God’s Responsibility
(Luke 5:12-16 NIV) While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." {13} Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him. {14} Then Jesus ordered him, "Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." {15} Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. {16} But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Here is a great story of how Jesus made an incredible difference in a man’ s life. The one thing I can tell you for sure tonight is that Jesus has your best interest in mind. Jesus loves you more than you love yourself.
I want us go through this passage of scripture and see how Jesus ministered to this man in need, and I want you to know that Jesus is still doing this today.
Let’s get a little background on this man who was touched by Jesus.
While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.
· Leprosy is a generic term applied to a variety of skin disorders. The symptoms ranged from white patches on the skin, to running sores, to the loss of digits on the fingers and the toes.
· For the Hebrews this was a serious illness. For it made the people ceremonially unclean – in there mind it made them unfit to worship God. If that is not bad enough anyone who came in contact with these people were also considered unfit to worship God! What a raw deal.
· Because of this, lepers were isolated from the rest of the community so that the members of the community would not become contaminated, and they could continue to worship God.
· But Jesus did not treat people based on their appearance, the amount of money, their color, or their sickness. He did not go by this clean or unclean deal.
· Jesus knew that our outward appearance does not make one unclean, rather what is in ones heart determines one’s standing with God.
· Because of this Jesus did not hesitate in touching the lepers he came in contact with, and he took it a step further that he commanded his disciples to do the same.
Now that we have the background let’s see what Jesus did for the man.
I.THE MAN WAS REACHED.
(Luke 5:13 NIV) Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him.
A. Jesus did the unthinkable for this man.
1. He touched the untouchable. When no one else would help there was a man named Jesus who was not concerned with what the people may say, think, or do – all he knew that there was a man with a terrible disease that needed to be reached
B. Jesus has done the unthinkable for us.
(John 3:16-17) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
One afternoon a bus driver was taking 40 children home from school. As the bus made its way down a steep grade, the brakes failed. The driver was unable to steer the bus to the left because of a high embankment or to the right because of a steep cliff.
As the bus hurtled down the hill, the driver recalled that there was a narrow gate at the bottom which led into a field. He decided to try to steer the bus through the gate and into the field, figuring that it would eventually come to a safe stop. He hoped that no cars or other obstacles would get in his way before he got to the gate.
When the bus driver saw the gate approaching fast. But to his horror, he noticed a small child sitting on the gate, waving at the bus.
It was too late to change plans now. If the driver tried to avoid the gate, 40 children would die. He cried out in anguish as the bus slammed directly into the gate. The innocent child died instantly in the collision, but the bus and all of its passengers were saved. Emergency vehicles were the first to arrive on the scene, followed shortly by relieved parents and grandparents. Many of them wanted to show their appreciation and gratitude to the driver who had kept the bus under control long enough to save their children. But the driver was nowhere to be found. They asked a police officer where he had gone. “They’ve taken him to the hospital,” the officer said. “He’s suffering from severe shock.” “Well, that’s understandable,” they replied. “No, you don’t understand,” said the officer. “You see, that little boy on the fence was his own son.”
1. God’s decision to save us came at a great expense to himself. Jesus cried out in the garden, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me” (Matthew 26:39). But it was God’s love for us that sent Jesus to the cross (John 3:16). He gave his only son so that we could live.
C. Will you answer the call to touch the untouchables and reach the unreachable.
(Rom 10:12-15 NIV) For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, {13} for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." {14} How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? {15} And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
II. THE MAN WAS REVIVED
(Luke 5:13 NIV) Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him.
A. Definition of the word revive – to live again, to become active or flourish again, to restore from a depressed state – to renew.
B. When Jesus touched this man he was revived, for all common purposes he was a walking dead man – he could live with his family, he could not take part in all the normal things of life - he was cut-off because he was a man with a terrible disease. But when Jesus touched this man who came expecting, the leprosy left him completely.
C. He was given life both physically and spiritually, this is want God wants to do for us.
D. Some of us are in need of being revived by the hand of God.
E. There has some of you that have lost your edge, your fire, and your fervor for the things of God, and you need to be revived – you can’t rely on camp from last year, you can’t rely on last week, but we need to echo the prayer of the Psalmist,
(Psa 85:6 NIV) Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
F. When we are revived we can get back to the life that God wants to live, we can worship like he wants us to, we can pray like he wants us to, we can be the young person he longs for us to be.
G. God wants to revive us both spiritually and physically.
(Isa 57:15 NIV) For this is what the high and lofty One says-- he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.
GOD WANTS TO REVIVE YOU!!!!
III. THE MAN WAS RELEASED
(Luke 5:14 NIV) Then Jesus ordered him, "Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."
A. Jesus sent this man to the religious authorities to show him self, and to show what the son of God has done.
1. Jesus wanted to this man to go and show what had happened – to testify of the miracle working power of God!
B. Tonight God has released us that are serving God to go out and tell what he has done for us.
C. We need to show the world what the Lord has done in our lives – you have been released to tell your story – will you be obedient to the command of Christ.
All through high school, Alyssa tried to share her faith in Christ with her four closest friends. In long late-night conversations, they’d talk about everything from heaven to abortion to the existence of evil in the world. Alyssa loved her friends and wanted them to know Christ the way she did.
After they graduated, the four friends tried to stay in touch. Even though they moved to different parts of the country, they e-mailed each other, got together at holidays, and even took vacations together during the summer. Sometimes they’d have conversations like the ones of old, with Alyssa talking about her beliefs and her relationship with God.
While Alyssa’s friends always treated her with respect, they never became Christians. Their decision—or, rather, their lack of a decision—was a real disappointment to Alyssa.
After college Alyssa accepted a job across the country and soon lost touch with her friends. When she came back home for Christmas one year, she ran into one of them at a local department store.
Her friend was pushing a baby stroller and proudly introduced her new baby to Alyssa. When Alyssa found out that her friend wasn’t married, she thought, A lot of good all that talking about God did. Look what happened to her. She ended up getting pregnant before she got married.
Toward the end of their conversation, Alyssa asked if she could hold the baby. As her friend handed the infant to her, she said, “You know, Alyssa, you’re partly to thank for this baby. If it wasn’t for you, I would have had an abortion. But I kept remembering all we had talked about and just couldn’t do it.”
God wants to reach you with his love
God wants to revive with power
God wants to release you for his glory.
