Sinful And Unclean

Today, we will be reading Luke 5, 1 through 16.

So if you could turn to that in your Bibles.

As you turn, I'll just share, as I was reading and preparing for Scripture reading today,

I was overwhelmed by Jesus' authority and his sovereignty to heal, to deliver, to correct, to guide.

How disciples turn from all that they knew to follow the Lord.

And so I'll pray in a moment, but as you hear and read along, may the Lord speak to you as he desires.

Father God, thank you so much for your word, your infallible word.

Lord, I pray that you will move in our hearts today as we hear the word, as it ministers to us.

Lord God, may your Holy Spirit guide and direct our thoughts, guide and direct our understandings.

May you prepare a way for Pastor Sean's message today, Lord God, that we are able to receive it even more so after hearing this word.

So may you move, Father God, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Luke 5, 1.

Jesus calls the first disciples.

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing on to him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.

And he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land.

And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.

And Simon answered, Master, we toiled all night and took nothing.

But at your word, I will let down the nets.

And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish and their nets were breaking.

They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.

And they came and filled both boats.

So both the boats, so that they began to sink.

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees saying,

Depart from me, for I'm a sinful man, O Lord.

For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken.

And so also were James and John, sons of David, who were partners with Simon.

And Jesus said to Simon, Do not be afraid.

From now on, you'll be catching men.

And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy.

And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him,

Lord, if you will, can you make me clean?

Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying,

I will be clean.

And immediately the leprosy left him.

And he charged him to tell no one,

But go and show yourself to the priests and make an offering for your cleansing,

as Moses commanded, for proof to them.

But now, even more, the report about him went abroad,

and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities.

But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

The word of the Lord.

Good morning.

My name is Sean.

For those of you who are visiting,

one of the pastors at Trinity Cambridge Church,

I have the privilege of preaching God's word on most Sundays.

And we're in Luke, in the series through the Gospel of Luke.

We're in chapter 5, verses 1 through 16.

This morning.

We saw in chapters 3 and 4,

Jesus getting baptized,

which was his anointing as the messianic king,

the king that God had promised to send to save his people.

And then we saw him demonstrate his authority and power in those chapters as well.

But in spite of all of this,

Jesus faced rejection from his own townspeople in Nazareth.

And then at the end of that chapter,

in chapter 4,

Jesus concluded by saying that he must preach the good news of the kingdom of God

to the other towns as well.

And at the beginning of our passage today,

we find ourselves wondering

who then will be the kind of people

who will receive the good news,

who will be able to respond to Jesus' message.

The answer is surprising.

I'm just going to come down real quick to grab the iPads

so that I can show you guys the things that I'm pointing out.

And the answer is surprising because in our society,

it's people who are the most successful

or the people who are the most attractive

or the people who seem to have everything put together

that will get admission to things

and get accepted or invited into things.

But here, the kind of people that Jesus invites to follow him is surprising.

God's kingdom is an upside-down kingdom.

He does not choose to minister only to the best and the brightest

or even to the holiest people,

but he calls the sinful and cleanses the unclean.

That's really the main point of this passage,

that Jesus calls the sinful and cleanses the unclean.

And we see this first in verses 1 to 11,

the calling of the sinful.

First, let's look at that.

Verses 1 to 2 tell us that the crowd was pressing in on him

to hear the word of God.

And throughout chapter 4,

we saw Luke emphasizing Jesus' teaching,

his word,

that his word possessed authority and power.

So once again,

the focus in Luke is not on his signs and wonders,

but on his word,

what he taught,

his preaching,

that takes center stage.

The sign and wonders serve to prove

the things that he's teaching,

his word,

to authenticate and confirm his word.

And the preaching of the word of God

is a central concern here as well.

And the people are so eager to hear Jesus speak the word of God

that they're pressing in while Jesus is standing by the lake of Gennesaret,

which is another name for the Sea of Galilee.

And Jesus notices two boats there on the shore.

They were empty because the fishermen were out washing their boats,

washing their nets, I mean.

And one of the boats turned out to be Simon Peters,

whom we already encountered in chapter 4.

Jesus had just healed his mother-in-law of an illness,

of a fever.

And Jesus now sees his boat.

And in order to get away from the crowd that was pressing in on him,

he goes into the boat.

He tells Peter to put out a little from the land.

And then Jesus proceeds to teach people from the boat.

So instead of casting nets from the boat to catch fish,

Jesus is casting the net of his gospel,

the good news that he's preaching,

to catch people.

And in the next verse,

Jesus now turns to teaching Peter how to do the same,

to become a fisher of men, as he says.

So look at verse 4 with me.

It tells us,

When he had finished speaking,

Jesus said to Simon,

Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.

So Jesus is taking control over Peter's boat,

which is ironic,

because I don't know if you guys remember

who Jesus' earthly adoptive father was,

which was Joseph,

and he was a carpenter.

So he works with wood.

And here's a carpenter,

because in those days,

you learned the profession,

your trade from your father.

Here's a carpenter ordering fishermen

where to fish.

And it's like me telling a manager

at an investment banking firm

where to invest their money.

It's absurd.

It's almost funny.

They'll just laugh at me if I told them.

And Peter is understandably skeptical,

and he answers in verse 5,

Master,

We toiled all night

and took nothing.

The word toil is a reference

to very difficult,

laborious, backbreaking labor.

And nighttime was the best time

in this place to fish.

And their backbreaking work

the night before

had produced nothing,

indicating that it's not a good idea,

according to Peter's professional opinion,

to go out fishing during the day

immediately on the next day.

But Peter doesn't end there,

even though he's skeptical.

He continues in verse 5,

But at your word,

I will let down the nets.

Once again,

the word takes center stage

because Jesus speaks from God.

He speaks the word of God.

Peter,

in spite of his best professional opinion,

defers to Jesus

and obeys his instruction.

Peter serves here

as a model of faith

and obedience here.

And sometimes God leads us

in surprising ways

as well in our lives.

He leads us in ways

that sometimes seem to contradict

our own wisdom

and expertise.

Sometimes the Bible teaches us things

that contradict our culture

or what our parents taught us.

But because it is God's word,

we must overcome that skepticism

and have faith,

as Peter does.

We have to take God at his word

and obey him

because we can do that.

We can build our faith for that

by cultivating a habit

of seeking God's help

and guidance on things

that are small and big.

And we should be open to

and sensitive to

the leading,

God's redirection in our lives.

So when he tells us,

put out into the deep

and let down your nets

for a catch

and we might be able

to hear his voice

and obey.

The result of Peter's obedience

is the haul of a lifetime.

Verses 6 to 7 tell us

that when they had done this,

they enclosed

a large number of fish

and their nets were breaking.

They signaled to their partners

in the other boat

to come and help them

and they came and filled

both the boats

so that they began to sink.

The catch was so abundant

that they didn't have enough nets

and they didn't have enough partners

and they didn't have enough boats.

And Peter knows better

than to attribute this

to his genius fishing skills

or to a stroke of luck.

It says in verses 8 to 10,

read with me,

but when Simon Peter saw it,

he fell down at Jesus' knees

saying,

depart from me

for I am a sinful man,

O Lord.

For he and all who were with him

were astonished

at the catch of fish

that they had taken.

And so also were James and John,

sons of Zebedee

who were partners with Simon.

So Peter,

along with James and John,

who will also be chosen

as Jesus' 12 disciples,

recognize that Jesus

is the reason

for their spectacular

catch of fish.

And seeing that

miraculous catch of fish

enables Peter to see Jesus

for who he really is

so that he can't help

but humble himself

before Jesus

by falling down

before his knees.

And he says,

depart from me

for I am a sinful man,

O Lord.

I'm unworthy to be

in your presence.

I'm unworthy to be here

like sitting at your knees.

Please leave.

Depart from me.

The word Lord here

can be a generic word

that refers to

any kind of superior.

So something like

an English equivalent

of a sir,

hey sir,

something like that.

But in the Gospels,

the word is frequently

given more theological weight.

It's given a deeper meaning.

So for example,

in Luke chapter 1 verse 43,

Luke 1:43

God was called the Lord.

And in Luke chapter 2 verse 11,

Luke 2:11

he said that Jesus

is a Savior

who is Christ the Lord.

So this is a significant word.

Peter's addressing him

as Lord

and bowing down before him.

He suggests that Jesus

is in fact either God

or a divine messenger.

That's what Peter

knows at this point.

Even though,

as we find out later

in the Gospel,

Peter and Jesus' disciples

don't quite grasp

the extent of who Jesus is.

They don't fully grasp it yet.

But he knows enough

to recognize that Jesus

is a divine messenger

before whom he is unworthy

and he must bow.

And we know that this is

a divine encounter

because in Luke,

there is a standard pattern

that Luke follows

when a human being

encounters a divine being.

So in Luke chapter 1 to 2,

Luke 1 · chapter mention

the angel of the Lord,

a messenger of the Lord,

appears to Zechariah,

Mary,

and the shepherds

in three separate occasions.

And each of those

three occasions

follow the exact same pattern.

So when you encounter

a divine being,

first,

there's the appearance

of the divine being.

Second,

there's the astonishment

and fear

of the human being

in the presence

of the divine being.

Third,

there's the assurance

by the divine being

saying,

do not fear,

do not be afraid.

And then fourth,

there is the announcement

of the divine beings.

And usually,

that's accompanied

by a sign

that guarantees

the fulfillment

of the announcement

that this divine agent brought.

So if you look

at that pattern

and map

the encounter

with Peter onto it,

it follows the pattern

exactly because first,

Jesus' appearance

is met

after the catch of fish.

Peter sees it,

sees him.

And then second,

there's the astonishment

and fear.

And he's astonished

and falls down

before Jesus.

And then third,

Jesus tells him,

do not be afraid.

And then fourth,

he makes his announcement,

from now on,

you will be catching men.

That's the announcement.

And that miraculous

catch of fish

that they just have taken

serves as the accompanying sign

that guarantees

to Peter,

James,

and John

that they will indeed

become fishers of men.

So even though Peter

might not recognize

fully yet

who Jesus is,

he senses

that he is a divine messenger

and he is unworthy

and says,

depart from me

for I am a sinful man.

It's just like

a person who emerges

from darkness,

from the bedroom

after night's sleep

and if the sun's

really bright in his eyes,

he can't quite open his eyes.

Or maybe someone like

a poor man

in a village

who feels unworthy

to have a king

come into his lowly house,

Peter senses

that he is unworthy

to be in Jesus' presence

because Jesus is the Holy One.

So he confesses,

depart from me

for I am a sinful man.

This is a major theme

throughout the Gospel of Luke

and actually later

in chapter 18,

Luke tells the parable

of a Pharisee

and a tax collector.

That famous parable

that many of you guys

have heard.

And in this parable,

God rejects

the self-righteous Pharisee

who boasts

of his righteousness.

This Pharisee

is self-congratulating.

He's saying,

I am so righteous.

I'm not like this sinner,

this tax collector

here over there.

But God rejects

that tax collector's

prayer.

But he accepts

the humble

and contrite

tax collector

who confesses

his sinfulness

and pleads

for God's mercy.

So in a similar manner,

contrary to normal

human expectation,

Peter's admission

of his sinfulness,

his acknowledgement

of his shortcoming,

his failure

and unworthiness,

it does not distance

him from God,

but instead

that draws him closer.

Because in God's

wonderful mercy,

he calls the sinful

and cleanses

the unclean.

Recognizing our own

sinfulness

and unworthiness

before God

is the first step

toward God.

So if you feel

pretty good about

yourself before God,

if you are

self-righteous,

if you don't have

enough of God's

light in your life

to expose your darkness,

if you think

that you deserve

to be saved

more than other

people around you,

that's a sign

actually of your

distance from God.

You're further away

from God

than you think.

But the converse

is also true.

If you feel

out of place

here this morning,

if you feel

unworthy

to be here,

if you feel

unqualified

to worship God

and to be

in his presence,

if you feel

that you're too

much of a sinner

to approach God,

if you feel

that God

would want

nothing

to do with you,

that's all

the more reason

for you

to be here,

to approach God.

Because that

humility

is necessary

for approaching God.

It's your sign

of nearness

to God.

You're exactly

the type of person

that God seeks.

As God says

in Isaiah

Isaiah 66:2

chapter 66

verse 2,

but this

is the one

to whom

I will look,

he who is humble

and contrite

in spirit

and trembles

at my work.

For this reason,

instead of scolding

and shunning Peter,

and Jesus

had every right

to do that,

he's the holy one

and here lies

a sinful man

that Jesus

had every right

to reject

and shun.

Yet instead,

Jesus tells Peter

not to fear

and gives him

this wonderful promise

from now on.

That's a key phrase

in Luke

that indicates

that life-transforming

effect of an encounter

with Jesus.

From now on,

you will be

catching men.

Instead of catching fish,

Peter will be

catching men.

Peter's life

is now changed.

So normally,

you catch fish

in order to kill

and eat it,

right?

So the image

is a little bit

jarring for some people

because that's

the normal function

of catching fish.

So that's actually,

that's why

the image of

catching fish

is usually used

in the Old Testament

as a metaphor

for God's judgment.

So God says

he will catch

them like fish

with hooks

and he will consume

them with his wrath.

So that's the typical image

that's used

in the Old Testament.

But Jesus here

transforms that imagery

in a surprising way

because the word

catching here

is actually,

it actually means

more precisely

to catch alive.

In the Greek translation

of the Old Testament,

the same word

is used to refer to

sparing people

from death

or from judgment.

It refers to

saving them

from the judgment

that they deserved.

So Peter then

will join Jesus

on his mission

to seek

and save the lost.

They will take

those people

who deserve

to be caught

and killed

and instead

catch them alive.

They will rescue

people who are

set for judgment

so that they might

be spared.

That's the call.

And these fishermen's

response to Jesus'

call is incredible.

It says in verse 11,

And when they had

brought their boats

to land,

they left everything

and followed him.

The word follow

is the standard word

that indicates

discipleship.

A disciple

is someone

who follows

a master

to learn

from his instruction

and to imitate

his example.

And notice that

they didn't here

sell their record

haul of fish

to set up

their retirement accounts

and then follow Christ.

It says that

they left everything

at the height

of their greatest

professional success.

They left everything

and followed Jesus.

This is not an exception

reserved for special cases.

This is the rule

of Christian discipleship.

So many people say,

Oh, after I grow up,

I'm a little older,

after I become an adult,

I will really

follow God

and serve Him.

Oh, after I have

graduated,

I will really

follow God

and serve Him.

Oh, after I have

job security,

I will really

follow God

and serve Him.

Oh, after I'm married

and have a family,

I will really

follow God

and serve Him.

After I've made

enough money,

I will really

follow God

and serve Him.

But that's not

Christian discipleship.

Christian discipleship is to leave everything to follow Christ

because Jesus is extremely worth it.

Now, don't hear what I'm not saying.

I'm not saying that all of you should quit your jobs right now,

text your bosses to become ministers and foreign missionaries.

But please do hear what I'm saying.

Leaving everything and following Jesus

is not the exclusive call of ministers and foreign missionaries.

It is the call of every single Christian

because Jesus later says to all of them in Luke 9, 23,

he said to all,

if anyone would come after me,

let him deny himself and take up his cross daily

and follow me.

With all due respect to all of you and all your jobs,

you guys, some of you have, a lot of you have great jobs.

Your job is not your calling.

That's not where you're supposed to derive

your purpose and meaning in life

in an infinite ultimate sense.

And that's why when you seek to get from your job

that meaning and purpose

that only Christ is supposed to fulfill,

it always disappoints you and leaves you wanting.

Your job is the context in which to live out

your Christian calling to follow Jesus.

It's not your calling.

That's why 1 Corinthians 7, 24,

says,

so brothers,

in whatever condition each was called,

there let him remain with God.

R. Kent Hughes,

a pastor and a Bible commentator,

puts it this way.

Jesus calls his people

to diverse vocations,

but all are to devote their lives

to catching men and women alive.

This is to be our perpetual vocation.

No matter what condition your life is in,

whether you're well or sick,

rich or poor,

married or single,

employed or unemployed,

no matter what job you might have,

if you are a Christian,

you have a God-given calling

to leave everything and follow Jesus

so that you can catch men and women alive.

The center of your life is no longer you,

it's no longer your boyfriend or girlfriend,

it's no longer your spouse,

nor your child,

nor your parent,

nor your boss,

nor your professor or advisor.

The center of your life is Jesus.

Your purposes and priorities revolve around Jesus.

Your decisions serve Jesus.

Your life belongs to Jesus.

That's what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

So that's why we can't compartmentalize our lives

and say,

well, this much of my time belongs to God.

The rest is mine.

This much of my money belongs to God.

The rest is mine.

These relationships I have belong to God,

but these are for me.

There's no such thing as my time,

my money,

my relationships,

when you're following Christ.

All your time is Christ's.

All your money is Christ's.

All your relationship is Christ's.

All that you are is Christ's.

Have you left everything to follow Jesus?

Or are you still serving your own desires

and ambitions,

selfish ambitions?

And Christ's mission of fishing men

is worth leaving everything behind for.

There's a quote I love to use.

I'm sure you've heard this before.

C.T. Studd,

one of the famous Cambridge Seven.

Unfortunately, it's not Cambridge, Massachusetts.

It's Cambridge, UK.

These students from Cambridge University

who became foreign missionaries,

all of them went to China.

And he wrote this.

Sorry, I'm getting this slight error

that keeps going back.

It says,

Some want to live within the sound of church

or chapel bell.

I want to run a rescue shop

within a yard of hell.

All around us,

there are people about to be caught like fish

and consumed by the just wrath of God.

And Jesus calls us to join him

in catching fish,

catching them alive.

Is evangelism a priority in your life?

Jesus said that his purpose

in his mission

was to proclaim the good news

of liberation and salvation to people.

Is that your purpose in life?

If it were,

how would it look different?

The king,

Christ the king,

has summoned you

and he has commissioned you

for this mission.

Are you answering your call

as a disciple of Jesus?

So verses 1 to 11 taught us

that Christ calls sinful people

to be his disciples.

And then in verses 12 to 16,

we see that Jesus' mission

of fishing men

involves cleansing the unclean.

So verse 12,

read with me,

says that while Jesus

was in one of the cities,

there came a man

full of leprosy.

The term leprosy

is used more technically

narrowly nowadays,

but in scripture,

it refers to a wide range

of skin diseases.

It can cause scaly patches,

swellings, rashes,

blisters,

and or scabs

all over your skin.

Leprosy,

also known technically

as Hansen's disease,

is a long-term bacterial infection

that inflames the skin

and damages the nervous system.

And it can, in fact,

damage your nervous system

so severely

that an infected person

no longer feels any pain

in his extremities.

So this often leads

to further injuries

and infections

because he can no longer

feel any pain

when he touches something

that he shouldn't touch,

like something really sharp

or scalping hot.

And so I got a picture.

Here's a picture

of a man

from 1886,

a 24-year-old man

who has leprosy.

Now,

so the physical symptoms

alone were severe enough,

but the social consequences

of being a leper

was even worse

because leprosy

was contagious.

It was associated

with ritual uncleanness.

Leviticus 13,

45-46,

commanded this,

The leprous person

who has the disease

shall wear torn clothes

and let the hair

of his head hang loose.

And he shall cover

his upper lip

and cry out,

Unclean!

Unclean!

He shall remain unclean

as long as he has

the disease.

He is unclean.

He shall live alone.

His dwelling shall be

outside the camp.

This was not intended

to be cruel.

Lepers simply

had to be quarantined

in order to protect

the rest of the population.

As a parent

of a child in school,

I receive an advisory email

every year

from the Cambridge

Public School District,

and they tell us

to keep our child

at home

if they have,

one,

temperature over 100 degrees,

vomiting or diarrhea,

discharge from the nose

that is not clear,

eye inflammation

or crusting,

or undiagnosed rash

or skin eruption.

So it's really

not all that different.

It's the same idea.

You isolate

the people

who are contagious

so that you can

keep the disease

from spreading.

The difference,

of course,

is that a sick child

could return to school

as soon as he or she

gets better,

but the leper

in the ancient world

had no hope,

usually,

of getting better.

The bacterium

that causes leprosy

wasn't discovered

until the 19th century,

and a cure for it

wasn't developed

until the 1940s.

So for this man

in the Bible,

leprosy was a permanent

and incurable condition.

And so,

for that reason,

lepers lived

as,

in their entire lives,

as social outcasts,

excluded from normal

human interaction

in life.

And it says

in the rest of verse 12

that when he saw,

this leper saw Jesus,

he fell on his face

and begged him,

Lord,

if you will,

you can make me clean.

The very fact

that this leper

has come into the city

and has approached Jesus

is daring

and remarkable

because it would mean

putting other people

at risk

and he would face

tremendous criticism

and pressure,

perhaps even abuse.

He's putting himself

out there,

counting on Jesus'

power to heal.

If Jesus heals him,

then everything

will be well

and the man can return

to a healthy,

normal life.

But if he does not heal,

this leper will remain

in sickness

and experience

much shame

and score,

probably even worse,

for having dared

to do this.

There's a lot

of dramatic tension here

about this leper

banks on Jesus'

ability and willingness

to heal.

And just as Peter

fell down at Jesus' knees

and called him Lord

in verse 8,

here the leper

also recognizes

that Jesus,

when he's with Jesus,

he's in the presence

of a divine messenger

and he falls

on his face

to beg Jesus

and addresses him

again as Lord.

And pay attention

to how he phrases

his request.

This is important.

He doesn't say,

Lord, if you will,

you can heal me.

He doesn't say that.

He says,

if you will,

you can make me clean.

Clean is the language

of ritual purity.

As I said,

leprosy was associated

in the Old Testament

with ritual uncleanness.

So the leper knows

that he not only carries

a physical disease,

that he also carries

with him

spiritual defilement.

He's unclean.

He's polluted by sin.

The leper,

knowing this,

asks to be made clean.

Notice also

that the leper

does not say,

Lord,

if you are able,

please make me clean.

He says,

Lord,

if you will,

you can

make me clean.

The leper knows

that it's not a matter

of Jesus' ability

to heal,

but a matter

of his willingness

to heal.

I wish that

all of our prayers

would be filled

with such faith.

Lord,

I believe

with all of my heart,

I know that

you can heal

if you will.

Oh, Lord,

you can make me clean.

If we had such faith,

wouldn't we

be quick

to throw ourselves

before Jesus' feet

to pray?

You have faith

that spurs you

into prayer

like this leper.

Even if you feel

unworthy of God's favor,

even if you feel

like your life

is a mess,

even if you feel

like you've been

shunned by everybody else,

you can turn to Jesus

because Jesus

calls us sinful

and he cleanses

the unclean.

It says in verse 13,

and Jesus

stretched out

his hand

and touched him

saying,

I will

be clean.

And immediately,

the leprosy

left him.

The Gospel of Luke

often mentions

that Jesus

touched someone

or laid his hand

on someone

in order to heal them.

This is an expression

of Jesus'

tender care,

especially in the case

of this leper.

You saw the picture earlier.

This leper is contagious.

He's ritually unclean.

You almost get

this visceral aversion

to getting near

a person like that.

To touch him

was to be contaminated

spiritually

and it was to put yourself

at risk

of contracting

leprosy yourself.

But instead

of putting on

the sanitary gloves

and a face mask

and backpedaling

to keep the man

at a distance,

Jesus stretches

himself out

to touch the man.

I will

be

clean.

That's the kind

of king

that Jesus is.

Do you feel lonely

and unwanted?

Do you feel

dirty and defiled?

Do you feel

sinful

and unworthy?

Other false gods

will tell you,

hey,

get clean

before you come.

Clean yourself.

But Jesus

comes,

God comes to us,

the Son of God

comes to us

and makes us

clean so that

we might live

forever with Him.

That's the kind

of God we have.

That's the king

that we serve.

So instead of

the leper

making Jesus

unclean

as everybody

around Him

expected to happen,

Jesus makes

the leper

clean.

If you bring

your sins

to Jesus

in repentance,

you can be

made clean.

There was a

19th century

Christian minister

named Damien.

He moved

to Molokai,

an island

in Hawaii

where a village

had been

dedicated.

Quarantined

as a leper

colony,

a place

where only

lepers live.

For 16 years

he devoted

his entire life,

the entirety

of that 16 years

to serve the lepers.

He lived

with them,

he spoke

their language,

he bandaged

their wounds,

he touched

the hands

that no one

else would touch

and he preached

to them

the good news

of Jesus Christ.

He built

homes for them

to live in,

schools for them

to study in,

church buildings

for them to worship in,

and he

handmade

2,000 coffins

so that when

they died

inevitably of

this disease

that they might

be buried

with dignity.

And because of him

people said

that this village

in Molokai

became,

it was no longer

a place

where people

would come to die,

but it became

a place

for people

to live.

And one day

when Damien

was preparing

a bath,

he accidentally

dipped his foot

in the scalding

water,

which caused

blisters on his

foot.

However,

he did not

feel any

pain from the

burn,

which alerted

him to the

fact that he

had two

contracted

leprosy.

The next time

he preached,

instead of

addressing them

as he usually

did as brothers

and sisters,

he addressed

them as

fellow lepers.

He had become

one of them.

And he died

as one of them.

In his

sacrificial ministry,

Pastor Damien

was not

blazing a new

trail.

He was following

in the footsteps

of Christ,

his Savior

and King.

The King

who stretched

out his hand

to touch the

leper and

made him clean.

Do we have

the compassion

of Christ

to serve

the sick

in our midst?

Do we serve

the outcasts?

Those who are

rejected and

ridiculed by

society,

do we stretch

out to

minister to

them?

Christians

should be on

the front

lines of any

such kind of

minister.

And we must

do more than

that.

We should care

for the

physically sick,

but we also

need to care

for those

who are

spiritually

unclean.

The doctor

cannot heal

the sick

without first

getting in

contact with

them.

And we

cannot share

the saving

news of

Jesus Christ

with our

neighbors unless

we first get

to know them

and talk to

them.

Yes,

there are a lot

of self-righteous

people in the

world who think

that they have

no need for

Jesus.

But there are

also a lot

of people in

the world who

are aware of

their sinfulness.

People with

checkered pasts

and broken

relationships

who are afraid

to talk to

Christians because

they fear

judgment and

condemnation.

And we should

be addressing

these people as

fellow lepers,

fellow sinners

saved.

We are all

sinners before

God,

but we have

been saved by

the grace of

God.

We should be

sharing the

goodness of

Jesus Christ

with them.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Sorry, I just

heard from an

old friend.

They made

really bad

decisions,

did a lot

of bad

things.

And now

she's in the

area and

we're inviting

her to come

and her

husband to

come.

and they

feel unworthy

to come.

If you

feel unworthy,

you're exactly

the type of

person that

should be

here.

Because Jesus

calls the

sinful and

cleanses the

sick,

cleanses the

unclean.

So after

making the

leper clean,

it says in

verse 14 that

Jesus charged

him to tell

no one but

to go and

show yourself

to the priest

and make an

offering for

your cleansing.

As Moses

commanded for

a proof to

them.

Why doesn't

Jesus want

this leper to

tell others

about his

healing?

Verses 15

to 16 tell

us why.

He says,

But now,

even more,

the report

about him

went abroad,

and great

crowds gathered

to hear him

and to be

healed of

their infirmities.

But he

would withdraw

to desolate

places and

pray.

So Jesus'

reputation as

a healer

always gathered

large crowds

around him.

Jesus,

because of

that,

would withdraw

to desolate

places and

pray.

So instead

of basking

in his

fame and

his glory

and compulsively

checking the

number of

likes he has

on his

Facebook and

Instagram

account,

he retreats

to solitude

to converse

with his

father through

prayer.

And earlier

in Luke 4,

42 to 43,

Jesus also

withdrew to

a desolate

place and

left the

crowds that

sought him.

And the

reason that

he gave

there was

this.

And when

it was

there,

he departed

and went

into a

desolate

place.

And the

people sought

him and

came to

him and

would have

kept him

from leaving

them.

But he

said to

them,

this is

the reason,

I must

preach the

good news

of the

kingdom of

God to

the other

towns as

well,

for I

was sent

for this

purpose.

So it

seems that

Jesus,

withdraws

from the

crowds and

tells the

leper not

to tell

others because

his reputation

as a

healing would

bring so

many crowds

that he

would prevent

him from

fulfilling his

mission of

preaching the

good news of

the kingdom,

the preaching

the good news

of salvation

to these

people.

Yes,

the signs and

wonders are

great.

Yes,

the healing's

great,

but that's

supposed to

serve to

authenticate and

prove the

message.

That's not the

main point

because Jesus

must preach

the good

news that

we must

repent of

our sins

and believe

in him

for salvation.

Even though

he tells the

leper not to

tell anyone

about his

healing,

Jesus does

tell him to

go show

the priest

what has

happened and

offer a

sacrifice.

This is a

reference to

Leviticus

Leviticus 14 · chapter mention

chapter 14

which speaks

of the

procedure for

declaring a

leper clean.

It was a

week-long

process that

began with

two birds.

One was

dipped in

blood.

One was

sacrificed.

One bird was

sacrificed and

its blood was

sprinkled on the

leper and

the other bird

that was not

sacrificed was

dipped in the

blood of the

sacrificed leper.

It was

released to

go free.

This was

intended to

serve as a

picture of

removal of

sin and

cleansing and

ultimately

pointed to

Jesus,

the sacrifice

that he would

make.

So the

bird that

is sacrificed

serves as

the substitute

for the

other bird

and for

the leper.

This bird

is sacrificed

and its

blood is

used for

the cleansing

of the

bird which

represents the

leper so

that both

can now be

released and

go clean and

be released to

go free.

So that's the

picture.

And the

reason why

Jesus is able

to say to

this leper not

only to heal

him but also

to cleanse him,

to declare

him clean,

it's because

Jesus is

looking ahead to

the substitutionary

sacrifice that

he will make on

the cross for

our sins.

Just like that

bird that

sacrificed,

Jesus himself

will die on

the cross as

our substitute

so that we

can be sprinkled

with his blood,

metaphorically

speaking,

and be made

clean.

This is why

the blood is

significant.

Hebrews 9.22

says,

Without the

shedding of

blood,

there is no

forgiveness of

sins.

The reason for

this is because

blood represents

life.

And the penalty

for sin is

death.

The just penalty

for sin against

God is death.

So only the

blood which

represents life

must be shed,

must be poured

out in order for

that penalty to

be satisfied,

in order for

the justice of

God to be

satisfied.

And so Jesus

comes as God's

agent.

God the Father

sends his only

son, Jesus,

to be the

substitutionary

sacrifice for

our sins,

and so that

when he dies

to pay the

penalty for

our sins on

the cross,

and he's raised

victoriously on

the third day,

all of us who

turn to him,

all the sinners

and unclean,

who come to him

and turn to him

and trust him

for salvation,

can be cleansed

by the blood

and receive

eternal life.

That's what

1 John is

talking about.

But if we

walk in the

light as he

is in the

light, we

have fellowship

with one

another, and

the blood of

Jesus, his

son, cleanses

us from all

sin.

If we say we

have no sin,

we deceive

ourselves, and

the truth is

not in us.

If we confess

our sins, he

is faithful and

just to forgive

us our sins

and to cleanse

us from all

unrighteousness.

If we say we

have not sinned,

we make him a

liar, and his

word is not in

us.

So this is my

plea with you

this morning.

Let's not make

God out to be a

liar.

Let's confess our

sins.

Acknowledge our

sinfulness.

It's only those

who acknowledge that

they're in the

darkness that can

step into the

light that Christ

offers.

sinners.

It's only the

unclean that

offer themselves

to Jesus to be

cleansed by the

blood of Christ.

So if you are

not yet a

follower of Jesus,

today you can

make that

commitment to

become his

disciple, to

leave everything

and follow him.

But if you're

already a follower

of Christ, I

implore you to

make it your

daily practice to

confess our sins

and to receive

joyfully and

gratefully the

forgiveness of

sins and

cleansing from

all unrighteousness

that Jesus has

freely given to

us.

Let me close by

reading a verse

from this hymn,

There is a

fountain filled

with blood.

I think we're

singing it at the

end of service.

It says,

There is a

fountain filled

with blood,

drawn from

Emmanuel's veins,

and sinners

plunged beneath

that flood lose

all their guilty

stains.