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[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia. It is our prayer that you will be blessed by the preaching of God's Word. Take your Bibles if you would and turn with me to the book of Psalm chapter 86 and verse 15.

[0:12] If you want to, I'm going to be back in Mark chapter 1. I want to talk to you today about how sweet and wonderful and good and kind our God is. I want you to know His person and His character, not according to what people who like to preach positive messages say, not according to what the world might like to hear, but according to what the Word of God says.

[0:37] Before I do that, let's just have a word of prayer. I want to ask the Lord to help you really listen and hear. You don't know Him, maybe. Maybe you know Him, but you don't really know Him.

[0:48] You're saved and you're on your way to heaven. I've spent a lot of my life with a lot of misconceptions that I'm about to tell you about. I've spent a lot of my life with a lot of misconceptions I'm about to tell you about.

[1:00] And as I studied the Scripture and I've grown a little bit in the Lord, I've learned. So I want you to hear this morning. Father, I love you. I thank you for how good and kind you are. And Holy Spirit, you and I both know that the devil will do everything in his power to get their minds on other things, to attack your character, to attack your person, to spread doubt, and to even question what the Bible says because they want to believe bad things about you because of self, sin, and Satan.

[1:30] And I pray, God, that you would deal with hearts and encourage us and let us go home rejoicing at knowing such a wonderful God who loves us and has done all for us to be saved and on our way to heaven.

[1:46] We give you praise for all in Jesus' name. Amen. Most people have one of several misconceptions. You can just jot these down. This is an introduction, not what I'm really going to talk to you about. But they see God as distant or not interested.

[1:59] They see God as distant or not interested. They feel like God has left them to live their life, come what may, and he doesn't care. So people have this idea about a distant, non-interested God.

[2:13] They think God is uncaring. If he is even there, he could do something, but he doesn't see us as important enough to give a rip. He doesn't really answer prayer, they say.

[2:25] They say God is angry, watching us, waiting for us to fail, judging our every move, waiting to punish us from the very first mess up.

[2:36] They see God as demanding. If you do not do things his way, follow his rules, then you have had it. They see God as vengeful, just looking to get back at us for what we have done wrong.

[2:49] So I want to take the time out of Mark chapter 1 and some other scriptures to get you started this morning. I want to introduce you to the God you love and serve. To the God of the Bible, the true God of the Bible.

[3:02] And you won't be able to deny it, so take your Bible and go with me if you would. First to Psalm 86, 15. And I know you can't keep up with every verse. They'll be on the screen. Write them down and look them up.

[3:13] Check their context. But look what the Bible said. When the psalmist spoke to God, he said, but thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion. If you got your Bible there, he's praying.

[3:25] He said, God, I know you, and I know you are full of compassion. And I know you are gracious. And I know you are long-suffering. And I know you are plenteous in mercy and truth.

[3:37] Let me put that in just plain English. God, you're the sweetest, most wonderful, the kindest, full of compassion, God, that could ever exist. You're full of grace. You're full of goodness and kindness towards us.

[3:49] You put up with a lot of junk out of us, and you are full. You have plenty of mercy and plenty of truth. Look, if you would, at Psalm 145 and verse 8.

[4:00] These are just getting us cranked up, just to get you warmed up. I hope you'll fall in love with him today. The Lord is gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy.

[4:13] I know the devil's got you thinking God's up there ready with lightning bolts ready to blast you, dash you, destroy you, and get rid of you. But look what the Bible said.

[4:23] That's in the book of Psalm. How many of you see that's in the Bible? If you do, say amen. He is gracious. That means he's kind and gentle and sweet. And he is full of grace. And he's giving you what you don't deserve.

[4:35] And then he's full of compassion. And then he is slow to anger. He's not up there like ready to be just messed up and angry and throwing a fit. He's of great mercy.

[4:46] Look, if you would, at Lamentations chapter 3 and verse 22 and 23 in your Bible. Everybody knows these verses, but just look at these, if you would. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

[5:00] Because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. Go back to the first verse. Look at Lamentations chapter 3 and verse 22.

[5:13] Find out something about your God. Look at what it says. The Lord, it's the only reason I'm not dead is God is sweet and God is good. Can I get an amen there? It's the Lord's compassions that we are not consumed.

[5:26] And you know what's good about his compassion? It never stops. It never runs out. It never fails. He doesn't say, I've had enough to hear one more thing and I'm going to kill you.

[5:36] His compassions fail not. Look at the next verse. It says, they're new every morning. I mess up today. I really blow my day. You ever blow your day? And it's the very next day and you're like, man, I was such a rear end yesterday.

[5:49] I messed up so bad yesterday. I'm sure he's mad. He ain't never going to check. Nope. The new every morning. He doesn't even have a morning. It never gets dark where he is, but you have a morning and his compassions, they fail not.

[6:03] They're new every morning. So I want you to go down with me to Mark chapter one. And we're going to walk through this passage of scripture. And I want you to get the understanding of what the gospel of Mark is teaching you about Jesus.

[6:16] I want you to get the picture of what the gospel of Mark is teaching you about Jesus with me, if you would, this morning. So the first thing I want you to understand is we're in a spiritual war or God's in a spiritual war with Satan and sin.

[6:28] And Satan and sin are attacking people. So spiritual warfare. So what's actually going on is there is this rebellion by this evil angel who decided he didn't like God being in charge.

[6:41] And he is in the process of hurting people, destroying people's lives, messing people up. And he is fighting with God in every way he can to argue with him.

[6:52] So look at where the passage is. So you'll see it's in the passage. Look at Mark 1.32. Got your Bible? Mark 1.32 says, And at even when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased and them that were possessed with devils.

[7:08] So all of a sudden in the passage, in the scripture, in this place where we are, there are people that the devil is harming. The devil's in them. He's possessing them. And I don't have time to go through all that's going on.

[7:19] Those people sometimes throw themselves down. They cut themselves. They live in the graveyards. They live in tombs. These are people that are just messed up big time.

[7:29] And they're bringing them to Jesus to get some help. Look at Mark 1.39. This is all in our passage today. The Bible said, And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee. And he got rid of the devils. He cast out the devils.

[7:41] There's a battle going on. There's a battle going on between the devil and between God. And you and I are the ones the devil is trying to mess up. It's an all-out war with Satan attacking God and Satan trying to destroy God's creation.

[7:57] Satan wants people to hate God. So he plants all sorts of thoughts about him in this world system. You've got to understand. Go back to the very beginning. We've been doing this for several weeks.

[8:08] And you'll understand that Satan rose up and said, I want to be God. I want to take over your place. I'm in a battle with you. I want your place. And so one of the devil's biggest things he likes to do is make you think bad of God.

[8:20] God's name gets slandered so regularly. The fact is, if God, if people talk about your wife like people talk about our God, you'd be fighting mad.

[8:31] They're talking so bad about him. Satan wants people to think that God is cruel. They want everybody to think God is mean, that he's been that way since the very beginning, but it has never been that way.

[8:44] Just quickly, can I remind you of the very first story in the Bible? See, the first time you meet God, the first time you meet God, you go to Genesis. That's the book of beginnings. You want to know how he is.

[8:56] Let's have our first impression of God. Let's see him when we first meet him. You realize he does? He creates a world. He makes it fantastic and wonderful. He sets it all up.

[9:06] He said, man, I've done a really good job here. He makes a man say, this is really good. Then he says, that man needs a woman. And it'd be a whole lot better if he had a woman. He gives him a woman and says, man, this is really good.

[9:17] He made a great world. Then he put him in the garden and he said, man, it's all yours. Everything's yours. Eat it. Enjoy it. Play with it. Ride it. You got zebras.

[9:28] You got elephants. You got camels. You got the whole works. I've set this great place up for you. There's only one thing I don't want you to do. Don't eat that tree over there because that tree is a tree of knowledge of good and evil. Don't eat that one because if you do, you'll die.

[9:40] Don't do that one because it'll kill you. Don't do that one. Everything else is yours. They go and they eat that tree. And so you would expect that God is angry and he's going to come down in billowing rage and destroy them.

[9:54] But instead that afternoon when they're hiding and they've covered themselves up with leaves and they're all behind some trees and they're hiding out there, he comes down and says, Adam, Adam, where are you, buddy?

[10:05] And Adam says, well, I'm naked. And I hid myself. He said, how do you know you're naked? Ate the tree, huh? So you ate of the tree. And instead of God saying, come over here, I'm going to kick your rear. God says, I can help with that.

[10:16] Come here. And he takes the life of an animal and he covers it with skins, a substitute already. And they did die spiritually. They were separated from God, but not long because God came looking for them.

[10:29] They didn't look for God. God came looking for them. You get that picture? God wasn't the one that was going to kill them. Sin was going to kill them. They'd done wrong. And he came down and he rescued them and he said to them, hey, Eve, I'm going to let you, because you got fooled by that old devil.

[10:47] I'm going to let you have a kid. And that kid, your child will be able to stomp. One of your children will have a child that will stomp the head of the devil. Well, Adam heard that.

[10:57] His wife's name at the point was only woman. And when Adam heard that, Adam was like, wow, we're not dying. It's not over. We're going to live. He said, woman, I'm changing your name to Eve, the mother of all living.

[11:11] Go read your Bible. It's in there. She had a baby. As soon as the baby was born, she said, I've gotten a man from the Lord. Maybe it's the man. And then the next child was born. And she said, I got a seed from the Lord. It'll be 4,000 years later when a little lady named Mary has no idea it's going to happen.

[11:26] And the Lord says, you're the one. He's going to let have the baby. And Jesus was born who came to destroy. That's his picture from the very beginning. Not the wrath will mean destroy you, God, but the God who said, even though you messed up, I'm here to love you.

[11:40] Jesus came to save and rescue. He did not come to condemn or hurt. Look at John 3, verse 16. You know this by heart, but I don't know if you've read everything it says. So read with me, John 3, 16.

[11:51] The Bible says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

[12:01] Now, you know that verse. That's a fantastic verse. God loved the world, everybody, so much that he gave his only son that you could be saved. But if you stop there, you don't get the beautiful picture.

[12:13] Look at verse 17. See in verse 17, it says, well, God didn't send Jesus into the world to condemn the world. It's not like God was up in heaven and said, I'm fed up with him, people. Jesus, go down there and beat up on them a while.

[12:26] That's not what he did. He said, they're in trouble. They're sick. They're hurting. They're dying. Sin and Satan are beating the fire out of them. Go down there and don't condemn them. Look at him, he says, but that they could be saved.

[12:38] Can you read the verse for me? Read the verse right here behind me. For God sent not his son into the world to what? Condemn the world, but that the world through him might be. You know what he said? I love them.

[12:49] I want them to be saved. I want to see a difference made in their life. So you need to understand something. The compassion of our Lord, the compassion of a God who loves you, the compassion of a God who came to save you.

[13:01] Second thing I want you to look at, go with me to Mark chapter one in verse 30. The second thing I want you to see is God, he gave personal attention. Jesus, God in human flesh gave people, all people, personal attention.

[13:16] And I have traveled a little bit around the world. I have seen the altars of Buddha. I've seen, I've been to Islamic places. I've been to Buddhist places. I have been to Hindu places.

[13:28] I've been a little bit of everywhere around the world. And nobody got a God so personal as Jesus. Ain't nobody got one like him. He personally cared. He knew them personally.

[13:39] He went to their house personally. And in Mark chapter one in verse 30, look what happens. Simon's wife's mother, that's mother-in-law, was sick of a fever. And so they told Jesus, hey, Jesus, we're over here at Peter's house, but his mom, his mother-in-law's sick in the back room there.

[13:54] And Jesus said in verse 31, he took her by the hand and he lifted her up and the fever left her and he healed her. Whatever you're hurting, Peter, if it's hurting you, if it's bothering you, I care about you.

[14:06] I care enough to show that to you. But he didn't just do it for his closest personal friends. He did it for everybody. Look in Mark chapter one in verse 32. In Mark chapter one in verse 32, the Bible said, and at evening when the sun did set, they brought unto him all, all that were diseased and them that were possessed with devils.

[14:25] Verse 33, and all the city was gathered together at the door. And verse 34, he healed many that were sick of divers or diverse, many kinds of diseases. And he cast out devils, out many devils and suffered not the devils to speak because they knew him.

[14:40] Jesus came serving. You reckon he got tired? He's a human. He's in a human body. He's God in human flesh, but he's limited himself to everything human.

[14:50] He is already taking care of Peter's mother-in-law. And now people are at the door and they're knocking and he could have easily set up and said, I don't want to help everybody. I'm going to help a few choice ones that I like real good. But they all knocked on the door and he just opened the door and started healing and everybody came.

[15:05] At the end of the story, he said, man, he healed a whole bunch. He healed a whole bunch. Because a whole bunch came to the door and he healed a whole bunch of people. He cast out devils. You see, he personally knew Peter and he personally took care of him.

[15:15] But even the public came. And Jesus was there working and helping. Jesus was there making a difference. Now go with me to Mark chapter one, verse 38.

[15:25] I want you to understand what's really happening in the verses so you take this home and think through what he's saying here. Look in Mark chapter one, verse 38. Jesus came to the earth because of our need. I want you to see.

[15:36] Look at 138. And he said to them, let us go into the next towns that I may preach there also. For therefore came I forth. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee and he cast out devils.

[15:49] Now look, here's what happened. Maybe you read that and you think, well, that means Jesus just liked preaching. And so he'd already preached in this synagogue and he thought, I'll get another synagogue. I can add that to my preaching list and say, I'll preach in that synagogue and that synagogue.

[16:01] But you see what he's preaching is, he's announcing to all these people, there is a God in heaven that loves you. There's a God in heaven that's done everything for you to be saved.

[16:12] There's a God in heaven that cares about you. And I am here in human flesh to tell you about a God who cares for you, who's paid your sin debt, who's going to save you, going to rescue you.

[16:24] And sin's had you long enough. And I'm going to make a difference in your lives. He said, I got to get to the next town. I helped these people. I can go into the next town. I've been healing here. I'm going over there to heal. I've been working and helping people here.

[16:35] I'm going over there to help them. Because you see, that's the truth about our Jesus. Look, if you would, at John chapter 10 and verse 10. And I know I've shown you this so much, you're probably ready to shoot me.

[16:45] But this verse sums it up. Look at John 10, 10. The thief comes not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. Now, look at this. The thief, that's Satan.

[16:56] You know what Satan does? This, all of this planet, all of the universe belongs to God. He created it. He owns it. It's his dominion. But Satan's a usurper.

[17:07] He rises up. But he says, I want to overthrow God. I want to take it away from God. I want to fight with God. And I want people to hate God because I hate God. I don't like anybody telling me what to do. And so he's trying to steal everything from God.

[17:20] And to do that, he steals it from you because he can't really steal from God. But if he could steal your opinion, make you think less of God. If he could destroy your faith in God. If he could somehow invent enough religions to get you away from Jesus.

[17:34] If he could make you have to think God is a tyrant. God is mean. And God makes me do this. And God makes me do this. And God makes me do this. You'd be like, man, God's tough. But Jesus, that ain't why I came.

[17:46] He came to destroy you. He came to kill. He came to steal. But I came. Look at the verse that they might have life. You know why? Because all the way back in Genesis, died.

[17:56] Remember? You eat that tree, you die. And this whole human race was plunged into sin and death. We're all going to die physically. And we're all already dead spiritually if you haven't been saved. And so death has us.

[18:08] And we are just like zombies marching towards a grave until we see our need and trust Jesus. And so he said, I came that they might have life.

[18:19] I don't want them to die. If you're here this morning, he does not want you to die. He does not want you to go to hell. He does not want you to spend eternity away from him. He does not want you to live to your own vices.

[18:30] He wants you to have life. Not only does he want you to have life, he wants you to have abundant life. All he originally intended for us to have. And when he built that garden, it ain't nothing like Alpharetta.

[18:43] When he fixed the creation, it was fantastic. It was beyond the wildest imaginations. And he's like, hey, I want you to have everything I ever wanted you to have. Sin's trying to ruin you.

[18:53] Satan's trying to ruin you. But I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly. Jesus came to rescue. That was the story of Adam and Eve.

[19:05] Can I just remind you, first impressions, the first time you saw him, he was gentle and kind. The first time you saw him, he was loving and caring.

[19:16] The first time he shows up in Scripture, in Genesis chapter 1, in a human-God relationship, he was wonderful. I grew up for a long time thinking how Adam and Eve ate the tree and God got mad and threw them out and was angry.

[19:34] That's kind of how they taught me at Sunday school. And sometimes you've got Sunday school teachers that taught you that kind of stuff. They don't mean to, but they end up making it sound like God was a bad guy. Well, God wasn't a bad guy. Sin was a bad guy.

[19:46] Satan was a bad guy. We did wrong, but God didn't do anything wrong. And when they were over here alone and hiding and ashamed and embarrassed, God came and said, Hey, I know you're hurting and I can meet your need.

[20:01] I know you're in trouble and I will do something if you'll trust. And he took care of them. You know that he hurts when you hurt? You came this morning and you're hurting.

[20:13] You came this morning and you're like, I don't know where God is and I don't know what God's doing, but I wish I had somebody to help if you just knew the God of the Bible. You know that even this service is prepared for you because he loves you and he cares.

[20:24] Look at what he says in Matthew chapter 9 and verse 36, if you would. Matthew chapter 9 and verse 36. When Jesus saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd.

[20:41] So Jesus saw these people and he saw that they were tired. They were fainting. He saw that no one was caring for them. He saw they'd lost purpose.

[20:52] They were scattered abroad and he had compassion on them. Mark this down. You came this morning and maybe you don't know this, but he knows who you are. And he loves you and he cares for you.

[21:06] And there's not a person in this room who you won't save. There's not a person in this room he doesn't love. He loves every one of us. He loves every one of you. And he sees you and he hurts for you. And the fact that sin is beating you up and it's beating you up at your home and it's beating you up in your life and it's beating you up financially and it's beating you up emotionally.

[21:24] All the junk is going on. He loves you and he cares for you and he feels compassion towards you. He's a Jesus. Jesus is a God who meets every need. Luke chapter 7 and verse 12.

[21:38] I won't take the time to read all this passage. You can write it down later. But he was coming by a city and they were carrying out a dead man and they're on their way to the graveyard. The dead man is laid up on the, be like us, in a casket.

[21:50] And they're carrying him out. In chapter 7 and verse 12, they were carrying the dead man out. In verse 13, the Lord saw the mom. And she was crying. And she lost her son.

[22:02] And she lost really all means of supporting herself because as a woman, she needed a man in her family, in her life. A husband, but he was dead. Or a son who could help take care of her.

[22:12] And now he is dead and she's all alone. She is all alone. What is going to happen to her? And when Jesus saw her, he said, don't cry. Don't cry.

[22:24] I'm here. And I'm going to take care of it. And he came and he touched the buyer. He touched the casket thing that they had there. And they stopped. And he said, hey, young man, get up.

[22:36] And he gave the boy back, alive to his mother. You see, death was never a part of God's original plan. Do you hear that?

[22:47] Death was never a part of God's original plan. You know, there was a tree in the garden that they weren't supposed to eat of called the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But there was a tree of life over there that they had free access to.

[22:58] They had free access to the tree of life. That's what he wanted, life, not death. It wasn't God's original plan. Did you know hell wasn't made for you? You probably heard plenty of preachers talking to you about when you're going to die and you're going to go to hell.

[23:11] Did you know hell was never made for a human being? It was made for the devil and his angels. Death came because of sin. But Jesus died to give us victory over even death and sin.

[23:24] This is one of my favorite verses I'm about to read to you. Go with me to Matthew chapter 12 and verse 20. Jesus is the epitome of kindness. I love this verse. When I was young and reading it, I was like, man, that's kind of weird talk.

[23:40] I don't get it. It's talking about Jesus. Look what it says about him. A bruised reed he shall not break. So it's like poetry here.

[23:52] And he's saying, you know, if there's a broken branch, a flower, I'm not going to break it. If it's already damaged, I'm not going to break it. I'm not the breaking kind.

[24:04] I'm not the hurting kind. That's just not who I am. A bruised reed shall he not break. Smoking flax shall he not quench. He won't even put it. It's quit burning like it ought to.

[24:16] See, but he ain't putting it out. He ain't going to stop it. He's sweet and gentle and kind. He's not boisterous and loud and fighting. He is sweet and gentle and kind.

[24:27] And he loves you. Now, let me tell you something. If you know any Bible at all, you know this. When you see Jesus, you have seen the Father. A guy named Thomas in John chapter 14.

[24:39] And some people, they just got this picture of God as this angry being who wants to destroy people. And then Jesus is this sweet, nice guy. But in John chapter 14, Thomas said, well, Father, Jesus, if you're going to leave.

[24:54] Jesus said, I'm leaving. I'm going to go, but I'll be back for you. And Thomas said, well, if you're going to leave, could we ask just one favor? Could you show us the Father? And Jesus said, show you the Father.

[25:07] Show you the Father. If you've seen me, you have seen the Father. How could I have been with you all this time and you're not figured out? You're looking at the Father.

[25:18] You don't know how God is. Read these stories about Jesus. Can't go to a funeral. He can't even leave a mother-in-law sick. Lord, help me. He's good. Say amen right there.

[25:29] He can't even leave a mother-in-law sick. He can't leave a guy at a funeral. A guy can be dead four days. He walks up. He comes into a town and he's already tired because he's only serving and helping people.

[25:42] And the whole town comes out and he never says, banker's ours. Get an appointment. See me tomorrow. He just keeps loving people.

[25:54] There's no way for you to understand the love he feels for us. He is too good. Now go with me to Mark chapter 1 and verse 40 if you would. Mark chapter 1 and verse 40.

[26:08] No one that he will not love. No one that he will not love. Your condition doesn't matter to him. You might be thinking to yourself right now, but you don't know what I've done.

[26:20] You don't know where I've been. And you don't know how much sin and junk I've done. You don't know what a jerk I am. And you don't understand he could never love me. Nobody could love me. I'm past loving.

[26:31] Well, not for Jesus. In Mark chapter 1 and verse 40, there came a leper to him, beseeching him, begging him, asking him. And he knelt down to him and he said, if thou wilt.

[26:42] If you will, you can make me clean. And you can heal me if you want to. Verse 41. And Jesus moved with compassion. But I wish you'd underline that verse, put a star beside it.

[26:56] Jesus moved with compassion, put forth his hand and touched him and said, well, I will. Be thou clean. I need you to understand who lepers are in that society.

[27:08] Leprosy is far worse than AIDS in that day and time. It spreads. You touch, you get sick. You breathe the air they breathe, you get sick. You drink the water they drink, you get sick.

[27:20] The Bible had given strict instructions. When somebody has got leprosy, you have to quarantine them. You got to get them out of the city, get them away from everybody. I don't know that you remember this, but years ago in the United States, there were TB hospitals, tuberculosis hospitals.

[27:36] And you couldn't even see the people in there unless they were at a certain level of recuperation. And there were these places. There's one in Rome. It was just a big old place where everybody got tuberculosis was sent because it was too contagious.

[27:48] Leprosy was far worse than that. A leper had to live outside the city. A leper had been eaten alive. Literally, parts of his body are falling off. Literally, there's a stench that accompanies his body because this sickness is literally eating his body to the bone.

[28:06] When he walked down the street, if he saw anybody, he had to cover his face and holler, Unclean! Unclean! Stay away! Stay away! No one can touch me! No one can get close to me! Unclean!

[28:16] They lived outside the city. Well, this one has the audacity to have figured out something. He figured out Jesus wasn't like regular people. He figured out Jesus was a sweet and loving God that didn't care where you've been, what you've done wrong.

[28:32] Jesus loved people. And he comes running up to Jesus. He ain't supposed to do that. And then he bows down to Jesus. He's not supposed to do that. And he bows down to Jesus and he said, If you wanted to, you could help me!

[28:46] Now, Jesus could have easily said, Get him out of here. Let's move. This guy's got leprosy. But he touched him. He reached out his hand.

[28:57] You don't touch him. He reached out his hand and he touched him. And the guy had said, If you wanted to, you could help me. Jesus says, Well, I want to. That's him.

[29:08] You came this morning. You're thinking, Man, if God is really like that, he could help me if he wanted to. He wants to. If you came to him right now and you said, I have messed up in the way I've, Sexually I've messed up.

[29:21] I've messed up. I've messed up with drugs. I've messed up with alcohol. I've messed up being a thief. I've been a murderer. I don't care where you've been or what you've done. He loves you.

[29:31] And if you come close to him and you would say to him, If you wanted to heal me, you could. He'd say, Well, I can and I want to. And I want to.

[29:42] He was moved with compassion. There's not a person in this room who is beyond his love, who is beyond his help. He cares about you and he wants to see you saved.

[29:55] It would have been loved but feared. You know, people love their lepers. But you've got to understand, One of my children gets leprosy. My grandchildren will die. If I let them stay in the house, I've got to get rid of them.

[30:08] I can't leave them in the back room. Years ago, we were in Peru and one of our daughters got hepatitis. And it's a stuff that doesn't happen here, but it's highly contagious.

[30:20] You don't let them, you don't let anybody eat off those plates. You burn things, you throw things away and you quarantine them. And we had these visitors visiting with us and they'd been in our house about seven or eight days. And every day, my wife was taking food down and opening the door to the room and handing my daughter her food.

[30:36] She'd been locked away in this room for like seven or eight days. You can ask Betty, this is a true story. And she's giving her the food and giving her the drink. And on the last day, she had reached the number of days when she could be healthy. And Betty brought her upstairs.

[30:47] And I'd be like, who is that? We said, that's our daughter. Where's she been? We had her locked away in a bedroom downstairs. She's quarantined. That's that leper. Nobody else would have talked.

[30:59] Nobody else would have loved him, but he comes running to Jesus and Jesus hurt for him. So if this morning you're thinking he doesn't like you and he doesn't love you and he's angry with you, I'll tell you what he's feeling.

[31:11] Hurt. He hurts that you're hurting. He cares about you. He's moved with compassion. So what are you going to do with such wonderful love?

[31:23] So in Mark chapter 1 and verse 44, this guy, Jesus heals him. He said, look to me. Listen, I'm not doing this for a selfie.

[31:37] I'm not doing this for a self-promo. We're not tweeting this out. We're not putting this on Facebook. I just love you. You know how some people are. I'm going to give $2 to this need.

[31:48] Click me giving $2. And click me sending money to the people that need help. Jesus is like, I don't do nothing for that. I'm doing it because I love you. He said, don't you tell anybody. Mark chapter 1 and verse 44.

[32:01] Verse 45, the guy went and left and he published it much abroad. He blazed it abroad. And he got it so bad. No matter where Jesus went, he couldn't go there because everywhere he went, people just thronged him.

[32:13] They were everywhere because this guy's running around and said, I know a guy that'll help you. I know a child will change you. I know no matter how bad off you are, he'll help you. Come on. Come see Jesus. Jesus hiding out in the country and they're still finding him out there.

[32:27] The guy couldn't control himself. The story's repeated all through the scriptures. It's other stories, other people, other problems, other hurts, but it's always the same story. They came to Jesus and he healed them.

[32:40] They came to Jesus and he helped them. He cares about you. You might be rejected by society. Religion may have thrown you out. Even your family might not love you, but Jesus does.

[32:55] Jesus loves you. This man, the leper, knew Jesus could make a difference. I want to read you one last verse and I'll close. That's the way all of us ought to feel.

[33:08] In 1 John 3 and verse 1, the apostle John kind of loses control emotionally. You know, you've seen these people get up and give a word of testimony. They start to say something. Their lips are quivering.

[33:20] And they're overcome with emotion because of the love they feel. So look in 1 John 3, John goes, behold. That means like, look, look, look what kind of love.

[33:34] Look at what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us. Look, the Father has loved us and showed us a love that you can't believe. You know what it is? That we should be called the sons of God.

[33:48] I used to be a sinner. I used to be rebellious. I used to be living my own lifestyle. I used to be a leper. I used to be a blind man. I used to be a publican, a sinner.

[33:58] I used to be a prostitute. I used to be a murderer. I used to be a liar. But he loves me. He loves me. And he calls me his son. That's the compassion of Jesus.

[34:12] So you came today. And you're not saved. Fact is, you're leery about church. You're leery about everything going on here.

[34:23] You're like, I know them church people. They're judgmental. And I know those. I know how God is. He's mean. No, you've been told a lie. I'm not saying church members can't be mean. Church people can be mean.

[34:35] Church people have been ugly to a lot of people. Preachers, man, really bad guys. Lots of times. They might say, Jesus don't want to touch you.

[34:49] The children started to get close to Jesus. The apostles are kind of acting like ushers. They're like, we don't want them to bother Jesus. No, don't let the kids get near Jesus. No, no, no, no, no.

[35:00] Let them come. Let them come. That's who he is. You know what his message to you is this morning? Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden and I'll give you rest.

[35:12] He's a wonderful, saving God. You've been wondering if anybody loves you. You know you're a sinner. Nobody has to tell you that. You already know you've messed up. You already know you don't deserve love.

[35:26] You already know that your sin is taking a toll on you. The Bible says, for all have sin and come short of the glory of God so you're not the only one. The Bible says there's none righteous, nobody perfect, not a one. The Bible says that your sin is going to take you to death.

[35:39] It's destroying you. The wages of sin is death. And then it says, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. You can know for sure you're saved today.

[35:52] You can know for sure your sins are forgiven. You can be called a child of God and I invite you to do that. This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia.

[36:03] For more information, log on to www.visionbaptist.com where you can find our service times, location, contact information, and more audio and video recordings.