GLORIOUS FREEDOM Mark 1:40-45
INTRO:
“On New Years day 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was publicly stated, but it was not until December 18, 1865, that the Constitution made those convictions official. Though dead by then Lincoln still spoke. At last his dream was realized. The word swept across Capital Hill and down into the valleys of Virginia and the back roads of the Carolinas and even deeper into the plantations of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Headlines on newspapers in virtually every state trumpeted the same message: “Slavery Legally Abolished.” And yet, something happened that many would never expected. The vast majority of the slaves in the South who were legally freed continued to live on as slaves. Most of them went right on liveing as though nothing had happened. Though free, the Blacks lived virtually unchanged lives throughout the Reconstruction period. I call that tragic. A war had been fought. A president had been assassinated. An amendment to the Constitution had now been signed into law. Once-enslaved men, women, and children were now legally emancipated. Yet amazingly, many continued living in fear and squalor.” Charles Swindoll, The Grace Awakening
Jesus major ministry was to set people free.
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Isa. 61:1
This is more than a story about a leper being healed. It is a illustration of the freedom God has for us through Jesus.
I. THE CONDITION v. 40
A. The condition of the Leper:
1. The Appearance
Leviticus describes the legislation Moses gave for leper:
“Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ Lev. 13:45
2. The Aloneness
He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp. Lev. 13:46
3. The Ability: they could not live on their own. The were left to beg or get the scrapes that were left for them on the road.
B. This was truly a man in need of the Savior!
Leprosy was “the outward and visible sign of the innermost spiritual corruption; a meet emblem in its small beginnings, its gradual spread, its internal disfigurement, its dissolution little by little of the whole body, of that which corrupts, degrades, and defiles man’s inner nature, and renders him unmeet to enter the presence of a pure and holy God” (Maclear’s Handbook O.T).
They were kept separate so the others could worship properly!
C. We come before God without Jesus as an unclean, depraved person.
D. Just as the leper could not cure his own problem, we cannot cure our condition.
E. His faith was in Jesus: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
F. We must have this same knowledge of our depravity and that Jesus is the only answer to our condition.
II. THE COMPASSION v. 41
A. Jesus was moved with compassion. To an outsider, this was shocking. Would he really touch a leper and risk his ministry.
B. Jesus here shows us again that he is willing to cut through all the legalism of the day, and touch a person in need.
C. We need to realize that Jesus loves us completely, and regardless of our need He is willing and ready to meet our need.
I have met so many people that feel there are things that must be done or fixed in their lives before they come to Jesus. Just like the leper, you cannot fix them and we need to come to Jesus just the way we are and receive His healing and release!
III. THE CURE v. 42
A. Did you notice there was no hoops to jump through. Just a simple touch from the hand of Jesus cleansed him.
B. Greek word, cleansed, means to purify. Not one bit of leprosy was left.
C. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Eph. 2:8
D. There is no Jesus and something else.
We do not do something to have salvation and sanctification. Our lives will reflect our hearts and what we really believe! We live a life a holiness not achieve heaven, but we have eternal life in our hearts, therefore we live a life of holiness.
E. The cure is simply Jesus.
IV. THE CELEBRATION v. 43-45
A. When the leper was healed he felt the need to spread what was done.
Yet Jesus warns him not to tell anyone.
B. Our natural response to being set free is to celebrate our freedom. Yet Jesus clearly states here what that will look like.
1. Our Personal Relationship. See that you say nothing to anyone
I see this as Jesus saying something like this, “let’s just keep this between you and me.”
Our relationship is a personal thing between Jesus and ourselves. It is something that we work on. Intimacy with Him.
Yet too many times it is the miracle, and not Jesus that takes center stage.
Our worship must center on our personal relationship with Jesus.
2. Our Personal Obedience. But go, show yourself to the priest
In Lev. 13-14 it was the priests job to pronounce men and women clean of leprosy.
Jesus tells this person it is important to be obedient to the law.
How do we obey the commands of God? Too many times we feel that God gives us commands to keep us from having a fun life.
Yet they are there to protect us! To bring us a full life – John 10:10
Notice: Because the leper was not obedient it says Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places.
I ask myself, how many times has God wanted to do something but I was not obedient and kept Him from working openly?
3. Our Personal Worship. offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing,
How many today realize that our act of worship is the offering of ourselves to God. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Rom 12:1
Just a reminder: we lose a lot of freedom in our lives because we think it is about us: our rights and privileges. IT IS ABOUT HIM!
4. Our Personal Witness. as a testimony to them
Has God worked in your lives so that He can be a testimony to those around you? His miracles are for Him to receive the glory.
But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." John 12:32
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. I Cor. 10:31
CONCLUSION:
We have been set free: We need to act like it.
The Leper did not go back and act like a leper again!
Chuck Swindoll: “To tell the truth, most Christians have been better trained to expect and handle their sin than to expect and enjoy their freedom!”
Our life actions and decisions need to reflect the freedom Jesus brings us. That is how we will show Christ to a world that need freedom from sin.
