Luke chapter 5, we read it just
a moment ago. Notice again verse 26. This is the reaction of the people,
the multitudes, because there were multitudes had gathered,
had pressed into this house and around this house where our Lord
was at the time, and had witnessed His miracle. Many of them no
doubt had witnessed also the healing of the leper. They'd
heard what our Lord had to say to the Pharisees and the scribes. And we read there in verse 26
that their reaction was one of amazement. They were amazed. In Matthew's account of this
miracle, we read that they marveled afterwards. They just stood and
marveled. We also read here in verse 26 that they were filled
with fear, reverence, reverence, and they glorified God. That sounds very much like worship,
doesn't it? Worship, as you know, means to
prostrate, to prostrate. I was Turned on the TV early this morning
just to get a updated forecast to see how cold it was. And the
station that was on, that came on, was broadcasting a worship
service. And on the platform was a whole
band, drums, guitars, singers, cheerleaders, getting folks riled
up. And people were standing and
swaying back and forth and eyes closed and waving their hands
above their head. Is that worship, John? Is that
worship? If I'm not mistaken, every time
a sinner, a man or a woman, were in the presence of God, They did the very opposite of
that. They didn't stand up. They bowed
down. As I said, the very word worship
means to prostrate. Listen as I read a few verses
from Psalm 89. For who in the heaven can be
compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty
can be likened unto the Lord? God is greatly to be feared,
to stand in holy wonder of, in the assembly of the saints, and
to be had in reference of all them that are about him. Let me just read you a comment
or two along this line. Mr. Spurgeon said, saints are
described as fearing the name of God. They are reverent worshippers. They stand in awe of the Lord's
authority. They are afraid of offending
Him. They feel their own nothingness. They feel their own nothingness.
Ask Job. Ask Isaiah. Ask any sinner in
the presence of God Almighty. They feel their own nothingness
in the sight of the Infinite One. Again the psalmist said,
Oh come, let us worship and stand up. No, let us worship and bow
down. Let us kneel before the Lord
our Maker. Without the heart, Stephen Charnick
wrote, without the heart it is not worship. It is a stage play,
an acting apart. We may truly be said to worship
God though we lack perfection and oh how much we do lack. But
we cannot be said to worship him if we lack sincerity. If we lack sincerity. May God
enable us to worship him today. I pray that we have. And every time we gather here,
then we too will bow in humble adoration, stand amazed with
reverent wonder at our great God. Again, look at verse 36. We're told in the last phrase,
they said, we have seen strange things today. We've seen strange
things today. The title of my message is God's
Strange, Wonderful Grace. Before we come to that, notice
again, though, verse 17. We read there that the power
of the Lord was present to heal them. The power of the Lord was
present. God's power was present because
Christ was present. He's the power of God, the wisdom
of God, the glory of God, the hope of every sinner. Without
him, like this paralyzed man knew, like this leopard knew,
without him we can do nothing. That's a fact. That's easy for
me to say. God make me feel it. You mean,
Larry, you haven't learned that yet? I'm learning it more and
more. More and more. I'm not getting better as I grow
older. You know I was told that when
God first saved me. Some older, I thought much more
experienced believers told me, as you grow in grace, you'll
get beyond the inclination to sin. You'll outgrow that. No, I didn't. No, I didn't. More
and more that I see of Him and His glory and His mercy and His
grace and His goodness, I also see this, that I am nothing but
sin, just as Paul said in Romans chapter 7. Without Him, nothing. Our Lord said in John 17, You've
given me power. Don't you just love this child
of God? Don't you just love this weary
pilgrim? Don't you just love this heavy
laden child of God? Hear your Redeemer. Hear that
one who is touched with what you're going through. Always. Thou has given me power over
all flesh, he says. And then again in Matthew 28,
he told his disciples before sending him back to Jerusalem,
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. And here
in Luke 5 and 17 we read, the power of the Lord was present
to heal them. Nothing else will. Nothing else
will. No one else can. Are sinners
still helpless? Are they still in the condition
that they were in when Adam fell? Are they still helpless? Are
they still dead? Are sinners still dead? Then
yes, they're still helpless. You don't get much more helpless
than that. And that being the case, only
Christ, only Christ has the power to raise the dead. He said, I'm
the resurrection and the life. The hour is coming, he said.
And now is when the dead, the dead, not the half-dead, not
the crippled. No, no, no. When those who are
dead in trespasses and sins. shall hear the voice of the Son
of God, and they that are dead shall what? They shall live. That requires nothing less than
the power of our omnipotent Redeemer. The power of the Lord was present
to heal them. Them. Multitudes, as we read
in verse 15. Again, down at verse 19, multitude. But does that include the Pharisees
that were present at verse 17? Was the power of the Lord present
to heal them? And the doctors of the law, these
scribes, they were sitting by. They were there. Notice it says,
they were sitting by. They always were. Sitting by. Not sitting at his feet. Not
sitting at his feet to catch his words. Not sitting at his
feet in humble adoration. Not sitting at his feet in sweet
submission. Oh no, but sitting by as spectators
to catch him in his words. But more than that, they didn't
need his power to heal them, did they? They didn't need it. Our Lord, when he wanted to warn
people to beware of self-righteousness, that one he chose to exemplify
it by, he said, Behold, two people went up to the temple to pray.
One was a Pharisee. That's the one who trusted in
himself that he was righteous. This Pharisee didn't need our
Lord's healing. He didn't need our Lord's power. He didn't need God's grace and
mercy, as again Luke 18 in our Lord's parable illustrates. As Mr. Hart asked, and I often
quote this, what comfort can a Savior bring to those who never
felt their woe? You know the answer to that.
It's none. None. Our Savior doesn't bring
comfort to anyone who hasn't first felt their woe. The Father
never says of any sinner, bring forth the best robe until he
strips him of the robe of self-righteousness. He never saves any sinner until
that sinner is first made to feel his lostness. It was grace,
or Newton said, that taught my heart to fear. Otherwise, I never
would know. God must get the sinner lost. Look here again in Luke chapter
5. Look what our Lord said to these self-righteous Pharisees
that didn't need him. Verse 30, But their scribes and
Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do you
eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And hear our Lord's
answer. They that are whole need not
a physician, but they that are sick. I came not to call the
righteous. And the Pharisees said, we're
righteous. And that's who he's referring
to. I didn't come to call the righteous. You're righteous.
You claim to be whole. You don't need the touch of the
great physician. You claim to be righteous. I
didn't come to call you. Oh, but I come to call sinners
to repentance. In Matthew's account, he said
that our Lord also added these words. He told them, go and learn
what that means. I will have mercy and not sacrifice. Oh, sacrifices they had, but
mercy they didn't need again. Ask them. Ask them. Our Lord
said again in Luke 18, the Pharisee, did he need mercy? Did he need
mercy? Did he need God's grace? No. He said, I don't need anything. I thank you. I'm not like other
men. I'm not like, I'm not a sinner. I'm not like that. I'm not like
them. I do all these other things.
And he trusted that. The gospel. It's good news. That's what it means. Good news.
Glad tidings. But not to everybody. Not to
everybody. Only to sinners. Only to sinners. Sinners like that other man that
went up to the temple that day. He didn't have much to say. He
didn't have anything good to say about himself. He didn't
bring anything there but his sins and his need of mercy. And that publican, that despised
publican stood afar off. He's not even worthy to enter
into where the Pharisees stood and he said, God be merciful
to me, the sinner. The gospel is good news to him. He needed mercy and he found
it. one of my favorite verses of
scripture. Our Lord said, I say unto you,
making application of that parable in Luke 18, I say unto you that
this man went down to his house justified. Is that so? A sinner, a sinner, in this world,
in this life, can be declared justified by the Holy God? He can be pronounced not guilty
before the Lord God? Jesus Christ said yes. This man
went down to his house justified. I say unto you, the Master said,
it won't happen if only the preacher tells you. or mother or father,
or the soul winner. Oh, but if that one who is the
only mediator between God and man, if that one by whom alone
God can be just, in justifying sinners? If that one who alone
is the propitiation for our sins, if he says concerning me that
I'm justified, I'm justified. And I'll never be unjustified. Remember this paralyzed man in
Luke 5? His physical healing is a picture
of the greater mercy. of his spiritual healing, the
forgiveness of his sins. All of our Lord's miracles are
pictures of that. He came to the house, this paralyzed
man. He came to this house where the
Lord was, and the bed carried him. But when he leaves, he leaves
carrying the bed. Oh, that's the result of God's
reigning grace. Sin shall not have dominion over
you, because you're not under the law, but under grace, which
is easier, our Lord said, to these Pharisees, which is greater. The charismatics of our day,
they tell us that health is more important to God, that he wants
all of us to be healthy and wealthy. But Christ says no, that's not
true, that's a lie. Turn if you will over here in
Luke's Gospel to chapter 12. Chapter 12. Our Lord here says
that's not so, that's not so. This parable concerning the rich
fool. That's what our Lord called him,
a fool. Verse 15, take heed and beware
of covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance
of the things which he possesseth." My soul doesn't that go against folks I did today, most religious
folks. A man's life doesn't consist
in those things that he possesses. Verse 20, Our Lord says, But
God said to this rich fool that was making all of his plans,
he was going to retire and have it made. But God said unto him,
Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Thy soul shall be required of
thee then. Who shall these things be which
thou hast provided? Verse 21, so is he, not just
this rich fool in the parable, but so is anyone, any man or
woman that does likewise, that layeth up treasure for himself
and is not rich toward God. God's greater miracle was the
healing of this man's soul. His salvation is the greater
miracle. Again, verse 26, they said, we
have seen strange things today. Now, there's many strange things
going on in churches all around us. In the book of Acts, we read
that the early church believers, the disciples, they ceased not
to teach and to preach Jesus Christ, nothing less, nothing
else. Every church today does everything
else. Entertainment. It's big business. Celebrities. That's not the meaning
of strange things in our text, is it? The only place this word
that is translated strange things, this is the only time it's used
in the New Testament. And the meaning is this. It means
paradox. Things contrary to human reason. Remember, the Pharisees reasoned. They put their wits together.
They said, well, we just don't see how this can be. And our
Lord said, oh, it be. The power of God was present
to heal those that had need of healing. The word strange things
means those contrary to human reason or ability, unheard of
before. Incredible, mysterious. Does that not describe God's
wonderful work of grace? It can't be reproduced by man,
or religion, or the will of the flesh. Oh, but God, but God. Lloyd-Jones wrote this. He said, if asked, what is the
chief end of preaching, the purpose of it, He said, I like to think
it is this, it is to give men and women a sense of God and
His presence. It's good, isn't it? It is to
give men and women a sense of God and His presence. I pray that we might see that. Don't you? Our families, our
families, many of them, many of them, Children, sons, daughters,
loved ones are lost and blind, dead in sin, but they don't know
it. They don't know it. And many,
many, in addition to that, if that was not bad enough, many
of them are trusting another Jesus. How sad. A decision, oh God, Make yourself
known to this religious and lost generation. Bear your holy arm. Teach us
who you are. Once that's done, once any sinner
has some idea, some glimpse of who God is, then he'll know. He'll know something about who
he really is. And there won't be a standing
up, or there'll be a bowing down before him. And like the publican,
God be merciful to me, I'm the sinner. these sinners, oh God,
to do that, like the children of Israel at the Red Sea that
day. They saw the great work that
God had done, that great work, and they feared the Lord, like
these we read of in our text in Luke chapter 5. And they sang
that song, Who is a God like unto our God? fearful in praises,
wholly doing wonders. That's what true worship is.
Not glorying in the flesh, but prostrating before God Almighty
and declaring, gladly declaring, confessing, and rejoicing in,
not unto us, O God. Not unto us, but unto thy name
give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. In the
sense that the word is used here, strange things. The salvation
of a sinner, is it not a strange thing? Wonderful. Amazing. Producing a holy reverence
and giving God all the glory for it. Oh, it's God that gets
to glory, not the sinner. Blessed be the Lord God, the
God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. I made mention
of this in your bulletin, or in today's bulletin rather, in
the article. Just a few days after Mr. Spurgeon died in 1892, I think
the last day of January 1892, One of his contemporaries, a
publisher, an editor, and a journalist, Robertson Nicole, wrote this. Mr. Spurgeon, he's referring
to Spurgeon's preaching at the tabernacle. Mr. Spurgeon always made salvation
a wonderful, a supernatural thing. Is it not so, brothers and sisters
in Christ? And this great and hard won salvation,
he wrote, was sure. It did not stand in the creature. It rested absolutely with God. Absolutely. Salvation is a wonderful
thing. an amazing thing. Isn't it sad? Isn't it sad that this wonderful,
amazing work of God's grace and salvation, this strange thing
has been reduced to a walk up an aisle? It's not as easy as
ABC. What's wonderful about that?
What's amazing about that? What's marvelous about that?
Nothing at all. Oh, but for that sinner that's
tasted the goodness of God's grace, that sinner who's been
made aware of who he is and then has tasted, just like this paralyzed
man did, the power of God unto salvation, he knows this is indeed
a strange thing. It requires God's purpose to
say. It required God's purpose to
save, God's will to save, God's determination, if you will, to
show mercy and grace. But that's not all. It required
God becoming a man. That deserves a pause, does it
not? God becoming a man. Is that not
a strange thing, a wondrous thing? The Word was made flesh. That
Word who was in the beginning with God was God, is God. All things were made by Him and
without Him was not anything made that is made. That Word
was made flesh. God became flesh. If you saw Jesus of Nazareth
walking along, he wouldn't have looked different as to his physical
appearance. He was flesh of our flesh and
bone of our bones. Is that not wondrous? Is that
not a mystery? Paul said, without controversy,
great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. And if that is not enough, Just
think of this, that one who was God and became man, Jesus Christ
was made sin. It doesn't say he was made like
sin or something akin to sin or that God pretended that he
was sin. God made him, ignore those words
in italics to be, God made him sin. Don't ask me to explain
that, I can't. Oh, but for God's grace simply
to bow down and adore and wonder. Indeed, that's a strange thing. Made sins? This great and wonderful
salvation requires also that the Spirit comes in power to
raise dead sinners to life. You know from time to time when
I was a young fella, I would be button-holed by some soul
winner. They'd stick a little tract in
my hand or leave it with me. You've seen them all over the
place. You're a sinner. Christ died
for sinners. I accept Jesus. I've made my
decision. Sign on the dotted line. Ooh. Does that make you marvel? No. No. I found when God got me lost,
I didn't find that it was easy as ABC. Did you? I didn't find
that to be so. But when God gives a sinner life
in Christ and faith in Christ, when any previously blind sinner,
dead sinner is raised up and by the miracle of God's grace
they embrace the Son of God and they can say, I know whom I have
believed and Christ himself says he's justified, that's a miracle. That's a strange thing, is it
not? William Guthrie, an old preacher
of many years ago, was visiting a lady who was dying,
an unbeliever. And like he had done on many
occasions, he preached the gospel to her. And just like Lydia at the riverbank,
to whom Paul preached, God this time opened her heart. opened her heart and dropped
the word of his grace in. And that woman on her dying bed
believed. And before Guthrie left her room,
she died. She died. When he got home, he told his
family, I've seen some strange things today. I've seen strange
things. a woman whom I found in a state
of nature lost I saw in a state of grace and I saw her leave
in a state of glory like the thief on the cross in
the space of six hours he hangs there in a state of nature and
then he's in a state of grace and then In a short while, he's
in glory itself. Is that not a marvelous, a wonderful
thing? Oh, the hymn writer said, hear
him ye death, his praise ye done, your loosened tongues employ,
ye blind behold your savior come and leap, ye lame for joy. What a marvelous thing. Only the wonder-working God can
do that. Is that not so? Can you imagine
being present when we read what we do concerning
creation? In the beginning, God created
the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form
and void. And the Spirit of God moved upon
the face of the waters and said, And there was like strange, marvelous,
wonderful. The psalmist said, when I can
consider, when I can rather this, the heavens declare the glory
of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth
speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. Oh, the manifold
teachings of God in creation. It's forest ring, do they not,
with music. It's flowers like a choir. It's brooks and streams and rivers,
a chorus. And a blue dome of heaven, her
magnificent canopy. What a sanctuary of holy thought.
What a temple for adoration and praise. Oh, but compare that
to this. Compare that. That is, God's
creation is great, as wonderful as it is. Compare it to this. God, who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, has shined into our hearts. Oh, my
soul. to give us the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. What a strange
and wonderful thing. In John chapter 11, our Lord
stands before the tomb of a man who had been dead four days.
And he calls that man's name. Lazarus, come forth. And he that
was dead came forth. Strange. Strange, marvelous,
mysterious, wonderful. But compare that to this. You
had he quickened. You who were dead in trespasses
and sins had he quickened together with him. Oh my soul, that is
a greater miracle. A more strange and wonderful
thing. No wonder the hymn writer said,
and when I think that God his son not sparing, you know that,
don't you? You know that. How great thou
art. You can recite that with me,
can't you? I can too. I don't have to read
it. I know it by heart. Oh, but not
just to know it by heart, but to feel it by heart. Not just
to have it memorized here. Oh, but to stand in holy wonder
at these strange and glorious, wonderful, marvelous things.
When I think that God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die. Have you gotten over that? Sent
Him to die. I scarce can take it in. It's
too much. It's too much. That on the cross
my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died. He bled and died. And he took away all my sin. Oh, how great thou art. Strange, marvelous, wonderful
thing. Let me bring this to a close. You've seen a strange thing today. Did you know it? You've seen a strange thing today,
brothers and sisters in Christ. Because the man who's your pastor,
who comes here and tries to preach the gospel of God's grace, once hated, hated the God whose
gospel he now preaches. That's exactly how I hated him.
I hated his gospel, I hated his son. From a hospital bed that
I lay in for weeks, couldn't get out. Busted up from a car
wreck in which a young boy, I've mentioned it to you, that followed
me around, died, died, went out to meet God. And from time to time, people
would come into that room and want to talk to me about my soul.
And I said, leave me alone. Go away. Leave me alone. I don't want to hear about you,
God. I don't want to hear about Christ. And don't come back. Don't come back. Leave me alone. This is a strange thing, John.
But God, but God called me by His grace and revealed His Son
to me and in me. Is that not a marvelous thing? Oh, this is indeed a strange
thing. Turn, if you will, to Matthew's
Gospel, chapter 24. We'll read one or two verses
here. Of another day, another time
for God's people. Matthew chapter 24, verse 30
and 31. And then, this is the Lord Jesus
speaking, and he said, and then shall appear the sign of the
Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth
mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds
of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his
angels with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather
together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven
to the other." Chapter 25, listen to these words. Then shall the
king say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed, verse
34 of chapter 25, Come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world. The last verse,
and thee shall go away into everlasting punishment, the lost, everlasting
punishment, and the righteous unto life eternal. What a strange and wonderful
thing. They said this day we've seen
strange things. Oh, this day we just read up
is a day that shall never We're told that we'll stand before
the throne of God and of the Lamb and sing his praises. I
dare say, shall we not then see who can sing his praises the
loudest? Oh, who owes more grace than
I when Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation and take
me home what joy shall fill my heart. Then I shall bow in humble
adoration without seeing, John, without seeing. Then I'll proclaim
my God, how great thou art. Amen.