Unlocking Your Encounter!

Preparation

Mark 7:31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.

Mark 7:32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.

Mark 7:33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue.

Mark 7:34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”).

Mark 7:35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

Mark 7:36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.

Mark 7:37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Jesus enters into the places where his kingdom is not yet

God often does things in a different way than we think

Jesus sees people in a crowd -

One by one, he comes after his children

Compassion is the connection between heaven and earth

We only love people who listen to us, God loves those whether they do or don’t. Jesus was driven by love toward someone that couldn’t even hear him.

Jesus spoke the deaf mans language (Syriac) to perform the miracle

When Jesus sighs, he exhales compassion for the one

Jesus’s humility and love for people attracted more

It’s not Jesus actions that heal the man, it’s the moment he has connecting with heaven

What is signifcant about the mouth and the ears? The mouth is the vessel of life and death, the ears are highway of obedience.

Main Idea: Unlocking Your Encounter Main Tension: If we’re honest, there are certain parts of our life we don’t want to open up to people. We ignore certain conversations, and we don’t speak into certain topics. There are side effects to this. Lack of relational connection and lack of self worth because you don’t value yourself enough to voice your pain and say that was not okay and it has impacted me.

SI#1 - Other people might be holding the key v32 SI#1 Tension - It’s vulnerable letting other people in SI#1 Application - Who is in your life, that has been trying to take you to Jesus? Who has God placed on your heart, to lead to Jesus? SI#2 - The place of unlocking might not be where you expect v31 & 33a SI#2 Tension - We don’t like when God works outside of our plans. Our tendancy to control SI#2 Application - Go where God leads Decapolos - 10 cities. Outside of the bounds of where religion was. God will go anywhere to chase his people. He will enter in to the darkest and ugliest parts of your life. SI#3 - Without a moment with Jesus you will remain in chains v33b-35 SI#3 Tension - We think we have encounters with Jesus, that are actually just “feel good” moments. Real encounters change your life. SI#3 Application - What is Jesus coming after right now.

SI#4 - Once an encounter is unlocked, good luck restraining the ripple v35-36 SI#4 Tension - Our tendancy is to keep these miracles to ourselves SI#4 Application - Release it. God has loosened your tongue for a reason and opened your ears for a purpose.

Psalm 38:13

Verse Concepts

But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.

Intro:

There are parts of our life we don’t like to to open up about. It leaves us mute and not wanting to hear