**The Apostle Peter announces in one of his sermons that Jesus “went about doing good”. “It was His meat and drink to do the works of Him that sent Him whilst the day of His public ministration lasted.”

While Moses’ miracles were ones of judgement; the miracles of Jesus were ones of mercy wrought not only to cure the body but to bring conversion to the people’s souls.

Hence Jesus shows mercy and says to Blind Bartimeus, “Go they way, thy faith has made the whole. And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus in the way.”

Rev. Whitfield sets out 2 goals: First, to make comments on the matter as recored by the evangelists. Second, to point out a possible improvement on their message.

Jesus goes to Jericho which had been cursed by God through Joshua. Yet, even in such a city were there to be found converts. Jesus also affirmed itinerant preaching with His method of going from town to town to preach and not staying long.

Jesus has a large crowd following Him and as He passed along on the way He hears Bartimeus, son of Timeus, crying out to Him. Bartimeus must have known of Jesus and His power to heal and been aware of his own blinders. Thus he cried out, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” Calling Jesus Son of David would indicate he believed Jesus to be the Messiah and perhaps he knew the verse in Isaiah 35 of the blind seeing.

“‘Have mercy on me,’ the natural language of a soul brought to lie down at the feet of a sovereign God. Here is no laying claim to a cure by way of merit.”[ pg 457] “…in the language of the poor broken hearted publican he cries out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” [pg 458]

Though Bartimeus was opposed he cried out with more devotion which brings Jesus to a stop. Jesus calls to him to come and Bartimeus, though blind, yet in faith, rises, throws off his valuable cloak and goes to Jesus and Jesus heals him.

**This is a summary of Rev. Whitefield’s sermon. For the full sermon and to read his extraordinary insights into the passage visit: Rev. George Whitfield – Sermon 27

Rev. Whitfield arrived and rode directly for Philadelphia the center of the colonies where he intended to work from as the center of his ministry to America.

The population then was around 1,000,000 from the north to Georgia with the three largest cities: Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Their populations ranged from 12, 000 – 14,000.

As he arrived and began to preach in Philadelphia he was drawing crowds of 6,000 – 8,000. That’s 1/2 to 3/4 of the population.

He also sided with Mr. William Tennent and the other men who were preaching in opposition to the dry formalization of the church. Thus Rev. Whitfield joined to fray that was diving all denominations and thereby put the Church of England in the debate whereby almost all their clergy turned against him.

During one of Rev. Whitefield’s sermons on New York an anonymous watcher recorded these thoughts, “He prays most earnestly, that God would destroy all that bigotry and party zeal that has divided Christians. He supposes some of Christ’s flock are to be found under every denomination…He declares that his whole view of preaching is to bring men to Christ, to deliver them from their false confidences, to raise them from their dead formalities, to revive primitive Christianity among them; and if he can obtain this end he will leave them to their liberty, and they may go to what church, and worship God in what form they like best.” [page 436].

Back in Philadelphia Ben Franklin wrote this about Rev. Whitfield, “It was wonderful to see the change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants. From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seem’d as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk thro’ the town in an evening without hearing Psalms sung in different families of every street.” [page 439].

This picture of Dan Beyer at the Super Bowl in Minneapolis represents one goal of the ministry and that is to be at the gates of the event if possible and to be a reminder to the fans of the Gospel.

In this picture Dan is using a sign and is preaching. Members of another team are on the corner evangelizing. So as the fan would pass that team Dan would be the final sign of the Gospel for the fan.

Keep in mind that Dan and the team would have bene evangelizing for three days to the fans and as the fans go into the stadium many would have already seen and heard the Gospel perhaps multiple times.

Our job is fulfilled in our constant vigilance to fans.

Rev. Whitefield begins the sermon with a detailed perceptive that there will be a day when the world is judged: Hebrews 9:27 and that perhaps this day of judgment is what finally draws men who have lived all their life pursuing the lust of the flesh and pride of life to a place to consider their eternity.

Yet there are some who seek to live in the middle between being overtly sinful or righteous. Rev. Whitfield calls them Almost Christians and uses the verse Matthew 25:13 to emphasize his point. He breaks down the virgins into 5 wise true believers and 5 formal hypocrites.

What did the Virgins with no oil in their lamb not have: “no principle of grace, no living faith in their hearts, without which, though we should give all our goods to feed the poor and our bodies to be burnt, it would profit us nothing….They were denied the power of godliness in their hearts.” [pg 425]

Rev. Whitfield then explains a wise virgin: “But the  the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. They kept up the form but did not rest in it. Their words in prayer were the language of their hearts and they were no strangers to inward feelings. They were not afraid of searching doctrines, nor affronted when ministers told them they deserved to be damned. They were not self-righteous but were willing that Jesus Christ should have all the glory of their salvation. They were convinced that the merit of Jesus Christ were to be apprehended only by faith. But yet were they as careful to maintain good works, as though they were to be justified by them. In short, their obedience flowed from love and gratitude and was cheerful, constant, uniform, universal, like that obedience which the holy angels pay our Father in heaven.” [pg 426].

Then Rev. Whitfield discusses the bridegroom’s return and the responses of the virgins: “For also! ‘our lamps are gone out’ we had only the form of godliness. We were whited sepulchres. We were heart hypocrites. We contented ourselves with desiring to be good. And though confident of our salvation whilst we lived, yet our hope is entirely gone, now God has taken away our souls. Give us there O! give us, though we once despised you, give us of your oil, for our lamps of an outward profession and transient convictions , are quite gone out.” [pg 429]

The wise virgins say to the foolish virgins when they ask for some of their oil: ‘Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you. But go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves.’ [pg 429]

Rev. Whitefield, after a lengthy list of illustrations says on page 435, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man may come”.

Once Rev. Whitfield quotes this text then he moves into his long, well illustrated monologue on watching and preparing for the arrival of the Lord.

Visit this site to learn more about the book: The Sermons of George Whitefield.