Now the many stories of our Lord
healing the blind and the lame and the
sick are not written in this Bible
to prove that he has the power to heal. Over in Deuteronomy, let me read
it to you, don't turn to it. He said in Deuteronomy 32, 39,
see now that I, even I, am he. There's no God with me. I kill
and I make alive. I wound and I heal. And neither is there any that
can deliver out of my hand. So these illustrations that we
read in the New Testament of our Lord, restoring sight and
hearing and making the lame to walk and the dead to live, are not to
prove His power to heal. He who made the eye can repair
it. He who made the ear can certainly
open it. He who made the legs can give
them power to walk. And he who gave life can take
it, or he can prolong it. It's all
in his divine will and purpose. But what these healings illustrate,
and why they're in the Scripture, They're in the Scripture to illustrate
how our Lord saves, and how He heals the spiritually blind,
the spiritually deaf, and lame, and raises us from spiritual
graves. It's illustrated in Matthew 11,
if you want to turn over there for a moment. In Matthew 11,
John the Baptist was in prison. awaiting death. John was the
forerunner sent to announce the coming of
the king. No need now for the forerunner.
The king is here. John's work is done. John will be executed. He knows
it. But in verse 2 of Matthew 11,
when he heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two
of his disciples, and he said, Art thou he that should come,
or do we look for another? Are you the Messiah? Are you
the Christ? Are you the King of Israel? Where
is the kingdom? Where's the restoration of Israel?
Where's the glory of David's kingdom and Solomon's kingdom?
What's going on? And the Lord answered and said,
You go and show John again those things which you see and hear.
Here's my kingdom. It's not a kingdom of meat and
drink. a material kingdom, not a kingdom
of this world. My kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.
And you go show John that the blind receive their sight, the
blind see the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus.
That's my kingdom. And the lame, they walk walk
with God like Enoch of old. And the deaf hear, lepers are cleansed, made pure
and holy and spotless before God. The deaf hear the voice
of God and the dead are raised to die no more. Lazarus was raised, but he died
a little later. Jairus' daughter was raised,
but she died. The widow's son, whom our Lord
raised from the casket before them all, one day they carried
him again, put him in the ground. But he said, my kingdom is the
dead are raised up to die no more.
And the poor, the poor of this world in my kingdom, they have
the gospel preached to them. They buy wine and milk without
money, without price. And verse 6, Oh my soul, truly
blessed is he that can see, that can hear. that can walk
with God in a spiritual kingdom, truly blessed is he whosoever
shall not be offended, embarrassed, ashamed at this kingdom. This is my kingdom. The world
wants to play with their trinkets and toys and buildings and leave
their names on buildings and monuments lay up for themselves treasures
on earth, leave an impact on society. But blessed is the man
whose treasure is in heaven, who, like Abraham, is a sojourner
dwelling in tents but looking for a city, a house not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens. That's my kingdom. And that's
what this is all about. And turn to my text now in Matthew
11, or in Mark 10, Mark chapter 10. This is what this is all
about here in Mark 10, verse 46. Blessed is he. You can enter into this right here.
Look, Mark 10, Mark 10, 46. And they came to Jericho. Our
Lord came to Jericho, came with his disciples and a great number
of people thronged about him. As everywhere he went, a large
crowd assembled and pressed against him, around him. He came to Jericho. He, wonderful
counselor, mighty God Everlasting Father came to Jericho of all
places. This is not Jerusalem. This is
not City of David, religious capital of the world. This is
Jericho, pagan city, capital of crime, dwelling place of the
Rahams and idolatry. Why would he come to Jericho? Well, he came to seek and to
save the lost. That's where he found Zacchaeus,
called him down out of the tree. That's where hundreds of years
before Joshua found Rahab, God's child. Got some children there. He came to set the captive free. Came to restore sight to the
blind. He came to heal the brokenhearted. One day he came to Ashland. How blessed we are that he came
to Ashland. This is not the city of God.
Capital of religion, but not the city of God. But he came
to Ashland and blessed us with his presence and his gospel.
All places are not so blessed. We have people in the service
this morning who live in places where the gospel is not preached.
There's no place to go like you have to come here and hear the
gospel of Christ magnified and exalted. He came to Ashland.
All places have religion, but all places do not have the gospel. And he's where his gospel is.
You remember that. He said, where two or three are
met in my name, I'll be there. That's where I am. Christ is where his gospel is,
and where his gospel is, he is, and where he is, his gospel is.
And where his gospel's not, he's not. Not in redeeming grace,
not in saving power. See, God's everywhere in judgment. Not in grace. No, sir. But you know, it says here, verse
46, he came to Jericho, but he didn't stay. He went out of Jericho with his
disciples. Luke, in his account, said he
was passing by. Passing by. Jesus of Nazareth
passes by. He didn't come to Jericho to
reform the government. He didn't come to Jericho to
close the arenas. He didn't come to Jericho to
set up a Christian commission and make a disciple of the mayor.
He didn't come to Jericho to set up a kingdom. He came to
Jericho to Carl's Ikeas and Blyde Bartimaeus, and now he's going
out. Oh, the urgency of hearing the
gospel while it may be heard. Oh, the urgency of hearing the
gospel and hearing from heaven when heaven speaks. There was a time from Malachi
to Matthew of 400 years when God did not speak. Isn't that correct? No prophet. We're blessed to hear the gospel
here and to hear it often. And he may pass this way again,
but the question arises, will I be here if he comes by? Will you be here? Will we have
the privilege ourselves of hearing it or will I be any more disposed
to hear it then than I am now? Our Lord came to Jericho and
he passed through and he went out. Zacchaeus heard him, Bartimaeus
heard him, and believed him. There were a lot of people who
knew he was there but never believed him. So that's what I'm saying, the
urgency. I don't have but one line. Our Lord said, I must work the
works of him that sent me while it's day. The night comes when
men don't work. The night comes when men do not
work. The night comes when the gospel
is not heard. Oh, he's passing by. And as he went out of Jericho
with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus,
I love this, Blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the
highwayside begging. I know a whole lot about Bartimaeus
from this verse here. Bartimaeus is a picture of every
one of us by nature. He was blind. He was born blind. All his life he had sat in darkness. He didn't even know what he looked
like. Somebody says, well if I know
my heart, that's one thing you don't know by nature. He didn't
know what he looked like. He didn't know what anybody else
looked like. He was blind. He didn't know how ragged he
was. He didn't know how dirty he was.
He didn't know what dirt looked like. He'd never seen a stain. He didn't know. He was blind.
He couldn't see danger. He couldn't see blessings. It was going to rain. He didn't
know it. There was a storm coming. He didn't know it. He was blind. He wasn't aware of ugliness and
he wasn't aware of beauty. Isn't that us, spiritually? We
don't know ourselves or anybody else. Isaiah saw the Lord. Hey, he
said, I'm a man of unclean lips. I didn't know that. And I dwell
among a people of unclean lips. I didn't know that. Saul of Tarsus
says, I was alive without the law, but when the law came, I
died. And I found out that I was blind. I didn't know that. He was blind. And I'll tell you this, it says,
blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus. B-A-R-B-A-R is son of
Timaeus, son of Timaeus. Why did he mention his dad here? He's identified with his father.
Perhaps his father was blind. I don't know. Perhaps his father
sat where he sat. And begged as he begged, I don't
know. But I know about my father, Adam, he was blind. That's why
I'm blind. He was a beggar, that's why I'm
a beggar. By nature, by birth, I sat where Adam sat, and my
sons sit where I sat, and my grandson will sit where I sat,
and his sons sit where I sat. Because by one man sin entered
this world, and death by sin, so death passed on all Martimeuses. They all burned blind. And death
and dead. Without God, without hope, without
help in this world. And the third thing about he
was blind, he was a son of Timaeus. We are blind. son of Adam, and
he was poor. It says, he sat begging, begging. None so poor as a blind beggar. Twofold judgment. He was blind and he was poor. If a cure could be bought, if
a cure could be found to make him see, he couldn't pay for
it. If righteousness could be attained
by the law, I couldn't get it. I'm poor. I'm hopeless and helpless
and I'll remain that way just like Bartimaeus will stay right
where he is, unless the Lord is pleased to come where he is
and lift him and give him life. He'll stay right there. And he
was begging. He's begging from beggars. Did
you ever notice that? He's begging. He's holding out
his hand to a bunch of beggars. We're all beggars. He's holding
out his hand to people that couldn't help him. Oh, they could give
him something to eat, but he'll be hungry again. They can do
something for him to give him temporary relief, but they can't
help him. And that's what the religious crowd's doing today.
All the blind Bartimaeuses are sitting by the wayside begging,
holding out their hands to people who are holding out their hands
that can't do anything. The blind leading the blind.
And they all headed down. But boy, I like verse 47. He
heard something. And when he heard, it was Jesus
of Nazareth. When he heard, in Luke's account,
he says, what's going on? All that noise, the tumult, he
said, what's going on? Somebody said, Jesus of Nazareth
is passing by. And when he heard, you see, he had heard somewhere
before that moment that a Messiah had come, that a prophet had
come. that a prophet had come who healed
the blind. He heard that. He heard that
there was a man called Jesus who said God sent Him and He
healed the blind and the deaf and raised the dead. And that
prophet is the son of David. You know, our Lord asked the
Pharisees, what about the Christ? Whose son is He? They said He's
the son of David. He said, well, if he's David's
son, I come David, said the Lord,
said to my Lord, sit thou on my right hand. How can he be
David's son and David's Lord? Tell me that. They couldn't answer
him. But this old boy could. He had heard. He had heard that
a prophet had come, a prophet who could heal the blind and
raise the dead and give hearing to the death. And that prophet
said, promise Messiah, the son of David. And he began to cry.
He couldn't see, but he could speak. He didn't have eyes, but
he had a tongue. And so he cried out. What did
he cry? Jesus, my son of David, Messiah,
Christ, have mercy on me. Bartimaeus knew who he was, blind
Bartimaeus, that's who I am. Bartimaeus knew who this man
is, Jesus, Son of God, Son of David, Messiah. He knew this
man and only this man could make him whole. And he asked for the
one thing above all things that he needed, mercy. Son of David, have mercy on me." He knew who he was, and he cried. Our Lord said to the woman at
the well, if you knew, if you only knew who it is that speaks
to you, you'd ask me. I'd give you living water if
you knew. Bartimaeus knew. If you knew. Nobody else was asking for mercy,
because nobody else needed mercy. And nobody else knew who he was. If you knew
who it is, you'd ask. See, he didn't get any help from
these people. Verse 48, many charged him he'd hold his peace.
He cried so loudly and so desperately and so unceremoniously and so
informally that they were offended. Why weren't these people as excited
over the presence of Christ as Bartimaeus was? Why weren't these
people crying out for his help? They weren't blind. That's it,
Bob. They weren't blind. There was only one man in that
whole crowd that needed him, Bartimaeus, and that's the one
man that cried. You and I have been trying to
give shoes to people that don't have feet, gloves to people that
don't have hands, and salvation to people who don't need it. The people who understand you,
the people who understand your weeping over sin, the people
that understand your sense of condemnation, the people that
understand your seeking the Lord are the people who have been
there. The people who are in the same
condition, they understand. Why weepest thou? If you were where I am, you'd
weep too. Why do you bother the master?
If you were where I am, you'd bother him. Why are you calling
for mercy? If you needed it, you would too. Why do men and women not come
to Christ? The well do not need the physician,
but they that are sick. Edmund Jones wrote years ago,
come humble sinner, in whose breast a thousand thoughts revolve,
come with your guilt and your fear oppressed, and make this
last resolve, I'll go to Jesus. I'll go to Jesus, though my sin
hath like a mountain rose, I know his courts I'll enter in, whatever
may oppose. prostrate I'll lie before his
throne and bear my sin confess. I'll tell him I'm a wretch undone
without your sovereign grace. I can but perish if I go. I am
resolved to try because if I stay away I know I'll forever die. I must get to Christ. I must
have Christ. That's why Barnabas urged him.
I must have him. Hush! I won't hush. It says they
charged him he should hold his peace, and he cried out the more
a great deal, Thy son of David, have mercy on me! The publican in the temple said,
Lord, be merciful to me. He went home justified. Now watch this. And Jesus stood
still. He'd come into the city. He was
going out, passing by. But he stopped. I wish I could
grasp what these words say. Jesus stood still. I told you last Wednesday night
or a few Wednesday nights ago, the most important part of prayer is not so much who prays or how
he prays or the words in which he prays or how long he prays.
The most important part of prayer is, does God hear me? David said, out of the depths
have I cried unto thee, O Lord, hear my voice, incline your hearing. And Bartimaeus had a knee, and
Bartimaeus cried, and the people tried to push him up, and he
cried no more. But the important part of this
whole thing is, and Jesus heard him. Heard him! stood still. Think about that. That just awes
me Cecil, just gets a hold of me, I can hardly fathom it. You know, it was getting dark
out there. Joshua and the people of Israel
were engaged in battle with the Amalekites I believe, some of
those people. Joshua saw the sun sinking and
the battle was still raging. And Joshua said, son, stand still. Upon the hill of Gibeon, moon
in the valley of Adjalon, stand still. And the sun stood still. And the moon stayed till the
battle was won. This ain't Joshua here. This is a poor, miserable, blind,
ragged, dirty, beggar son of his daddy. And he cried. And something greater than that
son, the one who made that son, stood still. and called him. Oh my goodness,
Bartimaeus. Jesus stood still and commanded
him to be called and they said to the blind man, be of good
comfort, my soul rise, he calls you. There were many people there,
rich and powerful, religious, prominent people he didn't call. Not many miserly, not many noble
are called. You see your calling, brethren.
The foolish, the despised, the things that are not, hath God
called. Whom he foreknew and predestinated
to be conformed to the image of his Son, he called. They said,
he's calling you. He's calling you. And look at
it. He said, He's calling you. And he, Bartimaeus verse 50,
casting away his garment. I don't know what that garment
was. It might have been a robe. It might have been a coat. It
might have been a blanket. I don't know. I know what it was used for. It was his covering. It covered
his miserable, dirty, scaly body. It provided him with what little
comfort and warmth he could have on this earth as he begged. And
it protected his few pennies to keep his enemies from taking
them from him because he is blind, you see. He kept it all under
that But he threw it aside. He wasn't going to need it anymore. He cast away that garment. He
wouldn't need it anymore. He wouldn't need a covering.
His Lord was going to cover him. He wouldn't need a protector.
His Lord would protect him. He wouldn't need a provider of
warmth and comfort. His Lord would provide that.
So, he cast it aside. We, when we come to Christ...
He came to Jesus. When we come to the Lord Jesus,
we cast aside our righteousness. We're not going to need that
filthy garment anymore, those mouth-eaten leaves of self-righteousness. We cast away our religious traditions,
all our uniformity and rules and regulations that mean nothing.
We cast away our old professions and claims We cast away our old
companions and our old ambitions. Cast them aside. Not going to
need them. We come into Jesus. That's where it all is. Come
into Christ. In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead body and I'm complete in Him. In my hands nothing I
bring. Simply the cross of Christ I
cling. Could my tears forever flow?
Could my zeal no longer know? These for sin could not atone.
Christ was saved. A family was sitting around after
a father died. They were discussing what to
put on his tombstone. He had been a noted sinner. God
had saved him and he became a noted preacher of the gospel. They
were sitting around discussing what would be appropriate for
such a loving father and tender servant. Finally, one son spoke
up and said, why don't you just put on the tombstone, he came
to Jesus. That's the whole story. He came
to Jesus. That's what made him what he
is, gave him what he had, taught him what he knew, came to Jesus. And old Bartimaeus came to Jesus. Then our Lord, verse 51, answered
and said to him, what wilt thou that I should do unto thee? What do you want from me? You
want riches? You want honor? It's mercy you're talking about.
What's involved in it? You want help? You want prestige? You want influence? You want
luxury? You want men to speak highly
of you? What do you want from me? Lord of heaven and earth, giver
of every good and perfect gift, sovereign over all the universe,
I want to see. I want to see your glory. I want to see your goodness. I want to see your kingdom. That's
what I want, that I may receive my sight." And that's what he
came to do. He said, the Spirit of the Lord
is upon me. to restore sight to the blind, set the captive
free. That's why I came.