865. Multitudes and Miracles

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Senior. His intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services today.

That tradition continues with fervent little preaching from the University chapel platform today speaker will be Dr. Bob Jones the third Chancellor of Bob Jones University before I take us to the passage of the morning.

I have a question for you. Do you think could you possibly imagine that this something which would happen on campus today. Few of you gathering together to pray or some some impression God made on your heart as you read his word. Are you you hear his word. My possibly change the course of a nation, or at least have a big partner, 60 or 70 years from now. Do you think it could happen and start the day on campus through prayer or through the burden God puts on your heart that you carry forward. I just got back from Korea, as was mentioned, and I saw two evidences of that.

I will talk to you amended about it because what I propose is possible as actually happened in Korea goes back to about 1952 I want to put something on the screen to show you right now you can see it well, but the larger picture up in the left corner is a man who got his doctorate here 1952 Dr. Wong went to Korea and started Bible college.

It's now Korean Bible University of about 1600 students.

It's better not very much after BJ you present resident is the son, Dr. Wong, he did not come here when he said my father when he got here and started this college wanted to be just like BJ. You and I evidence there.

When I would preaching chapel that there are so many things going on there. That made me feel almost like I was back at BJ you but before pictures down the side and across the bottom and up the right side art students that Dr. Wong got together and said let's start praying for Korea on the top it says come over to Korea and help us.

Many of those 12 actually did that they've now retired or passed on, but it started with a man's vision here and he got some students together and said share the vision with and will go back and see what God might do in Korea.

It's been a powerful influence that school has for God in the scene of Christianity.

Conservative Christianity in Korea. I want to shift gears and talk about something else that I saw man named Billy Kim came here as a 15-year-old Academy student in the mid-1950s he was sent here by an American G.I. who was not even say that the time Billy was a young kid who was a houseboy in the barracks and army US Army barracks during the Korean War. This G.I. saw something in the boy that he thought was commendable. He said to the board you want to go to high school in American is Jack. I could never do that when he said go ask your mother taking back the next day and said mother said it's okay became was unsafe. This college roommate letting the Christ in the second week of his presence here got called to preach here.

He went on to seminary.

Here he found his wife went back in the late 1950s. He said when I came back here and there was not 1 Single Paved Rd. that I knew anything about in all of Korea just dirt, not that long after the devastation of the Korean War today. Among other things. Billy Kim has a large radio ministry is called the far eastern gospel broadcasting Corporation. Their headquarters in downtown solely occupy $40 million building. They have 13 radio stations across Korea South Korea broadcasting the gospel. They have two powerful, very powerful FM transmitters that govern North Korea with the gospel to all of China gospel Japan with the gospel and one day I was walking through their little memorabilia display of of the history of that ministry in the first placard I saw said something like this. Mr. Tom Watson businessman on the visit. Bob Jones University encountered a student named forget his first night Mr. along the same one that you saw that poster and Mr. Wong said to him, there needs to be a radio presence for God in Korea. Why don't you come over here and started got impressed on Mr. Watson's heart here on the campus through that casual conversation.

That's what he should do.

He went started a radio station. The present derivative of which is the far eastern gospel broadcasting that has such influence all through his vision for it started right here with the conversation. So I ask you you think it might be possible that today or tomorrow. One day while you're still a student.

God might put a burden on your heart and you might get some of your friends together and start praying about that burden and they may catch that burden and who knows what God might do for some nation if the Lord has not come between now and then 60 7080 years from now some nation is Korea might be heavily influence with the gospel because of something that happens here pretty exciting to think about. I believe you might want to think about it, open your Bibles please to Matthew chapter 8.

This is a chapter that begins with multitudes and miracles would you follow, please. As I read when he Jesus was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him, behold, became a leper and worshiped him say Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean Jesus put forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will be thou clean and immediately his leprosy was cleansed and Jesus said to him, see thou tell no man would know thy way, show thyself to the priest offer the gift that Moses commanded for testimony unto them by the well stop right there meant what Jesus say this to him. We can know for sure, but there are commentators who believe and I would agree with them.

That's because healing was not his main reason for being in the world. Of course it was his own purpose. Eudora death that he came in his resurrection. That was the main thing but at least he said to this man. Apparently, until you have that cleansing at the temple which is required to verify that you are in need free of your leprosy. The priest had the verify that.

Don't say anything about what I've done. He didn't want to focus evidently to be upon his healing ministry. I continue with verse five when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came a centurion beseeching him, saying, Lord, my servant lies at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him in the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou should come under my roof, but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed, for I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me and I say unto this man go when he goeth to another, and he cometh to him and to my servant, do this and do that Jesus herded the marble and send them the following verily I say and you are not found such great faith anywhere in Israel. This is a chapter in the ninth chapter with it. Also chapters of multitudes and miracles. I don't have time to go through and point out all the past all the verses in chapters 8 and nine. The talk about the multitudes followed Jesus everywhere he went into a big crowd who listen to them. Pray but to me the really important and necessary focus of all of this is not the multitude. Not surprising they following because the Scripture says he spoke as no man ever spoke but it's his willingness to stop his speaking and interact personally with an individual who was a part of the multitude the student body is a multitude we have wonderful visitors here were very happy to have these days as well. Part of the multitude of BJ. You when Jesus looks down here this morning. He doesn't see it congruent take a group of Amat multitudes, he sees you and you and you and you and each of you and the God who knows the stars and calls them all by name. Think about that how many names do you know billions upon billions upon billions and trillions of stars have all named each star is important him.

Think about that, but how much more important. Each soul he didn't die for. The stars died for your soul and myself. I was to think about what this chapter tells us regarding the miracles from within the multitudes first one we are now introduced to is a leper. Leprosy in the Bible times was incurable and still is, mostly, but there are some help smell.

It was incurable disease.

He couldn't do anything for himself. The doctors may have tried but it was uses all he could do for a leper was segregating from the family that he had friends he had.

He was an outcast. He had to stay out remotely because it was such a contagious disease to touch a leper would most likely make… Leprosy was horrible thing skin turned white flaky body parts begin to disappear.

Fingers would become stubborn suppose would disappear and little by little, the individual would die painful dad's leper came to Jesus and said, Lord, I just want to be clean. You and I have an incurable disease called sin and every sinner just needs to be clean. That's what the blood of Christ, we sing about today is all about their just two people kinds of people here cleansed lepers and none cleansed lepers cleansed centers and unclench centers just to kind, which are you, the Lord Jesus said in the sixth chapter of John. If you come to me you will never hunger again. If you believe in me, you will never thirst again. What's the key to this. Come to me this leper, it says came to Jesus.

There were other lepers who never came to him and therefore nothing was ever done by him. For them, the world is full of sinners. Multitudes of sinners, but only someone come to Jesus of their own volition because they know they have a hopeless disease called sin and only Jesus can cure that. Have you come he that cometh to me. The Lord says I won't cast out. The key is in the coming my grandfather as a boy 12 years old got say under a brush Arbor. It was an evangelistic effort.

They met outside fronds of trees over the top might prove prudent benches and there would be meetings every night outside under this pavilion got say night. He said that the preacher was preaching from Mark chapter 5 on the paralytic man that for friends, each holding a corner of the stretcher brought this man to Jesus could not get into the house where Jesus was went up and tore the roof apart and that this man down at the feet of Jesus and my granddad said I got an impression on my heart that night that if I could just get to Jesus.

I'd be all right.

So it is with you who get run cleansed lepers. If you can just get Jesus you will be all right not this man could not come his friends. In essence came for him brought him to do what he couldn't do for himself.

Nothing's going to be helpful to your leprosy called sin just depend on your church to help you if you have no individual desire of need an understanding of helplessness and hopelessness. If you don't get Jesus. Nothing can be done for you. The knowledge of Jesus can't help you. It's the coming Jesus and saying God be merciful to me, this man came wanted mercy wanted healing. He wanted Jesus to do something he couldn't do it going to be clean. Only Jesus could make him clean. At the very end of the book of the Revelation and the 22nd chapter closes with I think four verses from the end it closes with these words, whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely decided to turn anyone away who will come. I don't find any evidence anywhere in the Gospels where one person who came with the need ever got turned away because he came in of the world to seek and to save those who are lost.

Was there on a mission for those individuals who would come your dire condition today because you haven't, and don't want to come home with the Holy Spirit can do anything about that and so you have friends praying for you have parents at home praying for you God open the heart of my son or daughter there desperately lost their life is miserable. They are in a good place in their miserable every day there discouraged every day. They are despondent. They dug a hole for themselves and they can't get out of it.

Lord lift them up out of that hole and save their soul their people praying for you right now even maybe during this chapel time. To that end, you would come.

Your parents have pleaded with you church member friends and pleaded with you friends here have pleaded with you urgently pressing the claims of Christ upon you. You would not come to realize the only people in heaven are lepers who came to Christ with their incurable sin, disease, and got say your eyes that hell is full of multitudes who would not come multitudes in heaven are individuals making out that multitudes who did come hell is full of multitudes, individuals who would not come.

Look at verse five, Jesus entered into her none the city where he spent really most of his ministry life in a seated centurion came beseeching was interior and as you know, was a lesser Roman officer may be an NCO, a noncommissioned officer. He had people above him in the military structure that he was answerable to do any out 100 men under him.

They were answerable to him centurion was a minor officer with 100 men under him and he said to the Lord. If I tell them to do this or do that are to go work on that they do their under my authority as I am under authority. Everybody in this room is under some authority will be all your life, administration and faculty. Under the authority of the Board of Trustees's became a centurion supplicant came beseeching came Bay Jesus we have a leper here. We just talked about him and we have a beggar here he was in the street beggar. He had some status so not a lot probably and the Romans military structure. We had some authority. He said so. It was an outcast, like the leper, but he came in behalf of somebody who also had an incurable disease in Jesus time is servant, and he said my servant can't come policy took two forms. It was either paralytic all right took the form of convulsive unrestrained tremors that couldn't be resolved by medicine and so the servant was helpless in a centurion came begging Jesus to please heal this sermon. You know it would would have required some humility on this centurion's part. They were the wrongly represented Rome and all of its power and they were in authority in Israel and they were hated in Israel and that nobody going to get near the end they represented the enemy in this man came to Jesus came in public is not ashamed to be seen in public with Jesus in spite of all the political circumstances and he said would you heal the impossible disease that my servant had in the Lord responded to him that I will healing God response to Becker's beggars who will come as a centurion and big Jesus for America that only Jesus could perform and you notice here is what Jesus said to him or said about him. In verse 10, he said, I have not found such great faith in all of Israel.

This was a Gentile. The Lord didn't come on to Gentiles and he came unto his own his own receipt did not, but to as many as received them gave me the power to become the sons of God, did you notice he didn't go to this centurion's home. He didn't come to Gentiles.

He didn't go to his home when he said my healing power would go to your home you go back to your Jesus love Gentiles tube. It is time like we have now for Gentiles induced both be part of his church is not come at this.

It was a wonderful thing. He applauded this. He didn't applaud the faith of the leper, but he applauded the faith of the centurion. I find that very remarkable. Jesus said you, your faith is wonderful. Here he was applauding the enemy in the hearing of whoever was gathered there. He's doing a good thing he's a good man. He has faith you don't have. I came to you he has faith you don't have and I'm honoring that so my friends was keeping you from being a beggar and say God be merciful to me a sinner.

That's what the thief on the cross, said he was a beggar hanging on the cross he wasn't going to die wasn't dying for being a beggar.

He was dying for some other crime that the Romans found guilty thievery. Perhaps murder seditions I don't know all that he was involved with, but they said he needs to die.

He didn't die for being a beggar. But while he was dying, he became a beggar Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. That was the saving petition because Jesus is site you will be with me there today. I'll honor that request and honor that faith. One day the publican people despised by the holier than thou Pharisees religious establishment. Riffraff said God be merciful to me a sinner Pharisee went away bragging about his self-righteousness, the one who came to Jesus and said I'm coming as a beggar, be merciful to me and save me. He got Jesus attention you can get Jesus attention today to be a beggar first Tennessee I get nothing can help me. But you Lord I come on your terms on.

I'm asking you save my soul. I did that when I was 13 years old, a big Jesus one night when I couldn't sleep scared to death. Though I knew a lot about the Bible.

At that time I been exposed to it. All my life and my father was a preacher. My mother was godly and became acutely aware that was and then do me any good when it came to needing pardon I said dear God, your terms I come to you through the cross bloodshed for me there with you except me a sinner. You died for me and I want to be a child. He saved me that night had to be a beggar first had and though I was a leper first, my religious family didn't make me anything, but it is the center that needed Jesus help he can do that for you today father today. There somebody in the student body.

Who needs to be say you're waiting for them to come promise that you will cast them out, you give them eternal life there asking for this in you and you alone. Lord everybody in heaven is a miracle of the new birth everybody and he'll steer because they refuse the miracle of the new birth for the somebody today would receive this miracle and be born again in Jesus name, amen. You've been listening to a sermon preached by Dr. Bob Jones the third chancellor of Bob Jones University. I'm Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University. Thank you for listening to The Daily Platform, the Bob Jones University school for continuing online and professional education offers convenient and affordable online programs. Whether you're seeking to expand your skills pursue a passion or develop a ministry on your own time qualified and engaged instructors will help you reach your goals. For more information, visit scope.BJ you.edu or call 888-253-9833. Thanks again for listening. Join us again next week as we study God's word together on The Daily Platform