For more information about our teaching and preaching ministry, you can find us online at cornerstoneorlando.org. The following sermon has been brought to you by Cornerstone Orlando, making disciples for the glory of God. So back in Dahabon, we're preaching through the Gospel of Mark. Mark was written by John Mark, and John Mark was a constant companion of the Apostle Peter during his ministry. In effect, we consider the Book of Mark to really be the Gospel written under Peter's apostolic authority. Now, in our text today, we find ourselves in the beginning of Jesus' ministry. He'd recently been baptized, being anointed by God for his work as the Christ, his work as the anointed one, our mediator. And as the mediator, he is our great prophet, priest, and king. He's the prophet who teaches us the words of God, the priest who atones for our sins and represents us before the Father. He's the King who delivers us with his great power and authority from evil, evil from without and evil from within. And as he walked the earth, there was one primary feature to his ministry before the cross. And there was one primary means that he used to fulfill his office, specifically as prophet here, but his office as mediator as a whole. And that was to preach the gospel. So preach the gospel. He preached the words of God. As he walked the earth during his ministry, his primary task was preaching. In verse 38, and here in chapter one, we can see Jesus speak this way. He said, let us go on to the next towns that I may preach there also, for this is why I came out. Now, although it was important for him to preach, his preaching didn't come alone. It came with signs and wonders. The same pattern that we see through much of the Old Testament is seen in Jesus. The miracles, the signs and wonders confirmed who he was. He proved that the spirit of the Lord was upon him. He proved that he was the one, the special one sent by God. His miracles corroborated the truth of his words. He would cast out demons and heal the sick. He would even feed the 5,000, calm the storm, raise the dead. He is truly the promised Messiah. He is truly the one who has authority to forgive sins. But the miracles, the miracles weren't just to prove who he is as the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one, sent from God. They weren't just something to prove that he is God in the flesh. They are proof of his deity, but they weren't just there to prove his deity. There was another very interesting purpose found in many of his miracles. Maybe not all of his miracles, but quite a bit. They weren't just great works. Many of Jesus' miracles served as a picture of the reality of his work of saving sinners. There were pictures, there were pictures, there were images. Keep one finger in Mark chapter one, and turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter eight, verses 14 through 17. Matthew chapter eight, verses 14 through 17. We're gonna take a look at how Matthew speaks when recounting the healing Peter's mother-in-law, it's gonna be very helpful when you think of of Jesus's miracles, especially the the healing miracles Verse 14 in Matthew chapter 8 reads and when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law Peter's mother-in-law lying sick with a fever He touched her hand and the fever left her and she rose and began to serve him That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons. And he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. Now this is very, very important. Pay attention here in verse 17. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah. He took our illnesses and bore our diseases. That's interesting. That's interesting here. In verse 17, Matthew was quoting Isaiah 53 verse four. And in Isaiah 53 verse four, Isaiah says, in similar words here, surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Quoting Isaiah 53 verse four, Matthew was referring to Jesus performing a physical healing. But that's interesting because when we read Isaiah 53, and following, and 53 verse four and following, that's not really what we would come away with when we read Isaiah 53. So keep that same finger in Mark chapter one, I hope your finger's still there, and turn with me to Isaiah 53 now. Turn with me to Isaiah 53, verse four. We're gonna read exactly what Matthew quoted, and we're gonna read a little bit of the context. We're gonna read all the way to verse six. And if you're not familiar with Isaiah 53, this is a prophecy and promise of the coming Messiah and his work. These are words spoken of Jesus Christ hundreds of years before his coming in the flesh, before his incarnation. So Isaiah 53, verse four, starting in verse four, reads, Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Matthew just quoted that. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. And with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Think about that, pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. Why would Matthew quote this passage and refer to a physical healing? Why would he speak as if the griefs and sorrows that Jesus was healing in Israel at that time as he walked the earth, why would he refer to them as temporal griefs and sorrows? We see in Isaiah 53 that Isaiah is not talking about temporal griefs and sorrows. He's talking about our sins being forgiven. He's talking about a different kind of deliverance. And Matthew speaks that way, it's because Matthew understood something that we should understand. When Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law, we see a glimpse of his saving work for sinners. When he healed the crowds in Capernaum, we saw a picture of his love for the lost. When he heals the leper in our text today, we see what he intends to do with us sinners. It's a picture of his saving work for his people. So as we go through our text today, back in Mark chapter one, you can lift that finger now again, back in Mark chapter one, verses 40 through 45, I want you to remember that you are the leper. You are the leper in this story. You are the one who needs healing. You are the one who needs Christ. It's not just a story of Christ's power, even though he has much of it. He has infinite power. It's not just a story of Christ, of his deity. It's about what Christ can do for sinners. It's a picture. He can make you clean. The title of our sermon this morning is, I Am Willing. Be cleansed. I am willing. Be cleansed. And in our sermon, we'll explore three points. In verse 40, we'll see the leper's problem. In verses 41 through 42, we'll see the leper's solution. And in verses 43 to 45, we'll see the leper's response. The leper's problem, solution, and response. So to explore our first point, look with me again at verse 40 in Mark chapter one, it reads, and a leper came to him, imploring him and kneeling, said to him, if you will, you can make me clean. First, we see that it was a leper that came to Jesus. And that raises the question, what is a leper? Has anyone here ever met a leper? Most of you, I'm sure most of you haven't. It's possible that none of us have met a leper. A leper was someone who had a disease called leprosy. The truth is that leprosy wasn't only a single type of disease. In our modern way of speaking of diseases, we would say that it was a family of diseases. Some of those diseases even exist today in some countries. In Leviticus chapters 13 and 14, God gives classifications that cover a range of different types of diseases. This disease called leprosy. Even a house or a building could have leprosy, according to Leviticus 13 and 14, due to various types of bacteria or fungi. Leprosy was a family of diseases that manifested themselves in the skin. You could see it in the skin generally. They were generally from what what some understand today, bacterial in nature. Although they can be seen on the skin, they infected the entire body. It was a problem you could see on the skin, but it came from within. In many cases, people's limbs would wither. They would have parts of their bodies that would rot away. They would have nerve endings that would stop functioning. There are counts of people who would burn themselves because they could pick up a pot of boiling water and not feel it. And their skin would burn because their nerve endings were damaged. So it was very ugly to be a leper. It's extremely ugly. When God punished Miriam for rebelling against Moses, the Bible says her skin turned white. It was a horrible disease. Lepers likely stank due to the rotting flesh. I don't know if it stank or stunk. We could say that they had the aroma of death about them. Because leprosy spread from close contact, people would avoid being around other lepers. So this is worse than COVID. Remember COVID and the six feet stuff? and you wouldn't wanna be within a mile of a leper. For an Israelite, the disease was only part of the problem. Turn with me to Leviticus chapter 13 for a moment, verses 45 through 46. We'll see a little bit of the plight of a leper in Leviticus 13. Leviticus 13, verses 45 through 46. And it reads, the leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose. And he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, unclean, unclean. He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp. As you can see, a leprous person was considered unclean, unclean. He had to wear torn clothes, not allowed to tie his hair. He had to cover his lip, cry out unclean, unclean everywhere he went. Basically, they had to have a certain appearance to show that they were unclean. It wasn't enough just to be unclean. You had to show everyone around you you were unclean because you could not be touched. A leper could not be within the camp of Israel. They were not allowed to live within the cities. They could not worship at the temple. They could not be with their families. They were to be avoided lest they make others unclean. They were completely cut off from Israel. And because they were cut off from Israel, they were completely cut off from God. No worship for lepers. No worship for lepers. No vibrant relationship with God for lepers. And just like we understand now, an Israelite understood that the worship of God isn't merely some individual thing. The worship of God is done in community. In both the old and new covenants, our worship is communal. Even in Israel to celebrate the Passover, every Israelite male had to go to Jerusalem. They'd leave all the other towns basically empty to worship. because worship is communal. We gather here today by command from God to worship. If you stay home, some people speak like that, they stay home, they say, yeah, I'm gonna read my Bible, I'm gonna worship by myself. That's not worship. That's not worship, that's not biblical worship. Our worship is communal. And to be cut off from worship, to be cut off from the brethren, to be cut off physically, is to be cut off from God. And what could a leper do to fix his problem? There was nothing he could do. There's nothing he could do. There wasn't a cure. There wasn't a medicine or a diet that could fix his problem. There weren't any home remedies, special foods to eat, essential oils. exercises to perform, creams to apply, or any other thing that could help. There was nothing. It didn't matter how healthy or strong they were. Didn't matter how intelligent or clever they were. There was nothing that this leper could do. Now, if you look back with me in Mark chapter one, verse 40, We see how this leper approaches Jesus. It reads, and a leper came to him imploring him and kneeling said to him, if you will, you can make me clean. You can see that he came to Jesus very humbly. He begged Jesus, he knelt before Jesus. In fact, he was actually breaking the law to come to Jesus. He was supposed to stay away, but this man was desperate. He was desperate. He shows that he knows that he doesn't belong before Jesus. He also came in faith. He didn't doubt. In fact, he didn't doubt that Jesus was able to help him. His only doubt was whether Jesus was willing to help him. He said, if you will, not if you can, If you will, you can make me clean. And notice that the leper is not merely asking to be healed here. And this is very important. He's asking to be made clean. The interest isn't simply to be rid of this horrible medical condition. He's using this old covenant language, the same language that we just read in Leviticus 13 and 14, to refer to his condition before God and God's people. He knows that he is unclean. It's not merely sick. What this man desires is to be brought back into fellowship. He may very well be desiring to worship God. My question to you is, can you see yourself in this leper? You are the leper. If you don't see yourself in this leper, you can't understand. You can't understand this text. This man's leprosy is a picture of your state in sin. If you have not been genuinely saved by God, this describes your condition even right now. If you're a Christian, this is what you have been saved from. Outside of Christ, you have a great disease called sin. And it has made you very, very ugly. It has made you unclean. It comes from the inside and it manifests itself on the outside. And it makes you unfit and unable to truly worship God. You are rotting, you're a putrid, Before God, you have the most horrible stench. To be around you is unbearably bad. And you infect everything you touch. And there's nothing healthy inside of you. You just produce more. You can cut off that arm and you still got it. You can cut off that leg and you still got it. because you just produce more and more manifestations of your sickness. Your presence is undesirable. God is holy and he cannot tolerate your sin. And the worst part is that there's nothing that you can do to fix it. Nothing, you are hopeless, absolutely hopeless. you must dwell outside the camp. You have a heart that is a factory that produces sin. Every time that you look at something on the computer that you shouldn't, every time that you say a word out of slander or gossip or a lie, every time that you complain, Every time that you seethe with anger, it's just another manifestation, another rotting limb that's to manifest the leprosy that exists inside of you. And there's nothing that you can do to fix it. That's who you are. And there's no hope for your problem. But there is hope. But now look with me. at verses 41 through 42, where we can find the leper solution. It reads, moves with pity. He stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, I will be clean. And immediately the leprosy left him and he was made clean. Now we can see the leper's solution. The solution to the leper's problem is not a formula. It's not a prayer. It's not a work that the leper can do. The solution is a person And that person is Jesus Christ, the son of God. And the text tells us that Jesus was moved with pity. There are other texts like this throughout the gospel showing Jesus' clear compassion. And it was likely something that could be seen by those around. We have to remember that the gospel is an account of others around Jesus. It's not that Jesus said, hey, I was moved with compassion. No, there was something that they likely saw, saw in Jesus to see that he was moved with compassion. Where others saw someone to be avoided, Jesus saw someone who needed his mercy. Where others saw someone who could make them sick, someone who stank, rotting flesh, Jesus saw someone who needed healing, And let's not forget that Jesus is a man. So don't think, don't think for a second that this man wasn't in some way odious to Jesus. Don't think that when this man stank that Jesus couldn't smell it. Don't think that if it would make someone gag that it wouldn't make Jesus gag. Don't think that if it was, you know, that uncomfortable feeling when you smell some rotten milk or touch something that, you know, it's just nasty. Don't think that Jesus wouldn't feel that. This is Jesus, the God-man move with pity, move with compassion for this leper. We see even more of Jesus' pity when we see him stretch out his hand and touch him. This is one of the most compassionate things that you can imagine. The smell, how ugly. The fear of contracting the disease. And besides all of that, this man is unclean. According to Leviticus 5 verse 3, touching this man would make Jesus unclean. Jesus is doing what no other man would do. Jesus has just allowed the filthiest type of person to come near to him. And now the text says he stretches out his hand. Can you imagine that? It's not that the leper stretched his hand out to Jesus. Jesus comes to him. Now Jesus is showing his desire to be close to the leper. And he touches him. Absolutely unthinkable. Jesus, who was pure, who is willing to identify with this leper. He's making himself unclean by touching the leper. It's one of the greatest mercies. But there's even greater mercy because Jesus responds to this leper with his words. And he says, I will be clean. Jesus removed any doubt that the leper could have about his willingness. His compassion showed his willingness. His stretching out of his hand showed his willingness. His touch showed his willingness. And now he's using his mouth to show his willingness. Lest there be any confusion. And again, Jesus doesn't merely say that the leper is healed. That would be nice, but that's not enough. He makes the leper clean. And he does it in such a way by making himself ceremonially unclean, because he touches the leper. But did Jesus ultimately become unclean? No. But why? Because he made the leper clean. The text says that the leprosy left him immediately. Can you see yourself in the leper? You deserve nothing from Jesus. You are a filthy person because of your sin. You are unclean in your sin. You deserve to live outside the camp of Israel. You deserve to be cut off from any relationship with God, any relationship. Yet he invites you to come to him in your filth. And what did Jesus do? For all that come to him in faith like this leper, he makes them clean. He makes them clean by becoming unclean for them. He did that in his work on the cross, bearing the sin of his people. In 2 Corinthians 5.21, you all know it, for our sake, he made him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God. And he does it willingly, willingly. He gave his own life on the cross willingly, He provides all that you need for salvation willingly. And he's not forced to do it. No one pulled Jesus' arm. As it says in John 10, he laid down his life of his own accord. In fact, he's full of compassion for sinners like yourself. But he doesn't heal every leper. He doesn't make everyone clean. He doesn't save every person. He only saves those who see their problem. He only saves those who come to him. He doesn't save those who will, as we sang this morning, tarry till they're better. Because if you tarry till you're better, you will never come at all. You need to become like the leper. This leper, would not be healed if he did not come to Jesus. He would not be made clean if he did not see his own uncleanness. And it's the same for your soul. There's no salvation for you if you do not see that you are evil. I remember evangelizing with some brethren in Dahabon, and we were, you know, my Spanish isn't very, isn't the best, you know. I can speak Spanish, but my Spanish is more simple. I can't speak Spanish the same way I speak English. So my evangelism is very direct. So I'll sit down with a, I sat down with a lady. We're in Los Miches near Cruz and Fabian's house. And I'm talking to her and I'm talking to her about the law of God. And I'm like, man, I don't know really how to beat around the bush. I just gotta tell her, you're evil, you know? Now, of course, I said they're very kind and nice, but, and the brethren at first were shocked, like, man, that's some serious stuff. But it's the truth, isn't it? It's the truth, you're evil. Like, what good thing do you have in you? Nothing, nothing. If you think that you are somehow good, Jesus did not come for you. Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 9, those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick, go and learn what this means, he said. I desire mercy and not sacrifice. He desires to show his mercy to sinners, not to receive a sacrifice from others to earn for them to earn something from him. He says, for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. Jesus only came for those who see their problem. Jesus came for lepers. If you can't get to the point where you can look in the mirror and look yourself dead in the eye in that mirror, and say you are an evil, despicable, wicked, sinful person who deserves the greatest of the fires of hell, an eternity of torment before God, and it would be good for God to crush you. If you can't get to that point, if you can't get to that understanding, Jesus did not come for you. but he came for people who could see that about themselves. And think about how stupid we tend to become in our sin. Do you really think that God would somehow be impressed with your obedience? Like, what could you show him? What could you show him? Man, I get up at 6 a.m. every morning, Lord, and read my Bible. Do you really think that you're so good that God would somehow overlook all the evil in your heart and in your actions and in your very nature? Do you really think that he is that weak and needy? Do you really think that he is so easily fooled? Like he's just a machine if you just push the right buttons, a computer just write the right program and you just make God spit out whatever it is you want. God does not think like men. He does not equivocate or relativize. He is holy and he is righteous. My friend, are you filthy and unclean in sin? Jesus is ready and willing to save a sinner like yourself, but you must go to him like the leper. Have you already been made clean? If so, remember that you used to be horribly filthy. And Jesus has made a radical change in your life. If you cannot say that you were once absolutely filthy and unclean, you never were a Christian. And look, the reality of being a Christian, we still have the old man living. It's like a dead man walking inside of us. A reminder of the, of our slavery to sin. Understanding this will change the way you think about yourself. It'll change the way you think about God. It'll change the way you think about and how you treat others. Anyone who understands this truth down to his core will produce a response. A great response is required. Speaking of a response to Jesus' word, that brings us to our last point. the leper's response. Look with me at verses 43 to 45. And it says, and Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once and said to him, see that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priests and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded for a proof to them. But he went out and began to talk freely about it and to spread the news so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter. So now we see that Jesus doesn't want him to say anything. In fact, the text says that Jesus sternly charged him. Instead, Jesus wants him to follow what was said in Leviticus 13 and 14, to be declared clean, to declare what has just happened. And that was the way to do it, to go to the priest. We can see why in verse 45 that Jesus wants him to keep quiet too. And the man was clearly disobedient to Jesus' command. And because of the man's disobedience, Jesus was not able to openly enter a town anymore. It was a mob following him ever from this point. Regarding Jesus' command for the man to see the priest, Jesus had a reason for that too. I mean, it says in verse 44 that it should be a proof to them. Jesus wanted the religious leaders to see the proof that this man was healed. He wanted the people to see it, that he was now made clean. Also, if we think deeper, why would it be important for this man to show himself to the priest? Was it just so that he could see his family and friends again? Was it just so that he would be allowed to enter the city again? Those are benefits. But remember the desire of the leper and the promise of Jesus Christ. The leper wanted to be not merely healed, but clean. And Jesus himself desired to make him clean. The leper was to return to the worship of God. He was to return to be what was intended for God's people. The purpose of this man's cleansing was the worship and the glory of God. This man's life is now to be God's. Now let's put some of this together. Jesus gave this man clear instruction, and that instruction came in two parts. First, he was not to say anything, and second, He was to do what every clean man, every cleansed leper who desired the worship of God would be expected to do. He was to return to worship and fellowship with God's people. So what does that teach you? It teaches you that obedience to Christ is more important than your words. Especially obedience to Christ is more important than an emotional response. I've seen people, addressed this text and they sort of praised the leper. Oh, you know, he loved Jesus so much he couldn't keep his mouth shut. No, actually he was being disobedient to what Jesus commanded him to do. And it was more important for him, from Jesus's words, to go and return to worship than his emotional response, disobeying Jesus. It also teaches you that a cleansed man must be devoted to the worship and glory of the one who cleanses men. A saved man must be devoted to the worship and glory of the one who saved him. Now, obviously in many cases, especially now in the age that we live in, our obedience is demonstrated often by opening our mouths to proclaim the praises of the one who has cleansed us. So don't confuse me saying that we should keep our mouths closed. I'm not saying that at all. I'm not saying that at all. but we must never be fooled to think that a mere emotional response is what Christ is after. Your emotions have your emotions, but they must be accompanied by obedience. It isn't to earn anything from God. The leper was already cleansed, but it is the natural and proper response for those who have been cleansed to obey. So as I close, I have three appeals that I wish to make. First, for those of you who are lost. If you're lost right now, you are the leper. Your sin has made you ugly, undesirable, and intolerable. You walk around as a dead man. Your stench before God is unbearable. Why are you so content to walk around as a leper? when Jesus Christ stands ready to make you clean? What would your answer be to that? Why? Why do you continue when he's always been there? Perhaps it's because you're too prideful to think that you're even a leper at all. Instead of the true law of God, you look into a dirty mirror and somehow think that God finds you desirable. But the law of God is like a clean mirror. It's like a mirror of James. It'll show you everything about yourself. I call upon you to be foolish no longer. Resolve now to trust him. You cannot cleanse yourself. And every moment that you think that there is even one good thing in you is another moment that you will be unable to trust in him. Depend on him fully now. Resolve now to follow him with urgency. My second appeal is for those of you who are converted, but who have fallen into a state of forgetfulness. Why have you so easily forgotten his goodness to you? Look at the thoughts that your sin has already produced in you, your forgetfulness. Look at how you look down on others in pride because you've forgotten him. If only they were wise and intelligent or disciplined like you. If only they had some other good Christian qualities like you have, maybe your hospitality, maybe your way of dealing with people, maybe your experience in the Christian life. It's almost as if you think that the same one who cleansed you isn't the one who continues to keep you clean. And you fail in the battle with sin so often because you think that your sin is defeated by white-knuckled grit, determination, discipline, strength, intelligence. And you've forgotten that you ought to have grit determination, discipline, strength, intelligence. That's all good. But all of that, that depends on the person and work of Jesus Christ. Depending on the fact that he has already made you clean and dead to those sins and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Understanding that you're merely responding to a victory that he has already won. You too have put aside faith in him while you have trusted in yourself. And it has left you either prideful toward others or defeated in sin or both. Don't forget that you were the leper. And don't forget that only he is able to keep you from being a leper. And my third and last appeal is to everyone who would come to the great physician. It is to everyone who has come, who has come even, devote yourself to his worship. Devote yourself to his glory. Don't think lightly on our times together like this. Don't think lightly on our gatherings. Don't think lightly on our fellowship. Why should you come on time? It's for his worship, it's for his glory. Why should you consider the brethren, pray for them, love them, work hard, diligently, fellowshipping with them? You were once the leper and he has made you clean and he has brought you into that fellowship. Why do you not take advantage of it? Why do you not revel in what he has purchased for you? Why do you stay an extra half hour at home? Why don't you prepare? the night before for corporate worship. Why do you not engage yourself in the means of grace at home, in private? Why do you not take advantage of all that God has given you? Why do you not think good and great thoughts about your God? Devote yourself to his worship. Again, remember, you were the leper. Devote yourself to Him. Worship Him. Glory in Him. Be thankful for what He has done. Praise Him. Do you not love Him? Does He not love you? Has He not stretched out His hand and touched you? I think that'll make me come to church on time. I think that'll make me read my Bible tomorrow morning. That'll make me worship Him in prayer, that'll make me care for my brethren who also has been cleansed by the same man. So let's praise Him for making us clean, and let's resolve to live for Him in obedience till our death, amen? Let's pray. Father in heaven, help us to remember that we were once filthy lepers. Help us to remember that we have no place in your kingdom apart from Christ's Word. Help us to see our filth and to see His grace. And help us to extend His grace to all those around us. Help us to do that in the preaching of the gospel. In one sense, Lord, we understand that we are the hand that is stretched out to go and collect His promise. Help us to love them, care for them, as Christ would. Give us success in our labors. Save souls. Please even if you save souls today, this morning, this morning, for everyone that projects in this world. In Jesus' name we pray. Hello, and thanks for listening. My name is Mark Brashear, and I have the blessed privilege of serving with the saints at Cornerstone Church near Orlando, Florida. We're so grateful that you've connected with us through the sermon that you've just heard. For more information, visit us at cornerstoneorlando.org, or better yet, come and see us on the Lord's Day at 3370 Snow Hill Road in Oviedo, Florida. We're just east of Orlando and about 15 minutes from the campus at UCF. It would be a joy to have you worship with us.