Good morning. I'd ask you to open your Bibles with me to Matthew chapter 8. Matthew chapter 8. My subject today is this. How can a sinner approach the Lord in order to obtain mercy? Mercy. Look here with me at Matthew 8. Let's read the first three verses.

It says, when he, the Lord Jesus Christ, was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And behold, Anytime we see that word, behold, in the Scripture, we ought to pay close attention to what comes after it. It says, 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. Here we read of a leper, a man who's diseased and dying, to which there's no earthly help, there's no earthly cure for his disease. And he approaches the Lord, and it says he worships him. And he said, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.

And I believe that the manner in which this leper approached the Lord, I believe it's an example for us, for everyone who would seek His mercy and grace. How do we come to the Lord for His grace, for His mercy? Maybe you're here this morning, and you don't believe this Gospel. And you're lost in your sins, and you feel their weight upon you. and you need mercy, you need grace, you need forgiveness of sins, and you think, how do I come to the Lord? I'd say just like this man did. Maybe you're here this morning and you're under some great trial, some great burden, and you need assurance, and you need comfort, and you need rest, and you think, how do I approach the Lord to obtain mercy? I'd say just like this leper. Maybe you're here this morning, and you're unsettled, you're unsure to your relationship with Christ, to your eternal well-being. Maybe you're like John Newton who wrote this, Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see. He's the same man that wrote this.

He said, "'Tis a point I long to know, and oft it gives me anxious thought. Do I love the Lord or no? Am I his or am I not? We often, I often think that. And maybe that's where you find yourself this morning. And you think, I need assurance. And I need to hear. And you think, how do I approach the Lord? I'd say, just like this leper. Just like this leper. And that's what I'd like for us to look at this morning.

How do we approach the Lord in order to obtain mercy? But first, before we answer that question, we need to consider this and recognize this, that all blessing, all grace, everything that we ever need, it's to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture says He is able to perform all that He promised. Listen to some of these scriptures.

To the guilty, he says, thy sins be forgiven thee. To the lame, he says, take up thy bed and walk. To the weary, he says, I'll give you rest. To the lonely, he says, I'm with you always, even to the ends of the earth. To the blind, he says, look and live. To the helpless, he says, my grace is sufficient. And to the dead, he says, come forth, come forth.

Christ is the source of all help, of all comfort, of all mercy, of all grace. Turn with me over to Psalm 103. Psalm 103, with that in mind, Christ is all. Everything that the sinner needs is to be found in Him. Psalm 103, let's look at the first few verses of this chapter.

David writes, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases, who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with love and kindness and tender mercies, who satisfieth thy mouth with good things." With good things.

All that we need. Listen to this. He forgiveth all our iniquities. He healeth all our diseases. He crowneth our lives with love and kindness and tender mercy. Just think about that for a minute. All that we need. All that we need, it's found in Him. Scripture says, Christ is all. He's all. All things are in Christ. Everything that you and I need right now and throughout eternity, it's to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And with that in mind, I'd like for us to think about this question. How can a sinner, how can you and I, approach him to find grace, to find mercy, to help in time of need. And there's five words in our text. I'd ask you to turn back to Matthew chapter eight, maybe bookmark it in your Bible. We're going to be flipping back and forth to it this morning. Five words. We'll look at each one of them. We'll talk about what they mean and read some scriptures that include them, and that'll be all. Matthew 8, look at verse 2.

It says, And behold, there came a leper and worshipped. That's the first word. Worshipped. This man, he fell down And he worshipped the Lord. And before we ask, before we approach the Lord for anything, we've got to start right here. We bow down and worship Him. I don't care what your problem is, what your age is, what you believe, what you don't believe.

God's to be worshipped. The last verse of the book of Psalms, it says, let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. God Almighty, He's to be worshipped. He's to be worshipped. Hebrews 1 verse 6, it says, let all the angels of God worship Him. David wrote this in the psalm, all the earth shall worship Thee. God's to be worshipped.

The first time this word worshipped, it's used, it's back in Genesis 22. You don't need to turn there. We're all familiar with that account of Abraham and Isaac. And God had appeared to Abraham and He said, take now thy son. Not only son, Isaac, whom you love, and offer him as a burnt offering to me." And that's exactly what Abraham did.

And it said it was a three-day journey to that place that God had told him of. And on that last day, when they got there, he said he looked and he saw the place. And he told the servants, those young men that were with him, he said, you all stay here.

I and the lad go yonder to worship. To worship. In the face of what God had asked him to do, Scripture records he had one thing on his mind. To worship God. To worship God. The first time this word's used in the New Testament, it's right after the birth of the Lord. Those wise men, they said this, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. God's to be worshipped. Turn with me over to Job. Job chapter 1. Job chapter 1. Look at verse 13. It says, And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house. And there came a messenger unto Job, and he said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them.

And the Sabeans fell upon them and took them away. Yea, they've slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. And while he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, The fire of God has fallen from heaven. and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them, and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. And while he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. And while he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, And behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness and smote the four corners of the house. And it fell upon the young men, and they are dead. And I only am escaped alone to tell thee." It says, then Job arose and ran his mantle and shaved his head. And he fell down upon the ground.

And what did he do? Did he ask God? Did he say, why have you done this? Did he say, what good could possibly have come from this? That might be what you and I would have said. But it says he fell down upon the ground and he worshipped. He worshipped.

So the first answer to this question, how does a sinner approach the Lord to obtain mercy? I'd start right here. Worship. Worship Him. He's worthy of our worship. Turn with me back to the text, Matthew chapter 8. Before that leper asked anything, before he said, Lord, you've promised to heal, I claim your healing. Before he asked him anything, he worshipped, he worshipped. The second word, the second word. Look at Matthew 8 verse 2. He says, Behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, Lord. That's the second word, Lord. I looked it up. That word, it means master. It means the ruler of all things. It's a title of honor and respect, and it's the title given to Almighty God. It's His title. Scripture says He died that He might be Lord. And I thought about that.

We see titles of respect in our daily lives. I'm a teacher, and my title of respect is Mr. Floyd. And I expect my students, my sixth graders, to call me that. And we got a principal, his name's Mr. Dillon. That's his title of respect. And I imagine if the kids came in tomorrow morning, and instead of calling me Mr. Floyd or calling him Mr. Dillon, just called us by our first names, they might end up with lunch detention or something.

But it's a title of respect. And we expect people to call us by those titles of respect. Lord is, it's his title of respect, given to almighty God. And there's such a lack of respect for his name. We see that every day. You know, people hand out those little Jesuses, and they say, you need a little Jesus in your life. And I'm just amazed at the lack of respect shown to the Lord, to the Lord.

Turn with me to some of these scriptures. Look back at Isaiah 44, Isaiah 44. This leper, he fell down, he worshipped, and he called Him, Lord, Lord. Look at Isaiah 44, look at verse 6. Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, I am the first, and I am the last, and beside me there is no God. That's who He is. That's what we acknowledge when we call Him Lord. That's what we say.

Beside Him, there is none else. Look over just a page. Look over at Isaiah 45. Look at verse 5. Scripture says, I am the Lord, and there is none else. There is no God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast not known me, that they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. He's the Lord. That's what we're told to call Him. Lord, Master, Ruler of all. Look over a few more pages. Look at Isaiah 54. Look at verse 5. Scripture says, For thy maker is thine husband.

The Lord of hosts is His name. thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth shall he be called. He's the Lord. And when we call Him that, that's what we acknowledge. He's the God of the whole earth. Everything is in His hands. Everything.

And this leper, he fell down, and he worshipped, and he called Him Lord. He called Him Lord. He said this in John, he said, You call me Lord and Master, and you say, Well, for so I am. Acts 2 verse 36 says this, Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, Lord. He's made Him Lord. Lord. And that's what this leper called Him.

And I got to thinking of some other passages of Scripture where people came and they called Him Lord. And I want us to turn and just read those real quick. Turn over with me to Matthew 14. Matthew 14, ask the Lord, let you get a hold of these. These are good Scriptures. Matthew 14, look at verse 28.

It says, And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me, come unto thee on the water. And he said, come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, Lord, save me. And immediately, Jesus stretched forth His hand and caught him, and caught him. He said, Lord, Lord, save me. And immediately, immediately, that's exactly what the Lord did. He saved him. Look over across the page. Look at Matthew 15 and pick up here in verse 22. Matthew 15, 22. It says, And behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coast and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David!

My daughter is grievously vexed with the devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came beside him, saying, Send her away, for she crieth after us. And he answered and said, I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Verse 25, Then came she, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

Help me. We can all cry that, can't we? There's nothing complicated about that. Lord, help me. Read on. He answered and said, it's not meat to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs. And she said, truth, Lord. Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the master's table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith. Be it unto thee, even as thou wilt." And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. She cried, Lord, help me. And He helped her. That's pretty simple.

Look over in the book of Luke. Luke 23. We'll start reading in verse 39. Luke 23, 39, another familiar passage of Scripture, verse 39, it says, And one of the male factors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answered, rebuking him, saying, Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation, and we indeed justly? For we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man hath done nothing amiss.

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily, I say unto thee today. Shalt thou be with me in paradise. He said, Lord, remember me. And the Lord said today, this very day, you'll be with me in paradise. And that's what that leopard, when he fell down and he worshiped and he called him Lord, that's what he was saying.

He was acknowledging the absolute lordship of Jesus Christ. One more scripture on this. Turn with me over to Philippians. Philippians chapter 2. Look at verse 9. Philippians chapter 2 verse 9. It says, Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name. that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. To the glory of God the Father, He's Lord, He's Lord. And that's the second thing, the second word to answer this question, how should a sinner approach the Lord to obtain mercy? He worshiped. And he called him Lord. Lord. Turn with me back to the text. Matthew chapter 8. The third word. Matthew chapter 8 verse 2. It says, And behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, If thou wilt. Lord, if you will. The third word, it's will.

That word will, it means to purpose or to determine. To purpose or to determine. In this whole religious world, they like to argue about this thing of the will. They talk about man's free will, they talk about God's will, they talk about the devil's will, and then they'll say something about you needing to decide. But we know, we know whose will is gonna be done.

Scripture says this, he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. All things after his will. That word, it means to purpose. Romans 8, 28, it says, we know that all things work together for good. To them that love God, to them who are the called, according to his purpose. All things work according to His purpose.

Back there in Daniel, y'all remember the story of King Nebuchadnezzar? And the Lord had made him like a beast, and he ate grass out in the field like the oxen. And it said at the end of his days that the Lord restored him to his kingdom. And this is what he said.

He said, he doeth. The Lord, He doeth all things after the counsel of His own will. And none can stay His hand or say unto Him, what doest thou? His will is gonna be done. It's His will. That prayer that the Lord gave, said our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will. Lord, your will be done. That's what the Lord said in the Garden of Gethsemane. He said, Father, not My will, but Thy will.

Thy will be done. And that's what we're to say. We're not to question His will. We're to simply say that. Lord, Thy will be done. Scripture says, it's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but God, God who showeth mercy. And that's our third word, will, will.

Let's go back to the text, Matthew chapter 8, the fourth word, Matthew chapter 8, verse 2, it says, Behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if you will, Thou canst. Lord, if you will, you can. You can. The fourth word is can. That word, it means, it's pretty simple. It means to be able to do something. to be able to do something.

Scripture says, wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him. He's able, he's able. When no one else could heal this man, not the doctors, his friends, his family, no one around him could heal this leper. He couldn't do it for himself. He came to the Lord and said, Lord, if you will, you can. You can, you're able. And I'd ask you this, why is he able? Why can he? Why can he heal this leper? Why can he save a sinner? Well, there's three reasons and I got these and they're good. Firstly, because of who he is. Because of who he is.

Scripture says this, in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He's God Almighty. We also read this, the next day, John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. He is God. He's the Lamb of God. He's the sacrifice for sin.

And He's able to save us. He's able to help us because of who He is. Second, He's able to help us. He can save because of what He did. what he did. Isaiah 53 verse 5, it says, he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes were healed. By his stripes, by what he did, were healed. Turn with me over to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. What did He do? What did He do? Look at 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21. And really, try to enter into this. So often we become too familiar with these Scriptures. We just read over them and that's all it is. But try to get a hold of what this verse is saying.

What did He do? 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21. It says, For He, God the Father, hath made Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the very righteousness of God in Him." That's amazing. Can we even begin to enter into that? He, God Almighty, He was made sin for us. that we, that you and I, might be made the very righteousness of God in Him. The righteousness of God. We'll spend eternity trying to figure out what that means. As He is, as God Almighty is, that's what we're made because of what He did.

And he can save us, he can help us because of that, because of what he did. And then thirdly, he can save and help us because of where he is now. Hebrews chapter 10, it says this, but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. And that's where he is right now, constantly making intercession for his people. above all principality, above all power, above all dominion, seated at the very right hand of God. And He can help us because of where He is right now. So that's our fourth word. He can, He's able. And then the last word. Turn with me back to the text.

Matthew chapter eight. Matthew 8, verse 2, says, Behold, there came a leper, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. Clean, that's the fifth word, clean. That word clean, it means to make clean, but it also means this, it means to free from the guilt of sin, And this leper, he came to the Lord in the right way, and then he asked for the right thing. He has to be made clean. That's what we need.

And I know, I pray for good health, and I'd like to have that, but I don't need it. And I pray that things would go well at work for me, at my job, and that the Lord would watch over us and protect us. And I'd like to have that, but I don't need it. And we pray for our families, and for the things that go on in our daily lives, and that'd be great. But we don't need those things. Scripture says one thing, one thing is needful, and that's what this leper asked for.

To be made clean. To be made clean. And there's only one who can make us clean. We can't make ourselves clean, our parents can't make us clean, our friends. Nobody can make us clean, save one, the Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture says this, it says, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And that's what we need. That's what we need. One of the old hymn writers, they wrote this. They said, I would, but cannot sing. I would, but cannot pray.

Satan meets me when I try and scares my soul away. I would, but cannot repent, though I endeavor oft. This stony heart cannot relent till Christ Jesus makes it soft. I would, but cannot love, though wooed by love divine. No argument has power to move a soul so vile as mine. I would, but cannot rest in God's most holy will. I know what he appoints is best, but I murmur at it still. Oh, would I but believe, then all would easy be. I would, but cannot, Lord.

My help must come from thee. And that's what this leper, when he came to the Lord, and he fell down and he worshipped him, and he said, Lord, if you will, You can make me clean. That's what he was saying. Lord, my help must come from Thee. Let's read this text one last time. Matthew 8, verse 2.

It says, 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 in closing, I just say this, let us therefore come boldly, boldly, just like this leper, under the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Amen.