chapter 18. Luke's Gospel chapter 18 and beginning at the verse 35. Luke chapter 18 and beginning at the verse 35. And we read, And it came to pass that as he was come now unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging. And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked, what it meant. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thy son of David, have mercy on me. And they that went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace. But he cried, so much the more, thy son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood and commanded him to be brought unto him. And when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight, thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight and followed him. glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. We'll end our reading at verse 43, and we know God will bless the reading of His own Word to all of our hearts. Now, can I just join in with the word of welcome that was given by the minister of the church tonight? We're glad to see you. I want to thank everyone who has never missed a night and have been so faithful night by night in the time of prayer. and also coming to the gospel meeting. It's also good to have the lads from Ballymena with us tonight and singing in messages and song. And then what shall I say about the Reverend Lamont, or Lament? I always get that name mixed up. And his little joke tonight. But, you know, ministers sometimes fall out with their wives. And I heard about him over in Garva and they had a short tiff just as they were going out to the morning service. And, you know, they were driving along, and the wife was all vision and no sound. And as they were driving along, he looked out into the field, and he saw an old donkey, and it was really cross-looking. And he looked over, and he couldn't resist it. And he says, Dear, would that be a relation of yours? And she looked at him and she said, no love, only be marriage. And so, you know, the ladies can get the last word no matter what you do. But whoever, it's good to see you tonight and give you a warm welcome in the Lord's name. Now, and if I'm most certain I don't want to draw your attention if I'm made of this story that we read together from the life and the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. You'll know from your knowledge of the Word of God that the time had come that the Lord Jesus Christ had set His face now as a flint towards Jerusalem. He had already told the disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and raised again the third day. Now the Lord Jesus Christ had the shadow of the cross before Him, and soon He would be nailed to the cross, and He was now making that way to the cross where He would die, even as the Lamb of God that would take away the sin of the world. And we find that as we read the story of the Lord Jesus Christ and His life, part of the devil and his temptation, tempted the Lord in all points to try and divert the Lord from going to the cross. How that even the devil, the evil one, had offered Him all the kingdoms of the world. I'll give you the kingdoms of the world. No need to go to the cross. Just bow down and worship me, and I'll give you all the kingdoms of this world. But we know from the Word of God how that the Lord had rebuked the devil with the precious Word of God. We find again that after Peter had made that great confession of faith that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, and how that the Lord went on to explain that He was going to go to the cross, and how that He was going to die. And Simon Peter, all was quick to speak and hasty to act, Peter put out his arms in protest and he said, Lord, be it far from you, Lord. This is not going to happen to you, Lord. You're not going to go the way of the cross. And how the Lord Jesus immediately knew that it was the devil speaking through Simon Peter. And he said to Simon Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan, for thy savour is not the things which be of God. And we find again and again in the Word of God that there was nothing that would stop the onward march of the Christ of God as He had set His face to go to Jerusalem. Yet we find in this story that there was one thing, one thing only that would hinder and would stop and delay the Lord on the way to the cross. That was a soul in need. And if you look there in verse 40 of our Scripture reading, it says, And Jesus stood and commanded Him to be brought unto Him. And so the Lord delays His way to the cross, and He stood, and He commands that this blind man would be brought to Him. Now, when you read the story of the blind man and this wonderful miracle, you'll find that it's much more than a miracle, but it's also a parable of what happens when a man or woman is translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son. And I want to look at this little story tonight, this miracle, and I want to take it as a parable. And I believe it was a miracle. Let me make that absolutely clear. But I want you to understand that every miracle is also a parable of divine truth. And it is given to us that we might understand spiritual things. Now, when you read the story of this man, the first thing that the Word of God tells us about him is the fact of his darkness. And I want you to notice there in verse 35, it says, And it came to pass that as he went, as he was come now unto Jerusalem, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging. And here we have His darkness. And the first thing that the Word of God tells us here omits His name, doesn't give us His background, but the first detail by way of introduction to the story of this man's life is the fact that he's described as a certain blind man. This was a man who lived in a world of darkness. Now, when you think for a moment of where this man lived, it highlights the tragedy of his blindness and his darkness, because we find that a certain blind man lived in the city of Jericho. Now, way back in the Old Testament, the city of Jericho was known as the city of palm trees. And even today, it is still famous for its palm trees and the dates that are exported from that place. In the days of our Lord Jesus Christ, it was not only known as the City of the Palm Trees, but it was known as the City of Roses. And if you were rich and wealthy, and you wanted somewhere to retire to, or to retreat to for a holiday, then Jericho was the end place. That was the place where the rich would gather and build their homes. Jericho in the days of the Lord Jesus Christ was indeed a beautiful location. And yet here's the tragedy of it all, that there's a certain blind man who can see nothing of the handiwork of God and God's wonderful creation, and he's living in a world of darkness. Now, when you come to the Word of God, you will find that the Bible reminds us that this is the spiritual possession of every man and woman and person outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. From the moment we're born into the world, we're born spiritually blind in a state of darkness. We live in a world of darkness. as far as the kingdom of God and the things of God are concerned. Do you remember, Jesus said to Nicodemus, except a man be born again, he cannot see. And even Nicodemus, with all his religious education and background, as a ruler of the Pharisees, was spiritually blind and totally ignorant of spiritual things. You know, I'll never forget when I was just a young teenager, growing up when I was about 16, 17 years of age, had started my apprenticeship. My sister was a Christian. She was the first member of our family to get saved. And I couldn't understand it, why this young girl, instead of going to the dances and the various places that we would go to for entertainment on a Saturday night, why she had no interest? You'd always see her with her Bible, going to the Bible study, to the house of God, and she was only interested in spiritual things. You know, I used to think it was odd. But you know, the difference between my sister and myself was this. She had met the Master. She had met the One who was altogether lovely and the fairest of ten thousand to her soul. As far as I was concerned, I was still in unbelief. And like the Jews in Isaiah's day, there was no beauty in him that I should desire him. I wonder, is that you tonight? Others speak of the loveliness of the Lord Jesus Christ, can testify to the fact that He's a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. And alas, tonight you're still a stranger to grace and to God. But you know, my friend, the Bible not only talks about physical darkness and spiritual darkness, But the Bible talks about eternal darkness, about outer darkness, and what you sow you reap. And if you live in spiritual darkness, then one day you will reap eternal darkness, and you'll be cast out into eternal darkness for the countless ages of eternity. And just as there is no darkness in heaven, there's no light in hell, And you'll be in that place where there's weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth for all eternity. Oh, the darkness of this man. This man couldn't see what others could see. This man needed a touch from the Lord Jesus Christ. But then I want you to see not only his darkness, but I want you to observe from the Word of God also his danger. Listen to what it says there in the Word of God. And we're told concerning this bright man as he sat by the wayside begging. And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And so you can see not only his darkness, but you can see his danger. As he hears the commotion, as he realizes something is taking place, and he makes inquiries, and he asks, he's told that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he realizes the danger that here's One who could bring light, salvation, and deliverance. And the One who has given sight to the blind. The One who has raised the dead. The One who has turned the water into wine. The One who has healed the dumb and caused the lame to walk. He's passing by. And my opportunity has come. And he realizes the danger. And he needs to cry out immediately. to the Lord for salvation and for deliverance. You know, as I come to the Word of God, I discover, as we have already intimated, the Lord was going the way to the cross. He was going to die. And never again was the stranger of Galilee, was the Son of God going to present himself at the city of Jericho. And in a very real sense, he was passing at Jericho for the last time. And if the blind man, and if Zacchaeus missed the Lord Jesus Christ on this occasion, then they'd missed their final opportunity. Because never again would the Lord return to this particular place. You know, the Word of God reminds us all of our danger, that there's the opportunity of hearing the Gospel, and maybe you're hearing it for the last time. You know, I think of a young man who left home. He joined the Merchant Navy, and he was an only son. He left home and he went to sea, and his mother would look forward to him coming back home, and what a time it was when he would get leave and he would be able to come and visit his widowed mother. One occasion he wrote to his mum and he said, Dear Mum, I'll be home for Christmas. Got leave and I'm able to be home for Christmas and we'll spend Christmas together. And his mother was just over the moon. She was overjoyed. And she was looking forward to Christmas and having Christmas with her son. All the arrangements were made, and this was going to be the best Christmas that they ever had. Everything was ready, and the time had come when her son was due to arrive. And the mother was waiting patiently. Then a knock came to the door, and she went to the door, and there was two officers standing in naval uniform. And they asked her name, and she said, Yes, that's me. And they said, could we come in place? They came into the house and they got her to sit down. And with trembling voices they said, we are sorry to have to come, but there's been a terrible accident and your son has been killed. And the woman asked what happened and they said, well, there's an inquest, an inquiry taking place, but as far as we can ascertain, he was coming down the gangplank and he slipped. He went over to the side and the boat rolled. And he was crushed. He lost his life. And you know the mother as she looked at the two merchant navy officers, she buried her face in her hands. And she sobbed and she cried out. And she said, Oh my God! He was almost home! He was almost home! But he's lost. He's lost. And you know what the tragedy is in a mission like this? Jesus is passing by. Others are getting saved. The Spirit of God is working and speaking to your heart. And perhaps the tragedy after the mission is this. You'll be almost home, but you'll be lost. Do you remember the Lord Jesus spoke about the rich young ruler? And he said, thou art not far from the kingdom of heaven. He was so near, but he was so far. And he went away grieved from the presence of Christ because he wasn't willing to pay the cost and to go the whole way with the Saviour. And you remember, Har, that we read of King Agrippa and how he was so near and yet so far. And as Paul persuaded him and presented to him the claims of Christ, he looked at this little figure and he says, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Almost as but the field. And as far as history is concerned, there's no record of that person ever coming to the Saviour. I wonder, is that your danger tonight? Jesus is passing by and he can pass you by for the last time. You know, a little girl came to her mommy and she said, Mommy, what age do you have to be to die? Mommy was very wise and they lived beside a church which had a graveyard. And the mother went over to the drawer and she took out a big ball of cord She gave her a pair of scissors, and she said, look, I'll tell you what to do. You go over to the graves, and you measure them with the pieces of cord. And the wee girl did that, and she came back an hour or so later, and she had a big bundle of cord in her hand. And she looked up into Mammy's face, and she said, Mammy, you can die at any age. You can die at any age. It was pieces of cord of different length. And so it is, friend, you don't have to be old to die. Death can come suddenly and unexpectedly. And even as a young person, you could miss your opportunity. That's why God says, Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. But then I want you to see not only His darkness and His danger, But I want you to notice his decision. This man realizing that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by, he made up his mind that he was going to do something. And if you look there in verse 38, we read of his decision, and it says, And he cried, saying, Jesus, thy son of David, have mercy on me. And again, if you look in verse 39, when the crowd rebuked him, it says, But he cried so much, the more, Thy son of David, have mercy on me. And his decision was this, that in the light of opportunity presenting itself, and Jesus passing by, he made up his mind that he was going to call upon the name of the Lord for mercy. And he was going to ask the Lord for salvation and for deliverance. And you know, that's how a person is saved. You see, three times in the Word of God, we read that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. God has made it so simple that even a child can call, a young person can call, an old person can call upon the name of the Lord, just like the dying thief upon the cross. And you remember, as the sands of time were sinking, and he looked into the lovely face of Jesus, and he called upon the name of the Lord, and he said, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, This day shalt thou be with me. Mayan paradise. God has made the way of salvation so simple. It's as simple as a cry. This poor man said, David cried unto the Lord. And the Lord heard him and saved him. You know, some years ago, the Lord opened the door for us to have the opportunity of going down into the maze prison. The very height of the troubles. The door was open and we could go down to conduct gospel services on Sunday morning. And I was asked, among others, to go into these meetings. And some of the worst loyalist terrorists in the whole of this country were in those morning services. And I remember one day, one of some of the ministers, and he said to me, you know, we're having terrible problems, they're rowdy, they won't listen. Some of the Shankill butchers were there, and they came from the different age blocks, and what they wanted to do was to catch up on the latest news, and some of them would have lit up, and some of them would have just sat and talked the whole time right through the service. And the meetings were getting a little bit out of control, and they told me about it. And so I went down on a Sunday morning. I started the service, and again it started. And right at the front was one of the shankle butchers, long hair, sitting there, and a hard man, if ever there was one. They started talking, and I just stopped the service. And I said, friend, if you don't want to stay, there's the door. Just go now. Because we're here to preach the gospel and the Word of God. And if you have no interest, there's the door. Just go now. And you know, I think the two prison officers nearly took a heart attack. And the big fellow looked at me, and he sat there staring at me. And it was just a quietness came over the meeting, and I went ahead and preached the Word of God. But you know what happened was this. This big fella began to listen. And as he began to listen to the Word of God and to take in the news of the Gospel that Christ died for sinners, there came a time when he went down to his cell and he knelt and he prayed the sinner's prayer, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. And he got wonderfully saved. right down in the very depths of sin. And yet the nail-pierced hand plucked him as a brand from the burning. And sad to say, when he was released, there was a vengeance killing and he was shot dead on the Shankill Road. And I took part in his funeral service. And we were singing John Newton's hymn, Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. And I want to tell you tonight, friend, it doesn't matter who you are and what you have done, the foulest offender who truly believes that moment from Jesus, a pardon receives. And maybe you're thinking you're too bad tonight to be saved. Oh, Mr. Barnes, if you only knew my secret sins. I want to tell you God knows them. And He says though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Thank God there's mercy with the Lord. This man made the right decision And he called upon the Lord for mercy. But then I want you to see not only his darkness and his danger and his decision, but look quickly at his deliverance in verse 41. And here's a strange statement. And Jesus stood and commanded him to be brought unto him. And when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight." Now, it almost seems irrelevant here. The Lord knew all things. He knew this man's need better than the man himself. And yet the Lord comes to this man and He asks him the question, What wilt thou that I shall do? unto thee." You know what the Lord was doing? He was giving the man the opportunity to confess his need. The Lord knew his need, but he had to come and he had to confess his need before the Lord. And you know, the Bible says that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. And the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. Oh, His deliverance! The moment He confessed His sin, the Lord Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight, thy faith hath saved thee. Maybe there's someone in the meeting tonight, and I want to tell you the only sin God won't forgive is the sin that you're not prepared to confess. But if you're prepared to come tonight and to confess that you're a sinner, then thank God there's a welcome at the cross for you. Oh, this man's deliverance. He was delivered immediately. The miracle took place right away. The omnipotence of Christ touched him. And blind eyes were made to see. And you know, when he opened his eyes, The first person He gazed upon was the lovely, blessed Lord Jesus Christ. The all-together lovely One. His deliverance came immediately the moment He confessed His need. But notice quickly His discipleship. Look there in verse 43. And it says, And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God and all the people. When they saw it, give praise unto God. Oh, can't you see his discipleship? Immediately he received his sight, says the Word of God, and followed him. You know, that's the mark of a man or woman who was genuinely converted to Christ, that they follow Him. Do you remember what the Savior said? He said, My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me. And the evidence of genuine conversion was that He became a disciple and a follower of Jesus. You know, D. L. Moody, the great evangelist on one occasion, was having an evangelistic service And as he was preaching, he was speaking on the words, What then shall I do with Jesus which is called the Christ? And he felt again at the end of the meeting he should press and re-echo the invitation. And he said, You've got to meet the challenge. What then shall I do with Jesus which is called the Christ? And suddenly an old man stood up in the meeting. And he cried out, Mr. Moody! Mr. Moody, I'll take him home with me. I'll take him home with me." And that night, the old man was gloriously saved. And from that moment on, he began to follow Christ as a disciple and believer on the Lord Jesus Christ. Can I tell you tonight, friend, it is no secret what God can do, what He's done for others, He can do for you. And if He could deliver this blind man, and if He could come down into a prison cell and deliver one of the shankled butchers, thank God He can come into this meeting tonight and He can deliver you. For the Bible says that He's able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. Old John Bunyan, when he was preaching, he used to say, come, and a thousand welcomes to Jesus. And thank God there's a thousand welcomes for you tonight at the cross, as the Savior says, whosoever will may come. Will you come tonight? Will you say, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Lamont, tonight I'll take him home with me. I came to the meeting without him. But thank God I can go home with Him tonight knowing that He's my Savior, my Lord, and my Friend. O may the Lord, even tonight, help you to come and trust in Him.