Mark 1:40-45-Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.
And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once,
and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.
Came To Him-Oh, that people would come to Jesus!
If you need a physician….Come To Jesus!
If you need a savoir…Come To Jesus!
If you need a financial adviser…Come To Jesus!
If you need wisdom….Come To Jesus!
If you need forgiveness…Come To Jesus!
If you need your burden lifted….Come To Jesus!
If you need direction….Come To Jesus!
The problem in the world today is, Not That People Don’t Need Jesus but the problem is, That People Don’t Realize That They Need Jesus!
Luke 5:12-15-And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.
And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.”
Full Of Leprosy-This is the information that Luke gives us (Who is Luke? The Doctor)
Full of leprosy, would be like hearing in our day and time, that someone has stage 4 cancer, you know unless a miracle it is going to be fatal!
This man was at the end of rope, this was his last hope!
Luke’s version
No wonder he comes and is kneeling down (falls on his face) and is begging Jesus to heal him.
LOOK AT THE MAN’S REQUEST
If You Are Willing-He wasn’t afraid to ask Jesus for what he needed!
The problem with most of us is we wait till we get desperate, or as a last resort before we ask God to help!
If your willing? It never hurts to ask Jesus for something!
Isn’t that what the Bible teaches…“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)
You Can Make Me Clean-Check out this man’s faith!
The problem we have so many times is:
1-We are not sure He is willing to help us in our time of need.
Matthew 7:11-If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
2-In the back of our mind, we begin to doubt if He can really help us, our problem seems so big, and we been dealing with it for so long.
Luke 18:27-But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
Moved With Compassion
Sympathy-the ability to enter into, understand, or share somebody else's feelings
The feeling or expression of pity or sorrow for the pain or distress of somebody else.
Compassion-sympathy for the suffering of others, often including a desire to help.
Sometimes it’s nice just to fine somebody who has sympathy for you, but its really great when you have someone in your life, that not only can sympathies with you, but wants to help you in your situation!
God may put someone in front of you this week, that you need to have sympathy for or God may put someone in front of you this week, to have compassion for!
Touched Him-Shacked by a heavy burden, beneath a load of guilt and shame, then the hand of Jesus touched me, and now I am no longer the same!
As A Testimony To Them-In the old testament we have one recorded event of a leper being healed and that is found in 2 Kings chapter 5...Elisha and Naaman.
Maybe there were others, but I am sure it was rare, now the chief priest, all the religious leaders would have a person standing in front of them healed of leprosy.
How could have they argued with kind of evidence standing in front of them (The Jews believed that leprosy was a punishment from God and only God could cleanse the leper) that Jesus was the Messiah
However, He Went Out And Began To Proclaim It Freely, And To Spread The Matter.
Jesus cleansed him not only for the benefit of the man, but also the benefit of others!
1 Samuel 15:22-So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
1-God saved you not only for your benefit, but for the benefit of others! (Witness, Give, Pray, Works)
2-The right words at the right time can be such a benefit to the kingdom of God, however, the rights words at the wrong time can be damaging!
We need to pray for God’s guidance and our obedience when it comes to what we say and what we do for the Lord!!
