is found in Luke chapter 5. Luke chapter 5 verses 15 through 26. Let's read through these verses. Luke
chapter 5 verse 15. But so much the more went there
a fame abroad of him. And great multitudes came together
to hear and to be healed by him of their infirmities. Now I just want to stop for a
second and say something about that. There's always a fame that
goes out of gospel preachers. And that fame is not necessarily
a good thing. A lot of times our Lord performed
a miracle and He'd tell them, don't say nothing about this.
There was a reason for that. He didn't want people to seek
Him completely just for healing. He wanted them to come, and maybe
I'm using the wrong word, He purposed for them to come to
hear Him. Verse 16. Now, you take note of what I
said and apply it right here. His fame went out. People began
to seek him. And he withdrew himself into
the wilderness and prayed. And it came to pass on a certain
day as he was teaching that there was Pharisees and doctors of
the law sitting by, which were come out of every town in Galilee
and Judea and Jerusalem. That's a lot of doctors. That's a lot of Pharisees. A
lot of leaders. And the power of the Lord was
present to heal them. And behold, men brought in a
bed a man which was taken with palsy, And they sought means
to bring him in and lay him before him, that is the Lord. And when
they could not find by what way they might bring him in because
of the multitude, they went upon the housetop and led him down
through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith,
not the faith of the man with the palsy, but the faith of the
men who were letting him down through the ceiling. When he
saw their faith, he said unto him, man, thy sins be forgiven
thee. How often has a man brought in
somebody, a relative, a friend, somebody they worked with, somebody
they went to school with, brought them in, faithless, ignorant,
just like all the rest of us. And the Lord honored that and
forgave them of their sins, spoke peace to their heart. That's
what happened here. And the scribes and the Pharisees
began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God
alone? But when Jesus perceived their
thoughts, he answering, said unto them, What reason ye in
your hearts? Whither is easier to say, Thy
sins be forgiven thee, or say, Rise up and walk? Does it take
any less divinity Here's a man with a disease. He's dying. Doctors can't do him any good.
He's dying. Does it take any less divinity
to say, rise up and walk? Or to say, thy sins are forgiven
thee? It takes God to do either one,
don't it? And that's what he's telling these doctors of the
law. but that you may know that the
Son of Man hath power upon earth to forgive sins." That's why
he said it. He said, under the sake of the palsy, I say unto
thee, arise, take up thy couch, and go into thy house. And immediately
he rose up before them and took up that whereon he lay, and departed
to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed. and the glorified God, and they
were filled with fear, saying, we have seen strange things today. We've seen strange things today. That's the title of the lesson,
seeing strange things. The word strange means contrary
to expectation. They went there expecting one
thing, but they saw something else. Anybody who'd been to church,
who was raised in religion, when they went the next Sunday, they
expected the same thing. The word strange means uncommon. That which we see every day after
a while becomes common. than we expected. They went there
expecting to see the things common, things they could perceive, but
instead they saw something uncommon. They saw something outstanding
and extraordinary. And everything about the true
and living God, His Son, Jesus Christ, and His purpose of grace,
His eternal purpose of grace, is strange to the natural man. He's hearing strange things. He's seeing strange things. He comes in here expecting one
thing and sees something else. As Paul disputed with the Jews
in their synagogue there in Athens, Greece, you remember the account
in Acts 17. There were certain philosophers
of the Epicureans and the Stoics and they encountered him and
said, he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods. Even his
God was strange unto them because he preached Jesus and the resurrection. God said through Hosea, I have
written to Ephraim. I've written to Ephraim. Now,
he's not singling Ephraim out, he's just simply saying Ephraim
and all that are typical in him. I've written to him. And I've
written to him and shown him great things of my law. What in the world is he talking
about, great things of the law? Well, in Romans 3, 24, it said,
being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption
that's in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth. Where did
God set him forth? In the Old Testament. In the
Old Testament. Whom God hath set forth as the
propitiation for our sins. That God might be propitious,
that God might be forgiving toward us. enabling God to forgive us. Sin has to be paid for and that's
how he set him forth. He showed this to Ephraim. He
showed him substitution. He showed to him in his law accomplished
redemption. He showed him in his law reconciliation,
cleansing, all of these things typified under the law. He said,
I said these and showed these things, I wrote these things
to Ephraim. But they were counted as a strange
thing. He couldn't figure it out. When
they invited Paul to preach at Mars Hill there in Acts 17, they
came to him and they said, thou bring a certain strange things
to our ears. We would know something about
these things. The way of Christ, of God, of
salvation, of grace is strange indeed to the natural man. It's
a strange thing. It's not something he expects.
It's something extraordinary. It's not something common. And
it's especially so in the eyes and ears of seasoned religionists,
those who think they're grounded in the faith, those who think
they know God. So what did these men see, these
doctors of the law, these Pharisees? What did they see that was so
strange and so uncommon, so incredible, so contrary to their expectations? What did they see? Well, they
saw a strange, drawing power. Over and over and over in the
scriptures, it talks about them being jealous of the multitude,
envious of the multitude. Here was a man. He had no credentials. He had no recommendation. He had nothing from any religion
in this world, and especially of the Jews. He had nothing. He couldn't go out there and
say, well, here's my diploma. I sat on the Gamaliel. No, he
didn't have one. And he wasn't in Jerusalem. He wasn't in the place where
the temple was, he was out on the seaside. He was on a seashore. And yet all the towns of Galilee
and Jerusalem itself emptied out their synagogues of all these
doctors and Pharisees and they all went out to hear him and
when they got there, there was a huge multitude surrounding
him. Isn't that something? Ain't that
something? God chose a little speck down
here in Arkansas. And I'm saying a speck compared
to Los Angeles, compared to New York. Just a little speck. Taylor, 666 people. And who knows how much is over
there where the old church was. That was less than that. Probably
a couple hundred at most. in that little community, and
yet God chose this place, this place, and draws his people to
it. And we didn't, like Christ, we
don't, we're not using the means of religion. We're not using
the power and intimidation of religion. We're not using their
name. We're not using their diplomas.
We're not using their schools. We don't have their recommendation.
They're not out here saying, boy, you need to go down to Grace
Church. No, just the opposite. Don't go down there, that's a
cult. Same thing with him. They saw a strange drawing power. People were coming to him that
wouldn't darken the door of their synagogues. These men all held master's degrees
in theology. They grew up in the synagogues
and in the temple, and they'd seen it all, or so they thought. But they'd never seen such a
multitude as this. And they'd never experienced
a press like this, thousands upon thousands. And these men
weren't expecting this sort. sick, demon-possessed, lame,
halt, palsied, blind, crippled, sinners, sinners all. They saw that multitude and it
appeared as the offscouring of humanity, yet there was no amount
of intimidation that could prevent them from being there. Think
about that. Excuse me. And then what about these men
carrying a man on a makeshift couch? They got there, and all
these sick people and their relatives, and they're just shoulder to
shoulder, as tight as they can get. They don't want anybody
squeezing through, and they're not gonna let anybody squeeze
through. They're holding their place. They're trying to get
to Christ just like everybody is. But these men knew if they
couldn't get him to Christ, he couldn't be healed. So they climbed up on the roof
of the building. I put on roofs for a living.
This was a tile roof. It says they took away the tiles,
molded concrete tiles. And they took those tiles away.
Well, if you're taking those tiles away, there's debris falling
and all this stuff down on the inside, and Christ is standing
down there preaching. And these men are up there taking
off tiles. And then you gotta, there's rafters that hold up
those tiles and slats. They had to take them loose,
too, because you couldn't get a couch down between it. So they
had to take that loose. They're up there wrecking and
pulling boards off the roof. They lowered this man down in
front of him. Nobody said anything, they just lowered him down in
front of him. They never said a word, never spoke a word, but
their actions, their actions were seeing of Christ, and what
he says, I saw their faith. What did James say about that?
Show me your faith by your what? You're gonna confess your faith.
You're gonna say, well, I believe, I believe. He said, you show
me that way. I'll show you my faith by my
works. True faith has works. True faith is a living principle
in the heart, and it affects the whole of the man. If it don't,
he don't have true faith. There's no obstacle that can
prevent a chosen sinner from coming to Christ, nothing. The love of God's sheep don't
wander in by chance, they're drawn. Boy, those Jews were murmuring
over there in John chapter six, they were just murmuring and
murmuring. He said, don't murmur. There's no reason for you to
murmur. No man can come to me. Now if
I understand there's a difference between may and can. May is permission,
can has to do with ability. He said no man can come to me
except my father draw him. He has to be drawn. He has to
be drawn. God said through Jeremiah the
prophet, the Lord hath appeared of old unto me saying, yea, I
have Love thee with an everlasting love. Way back yonder in eternity
past, I love thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving
kindness, I have drawn thee. Does that sound right? That's strange to the natural
man. He don't understand that. He draws us in His providence,
and He draws us in His gospel, and He draws us by His Spirit. Until, like this paused man,
at last we lay before the Lord. And then secondly, the success
of this man was strange indeed. Without the credentials, or help,
or ungodly means of established religion, our Lord's ministry
is perfectly effectual. All the time. All the time. It never fails. Religion, it
had you believe it's all up to you and you can fail. Well, if
it were all up to you, it would fail. But it's not. It's up to Him. It's all in His
hands. He saves all who come to Him. All that the Father giveth to
me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out. I'll accomplish my Father's will,
which is of all which he hath given me. I should lose nothing,
but raise it up again at the last day. In Acts 13, 48, it says
when the Gentiles heard what Paul said out of the scriptures
concerning them, that the Jews would forsake the gospel. They would forsake Christ. but
the Gentiles would be given faith. When they heard that, they were
glad. They were glad. They saw God's
mind and will and purpose in the scriptures through the gospel
and they were glad. Now listen, and as many as were
ordained to eternal life believed. Our Lord preached on mountainsides
and out of ships and occasionally in a synagogue and the blessings
of God were poured out on all who come to hear him. If you'll read carefully, it
says they all came out to hear him and be healed. There's not gonna be any healing
without hearing. And then thirdly, they saw strange
things that day, things strange in his doctrine. Never a man
spake like this. The devils were subject to it.
Even the winds and the waves obeyed his voice. He changed
his minerals. He took a few fishes and a few
loaves and fed 5,000 people. He walked on the water in a storm
at night and bound his disciples out in the middle of the lake. And I'll tell you something else
about his doctrine, what our Lord preached. Couldn't be heard
anywhere else. Now you let that sink in. Couldn't
be heard anywhere else. God sets his preachers where
he will. And you're not gonna hear the
gospel anywhere else. You'll hear it right there. You'll
hear it right there. Or you're not gonna hear it at
all. Couldn't be heard anywhere else.
Just from him and his doctrine was the doctrine of God. was
God's testimony concerning his son. If you rejected what Paul
preached and what Christ preached and what his disciples preached,
if you rejected that, it says over in 1 John 5, you make God
a liar. You didn't make the man a liar,
you made God a liar. They bore his testimony. They
were sent of God. He that heareth you, heareth
me. You reject that, you make God a liar. And his doctrine wasn't the wishy-washy
doctrine of deceived men, but the very word of God. My soul,
perfect understanding. What a man. Wouldn't you like
to hear him preach? Peter said, the word of the Lord
endureth forever. And this is the word which by
the gospel is preached unto you. And Paul said this, I'm not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ. There's nothing in it that requires
an apology. Pastor wrote me recently and
he had some folks to leave and he was gonna write them a letter.
And he said, I'm just not sure whether I should or not. And
I said, I wouldn't write a letter. I listened to your message, everything
in it was true. You gonna apologize for the truth?
Let them apologize. Now I'm not saying build a wall
till you can't get back over, I'm simply saying don't go out
here and start apologizing for what you preached. If you have
to apologize for it, don't preach it. Nothing in it that needs an apology,
nothing in it to back off from, and nothing in it to leave you
ashamed before men. Paul wrote to the Corinthians
and he said, he that is spiritual understandeth all things, yet
he himself is understood by no man, no natural man. How can
that be? Well, he said, we have the mind
of Christ. That's how that could be. What's so strange about his doctrine? Well, let's start here, the total
depravity of man. You think that's not strange?
You think that's not new, something he's never heard before? The
natural man? Huh? Oh, my soul. None good, none righteous, at
his best state, altogether vanity, drinks iniquity like water. Sin
entered, death passed, in Adam all die. Total depravity of man. You think that's not strange
to a natural man, especially a seasoned religionist who'd
been told all of his life that there was good in him when he
was born and the gospel's just a fan and it's blowing on the
coal trying to get a fire started. In the scriptures it said he
gave us beauty for ashes. I was raised with wood heat.
I'll tell you what ashes means, the fire went out. That's what
ashes. None good, none righteous. No
fear of God before his eyes. Destruction and misery in his
ways, total depravity, a God-hating rebel whose mind is enmity against
God. You think you're gonna hear that
from another pulpit? Not likely. Secondly, he preached
unconditional election. He didn't back up from it. He
told his disciples, you hadn't chosen me. I chose you. Don't
you remember? You was out there on the ship
fishing. You come in tired and was rolling up your nets. You
know who I was. I stepped into your boat and
went out there, performed a miracle before you. God did through me
to convince you of who I am. You remember that? I called you.
You didn't call me. I chose you. God chose a people
before a single person ever took a breath, before Adam was ever
born, before they did any good or evil that the purpose of God
according to election might stand. That's what he said about Jacob. And they were not chosen to an
opportunity. Second Thessalonians 2.13 said
they were from the beginning chosen to salvation. To salvation. Election is not God passing by
people who want to be saved. Their wanting is the very fruit
of their election. Paul said, I know your election.
How? Because when his gospel come,
it didn't come in word only. It came in power. came to the
Holy Ghost, came with much assurance, they'd become followers. They
wanted it. They wanted it. They were willing
to come and willing to hear and willing to be taught and willing
to obey and believe. He chose them through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth. And then another strange
thing about his doctrine, irresistible grace. I'm going to tell you something.
And the scripture talks a lot about God's dealings with men,
and those men shoving him away. How often would I have gathered
you like a hen would her chicks, but you would not. He talks about
that. He talks about it in Proverbs. Talks about it. I stretched forth
my arms, but you would not. I sent you my message, but you
would not. God deals with people like that.
That's a real thing. He does. He deals with people
in their heart. But I'm going to tell you, when He deals with
His elect, He deals in irresistible grace. There is no resisting
that call. You're coming to Christ. He'll
overcome every obstacle. I don't care what it is in your
heart that resists. You can't resist the Holy Spirit
of God. He's sovereign. They shall be willing, he said,
in the day of my power. Grace is more than just an attribute
of God. It's a force to be reckoned with.
As sin, listen to this, as sin reigned unto death, even so might
grace reign. That sounds like something that's
not a force. Even so might grace reign through
righteousness through the Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And then what about this one,
limited atonement, or particular redemption, whichever you prefer. He said the good shepherd gave
us his life for the sheep. Ain't that what this is? He went to that cross for our
offenses, and he was raised again for our justification. Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Ain't that what
scripture says? Look it up over in Romans eight.
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. It's Christ that dies. And listen to this. Here's what
he told those doctors of the law a little later on. He said,
you believe not because you're not of my sheep. As I said unto
you, my sheep hear my voice. And I know them. I know who they
are. I'm not out here just spitting
words out in the air. I know who my elect are. I know
how to speak to them. And they know me. And they follow
me. And I give unto them eternal
life. Eternal life is to know God.
That's what eternal life is. He gives that to them. My blood is shed for them. My
love is manifested to them. My spirit works affectionately
in them. I know them. And they hear my
voice and they follow me. He's irresistible. And this gospel
and the spirit is irresistible because It's unconditional. There are no conditions. There
are no conditions. It's all of grace. All of grace. And then lastly, his doctrine
was strange because it talked about the perseverance of the
saints. Paul looked at those Philippians,
and they had trouble. We have trouble. Everybody has
trouble. I've never preached to a church who hadn't undergone
trouble. In this world, you shall have trouble. That's what he
said. But Paul said to the Philippians,
my confidence is this, my confidence in you, in this work. Here's
my confidence. He which hath begun a good work
in you will perform it under the day of Jesus Christ. Paul
wasn't in that. Nothing else was in that. It
was all of God. Here's my confidence. He which
hath begun a good work in you He gonna perform it under the
day of Jesus Christ. Peter said this, we're kept by
the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
at the last day. And faith is maintained, faith
is kept active, it keeps growing, it's fed of God, it's established
and grounded and strong through the preaching of the gospel and
the word of God. And believers are people who
do not draw back to perdition, they believe to the saving of
the soul. Our Lord preached that, he taught
that. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. And then this gospel, fourthly,
It's strange in its means. Our Lord told his disciples,
I could raise up children to Abraham out of these rocks. He
got here in a parking lot, Russell. Big old rock, and make it into
a son of Abraham. He got it. But what he could do, and what
he would do, are two different things. You see, it pleased God
through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Our
Lord was a preacher. He was God. You think he was
held back by something? No. No, he could save anybody
he wanted to. Any way he wanted to. But from
the beginning, these means were ordained and purposed and our
Lord submitted to them. He submitted to him. Strange
and it's mean. It's not by a nation, it's not
by some united effort of men, but through the preaching of
the gospel of Jesus Christ. And men's gonna, they're gonna
tell you, I'm telling you young people, you're gonna run into
people. Some of you older ones, you're gonna run into people.
And they're gonna sit there at the table across from you, and
with big tears in their eyes, they're gonna start telling you
about this experience they had, this vision they saw, these voices
they heard, some near-death experience. I died, and the Lord brought
me back to life. Or whatever else Satan's able
to convince them of. And they're gonna sit there with
tears in their eyes, fully convinced that this is their salvation.
But God says the preaching of the gospel is what he's chosen
and even the Son of God submitted to those means. May the Lord
be pleased to show us some of these strange things. Strange
things. And bring others here to see
them. Wouldn't that be something? All right, thank you.