Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Luke chapter 14. Luke chapter 14. I'd like to read verses 1 to
6. Luke 14 verse 1, and it came
to pass as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees
to eat bread on the Sabbath day, that they watched him. And behold,
there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And
Jesus answering, spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying,
Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? And they held their peace. And he took him and healed him,
and let him go and answered them saying, which of you shall have
an ox, an ass or an ox fallen into a pit and will not straightway
pull him out on the Sabbath day? And they could not answer him
again to these things. Let's pray together. Our father, We thank you for
the blessed privilege to read your word. Lord, we ask, according
to your everlasting covenant of grace, that you would have
mercy upon all that you've purposed to have mercy. Bless your word
this evening. Forgive us for Christ's sake. Amen. We're going to look tonight for
a few minutes at a healing that took place at a Pharisee's house. Scripture said it was on the
Sabbath day. Now this healing is more than
just a point of history. You know that. This healing of
this man that had dropsy is a beautiful picture of every
object of God's mercy. And what is set forth in the
way that the Lord healed this sick man sets forth perfectly
how God saves a sinner. The scripture says, and it came
to pass. I love this. This is good. I looked up. Pass. Came to pass. Generated. Generated. And it was generated. It was
brought about. Almighty God worketh all things
after the counsel of his own will." The Lord, from before
the foundation of the world, had purposed that this man was
going to be in this place, that the Lord was going to be in that
place, that that Pharisee was going to be in that place on
the Sabbath day. And it came to pass As he went
to the house of one of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day,
they watched him. Now this is interesting too.
Watched. Deceitfully or treacherously
observe. They watched him to see if they
could catch him in word or deed to discredit him. They watched
him. But they watched him with disdain. They watched him with
resentment. They just kind of going to wait
and see what is he going to do. I want you to turn over to Mark
3. Hold your place there. Mark 3, 1 and 2. Mark chapter
3. Same word, same word used right
here. And scripture brings out exactly
what this word actually means. Mark chapter 3, verse 1 and 2. And he entered again into the
synagogue, and there was a man there which had a withered hand,
and they watched him. whether he would heal him on
the Sabbath day that they might accuse him. They're just going
to watch and see. I just want to see what you're
going to do. So our Lord is in this Pharisee's
house, the scripture said, on the Sabbath day, and they watched
him. And behold, there was a certain
man before him which had the dropsy. Behold, take special
notice. Take special notice. Behold, no different than any other man,
cut out of the same lump just like everybody else, but this
man, this certain man, was one that Almighty God was going to
show mercy. The scripture says that this
certain man was sick. He had dropsy. Now I've heard the word dropsy,
but I'll be honest with you, I'd go look it up. Find out what,
you know. It's used one time in all scripture.
One time. Dropsy. And what it is, it's
a condition or a disease where water accumulates around various
organs of the body, just an accumulation of water. It would be like congestive
heart failure, something like that. It was a dropsy. This man
was obviously very sick and no known cure had dropsy. Probably this man was brought
by the Pharisees to try to entrap the Lord Jesus Christ, but they
did just exactly what Almighty God had purposed for them to
do. They didn't have any concern
for this man. They were just going to invite
the Lord Jesus Christ to come to have a meal with them on Sabbath
day, and they brought this sick man too. They knew what he had
done in the past. So they were gonna just put him
in the midst just to see what they were doing, what he would
do. And the scripture says, and Jesus answering. Now I want you to notice something.
They didn't ask him anything. They didn't ask him anything.
Jesus answering. Here again. The word is to speak
an answer that one knows the other desires. The Lord answered
and they never said anything. He knew what they thought. Here
is the omniscient God of all grace and mercy. that Jesus answering spake unto
the lawyers and Pharisees because he knew, he knew what they were
thinking. And he asked this question, is
it awful to heal on the Sabbath day? I want you to turn, hold your place
again, turn back to Matthew 12, 10. Matthew chapter 12, verse
10. I've read numerous accounts here, I'm going to read
something for you in just a minute or two, but I read certain accounts
where men would write and said it was right to heal, to do acts
of mercy on the Sabbath day. And I looked for that scripture
to find out where I could find it. And right here, our precious
Savior actually sets forth what is right to do on the Sabbath
day. Look at Matthew chapter 12. And let's just read verses 8
to 13. For the Son of Man is Lord even
of the Sabbath day. And remember this. The Sabbath
day was a day given according to the law to set forth the Lord
Jesus Christ who is the believer's rest from doing any work on his
part to merit righteousness and acceptance before God. The Sabbath
day was a day according to the law that Almighty God set forth
the glory of Christ's finished work. It's finished. If He's
finished it, what's left to do? Nothing. So it's the Sabbath
day, a picture of Christ Himself. You know, people speak of keeping
the Sabbath day holy. No one's ever kept the Sabbath
day holy. That's a demand. We're commanded to do it. One
man did it. One man did it, and his righteousness
is imputed to his people, to the believers. So the Lord says,
the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day. And when he
was departed thence, he went into their synagogue, and behold,
there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked
him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days, that
they might accuse him? And he said unto them, what man
shall there be among you that shall have one sheep, and if
it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on
it and lift it out? How much then is a man better
than a sheep? Now, here's the question. Here's
the answer to the question. Is it lawful? Our Lord says,
wherefore, it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days. Then
saith he to the man, stretch forth thine hand. He stretched
it forth and it was restored whole like as the other. So here's the question. Is it
lawful? Is it right to heal on the Sabbath
day? The Lord said it is. The Lord
said it is. So therefore it ends it. They
accuse, you know, all you want to, you know, bicker and all
that. Is it right? The Lord said that
it is. But how calloused, how unmerciful,
how prejudiced is the natural heart? Matthew 23, 23. The scripture
says, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you
pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier
matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. The Lord says you made your own
minors, and minor on the majors. Is it lawful? Is it right to
heal? Is it right to be merciful on
the Sabbath day? The Lord said, yes, it's right. Setting forth the healing, the
spiritual healing, that we have in our Sabbath day, the Lord
Jesus Christ, our great day of rest. Is it right? Yes, it's
right. He heals. All of God's people
are healed spiritually in the Sabbath day himself, the day
of rest. Well, our Lord, back in Luke
14, He knew what they were thinking. He answered and he asked them,
they had asked him back in Matthew. And now he's asking me, is it
lawful? To heal on the Sabbath day, verse
4 said they held their peace, their mouths were stopped. Is
it right to be merciful on the Sabbath day? Is it right to show
mercy, compassion? And he asked them that question,
which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit and
shall not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day? Again,
they couldn't answer him. What man is going to say that
it's not right, it's never right on the Sabbath day to show mercy? Hosea 6.6 set this truth forth. I will have mercy and not sacrifice. What's right to do? Withhold
mercy or show mercy? The Lord said it's right to have
compassion. They held their peace and then
our precious Savior did something for this man at this man could
not do for himself. And here is a beautiful picture
of salvation. Every object of God's mercy,
this is what happens. The scripture says in verse 4,
He took him. He seized him. He laid hold on
him. whether the Lord just reached
over and grabbed his arm, took his, climbed his shoulder, whatever,
He took him. The Lord always takes the one
to whom He'll show mercy. As our surety before the foundation
of the world, God the Father, Ephesians 1 verse 4 says, chose
a people in the Lord Jesus Christ and gave them to the Son. The Father chose a bride for
the Lord Jesus Christ, betrothed Himself everlastingly to her,
everlastingly loved her. This was the Father's gift to
the Son. And according to that everlasting
covenant of peace. We read that in Genesis 43, where
Judah told Israel, his dad, when Benjamin was going to be taken
back to Joseph, who was second in command, only to Pharaoh,
who had the corn. And Joseph, who had not revealed
himself yet to his brothers, said, you bring your youngest
brother, don't bring your brother, don't come back, don't show up.
There won't be no food. So Judah Here again, a picture
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, I'll be surety for the
lad. If I don't bring him back, I'll carry the blame forever.
That it ever be recorded Judah didn't make good on it. Everlastingly
loving his people, the Lord Jesus Christ took those that the father
gave him. As the father's elect, the son's
bride, he loved her, cherished her. Father's gift to her. We've everlastingly been taken
by Him, everlastingly had His heart toward us. We were in Him,
united in Him. When He died, you know this,
when He died, Paul says, I'm crucified with Christ. Now, I
can't explain the fullness of it. I can tell you what the scripture
says, and by faith we believe this. We were born in time, but
the scripture sets forth that we've everlastingly been in Him. Therefore, when He went to the
cross, we were in Him. When He died, we were in Him. When He was buried, we were buried.
When He was raised, we were raised. When He ascended, we ascended.
Turn to Romans 8.30. Now this is what Romans 8.30
is saying. We've read this before, but we
need to read it again. Romans 8.30. Again, I want you to notice that
all of these things are set forth in past tense. These things are
not spoken of here in present or future tense. It's all past
tense. Romans 8.30, Moreover whom He
did predestinate, them He also called. He named. That word is
not the word, the effectual call of God. Though God does effectually
call, summons. That's not this word. This word
is He named them. Sons. Sons of God. Moreover,
whom he did predestinate, them he also called. Whom he called,
them he also justified. How long have men, the object of
God's mercy, how long have they been justified in the mind, will,
and purpose of Almighty God? Everlastingly. I said before, how do you have
a God who doesn't change look at you differently from one point
to another? Well, I wasn't justified in God's
eyes before, but now I am justified. That can't be. Now, I do understand. I understand. Justified freely
by His grace, Him whom He justified. The Scripture sets forth when
Christ died at the cross. We were justified by His blood
when He died. Eternally when He died. Then the Scripture says that
we were justified by faith. We're justified and show the
evidence of our justification by works. And our mouth out of
the abundance of our heart sets forth justification. And again, don't try to separate
them and say, well now this has got to be, this has got to be
here. Just accept this is what the Word of God says. Whom He
did predestinate, then He also called. Whom He called, then
He also justified. Whom He justified, then He also
glorified. Seated. Seated with Christ, glorified. You say, how can I be glorified
in Christ and still here. When we see Him, we'll know Him
as we're known. We'll see Him face to face. And
in that day, we'll know these things. But by faith, we believe
this. We don't try to discredit the
scriptures. God Almighty has set forth this
is the way it is. You have to understand we're
dealing with the I am. With the I am who is eternal.
One God. We live in time. He doesn't live
in time. God is eternal. So everything
with God is now. Right now. You see that? I'm
trying to. Here, we set forth that we've
always been taken by the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2 verse
6. Ephesians 2 verse 6. The scripture sets forth, now
look at this. I'll read verse 5 and 6. Even
when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ
by grace ye are saved. Now catch this word. And hath
raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places
in Christ. Who's Paul talking to? He's talking
to the saints at Ephesus and all the faithful in Christ Jesus.
I'm telling you, this is the point. Christ took us. Never separated from us. Nor
were we from Him. In our minds, yes. We were enemies
from birth in our minds against Him. But never in His. Not for
His elect. Not for His people. So He eternally
took us. But there is a sense, and you
know this, that in time He takes us and seizes us by His Holy
Spirit, by irresistible power and grace. Saul of Tarsus was
on the road to Damascus. And here he was, he had letters
of authority in his hand to take all who were of the way, bring
them back to Jerusalem, imprison them, kill them, whatever. And
the Lord Jesus Christ took him. Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou
me? Who are you, Lord? He arrested
him. in his conscience, in his heart. And what's the evidence of being
taken in time? What's the evidence of that?
Just what Paul says, Lord, who are you? Those men at Pentecost, when
the Spirit of God fell that day and Peter was preaching the power
of the Holy Spirit, and they cried out, men and brethren,
what shall we do? That Philippian jailer, here's
the evidence of being taken. What must I do to be saved? What's the evidence of regeneration? Scripture says back in Luke 14,
verse 4, He took him. And every object of God's mercy
that He's everlastingly purposed to save, that He chose in Christ, The Lord Jesus Christ said, all
that my father giveth me shall come to me. He takes them. He
stops them. And the next thing he did for
this man there that had the drops, he healed him. We need spiritual
healing. Sin is a disease of death. The soul that sinneth is going
to die. The scripture sets forth that
we were born dead. That's what Ephesians 2.1 says. You hath equipped and you made
alive who were dead in trespasses and sins. Being dead, we have
no spiritual sight. We have no spiritual hearing. We have no spiritual speaking. We're lame, spiritually lame
on our feet. A true picture of that impotent
man that was by the pool of Bethesda and waited for the turning of
the waters. You know, they said that an angel
would come down at certain seasons and stir the water, whoever got
in first. Impotent folk, laying halt, withered,
impotent, sick. And the Lord's got to do something
for a a sick, dead, spiritually dead sinner that He cannot do
for Himself. How did He heal us? Well, I'll
tell you what He did. First of all, I'll tell you how
He healed us. Turn to 1 Peter 2.24. 1 Peter 2.24. The Scripture says
concerning our healing, we were healed at the cross. 1 Peter 2.24. who his own self bear our sins
in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should
live under righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed. And you know that means spiritual
healing. Not everybody is healed physically. Some are. But I heard Brother Henry say
one time, he said, the Lord may be pleased to heal somebody temporarily. But He said, we're going to die.
You're going to die. But by His stripes, we're healed
spiritually. Healed us. The only cure for
the disease of sin is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without
the shedding of blood, His blood, there is no remission. Here's the reason that the Lord
Jesus Christ came. heal, spiritually heal his people. Listen to Psalm 147. He healeth
the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds. He healeth. And this is the cry of one that
is made sensitive. to his need. A man that cries
this, a woman that cries this, God's already healed them. He's
already healed them. But listen to this, Psalm 41,
4. I said, Lord, be merciful unto
me. Heal my soul, for I have sinned
against thee. And that's a speech of life right
there. Heal my soul. That soul has already
been healed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this evidence,
of this spiritual healing. What's the evidence of it? Well,
a man, he follows after Christ. He believes God. Abraham believed
God. That's the evidence of being
healed spiritually. We're born dead. We're born dead
in trespasses and sin. This old man's dead. You know
what this old man needs? You know what he needs? He needs
for God to do something that he can't do for himself. He said,
you must be born again. You know, you take a man that's
dead, you know what he needs? He needs life. Now there's the
healing. I need life. I'm born, I can't
spiritually see. You know what I need for healing?
I need some new eyes. I need some new ears. I need
a new heart. I'll give you a new heart, new spirit, a new love,
new will. I'll be your God. You'll be my
people. You'll know it. We've always been His elect,
but in regenerating grace, He gives us a heart made willing
in the day of His power. Everything's new. And then lastly,
scripture says, and he let him go. He let him go. Obviously not from himself. He
said, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. My sheep
follow me. God's sheep want to be where
the Lord Jesus Christ is. They want to be where he's honored.
They want to be where he's set forth by his gospel. Believers are let go being free
from the debt that they owe to the law for obedience and righteousness
before God. The law says do and live. Now I'm going to tell you something.
The law's demand is still in force right now. That's never
changed. That's never changed. Do and
live. Somebody said, well, the law,
that was back then. Yeah, it was back then, but it's right
now. A man, a woman that does not do is gonna die. But see, the gospel sets forth
done by the Lord Jesus Christ in charge to you. Righteousness
imputed to God's people, God's elect. And the way you know that
it's God's elect, they believe God. They believe that God Almighty
has saved them, took them, healed them, and set them free. Free
from the bondage of sin's power. Death, where's your stand? Grave, where's your victory?
I'm free. I'm free in the Lord Jesus Christ. If the Son of Man Therefore,
she'll make you free. You're free indeed. Free. The law is not our rule
of order. We don't live by the law. The law is good and holy. I just
can't keep it. I can't keep the law of God.
God's law is holy. But Christ did. All but all given
to the Lord Jesus Christ in electing grace that fell in Adam, fell
captive to Satan, to sin. All that they lost in Adam's
fall and in my actual transgression, the Lord Jesus Christ restored
that which He took not away. That's what Psalm 69 for. Before
He called us, We were willing slaves to sin. We loved it, groveled
in it, had no desire whatsoever to be set at liberty from it.
Here's the sad thing, didn't even know we were in bondage
to it, so therefore why would we want to get out of it? Didn't
know we were in it. Thought we were good. But when he by his
glorious Holy Spirit came to us in power and took us healed
us and then set us free. Then we knew. Where the spirit
of the Lord is, the scripture says, there's liberty. I tell you, beautiful picture
in closing of someone being set free. Lazarus, come forth. And this always amazed me. I've thought about this. I thought
about he was bound. He was bound, head to foot. You
know, they bound them. They bound those people that
died. I mean, he's wrapped tight. You know, just wrapped tight.
You know, and I just, in my mind, I just pictured that. The Lord
called him and he said, you know, Lazarus, come forth. And the
scripture said, he that was dead came forth. I thought, how did
he walk? I thought, man, that wasn't a
picture. I mean, that wasn't the issue. That he even came
forth, that he was alive, was the miracle. If God Almighty
could speak life into him, you think God Almighty couldn't get
him to the point? And then the Lord said, loose
him and set him free. Oh boy, I'm telling you, those
old grave clothes that we carry about with us that have us all
bound and tied We're free in the Lord Jesus Christ. People
say, well, I tell you what, if you talk about all that freedom,
man, if I had that kind of freedom, I'd do whatever I wanted to do.
We do. We do. We do just exactly what
we want to do. We do see that old man of sin
that's in us. We hate him. We grieve over it. And we admit as Paul, oh wretched
man, that I am. But I tell you what I want to
do. I want to love him. I want, I want to know him. I want to be found in him. I
don't want to be disrespectful to him. And when I see those
times, which they're all the time, of disrespect, I want to
ask him for forgiveness. I want to do that. The Lord took
him, the Lord healed him, and the Lord set him free. Lord,
bless these words to our heart. Amen.