Believe ye that I am able to do this? (1) (Quality: very good)

[0:00] As a merciful and gracious help, I venture now in directing your thoughts to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 9, and reading verse 28.

[0:17] The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 9, and reading verse 28. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this.

[0:51] They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Amen. My hope again today really is this, that the Holy Spirit might descend upon me, but also that the Holy Spirit might descend upon you all.

[1:33] We so need to pray for this, because it is through the divine power of the Holy Spirit that the Word of God can and does have free course and be glorified.

[1:57] Oh, may it be so then today. My concern for you all is this, that the Word of God may reach your hearts.

[2:13] You may go home today with the Word of God written in your hearts. In this one chapter that we have read together, I would just first notice that in this one chapter we have the account, first of all, of the man sick of the palsy.

[2:48] We also have the account of a certain ruler who came to Jesus and said, My daughter is even now dead.

[3:06] We have the account of the woman who had been suffering with an issue of blood for 12 years.

[3:17] We have this account of these two blind men. We have, as we have also read toward the close of the chapter, that they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.

[3:39] And the Lord cast the devil out, and the dumb spake. We have this also. 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.

[4:08] Oh, the compassion of the Lord Jesus, as contained in the last three verses of this chapter.

[4:19] And when he saw the multitude, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep, having no shepherd.

[4:34] Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

[4:55] And we do need so to pray that the Lord will yet arise in this land of ours. The only thing that can change the scene and if one might be allowed to put it like this in the eleventh hour regarding our nation, the only thing that can change the scene is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit which would bring an awakening in our land.

[5:33] Oh, that the Lord would arise once more for us. We are fast hastening to destruction when I say that, the Lord knows what I mean.

[5:47] But our condition as a nation is exceedingly serious. May we lay these things to heart and oh, that we might be brought as a congregation here to our knees continually.

[6:08] Oh, that we could be favoured with more secret prayer. I wonder how many of us here on this Lord's Day morning and I use this way of speaking have you been driven into your closet this week to plead with God regarding your need the needs of your families the need of your own soul the need in your lives and the need in Zion which takes in the Lord's people throughout the whole world and our need in our nation and our need here as a people.

[6:56] Well, those thoughts have arisen in my heart. So just then to remind you that in this one chapter we have those differing needs of those that Jesus was pleased to bless and to heal.

[7:22] Well, let me ask you all a question then as we begin. Have you come to the house of God on this Lord's Day morning with an urgent pressing case?

[7:37] Have you come with a burden laying upon your heart? Have you come and I know that we are in our life every one of us in our life our path is different and even in the closest relationships we each have our own and a mercy if we are aware of it our own divinely appointed path to walk in and whatever you have come with and I'm sure there are those here you have come with a burdened heart you have come really and it could all be summed up like this sir we would see Jesus is that how you have come?

[8:29] I find and have found for so many years that I am compelled to ask questions in attempting to preach the word of God because my desire and burden is that I might speak to your hearts every one of you here and that takes in the dear children and the young people it takes in all that are here but it is this great and solemn burden that I carry for you now after those introductory thoughts we come then to this account here these few verses in which we have this record of these two blind men well they certainly had a case we use that word they certainly had a burden because they were blind none of us here

[9:39] I think it would be right to say on this Lord's Day morning are blind that is I mean naturally speaking some of our dear friends know what it is that their sight is gradually failing and going but none of us here literally naturally speaking are blind and what a blessing it is to have our sight and to be able to see I have a blind uncle who has been blind now for many many years and he has sometimes told me that God saw fit to take away his natural sight to give him spiritual sight and I believe that is true the Lord used it to bring about a concern in his soul but these two men were blind now if we seek to apply this spiritually it is also true to say that by nature that is as we are born into this world we are all spiritually blind we cannot we have indeed we have no desire whatsoever after the truth of

[11:16] God and the ways of God now do not misunderstand me I think of all the children children and young people that are here this morning and through the mercy of God you have been brought into the house of God from your early days and you are very very favoured in this but if we view this rightly spiritually we are born blind we have that account in the gospel of John chapter 9 of the man that was born blind and he continued to be blind until the day that Jesus found him until Jesus came to him and the Lord touched his eyes in the way that he did perhaps we might just refer to it for a moment and as

[12:27] Jesus passed by he saw a man which was blind from his birth again I tell you that is just how it is with us all and if Jesus hadn't passed by initially and if Jesus hadn't found him and if Jesus hadn't wrought a miracle for him he would have been blind to the end of his life and that is just how it is with us apart from having our eyes opened by the Holy Spirit to begin to see and to begin to understand that we are by nature blind to the word and ways of God God we continue therein and would do and another very searching thought is this dear friend let me make it clear we can go to the house of God all our days and yet spiritually remain blind does that concern you does it concern us or do you find that there is this cry within your heart

[13:52] Lord open my eyes that I may see and when and as the Lord favoured this man and the miracle that he performed and the way in which it was to be performed is recorded in this ninth chapter of John and he said unto him this is Jesus speaking go wash in the pool of Siloam which is by interpretation sent he went his way therefore and washed and came seeing but that wasn't the end of it he came seeing and presently there was further conflict about him and questions were asked and when he was brought as it were to a point about it this is what he said one thing

[14:59] I know that whereas I was blind now I see he knew this he knew this by experience because he'd been blind and now he could see now if we have been brought then to have our eyes open we shall have commenced to see and to feel and I'm aware that these truths have been spoken to us all our life many of us here but oh friends dear friends if the Lord has opened your eyes you've commenced to see that you are a sinner in the sight of an holy God do you have this evidence of spiritual life I'm aware that it's been said and I have said it many many times through the years but do you have this spiritual sight do you know that you're a sinner in the sight of God have you been made aware of it have you been brought to see and to feel that this is true if you have you will it will be a daily experience and I repeat this it will be a daily experience with us if our eyes have been opened you'll be aware every day that you're a sinner and you'll join with

[16:33] I believe it was John Newton who said sin is mixed with all I do and he goes on in that hymn doesn't he and he says this tell me as he would speak to the Lord's own dear people tell me is it thus with you he wanted to know if that was how they felt and I have said this before but if you were to ask the Lord's dear people here this morning whether they are sinners they would all tell you this yes I am and you would find companions in this and you would know very well and it would encourage you what an encouragement it is to us sometimes to find others who feel just like we do and it's daily a daily concern with us and you will as you grow older it will increase and you'll be made to feel that you're a sinner in the sight of an holy God you'll be searched about it you'll feel it and you'll know that it's truth and that because your eyes have been opened now my desire has been again that I might be completely in the

[17:57] Lord's hand today and so my thoughts have been taken to this dear man whom Jesus found and he could say this can you go as far as this one thing I know that whereas I was blind you'll look back in your life remember when you were spiritually blind remember when you said in your heart you may have said it openly we will not have this man to reign over us you didn't want anything to do with Jesus Christ you didn't want anything to do with his word or his ways or his people oh some of us perhaps you look back and I was speaking to a friend only quite recently who acknowledge this they look back to when they despised God's servants and his people and wanted nothing to do with them I mean in a spiritual way now that is just how it is

[19:02] I had not thought that I was to speak in this way but these two blind men the same truth needs to be known and this dear man you see went on for a time in this condition he could say one thing I know that whereas I was blind now I see I know that I'm different to what I once was now the word of God is the word of God to me now I have to read it now I have to seek after the Lord Jesus Christ to know him for myself now I need him now I want him to be my saviour now I want him to be with me every day oh these this is the life of God within the soul now you feel so different about the word of God and the ways of God oh how different you feel about the Lord's day itself why wasn't there a time in your life when you wish there wasn't a Sunday when you wish there wasn't a

[20:14] Lord's day when your friends went here or there and you wanted to go with them and when you felt perhaps angry with your parents because you had to go to chapel because rightly so they took you and said well you must come oh do you remember when you just waited for the amen of the sermon when you waited for the last hymn when you waited just to be free and you wanted to be gone and you didn't want to come well is it different with you then in that way now do you look forward to the Lord's day now do you have to read your Bible now do you have to pray oh of course this is one very clear evidence of spiritual life you'll be a companion with Saul of Tarsus when his soul was quickened into life on the Damascus road and we read this this is

[21:16] God's testimony to Ananias his servant about him for behold he prayeth there is an evidence that your eyes have been opened now you have to pray you have to pray about everyday things now you need the Lord every day and oh how you need him to speak to your soul how you desire this you read the word of God now hoping there will be something for you you come to chapel praying your way here and now you look forward to the Lord's day now you're thankful there is a Lord's day and oh how thankful you are for the house of God and that you can come and you want to come and how different it is with you now those of you here on this Lord's day morning what did you do when you came in and sat down in your pew this morning did you bow your head you may have been

[22:17] I remember the time you know in my early days when I was so fearful to do that I thought well people will think that I'm I'm a Christian people will think that I'm different people will think something that I'm not and yet you see if there's life in your soul if your eyes have been opened you'll not only pray in secret you'll not only pray around the family altar if you're favoured in that way but oh now you see when you get into the house of God you'll have to pray once more did you have to do that this morning you dear young people that are here do you have to bow your head now in the house of God once more and say Lord do speak to me do come to me today Lord oh you see your eyes have been opened your heart's been as it was with

[23:18] Lydia not only your eyes but your heart's been open and now you want to hear for yourself you come to the house of God like that now oh how different it is with you I seek and hope to find a portion for my soul oh you feel perhaps today as never before oh may the Lord speak to me today well it's because your eyes have been open you can now see you see your need of him and this he gives you tis the spirit rising be again I tell you I had no thought that this was the way that we were to speak but I hope the Lord is in it now I see it seems as though I cannot leave the account of that blind man whose eyes were opened to come to this really and this is a very vital point for us all he had to suffer because his eyes were opened they cast him out of the temple he had to suffer for his religion well we know very little do we not today of what it is to suffer for our religion for the most part people leave us alone it has been very different and it may yet be very different in our land for persecution could arise again and oh friends where should we stand if it does well we should only stand as grace was given but maybe those of you here you may suffer persecution might be children here that suffer persecution at school from their friends it is so and there may be children here in young people and perhaps in your school life there are those that persecute you because you're different in certain ways you have to tell them sometimes you cannot join with them in this or that and you're like a speckled bird but oh if your eyes have been opened you'll know what to do even in school life and even in your young life and indeed all of us here

[25:49] I wonder how many children there are here or young people indeed all of us but do we know what it is to have to pray do you know what it is to have to pray even in going to school do you know what it is to pray as you're at the desk in your school or wherever it might be do you know what it is to have to pray about your friends even when perhaps yet again you have to say well I cannot do this you may have to say well my parents do not want me to do this I was reading quite recently I cannot just remember where it was of something that was going on in a school and there was a boy there and he had taken part in this I think it was may have been in singing but it came to a day when he couldn't do it and of course he was asked why he wasn't doing it and again

[26:54] I do not want to say things that are not true but if the Lord just helps me in my memory in this I'm sure it was right to say he was asked why and what did the boy say he had to say well my father or my parents do not like me to do this and the Lord used it whatever it was it was left out you see the Lord used it for them that honour me I will honour now regarding this dear man and dear he certainly was and is as his record is found here now he suffered persecution and this is what happened that those that were persecuting him they cast him out they didn't want him anymore they answered and said unto him thou wast altogether born in sins and dost thou teach us and they cast him out

[28:06] Jesus heard that they had cast him out oh the wonder of this if any of you are suffering for the name of Jesus today or have been in your life oh the Lord knows the Lord knows what you may be suffering for Christ's sake the Lord knows I know I've gone from one subject to another in a sense but I must tarry here to tell you what happened Jesus heard that they had cast him out and when he had found him he said unto him dost thou believe on the son of God now if that question was put to all of us here today how would you answer it you would answer it

[29:06] I believe in just the way that this dear man did and it's an evidence that your eyes have been opened and this was his answer he answered and said who is he Lord who is he Lord that I might believe on him who is he Lord that I might believe on him oh do you want to believe on him is this the burden of your heart can you join with the whoever it was that penned these lines Lord Jesus make thyself to me a living bright reality more present two-faced vision keen than any outward object seen more dear more intimately nigh than in the sweetest earthly time do you feel to need Jesus Christ above everything else in this world even those near and dear to you oh but you need him this he gives you if you have this he's given it to you tis the spirit rising beam now the

[30:21] Lord didn't leave him there you see and this is what I so feel as a pastor here and as I try to preach the word of God oh our need of assurance our need of God given assurance it's so Michael I feel it in my own heart so you see the Lord found him he'd opened his eyes he could say one thing I know that whereas I was blind now I see but he couldn't be satisfied and the Lord didn't allow him to be satisfied he found him and he asked him the question dost thou believe on the son of God he answered and said who is he Lord you know this is just what Saul of Tarsus said on the Damascus road when the light from heaven above the brightness of the sun shone right into his heart he said who art thou Lord what was the Lord's answer

[31:24] I am Jesus whom thou persecutest it's hard for thee to kick against the prince I've said this before you know dear friends if we persecute the Lord's dear people if you persecute your father or mother because of their religion you're persecuting Jesus do you want to know him then whom to know his life eternal is this the burden of our hearts today so we would see Jesus so you see the Lord didn't leave him in this he answered and said who is he Lord that I might believe on him and Jesus said unto him thou hast both seen him and it is he that talketh with thee and he said Lord I believe and he worshipped him oh he then knew that this dear

[32:24] Jesus who had opened his eyes he now knew that he was his Jesus he knew him for himself how this is to be known by faith oh I do not know in a sense I do not know why I have had to preach as I have this morning but I can only leave it with the Lord and your souls but the vital thing is do we know him for ourselves oh that we could all go home with that thought in our hearts do we know Jesus Christ for ourselves another question is do you want to know him do you want to know him whom to know his life eternal oh dear friends go on praying for me for the evening service oh that you may know oh that we may know more of this this our need of prayer so I would say to you pray on today if you're going home this morning and feel there's been nothing for you pray on today and I believe the

[33:38] Lord will come and speak to you this evening amen amen