We are looking at the Gospel
of Matthew chapter 8 this morning if you want to follow along. In this chapter we have a story
that is also recorded in the Gospel of Mark and Luke. This is a wonderful picture of
the salvation of a sinner. Although this is the story of
a leper, being cleansed by the Lord Jesus Christ. A true story
of a leper being healed. Yet, this is a deeper story. A story of salvation of every
sinner that comes to Christ to worship Him. I read in verses
1 and 2 of Matthew chapter 8, when he was come down from the
mountain, speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, Great multitudes
followed him. The Lord was speaking up on the
mount, commonly called His Sermon on the Mount. And it says great
multitudes followed him when he came down from the mountain. Most of them followed him out
of curiosity, many to receive something from him, some food
or even to watch the miracles. Later on, he rebuked the masses
for that. He said, you follow me because
you've got your bellies filled. To others, he said, you follow
me because you saw the miracles. And it's the same today. The
majority of so-called Jesus followers do so for what they can get out
of Him. Most folks are religious for
what they can get out of God. What can God do for me? What can He give me? And it says
in verse 2, Behold, whenever God's Word says, Behold, it should
make us sit up and take notice. That's what it means. Think about
this. Behold, there came a leper and
worshipped him. There came a leper Now, this was a remarkable thing
because lepers were not allowed in the general society of people. Let me tell you some things about
leprosy. Leprosy back then was always
a fatal disease, and leprosy represents sin. Leprosy back
then was always fatal. on the inside, in the bloodstream. And that's sin. Scripture says,
by one man's disobedience many were made sinners. We were born
in sin. We inherited this fatal disease
called sin from our father Adam. We're born dead in trespasses
and sin. This is a fatal disease. Sin
is always fatal. And it begins on the inside,
in the heart. Out of the heart are the issues
of life. And our Lord said, it's not what goes into the mouth
that defiles, but what comes out of the heart. For out of
the heart proceed adulteries and extortion and so forth. That's where sin is. And leprosy
began on the inside until it started to manifest itself on
the outside. began in the bloodstream until
it finally came out openly in the flesh. And the flesh began
to be corrupt. And that is sin. Sin begins on
the inside until it manifests itself on the outside. Our little
children that are born, they look innocent enough, but it
doesn't take long for them to pitch a fit and show their anger
rebellion because it's born in them and it begins to manifest
itself on the outside. Leprosy, if not taken care of
somehow, would finally completely consume the person who had it,
completely corrupt that person until they were just a corrupt
corpse and they died. Isaiah chapter 1 says, from the
sole of our feet to the crown of our head, there is no soundness
in us. Now, that is a picture of sin. Sin, if something is not done
about it, will completely corrupt the person. Lepers back then
were outcasts from society. They were not allowed in the
general public, and if they ever did come needed something to
come into town or whatever, they were forced to announce their
coming to others by saying, unclean, unclean. If they wanted any assistance,
they would announce or confess that they were unclean. Don't
come near me. Well, the Scripture says our
sins have separated us from God. Adam, the first sinner, was cast
out of the presence of God. And any leper, any sinful human
being who wants anything from God Almighty must confess, must
announce themselves as being unclean. Paul said it, on behalf
of all believers, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. Well, this leper, this man knew
what he was. He was a dying man, a leper,
corrupt flesh. He came to the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to Christ. Now how did
He come? Why did He come? He came because
the Father drew Him to Christ. That's exactly what the Lord
Jesus Christ said later on. No man can come unto Me except
the Father which hath sent Me draw him. That's what Jesus Christ
said. It doesn't matter what all these
so-called preachers say today. Christ said it twice. No man
can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw
him. Why do we labor this point? You
always hear this preacher say something to that effect. Why? Because God must get the glory,
not a sinner. This leper in this story is not
going to get the glory for coming to Christ. And no sinner is going
to get any glory for anything in God's presence. He will not
share his glory. God must get the glory in the
bringing, in the cleansing, in the keeping, in the saving, in
the loving, in the choosing, all the glory. This leper came
to Christ nevertheless. He came. And it says he worshipped
Him. He came to Christ worshipping
Him. He didn't come to get something
out of him first, although he was a needy man. Yet the first
thing he did was worship the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a
picture of a person who has truly been drawn by God, by the Holy
Spirit, to come to Christ. They don't come for what they
can get out of God. They come to worship. They come
to worship Him. Worship is adoration, admiration,
adoration. Worship is a humble person falling
down before a greater than them and worshiping them, adoring
them. The word worship here, if you
look it up, we get the word prostrate, called prostrate. The word worship
literally translates as a dog licks his master's hand. Anybody
out there have a dog who lies at your feet and looks up at
you adoringly and will lick your hand if you reach for it? That's true worship. A true worshiper
doesn't come bragging and boasting and claiming and all of that. No, no, no, no. A true worshiper
comes like this leper. What does the Lord need with
him? Why would he come boldly or boastfully? What does the
Lord need with an old leper? Nothing. But that leper sure
needs Him. He came and worshipped Him. He
bowed over in Mark's Gospel. It says, he beseeched Him and
kneeling down to Him. It means he begged. Sinners are
beggars. We are beggars before a king.
Luke's Gospel chapter 5 says he fell on his face and besought
him. Fell on his face. Didn't come
up and kiss him on the cheek like Judas. Didn't come up proudly,
face to face, but fell on his face. Worshipped him. Many followed
Jesus, but this man worshipped him. bowed down, begged, besought
Him, the Lord and Master, the only One who could heal him of
his corruption. This is worship. He said, here's what he said,
Lord. He didn't say, why Jesus? There
you are, my friend. He called Him Lord. That means
Sovereign. Ruler. The One in whose hands
my breath is. to do with me as you will. Lord.
That's what Lord means. Very few people know what the
term means. Christ said it. These people draw near to me
with their lips. They say, Lord, Lord. But their
heart is far from believing that I am Lord. They say things like
this. Make Him Lord. You must make
Him Lord. Anyone who says that proves to me that they don't
know who the Lord is. You don't make the Lord your
Lord. You don't make a Lord Lord any
more than you make a king king. No kings are voted into office.
They're born that way. Scripture said, God hath made
this same Jesus whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ. God did it. He said, I've set
my king on my holy hill of Zion in Psalm 2. One time the people
tried to make Him king and He wouldn't let them. Why? Because
it goes on to say, He didn't need that any man should testify
of Him. Why should He let them put a
little tin crown on His head and put Him on a wooden throne
in Jerusalem when He sits at the right hand of the Majesty
on high? His crown with glory and honor
from God the Father. Would you know who the Jesus
Christ of Scripture is? He's your Lord already. You don't
make Him so. He's your King. You don't make
Him so. And if He's pleased, He'll reveal
that to you. What you will do then is you'll
bow and you'll beg and you'll beseech Him. And you'll worship
Him. Here's His cry. Here's the cry
of a true leper, a true sinner before God. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst,
Make me clean. If you will, you can. The opposite
is what these false preachers today are preaching. They'll
tell the average person who's a dying leper, they'll tell them,
if you will, you can claim this. You can come. If you will, you
can. Now, this man worshipped the
true Lord and Master and says, Lord, if you will, you can. He worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will. Scripture says, not of him that
willeth, that is, us, or him that runneth, but it is of God
that showeth mercy. It is all according to his will.
The Lord even told us to pray Thy will be done. The Lord as
a subservient Son of Man, Son of God, He Himself said, Not
my will, but thy will be done. This leper said, Lord, if you
will, you can. No pride, no presumption, no
fleshly familiarity. Not Jesus this, Jesus that, but
Lord. No claiming of anything. He had
nothing to claim. He was a beggar. No boasting
of free will, but Lord, if thou wilt. Lepers aren't proud. They're ashamed. They're corrupt. Lepers can't claim anything.
They don't have anything. They beg. Lepers expect nothing. They cry for mercy. He worshipped
him. ìLord, if thou wilt, thou canst.î
Thatís a true worshipper. What did the Lord say? ìI will. Be thou clean.î This is the only
way weíre going to be clean, cleansed from our sin. A leper
canít will himself clean, neither can a sinner will himself save. If the Lord will, he can. The
Lord can if he will. Can the Ethiopian change his
skin, the leopard his spots? Neither can we do good nor are
accustomed to doing evil. But the Lord can if he will.
And he will. He will to some. He says, He
put forth his hand and touched him and said, I will be thou
cleansed. And immediately his leprosy was
cleansed. Well, this is the cry of a true
worshiper. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst. May the Lord impress that upon
our hearts. Amen.