Turn with me please back to Mark
chapter 8. In this text, we find an account
of our Lord doing what He did many times when He walked this
earth, giving sight to a blind man. And we're not told, as we
are in many texts, whether or not this man was born blind,
or he lost his sight later in life. I tend to think the latter,
because if he had never seen a tree, I don't know how he would
have described what he saw as mannish trees walking. And notice
that Christ came to where this man was. It said, He cometh to
Bethsaida. Bethsaida was the city where
Philip and Andrew and Peter were all from. It was also a city
upon which our Lord pronounced a woe, meaning a ruinous trouble. And it is listed in Matthew 11,
20 as one of the cities in which most of his mighty works were
done. A city that even after witnessing the mighty works of
Christ done in their midst, refused to repent from their evil works.
Christ Himself tells us in Luke 10, verse 13, that if the mighty
works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in
thee, they would have a great while ago repented, sitting in
sackcloth and ashes. But the residents of Bethsaida
had hardened their hearts and refused to hear what Christ had
to say. In that same chapter of Matthew,
Immediately after Christ had pronounced these woes upon the
cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, we find the reason
that they had not repented. In verse 25 of chapter 11, we
read, At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes, Even
so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." This is an
example of the fulfillment that we read about when Christ said,
I'll have mercy on whom I'll have mercy, and I'll harden whom
I'll harden. Nearly this entire city had been
given over in unbelief by the God of heaven and earth, to perish
in their sins as it was Sodom and Gomorrah. The entire city
was as spiritually blind as this man was physically blind. Notice
in our text that after the Lord had healed this blind man, in
verse 26, He forbade him to go back into the town, nor to tell
it to anyone in the town. The residents there had apparently
despised the Lord and His miracles and His teachings, and as a result
were left in their unbelief. When God pronounces a curse,
upon a man or a city or a nation, there no longer is any hope of
repentance. These three cities that I just
mentioned today lie in ruins, deserted, abandoned. These are like those that are
spoken of by Paul in the first chapter of Romans. He says, and
even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them over to a reprobate mind who, knowing the judgment
of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death,
not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. But there was one certain man
in this city who was the object of God's mercy from eternity.
This blind man is spoken here in our text in Mark 8. And the
thing that happened to this blind man after the Lord had restored
his sight is exactly what happens to men and women, what happens
to lost sinners when Christ gives them faith, when He restores
their spiritual sight, to see Him as He is, and to see every
man clearly. That is the title of this message,
Every Man Clearly. First, they see themselves clearly
before God saves a man or a woman. He shows them the corruption
of their heart and mind. He gives them some insight into
the depth of their depravity, into just how bad they really
are, and just how guilty they stand before God's holy law.
They cry with awe, O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver
me from the body of this death? Seeing themselves as hopelessly
doomed, they cry out for a deliverer. They see that in themselves there
is no hope of deliverance. They must have someone else to
deliver them from the wrath to come, or they will surely perish
forever. They bemoan their hopeless estate
with Paul and say, for in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth
no good thing. But this is certainly not our
mindset before God gives us spiritual eyesight to see ourselves as
He sees us. I recall a conversation years
ago that I had with Milton Howard. Milton at the time was ministering
in a federal prison in Louisiana. He said that about half the inmates
were of Hispanic descent, and they were hardened inmates. But
he said that even at that, they retained a good measure of self-righteousness. He said that there was one fellow
that had killed Two or three people, I can't remember which
exactly, but Milton said that this guy looked at him and pointed
at another inmate and said, but I am not a bad guy. He killed
five people. And that's how natural men and
women think. That's our mindset before God
shows us our true self and gives us just a little insight into
the depth of our depravity. We might be bad, but we're not
as bad as we could be. And we're certainly not as bad
as some other men. And before the Lord brings a man or a woman
to faith in Christ, He first brings them to the place of no
hope. They know for a fact that they
are deserving of God's furious wrath, and they know they're
helpless to do anything about it. Paul describes them in Ephesians
2.12. He says that at that time, you
were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel
and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, what
a horrible, horrible condition, having no hope and without God
in the world. Is there any condition, any human
condition sadder or more depressing than having no hope? As a man afloat in the middle
of a vast sea, he's been there for days, he's about to perish,
he cannot keep himself afloat any longer, And he knows that
death is but moments away. He's truly without hope. David, in Psalm 69, 20, described
this. He said, Reproach hath broken
my heart, and I am full of heaviness. And I looked for some to take
pity, but there was none. And for comforters, But I found
none. No hope. And if you're ever brought
spiritually to that place, no hope. No hope of deliverance.
No hope of salvation. No hope of escaping sure damnation. certain that at any moment you'll
be joining the damned in hell. You know the feeling of which
I speak. But seemingly at the last possible
moment, when all hope is evaporated, God brings us to the place where
we have given up hope. And then He shows us His Savior,
lifted up in that brazen serpent, and tells us, look and live,
look and live. We're as that ram plucked out
of the fire described in Zechariah 3. In Ephesians 2, 4, we read,
but God, who is rich in mercy, For His great love wherewith
He loved us, even when we were dead in sin, when we had no hope,
because the dead have no hope. He has quickened us together
with Christ. First, He shows you yourself, and He shows you
Christ. Next, when God restored our spiritual
sight and we see every man clearly, we see that other men are as
we are, lost and undone in themselves, without hope. Numerous scriptures
describe the state of the unregenerated human race. Let me read just
one. Romans 3, 10, and 11 says, As it is written, there is none
righteous, no not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. This doesn't say that men aren't
seeking after understanding and enlightenment, that they aren't
seeking a higher state of consciousness, that they are seeking after their
idea of God, it says that there is none that seeketh after the
true God, revealed in the word of God, and who is further revealed
in the preaching of the gospel of Christ crucified. The word
none is found 10,079 times in the Old and New Testaments. And
many of those times it is used to refer to the number of men
who, in their natural and regenerate state, truly seek after the Holy
God revealed in the Scriptures. And the number who do is none. But after God reveals Christ
to us and gives us faith, we are as David who said in Psalm
42, 1, as a heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth
my soul after thee, O God. We chase after the knowledge
of Christ, We chase after the knowledge of God. We cannot hear
enough. We cannot read enough. We cannot think enough about
the blessed Savior, who has become the one and only object of our
hope. Now lastly, and I want to spend
all my time here, when our God restores our spiritual sight
to see every man clearly, and this is the best part, there's
one man that we see more clearly than all others. We share a blessed
Savior clearly. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy
2.5, for there is one God. And one mediator between God
and man, the man, Christ Jesus. The man who is God. The man,
Christ Jesus, by whom all things were created, and in whom is
all life. The man, Christ Jesus, who is
the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the
world. As our pastor used to tell us, as much man as if you
were not God, and as much God as if you were not man. But he
was indeed a man subject to all the temptations which were subject
to, yet without sin. Hebrews 2 clarifies this, starting
in verse 16. It says, For verily, he took
not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the nature
of Abraham, human nature. He became a man. Wherefore often
did it behoove him, it became necessary and appropriate, It
behooved him. to be made like unto his brethren,
to become human flesh and blood, that he might be a merciful and
faithful high priest in all things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation
for the sins of the people. For in that he himself has suffered
being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted."
And in that same book of Hebrews, chapter 4, verse 15, we read
very much the same thing. For we have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities,
our weaknesses, our frailty, our feebleness of will and spirit,
but was in all points tempted, like as we are, yet without sin. Because Christ became a man and
experienced everything and more that we experience in this life,
he is the perfect advocate to plead our cause. He stands before
the Father and reminds him that we're but dust, and you can't
expect much from a pile of dust. But he stood in our place and
satisfied every demand of the law that was laid in front of
him. Paul told Timothy that there
was one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus. This word mediator has several
meanings, but the one which applies here is this. One who acts as
an intermediary to try to settle a dispute between two parties
that are at odds with one another. One who reconciles differences
or hostilities between two parties. Let me read that one more time.
One who reconciles differences or hostilities between two or
more parties. And there has never been two
parties more at odds than a holy God and vile sinners. But in
order to be an effective mediator and bring the two warring parties
together, a mediator has to understand, has to be able to relate to both
parties. And there never has been or ever
will be anyone who understands these two parties better, this
dispute between God and sinful man. As I said earlier, He is
as much God as if He were not man. He clearly understands both
parties because He has been both parties. He understands that
God demands perfection in order to be satisfied, that He will
not at all acquit the wicked, that he will not wink at sin
nor sweep it under the rug, that he is furious with the wicked
every day. And being a man, he had been
through every experience that we will ever go through, every
temptation, every weakness of the flesh, and yet we're told,
without sin. But what is it that Jesus mediates?
Is it just an agreement that man will try to do better and
God will not destroy him in his sin? No, no, no. He mediates for us terms of peace
with God that are unimaginably too good
to be true. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter
8. Hebrews chapter 8. The theme of this chapter is
Better. Now the things which we have
spoken, this is the sum. We have such a high priest who
is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the
heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which
the Lord pitched and not man. For every high priest is ordained
to offer gifts and sacrifices, Wherefore, it is of necessity
that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth,
he should not be in priests, seeing that there are priests
that offer gifts according to the law, who serve unto the example
and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God
when he was about to make the tabernacle. For see, saith he,
that thou makest all things according to the pattern show thee in the
mount. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by
how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was
established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had
been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the
second. For finding fault with him, he saith, Behold, the days
come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the
house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not according
to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when
I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they
continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith
the Lord. For this is the covenant that
I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith
the Lord. I will put my law into their
mind, and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them
a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not
teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord, for all shall know me, from the least to the
greatest, and I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and
their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. And
that he saith the new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now
that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away."
What we read in this chapter is truly amazing. The mediator
that we have doesn't just settle the dispute between God and man,
where the hatred and the hostility ceases. No, he fixes it. For the offended party in this
dispute, God Almighty, not only ceases to be hostile towards
sinners, which would be a gigantic blessing in and of itself, but
he arranges for those once at odds to become his children. It's too good to be true if it wasn't
written in the scriptures. He brings to the negotiating
table a new covenant, a better covenant. God Almighty, who was
once furious with this group of sinners, now says, I will
be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. Verse 6 tells
us that it is a better covenant that is established, set in stone,
as we like to say, upon better promises. And those better promises
involve a whole lot more than just forgiveness of sin. They
involve us becoming God's children and joint heirs with Christ.
Entitled. Entitled to all the blessings
of our God throughout all eternity. And it goes without saying that
that entitlement is not a reward of our doing. It is a direct
result of Christ's finished work on our behalf. standing in our
stead and satisfying all the requirements of God's holy law,
paying the full price of the punishment which was due our
transgressions. Hebrews 9.15 says, and for this
cause he is the mediator of the New Testament. And how did he
achieve that? That by means of death. For the
redemption of the transgressions that were under the First Testament,
They which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. The writer of Hebrews uses this
term a couple more times. Turn with me back a page to Hebrews
7, this term, the man, Christ Jesus, or this man. In Hebrews
7, back a page, verse 22 says, But so much would Jesus make
sure of a better testament. And they truly were many priests,
because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death.
But this man, this man, because he continueth forever, hath an
unchangeable priesthood." Unchangeable. Flip over a couple more pages
to Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10 verse 12. But this man, the man Christ
Jesus, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat
down on the right hand of God from henceforth, expecting till
his enemies be made his footstool. Eternal inheritance and all that
it involved was purchased by the bloody sacrifice of the man
Christ Jesus. That same man who suffered hunger,
fatigue, temptation, betrayal, thirst, pain, and sorrow, all
so he could become that perfect mediator between God and man. Now for those of you that are
sitting here tonight or listening over the streaming and have never
been given saving faith, all this most likely sounds like
a lot of nonsense. You've never been given spiritual
eyesight. to see every man clearly. You
still see yourself. Maybe not as good as you should
be, but certainly not as bad as you could be. And in the sense
of sins committed, that's true. You're not as bad as you could
be. But in the eyes of God's law,
you stand guilty. James tells us that you offend
in one point, you're guilty of the whole law. And you look at
other people and think, as many folks do, that there is a spark
of good in everyone. You just have to fan that spark
and turn it into a flame. We have a wood stove at home. And I get up in the morning on
cold mornings, if it's been going through the night. And if there's
some cold in there, I generally just throw some wood in, open
the dampers, and that damper more or less fans the flame.
But if I go down there and that stove is stone cold, and the
ashes are completely gone, just a gray bed of ashes, no amount
of fanning will ever start a fire. And that's a pretty good example
of dead men and women. No amount of fanning can spark
any good in human beings because there's none there to begin with.
There's not a spark of goodness. And certainly men and women do
admirable things. They do incredible acts of sacrifice. Some give in their lives in order
to save others. As many of you who know me know
that I like to study history, both American and ancient history. And in those stories, you find
some astonishing acts of heroism, incredible acts of sacrifice.
Ask the bravery and goodness that defy human logic, that a
man or a woman would willingly lay down their life for another
human being. Christ told us in John 15, verse 13, that there
is no greater love than a man would lay down his life for another,
for his friends. But we don't see things as God
sees them, because we judge actions by our standards. God judges
actions by His standards. And His standards are the ones
that will be used in the day of judgment. He tells us, in
it His thoughts are not our thoughts, and neither His ways our ways. He has a completely different
logic than us, judging what is good and what
is evil. And His standards are the ones
that will be used to judge men and women. So we in our natural
sight and logic understandably look at men and women as at least
having the potential for doing good. Yet God tells us that there
is none that doeth good, no, not one. And when lost men and
women look at Christ, who is spoken of throughout the Scriptures,
Old and New Testament, You do not have the spiritual eyesight
to see Him as He truly is. You might see Him as a good example.
You might see Him as a prophet. You might even see Him as a Savior.
But it's impossible to see the man, Christ Jesus, as He truly
is until the Spirit of God restores your spiritual eyesight. A sovereign
God and an absolute ruler of this universe whatsoever he will,
with whom he wants, how he wants, when he wants, and why he wants. Nor can you ever see Him as an
all-sufficient Sacrifice who has accomplished all that was
necessary to secure redemption for His elect. Until God gives
you faith and opens your spiritual eyes, you can never understand
what Paul was speaking of in the book of Ephesians. Flip over
with me to Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians 1, verse 17, "...that the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that the eyes
of your understanding being enlightened..." Your spiritual eyes, your understanding. "...that ye might know what is
the hope of His calling, and what is the riches of the glory
of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness
of His power to us who believe according to the working of His
mighty power, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him
from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly
places, far above all principality and power. and might, and dominion,
and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also
in that which is to come, and hath put all things under his
feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all."
What I just read is a mystery to those without faith. Our God, for reasons known but
to Himself, chooses to make known those mysteries to some and not
to others. So I would encourage you, lost
man or woman, to seek to know the man, Christ Jesus, by pleading
with God to show you mercy, to open your eyes to the truth about
yourself, about others and mostly about the man, Christ Jesus. If he does not do that for you,
you're doomed to perish forever under his fierce wrath. But if
he's pleased to give you the ability to see your need of him
and truly approach him for mercy, it is a sign that he has begun
a good work in you. Ask him to enable you to see
every man clearly, to see yourself as He sees you, and ask Him to
show you the man, Christ Jesus. I hope that has been a help.
Lord willing, a week from tonight, our friend Frank Tate will be
back with us. And this coming Lord's Day, if the Lord enables
us to meet, Aaron Greenleaf is scheduled to be back with us.
So be in prayer for those men and for those services. Be in
prayer for one another. I think we're all dealing with
things that perhaps few people know about. Some things that
maybe nobody knows about. But each of us have things that
we carry. So be in prayer for one another
that the Lord will sustain us and bless us. Remember those
that are not able to be with us because of different infirmities.
And Lord bless you, you're dismissed.