If You Are Willing Series

Introduction

A. Somewhat skeptical of his son's new found determination to become Charles Atlas, the father nevertheless followed the teenager over to the weight-lifting department, admiring a set of weights. "Please, Dad," pleaded the boy, "I promise I'll use 'em every day." "I don't know, Michael. It's really a commitment on your part," the father pointed out. "Please, Dad?" the boy continued. "They're not cheap either," the father came back. "I'll use 'em Dad, I promise. You'll see." Finally won over, the father paid for the equipment and headed for the door. From the corner of the store he heard his son yelp, "What! You mean I have to carry them to the car?"

1. Lets turn to Matthew 8:1 - 4

II. Body

A. Jesus and the leper

Matthew 8:1-4 NKJV

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. {2} And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." {3} Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. {4} And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

1. Can you imagine what the scene was like?

a. Every one was following Jesus when suddenly a leper had the audacity to approach Jesus

(1) The crowd must had thinned out quite rapidly

(2) Even the disciples must have shied away

b. The man had approached Jesus, which was against the Mosaic law

(1) But, he had leprosy

(2) What more could anyone do to him

(3) But, listen to his statement of faith, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."

c. Then Jesus did something that was horrible and amazing, Jesus touched the man

(1) Aside from the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, He was a man and He touched the leper

(a) Every human being needs to be touched

(b) There is power in the human touch

(c) There is magic in the human touch

(2) And Jesus reached out and touched the man

(3) Jesus was not afraid to expose Himself to whatever to give love to someone who probably not felt love in a long time

(4) Jesus could have healed the man from a hundred yards away, but He didn’t

(5) Jesus touched the man, the leper

(6) Turn to 2 Corinthians 11:23-27

2. Secondly, Followers of Christ with an End Zone mind set have

a. A Willingness to take a Risk

(1) If the Bible were to be written today, it just might say, “you gotta be a turtle,”

(a) In out words, you gotta stick your neck out in order to get anywhere

(b) In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 Paul tells us what happens when we stick our necks out

2 Corinthians 11:23-27 NKJV

Are they ministers of Christ?; I speak as a fool; I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. {24} From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. {25} Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; {26} in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; {27} in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness;

(c) In Philippians 3:14 we see that Paul was an End Zoner

Philippians 3:14 NKJV

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

3. Jesus was an End Zoner, Paul was an End Zoner, and we ought to be End Zoners

a. Does this mean that we have to be chasing around doing good deeds constantly

(1) Expending a lot of energy?

(2) No

(3) But it does mean that we must be ready to stick our necks out when the Lord calls us to do so

b. We might just have to work with AWANA kids

c. We might just have to reach out to another who needs us

d. Or we might just be called on to be a prayer warrior

B. There are some wonderful scenes in Scripture.

1. This one here in Matthew 8:1-4 reveals the utter self less ness of Jesus

a. Imagine this was a man who had leprosy

(1) Authorities are not sure what this disease was, they don’t believe that it was the leprosy we know today