The Lord Jesus Will Return to This Earth

 A Miracle and the Second Coming of Christ

 Book of Luke Chapter 17 verses 12-19, 30 through 37

 

 We know that our Lord Jesus is now making His way to Jerusalem. He has an appointment with a cross where He will die for our sins. He had no sin Himself!

 Even facing the death of the cross, Jesus still shows His compassion.

 Jesus could have gone around Samaria and Galilee to give Him more time, but He chose to go through them. He also had an appointment with ten lepers.

 We can see that the Lord Jesus was not afraid to walk where He was not wanted.

 *****Luk 17:11  And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 

Luk 17:12  And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 

Luk 17:13  And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 

 Lepers were not bound by geographic regions. Lepers were bound by their disease.

 Lev 13:46  All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

 This leads us to believe that Jesus was now in the wilderness between Samaria and Galilee.

 These lepers stood afar off and would not approach the Lord Jesus.

 They had to raise their voices to be heard.

 They called Him Master, but the Greek word used here means more Commander than it does Rabbi.

 They knew who He was, and they knew He had the power to heal.

What is wrong with our world today? The world does not know who Jesus is!

 They knew Jesus had the power to meet their needs. We sometimes forget this.

 They knew more than most of the world does today!

 Notice how the Lord Jesus heals these ten diseased men.

 They spoke from a distance, and the Lord Jesus heals from a distance.

 Leprosy is, in fact, a type of sin, and the Lord Jesus does not have to be physically present to wash us in His blood and forgive our sins. 

Jesus does have to be spiritually present in our hearts because faith is still required.

 These ten lepers had to have faith in the power of the Lord Jesus.

 These ten lepers were desperate; they had the most feared disease of that day.

 It is somewhat like cancer. When cancer is mentioned, the first thing on our minds is death.

 The Lord Jesus can heal cancer too!

I know because He has healed me twice from this dreaded disease.

 These ten men interrupted the Lord Jesus Christ, not caring if it caused Him problems, but Jesus did not mind; He wanted to hear what bothered us at any time.

 The Lord Jesus understood their desperation, their humility, and their acknowledgment of being unclean.

 If we cannot realize that we are sinners in need of salvation, then the Lord Jesus cannot save us.

 We must recognize that, like these lepers, we were also unclean, and we must keep our distance from sinners except to witness to them.

 Jas 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. 

 The Lord Jesus told them to obey the Laws of Moses and present themselves to the priests, after He had healed them.

 No matter what the Lord Jesus tells us to do, we need to do. He will never tell us to go against the Word of God.

They had to present themselves to the priests before they would be welcomed back into society.

 As these men traveled to the place of the priests, they were cleansed on their journey.

 There must be believing, and there must be an obeying.

 Remember Namaan from the Old Testament.

 2Ki 5:14  Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

 Six times dipping in the River Jordan was not good enough; seven times brought his cure.

 While these men began their journey to the priests, one man, a Samaritan, realized he was clean.

 *****Luk 17:15  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 

Luk 17:16  And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 

 Leprosy was the most terrible disease in the days of Jesus. It was disfiguring, and most of the time it was fatal.

 The world had judged all lepers to be dead already; they were called the Living Dead.

 A leper had to wear a black garment so he could be recognized among the dead.

 He was banished, an outcast, removed from society, defiled.

 He was thought to be polluted and incurable!

 Doctor Jesus has never met a disease he could not cure, even death!

 This Samaritan was not of Judaism, and a Jewish priest would not even see him.

 We know the priests of the Samaritans were false priests of a false religion, so they could not have helped him.

 This Samaritan knew only one person who was worthy of his thanks, and it was the Lord Jesus Christ.

 We sometimes forget this, too!

 There is never a day that we should not be thanking the Lord for what He has already done for us, and we know a lot of the things that are in our future, and we should be thanking Him for these things also.

If your name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life, you owe the Lord your thanks; you owe the Lord your life.

 We should also be ready to worship our Savior at any time and at all times.

 Prayer is also worship, and we can pray anywhere and at any time.

Prayer is worship when we talk to the Lord, but not when we repeat some chant over and over again.

 The Lord Jesus is always worthy of our praise.

 The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Priest we need to see, and this Samaritan realized this truth.

 Why go to some man when we can go to the Living God?

 Jesus asked His disciples, where were the other nine?

 *****Luk 17:17  And Jesus answering, said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 

Luk 17:18  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 

Luk 17:19  And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. 

 The Samaritan is cleansed and saved, but the other nine who benefited from the power of God wanted to remain Jews rather than convert to become Christians.

 They had benefitted from the true Shepherd, but they were locked into the legal system of the Law.

 Rom_4:16  Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

 The Lord Jesus is still asking this same question today.

 Many of the modern Church have forgotten who cleansed them from their sin, and many of them have returned to the Law, forgetting the Grace of God.

Many denominations today have added their own oral laws and traditions.

 Those other nine went back to their old lives doing the same things they did before they were overcome by leprosy.

 They may have gotten an outward cure, but only the Samaritan got the Spiritual Blessing!

 We should not doubt that it was faith in the work of the Lord that made this man whole!

 That word faith is in the New Testament 245 times in 229 verses.

 The word faith is used only twice in the Old Testament, but both are important.

 1) What happens to those with no faith?

 Deu_32:20  And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

 2) Only those with true faith are justified.

 Hab_2:4  Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

 This Samaritan was justified.

 I think it is important to add a few verses to our lesson format.

 *****Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 

Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 

Luk 17:22  And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. 

Luk 17:23  And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. 

Luk 17:24  For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. 

Luk 17:25  But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. 

Luk 17:26  And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 

Luk 17:27  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 

Luk 17:28  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 

Luk 17:29  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 

Luk 17:30  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 

 We see that the Lord Jesus begins dealing with His return.

 We know that the return of Jesus Christ will be in two stages.

 1) He will first return to take His Church, the Bride of Christ, out of this world. We will meet Him in the clouds, as He will not place His feet on the earth at this time.

 1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

 2) Jesus will return to end the Seven Years of Tribulation before those on earth destroy themselves.

 Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 

 Dan 7:13  I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 

Dan 7:14  And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. 

 Dan 7:22  Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. 

 Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 

 We know the Kingdom of God is internal, but the Kingdom of God is also external.

 In the days of Noah, people lived their own lives, which God called corrupt in His sight.

 We can say that the Ten Commandments meant nothing to them, just as they mean nothing to the liberals of today.

The Ten Commandments only remind them of their sin, and they know they are sinners and do not want to be reminded of it.

 It was a world full of violence.

 In the days of Lot, people were more devoted to the gratification of bodily appetites and free indulgence in carnal pleasures.

 They accepted that this was the life that was meant to be.

 It was a corrupt and carnal place to live.

 Gen_13:13  But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

 Gen_18:20  And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

 The Lord Jesus Christ will begin His reign with the righteous judgment of sin!

 This world will not be prepared to meet King Jesus!

 The destruction of this world will be greater than what the flood caused and it will burn like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

 After these things the Lord Jesus our Creator, will restore this world as it was in the day He created it.

 Mic 4:1  But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 

Mic 4:2  And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 

Mic 4:3  And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 

Mic 4:4  But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.

 Isa 32:17  And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. 

 Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 

Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 

Isa 11:3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 

Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

 The Lord Jesus will sit as King in Jerusalem!

 Zec 8:3  Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. 

 *****Luk 17:31  In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. 

Luk 17:32  Remember Lot's wife. 

Luk 17:33  Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 

 Just before the Lord returns, people will be going about their wickedness as if nothing can happen to them.

 These are the same people who have denied the existence of God.

 When God's people, the Jews, realize what is happening, they will have to act quickly.

 They will need to move without packing or returning to their homes.

 We may not know when the Lord will come, but what we know for sure is that when He comes, it will be very quick.

 Rev_22:12  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

 Then the Lord Jesus reminds them, do not look back, but keep going forward.

 Lot's wife was so close to salvation, but with one turn of her neck, she became a pillar of salt.

 There is no worldly way to save lives on that day; there is only the ways of the Lord Jesus.

 Faithfulness to the truth of God will be their only escape.

 Anyone who considers some earthly possession more important than his life will lose his life.

 Just as in salvation today, whoever lets go of his life and gives it to the Lord will be saved.

 *****Luk 17:34  I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 

Luk 17:35  Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 

Luk 17:36  Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 

 As far as the Rapture of the Church, the point is clear: people will be going about their daily routine, when all of a sudden, one here and one there will be taken up to meet the Lord Jesus in the clouds.

 The word "Rapture" means rapid seizing by violence.

 Only a believer who is truly prepared will be taken up to meet the Lord Jesus.

 "ALL" who oppose and reject the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ will be left behind.

 1Th 5:3  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.. 

 Believers will miss out on this destruction: 1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 

1Th 5:10  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 

 God knows who the true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ are!

 God knows that those who just claim to be the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ will be left behind to go through the seven years of Tribulation.

 Tit_1:16  They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

 God knows all those who reject the truth of Jesus Christ, and they will be left behind to go through the seven years of Tribulation.

 There will be no last-second decisions; it will be too late to claim the Savior at that point.

 Rom_1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

 *****Luk 17:37  And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

The Rapture of the Church will take place throughout the entire world all at the same time, At the same moment.

Some say instead of Eagles it should have been Vultures, but Jesus says what He means and He means what He says.

The vultures of Gennesaret are hideous-looking birds, almost the same size as eagles and matching their strength.

The things that the Lord Jesus is talking about here will be worldwide.

At this time, we should not expect a Deliverer of the Jewish nation, for it is devoted to destruction.

The Jews will face the wrath of God, as all the world will.

We must understand that the moral corruption throughout this world ensures that the Lord Jesus will return in Divine Judgment.

Amen

The Disciples of Jesus Christ

 Jesus Called Disciples and More Healings

 Book of Luke Chapter 5

 

 In the time of Jesus, every teacher had his own company of disciples.

 Jewish Rabbis had theirs, Pharisees had theirs, John the Baptist had his, but the difference in the disciples of Jesus Christ was that He chose twelve men Himself.

 This inner circle of men had to forsake their lives and follow the Lord Jesus wherever He went.

 They also continued the ministry of Jesus after He returned to Heaven.

 The most important thing was that they were trained to carry the ministry of Jesus forward after He was gone.

 They changed from disciples to Apostles.

 That word apostle has a similar meaning to ambassador.

 We should realize that the Lord Jesus also appointed another seventy men and commissioned them.

 Luk 10:1  After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

Luk 10:2  Therefore said he unto them, the harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. 

Luk 10:3  Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 

 A disciple of Jesus Christ will submit to baptism, submit to the teachings of God's Word, and obey all the Lord Jesus has commanded.

 The Lord has told all His disciples that He will make us fishers of men: Mrk_1:17  And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

 Jesus would have all mankind caught in the Gospel net!

 *****Luk 5:1  And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 

 Lake Gennesaret is the same body of water known as the Sea of Galilee.

 The call of men is needed more today because the world has more than eight billion people in it who need to hear the truth of the Gospel and make a decision for themselves.

 We can see that these people wanted to hear what the Lord Jesus had to say.

 They wanted to hear the Word of God!

 They had a hunger and thirst for things that the Lord Jesus was saying.

 Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 

 We need that same hunger and thirst today for the truth.

 *****Luk 5:2  And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets. 

Luk 5:3  And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 

 Have you ever noticed how sound travels so well when you are on the lake?

 I believe the Lord Jesus had a booming voice that could be heard from a great distance, but no man can talk over a large, disorderly crowd hanging all over him.

 Simon Peter makes his fishing boat available to the Lord Jesus, so Simon participates in the work of the Lord.

 Like a pastor preached recently, "What do we have in our hands to give unto the Word of the Lord"?

 Do we make available our resources to the work of the Lord?

 *****Luk 5:4  Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 

Luk 5:5  And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 

 The work of the Lord is not all drudgery; the work of the Lord can be rewarding.

 Now, this is not saying that Jesus teaches a prosperity Gospel, but God will reward those who are on the battlefield of the Lord, but it is rarely financial, other than meeting our needs.

 Peter and those with him had fished all night and had taken nothing.

 This is the outcome I have most of the time, but catching fish is not the main reason I go fishing.

 Here again, the Lord Jesus had a reason for the miracle that He was about to perform.

 The title Master comes from the Greek word meaning teacher.

 Sometimes the same Greek word for teacher is used as the title doctor.

 Peter was an experienced fisherman, and he knew if the fish did not bite in the night, they were not going to bite in the daytime, but the Lord Jesus wanted to start working on Peter's faith.

 The Lord also wanted Peter to accept Him as the Messiah who has control of all nature.

 The lesson from the Lord Jesus was out with the old and in with the new.

 A New Covenant was beginning, and it would have better results than the Old Covenant.

 The lesson for us all is that we can place our faith in the infallible Word of God.

 As we build on our Christian lives, doubt must be replaced with obedience.

 There are no hopeless situations for the child of God.

 The results of obedience will always be a blessing.

 When we are drawn to God, we need to obey our hearts.

 I can remember a few weeks before I came to this church, I was walking in my yard, and the Holy Spirit asked me why I was throwing my life away because of the way I was living.

 I only knew the truth of that day when I came through the doors of this church.

 Peter was having a similar feeling on this day with the Lord Jesus.

 *****Luk 5:6  And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 

Luk 5:7  And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 

 The miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ showed that He could do things that only God could do.

 There are many charlatans out in this world today, but none of them can do what only God can do. And we must not be fooled by them. 

The Holy Spirit will not allow their lies to be true.

 Those who claim the power to heal should go to the closest hospital and stop the suffering of those on the inside.

 If Peter had only caught a few fish or even a net full of fish, he would have thought little about it.

 The Lord Jesus wanted Peter to feel the willingness to serve the Lord.

 If Peter thought he was exhausted, he was about to find out what true exhaustion was all about.

 Peter's net could not hold all the fish, and he called for another boat to come to help. Both boats had so many fish in them that they were in jeopardy of sinking, which the Lord would not have allowed because it would have defeated His purpose.

The Lord Jesus knew exactly how many fish it would take to sink those boats!

 When we make decisions in this life, we must make those decisions according to the Word of God and our faith.

 Peter's faith began to rise.

Peter's faith rested on the Words of Christ, "At Thy Word". No one else could have talked Peter into letting down his nets he had just cleaned.

Peter's faith led to obedience without questioning.

 Many of us are disappointed at what this life offers, but we find that as we walk in step with Jesus Christ, we learn what blessings are all about.

 Peter became overwhelmed because of his own sin of doubt.

 *****Luk 5:8  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 

Luk 5:9  For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 

 Peter understood exactly what had happened!

 Peter was overwhelmed by his own unworthiness!

 Peter understood that he had just witnessed a miracle.

 The people on the shore are not mentioned, but they were there, many of them, because they had witnessed or heard of the many miracles of healing that the Lord Jesus had performed.

 To Peter, the Lord Jesus was no longer Master but now Lord. We know Him as Lord of lords.

 Peter came to the Lord Jesus upon his knees in confession of his sins.

 1) Peter confessed to his sin of unbelief. He had questioned the Lord's will. He had to acknowledge that the Lord's power was not of this earth.

 2) Peter confessed that Jesus was indeed Lord. In this verse, the Greek word "kurios" means supreme in authority.

 1Co 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 

 Peter acknowledged that the Lord Jesus was the authority that must be obeyed, and we had better understand this also.

 3) Peter confessed his fear and his reverence as Peter was in awe of the miracle that the Lord Jesus had just shown him.

 This reminds us of the Prophet Isaiah: Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

 Peter was close to salvation as we know it:

 Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

 And others had witnessed this miracle.

 *****Luk 5:10  And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

Luk 5:11  And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. 

 This passage tells us when these men realized that Jesus is Lord of all, and they were determined to follow Him.

 This passage tells us something else.

 We know that in typology, this fishing boat is in type the Church, and the Church cannot do anything without the Lord Jesus Christ being onboard.

 Jesus Christ challenged these men to follow Him and become fishers of men.

 It is the job of the Church to produce and train fishers of men with those who answer the call of Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit.

 To Peter, it was now obvious that the Lord Jesus was indeed the Messiah come from God, and he had what we all need.

 A reverent fear of God and an actual fear of the Almighty God and the Lord Jesus, sensing this fear, said, "Fear not".

 The Lord Jesus had not come at this time for "judgment". He will judge this world when He returns the second time.

 So, we too can "Fear not".

 In actuality, the world has already been judged, and we are judged as sinners.

 This is the reason the Lord Jesus came to earth the first time.

 Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

 Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 What do we know of our own calling?

 Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

 There were two of the disciples of Christ who were named James.

 Here we have James, the brother John was the son of Zebedee.

 It is this James with his brother John and Peter who become the Lord's inner circle.

 This James is never mentioned apart from John.

 This is the James that King Herod had killed with a sword. As far as we know, the first Christian martyr.

His brother John was the only Apostle of Christ who was not murdered.

 There is another James, the son of Alphaeus, called James the Less, because he was shorter than James, the brother of John.

 There are also two other men named James.

 James, the half-brother of the Lord, who later became the pastor of the Church in Jerusalem.

 It is this James who wrote the epistle of James.

 Then there was James, the father of Judas Iscariot.

 Those who are called of God will forsake all and follow the Lord.

 Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 

 *****Luk 5:12  And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 

 There are some things we should see here.

 Leprosy is a type of sin in the New Testament.

 In the salvation plan of God, we must first acknowledge that we are sinners.

 Then we must acknowledge the cleansing.

 In reality, we are not healed from our sin; we are cleansed from our sin.

 Only the Lord Jesus Christ can cleanse us of our sin.

 We must be washed to become clean.

 Rev_1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

 Is the Lord Jesus also the Great Healer? He certainly is, and He can heal us from any ailment.

 Mat_14:14  And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

 He will do neither without a show of faith.

 Luk_9:11  And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

 This leper, who came to Jesus, was sustained by his hope. He saw hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our only hope in this world!

 He called Jesus Lord because he knew that Jesus is Lord of lords.

 1Co_12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

 We must realize just how dirty and defiled we are on the inside and on the outside before we can be cleansed of that defilement.

 We must humble ourselves before the Lord, who only can cleanse us!

 Leprosy was the most terrible of diseases in the day of Jesus and was greatly feared by the people, and we should see sin in the same way today.

 It would cause disfigurement, and many times it was fatal; again, sin causes these same things.

 It is no wonder that leprosy is a type of sin in Scripture.

 The leper was considered unclean.

The leper was judged to be the walking dead.

The leper was an outcast and banished from society.

The leper was considered polluted and incurable.

 Sin will cause these same things, but because of the mercy and grace of God, He looks deep into our hearts, and He knows there can be something special in each of us if we will only trust Him.

 The leper had asked the Lord Jesus if He could be willing to help him, and the Lord said; 'I will".

 *****Luk 5:13  And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. 

 We see that the Lord Jesus Christ is willing to help anyone if they show faith in His powers.

 The Lord Jesus is always moved with compassion for those who are hurting in any manner.

 This leper acknowledges that he is hopelessly lost and the only thing that can help him is God's "Grace".

 Only "Grace" can heal a leper because only "Grace" can cleanse us of our sin!

 So many have become desperate in our world today because this world cannot help them, and if it could, it refuses to help them.

 The Lord Jesus reached out and touched this man when no one else would ever touch a leper for fear of getting the disease.

 Every leper was considered untouchable!

 The Highest of all God's could go low enough to touch the unclean leper when no one else would.

  The Lord Jesus Christ will reach out and touch all who are considered untouchable in our world if they trust Him.

 The Lord Jesus is always willing to help those who have faith that He will help them.

 How did Jesus heal this leper? It was that sword in His mouth. He just spoke the words "be thou clean," and this man was cleansed.

 We can all be cleansed by the Word of Jesus Christ.

 What did the Lord Jesus do throughout the time He was upon this earth the first time?

 Mat 9:35  And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 

Mat 9:36  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 

 For this, He was crucified!

 *****Luk 5:14  And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 

 What did this man need to do next?

 This man needed to worship and offer thanks to God and learn to obey the Word of God before doing anything else.

 Remember, this man did not have a place on his body that was not covered with leprosy.

 In typology, he was deep in sin. He wanted to run and tell the world that he was now.

 We must understand that the Lord Jesus had come to this earth as a lowly servant, and He did not want people to think more of Him than this.

 Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

 Jesus Christ did not do the things He did for self-exaltation.

 Jesus wrote all prophecy, and He knew some would try to make Him king, but it was not the time for this to take place.

 It was highly unlikely that any lepers were healed in those days. A priest had to go through a detailed list of laws to ever confirm that any leper was cured.

 This leper still needed a certificate from a priest saying he had been cleansed.

 Book of Leviticus, Chapters 13, verses 38-59, and Chapter 14, verses 1 through 32 will give us some idea about the cure of leprosy.

 *****Luk 5:15  But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 

Luk 5:16  And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

 The fame of our Lord actually interfered with His ministry so much that Jesus had to withdraw to the wilderness and talk to His Heavenly Father.

 This is another great example for us.

 When the world interferes with our relationship with our Savior, we need to get alone with God and tell Him what we are going through.

 Jesus had the message of salvation and the power to heal, but the message of salvation is much more important!

 It was God and prayer that were the source of His power, and He needed much time alone with God, just as we all do.

 *****Luk 5:17  And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

 As the fame of the Lord Jesus grew, the old religionists came to investigate.

 Above all, the Lord Jesus Christ was at this time Teacher, and it is His message that is of greater importance.

 This committee had representatives from all over the country. Every major area was represented.

 These people could not get along with each other, but they came together to critic the Lord Jesus.

 These critics did not come to help Jesus in His ministry of salvation, and they certainly did not come to learn from Him.

 They came to investigate and observe Him. They were like spectators at a ball game, except salvation is not a game. Salvation is a God thing, and God sent His Son to show us the only path to Salvation.

 What did the Lord Jesus do? He just kept on doing what He was doing and paid them no attention.

 Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 

 We are not here to judge any minister who is serving in the name of our Savior.

 We were never called to be judges but witnesses!

 *****Luk 5:27  And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. 

Luk 5:28  And he left all, rose up, and followed him. 

Luk 5:29  And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. 

 When the Lord Jesus Christ began building His disciples who stayed with Him, He chose those who were the outcasts of society.

 This man called Levi is the same as Matthew, who wrote the Book of Matthew.

 Levi was a dreaded tax collector.

 The tax collectors of that day were normally Jews, and it was Rome who set up the tax standard, but most of the tax collectors were rich because they collected more than was required.

 For this reason, they were hated because they worked for the Roman government.

 To the Lord Jesus, Matthew was just a sinner like we are all sinners, and we should see other people as sinners just as we are sinners.

 We may be better off than those who reject the Lord Jesus, because He has made a way for us to get to Heaven, but we are not better than anyone we meet, lost or saved.

 In fact, Christian Pride can interfere with the job the Lord has given us to do.

 We should have a testimony about what salvation has done for us, but the message we have is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 The Lord Jesus went forth, whether it was from a house or a city, because it was time for Him to be busy about His Father's business.

 What is the business of our Heavenly Father? 1Ti_2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

 By associating with a man such as Levi, Jesus was exposing Himself to ridicule and acceptance by the upper class of Jerusalem.

 These outcasts were not acceptable to the social network of society, but Jesus loved them.

 We must understand that we were all outcasts from Heaven until we accepted the truth of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Just as the Lord Jesus humbled Himself before these outcasts of society, we have to humble ourselves before Him.

 Everything that the Lord Jesus did was an example for us to learn as we are to be more like Him in all His ways.

 Matthew made a great feast in his home, and there were many more of the tax collectors there because they were each other's only friends.

 Matthew's heart was now filled with joy, and he wanted all his friends to learn of God's Messiah.

 Matthew forsook his riches and became a disciple of Jesus Christ.

 The Lord Jesus wants us all to do the same thing today.

 2Co 5:19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 

2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

 As always, the super religious crowd found faults in the way that the Lord Jesus worked His ministry, and these outcasts of society were not wanted in their religious circles.

 They were not acceptable!

 *****Luk 5:30  But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 

Luk 5:31  And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 

Luk 5:32  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 

The religious crowd saw Jesus Christ only as a person who associated with the rejected of society.

Today, this would be the drunks, those who consume drugs, those who have addictions to all sorts of illegal substances, those who are in jails, and anyone else who accepts the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus called us to witness His truths and not be like those who only judge people to see if they think they are acceptable.

If you did not keep the laws of the religious crowd on that day, you were ceremonially unclean and rejected.

Thank goodness we are not under the law, but under grace, God's Amazing Grace.

The Lord Jesus said to this crowd that only those who realized they were sinners needed a Savior.

All those who are righteous in their own eyes do not need anything.

These are those who are sick, but they do not know it.

They will never call the doctor, so they can never be healed.

The Lord Jesus came to save sinners.

The Lord Jesus died to pay the sin debt of all sinners, even those who think they are not sinners.

The Lord Jesus gave His life for the life of all sinners!

The righteous crowd does not accept the fact that they need repentance!

They say they do not need saving.

Those who trust in some false god say they do not need saving.

Those who are rich think their money can buy them salvation, so they do not need saving.

Those who trust in the ways of the world say they do not need saving.

What does God teach us? 

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And God the Father adds: Psa_2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Pro_6:15  Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

Pro_1:26  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

Today is the day of salvation, don't wait until it is too late to call upon the Lord!

Amen