Mark 10

… Gospel Mark, Chapter 10, Verse 46. And they came to Jericho. And as he went out of Jericho, were his disciples, this is Jesus, of course, and a great number of people, blind and optimist, were so optimist, sat by the highway side, begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold this peace. But he cried them all a great deal. Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still. And commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort. Rise, he called them. And he, casting away his garments, rose and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus in the way. And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethlehem at the Mount of Olives, he sent them forth, two of his disciples, and said unto them, Go your way into the village over against you. And as soon as ye be ended with it, ye shall find a coat tied, whereon never man sat. Loose him and bring him. And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? Say ye that the Lord hath need of him. And straightway he will send him there. And they went their way and found the coat tied by the door without, in a place where two ways met. And they loosed him and certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the coat? And they said unto them, He was Jesus' commander. And they let them go. And they brought the coat to Jesus and cast their garments on him. And he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way, and others cut down branches off the trees and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Blessed be the kingdom of our father David that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. There are two portions in this scripture that I have desired to read to you tonight. One concerning the blind beggar, Bartimaeus. A needy soul in need. He needed the Lord Jesus Christ greatly. It may be that there are some here tonight who, like Bartimaeus, are in need of the Lord Jesus Christ. If so, I hope that you will learn the lesson of the great and abiding eternal benefit of coming to the Lord Jesus and putting yourselves into his tender hands. And then in the second scripture from the next chapter, we read not of one that hath need of Jesus, but we read of an animal of which Jesus hath need. The blind beggar needed Jesus. And Jesus needed the coat. But there were certain things that had to be done before it could be used by Jesus. And that's precisely like we are, all of us. Once we have come to Jesus with all our need and put our lives into his hands, great and eternal blessing results to our souls. We are saved for glory. He forgives us all our sins, settles all our debts to God, makes us happy forever. But then he needs us. When we have put our lives into his hands, he needs us each and all. And I trust that everyone here tonight who has repented of sin and put faith in the Lord Jesus Christ may be ready to answer the need of the Lord Jesus Christ who has bought us with his money. It was in Jericho where Bartimaeus met poor Jesus. Going out of this city of the curse, Jericho was the city upon which the curse of God rested because of its opposition to God's work in that district. And by blind Bartimaeus heard this crowd of people, Jesus and a great number of people, going out of the city. And he was sitting by the side of the road, the highway, and he was begging. What a miserable life that is, isn't it? To be poor, to be blind, to be helpless. Just begging, beseeking help from those more poor. And he heard that it was Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, that was passing by. And he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. There were many at that time who said to him, what's all the fuss about, Bartimaeus? Be quiet, don't disturb the beast. But Bartimaeus had a great need in his soul. He had a sense of need, and that's the beginning of the blessing of the Lord, friends. If you have a sense of need, particularly the need of Jesus, that's the beginning of blessing for you. And having this great need in his soul, this overpowering need, when they told him to be quiet, he cried out still, a great deal. Thou son of David, have mercy on me. Now, evidence that this man, Bartimaeus, knew something about Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth. It may be that he had been in the synagogues, the gathering places of the Jews, and heard such scriptures as this read, week by week, constantly. Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son. The king, of course, is David. And here, David's son is going to be given the place of judgment by God. God's righteousness is going to be seen in him. The day is rapidly approaching, beloved friends, when this scripture is going to be fulfilled to the very limit, when the Lord Jesus Christ is going to take charge of the government of this world. And the world shall bring peace to the people, and live in it by righteousness. It's going to be a reign of righteousness. Righteousness, perhaps, for the first time in this wonderful way, because Jesus is at the head. The character of his rule is seen in the next verse. He shall judge the poor of the people, and shall save the children of the needy. We have to tell you tonight that this is Jesus who can save the children of the needy. Every needy soul is in safe hands, if they are the hands of the Lord Jesus. His heart beats with compassion for every soul in need. He shall save the children of the needy, and he shall break in pieces on the other hand the oppressor or the oppressor. He will break in pieces. He shall deliver the needy when he cries. Those of those that have loved him here have heard this read in the synagogue. He shall save the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him that hath no holder. The first man has nothing to pay, nothing to give, for the benefit which he receives. And turning these things over in his heart, our King has said, the Son of David, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of David, and he is here, he is here today, and he is passing by, and now is my opportunity, because God's Word says he shall deliver the needy when he cries. And so he cries aloud, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy upon me. And when told to be quiet, he cries aloud to sin. He remembers that it was read in the synagogue from the psalm, he shall spare the poor and the needy, and shall save the needy. And he said, I am needy, I am blind, and I want my sight. And he cried all the more, with all his power, to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David, who can meet the deepest need of all mankind. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't there anyone here tonight who has a pressing need? Do you feel, dear friend, that you want to know what it is to have your sins forgiven? All your past life, with all its problems, set right by the Lord Jesus Christ. If you feel like that, there is a word for you here in this scripture tonight. Here is one who can save the poor. You may have nothing in your life to offer to Jesus. That doesn't matter, because he's willing to save the poor. The only thing is, have you in your soul a deep need? Do you feel a need of getting right to God? Do you feel a need of repentance and faith in the Son of God, who died on the cross to save your soul? This cry was heard, and your cry, if you will cry to the Lord Jesus Christ tonight, we can assure you, dear friends, that you will live. Jesus heard. He is always listening. He is alive from the dead, a glorious Savior at the right hand of God, and he knows exactly what's happening in your heart and in your mind. He heard this blind beggar crying to him as the son of David. And he stood still. He didn't say, I have no time for a man of this character, poor and wretched and needy. He had a great love in his heart, and he stood still. Don't be afraid of seeking the truth. Don't be afraid of speaking to the Lord Jesus. He will hear, and he will stand still, whatever he's doing. He will give you his undivided attention. And he commanded the blind beggar to be brought to him. So they called the blind man and they're saying, be a good comforter. Lift up your heart. Take courage. He's asking for you. He's calling for you. He's calling for you tonight, beloved friend. If you are not in his tomb already, he is calling for you to come to him. Be a good comforter. Look up your courage. He's calling for you. But you notice that this word is in the singular, this pronoun. He is calling for thee, they said, to the blind man. And nobody but the blind man would do. You must come to Jesus yourself. Your mother taught her this. Your father taught her this. He is calling for thee and that personal pronoun is in the singular. You can't be saved because your mother is saved or because your father is saved or because your brother or sister is saved. You must come to Jesus personally. It must be a private, personal thing. But he asks, he is standing still to receive you. And what did Bartimaeus do when he heard this news that Jesus was awaiting him, standing still? He cast away his garment. He took off his shoes. He took off his garment. He was going to allow nothing to hinder him. That day was a day of crisis for this blind beggar. It was now or never Jesus might have gone by. Are you sure that if you don't accept the opportunity to trust Jesus tonight, are you sure that there will be another opportunity? Be like Bartimaeus. Seize the opportunity now. It was a crisis in his life and he seized the moment and he cast away his garments. He allowed nothing to hinder him. He rose and he came to Jesus. And Jesus spoke to him. He answered him. He answered his cry. Jesus will answer your cry indeed. He answered Bartimaeus and said, What wilt thou? What is it that you are really wanting? And you notice this from now and again, now. He says, what is it that you personally, Bartimaeus, what is it that you are wanting? And the Lord Jesus largely tell him what it is that you really want. Do you want to be saved tonight? Do you want to go home in the consciousness that your sins have been forgiven? That Jesus who died for you upon the cross has told you that you will never enter into judgment for them. You will never be faced with them by a righteous God. He died that you might be saved tonight. Do you want forgiveness tonight? Tell him so. He longs to hear you. What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And he knew that none but Jesus could do it. And Jesus said, what wilt thou that I should do unto thee? There's no one else can do it for you but the Lord Jesus. No one else. Nobody in this room, but I. No man can be healed. Only Jesus can offer you the forgiveness of your sins. What wilt thou, he says to you tonight, what wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And a blind man said unto him, he knew his meaning. He said, Lord, that I might receive my time. He didn't mean to say, well, what am I to do? What am I to do, Lord, to earn your forgiveness? To merit it? Have I to change my life? Have I to say so many prayers a day? Have I to do this or the other, that you might open my eyes? Nothing like that at all. He said, Lord, that I might receive my time. He was willing to be a receiver, to take what Jesus had offered. There were no conditions except that he could receive what Jesus had come for. That I might receive my time. Are there things that you cannot see, beloved friend? You may have your eyes open all right, but there may be some things that you cannot see. You say, I heard people preach the gospel about Jesus, but somehow or other I do not understand. Jesus is the one who can open your eyes to make you understand if you will only come to him. He is the great eye opener, enabling you to see what you never saw before. Lord, that I might receive my time. Jesus said unto him, go thy way, thy faith hath saved me, thy faith hath made me whole, made me well. Is there in your soul tonight a simple confidence in Jesus? Do you trust him to be your saviour, your eye opener? Thy faith hath made me whole, he said to this blind beggar. Go thy way. And immediately he received this sign and he followed Jesus in a way. He became a follower of Jesus and he followed him in the way that leads to heaven. He had a great need of Jesus. Jesus was the only one who could meet that need, who could help him. And he had trust and confidence in his soul in Jesus and Jesus alone. And he got a blessing that day which lasts, a blessing which lasts. He got the Lord's help, he opened his eyes, his faith, his trust in Jesus and made him well. Are you prepared my friends to come to Jesus just like that? To be received. Not to imagine that you have anything to give but just ready to receive from Jesus his salvation, his eye opener. Time forbids us to tell you the things that Jesus offers to you. He's prepared to make you tonight just as though you've never sinned a single sin in your life. Clean in the sight of God. Righteous. He's prepared to give you a righteousness, a righteousness of God. He's unto all and upon all that doth live. Unable to give you an eternal life which death cannot touch because he entered into death for you if you believe in him. He paid the price of your guilt. He drove out the power of death. He destroyed the power of Satan. He's willing to make a change in your life, a victorious life instead of a sinful life. That's not what Jesus told you to do or what he told you to do. If you have need in him, we in the sanctuary will come to him tonight to tell him to cry for him like martyrs. But suppose you have done this. Suppose you have come to Jesus and you belong to him. He just died to purchase you by his precious blood to make you fit for heaven. We want to draw your attention for a few moments to the fact that Jesus has need of you. Here, when they came near to Jerusalem, he sent two of his disciples and he said to them, go your way into the village and I will go against you. And as soon as you have entered into the village you will find a coat, a young ass, tied, tied up. Wear what never man has sat, loose him, untie him and bring him, bring him to me. And if anyone say to you what you are doing when you are untying the ass, say, the Lord hath need of him. And straightway the person who said that will send him to me. We read a little lower down that they went and they found a coat by the door outside in a place where two ways met and they loosed them. And this animal, my friends, I believe that it has a voice for us. It really represents the guilty sinner in the Lord Jesus Christ. And this animal was at the parting of two ways. Could go that way or could go the other way. And I want this little episode here in this scripture to speak to you tonight. If you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ I wonder if you are at the parting of the ways. You could go the right way and you could go the wrong way. And I want to tell you that the Lord Jesus Christ hath need of you. In the book of Exodus in the Old Testament we read about the sacrifices that had to be made in those days. And this is what it says in one part. The Lord spake to Moses and said sanctify unto me all the firstborn that is that God claimed the firstborn of man and beast the eldest child of the family. Sanctify unto me all the firstborn among the children of Israel both man and beast in his mind God lays claim to them. And then a little lower down every first thing of an ass that is the firstborn of the ass shall thou redeem with a lamb. He says you must purchase it for me you must redeem it with a lamb. The lamb must be sacrificed in all that the ass might be spared. And the Lord Jesus Christ the Lamb of God hath come into this world in lowly manhood to die on the cross to be sacrificed for your guilt and your sin dear brethren if you were to be spared. The offer of forgiveness through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has been purchased at great cost it could never be offered to you tonight had not the Lord Jesus Christ laid down his life that you might be spared that you might be forgiven. Listen to this If thou wilt not redeem this if you won't redeem this ass with a lamb then thou shalt break his head. And all the firstborn of man alongside children shalt thou redeem. If there is no redemption by the offering of the lamb the little ass hath to die. And we have to tell you tonight that the offer of forgiveness to you in eternal life can only be made by virtue of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ he paid the penalty to redeem you at the cross. But suppose you don't trust in Jesus who gave his life for you. You are like the ass the things that are said about the ass in this chapter are that it was tied it was not a free agent it couldn't do as it liked it was tied and if you don't belong to the Lord Jesus tonight that's precisely where you stand you are under the power of a foe the devil who holds you tied. You may think you have done your own will and certainly you have not but the devil has led us all astray the truth in the word of God comes out very very clear that we have all been led captive by Satan in the way that he desires although we thought that we would bring our own. This little man was tied man had never sat upon him and he was so unbroken had a will of his own as I have been saying untamed and it's just that character of man unbroken will and untamed and deceived by Satan that's filling the world tonight with misery and with danger and sorrow and death. He was tied he was untamed and he was at the meeting of the waves which way is he to go? The cry went out to those who said what are you doing losing the gas to the disciples of Jesus and they said the master hath need of him that was all and they let him go and we have to tell you tonight that if you have put your simple trust in Jesus he has need of you he knows that you are tied he knows that you have been hitherto under the power of evil under the devil's control he knows very well your unbroken will that you have been delighted to go your own way so he thought but now perhaps tonight you are a party of the waves and the Lord Jesus wants you to decide for a right way are you prepared to do what is what was expected at this angle this little mass there are three words you know would you rather express the situation it has been said these three simple words admit admit the situation the second is submit submit your life to the Lord Jesus Christ you know that Christian take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to Him if you have trusted in Jesus as your Saviour if you have admitted that you have lost and undone and blind and going along to destruction submit to the Lord Jesus Christ submit your life to Him and the result will be just as it was in this angle just as it was in this angle that that's that animal where the garments of Jesus were put upon it and Jesus was placed upon it that animal transmitted Jesus wherever He wanted to be from that day forward I wonder if you are prepared tonight to admit your ruined condition your need of Jesus as Saviour who died on the cross that you might live in glory with Him above are you prepared to submit your life now He has bought you by His blood He died on the cross a sacrifice was made and a price was paid that you might be redeemed to God you belong to Jesus now are you prepared to submit your life taking with you wherever you go into school into the workshop into the home where you live where you work every place you go are you prepared to carry the Lord Jesus Christ to let others see that there is a change coming over you you have admitted your need you have submitted your life you are transmitting Jesus you are showing for His characteristics in everything you say and everything Jesus has need of souls who will do that now tonight I ask you just pray that the consideration of these two incidents may cause any soul who has a sense of need who feels that they would like to be right with God to trust in Jesus here and now don't be afraid be like the thought it bears the opportunity may not come again which of us knows what we are doing now we cry all the more than they should be quiet no this is now the time perhaps now never cry out and submit to Jesus and put yourself in His hands and then submit your life to Him and He will guide it …