Turn with me, if you will, to
Mark chapter 7. Mark chapter 7. How important it is to hear the
gospel. to be given ears to hear. Not everyone has ears to hear. Our Lord said on various occasions,
he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. The people he was talking to,
of course, had physical ears, didn't they? We understand that
they had physical ears. So he wasn't talking about having
physical ears. It's spiritual, spiritual ears. And everyone here tonight can
physically hear me. And I trust that the message
will be plain enough so that you can understand me, but not
everyone hears. Not everyone hears. God said
in Isaiah 55 verse 3, incline your ear and come unto me. Here and your soul shall live. And I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. So may God
enable us to hear. May he enable us to hear. In
our text tonight, we're going to look at one of the miracles
our Lord performed where he opened the ears of a deaf man and loosed
his tongue. So let's read our text. Mark
chapter seven, beginning in verse 31. And again, departing from the coast of Tyre
and Sidon, he came unto the Sea of Galilee through the midst
of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that
was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. And they beseech
him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the
multitude and put his fingers into his ears. And he spit, and
touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he
sighed, and saith unto him, Ephata, that is, be opened. And straightway his ears were
opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed. And he spake
plain. And he charged them that they
should tell no man. But the more he charged them
so much, the more a great deal they published it. And were beyond
measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well. He
maketh both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. This is
one of the many, many amazing miracles our Lord performed. And in verse 37, it says those
that were around were, they were just beyond measure astonished. They were amazed at the power
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amazed at the power. Can you
imagine the joy of those that brought this man? Whoever it
is, whomever it was that brought on their joy. And just the power
that our Lord demonstrated. And as amazing as this was from
a physical standpoint, no question about it. If that is all that
we see from this passage, we've missed it. If that's all that
we see from this passage, we've missed it. This teaches us something
about what must be done for a person to have ears to hear, to hear
the gospel, these spiritual ears. And tonight I have three things
I want us to consider from this passage. First of all, this man's
condition. a surprising means of healing,
and the loosed tongue. So first off, this man's condition,
he was deaf and had a speech impediment. This physical condition
of being deaf, not being able to hear, gives us a picture of
how all men by nature are born into this world. It's an example
that we can all understand from a physical standpoint. See, a
deaf person just doesn't have the ability to hear. Doesn't
have the ability to hear. You can whisper, you can yell,
you can talk to him. He can't hear you. He lacks the
ability. The ear doesn't function, so
he cannot hear what you are saying. And all men by nature are born
without the ability to hear or to perceive the gospel. Well,
why is that? Why can't natural man hear the
gospel? Because we are born spiritually
dead. We're born spiritually dead.
What can a dead person do? What can a dead person do? Yes,
everyone that has a working physical ear can hear the words that I'm
saying. You can hear what I'm saying
right now. And a person can intellectually understand terms like justification,
grace, but to hear the gospel, to receive the gospel as good
news, to receive it as such is outside of man's ability. Listen to this verse from 1 Corinthians
2, verse 14. Let me read it to you. 1 Corinthians
2, verse 14. The natural man, that is man
by nature as we come into this world, every man, woman, everyone
that is born into this world, if God does not intervene, that's
the natural man, receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness unto
him, neither can he know them." That word can means ability. Neither can he know them because
they are spiritually discerned. Let me try to show you this from
another text. Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. Thessalonians chapter 2. You
know, Paul's starting out in chapter 2, and he's reminding
them about when he came into Thessalonica, he preached the
gospel to them. That's why he went there. He
went to preach the gospel. Everywhere the Apostle Paul went,
he went to preach the gospel, and he preached plain and simple. He didn't try to trick men. He
didn't try to trick them or handle the word of God deceitfully,
and nor did he try to make it more palatable to the flesh. He says, we didn't try and please
man. Look at that in verse 4. But
as we are allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel,
even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God which trieth our
hearts. Well, wait a minute. The gospel
is good news. The gospel is good news. Why
would there be conflict with man or why would this not please
man? If the gospel is good news, why
why would this not please man? Because the gospel is offensive
to the natural man, to the unconverted. Man by nature thinks that he
can please God. We are born believing that we
can please God or at least have the potential to do so. They
think it's just a matter of turning over a new leaf. The natural man thinks that he
can approach God by something that he can produce, something
that's in him, something he can produce and that God will accept
him. You know, when Adam and Eve fell,
what did they come up with? They went and they grabbed some
fig leaves and they sewed those together to cover themselves
up. And God slayed an animal and
made a clothing, a covering for them, testifying to them, your
works are not going to cover it. Your works are just not going
to cut it. I have to do something. But yet,
man, throughout, ever since the beginning, since Adam and Eve,
and we saw this morning at Sunday school, Cain and Abel, it's just
natural. Man thinks that he can do something.
He's going to earn God's favor, or he's going to obligate God. He's going to obligate God somehow.
You know, they bring their works, they bring their zeal. Have you
heard people talk about their zeal? Well, we belong to this
church and we do all these community outreach programs. They'll even make the studying
of God's word a work. I read the Bible three times
every year, all the way through. They try to keep the law. You know, the Apostle Paul said
about all these type things, you know what he said about all
this, whenever Christ revealed himself in him and to him, I
count them but dung. Dung, that's manure. It's a repulsive
smell. Everything that we can muster
up is dung. And that's offensive to natural
man. They don't want to hear that. What do you mean, everything
that I have counts for nothing? Yeah. And what did the Apostle
Paul say? He said, I count them but done
that I may win Christ and be found in him. That's what I want
to be found in Christ, don't you? I want to be found in Christ,
not having my own righteousness. which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God, my faith." So the Apostle Paul, this is the message
that he preached. He preached the gospel to them
at Thessalonica, and this is where I wanted us to look at,
verse 13. It says, for this cause also thank we God without ceasing,
because when you receive the word of God, which ye heard of
us. Ye received it not as the word
of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually
worketh also in you that believe." Who does the Apostle Paul thank?
God. He thanks God. For this cause,
we thank God without ceasing. Why? He's saying because had
it not been for God, had it not been for God, you would have
received this word as it were the word of men. You would have
heard me and said, well, that's Paul's word, instead of what
it is indeed, which is the word of God that you heard from our
mouth." See, this is God's word. If God doesn't do something for
you, you'll hear the gospel and say, well, you know, that's one
interpretation. That's one interpretation. Or,
you know, that's not really for me. I think God is whatever idol
it is that you come up with. You know, that's all good and
everything, but I think it's important that we do insert whatever
work. Paul is thanking God for calling
them into his kingdom and glory, and the evidence of the call
is that they receive the word, as it is in truth the word of
God. That's the effectual call. Now
back in our text in Mark chapter 7, so this deaf man is a picture
of all men by nature who are born spiritually deaf. And he
had a speech impediment. He had a speech impediment. And
this speech impediment is also a picture of man by nature. And
we'll look at this more later on. But the sum of this impediment
is this. Man with his tied up tongue,
with his tied up tongue, cannot and does not praise God. He doesn't
praise God and he doesn't give glory to God. That's the sum
of this impediment. It's all about me. Me, me, me. I, I, I. It's all about his works
and his abilities. And this impediment, it springs
forth from the heart. From this stony heart that we
have. old generation of vipers, how
can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance
of the heart the mouth speaketh." So he was deaf and he had this
speech impediment. And they go together. They go
together. Now, let's look at the second
thing, the surprising means of healing. verses 33 and 34, and
he took him aside from the multitude. You know, the Lord took this
man aside, and this is how the Lord deals with his people, one-on-one. Tonight, you're surrounded by
other people, and yet the Lord maybe is singling you out, singling
you out and speaking to you individually. You hear the word as a word just
for you. You hear it as if it was just
for you. That's exactly what I needed
to hear. That's exactly what I needed to hear. I hope that's
so for someone here tonight. I hope that's the case. And he took him aside from the
multitude and put his fingers into his ears and he spit. and touched his tongue, and looking
up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephata, that
is, be opened." Now, the Lord could have just spoken the word,
and this man would have received his hearing. He could have just
spoken the word, and this man would have received his hearing,
and his tongue would have been loosed. Reading up to this chapter,
in chapter seven, We have plenty of those examples. I'll give
you a few of them. You remember the leper, the leper
that came to our Lord and seeking to be healed. And he said, Lord,
if thou wilt, thou can can't make me clean. And our Lord said,
I will be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken
immediately, the leprosy departed from him and he was cleansed
immediately. And there was another man who
was sick of the palsy. You remember this man, he couldn't
walk. And his friends brought him to
the Lord and they had to let him down through the roof. And
our Lord told that man who couldn't walk, arise. and take up thy
bed and go thy way into thy house." And immediately that man received
the strength to stand up and to walk right out of there with
his bed. Or what about the time that our Lord and his disciples
were in a ship and there was a great storm of wind and waves
and his disciples were afraid and they awoke him and said,
Master, cares thou not that we perish? And our Lord arose and
rebuked the wind, rebuked the wind, peace be still. And the wind ceased and there
was a great calm. So it wasn't necessary for the
Lord to use means, but he did. And when it comes to God, it's
not a matter of what he can do. When it comes to God, it's not
a matter of what he can do. It is what he has chosen to do,
what he has chosen to do. Now, these means that he used
to me represent the gospel ministers and the gospel, which to the
natural man doesn't seem like a suitable solution. doesn't
seem like a suitable solution. Like, the man is dead, and the
Lord puts his fingers into his ears. And offensive. Spit, you know, would typically
be considered to be offensive. And these means, that is, the
preaching of the gospel through men to man that just doesn't seem
like that would what you're gonna go listen to the gospel y'all
get together and hear a man preach it doesn't seem like a suitable
solution to man but the preaching of the gospel when it's accompanied
by the power of God by the Word of God be opened and commanding
the ears it's it's powerful It's powerful. I know you're familiar
with this text, but turn with me to 1 Corinthians 1. 1 Corinthians
1, beginning in verse 18. For the preaching of the cross
is to them that perish foolishness. But unto us which are saved,
it is the power of God. The preaching of the cross, you
know, the gospel is the preaching of the cross. The gospel is the
preaching of the cross. How is it that God, who is holy
and just, can have anything to do with a sinner like me or like
you? How is it that God who is just
can have anything to do with a sinner like me? Our sin has
to be dealt with. Atonement has to be made for
our sin. Who can satisfy the justice of
God? None other than the Lord Jesus
Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, the surety of the covenant
who came willingly and lived a perfect life. Never sinned,
never sinned, always did the will of the Father. And when
the time was come, He laid down His life willingly for His people. The Lord Jesus Christ bore the
sins of His people in His own body on the tree. And when God
poured out His wrath, when God poured out His wrath on our Savior,
He actually paid the sin debt of His people. If you are in Christ, if Christ
died for your sins, they've been paid for. They've been paid for. They're gone. God said of his
people whom Christ died for, and their sins and their iniquities
will I remember no more. For God to not remember them
means that they're not there. They're not there. While the
preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness,
but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. For it
is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will
bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the
wise? Where is the scribe? Where is
the disputer of this world? Had not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world? For after that, in the wisdom
of God, The world, by wisdom, knew not God." That is, with
everything that man has advanced in science and everything, by
wisdom, they'll never know God. They'll never obtain to the knowledge
of God. They will never know God. By wisdom, knew not God, it pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Let's turn back to our text. One more point I want to bring
in this message, which is the loosed tongue. Look at this in
verse 34 and 35. And looking up to heaven, he
sighed and saith unto him, Ephetah, that is, be opened. and straightway
his ears were open and the string of his tongue was loose and he
spake plain." That word plain could have also
been translated rightly. He spake rightly. And a regenerated
person, a person who's been given life, can speak rightly. His
tongue's been loosed. He can praise God. He's been
given the ability to praise God, to worship God. And he can speak
rightly. There's a lot of things, examples,
but I want us to give us a few things that a person who's been
given a loose tongue can speak rightly about, about self and
about Christ. So a person whose tongue has
been loosed, when it comes to himself, I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. It's very plain. It's very plain. One thing I
can say is mine and mine alone is my sin. In myself, I have nothing to
recommend me to God. And all I can do is sin. And
I have fallen short of the glory of God. There's no excuses. I'm not trying to blame my, you
know, circumstance. This is, this is, this is what
I am. I am a sinner. I can speak plainly about that.
My tongue has been loosed. I'm a sinner. Righteousness. Of my own, I have
none. I have none. I can't produce
a righteousness that God can accept. That's very plain. I can speak plainly about that. I know it in my experience. I
know it from the word of God. There's nothing that I can muster
up. There's no righteousness that
I could produce that God could look upon and be pleased with.
The law. I've never on my own kept it. Never. And I'm not capable of
it. I'm not capable of keeping the law. And there's many more
that we can speak plainly on concerning ourselves, but what
about when it comes to Christ? What about when it comes to Christ?
He's the Lord. He's the Lord. He's my Lord. He's not just Jesus. He's the Lord Jesus Christ. He's my Lord. And I am in his
hand. I am in his hand. The Lord Jesus Christ is all
of my hope and salvation. I can speak plainly and rightly
about this. The Lord Jesus Christ is all
of my salvation. It's not Christ plus my works,
Christ plus my baptism, Christ plus my faith. My hope is in
what the Lord accomplished. He's all my righteousness. His
perfect life is mine, so that when God looks upon me, he can
say, well done, thou good and faithful servant. How is that
possible? Because he sees Christ, not anything
that I can do. He sees his son. If I am in him,
if you are in him, the Lord God says that about you. Well done,
thou good and faithful servant. Isn't that amazing? And he put away my sin. He put
away my sin, which when he died on the cross, he actually accomplished. He actually accomplished something.
He put away my sin. I can speak very plainly in that.
I'm not, I'm not trying to, I'm thankful. What, you know, we,
um, the messages this morning, you know, uh, Johnny said, if
there was, or maybe it was David, if there was something that we
had to do, we would live our whole life in fear. If, if salvation,
if there was something that we had to do, we would live our
whole life in fear. I know I would, I would live.
If there was, if there was a somehow one sin that I had to pay for,
there would be no hope. I would live in constant fear,
but the Lord Jesus Christ, he put away the sins of his people.
And if God has given you ears to hear the gospel and has loosed
your tongue, you can rejoice in this message and you can share
it. You can talk about these things
very plainly, can't you? May the Lord add his blessings
to his word.