In James chapter 5 verse 16,
James says, confess your faults one to another. Now that doesn't
mean confess your sins one to another, but it does mean this. Be real. Don't be a phony. Don't pretend to be before others
what you're really not. Confess your faults one to another. And then he says, pray for one
another that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer
of a righteous man availeth much. I wanted to read that passage
of scripture to let you know. Tom Wooten, our beloved friends
in the hospital at St. Joe's, remember him. And Albert's
going to have a surgical procedure very soon in St. Hope. John Hopkins. Everybody remember him. It's
a difficult surgery and we love you and we're thinking about
you and praying for you. Turn back to Luke chapter 18. I've entitled this message, Do
I Have Saving Faith? Isn't that an interesting question? I hope we're all given grace
to answer it. Do I have saving faith? Now, for me to know whether or
not I have saving faith, I have to know what saving faith is.
And this is something we can't be wrong on. I can be wrong on
something else and still go to heaven. But if I'm wrong here,
I'll have to stand before God in my sins. And that's something
I do not want to do. So it's critical that I'm enabled
by the grace of God to answer this question, do I have saving
faith? Now in this narrative, we find
out in no uncertain terms what saving faith actually is. Look
what he says in verse 42. And Jesus said unto him, receive
thy sight Thy faith hath saved thee. Thy faith hath saved thee. Would that be said of me? Would
that be said of you? Do I have saving Now every word
in this narrative is filled with instruction and it's my prayer
that God will use this message to give somebody, even this morning,
saving faith. Wouldn't it be a miracle of grace
if God was pleased to do that? Verse 35. And it came to pass. I love this
statement. It's in the scripture all the
time. It came to pass. God purposed it, and it came
to pass. This is a statement worthy of
a God who is God, who controls everything. All this means is
God is sovereign. When we read, and it came to
pass, God purposed it, and it came to pass, that as he was
come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man set by the wayside,
begging a certain man, a certain man. You see, salvation is not
generic. When we read in John 3, 16, God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth
on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That's
not a generic statement. It's always certain men who believe. Certain men that God speaks to. I want to be one of those certain
men, don't you? a certain man set by the wayside begging. God saves certain men and women
that he's determined to save. And if you are here in an unsaved
state without saving faith, if God is determined to save you,
saved you will be. I love thinking about that. This
is God's glory to save sinners. But this certain man sat by the
highway side begging, a blind beggar. And we know from Mark's
account what his name was. His name was Bartimaeus. Now,
I don't know why the Lord gave us his name, the name of his
father, but you know, I know the name of my father, Adam.
Adam. By one man, sin entered the world,
and death by sin, so that death passed upon all men, and that
all have sinned. I know my daddy's name. His name
is Adam, just like we're given Bartimaeus' daddy's name, we
know our daddy's name, Adam. That's where our problems come
from. And he was blind. He could not
see. If you put him in the most beautiful
environment imaginable and gave the most accurate descriptions
of what was around him, it would be meaningless to him because
he was blind. He couldn't see. If you would
put him in a horrible environment and give accurate descriptions
of that, it as well would be meaningless to him because he
was blind. He could not see a fit emblem
of you and I by our nature, spiritually blind. 2 Corinthians chapter
4 verse 4 says, if our gospel be hid, it's hid to them that
are lost. Whom the God of this world hath
blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of
the glorious gospel of the blessed God should shine unto them. Blind. Blind to the character
of the living, the true and living God. We make Him to be somebody
like us. We're blind to who He really is. We're blind to ourselves
and our own sinfulness. We have such high opinions of
ourselves that are so not true. Blind, because of that, blind
to what sin is. We don't even know. Blind to the gospel. Blind to the beauty of Jesus
Christ. Blind. Not only was this man
blind, he was a beggar. He was poor. He was poverty stricken
without resources. He can't work. He's blind, completely
dependent upon the charity of others. Poverty stricken, which
accurately describes our sinful state before God. Poverty stricken,
no resources, no goodness, completely dependent upon the charity of
God. Now this man gives us a real
clear picture of ourselves. blind and poverty stricken. Nothing to recommend us to God.
Verse 36. Think of this blind man sitting
by the wayside, begging and hearing the multitude pass by. He asked what it meant. Now he
couldn't see, but he heard a commotion. He couldn't understand what any
of it meant because he was blind. So he asked, what it meant. Good question. What is this all
about? What does this mean? Kind of
reminds me of Philip going to the eunuch and saying, do you
understand what you're reading? He said, how can I? except some
man should guide me." He hears this commotion in his blindness.
He cannot see. And he says, what does this mean? Oh, I pray that God will cause
every one of us to ask this question. What's all this mean? What's
it all about? Verse 37, and they told him that
Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus,
thou Son of David, have mercy on me. I know I can't say that
as it ought to be said when I think of the depth of feeling and emotion
that was in this man's voice when he said, Jesus, thou Son
of David, have mercy on me. Verse 38 is the clearest statement
regarding what saving faith is that you'll find in all the Bible.
He knew something that the crowd didn't know. When he asked what
this meant, they said, Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. But they didn't know what he
did. Jesus, thou son of David. have mercy on me." He knew that
Jesus was the Son of David, the Messiah, God's Christ. God's prophet, the very word
of God. God's priest, the one who if
he brings me into God's presence, I must be saved. God's king,
the one who can cause all this to be. He knew he was the Christ. Jesus, thou son of David, have
mercy on me. Now, I think of him sitting there
by the wayside day after day begging. You know who about the
most popular man in that region was? Jesus of Nazareth. the miracle
worker. He healed the sick. He raised
the dead. He turned water into wine. And
he gave sight to the blind. And one day while Bartimaeus
was sitting there by the highway side begging, he would hear all
the commotion and all the rumor about Jesus of Nazareth. And
one day he heard somebody say, Jesus of Nazareth healed somebody
who was born blind. And how do you think that caught
with him? I mean, somebody else might have heard it. That's good
to know if I'm ever blind. But man, if you were blind, it
would mean totally something else, wouldn't it? He heard that. He heard that and he latched
on to that. He said, there's hope for me.
And one day he heard how that the Messiah, the Christ in Isaiah,
when he would come, he would give sight to the blind. And this man knew Jesus of Nazareth
is the son of David. He can give sight to the blind.
Only the Son of David can do that. Only the Christ can do
that. And he said in his heart, if he ever passes this way, oh,
how I'm gonna cry for mercy. He became a disciple of the Lord
Jesus Christ at that time. He knew who he was. Jesus, the
Son of David. Now, he hears this commotion
and somebody says, hear it? And he says, what is all this
about? Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he began to cry out,
Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. Now this I know.
This I know. If you know he's the Christ,
this is what you're gonna ask for. Mercy. And notice what the crowd did.
Verse 39, and they which went before him rebuked him that he
should hold his peace. But he cried the more, so much
the more, a great deal. Mark says, Thou son of David,
have mercy on me. Now, knowing he's the son of David,
he asked for mercy. Now what's involved in this thing
of asking mercy? I know this, he knew that Christ
was the dispenser of mercy. If he was to have mercy, the
only way he's gonna have it is if Christ gave it to him. He
was going to the right person for mercy. Now, in this thing
of asking for mercy, there are three things that are always
involved. Don't miss this. Three things
always involved when someone truly asks for mercy. First,
you have no merit. You have absolutely no merit. And secondly, your sin is all
your fault. You're not a victim. You can't
blame somebody else for some circumstance. Your sin is all
your fault. And thirdly, you know it's his
sovereign right to give it or to withhold it. If he passes
you by, just and holy is his name. you believe it's within
his sovereign right to give it to you or to pass you by. You would not question his fairness
if he chose not to have mercy. When his fairness is called into
question, all of a sudden mercy becomes a right, which denies
the meaning of mercy in the first place. Now remember that. He
knows who Christ is. Thou Son of David, have mercy
on me. He's asking for mercy. When you
ask for mercy, you confess at that time you have no personal
merit, your sin is all your fault, you're no victim, and you know
it's His sovereign right to give it or withhold it. Now, I think
this is so interesting in verse 39, And they which went before
rebuked him, that he should hold his peace. But he cried so much
the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. You see, saving faith will not
be denied. It will not stop. And they said, hold your peace.
Don't say anything else. He doesn't have time to deal
with you. But he cried much more a great deal. Have mercy on me. If you ever cry for mercy, you
won't stop crying until you get it. You won't give up. If you're
really asking for mercy, you know you have to have mercy.
You have to have His saving favor. You don't have any choice. And
you will not stop. You'll be like that Syro-Venetian
woman. She cried the same thing. Jesus, thou son of David, have
mercy on me. And the scripture says, he answered
her not a word. But you know what she did? She
continued to cry. Jesus, thou son of David, have
mercy on me. And the disciples said, send
her away. She's driving us crazy. She's crying after us. And the
Lord said, I'm not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. He said, I didn't come to save everybody. You know what
she said then? The scripture says, Then came she, and worshipped
him, saying, Lord, help me. Now she worshipped him for who
he was. He hadn't given her what she asked for just yet. She didn't
know if he would. But he's the Lord. He's to be
worshipped and she wouldn't be denied. Then came she and worshipped
him saying, Lord, help me. I know you've only sent to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel, but I need your help. If you
don't help me, I won't be helped. And then he said, it's not right
to take the children's bread and to throw it out to the dogs.
And she said, that's the truth, Lord. If ever I heard the truth,
that's it. I'm a dog, but even the dogs
eat of the crumbs that fall from the master's table. I may be
a dog, but I'm your dog, and I need the crumbs of your mercy.
And the Lord said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith. Be it unto
thee even as thou wilt. Verse 40. And Jesus stood. Now he was on his way to the
cross. He was on his way to Jerusalem. Scripture says he'd set his face
like a flint. He wasn't going to be denied. The reason he came
was to die on the cross. That was His reason for coming.
He's the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And
He's marching through Jericho, out of Jericho, toward Jerusalem,
His face set like a flint, and everybody was calling His name
at this time. Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! He kept going. But there's something that stopped
Him. Dead in His tracks. The cry for
mercy. Jesus stood still. And beloved, if you or I ever
cry for mercy, He's going to hear. He always does. Jesus stood still. And the scripture says, He commanded
Him to be called. He stood still and commanded
him to be brought unto him. And when he was come near, now
Mark's account of this, as a matter of fact, turn with me there to
Mark chapter 10. I want you to see this with me. Verse 49. And Jesus stood still and commanded
him to be called. And they called the blind man,
saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise, he calleth thee. And he,
casting away his garment, rose and came to Jesus. Now throughout
the scriptures, the garment represents something. You remember in the
parable of the wedding feast, the man that didn't have on the
wedding garment, he was cast out. We read in Revelation chapter
16 verse 15, blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garment,
lest he walk naked and they see thy shame. We read of that white
linen robe. made of pure, white, clean linen,
the righteousness of the saints. A garment, we read of the garments
of salvation. A garment always represents something. It represents salvation. It represents
my covering. It's what covers my nakedness.
It's what enables me to approach unto God. Now, I think it's very
interesting to note that when Bartimaeus comes into the presence
of Christ, he casts away his garment. He doesn't just take
it down and put it. No, he casts it away. It's filthy.
Isaiah 64, 6, now you're familiar with this scripture. Isaiah 64,
6 says, our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Now that word filthy in the original
is minstrels. You say, that's disgusting. You
shouldn't use language like that in a public setting. Those are
God's words. Those are God's words. And he says, our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags. And if you see them that way,
you're going to cast them off yourself, won't you? And you're going to
come into God's presence naked, honest. Vulnerable. Not trying to cover
anything up. You're going to be just like
Bartimaeus. You're going to fling off that
righteousness that you see now as filthy rags, and you're going
to come into his presence in honesty. Not pretending to be
what you're not in all your nakedness and need and vulnerability. Now, verse 41. Look what the
Lord said to him when he came to him like this, saying, What
wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? Now, saving faith understands that Jesus is the
Christ. Whoso believeth that Jesus is
the Christ is born of God. Saving faith believes that Jesus
is the Christ. Jesus thou son of David. Saving
faith believes that Jesus Christ is the dispenser of mercy. If
you're going to have mercy, if God's going to do anything for
you, it's going to be Him doing it. Saving faith understands
that salvation is what He does. The Lord said, what wilt thou
that I shall do? You understand there's nothing
you can do that it must be what he does completely. If your fingerprints
on it, it's no good. If your hands on it, it's ruined.
He said, what wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? Not what will you that I will
enable you to do. I don't even want to hear that.
I want to hear what he will do. What wilt thou that I shall do
unto thee? Saving faith understands that
salvation is what the Lord does. What wilt thou that I shall do? And look at his answer. And he
said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. Not only did he understand that
salvation was found only in what the Lord shall do, he understood
that Jesus of Nazareth is the Lord. He's the Lord. That's no empty title. That means
he's the one who's in control. He's the one who spake the universe
into existence by an act of His will. He's the one, He's the
Lord who controls everything in Providence. Doesn't matter
what it is, He's in control of it. Bad stuff, good stuff, sickness,
health, whatever it is, He's the first cause behind it. But
most especially, He's the Lord of salvation. That means it's
up to Him as to whether or not I'll be saved. I don't have any
control in this, it's up to Him. The thief understood this. Lord,
remember me when you come into your kingdom. The leper understood
this. Lord, if you will, you can make
me clean. He understood that Jesus Christ
was the Lord. Now can you see how simple faith
is? didn't have anything to do with
what he thought about himself. He believed that Jesus was the Son
of David, the Christ. He believed that he was the dispenser
of mercy. He believed he was the Lord.
He proved he believed all that when he threw away his filthy
garments to rise to come to Jesus. And the Lord asked him, what
will you that I shall do? What do you want me to do? I know how I'd answer that. Lord, I want you to forgive my
sins. I want my sins to be blotted
out. I want my sins to be made not
to be through justification. I would that you'd give me a
new heart. Mine's no good. I would that you'd give me a
new will. I would that you'd give me a new history, a history
that's all good, nothing bad in it. I would that you'd save
me by your grace. I would that you'd give me faith.
I can't muster it up. I would that you'd give me repentance. I would that you'd give me love
to yourself so I can believe, repent, and love. I would that
you would preserve me by your power. I would that you'd cause
everything to work together for my good and your glory. I would
be restrained from sin. I would be made just like Christ. That's what I would. What would
you say to the Lord if He said, what will you that I should do? Now, I'm interested in what He
does. Because if He does it, it's perfect, it's good, it's
right, it's glorious. What will you that I should do
unto you, Lord? Save me. He asked for the thing that he
needed. Lord, give me sight. I can't see. Give me sight. Now, our Lord says in response
to this in verse 42, and I think this is interesting. He had this
faith before he ever received sight. And Jesus said unto him,
receive thy sight. Thy faith has saved thee. Now, somebody's thinking, How can faith save me? It's Christ
that saves. It's Christ that saves, and you're right. It's
Christ that saves. Your faith didn't die for your
sins. Your faith didn't keep the law. Your faith didn't control
prophets. Your faith's certainly not the
Lord. Faith is a gift of God. It's Christ that saves. He's
the Lord of salvation. Faith believes that. Faith believes that. That's why the Lord puts such
honor on faith, because faith puts all the honor on Him. Now, I want you to think of this
man's faith. What was it he believed? Because
remember, we're asking the question, do I have saving faith? Do I
have saving faith? Well, let me ask you some real
simple questions. Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of David? Do you believe He's God's prophet,
God's priest, God's king? Whoso believeth that Jesus is
the Christ is born of God. Do you believe that mercy is
in His hand? It's up to Him as to whether
or not you'll have mercy. Do you believe that? Do you believe
that whether or not you're saved, whether or not you really receive
the gospel is totally up to Him? You believe he's the dispenser
of mercy and you cry to him for mercy. Jesus, thou son of David,
have mercy on me. Do you fling off your own personal
righteousness? has nothing more than filthy
rags. You don't just fold it up and
set it down. No, you cast it off. That's what
he did. He cast off that filthy garment. And the Lord asked him,
What wilt thou that I shall do? Do you understand that salvation
is holy in what he does, not in what you do? Quit even thinking about that. It's not in what you do. It's
in what He does. Do you believe that? Do you believe
salvation is wholly accomplished by what He did? By one offering,
He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. It has nothing
to do with your works. It has wholly to do with His
works. Do you believe that? Do you believe
that He is the Lord? I'm not asking you if you believe
you're saved. I'm not asking you if you believe
you're born again. I'm not asking you if you believe
you're one of the elect. I'm not asking you if you believe
that Jesus Christ died for your sins. But I am asking you this.
Do you believe he's the son of David? Do you believe he's the
Christ? Do you believe he's the Lord, the one in absolute control?
Do you believe he's the dispenser of mercy? Beloved, that is saving Faith. If you have the faith I just
described, you yourself have the faith of God's elect. That
faith which is the gift of God given to all who believe. That is saving faith. Go thy
way! Thy faith has saved thee. I think
this is very interesting. He said, Go your way. You're set free. You're set free. Now, you don't need to try to do anything.
It's already been done. Relax. Go your way. You're set free. And you know
what he did? He followed Jesus in the way.
That was His way. That's what He wanted, to follow
the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, God gives you a new
want to. He gives you a new desire. He
gives you a new will. Your will is to follow Jesus
in the way you want to follow Him. That's what you want more
than anything else, is to follow Him. And notice what it says
in our text. Immediately, He received His sight. And like
I said, He had this faith before He could see. I love that, don't
you? You see, we walk by faith, not
by sight. He couldn't see it, but He already had the faith.
It wasn't in His experience. It wasn't in the gift of His
sight. It had wholly to do with who Jesus Christ is. The Son of David, the Messiah,
the dispenser of mercy, the Lord, the one who, he's got to do it.
If he doesn't do it, it won't happen for me. He's got to do
it all. And he followed Jesus in the way. Look what it says.
And this is what saving faith always does. Verse 43. And immediately
he received his sight and followed him Glorifying God. You can write this down. Saving
faith glorifies God. It gives Him all the glory and
it glorifies Him. He's the one who gets the glory
of it. You think Bartimaeus would have even suspected that the
strength of his faith was what gave him his sight? No, no. He
glorified God. He gave God all the glory and
how this glorified him. And that's what saving faith
always does. Let me say something else about this thing of glorifying
God. When he was glorifying God, he knew he was glorifying Jesus
Christ. Now, one thing I know about saving faith, I know several
things about saving. Everything I've said about saving
faith is so. Saving faith knows that Jesus Christ is God. He's
God. I love to say, Jesus is God.
That's one of my, I could just, I'd like to preach a sermon,
just stand up and say, Jesus is God and sit down. That's the truth. When they saw it, they gave praise,
praise unto God. Do I have saving faith? Yes, I do. So does everyone who believes
as Bartimaeus did. Let's pray. Lord, when we think of you saying,
what wilt thou that I should do? Oh Lord, we ask that you
would forgive, blot out, and cause not to be our sins, which
are ever before us. That you'd cause us to be like
this dear man, and follow thy dear Son, glorifying God. Bless these words for Christ's
sake. In His name we pray. Amen.