Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Mark, chapter 10. Mark, chapter 10. I'd like to speak for a few minutes on this subject, the cry that
the Lord stops for. Verses 45 to 52 says this, For
even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister. and to give his life a ransom
for many. And they came to Jericho, and
as he came out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number
of people, Blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the
highwayside begging. And when he heard that it was
Jesus of Nazareth, He began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou
Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he
would hold his peace, but he cried, the more a great deal,
thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still
and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man,
saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise, he calleth thee. And he,
casting away his garment, rose and came to Jesus. And Jesus
answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto
thee? The blind man said unto him,
Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him,
Go thy way, thy faith that may be whole. And immediately he
received his sight and followed Jesus in the way. Now, our Lord revealed in verse
45 that this was the purpose for
Him coming. The Son of Man, that is, God
made flesh, came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister. And to give his life a ransom
for many. Now that thought, it came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister. That thought of letting
nothing be done through strife, that is striving with each other,
or vain glory, drawing honor unto one's self. But in lowliness
of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves." Not
as well. Don't esteem others well. I'm
as spiritual as you. No. You're more spiritual. You're wiser. I see more consistency in you
than I do in me. Let each esteem other better. Now that thought is foreign to
the natural man. No one ever looks at someone
else, you know, as higher. I always, by nature, I'm going
to elevate myself. That's man by nature. Listen to this Scripture. Philippians
2.5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
who being in the form of God, that is to say, whoever was,
ever is, always, God, who being in the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with God. Now that's a part of Scripture
that has given a lot of people problems. Thought it not robbery
to be equal with God. But as closely as I can Get the
heart, the message of that passage of Scripture. This is what the
Scripture says concerning our Lord. "...did not obtain His
glory by force, it was eternally His." That's the heart of it. It's written in a way that it's
hard for us to perceive what was being said, but that is as
close to the meaning of that passage. He did not obtain His
glory by force. Satan tried to. Satan said, I will be as the
Most High. Adam desired that. Satan told
Eve and Adam, you'll be as God's. And man by nature, when it comes
to his own Will and power, man wants to take it by force. The
Lord Jesus Christ, who being in the form of God eternally,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, did not obtain
His glory by force. It was His, listen to this, but
made Himself of no reputation. and took on Him the form of a
servant, was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion
as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross." Washed the disciples' feet. Lord willing, that's coming up
in the book of John. Coming up on that one. He washed
the disciples' feet. A servant. God Almighty, the
One who is deserving of all honor and glory and praise, God Himself,
humble Himself, came not, Scripture says, to
be ministered unto. Let me ask you this, what can
we do for Him? What could we do for Him? To minister without Him, I could
do nothing. He came to do for sinners what
sinners could not do for themselves. You know what it is? Please God. Please God. He came to seek and
to save that which was lost. His people. Everlastingly given
Him, everlastingly loved by Him, everlastingly His body, everlastingly. This was the character of His
life according to His Word. He came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, humble Himself, give His life a ransom,
the redemption price for many. for all that the Father had given
Him. Save them. Save them. Well, knowing that
He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. Look at
verse 46. And they came to Jericho. And as He went out of Jericho, boy, He came into Jericho and
He went out of Jericho. It mentions no preaching, no
ministering, no calling. He came to Jericho and left Jericho. And as he went out of Jericho
with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus,
the son of Timaeus, sat by the highwayside begging. came to a cursed city. That's
according to Joshua 6.26. Cursed city. Jericho. But a city that was
a fit and proper picture of this world and the wickedness of this
world. A world that was cursed by the
Lord Himself in the garden. A cursed A place where light
shined in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. But in the
outskirts of that city, He came to Jericho as He went out. Going
out. How far did He go? I don't know.
But I know He was going out of Jericho. As He was coming out
of that city, there was an object of His mercy that was sitting
there. It was just a blind, I'm sure,
stinking, dirty, filthy beggar. Can you imagine just how filthy? Sitting on the side of the highway.
People walking by, dust and dirt. Just the elements, whatever they
were. That's where he was. But here was this old blind beggar. The one that was in the outskirts
of that city of wickedness. But here's the minister coming. Here's the Lord Himself. The
minister. Not the one minister done through,
but the minister himself. And there was old blind Barnabas,
physically blind, physically filthy, oblivious, blind in body and
blind in soul. He sat by the highway begging,
begging for the arms that perish. and completely oblivious to the
need of his soul as far as we know. But oh, what a blessing
that that old man was born blind. Almighty God had given that blind
man a disease, a frailty of his body had placed him exactly where
Almighty God had eternally purposed that he was going to be. Predestinated. Predestinated. Determined his
destination before the foundation of the world. God put him right
there. Because before the foundation
of the world, the Lord of glory knew that he was going to be
walking past that blind beggar today. Here's the Lord coming across
the path of a sinner. Like all of His people, sinners. Blind sinners. Ignorant of their
plight and not able to do anything. I tell you this, that man right
there could give himself sight. He could give himself sight faster
and easier than he could make himself a new soul. You say,
well, that man is blind. He can't do anything about that.
Right. And neither can a man born in
sin make himself new. He doesn't have the ability.
He doesn't have the power. I tell you, a leopard can change
his spots. An Ethiopian can change his skin. Easier. Can a leopard change
his spot? Can an Ethiopian make himself
another color? No, and a man born in sin can't
make himself new. Well, here's the situation. Blind Barnabas and the Lord of
Glory, the minister, is walking by. Verse 47-48, when he heard
that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say,
Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged
him that he would hold his peace, but he cried the more, a great
deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Oh, what those two verses reveal.
I know this, and we looked at this back in John, back when
Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus had died I preached a
message on some believe and some don't. That's the case right
here. Some believe and some don't.
Now, here's what the Scripture says that Barnimaeus heard. When he heard that it was Jesus
of Nazareth passing by, when he heard that Jesus of Nazareth
was passing by. The Spirit of God moved on that
man, that blind beggar, and gave that blind beggar a new heart
to cry out. And this is what that blind beggar
cried when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth. He said, Thou
Son of David, have mercy on me." Now, Jesus of Nazareth, as I began
to read, I saw that there was a difference. He heard that it
was Jesus of Nazareth, and he cried out, Jesus, Thou Son of
David. What was the difference? Why? Why two different references?
As I began to look at that title, Jesus of Nazareth, I found that
it was, by and large, from those that did not know Him, that didn't
know the Lord in mercy. Jesus of Nazareth was a common
name, and usually, of contempt. Contempt. Listen to these passages. Matthew 26, 71, And when he,
that is, Peter, was gone out into the porch, another maid
saw him and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also
with Jesus of Nazareth. Mark 1.24, a man with an unclean
spirit in the synagogue said unto the Lord, Let us alone.
What have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art Thou
come to destroy us? I know Thee who Thou art, the
Holy One of God. The chief priests and Pharisees
came to take the Lord Jesus in the garden when Judas betrayed
Him. And the Lord asked him, John
18.5, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Many that resented Him. Many that had contempt for Him. Many that didn't believe Him. Heard the message and they would
speak of Him as Jesus of Nazareth. That's where He was commonly
thought to have been from. Where He grew up. He's from Bethlehem.
That's where He was born. grew up in Nazareth. And that's
where they referred to Him as Jesus of Nazareth. But then there
were times when that title was used by believers, but used in
a way to magnify the Lord and rebuke those that did not believe
Him. It was a term used to rebuke. Let me show you something. Turn
to Acts 2.22. Acts 2.22. Now, many use that
title. I showed those Scriptures there. And they use it in a way of ridicule,
rebuke. But listen how believers would
actually use that title to prove who He is in rebuking those that
would but have contempt for the Lord. Acts 2, 22-23, Peter preaching
on the day of Pentecost, you men of Israel, hear these words,
Jesus of Nazareth, A man approved of God among you by miracles
and wonders and signs which God did by Him in the midst of you
as you yourselves also know. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain. Look at Acts 3, 1-7. Now Peter
and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer,
being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his
mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of
the temple, which is called beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered
into the temple, who seeing Peter and John about to go into the
temple asking alms. And Peter fastening his eyes
on him with John said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them.
expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver
and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee in the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Rise up and walk. And he took
him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet
and ankle bones received strength." And look at verses 11-15, And
as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the
people ran together, unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's,
greatly wondering when Peter saw it. He answered unto the
people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why look
ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power, our holiness,
we made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac,
and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son
Jesus, whom ye delivered up, and denied Him in the presence
of Pilate, when He was determined to let him go, but ye denied
the Holy One in just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto
you." Our Lord. Turn to Acts 22. Our Lord Himself. You remember
what Saul of Tarsus was doing when the Lord stopped him on
the road to Damascus? He was going to take those who
were of this way. Believers, those that trusted
the Lord, those that believed who He is. And the Lord of Glory stopped
Saul of Tarsus. Now listen to Paul the Apostle's
account of what happened to him on the road to Damascus. Acts
22, 4-8. And I persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering
unto prisons both men and women, and also the high priest that
bare me witness, and all the estate of the elders from whom
I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring
them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished
And it came to pass that as I made my journey and was coming nigh
unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great
light round about me, and I fell into the ground. And I heard
a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou,
Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus
of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest." Whenever the title, Jesus of
Nazareth, was used by those that know Him not, it was the title
of contempt. When it was used by God's preachers,
by the Lord Himself, He showed them, you that have had contempt
for Me, I'm the one that you've had the contempt for. You know, man by nature has no
problems talking about Jesus. It's Jesus, Jesus. I'm telling
you, you set Him forth as the Lord of glory. This is who He
is. That's when you'll find out what
people really believe. I'm telling you. I mean, the
title Jesus is being used all over this world today. And many
times by those that don't know Him, in a way of contempt. A
way of ridicule. Whenever back in Mark 10, verse
47, when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to
cry out and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. You know what
Barnabas referred to him as? You're the Messiah. You are the
sovereign God of all creation. You're God Almighty. You're God
who is sovereign in creation, in providence, in salvation. You're God. You are the One who
was ever before the Father. Thou Son of David. That was the
title given to the Messiah. God in human flesh, the One that
God Almighty speaks of in Psalm 110.1, sit thou at my right hand
till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Jesus, thou Son of
David, have mercy on me. And many charged him, verse 48,
that he would hold his peace. But Almighty God had given that
man a new heart. And he knew. He cried out a great
deal more. Thou Son of David, have mercy. I don't need money. I need mercy. Lord, if you pass me by, I'm
going to die. Lord, You are the One who is
the Savior of sinners. If You leave me here, all I have
is the blackness of the darkness of this life. Many of them tried to get Him
to be quiet. And oh, how man by nature does not want to hear
the message of the sovereign grace of God. They don't want
to hear the message of the Lord Jesus Christ, God Himself, who
sovereignly does as He will. Army of heaven among the inhabitants
of the earth. Nobody stops Him. Nobody stays
His hand. Nobody can. His counsel is going
to stand. And man has absolutely nothing
to do with Him accomplishing His will and purpose. And the
Scripture says in verse 49, Jesus stood still. God Himself stopped. God stood still for one blind,
helpless, stinking becker. And He is not a respecter of
persons. I'll tell you this, He'll stop for the cry of every
blind, formerly One that has truly been given a heart to know
himself or something of himself. And cries out for mercy. Have
mercy on me. There were some folks that was
there that wouldn't have given that blind beggar the time of
day. Anybody know what time it is? Don't fool with him. Or if
you give him something, he'll ask you again. Just leave him
alone. things. They can't see you anyway,
don't worry about it. Keep going, keep going. And Jesus
stood still and commanded him to be called. Oh, when He commands, when He
calls in power, when He calls by grace, When He calls, His
sheep hear. When He calls, thy people shall
be willing in the day of thy power. When He calls, they hear,
because He gives them ears to hear. He does not call to a deaf
ear. He gives ears. He gives a new
heart, made willing in the day of His power. Oh, I think to
myself, He stopped for that old blind beggar. Lord, would you
stop for me? Lord, would you have mercy on
me? Lord, have you had mercy on me? Well, let me ask you this. Do you need Him? Or are you able
to accomplish for yourself what God Almighty says you can't do?
Do you still believe that you can? If He's given you a heart
to realize, I need you. I need you, Lord. I need you.
I cannot. I cannot save my soul and I can't
keep myself saved. Lord, I cannot believe on myself
and I cannot maintain my faith unless faith cometh. Unless it's
given unto me to believe. I can't even believe. Jesus stood still and commanded
him to be called, and they called the blind man, saying unto him,
Be of good comfort, rise, he calleth thee." In particular,
he calleth thee. I'm going to tell you something.
According to Scriptures, Almighty God does not call effectually
every one without exception. He calls His people, and calls
them in particular, and calls them in power, and calls them
when it pleases Him. That's what He does. He calls
them. He calls them. And I'll tell
you this, they hear. Has He called me? Do I need mercy? The Lord did something for Bartimaeus
that he couldn't do for himself. Oh, in due time, all that the
Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me
I will in no wise cast out, put him away, not hear him. The Lord of Glory hearkened to
the cry of this beggar. He found that needy one. Look
at verse 50. He calleth for thee, and he,
that is, Bartimaeus, casting away his garment, rose and came
to Jesus. Oh, what a picture. That old
garment Can you imagine how dirty that
thing was? Probably just an old rag. Just
an old filthy rag. An old filthy garment. What a picture of man's natural
righteousness. Can you imagine Barnabas trying
to talk about how wonderful that old rag was that he was wrapped
in? Can you imagine how trying to
describe how beautiful it was and how magnificent it was, how
marvelous it was? No. What did he do? He threw
it away. He cast it off. What Almighty
God calls in power, the old garment of our self-righteousness. That
filthy rag. No believer wants to hold on
to that. And Paul says in Philippians
3.7, for what things were gained to me? The old rags of myself,
righteous behavior before God, thinking that I was something,
thinking that I had done something for God. I had obeyed God. I
had rested in God. I knew the God of all creation. Those things that were gained
to me, I counted loss for Christ. I do count them, but dung. But I may win Christ. Old Barnabas
knew that garment was not needed anymore. You know why? Because by the grace of God,
I'm not coming back here. By the grace of God, Lord, You
who are God Almighty, Lord, if you keep me, I'm going to be
kept. Lord, if you keep me in power, I'll be kept." That wasn't
presumption when he threw it away. That's faith. Faith that believes God. In his
heart, he knew this is God. This is Almighty God, and He
is all I need. I remember Brother Scott, you all
heard him say this. Somebody asked him one time,
he said, you know, is really Jesus Christ all you need? He said, if He's all you've got,
He's all you need. Cast away his garments. This
is the Lord who shows mercy. This is the Son of David. If
I perish, I'm going to perish trusting Him. He's the way, He's
the truth, He's the life. The Scripture says in verse 51,
And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should
do unto thee? And the blind man said unto him,
Lord, that I might receive my sight. What wilt thou? that I should
do unto you. Do you realize the faith, the
miracle of God's grace that that blind beggar would stand up? Physically, he couldn't even
see the Lord. But in his heart, he did. In his heart, he saw with the
eyes of faith And he said, Lord, you that have saved me. I'm going to show you that in
just a minute. Lord, you that have saved me that I might receive my sight. Bartimaeus. by crying out, Jesus,
thou Son of David, let me show you what he believed in closing."
Hold your place right there. Isaiah 35. Isaiah 35. When he cried out, Jesus, thou
Son of David, this is what he knew in that heart of his. Isaiah
35. Verse 3-6. Strengthen ye the weak hands,
and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful
heart, Be strong, fear not. Behold, your God will come with
vengeance." Even God with a recompense, even God with an act of service
is what that means. He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall
be opened, the ears of the deaf shall be
unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap
as a heart, and the tongue of the dumb sing, for in the wilderness
shall waters break out, streams in the desert." That's the Son
of David right there. He's going to come, He's going
to save you. God, He does as He will. He's going to come. He's going
to save you. Open your eyes. Call His name to walk. You have
to hear. Bartimaeus knew who this was.
And the Lord said, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And he said, You're God. You're
God. You have saved my soul. Lord, would You give me sight? Lord, can I see? And Jesus said unto him, verse
52, Go thy way. Thy faith, the object of your faith, the
one that faith always looks to, hath made thee whole. If you've got a Bible that's
got a margin in the middle, look what that phrase means. It has saved you. Thy faith has
made you whole. And the scripture says, immediately
he received a sign. And he followed Jesus in the
way. My sheep hear my voice. They follow me. I know all that the Father Giveth me,
shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no kind
cast out." Old blind Bartimaeus. Just an old, blind, stinking,
wretched sinner. One that Almighty God had eternally
loved and showed mercy to. And according to his eternal
purpose, was not going to pass him by.