Bootstrap
Darvin Pruitt

Do You Believe He Is Able?

Matthew 9:27-29
Darvin Pruitt December, 22 2024 Audio
0 Comments

In the sermon titled "Do You Believe He Is Able?" Darvin Pruitt focuses on the themes of faith and the healing power of Jesus, as illustrated in Matthew 9:27-29. The key argument centers on the necessity of genuine faith in Christ as the capable Savior, which is exemplified by the blind men who sought His mercy. Pruitt emphasizes that the transformative relationship one has with Jesus is paramount, as their physical blindness is symbolic of spiritual blindness—a theme grounded in Reformed theology that emphasizes total depravity. Specific scriptural references, such as Matthew 9:27-29, underline Jesus' question, “Do you believe I am able to do this?” showcasing the interaction between divine ability and human faith. The practical significance lies in the assertion that faith in Christ’s power to heal and save is essential for the spiritual awakening of believers, encouraging a personal introspection on one’s belief in Christ's sufficiency.

Key Quotes

“They were nothing and He was everything. They were darkness, He's light. They were death, He's life.”

“You think you're here this morning without his permission? Mm-mm.”

“Do you believe He's able?”

“He said, be it according to your faith.”

What does the Bible say about the power of Jesus to heal?

The Bible reveals Jesus as having power to heal both physically and spiritually, as demonstrated in Matthew 9:27-29.

In Matthew 9:27-29, we see the account of two blind men who approached Jesus, believing in His ability to heal them. This passage illustrates Jesus' authority not only to heal physical ailments but also to forgive sins. By affirming their faith, Jesus emphasizes that it is through belief in Him that healing and restoration occur. This narrative serves as a powerful reminder of His divine power and compassion, showing that He is capable of meeting not just our physical needs but our spiritual ones as well.

Matthew 9:27-29

How do we know Jesus is able to save us?

Jesus' ability to save is established through His authority as the promised Redeemer as shown in Scripture.

The knowledge of Jesus’ ability to save stems from His identity as the promised Redeemer throughout Scripture. In the account from Matthew 9, the blind men refer to Him as 'Son of David,' recognizing Him as the messianic figure who has the authority and power to heal and save. The cumulative testimony of the Old Testament prophesies, along with the miraculous works and teachings of Jesus, confirms that He is indeed able to save those who come to Him in faith. His ministry was characterized by acts of mercy and forgiveness, pointing to His unique role in God’s redemptive plan.

Matthew 9:27-29, Genesis 3:15, John 14:6

Why is faith in Jesus important for Christians?

Faith in Jesus is essential because it is through faith that we receive healing, forgiveness, and salvation.

Faith in Jesus is foundational for Christians because it is the means by which we receive the gifts of grace, including forgiveness of sins, healing, and spiritual salvation. In Matthew 9:28, Jesus asks the blind men, 'Do you believe that I am able to do this?' Their affirmative response leads to their healing and restoration. This interaction highlights the importance of faith in the life of a believer. Faith aligns our hearts with God's promises and opens the door for His power to work in us. As believers, we are called to trust in Him, not only for our physical needs but also for our spiritual renewal and eternal life.

Matthew 9:27-29, Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 11:1

Sermon Transcript

Auto-generated transcript • May contain errors

100%
I invite you to turn with me
to Matthew chapter 9. Matthew chapter 9. If you have one, you can put
a bookmark there. I'll be coming back to this in
just a little bit. Matthew chapter 9. And he entered into a ship and
passed over, and came into his own city. And behold, they brought
him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing
their faith, said unto the sick of palsy, Son, be of good cheer. Thy sins be forgiven thee. And behold, certain of the scribes
said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus, knowing
their thought, said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
For whither it is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or
to say, and walk, is one easier than the other? But that you may know that the
Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, then saith he
to the sick of the palsy, Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto
thy house. And he arose and departed to
his house, but when the multitude saw it, they marveled. and glorify
God which had given such power unto men. And as Jesus passed
forth from thence, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the
receipt of custom. And he said unto him, Follow
me. And he arose and followed him.
And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold,
many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him. and his
disciples. When the Pharisees saw it, they
said unto his disciples, Why eateth your master with publicans
and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he
said unto them, They that behold me not are physician, but they
that are sick. But go learn, go ye, and learn
what that means. I'll have mercy and not sacrifice,
for I'm not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.'
Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and
the Pharisees fast off if our disciples fast not? Jesus said
unto them, Can the children of the bridegroom mourn as long
as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the
bridegroom shall be taken from them, And then shall they fast. No man putteth a piece of new
cloth in an old garment, for that which is put in to fill
it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither
do men put new wine into old bottles, else the bottles break,
and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish. But they
put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. While
he spake these things unto him, behold, there came unto him a
certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even
now dead, but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall
live. And Jesus arose, and followed
him, and so did his disciples. And behold, a woman, which was
diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him,
and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within herself,
if I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned
him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good
comfort. Thy faith hath made thee whole.
And the woman was made whole from that hour. And when Jesus
came into the ruler's house, the one with the dead daughter,
And he saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, he
said unto them, Give place, for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him scorn. But
when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the
hand, and the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad
into all the land. When Jesus departed thence, two
blind men followed Him, crying and saying, Thou Son of David,
have mercy on us. And when He was come into the
house, the house where He was living, the blind men came to
Him, and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to
do this. They said unto Him, Yea, Lord.
Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith, be it
unto you. And their eyes were opened, and
Jesus straightly charged them, saying, See that thou, that no
man knoweth. But they, when they were departed,
spread abroad his fame in all the country. And as they went
out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with
the devil. And when the devil was cast out,
the dumb man spake. And the multitudes martyred,
saying it was never so seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, he casteth
out devils through the prince of the devils. And Jesus went
about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues,
and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness
and every disease among the people. When he saw the multitudes, he
was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and
were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd. May the Lord
add his blessing to the reading of his word. I invite you to turn again with
me to my text, Matthew chapter 9. I want to focus on verses 27
through 29 concerning these two blind men. In these few verses, our Lord has
preserved for us the account of these two blind men whose
seeking the Lord resulted in their being given eyes to see. Apart from their connection with
the Savior, It's where I want to start. And the manifestation
of His glory, their memory would soon be forgotten. They'd be
another name on another tombstone in another graveyard. Apart from our connection with
Him, our memory would soon be forgotten, wouldn't it? Oh, he would go down to the funeral
home, and they'll reminisce on the life of whoever it was they're
burying. And that's okay to do that. Go
down there, you remember old times. And then he's in the grave,
and pretty soon he's forgotten. Apart from their connection with
the Savior, and this manifestation of his glory, their memory would
soon have been forgotten. But because he was pleased to
do this wonderful work in there, their story has been told time
and time and time again for over 2,000 years. They're still talking
about these two blind men. I'm not altogether sure they're
not going to talk about these blind men in eternity. Who are these? Huh? Oh, let me tell you about
these. They came up out of great trouble,
washed their robes, made them white in the blood of the Lamb. I say this because they were
nothing and He was everything. They were darkness, He's light. They were death, He's life. They
were poverty stricken, He was rich. Their story is the story of every
sinner. Can you see yourself in the place
of these two men? Can you read their story and
read your own? Their story is the story of every
sinner who seeks and finds the Lord Jesus Christ. When they
came to the Lord, they came to a man. Let's start there. He was dressed in common dress.
Isaiah said he had no form or comeliness. He wasn't, boy, look
what a man. No, no, he's just a man. He's
a man. You couldn't pick him out of
the crowd. He had no former comeliness,
no outstanding beauty that we should desire him. It wasn't
what we saw in the flesh that attracted us. He was just a man. He ate their food. He drank their
water. He was subject to heat and cold,
night and day, winter and summer. He was a man. He was a man. Went to Washington, D.C. and
went to the art galleries, and every painting that I saw, the
artist's rendition, I guess you'd say, of him, they all had a white
aura around his head. You've seen these pictures, ain't
you? Little lines going out, you know, and this white aura.
He didn't have a white aura around his head. He was just a man.
He was a man. No indication, looking at him,
that he was God come into play. He was a man. He was a man. So why did these multitudes follow
him? What is it about him that caused
the multitudes to go miles out of town without food, without
even thought of where they were going to spend the night? They
followed him. Why? Why did so many seek Him
and then go home and cause others to come and seek Him? Three things. Number one, because of what He
said. Number two, because of what He
did. And number three, because of
who they believed Him to be. Ain't that why we're here today? That's why believers come. These two blind men followed
him, crying, Thou Son of David. What's that mean? They believed
him to be the promised Redeemer. That's what that means. A coming
King, a coming Redeemer, a coming Savior. And when our Lord was pleased
to address these men, he asked this question. They're crying
after him for mercy. He knew what they wanted. They
were blind. He knew what they wanted. He
knew what that woman with the issue of blood needed. He knew
what that dead daughter needed, little 12-year-old girl. She's
dead. He knew what that palsied man
needed. He knew. He knew what they wanted. And
he turned to these men. Now listen, it's important to
see this too. He went into the house. He left
the house of the rulers where he raised the dead. And he went
into the house where he was pleased to abide. Is that not a picture
of his church? That's the house where he's pleased
to abide. Where two or more gathered in
my name, I'll be there. That's where I abide. He told him to build a tabernacle,
put a veil up, and on the inside he was going to put the Ark of
the Covenant, over which was a mercy seat. He said, that's
where I'll commune, right there. You want to visit me, talk to
me, hear from me, here's where you do it, right here. He didn't speak to these blind
men when they were out there in the multitude. He spoke to
them in the house he was pleased to abide in. And if you want
to read between the lines, these men didn't just walk in of their
own accord, they were invited in. They didn't bring the whole multitude,
there was multitudes of sick folk, multitudes of lickers and
palsied men and men with problems and they were thronging them.
They had to let the palsied man down, if you want to know the
truth. They had to tear apart panels on the roof and lower
him down on cables down before the Lord. Big blind men didn't just march
into this house where the Lord abided. This wasn't a castle. It was a little place. And they didn't come in without
His permission. Lord, there's two blind men out
here been following you. You want to see them? Bring them
in. Bring them in. You think you're here this morning
without his permission? Mm-mm. Mm-mm. Somebody spoke to the Lord on
your behalf and said, Lord, would you be willing to speak to them?
Would you be willing to hear them? Would you be willing to...
I know that you know what the problem is, but would you be
willing for us to bring them in? Have you ever thought about
that? Oh, when our Lord was pleased to
address these men, he brought them into his presence. They
still couldn't see him. He said, believe ye that I'm
able to do what you're asking me to do. He believed that. That's my message this morning.
You're here today, you're seeking Him, you're desiring in your
heart for Him to do something for you, in you, to you. Let
me ask you this question. Do you believe He's able? Now to have some sense about
this question and in order for it to have any impact on us,
I have four considerations. for consideration. I want us
to consider the situation. We all have a situation. There's
a situation right here this morning. There's a situation every time
the gospel is preached. There's a situation. Well, what
is it? And then I want us to consider who's asking the question. Who's talking to these blind
men? Makes a difference, don't it? A fellow asked me one time, he
said, well, we're standing in line. I was preaching at a Bible
conference. We're standing in line to eat
after service. And this little young thing come
up to me. He probably wasn't 19. He said,
well, what do you do about how you justify your past? I said,
how do you justify yours? My past is past. I don't know
about yours. Huh? Forgetting those things
which are behind us with the Lord. What are you going to do
about it? Huh? It's ridiculous. I don't live
in the past. I live right now. I try not to
live in the future. Got enough problems today to
deal with, don't you? Oh, consider who's asking the
question and then consider who he's asking. And then lastly, I want us to
consider the outcome. So let's look at the situation.
The situation is that a man named Jesus of Nazareth came onto the
scene. John the Baptist, fading out. Fading out. He'd soon die. He'd
be on a charger. He'd be out of the picture. But
now there's this man named Jesus. John saw him, recognized him. Behold the Lamb! This is the
Lamb of God. This is the Lamb of which all
those other lambs were talking about. He preached Christ. But our Lord
came on the scene, and He was preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom,
Himself being the King. He was preaching the Gospel of
the Kingdom of Heaven, and as He preached, He was doing what
no ordinary man could ever do. I want you to think about what
he did. His preaching was spectacular. Never a man spoke like this man.
Twelve years old, he left the masters of theology looking at
each other, not knowing how to answer him. He had the Spirit without measure.
But he was doing something as he preached, But nobody had,
they said it's never been seen in Israel, it's never been heard
of. Prophets didn't even talk about stuff like this. His preaching was not like the
masters of theology that they'd been listening to. Well, how
so? Well, he preached the heavenly
doctrine. He didn't go down to the school of the Pharisees. That's why they despised him.
They wanted him to. They wanted him to. They wanted
to take credit for this man's wisdom and so on. They wanted
him to. Come on down. We'll fix you up. You can sit here. We ain't going
to tax you like we do these other men. But you come on down here,
and we'll give you a piece of paper. And you can hang it up
and tell everybody you graduated from Pharisee School. No, he didn't go down. How speaketh
this man? He don't even know letters. That's
what they said. He come on the scene preaching
and he didn't preach like these men. He had a heavenly doctrine.
He had a message from God. I'm going to tell you something. That's what separates a preacher
from these fools out here in this world. They have a message from God. It's God's message. And when it's preached in the
power of God's Spirit, it's effectual. Our Lord didn't speak and nothing
happened. When he spoke, things happened. It was effectual. Oh, he preached the heavenly
doctrine. He preached the message from God. He preached to hostile
men who hated his guts. They would have taken him out
and thrown him over the cliff. But he just walked over them
like they wasn't even there. He did what no man could do. He preached the person, sin of
God, to save sinners. Think about that. And here they
are. They're telling you to come down
an aisle. They're telling you to sign a card. They're telling
you to make a pledge. They're saying, now, if you'll
just repeat after me, I don't want to go to hell. I want to
go to heaven. All these various things, I don't
know what all they were told to do. Now, listen to me. I've had an experience, and your
experience is going to have to come up the same level as mine. Oh my, he preached a person.
A person. Salvation in a person. Anybody
thirsty? Come to me. You tired and weary? Come to
me. You confused? Come to me. Come
to me. We don't know where you're going.
How can we know? I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life.
Come to me. He preached the person. And that person sent of God to
save sinners. They said in John 7, 46, never
a man spoke... They said, well, why didn't you
bring? We sent you to bring him. Why didn't you bring him? Because
never a man spoke like his name. We ain't bringing him nowhere.
You want him, you go get him. Here's a man, just an ordinary
man. This man took a whip, walked into the temple, and it's filled
full of money changers, and they're in there and they're selling
little ornaments, and they're selling doves, and they're selling sheep,
and all the things that's required of law, religion, they're selling
to the people, and our Lord sat over there on the bench and plaited
a whip while they were watching. Just an ordinary, he ain't no
big man, he ain't no... Peter was a monster of a man.
Not Christ, he was just average. Said over there, Eric, platted
that whip. And he got up. I'm talking about
a house full of them. If I'd have got up, they'd have
tarred and feathered me. They didn't touch him. He platted
a whip and he beat them money changers, I almost hear his words,
lashing them money changers out of the temple. Nobody laid a
hand on him. Disciples said, you go up there,
they'll kill you. They ain't going to do nothing
to me. I'm Christ. I'm God coming into
the flesh. Ain't nobody going to touch me
till my time. Never a man's been... He held
the knowledge of the Scriptures of God and of God's purpose unsurpassed
by any man. And when he spoke, he opened
the Scriptures and men's hearts burnt within them. You ever had
that happen? If it doesn't, I'm not saying
of God. There ought to be a time when I'm speaking to you and
your heart just burns within you. Well, mine did. Mine did. when he opened the
scriptures to me. He was dogmatic. He didn't say,
now it might be, or my theory is, or my opinion. Uh-uh. He
said, here's how it is. This is wrong. This is right. And he didn't back up. He was
dogmatic in his preaching. And his preaching was accompanied
by miracles. In Matthew chapter 9 that I read
to you just a little bit ago, he healed a palsied man, healed
a woman with an issue of blood for 12 years, raised Jairus'
daughter, healed two blind men, gave them sight, and a dumb man
possessed with a devil. All that in one chapter. And these are just ones recorded.
Look at Matthew 9.35. Look at this. And Jesus went about all the
cities and villages, teaching in the synagogues and preaching
the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness and every
disease among the people. These folks were going to church
and hearing for the most part what had been preached in most
pulpits today. Be like us. That's proselytizing. Be just like us. They were preaching
decisionism. Do you want to stay a heathen
or do you want to join and become a Jew? They were preaching circumcision,
self-righteousness, ceremonialism, law of morality, self-glorification,
and free will works religion. It's all being preached even
now. Antichrist reared his ugly head. And these folks were heathens. They were trained monkeys telling
them to do what somebody else told them to do, what somebody
else told them to do. They weren't ministering to sinners
or needy folks. They were separationists, holier
than thou. The situation was that a man
was in their midst who had favor with God and had an understanding
of the mysteries of God and was willing and able to save sinners. Let me tell you what you need
this morning. a willing Savior. That's all you need. If you have a willing Savior,
you'll be willing in the day of His power. You'll all be on the same page. Multitudes flock to hear Him
and hope to be cured by Him. And God did these things to approve
Him in His own sight. That's why He did these miracles.
All right, here's the next thing I want us to consider. The Savior. The one doing the asking. Since
the beginning of time, the Savior's been promised to God to let.
Told our Father Adam and our Mother Eve that in time, in time,
there was going to be what he called the seed of the woman. Genesis 15. 3.15. based on the promise of this
coming seed, the seed of the woman, God called certain men
who believed and preached the gospel of a coming Redeemer,
Seth, Enos, Cain, Mahaliel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and
Noah. Well, how do you know them guys
were preachers? Noah was a preacher of righteousness,
was he not? You think he was the only one
in the whole bunch that was a preacher? Enoch prophesied of the coming
Redeemer at the Enoch. I don't need any more. I get
it. The reason their names are preserved
in the lineage of Christ was not only that they're in the
lineage of Christ, but these men were outstanding men. They
were preachers in the gospel. Not just sons of Adam. They would
save men and preach the gospel and were plainly told that in
the Scriptures. And by virtue of a promised Redeemer,
God has maintained and established the coming Christ until He finally
appeared all through Scripture. They just keep saying, somebody's
coming. Somebody's coming. Somebody's coming. Except they're
not going to depart from Judah until Shiloh comes. He's going
to be the son of David, the seed of Jesse. He's going on and on
and on. This one is coming. Christ is coming. By virtue of the promised Redeemer,
God has maintained and established the coming of Christ until He
finally appeared. And in all of time, there's only
going to be a three-year space where He walks on this earth
ministering to sinners. Three years. Three and a half. And in that little space of time,
there was just a brief period when he was going to be where
these two blind men were. Huh? Are you getting the picture? This man Jesus was and is the
Christ. His life and ministry to me is
a picture of that ministry yet today. That ministry here, first in
this place and then in that one. Only one in all the world could
cure palsy, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, cast out demons, give
sight to the blind. Only God knew how long he'd visit
this place. I've seen places where Christ
came in a boat and did Wonderful works, undeniable works. And then he left. What happened now? They went
back to the way it was. How many places? I know a bunch. Consider who was there. This
is the one mediator between God and men, the promised Redeemer
of Israel. This is God come into the flesh. This is He in whose person and
work God will reveal the glory of His name. Only one name given
among men whereby we must be saved. Just one. Our Lord said,
I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will
of Him that sent me. God's redemptive will. His saving
will. His adopting will. His electing
will. His will to begat. His will to heal. Lord, if you
will, you can make me clean. That's what the leper said. He
knew what was going on. This is he by whom God will speak. This is my beloved son, he told
his apostles. Now you hear him. You hear him. You quit. Get this stuff out
of your head about building monuments Moses. Huh? Saint this and Saint that. Saint Christopher. I hate to
see that medal, don't you? Don't build monuments to men.
This is my son. I transfigured him right before
your eyes. These prophets, you knew who
they were. How did you know who they were? You'd never seen them.
They were here a thousand years before you were born. How do
you know who Moses and Elijah is? I've showed you things that
nobody else has ever seen. And you're going to build a monument
to men? This is my son. Hear ye him. Hear him. Consider who was there. How did they know Jesus was the
Christ? Because he did what nobody else
could do. A man come in here blabbering,
I'll send him down the road. I don't want to hear it. I don't
care what kind of jargon he's talking. I met him out in the
parking lot when we first started meeting. He said, my name's Sutton.
He said, I'm a preacher. Anytime you need somebody now,
just call on me. Ungodly religionists watched
him like a hawk and had to make up things because they couldn't
find any wrong in him. This man did what only God could
do. He saved sinners. He forgave
sin. He showed mercy. He did for the
sinner what the sinner could not do for himself. And God blessed him. And he said,
this is my son. You don't believe me? Watch this.
Tell that leper he can be cleaned. Tell that dead man to rise. Tell
that pausing man take up his bed and walk. Tell that sinner
he's saved. I couldn't believe it. I did
believe it, but I couldn't believe that I believed it. You ever
been there? Oh, my soul. He revealed Christ to me. Poor
old blind sinner. Do I believe he can do this?
Oh, my soul, you bet I do. You bet I do. And then thirdly, let's consider
the sinner. Most likely, the palsy was talking
about cerebral palsy. caused by abnormal brain development
or severe damage to the brain. And both are pictures of the
sinner, are they not? His spiritual mind never develops
or else it's damaged by false religion and he suffers the effects. The young maiden was dead and
so were we spiritually. Woman was suffering from polluted
blood. That's exactly how he pictures
us over in Ezekiel 16. Cast out in her blood. Polluted
in her own blood. And blind men. Consider the sinner pictured
in these two blind men, having no light. Our Lord said, if the light be
in you, be darkness. How great is that darkness? No
image. No image of God or themselves. You know, I think it's Acts 17
where Paul's talking to them. He talked about natural men.
He's talking about a feeling after God. That's blind men,
what that is. And men rest in that. They rest
in their feelings. They worship with their feelings.
But they have no light, no image, no pattern, no contrast, nothing
to compare anything to. Ignorant of everything around.
An unassisted blind man could die of thirst in the desert with
a barrel of water ten feet away. He was blind. He was blind. He could die of hunger surrounded
by fig trees. Couldn't he? He could feel safe
in his walk not knowing that his next step was over a cliff.
He can't see. He can't see. Blind men of that
day were mostly beggars left to the mercy of those around
them. And I don't know if the Lord's
ever really taught you this, as only he can, but every sinner
is blind spiritually. Nothing makes any sense to him,
it just don't. He walks in the vanity of his
mind, Paul said, having his understanding darkened, being alienated from,
there's no life in him, he's alienated from the life of God.
through the blindness of his own heart. And men in that day
were blind to what was going on around them. They heard the words, they heard
about the miracles, some even ate of the fishes and loaves,
but they were blind to what was going on all around Oh, God save us from this kind
of blindness. We just don't see. To sit week
after week, hear message after message, and go home each time
unaware of my blindness. Our Lord said to the Pharisees
and scribes, for judgment I am come into the world that they
which see not might see, and they which see might be made
blind. And they said to him, are we
blind? You saying we're blind? He said, if you were blind, you
wouldn't have any sin. But your sin remains, because
you say we see. Somebody looks at you, where
are you going? I'm going to church. And then
you get there, and you play on your phone for about an hour.
Then you go home satisfied that you've done the will of God.
I can't. I can't. Let me tell you something. Every sinner is blind spiritually,
but chosen sinners are aware of it. They've come to know something
about their blindness. They've come to see they can't
just reach out. They can't just walk. They can't
just come forward. They can't do these things that
God commands them to do. They're blind. People talk about His mercy and
talk about His grace, but you can't see it because you're blind. And the only way that blindness
is ever going to go away is if you hear. They couldn't see Christ, but
they could hear. And I'm going to tell you something
else. These blind men didn't just go along following after
the Lord. They had to be assisted. They
had to be led, didn't they? That's right. Never mentioned. It did with the palsy men, but
it didn't with the blind men. They were led there. Somebody
did. These men were ignored by Christ,
not out of meanness, but so that their problem would be seen,
and their condition become desperate, and their cure be sweet. He didn't
say nothing. That woman touched him. She was
healed. He raised that blind dog. He's blind there sitting
back there the whole time. Hey! Just ignored him. Act like he
wasn't there. He didn't ignore him. He was
already doing the work. They just didn't know he was
doing it. Could be you're here this morning by God's providence
to hear this message and this message to save yourself. His work started long before
they ever heard anything. God's providence. God was, how
you gonna come except my father draw you? You can't come. He draws you. He brings you. And then he opens his ears and
you hear. Now everything starts to swing
down. Now you see Christ. That's your only hope. You can't
see him, but you're hearing about him and you see him in your mind.
And so you start calling. Why didn't they throw their hands
up? They didn't have anywhere else to go. One garment and all the great
multitude that could be touched and find a cure for polluted
blood. And he would wear it. That garment was effectual because
of who it was on. There was one man in all the
world that could cure a poor brain-damaged sinner. And his
friends were not about to let Christ pass without confronting
him with their friend. Only one man that could speak
to Matthew, a tax collector. He had it made. He had it made. He worked for the government. Boy, I hope nobody in here thinks
that. Matthew did. And there he sat. This one's for the government,
and this one's for me. Piling it up, the money, all
of it. The Lord came up and said, Matthew. Didn't give him life history,
didn't tell him what he was getting into, didn't tell him nothing.
He said, Matthew, follow me. Huh? You didn't think me to believe
that? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. He did it to some fishermen,
too. Oh, I tell you, I've been around people that like to fish.
When they want to fish, they want to fish. Huh? Until he calls you. And you drop the rod, don't you? What miracles, what, oh. One man in all the world could
give eyes to these blind men, and he was there. He was there. That's the city. That's where he's at. What our Lord did that was seen
was a wonder, but what he did that they couldn't see was even
more wondrous. He gave them opportunity, he
gave them providence, he gave them knowledge, he gave them
willingness, and he gave them perseverance to come to Christ.
He gave them faith, and by faith they were saved. And so lastly,
let's consider the outcome. Our Lord said to them, do you
believe I can do this? Do you believe I can do what
you're asking me to do? Let me ask you, do you believe
that? I know what's in here. I've read
this book. I know what it says. There's
none righteous. There's none willing. There's none seeking
after God. There's none good. Destruction
and misery. All God has to do is take his
hand off you, you'll self-destruct. Destruction and misery in your
ways. Do I believe God can save a sinner
like that? Huh? You say, I just can't believe.
You will if you come to Him. Yes, you will. That faith He
gives you, He said, now listen to this, be it according to your
faith. He didn't say, here's your eyes.
He said, be it according to your faith. Do you believe he can
do this? Lord, save my soul. Be according
to your faith. Do you believe? Do you believe? That's what we're
confronted with, isn't it? Oh my, may the Lord be pleased
to work in us like he did these two blind men. Let me come, let
me hear, let me believe, and let me keep on calling.
Darvin Pruitt
About Darvin Pruitt
Darvin Pruitt is pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Lewisville Arkansas.
Broadcaster:

Comments

0 / 2000 characters
Comments are moderated before appearing.

Be the first to comment!

Joshua

Joshua

Shall we play a game? Ask me about articles, sermons, or theology from our library. I can also help you navigate the site.