Second Things - People

Mark's Gospel, please, in chapter 8. Mark chapter 8. Just look with me, Mark 8, verse number 23. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town. When he had spitten his eyes and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw it.

He looked up and said, I see men as trees walking. After that, he put his hands again upon his eyes and made him look up, and he was restored and saw every man clearly. He sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

Now, another reading, just final reading in Hebrews, please, in chapter 8. We'll make reference maybe to this later on, but for now, Hebrews chapter 8, verse number 10. Hebrews 8, verse number 10, For this is the covenant that I make with the house of Israel. After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.

And I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. Now, just over to chapter 10, verse number 16. This is the covenant that I will make with them.

After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts and into their minds, and will write them. And you will say, what is the difference? A very important difference. In chapter 8, it is mind first, then hearts.

Come to chapter 10, in verse number 16, it is hearts and then minds. What I'd like to speak on this afternoon are second things and second people. I think that all are very happy today, very thankful that it was the second man that gave us the second birth, that put us under the second covenant.

I know for the theologians it's a new covenant, but just for the sake of preaching, the second covenant. There was a first one. So the second man gave us the second birth, that put us under the second covenant, that wants to and can give us the second touch.

That's what I'm going to speak about, the second touch. To go the second mile as we wait for the second coming. Now I know I see some with pens, that's going to be a little mind-boggling.

One more time. The second man gave us the second birth, he put us under the second covenant, wants and can give us the second touch. To go the second mile as we wait for his second coming.

Second touch. Very interesting story, I just enjoyed reading it lately about this man. But before we get to that, I want to be very grateful for the second man.

The first man gave us the first death. Appointed unto man who wants to die after this the judgment. That's the first man, that was Adam.

The second death is our fault. It's because we refuse the light, the gospel that has been given to us. But the first man gave us the first death.

The second man gave us the second birth. That's a wonderful thing to be saved. Wonderful to come amongst these people way out here in Iowa and see some recently saved, some who have been saved for years and going on and still faithful to God and to the assembly and enjoying what we're enjoying here this afternoon.

Wonderful, like I say, to have the second birth. And to be put under the second covenant. Now that is important.

You know, as Gentiles we were strangers from the covenants of promise, we understand that. And I'm not going into any length about the covenants or the difference between them. The Apostle Paul said he was the minister, if you like, of the new covenant.

But having said that, the new covenant does not replace the Abrahamic covenant, because Israel will still get the land. It does not replace the Davidic covenant, because they will have their king. But the second covenant, the new covenant, replaces the Mosaic covenant.

Because we're not under the law today, we're under grace. Coming to the New Testament, just for your own information, there are three gospels and three epistles that mention the new covenant. So that's the new covenant.

But what about this second touch that we read about in Mark's gospel, chapter 8? Here's a man that he's blind and not told just what had happened. Others may, gospels may refer to it, make mention of it. But just here in Mark's gospel, chapter 8, we're going to stick with that.

The Lord Jesus comes to him, and he spit in his eyes, put hands upon him, and he asked him if he saw it. Why did the Lord Jesus ask that? Would the Lord Jesus not know that he saw? Well, he says, he looked up and he said, I see men as trees walking. Very important to notice that he does not say, I see you as a tree walking.

No, the Lord is never seen as a tree walking. But he said, I see men as trees walking. You know, I'm afraid today that there's too many of us that see men as trees walking.

Somehow we don't reach out to them with their need, and their greatest need is a need of salvation, the need of being born again, being saved. And we need what this man needed was a second touch. Now, the Lord could have done it all in one, brethren and sisters.

Understand, the Lord did not have to do the second time to this man. But he needed the second touch, and we do too. It will take, I was just thinking while our brethren have been speaking, it will take the second touch for you to put a gospel track in your pocket before you put the cell phone on your hip.

Prepared to do it? Seriously. Seriously. How often do you leave home, and I'm speaking just to myself as well, I've got one of those dangerous things happening from my hip as well.

How often do you leave home without it? Somebody's brought it to the conference besides me because I heard it, sad to say. But we don't. But how often do you leave home without what you need and others need in your pocket? The second touch will do it.

It's interesting, without me telling stories that have been related to me by other Christians, sisters included, what it took to put them into gear to reach out, maybe to the girl you go to high school with, maybe the man next to you in the shop where you work, wherever it might be, whoever it might be, maybe just a waitress at a restaurant, whatever it might be. It was very encouraging. Of course, I print tracks, and I'm very interested in giving out of tracks.

And by the way, listen, it don't cost you a dime. So even a man from the UK, not Scotland, would know that's a good deal. So they're at the back of the bench out there, so you can't say, I can't afford them.

Pick them up, take them with you. But I'll tell you what they're not for. They're not to be left in the glove box of your car.

They're not to be left in a drawer in your house. They're not to be left anywhere but somewhere where you can reach and say, I have them. I use the illustration of the man on the Jericho Road, the man going to meet him.

He didn't, didn't arrive at him and say, look, I know what you need. Just bear with me. I'll slip home, I'll get it, and I'll minister.

No, no. He had it on board when he needed. How many times, come on, be honest.

Yeah, I know you'll be honest with me. When you've gone, ah, I don't have it. That's a rebuke.

It's nice when a lady was at a big equipment show. She's from Newfoundland. Her father's in the truck repair business, a big repair shop.

She was at a big truck show in Moncton, not far from me. So she said to him, do you know anybody in Sussex? Oh, the man said, I'm from Sussex. Do you know anybody in Sussex? Well, he says, I do.

I know a man by the name of Murray McCandless. I never met him. I saw his name on the bottom of a piece of paper somebody gave me.

You know, not that my name's important. But, brethren and sisters, get the second touch. Now, listen, do you want it? This man could have said, listen, this is a lot better than I had.

Well, I'll put up with these men as trees walking. We'll see how we make out. It's a lot better.

It's a great improvement. No, the Lord wasn't going to leave them in that condition, and the Lord won't leave you in that condition either, brother. You want to go from this conference with the second touch, whether it is taking part in the assembly, whether it is engaging in things that you haven't been engaged in, or kind of standing aloof from it, whatever it might be, all for the second touch.

And he touched them the second time. He saw clearly. Tell me he wasn't happy with that second touch.

Go to him and say to him, oh, that's too bad. He had to touch you twice. What'd you think? Oh, listen, listen, without the second touch, there's nothing I could do.

He could see men clearly. That's how we need to see things, brother. It's our vision, of course, that can get clouded.

But the man moving from that boat gave him, like I say, the second touch. But what it did, of course, was it gave him discernment. Discernment.

Never have too much of discernment. It gave this man discernment that he didn't have. More than that, it gave him desire.

Okay? So the Lord Jesus tells him, now listen. And of course, the Lord didn't want them to take him and make him, if you like, popular at that time, or a king at that time. It's not that he didn't want him to reach out to others.

He wanted him to reach out to others. But it gave him a defining moment. Defining things.

And you know, hardly has there been a day when we haven't needed more discernment than we do today. Sad to say, things happen. Listen, I haven't always done things right.

I'm not standing before you as a great example today. But I long for that discernment that gives me a discernment. And speaking to souls, and getting them, not that I can figure them out.

I have misguessed them so many times, it's embarrassing to talk about it. So I have nothing to boast about. But there's times when you have that second touch, and you can see a person's need, and maybe it's through a verse or something God brings to you.

No, I am not one that talks with... I am very, very... People, men that have worked with me know that I do not talk with sinners. I will write down verses, I will get them. I love them to get it on their own.

I like an Israeli, Israelite birth. They're lively. The birth takes place before the midwife comes.

Not as the Egyptians, she said. Listen, there's plenty of Egyptian births out there. Never had divine life.

Nice to see and be among those that have divine life. It's so evident, so clear. Sad when there's... You don't know whether they really got it or they really have it.

Listen, I'm speaking to people today, and I have no doubt you really have it. And you're living it. But nevertheless, not in the assembly.

Really. Not been baptized. You need the second touch.

Okay? Second touch. The New Testament never envisages a person being saved and not baptized. Includes the both.

So the second touch. I'm going to leave 15 minutes for another brother. I could go on with this, but we've had a good afternoon, and I certainly don't want to spoil it.

But let me just give you one example of Elijah needing the second touch. If you went to 1 Kings chapter 19, it said, the angel of the Lord came the second time and touched him and said, rise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee. Here's a discouraged man.

He's down. Man like Elijah, down. Yeah.

You would too, if you had Jezebel on your trail, and trying to deal with an Ahab, and touched him the second time. Made him a different man and a new man. So I want to go from this conference, and these conferences, if you want, I want to go from this visit from Iowa.

It was right there where I got the second touch.