that makes a very powerful combination.

It’s just too bad that many people don’t regard the preaching of the word of God as important as we should. I wonder how many miracles we miss out on because we aren’t close enough to see them? I wonder how many blessings we miss because we are hungry enough for them? I wonder how much anointing we lose because we don’t give place to the leading of the Holy Ghost?

God’s Word is always alive and it is always anointed, and it will accomplish what it is meant to do in the hearts of men.

As he descended from the mountain to enter into the city of Jerusalem, the crowds pressed into hear and see what he would do next. Would he perform some great miracle, or heal sick body, or even raise someone from the dead?

Let me tell you that when the Holy Ghost is moving and people are being healed of all manner of sickness, set free from sin, delivered from the oppressing powers of hell, and saved by the Blood of the Lamb, and the Word of God is preached with the anointing power of God upon it, you won’t have to beg people to come. They will come just to see the fire burn.

As he walked along there came a leper and fell at his feet with a humble spirit, seeking to be healed and cleansed.

There was no hope for the leper – he was caught in a prison of flesh that was slowly but surely dying. No medical doctor, no priest, nor any power on earth could release him from his prison and sentence of death.

But Jesus could – Oh how I love that phrase! When all things seem impossible and there is no more hope, remember that phrase, “but Jesus”. He can when no one else can. He will when no one else will. He is your answer, not some man.

There is nothing too hard for him and nothing impossible.

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!

Hope – that little 4-letter word that carries such a powerful meaning. Hopelessness is a terrible empty feeling.

I have read a number of accounts of POW’s during the Vietnam War who spent years of torture and depravation in the camps of the enemy. Whether you believe that any of them could still be there or not, the fact is that many suffered untold agony at the hands of their captors and to make matters even worse, their country not only seemed to forget them and forsake them, but then came some of their own countrymen who accused them of being traitors and criminals for doing their duty for God and country.