In Our Delay 10.8.23

Where He Meets Us In Our Delay En Nuestro Retraso October 8, 2023 We are continuing our look in the New Testament at stories which highlight the promise that we will find Jesus in the intersections of our greatest moments-times when we really need Him and He shows up. Last week, we talked about how Jesus meets us and prepares us for the attack of the enemy that is meant to bring us down-His presence puts the devil in his place and restores us to the place of God's purpose. Today, we are looking at a father whose child is in trouble...and he goes looking for Jesus to help. Let's Stand To Read (there's an odd sequence to this reading) (Mark 5:21-24; 35-43) Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, pleading fervently with him. "My little daughter is dying," he said. "Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live." Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him...(v35)-While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, "Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now." But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, Don't be afraid. Just have faith. Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn't let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. He went inside and asked, "Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn't dead; she's only asleep." The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl's father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. Holding her hand, he said to her, "Talitha koum," which means "Little girl, get up!" And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat. Introduction: Mark tells us about a father whose daughter is seriously sick. The movie Chosen portrays this father as a religious leader who is intrigued by the teaching of Jesus but when everything else has failed with their sick dauther, he and his wife decide he will go and find the teacher in hopes that he might do for this girl what he is reportedly doing for others. Once he finds Jesus, shares his story, Jesus agrees to go with him to see his daughter and they start out. As always, there is massive crowd of people following Jesus and as they go there is an UNEXPECTED INTERRUPTION because a woman with an issue of blood steps into the crowd and quietly reaches out to touch the robe of Jesus and is instantly healed. (We will talk at length about her next week)-but her story is linked to this father because when she is healed, Jesus stops! While Jesus interacts with the woman, the daughter of the father dies and the hope that had just exploded when Jesus agreed to go to his house is now greatly challenged. To the dismay, Jesus speaks- Don't be afraid. Just have faith. No tengas miedo. Solo ten fe. The question today is how do we manage our faith when the moment of our hoped-for miracle is delayed...when it seems God is not working according to our hopes and expectations. You Learn To Manage Disappointment Aprendes A Gestionar La Decepción * Let's begin with why Jairus is disappointed? o Because there is a human urgency to his need and Jesus is not working according to Jarius' timetable o It may be that someone else is getting the attention he thought he would be getting from Jesus. (other people are getting healed, why not me?...the children of others are serving the Lord, why isn't God saving my children, my husband, my wife?) Our disappointments occur when our expectations are not being met. Nuestras decepciones ocurren cuando nuestras expectativas no se cumplen. * We don't manage time the God does-He inhabits all space and time, meaning that today and tomorrow are the same to Him-not to us! * Tomorrow could mean "waiting" and waiting is not something we do well. o The space between my request and His answer is WAITING TIME o What if your WAITING is the time when God is changing you? o What if WAITING is the time when you worship Him? You Decide What You Believe Tú Decides Lo Que Crees * Just when is bad news really bad news? * Faith is not faith until it's tested o Will you put your weight upon it? Can you stake your life to the claims and promises of Jesus? o When circumstances are not what you expected...can I still believe? o If my faith in the desired outcome or in the God who is able? * It must have been hard to stand there watching the celebration of one that was healed and knowing that your hopes for the miracle appeared to be gone! o Emotions are tricky-you have to decide whether you will live your life believing God's promises or be pushed around by the circumstances that you see. o God is counting on you to stand firm in your faith even when your expectations are delayed. The Very Presence of Jesus Brings Peace La Misma Presencia De Jesús Trae Paz * Where is Jarius standing while this woman is healed? * He is standing right beside the Healer. * If he can do that, I believe He can do what I need! * Our mistake is we live "in the moment" and forget how wonderful Jesus is! * A few weeks ago the disciples in the storm forgot that He was in the boat. * As long as I have Jesus with me... o I don't have to be afraid o I can believe for my healing o I can accept my circumstances because He is with me * Peace is not the absence of turmoil and stress but the blessing of living in the middle of the struggle and knowing God has you and the situation * Can we believe when He says "I've got you!" Conclusion: Some of you know that my first wife died of cancer in 2011. I learned so much about faith and trusting God in that season when we were doing treatment, rushing to the hospital because her hemoglobin had dropped, when unexpected pain made our heart fear. But I learned that God can be trusted and that He more faithful to our situation than we could possibly imagine. As I was finishing this message I remembered particular day in Akron General Hospital on the 7th floor room on the floor of the restroom in that 7th floor room...it was a bad day and the struggle was intense and I felt I could not breath much less survive the moment and my wife looked at me and said "you listen to me, it may not feel like it right now but we are winning!" You need to hear this-your present circumstances don't define you-they just represent where you are-and Jesus is saying to you this morning what he said to Jarius' when news came that his daughter had died... Don't be afraid. Just have faith. No tengas miedo. Solo ten fe. God I'm a sinner I'm sorry for my sins I believe Jesus died for my sins I believe Jesus will forgive my sins I choose Jesus