Behold, if the Leprosy Have Covered All His Flesh
The sermon emphasizes the importance of acknowledging one's sinfulness and poverty in order to experience true forgiveness and liberation through Jesus Christ.
C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes the spiritual significance of leprosy as a metaphor for sin, illustrating that just as leprosy reveals the need for cleansing, so does the acknowledgment of our sinfulness reveal our need for Christ. He explains that true contrition and the recognition of our complete inability to save ourselves lead to the grace of God and the cleansing power of Jesus' blood. Spurgeon encourages those who feel overwhelmed by their sin to find hope in their condition, as it signifies the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. He reassures that the very acknowledgment of our sinfulness is a step towards healing and redemption, urging sinners to come to Jesus as they are. The sermon concludes with a reminder that true freedom comes from recognizing our spiritual poverty and relying solely on God's grace.
Text
Strange enough this regulation appears, yet there was wisdom in it, for the throwing out of the disease proved that the constitution was sound. This evening it may be well for us to see the typical teaching of so singular a rule. We, too, are lepers, and may read the law of the leper as applicable to ourselves. When a man sees himself to be altogether lost and ruined, covered all over with the defilement of sin, and in no part free from pollution; when he disclaims all righteousness of his own, and pleads guilty before the Lord, then he is clean through the blood of Jesus, and the grace of God. Hidden, unfelt, unconfessed iniquity is the true leprosy; but when sin is seen and felt, it has received its deathblow, and the Lord looks with eyes of mercy upon the soul afflicted with it.
Nothing is more deadly than self-righteousness, or more hopeful than contrition. We must confess that we are "nothing else but sin," for no confession short of this will be the whole truth; and if the Holy Spirit be at work with us, convincing us of sin, there will be no difficulty about making such an acknowledgment --it will spring spontaneously from our lips. What comfort does the text afford to truly awakened sinners: the very circumstance which so grievously discouraged them is here turned into a sign and symptom of a hopeful state! Stripping comes before clothing; digging out the foundation is the first thing in building--and a thorough sense of sin is one of the earliest works of grace in the heart.
O thou poor leprous sinner, utterly destitute of a sound spot, take heart from the text, and come as thou art to Jesus--
"For let our debts be what they may, however great or small, As soon as we have nought to pay, our Lord forgives us all. 'Tis perfect poverty alone that sets the soul at large: While we can call one mite our own, we have no full discharge."
Sermon Outline
- The Typical Teaching of the Leprosy Law
- The Nature of True Leprosy
- The Importance of Confession
- The Comfort of the Text for Awakened Sinners
- Turning Discouragement into Hope
- 'The Order of Salvation: Stripping Before Clothing'
Key Quotes
“For let our debts be what they may, however great or small, As soon as we have nought to pay, our Lord forgives us all.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“''Tis perfect poverty alone that sets the soul at large: While we can call one mite our own, we have no full discharge.” — C.H. Spurgeon
Application Points
- We must acknowledge our complete sinfulness and poverty before God in order to experience true forgiveness and liberation.
- The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in convicting us of sin and leading us to a genuine acknowledgment of our sinfulness.
- True salvation is only possible when we recognize our inability to pay for our sins and rely on God's perfect forgiveness.