Sovereign Grace Chapel, located at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. So if you would, be turning to Matthew 8. Matthew 8. Nothing new this morning. It's a very familiar passage to you all. Matthew 8. And I'm going to read the first four verses. When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will, be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, see thou tell no man, but go thy way. Show thyself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.

I'm still on the will of God. And in talking about the will of God, I'm going to speak against man's will. It just has to be that way. We have here one more example in scripture that man's will has nothing to do with his salvation, if salvation is to be had. We have one here who was totally defiled. He was not supposed to be near anyone else unless they were also defiled as he was. It tells us here that multitudes followed Christ, and then it goes into this man coming to Christ. Now maybe when this man came to Christ, all those people were not actually around. I don't really know. That could be. Because we read that Christ tells the man not to tell anyone, you know, but go show himself to the priest. So maybe there was no one else around. But at the very least, he came to Christ. And Christ was not leprous, so he was not supposed to do that.

Leprosy, as Robert Hawker has said, is representative of mankind by nature and his state before a holy God. Man to God is nothing but leprosy before God. He is as scripture says he is, from the top of the head to the sole of the foot, full of wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. We are not in a state where we can commune with God and not be consumed. And we cannot commune with him, no matter how much we might will to do so. Those who come to Christ know this, just as this man knew, it was not up to what he himself willed. This man came to Christ knowing that Christ was the only one that could heal him. but he had no presumption about God that made him think that Jesus Christ had to cleanse him. He knew Jesus Christ had the ability. He just did not know if he would be willing to do it.

I've just been here lately seeing a bunch of commercials and stuff of this world. One of them was the Good Samaritan Project. And let me say, there's not necessarily anything wrong with people helping others who are in need. However, we are in such a leprous state before God that anything we do is filthy rags in His sight.

We can do nothing to cleanse a person or cleanse ourselves because we do not have the ability to do so. That's what I want to talk about today. a sinner seeking cleansing and God's will.

This world has so many little remedies that they have drummed up that do not jive with scripture. Some will say, give your heart to Jesus. Why? What would or what does giving my heart to Jesus do? Where does God ever tell anyone to give their heart to Him? Nowhere.

We do read of things like this, though, in Psalm 51 10, create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. What did we already read? From the top of our head to the sole of our feet, we are useless. There's no soundness in us.

What does Christ tell us himself? In Matthew 15, 16 through 20 we read, And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashing hands defiles not a man.

People talk about giving their defiling, wicked, evil heart to Jesus. There's nothing we can give to Jesus that would be of any value to him. It is what He must give us that's important.

But then you have some, some will say something like this. Pray this prayer with me. I'm a sinner. Something like that, and it goes on. You know, God never tells us to pray to get salvation. Nowhere.

What does Christ say about it? John 8, 24. I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins, for if ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins. Jesus Christ says to believe Him. But it's not just believing that He exists because He says, for if you believe not that I am. you shall die in your sins.

Jesus Christ is the great I am. What do we read about the great I am in Exodus 3, 13 through 15? And Moses said unto God, behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, the God of your fathers has sent men to you, and they shall say to me, what is his name? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I am that I am. And he said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me unto you. This is my name forever. And this is my memorial unto all generations.

Jesus Christ is the one who is eternal. He has always been and he has created all things and he does as he pleases. He is the one who has testified in scripture that would come and now has come. It says in scripture when speaking of Christ coming, it says he shall save his people from their sins. He did and he does. He has accomplished that for which he was sent down to do. He has accomplished that which satisfied the justice of God on sinners' behalves. He is that one who, if he did this for you, the scripture says of him, of those that he did this for, there is therefore now no condemnation. Condemnation where? Before God. It has nothing to do with you giving your heart to Jesus because he buried that old wicked heart when he died on that tree.

This is the great I am. If you do not believe this, then you will die in your sins.

Now back to this seeking sinner. When a man or a woman comes to Jesus Christ, this great I am, they come offering nothing to him. Other than this one thing, Luke 5, 12 we read, and it came to pass when he was in a certain city, behold, a man full of leprosy, who seeing Jesus, fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

What is it to fall on your face? It means your face goes to the ground. In order to do this, one must fall down, bowing themselves down to this great I Am. It also says he besought Him. What does that mean? It means he begged Jesus Christ to do this thing. He did not pray with someone else. He went straight to the source and he fell down on his face and begged like a beggar does. He begged for this cleansing. One who knows they are a leper will have no problem with begging God because they have been brought to know they are unclean. They have a need and there is no one else that can help save this one man.

It's no different today. We may have advanced in this world in technology and other things, but we have not advanced past being leprous before a thrice holy God. We will never advance past that point because we cannot, not in and of ourselves. If you are ever to be cleansed, it will be because he does it. But you will be brought to beg and to bow down your face to the ground before him, so to speak. It may not be literally, but it may be. Who knows? But in your heart and mind, you will be just like the publican was, who would not even so much as look up, but smote on his breast, saying, propitiate me, the great I am.

This never leaves the believer. Yes, we do come to the point where we walk with God and that by his power. But we are all too often reminded who we are and what we are by nature. And we continually are caused to bow down our face to the ground, seeking for cleansing from him.

Now this man says something else in his begging for something from Jesus Christ. He says, if thou wilt. Now I've read some commentaries and one has said this that shows that this man had lack of faith. I don't agree with that. This man may have lacked faith. He may have been one of those that scripture talks about ye of little faith. And we often do have little faith. But acknowledging that it is all based on the will of the great I am is not a faithless statement.

So let's talk about God's will. I know this world has been, as has been mentioned by a lot of God's preachers, think everything is of their will. But this man and anyone who is truly seeking Jesus Christ knows their will has nothing to do with it. My will will get me to an idol, but my will will never get me to God. If your attitude is you have decided to follow Jesus and you did this because you willed to do it, then you are serving a false god. You are serving an idol. You are serving yourself. Those who have truly had something done for them and to them are only concerned about his will.

Think about it. If I can make my own self clean just by willing it, what do I need Jesus Christ for? I cannot make my own self clean. And this man knew he could not make his own self clean because he cried out, if thou wilt. He knew Jesus Christ had the ability.

How do we know he knew this? How do you and I know this? I know how this world thinks. I know this world says because I was just like them at one time. I thought I had it in my power to walk an aisle and pray the sinner's prayer and God would be obligated to save me. But then when I learned who he really is, I mean, when I first learned that Jesus Christ is the great I am, I manifest forth what my will was to do. And I said, if that is who God is, I don't want a God like that. I've told you all that many times.

Why would I want to give a heart like that to Jesus Christ? Yet many today will say they are doing that, but they are giving it to another Jesus. One that they have made like unto themselves. By nature, I do not want God, I am not seeking God, and I'm seeking after my own way. Scripture declares this, yet men and women still persist that they have the ability to will themselves clean. But God's people know it, it's all up to His will. It's not what I think about Jesus Christ, it's what does Jesus Christ think about me.

Now the one who has been brought to this place, one that has been revealed who the great I am is, they do think differently for sure. But it all flips from thinking about anything of themselves to knowing it is all about him. He has all the power, that is, he has all the ability, and he has all the rights. That is, it is all based on if he wills to do something, no matter what it is.

But we're talking about a man and woman's salvation right now. My salvation, your salvation has nothing to do with what you do, whether you're doing something for God or not. Your salvation has nothing to do with what you do or what you will do or what you will will to do. It has all to do with what he can do and if he is willing to do it.

If thou wilt is a statement that has no presumption in it. This man did not presume that Jesus Christ would cleanse him. He certainly wanted Christ to cleanse him because he begged him to do so. But this man knew something this world knows nothing about. He knew it was all up to God. How much doctrine did this man know? He knew enough. He knew the one he had to go to was none other than the great I Am. There was only one who could cleanse him and this man knew that it was absolutely and totally up to the will of Jesus Christ to do so.

But the scripture is full of what God does to an individual that he has been pleased and he was pleased to die for and to save them from their sins. What he does to those is this. He causes them to see what they are by nature. They see they are an unclean thing. I tell you what, folks, the older that I get, I see how more unclean I am every day. He causes that one to know they are and who they are and what they are in that sin against God. But he also causes that one to know who the Son of God is. The sinner, made so by God, The sinner knows who he must run to, who he must bow down to, and who he must beg. Those that do this, Jesus Christ will heal them. He has said so. But still, there is no presumption in one of these as to whether God wills to do so or not. If thou wilt.

But those who come to him in this way, That is those who come to him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. A broken and a contrite spirit is not coming to him face to face. It's not coming to him proudly to show him what you've done. Coming to him in this way knows and places everything on him, knowing that it is him only that can save a poor sinner like me. What do these here, just like this man, heard? I will. To hear the Lord of glory say, I will, is enough to cleanse me from all my sin and guilt. He said He will when He came to this earth and He did the will of the Father and those for whom He did this, for He says to them in that time of love, I will. If He wills, then it is done, even if I do not will to do it. Of course, if He does will, He has made us will to do so as well. But our willingness is a willingness to worship and bow down before him. It is not a will that thinks we can do something for him.

God's people know that it is he who works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. We do what God wants us to do because he willed it and he causes us to do it. But Jesus Christ told this man, I will be thou clean. But here's the thing about this account. This man certainly was not supposed to be around anyone else other than other lepers. But no one else who was not a leper was not supposed to touch the person themselves or anything they come in contact with because it would defile them. But it says here that Jesus Christ touched him. Can you imagine that? He touched him, and as he was touching him, he said, I will. I can't imagine being in that place, but I have been. Where you know he does not have to do this, but then he touches you and he says, I will.

This is where we all come to if we're a child of God. We are born the children of wrath even as others, but there comes a time, and most of us here have experienced this, but there comes a time when he touches us. And I'm not talking about physically. I'm talking about by his spirit. He awakens us to where we can then see, hear, and understand. He touches us by his gospel. As Joe read this morning, he washes us by his word. He tells us, I will be thou clean.

You know what this causes us to do? First of all, praise and honor and extol him for who he is and what he has done. But it causes us to tell everyone we can about what he has done for us, for me.

Jesus Christ told him not to tell anyone in verse four, and Jesus saith unto him, see thou tell no man, but go thy way, show thyself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded for a testimony unto them. Again, I read the commentators and they said Christ was not telling him to not tell other people necessarily, but to first tell the priest before going to tell anybody else. That's basically what some of them say. But I don't agree with that because it says in Mark, it says about this account, verses 43 through 45, and he straightly charged him and forthwith sent him away and saith unto him, see thou say nothing to any man, but go thy way, show thyself to the priest and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.

But he went out and began to publish it much. and to blaze abroad the matter insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into a city, into the city, but was without in desert places, and they came to him from every quarter.

Folks, if Christ touches you and says, I will, you will not be able to bottle it up and keep it to yourself. It will come out on you. With our will, we will be out for our own way. There's nothing about man that would ever enable him of his own accord to come to God. In fact, that which man is and has will cause him to hate God. Oh, they may not hate their idea of God, but they hate the great I am, the God of Scripture. They will tell you, and I've said this before, I don't believe that. They're not lying. They do not believe God and they cannot believe God. They cannot know the one true and living God and what that true and living God has done unless God by His will has decreed to know them. If He has, then it is inevitable that the one to whom He has willed this for will come to know God.

Because not only does He will it, He gives them a new heart with which they can turn to God. With this new heart, they will see they are nothing but lepers. We ought not act surprised when folks do not believe God. We know as believers, we know this, they cannot believe God unless God wills for them to do so. It was the same with us. But those in this world only know one side of things, so they cannot see that they hate the God of Scripture. They are blinded by their own wicked heart, which deceives them into believing the lie. There is or there was an initial time when we first came to Christ and needed Him to cleanse us. We came to Him in submission and asked Him if it was His will, He could make us clean. I'm not saying you had these exact thoughts, but your every action toward God was in submission, knowing that only He could save you, or you would not be saved at all.

But we continue to look to Him, trusting Him in what He has done, but also for what He must do in us. I've said this before, but it's still in the scripture. Christ tells us, this is, He tells believers, without Him, We can do nothing. So how much can we do without Him? We can do nothing.

What did Christ tell us to pray? Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, as it is in heaven, so in earth. Our will does not matter. Our will will condemn us. because our will is moved by our evil, wicked, defiling heart. I need God's will to be done if it is his will to be gracious to me. If he does not will to be gracious to someone, and if he does will to be gracious to someone, he has always willed to be gracious to someone, God does not change his mind. But if he wills, it is done, so trust him. Amen.

Dear Lord God, thank you for all things, dear Lord. All things must come from you, dear Lord. Be with all those out there who are trying to hold forth your gospel, dear Lord, and be with them. All these things we ask in Christ's name, amen.