Transformed By The Master’s Touch
Mark 1:40-45
Have you ever had an encounter with an individual that changed your life forever? Maybe you had one of those love at first sight (movie moment) encounters with your spouse. You knew instantly that they were the one for you. (I didn’t have that; I spotted Amber 4 years before she knew I existed!) Maybe you met someone and they impacted you in such a way that they had a great influence on the rest of your life.
I met someone a while back who had what was considered to be a terminal disease. He had traveled to other states, tried different types of surgeries and medicines with no success. He was at the end of his rope and was at the point of making plans for his own funeral. Then someone referred him to another doctor who had a radical plan, (a last ditch effort so to speak) that could possibly help this individual. This man had nothing to lose and trusted the doctors advice. As a result of meeting this doctor and taking a chance on a risky surgery this man was completely healed.
This reminds me of another encounter in the bible. We are told in Mark 5:25-34 of a lady who had an “issue of blood” for 12 years. She had tried everything and spent all that she had with no success. Then she thought if she could touch the hem of Jesus’ garment she would be healed. You know the story, she did and she was!! Her life was changed when she encountered Jesus.
In the verses preceding our text we read where many lives were changed when people met Jesus. Look with me if you will to Mark 1:32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 33 And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
In verses 40-45 we find an in depth account of a leper coming to Jesus for healing. Jesus touched this man and changed him forever. If you are here an you have been born again, you have experienced this. Jesus has touched you and changed your life forever!
If you have not been saved, you can be today. This may be the day that your life is changed forever! Join me if you will as we consider the thought “ Transformed By The Master’s Touch” This account begins with:
I. A Deadly Disease - v40 ¶And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
This man was in bad shape. Here we see him described as a leper. “And there came a leper to him” (I have preached on lepers in the past. There is Naaman, this man here & there is an account of where Jesus healed 10 lepers. I always love to watch folks faces when I look in depth at the horrific description of leprosy.)
Leprosy is a disease that begins with little white spots appearing on the skin.
Those spots begin to harden and turn from white to pink to brown and become very scaly.
Those sores then began to spread all over the body.
They would afflict the face first; soon the appearance of the face would change.
These sores would begin fill with puss and they would begin to run all over the body.
There was a foul odor and others couldn't even stand to smell the odor.
Leprosy began to totally consume one’s body.
The eyebrows would fall out, and then the hair would turn white.
A person with Leprosy is someone who is literally rotting away.
Fingers would fall off and the toes of the feet would begin to fall off.
Leprosy lasted an average of about 9 years until the victim would collapse and waste away.
Though this is a gruesome description of a physical disease, it is a great illustration of a spiritual disease. Leprosy paints a vivid picture of sin!
In the beginning of leprosy it didn’t look bad, it actually starts with the individual feeling tired, and then those spot begin to appear, and then they spread. Sin usually begins with a whisper…IT BEGINS WITH GIVING IN TO TEMPTATION and then leads to bigger issue.
Let’s say you are tempted by a member of the opposite sex. That temptation leads to lust. That lust leads to flirting. That flirting leads to an affair. That affair must be covered by lies. One lie leads to another and another to cover up the one before it. You think that you are happy and that you are living it up. Then you get caught. You lose your spouse. You lose your children. You find yourself lonely, broken- hearted and miserable. And it all started with a look that lingered and lead to lust which ultimately lead to loss!
How about this, you are having a bad day; you are facing great difficulty in your life. You are looking for some relief. A “friend” offers you a pill, a needle, a bottle or some other type of drug to numb the pain. Then a week later you have another bad day so you go to that “friend”. You do it again. Then before you know it you are doing it every day. You can’t live without it. You go to work under the influence and you are fired. You rob food out of your family’s mouth to feed the habit. Your spouse can’t take anymore and forces you out of the house. You are homeless and miserable. You can’t afford the next hit so you begin to steal from others (maybe) your own family to buy your drugs. You brake into someone’s home and in the process of the burglary you are shot by the homeowner. And it all started with once bad choice.
No one plans to be an adulterer, an addict or an alcoholic but one sinful act leads to another, and another and another….SIN IS A SLIPPERY SLOPE! Then there is the spiritual side of things.
1) For the believer sin leads to chastisement and discipline from God! - Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
2) For the lost sin leads to death - Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
That may start off as a discouraging verse but it ends with some hope! (Hang in there, so does this sermon) Not only do we see A Deadly Disease, in this same verse we see:
II. A Passionate Plea - v40b “beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean”
This man hears that Jesus is near and goes looking for Him. Once he finds Him he asks for Jesus to heal him of this dreadful disease. He didn’t just walk up to Jesus, he humbly bowed before Him and professed that He believed Jesus was the answer to his problem. This man was at a place of desperation. If there was any other way he would have tried it by now. He couldn’t help himself and no other man had the answer to his problem. You see, coupled with the physical ailments of leprosy came some other devastating consequences that lead this man to this place of desperation. Consider:
Along with the physical misery of leprosy came the social isolation.
A man with leprosy would be banished from the village.
He would have to leave his family, his friends and acquaintances.
It was unlawful for a leper to approach within 50 feet of a clean person.
If it was a windy day, the rule changed to 200 feet.
He could not touch his family; he could only see them from a distance.
Some families would bring food and clothing to the leper colony for the individual.
But most families had a funeral service and regarded the afflicted person as dead.
He had to tear his garments so people would recognize that he was a leper.
Over his upper lip he had to wear a cloth so he wouldn't spread the contamination
If he came in contact with anyone without leprosy he was required to cry, "Unclean! Unclean! Unclean!”
Can you imagine having this disease and not being able to kiss your wife or wrap your children up in a big hug? What a sad life this man must have been living! He was brought to a place of desperation. As a result he CRIED OUT TO JESUS TO HEAL HIM! You say, so what? I don’t have leprosy! You may have an even worse disease, …YOU MAY HAVE LEPROSY OF THE SOUL!
Remember earlier when I said that the wages of sin is death? Along with that comes an eternity in Hell!
You will face eternal separation from everyone and everything you have ever known.
You will be in a place of torments!
A place of unquenched thirst!
A place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth!
A place of eternal fire!
Leprosy defiles everything that it touches….The same is true for sin! Everything that a leper touched had to be burned. …Like leprosy, sin destines things for the fire! This man that we are reading about today could not remove this disease! You cannot remove the disease of sin on your own! But I come with good news. THERE IS HOPE FOR YOU TO BE CURED! Notice:
III. A Sympathetic Savior - v41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
Jesus did not ignore this man. He did not turn and walk away from this man. We read that Jesus was “moved with compassion” Aren’t you glad that Jesus is the “Compassionate Christ?”
1) He saw this man and was moved with compassion.
2) Jesus had compassion on the sick - Matthew 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
3) Jesus as He approached Jerusalem was moved with compassion - Luke 19:41 ¶And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
4) Jesus came to this earth because of His compassion for lost man - Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
5) It was out of compassion that Jesus suffered the pain and agony of the cross and HE DID IT FOR YOU AND FOR ME!
If you are here and you have never surrendered to Jesus, if you are headed for that eternal separation that we just talked about, friend, because of compassion JESUS DIED FOR YOU TOO!! Notice Jesus’ reaction to this man’s condition. No one has touched this man for many years. If anyone was to touch him they would have become considered “unclean” This was strictly forbidden in the Law. Along with this is the possibility that the other person would become infected with this horrible disease. Imagine how surprised this man was when Jesus reached out and touched him!
If you are lost you are a consumed with leprosy of the soul. Your life is covered with sin! Jesus is your only hope of cleansing. His precious blood can wash your black sins and make them as white as snow! Did this man deserve this miracle in his life? ….Did he work to earn it? The answers are no & no! The same is true for you! You do not deserve salvation but Jesus is offering you a free gift today! “By grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God!”
So, we have seen a Deadly Disease, A Passionate Plea, A Sympathetic Savior and finally I would like to see:
IV. A Complete Cleansing - v42 and as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
I like this, “As soon as He spoke, immediately he was cleansed” We must understand the extent of this man’s condition. - Luke 5:12 tells us he was “full of leprosy” …This man was nearly dead and he needed divine intervention. Jesus did not just relieve the symptoms, He didn’t do a halfway job. He was cleansed, the leprosy departed him! We were worse than sick, WE WERE DEAD! - Ephesians 2:1 ¶And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Because of Jesus’ touch we have been raised from death unto life! This leper was “Transformed By The Master’s Touch”
I hope that you have been transformed as well. If you haven’t you can be! TODAY! In closing I would like to share with you another miracle from the Master’s hand.
Jesus had some close friends. One day two sisters send word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus was very sick. Jesus took His time returning to their hometown. By the time He arrived, Lazarus had been in the grave for 4 days. Jesus had a plan. Jesus instructed them to take Him to the grave. When He arrived the stone was rolled back and Jesus simply said “Lazarus Come Forth” The dead man got up alive and walked out of the grave.
Back in 1997 I was dead in my trespasses and sins and Jesus came to me just like He did to Lazarus and He called my name! He raised me out of the grave to live forever more. You may be here and you are lost, is He calling you today? If He is don’t delay… Surrender to Him right here, Right now and you too can be Transformed By The Master’s Touch”
