Seeing The Gospel in The Life of a Leper | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

Want to welcome all our visitors.

If it's your first time here we're so glad you can join us on

this Lord's day service. And if you call this place home,

while come home to this family of faith, if you have your

Bibles with me, meet me in the Book of Mark chapter 1 We

Mark 1 · chapter mention

exalted Christ and singing that we will exalt him as we hear and

Proclaim his word. Meet me in verse 40 of Mark

Mark 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1. I was trust that.

What has been happening in the past few weeks will continue to

happen that we will just Relish in the revelation of the person

of Jesus Christ. That is the intention of our

time in The Book of Mark that we would see Jesus in his glory and

his majesty and that we would fall on our face and worship him

more than we did the week before.

Would you pray with me with that goal in mind?

Oh Lord. We thank you for Jesus Christ.

You are Son, our older brother our King, our substitute, Our

Redeemer Lord. We pray that as we explore these

verses, That it would not be communicated as a mere transfer

of information, but Lord, it would be your voice loud and

clear. And that we would hear you and

hearing you, we would respond to you not with a men's.

Merely not with a fresh jolt of Joy with the post sermon songs.

But Lord, with obedience, And with worship Beyond these walls,

Lord, you are the one who can cleanse the leper, physically

and spiritually. And for those who have come in

here today, full of leprosy. Let them know that you are the

Lord, who heals you are. The one who saves you were?

The one who is willing to touch the Untouchable.

We love you. We love you.

And we are prepared to hear from you and Jesus name, we pray,

Amen. Verse 40.

And a leper. Came to him imploring him and

kneeling said to him if you will you can make me clean moved with

pity. He stretched out his hand and

touched him and said I will be clean and immediately the

leprosy left him and he was made clean, and Jesus sternly charged

him and sent him away at once and said to him.

See that you say nothing to anyone but go show yourself.

To the priest and offer for your cleansing, what Moses commanded

for a proof to them. But he went out and began to

talk freely about it and to spread the news so that Jesus

could no longer openly, enter a town, but was out in desolate

places and people were coming to him from every quarter.

The first chapter of the Gospel of Mark will close with one of

the most jaw-dropping displays of the Divine and Supernatural.

Real power of the person of Jesus Christ.

And so remarkable was this specific miracle that Matthew

and Luke found it necessary obviously compelled by the

spirit to include the story in their own accounts of the

ministry of Our Lord. Now, Jesus had healed.

Not only dozens, but most likely hundreds of people with various

sicknesses up to this point in his ministry.

But there's something about this particular moment that the Holy

Spirit. Necessary to expand on it and to

give it to us in more detail. He doesn't summarize this

miracle. He opens it up for us to

understand and to meditate further on the implications of

what this miracle has to offer us.

Now think about it to be a Jew in this time in the day of Jesus

in his three-year Ministry and for you to hear that, a Man from

Nazareth was going around performing Miracles, would in No

Doubt. Stir, not just one but a nation.

Remember there was a period of great silence.

Where there was no, prophetic voice, no display of prophetic

power. And yes, John came, but John did

not perform any Miracles, which says something, because he

brought a nation to its knees. But then Here Comes Jesus, the

one that John was preaching about and preparing the way for

and and just Miracles are happening wherever he went.

And the nation now is stirred with not just curiosity, but

with great desire for him to minister unto them.

But take it further to hear as a Jew, that this same man who was

doing Miracles, actually healed a leper.

Is a category of astonishment on its own.

This would have been Just absolutely stunning to realize

and this is exactly why we have this account because leprosy

spoken of in the scripture is referred to various infectious

skin disease and it's even expanded from that it can even

be known as some particular fungus that can be found in the

house and the walls of homes and even in certain garments.

But in a general sense when you and I hear leprosy and see it in

the Scripture, it is known as a dreaded dreaded sickness that

Fear the masses that could cause severe disfiguration and

deformity to the body. And this long-lasting disease

was not only feared because it brought such destructive power

to the Flesh. And not only put an end to your

nerves and your Sensations. Not only open wounds and not

only even brought a fragrance, a putrid smell.

And not only called limbed cause limbs to be paralyzed and rot,

but it drove someone out to be completely isolated from

day-to-day life. It called for total alienation

Shin. And this was something that the

Bible took extremely seriously in the Old Testament.

You have chapters dedicated to how if there is any sign of some

kind of discoloration or some kind of irritation you were to

go through a certain protocol or you have to go to the priest.

They would examine you a certain way and go through a series of

tests to determine if you indeed have leprosy.

And if you did then you have to pay the high price of being

quarantined oftentimes for life. And so there was no no kind of

connection anymore with your family, you cannot hug it,

embrace your wife anymore. You couldn't hold the hands of

your children, you could not go to the feast.

You cannot even do something as casual as walking through the

market. On a weeknight, you are

completely isolated in a desolate place, and the only

communion you would actually have was perhaps with other

lepers. To have leprosy was to be

marked. It was to be avoided.

And in many cases people were absolutely disgusted with, just

the sight of a person who is riddled with this disease, and

the only thing that was worse than leprosy in this time was

death itself. This was second to death.

In fact, the very sight of a leper where they had to actually

tear their clothes, As though they were walking in morning is

it's kind of a symbol of a person who is really The Walking

Dead. now, if you think the deteriorating effects that I

just mentioned was was just terrible as it is, even gets

worse and the reason why it's worse is because leprosy Was

incurable by man. There was no treatment, there

was no remedy, there is nothing that could be offered especially

at this time that could bring about reversible solutions to a

leper. And because of this, the Jews,

both in the old and the new have made a very obvious conclusion,

based on that. And the conclusion is found in

the book of 2nd Kings chapter 5 verse 7.

This is one not a Jew but a Syrian Naaman.

Had leprosy and was told that there was someone in Israel who

could provide a miracle for his condition.

But when the news came to the king of Israel, I want you to

see his reaction and I want you to realize what the common Jew

believed about leprosy. Second Kings chapter 5 verse 7

2 Kings 5:7

reads. And when the king of Israel,

read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, a, my God, am

I God to kill and to make alive that this man sends word to me,

to cure a man of his leprosy, only consider and see how he is

seeking a quarrel with me. The hopelessness of this

disease, the awful nature of it has left.

The people who have known leprosy is a common thing.

Unfortunately, in their time that only God can bring

restoration only God Only God himself And so, even this King

realizes that for this, this Gentile to ask for healing, he's

a guy this guy, this guy obviously doesn't get it.

He's picking a fight with me because everybody knows that no

man can offer anybody to a person who was infected in this

way. And so only God can actually

reverse supernaturally, this kind of suffering that totally

alter someone's life. And so the only way that

somebody could be restored and there was protocol of how

somebody could be restored and then receive a certification

that they were healed was if there is some kind of mysterious

mysterious healing or God did it himself and this message alone

can be easily. A meditation upon that

conclusion that we just made because if the Jews universally

believed that only God can bring healing to the leper.

Then what does it say of what? We Shred that when this man

comes to this man, Jesus of Nazareth, he not only is told

like Elijah to go to a certain place and receive a miracle

without any contact, but is touched by this man touched by

him. And through that touch there is

healing virtue that comes leaving him.

Uninfected, uncontaminated The conclusion is obvious as a not

this miracle speaks of the nature, the divine nature of our

Lord and savior there is no question about it.

And that is exactly the point of this miracle it says something

about who Jesus is it puts his character and his person and a

category that no one else shares but as you heard two weeks ago

there is a broader message beyond the central point of the

deity of Jesus Christ. There is something more to be

offered here in this text. There are lessons that orbit

around that truth of Jesus and who he is.

And the best way that you and I can receive as much as we can

from this moving scene is to First understand that the reason

why the Bible speaks so much about leprosy is that God in his

wisdom desires to use it as an illustration of sin, and its

life-altering effects on man. Ceci.

Is a picture of sin. Don't skip Leviticus when you

come to your reading of it in your personal time.

When you go to Leviticus, and I am among those who who read the

Bible from cover to cover, and I tell people to read the Bible

from cover to cover, when you get to Leviticus read chapter 13

and chapter 14, with the lens of paralleling sin with Leprosy and

you will leave with astounding Revelation, you will see

something quite quite amazing about God and His insight.

About what sin can do to a man, or to a society as a whole And

that's exactly what we're going to do today.

You and I are going to come to this text and look at this

passage that deals with Leprosy with the perspective of sin on

it and not just the perspective of sin on leprosy.

But we're going to view it through the lens of this leper.

We're going to learn by putting ourselves in his shoes and we're

going to see what this means for us today.

And it's a very simple structure because the first thing that you

and I are going to consider in this Is the faith, the faith of

this leper. And a leopard came to him

imploring him and kneeling and said if you and I are familiar

with our Bibles enough, then we have to understand that what

this is doing. This approach right here is

immediately something that should stand out to us because

the following verse tells us that this man came close enough

to Jesus, For Christ to touch him.

He was an arm's length away from him and any Jew who lived in

this time, and any unnie person has the understanding of the

word of God would realize, this is scandalous.

You don't do this as a leper. In fact, in Leviticus 13, 45.

There was instruction of how a leper should act.

When he comes to any kind of radius where people are he was

to do what tear his clothes and live like that and let the hair

of his head hang loose and he shall cover his upper lip and

cry out unto Clean unclean. Imagine living like that.

Not only did people know you were unclean just by the sight

of you but you, you have to Proclaim, I'm unclean, giving

people enough warning to move away from you and not be

infected themselves. But instead of that, what this

man does is he does pronounce his unclean state, but he does

it at the feet of Jesus. If you will, you can make me

clean and he throws himself at the Lord.

And the beauty of this picture is that this poor soul.

Surely must have heard something about Jesus for him to come to

this point. Surely he heard something in

Matthew, we realized that he was there after Jesus gave The

Sermon on the Mount. That makes you wonder, did he

hear the sermon of the mouth from a distance?

Did he hear something about these words?

These amazing words from this man and he thought himself, this

man is different or perhaps, there is something that he heard

after we read in, Mark of the Miracles that were happening and

it the buzzing news came to his colony of lepers.

And, and it was, it was told that he can heal various

diseases. He can touch people and make

them whole and beyond that it makes you wonder did.

He also learn about the compassion of Jesus that he

deals with his patients in a certain way.

He doesn't leave you the way you came to me.

Actual do something about it, whatever kind of information

this man received. He obviously came to the

conclusion, this man is not ordinary and if I come to him,

the way I am, he will indeed do something with me.

And what was For this leper is true for any sinner today.

There is no sickness of the Soul.

Listen, there is no ugliness of your sin that might cause others

to have nothing to do with you. That will cause Christ to not be

willing to receive you unto himself.

Nothing. And in case, there's anyone who

feels that hesitation, you'd be amazed to know how many people

do to come to Christ or to think that he sees you.

And because you believe he is all-knowing, he realizes your

deepest darkest Secrets, he knows the perversion that you

have tried to hide from it and perhaps have successfully done

so, but you realize that he has those fires of fire and sees

through all things. So in your mind, there's Christ

with his arms crossed towards you.

If you're that person, then look at this as an example.

And realize that this man as hideous as he was physically.

Came to Jesus and Jesus received him.

And here's what's amazing, Luke. Luke is a doctor that was his

occupation. We're told that in the Bible, he

was a physician and like a good physician.

He adds a certain detail to the condition of this man.

Go to Luke chapter chapter 5 verse 12.

Notice what he adds to this account, And Luke Chapter 5 12

Luke 5 · chapter mention

and the telling of the same Miracle while he was in one of

the Cities. There came a man full of

leprosy. Full of leprosy.

And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face, not just on his

knees. He fell on his face and begged

him Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.

Mark says he was a leper, Luke. The doctor says he was not, huh.

He was full of it from head to toe.

He was absolutely covered with sores.

And irritation and discoloration and deterioration.

Completely covered. He didn't just have some patches

here, and there, he wasn't just rotting in some areas.

He was a falling apart, just in the lower part or the upper

part. He was absolutely blanketed with

Leprosy. There is not one part of him,

that wasn't touched. All men are sinners.

All men have fallen short of the glory of God.

But there are some men, there are some women who are not just

Sinners. They are full of sin.

Full. They are full of perversion.

They have every area of their lives polluted with impurity.

They don't just have one or two ungodly habits and they have

some element of goodness in their minds that can justify it.

There are some people who are wicked, who are evil, who are

vile that, not one part of them. Can be even Dean goodbye.

Those who think they are good themselves. and this is what the

severe case of leprosy is pointing to that, even such a

person who is consumed with corruption Who doesn't even have

the ability to be remorseful, and how they treat others, or

how they use others for them. Their own gain, such a person,

still has hope. Christ is able to even heal them

and save them and redeem them. No person is too damaged.

No one is to spiritually deformed to be restored by the

power of Christ's love. And that's what you have to

understand. You have to believe that his

arms are open. He is a physician who is excited

to know that he can bring relief to you, but you have to

understand without Jesus, no matter what severity of sin, you

are dealing with, you are hopeless, Just like the leopard

was hopeless. You are hopeless.

The law of God in the Old Testament demanded that a leper

was to be permanently driven away from the camp, and the camp

is not just where God's people dwell.

The camp is where the presence of God abided, and this law

concerning the leper. Expelled such a person from even

coming close to knowing not just the fellowship of people but

knowing the presence of the Lord.

But the grace of God in the person of Jesus Christ, invites

that same person into his presence.

The Lord Jesus Christ himself deals with that which the law

condemns and separates and removes it so that we can be

near him forever. And so we see that here, clearly

every person apart from Christ, yes is a sinner, but more than a

sinner is driven away from the presence of God, not just now,

but will be for eternity, but Jesus Christ who does not

abolish. The law who honors the law, he

removes the, cause the condemnation, Of our isolation

from his presence and reconciles us to himself.

That's what Christ does for you. And if you are one of those who

have done things, that would even cause people to shun, you

never mind a perfectly. Holy God, then realized that

there is one who has a desire for you.

You got to do what this man does though.

What does he do? Look at the language and a leper

came to imploring him. You gotta come with desperation.

You gotta come with desperation. And the reason why people do not

come to Jesus, with desperation, I believe is the fault of those

who communicate the gospel. We Don't Preach enough about the

ugliness of sin. We don't tell people how filthy

it is how dirty it is. And all we do in this life is

compared our sin to others but it makes all the difference.

When you compare your sin to a holy and righteous God And our

lack of the understanding of the, of the Holiness of God is

affecting the way we communicate the gospel.

Why in the world would you want to be cleansed by his blood?

If you don't see the filth on your body in your heart, in your

mind, he came with desperation imploring Him.

Luke says, begging him begging him, but he also came with

reverence, he knelt before him. He realize who he was talking

to, he realize who he was imploring and he That this one

has the power and he has the ability to do something about my

impossible case, reverence reverence for Jesus Christ

again, I believe there is a lack of reverence today and so when

we present Jesus to people we present him like a buddy to add

to your friends list. Now he is King who will demand

you to leave all your friends to come and receive him.

And not only that this man came with confession.

He did come to the Lord, understanding his ability to do

something about he understood something about his grace, but

he still had to come with the honesty of his condition.

I am unclean, would you claim me?

He has to be made whole and when you have those elements with the

faith that he alone is the source to save you, he will save

you. Now, what's amazing is we heard

two weeks ago? That Mark puts a special

emphasis on the miracles of Jesus in that Jesus often

touched those that he did make whole.

But I am under the conviction that in this case, this man had

a greater meaning to this touch. There was a greater significance

in this moment for the simple reason that he was a leper.

Do you realize that it could be perhaps it was years that this

man has ever known the Embrace of someone?

That no one would dare. Even come certain amount of feet

by you never mind. Touch you.

And Jesus, according to our Bibles, as we heard had, the

absolute authority to just speak a word of healing, and the

healing would come. And if there is anyone, that you

would think, would need just a word from a distance to be

healed. It was this man.

But Jesus deliberately willingly strategically.

Touches him to heal him. I was thinking about that last

night and the thought that ran through my mind was, besides the

healing, besides the miracle. What did that sensation of the

hand of Jesus softly being placed on his shoulder, feel

like After years of not knowing somebody.

To lay their hand on them. To bring them close.

You think that's an accident. It's not an accident.

What Christ is trying to say through this is that he's

deeply. Relational deeply, relational.

He did not only extend his hand to heal the man's body.

He extended his hand because he wanted to touch his heart.

He went to touch his heart. And he wanted to let him know

through this quick Miracle of massive message.

I desire. Not just your healing.

I desire you I desire you. And, you know, Jesus made

provision for Sinners to have their record clean.

He has through the expense of his own life, dealt with that,

which condemns us for all eternity.

But what was the goal? What was the goal, so you don't

go to hell. So you don't go to hell, so

you're not tormented for all eternity so that you can be with

your friends and be with your loved ones.

I want to show you the goal, I want to show you the go on which

why Jesus came to reach into our world, to redeem us unto

himself. And first Peter 3:18 never

1 Peter 3:18

forget this verse The Epistle of Peter. 3:18, I'll give you a

moment to turn their look at the language.

Look, what the holy spirit is trying to tell us, concerning

the Redemption in Jesus Christ. 1st Peter 3:18 for Christ.

Also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous

that he might bring us to God, God himself.

Not the Pearly Gates, not the Mansion, not the streets of

gold, I promise you that we'll get old.

God himself. Is why Christ came?

So we have all the right to say we have a relationship with God.

Because that's why he died to bring us to him.

What I'm offering today in the gospel is God himself.

That's what the goal of the Gospel is if we're not

presenting God, what are we presenting?

A relief of the conscience. Merely a better reputation, a

more civilized life, a community of people that you can hang out

with because you're lonely. God himself.

If you don't want God, you don't want this gospel.

If you don't want God, you don't want heaven.

That's why I look at some profession Christians life and

let this sting you. If it's you they don't talk

about God at all. There's no passion about God,

there's no desire to learn his word.

There's no yearning to be in obedience to him and you want to

go to heaven. You want to go to heaven, you're

convincing me that you actually want to go to have you don't

know what happens about. it's about himself his presence for

all of eternity, enjoyed And cherished Jesus touches this

man. what a sight that would have been the gossip and those

who just saw this and yet he's trying to say something I want

this man, I want this man's heart to know my heart for him,

not just his healing, not just his restoration him The faith of

the lepers show obvious. But now we transition from the

faith of the lever, to the Mandate of the leper, the

Mandate of the leper. And that's found here in verse

42. And immediately, the leprosy

left him. And he was made clean

immediately. The leprosy left him, and he was

made clean and Jesus sternly. Charge them and sent him away at

once and said to him. See that you say nothing, see

that? You say nothing to anyone, but

go show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing,

what Moses commanded for a proof of them.

This beautiful testimony could have parked at verse 42.

We could have heard he was healed immediately, and then we

move on with the story of Jesus ministry, but the interaction

continues to an interesting Direction.

Immediately following this miracle, Jesus gives an

exhortation to this man. And it's a two-fold exhortation

number one, you can't tell this to anybody remain silent.

And number two, put it in the GPS that you're headed towards

One Direction. In One Direction alone, go to

the priest. Let them examine you investigate

your case and in give you the certification that you have been

made whole and you must give an offering that Moses prescribed

as a result of your healing, that's what it is.

But before, looking at the commands consider the way in

which Jesus gives this command. Well, first of all, consider

this The overarching point, is that restoration by Christ?

Is followed by obedience to Christ?

Restoration by the hands of Jesus is followed by obedience.

And our obedience them is a response to his power, his

grace. It doesn't proceed, it, it

follows it. When you understand that, he's

done something in you. In the most.

Undeserving way tasting, his grace, then opens a heart to

say, whatever you tell me to do, I submit to your lordship, you

are worthy of my obedience and what's interesting here in verse

43, we get a perfect summary of the manner by which you and I if

you claim to being healed, if you've claimed to be restored,

what is the man? By which we obey him because you

have a lot of people have interesting ideas about what it

means to obey him. Notice what it says no word,

bye-bye, Jesus by accident here, no description of the what he

did is by accident here. Jesus sternly charged him It

was, it was forceful. There is no second-guessing what

he was saying, his tone was clear and it was authoritative.

He was strong in saying this and it could be that he knew the

seriousness of Disobedience to this command.

And that's why he was so strict in how he communicated it, he

was Stern, the commands of Jesus, my friend are not

suggestions. Do not try this because it's a

little better than your way. It's my way or no way.

It's my way or no way, they are non-negotiable orders.

Do you see the Bible that way? Do you see the commands of God

in that way? Do you have is that the pulse

that you feel? When you come to the scripture?

Or you hear it preached? This is no joke.

This is my Lord speaking to me and asking me what I should do.

I will obey No, because it's all Grace, right?

Yes, you just heard a whole point on the grace of God.

But we have people drinking a different kind of grace.

These days, a Grace that does not stimulate you to obedience

is a cheap Grace, I don't want it and I'm not going to give it

to anybody else. Stern, a Stern charged.

But secondly, he sent them away at once.

The commands of Jesus are not to be delayed.

We shouldn't be hesitant. But our primary priority and the

driving force of all that we do is Jesus said it, my lord said

it. And so I Elevate as a supreme

Sovereign driving force of my being And perhaps coming to

this, we feel the same way, because I have a lot of wise

with this text. I have a lot of why.

Why why And my first, why is why the urgency to solely?

Go to the priests. Why why that?

Why is that the direction? And you have many different

reasons. But, let me give you the main

one. First, it shows that Jesus

upheld the law. Jesus didn't violate the law.

He actually was the author of it and he threw.

This is proving not just to this, man.

But to the surrounding audience, that he actually honors the law

of Moses. And this would be a great

apologetic to silence those who claim.

Otherwise, But it's in the text. It's in the text Hawaii and it's

the last phrase of verse 44, go for a proof to them.

I want you to prove something to these priests.

Prove what that he was made made well more than that.

More than that. We don't know how many lepers

have come over the years to the priests to pronounce that they

have been made well. But here's what's amazing, when

this man would come walking into that temple on this day.

With a smile on his face. And with, with the Flesh of a

newborn, The priests are going to have some questions.

How did this happen? And Jesus wants this man. to

tell them he is the reason And these priests who perform these

sacrifices. Who upheld the law, who like the

king of Israel, in the Days of Elijah knew that only God can

cure. This sickness would be

confronted with the fact that a Man from Nazareth.

Brought this about And I can just imagine that interaction,

just like the men who was born, blind questions have two

questions. Wait, you're telling me that the

rabbi from Nazareth did this to you?

Yes, she healed me, I made whole because of him.

And how did this Rabbi do this? Well, I came before my now

before him and he touched away, he touched you.

He touched you. And they look at each other and

he must have leprosy himself. They he got it.

He's contaminating. We got to bring him in as older.

No. No.

You understand? He touched me and nothing

happened to him. But something happened to me.

And here are these priests with their phds, scratching their

heads. And based on the conclusion that

they would make from this miracle, it would either bring

them to Salvation or condemn them.

Go and tell the priests. Now, some might have objections

to say, how can that be? The reason, how can that be the

motive? Why is that the goal?

When Jesus in the same breath says, don't tell anybody else.

Which is my second why? Okay, if the why go to the

priest is because you want the priest to put the equation

together to realize the nature of Jesus.

And to realize that these sacrifices all prophetic

pictures pointing to the Messiah.

Then why not let the man loosen? Just go evangelize the masses.

Good question. Is it not?

But Jesus is so wise. He's incredibly wise. and at

this point in Jesus ministry, He does not want his

miracle-working power to be the draw for the people to come to

him. That's not his intention.

That's not his primary goal. We heard it that we not last two

weeks ago, or last week. I believe that Jesus went to the

cities to preach to preach. This is why I have been sent to

preach the good news. And what this miracle because of

the magnitude of it. If it would go out to the

city's, it would cause hysteria. It would cause chaos and it

would only bring about a hindrance to the main purpose of

the ministry of Jesus and that was to proclaim the message

Christ came into this world so that people would repent and

find forgiveness in himself. Not to temporarily deal with

people's issues though. They are ailments and

Sufferings. And so, Jesus understanding

that. Says, be careful.

We don't want this to become a distraction.

Now. But here's a point to consider

before we move on to what this man does.

I love how Jesus sends this man to the priest to receive a test

so that he can be proven to be changed.

And what's true for that? Leper is true.

If you have truly been saved, there should be no fear for any

convert in this place to be tested or examined by a watching

world only to leave with the conclusion.

This person has been touched by Jesus.

Do you have that claim in this place that you have been

transformed by Christ? The let me tell you something.

There should be a test based on this word that can validate and

say, there is an obvious change in this person.

I mean, if leprosy is a picture of sin and Jesus is the Healer

of leprosy and also the savior of spiritual leprosy.

And how ridiculous would it be for us to say, Jesus heals a

leper with no evidence of any change in the body.

And yet, we go around saying that I'm saved and there's no

evidence of Salvation, it's just crazy to me, it's absolutely

crazy to me. And Jesus here, doesn't want him

to go about at this point in his ministry, because Jesus still

wants to go into these cities. He wants to go into these

synagogues and he wants to preach the truth.

That is why he came, which is so amazing.

Because do you see the big number two in your Bible?

Mark chapter 2 The next miracle that we're going to see is Jesus

Mark 2 · chapter mention

healing that paralytic, man when he was at a certain house and

the roof had to be caved in because of the lack of space.

And what does Jesus do? Before he heals him, your sins

are forgiven See, even in that transition, we know the main

purpose of Jesus. He wants to forgive, that's a

greater thing than you being able to walk again even and so

this is the mind of Christ and he knows that if this man does

not carefully obey, there could be a great challenge to that.

And that is the Mandate of the leper.

If you have been saved, you live by a Perpetual mandate from the

Lord Jesus Christ. And you are careful to say.

Lord, I hear what you say as a Christian, what I should not be

doing and I hear what you say about as a follower of you, what

I should be doing. What a wonderful summary.

The faith of the leper, the Mandate of the leper, the

Disobedience of the leper. First 45 butt.

But he went out and began to talk freely about it.

You know, to be honest before, studying this, whenever I read

this part, I always thought it was like, a good thing, right?

Anybody else with me on that like, wow, he was so exuberant

and so enthusiastic he couldn't contain it.

So he went about and freely told everybody and that's what made

Jesus popular. This is disobedience.

And it actually hurt the cause of Christ at this point.

He went about to talk freely about it.

And to spread the news. we might have admired this man at one

point, but you're going to have that Sunday school,

understanding, or that primary reading of it changed because

This man. unfortunately, though he started with great humility

and reverence now, begins to Impart his own ideas into the

commands of Jesus and walk with his own wisdom.

Even though he might have had good intentions.

That happens. So much with people.

It started really well. It started in a place of

desperation and then we somehow feel like we have the right to

change things. And walk with our own rules

happens everywhere. You notice what happens here.

Not only does he disobey he does the exact opposite of what Jesus

says like. There's no evidence though, it

could have been true down the road.

There's no evidence here that he actually went to the priests.

And so he he doesn't do what he was told to do by going on

telling people, and the very thing Jesus said to do, he

doesn't do. Like, literally the opposite.

And I wonder why what was going through his head.

We can't, we can't make a dogmatic statement, but what was

going through his mind and only two things upon meditation,

could be a possibility. At least to me, maybe have a

third. Here's the first one.

He was obviously excited. I mean, you've been healed from

an incurable disease. We almost don't blame him for

wanting to tell anybody, but the emotions do not justify the

disobedience. How often is our Disobedience?

A result of our emotions. How often is it that we don't do

what Jesus tells us do because ready for this?

I don't feel like it. I'm just not in the mood today.

Or how much are we willing to do in Disobedience to Jesus because

it just feels right it feels right.

He's so cute. I don't care how cute he is.

Is he saved? Well you know it just it just

it's going to cause friction and so I can't say this to this

person instead I'm just going to I'm just going to emphasize on

this aspect of God. It doesn't matter what you feel.

Are they, is it true? Is it true?

Do you realize that our nation is going down the toilet because

of feelings? Do you realize that everybody is

easily offended? Now, everybody has her and now

everything is not just feelings. Everything is fluid.

I saw something. I'm not on Tick-Tock.

I'm not on Tick. Tock, you can't pay me to get on

Tick-Tock. You can it just the level of

cringe is just I can't do it, I can't do it.

I people like well you can reach people.

Look, I can get if you want to do it.

Do it that you can take whatever you want to do it.

If you can go on there and preach the gospel and not adopt

cringe habits, praise God. That's wonderful.

There's a Grace on your life. I got that out of my system.

God can use anything even cringy things.

But I saw this thing because somebody posted and it was this

this woman speaking about how she was fluid in her gender

identity. And she was talking about how

literally while she's walking. Because of her gender dysphoria.

She can turn from a woman to a man because she feels like it.

And so, one day she could be eating her cereal and in that

moment, she can go from Alex to Amber.

That was in, and I added that I'm like, where does this stop?

It's not going to stop. This ideology is like a car

going 100 mph headed, for a brick wall with no breaks.

That's what's going to happen. Unless god, intervenes with his

Mercy. And be careful college student.

I don't even call these places college and universities were

their indoctrination centers. Be careful that you are not

influenced by this idea. That if it's feels right, then,

it's right this man, perhaps felt that it was right because

she was excited and exuberant and enthusiastic.

And so he went about to do what Jesus said not to do.

But maybe it was in the feeling. Maybe, maybe he heard the

command of Jesus, in that moment.

And he thought to himself in his estimation, I get that you're

telling me this, but I don't think you understand that it

could be better if we do it this way.

Maybe he had really, really good intentions.

I'm doing this because I want to spread your name.

I'm not doing this for me. I want people to know about you.

Jesus said, don't know, but you don't get it, this will help

you. We don't know what's going on

through his mind. But if that is true, then what a

strong warning for those who think that they're helping to

advance the kingdom of God, by operating in his name, with

their own wisdom, instead of trusting his So if it brings

results, it's right, no. If it's in his name and it's for

his good then it's right, not necessarily.

Let this be a strong reminder that God's commands do not need

our adjustments. He knows exactly why he said

what he said and he alone isn't in charge of the results and as

our duty to Simply obey you said it, we're gonna do it.

So if there are, if there are roles based on gender in the

church, we're going to obey. I don't care what the culture

says. We're going to obey you have

many people who say because for example we believe in the

scriptures that Elders should be men.

And you know what? An argument is well as God just

going to dispense and waste 50% of his his work because of

woman, are we just going to throw away 50 percent of our

potential? Do you see how human reasoning

comes into this? Jesus, you're telling me to be

quiet. Do you realize that if I go with

this miracle with this testimony, the masses can come

to you. Well, Jesus knows, he doesn't

need your help. He doesn't need your ideas.

He need you to just trust him. and this leper, Like many today

who think that they are doing God.

A favor by incorporating our own mechanisms, our own Concepts.

End up creating more setbacks than anything else.

Actually, we hurt the advancement more than help it

Jesus at the second part of the verse could no longer openly

enter a town. That's not good.

Because he wanted to go into these towns.

He wanted to go in and preach. And we are told that Jesus could

no longer do that freely anymore, as he desired his

strategy, had to change. And that's why from this point

on in Mark, what you're going to see, is Jesus out in desolate,

places. Jesus out by the Sea, Jesus out

on a boat, and he had to pull back from the shore, because he

was being crushed by a throng of people.

Now you might say well that was going to happen anyway, that's

fine. But at this point, Jesus did not

want that to happen. I was talking with a few sisters

after Bible study Friday and it was an encouraging conversation.

And one of the things that came up, we were just telling

testimonies of the Ripple effects of one small seemingly

insignificant Act of obedience. How one step of obedience can

actually Touch generations. How one person who steps out in

faith or one person who just is consistent in their Devotion, to

the Lord, can bless bless people beyond your own, your own

understanding. And one of the sisters wisely

said, and that is also true for Disobedience, you're right.

And that's an example of it here.

One simple thing that was Dishonored created a colossal

mess so to speak. Maybe be carefully obedient to

the Lord. May God help us.

See what it is that he wants us to know.

Exactly. And then obey by his strength As

closely as possible. But I want to conclude with

something I want to conclude with a thought that Mark by the

spirit brilliantly. Portrays, if you read the

wording of this last verse carefully, you get a hint that

the spirit of God Is providing a faint metaphor of a gospel.

Truth, look at verse 45, So that Jesus could no longer openly,

enter a town, but was out in desolate places.

Jesus could no longer openly. Enter a town but was sent out

into desolate places. Which character in the story

could relate to that experience? Leper.

Because this leper, When the story started we can argue was

in a desolate place. But now he is openly in the

towns. And Jesus started being openly

out in the towns. But now he's in a desolate

place. They exchanged places.

Isn't that what we believe about the gospel?

The Great Exchange. Jesus was willing for us to be

free. Was forsaken.

Jesus, who had everything? Was willing to lay aside and

aspect of his glory to come in and to know the place of a leper

symbolically speaking. To be driven away from the

presence of God. My God, my God, why have you

forsaken me? so you and I could be embraced

by by the same God. It's almost as though.

Mark through this miracle wants to give a nudge He's giving a

nudge here in this miracle. You see an aspect, the core

concept of the Gospel. Jesus traits place was with us

on the cross. If you're in this place and you

don't understand the idea of Christianity here it is.

I just said it Christ, takes your place, he takes from you.

And he gives himself his righteousness, his Perfection,

his Holiness, for your filth, your sin, your condemnation.

And what the gospel demands is for you to acknowledge that, but

then to put your faith so that transaction can take place.

And how do you do that? I argue the same way the leopard

came to Jesus, come with desperation, come with,

reverence. With confession and let him heal

you because the same way. Jesus said, with pity, the word

is compassion, I will be clean. He will not push away those who

come to him. You come to him.

Even if you are full of sin corrupt Beyond imagination, his

arms are open to you and he will touch you.

He will touch you. Lord, we ask that.

That would be true for us. And we pray, Lord.

That every person in this house. Can testify not just from their

own. Validation but even for those

who know them, like the priest would have known what this

leper. I've been made clean by the

blood of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord.

Thank you for the story. Thank you for this miracle.

Thank you. That it is pregnant with so much

gospel truth. And Lord, we just worship you.

We just want to adore you as a result of this truth.

Lord, as we heard with the Mandate of the leper, please

help us. Help us to not make decisions

based on our emotions. And help us.

Not try to impose our ideas with your commands.

But the simply trust in what you said, That, you know why?

You said what you said and you have a desired goal through it?

even if you don't understand it in the moment, we trust in your

word, help us be a church that submits to your word And Lord,

we just ask. We just ask that you would

receive glory in this place.