Jesus is in Complete Control
Notes
Transcript
Today is a special Sunday, because it is Easter. Why do we celebrate Easter? Because we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. If you look all throughout Paul’s teachings, he is always quick to point out the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is why we celebrate Easter. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And understand that Jesus resurrection is different from all the others. When Jesus rose from the dead, He conquered death and ascended to the Father’s side awaiting the time that He will return to earth again.
So, as we celebrate Easter today, let’s look at what Luke has shown us so far about the life of the resurrected one.
Remember, Luke is a person of great detail. Luke has given us more information than most of the other Gospel writers. Luke is probably someone that did many interviews for the writings he did. He gives us more about Jesus’ birth and childhood. And for the last couple of weeks we have been in what is called Jesus’ blessing period. People are wanting to know who Jesus is. They are wanting to get close to Jesus. They know that if Jesus would just touch them their life could be changed forever.
Think about this. In chapter 7, we learn about Jesus healing a Centurion’s servant who was sick and about to die. This proves that Jesus is sovereign over disease. Also in chapter 7, we learn about Jesus raising a widow’s son back to life. This proves that Jesus is sovereign over death. At the end of chapter 7, we read that Jesus forgiving a sinful women of her sins. This proves that Jesus is sovereign over sin. And last week in chapter 8 we read that Jesus calms the storm and He sets a demon possessed man free. This proves that Jesus is sovereign over the natural and supernatural. Therefore, making it true that Jesus is sovereign over all areas of life. Jesus is in complete control.
And today, whatever you came here looking for, I want you to know that Jesus can meet your need right where you are at. If you aren’t convinced that Jesus is the Messiah with all that we have read so far, I hope that I can give you a glance into some more details of what Jesus has done. I hope that I can show you that if you will let Him, Jesus will help you if you release control over to Him.
We are continuing in Luke today, Luke chapter 8 beginning at verse 40. Let me encourage you to bring your Bible to church. The best way for you to understand the scriptures is for you to look at your Bible and follow along with me. Are you hungry for God’s Word this morning? Let’s feast on what God wants to say to us.
40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.
41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house
42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.
So, in this next story, we have a man named Jairus, who was a synagogue leader.
If you remember, a few weeks back I told you what a synagogue was. It was a local center of worship. It was the place that they would go and hear the Rabbi’s teaching because they couldn’t make a weekly trip to the temple for worship.
Jairus was a lay person elected as one of the leaders. His responsibility was for supervising worship services, caring for the scrolls, running the daily school, keeping the congregation faithful to the law, distributing the alms, administering the care of the building and finding rabbis to teach on the Sabbath.
So, he had complete control of what went on in that synagogue. He was very similar to what a pastor does today, except he wasn’t the teacher.
We also must understand that Jesus is stirring up much controversy with what He was saying. So, amongst the religious leaders He is not a very popular person. It took a lot for Jairus to come to Jesus and fall down at His feet, begging Him to come home with him. Jairus was a desperate man because his daughter was dying. And at 12 years old, this girl is just coming into the prime of her life. Most girls were married off at the ages between 13 and 16 during this time. She was reaching adulthood.
42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.
43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.
44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
So, Jesus is on His way to Jairus house when His plans were interrupted. Have your plans ever been interrupted?
As the crowd was pushing in around Jesus, this woman who had been dealing with a blood issue for 12 years, was a part of this crowd.
What most of you wouldn’t think about is this blood flow issue was probably a vaginal hemorrhage which would render her unclean according to Levitical law. She would be considered an outcast. Also, here she is unnamed, no where in scripture does it mention her name. So, she is a nobody. Also, she might of had imperfect faith. She thought, I’ve got to touch Jesus. In her mind, I will touch Jesus and then I will just slip away and hope that no one notices me.
When you and I think of a hem, we think of a hem line at the bottom of our clothing that keeps the fabric from coming apart. What Jesus was wearing was a little different. A jewish male’s garment had four tassels at the bottom of the garment or the hem area. So here this women is just trying to press through the crowd just to get to Jesus to touch his clothing to receive her healing. Then in verse 45.
45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
Have you ever thought, why didn’t this women come forward? Think about her issue. She was considered by everyone unclean because of the issue she had. She had an embarrassing issue. She probably wanted to just slip away quietly and inconspicuously. She didn’t want anyone to see her, just receive her healing and move on. But please understand this. Jesus can distinguish between the tussle of people and the touch of faith. Jesus sees your faith. Do whatever you have to do to get your touch from the master?
46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.
48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
This woman wasn’t going to let anyone stop her from reaching out and touching Jesus. She set a definite point of contact to release her faith. She had an expectation and followed through with it.
How many of you want to see God do something in your life or in the life of this church? Then you need to set your expectations, a point of contact to release your faith.
Many times we don’t experience something at church because we don’t come expecting God to do something. You need to let your faith rise to a point that you are expecting God to do something amazing every time you come into God’s presence.
In verse 48, Jesus called the woman daughter. Did you know this is the only time that Jesus called someone that. Don’t you think this made her feel good. She had suffered with this disease for 12 years. She was unclean, unnamed, and unfit and in one moment with Jesus she was clean, called daughter and fit to be in the presence of Her king. We need an encounter with Jesus that will change the direction that our life is headed in.
But what about Jairus? What about His plan? This women’s healing interrupted Jairus’ plan. He wanted Jesus to heal his daughter. He was like, I need you now, I have a plan, but Jesus had a different plan. And during all this someone brings Jairus the bad news.
49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”
There is nothing wonderful about hearing those words about a loved one. I will never forget when mom called me to tell me that my father had passed away or the text we got telling us that Adam had passed. Those words are never comforting, but I don’t know what it is like to hear that my child has passed. Some of you may know. I do remember when Kelly had a miscarriage with our first pregnancy, that hurt, but I don’t think it would be the same as hearing that your 12 year old child has just died. Then to add to the matter they said, “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” This statement is full of unbelief. Don’t bother going to God with that.
Can I tell you that is a lie from the devil? You can always take it to Jesus. You aren’t bothering Him. As long as you can talk to Jesus there is still hope.
I am sure that fear gripped Jairus’ heart that day. He had a plan and they were on the way to executing that plan when the women stopped them. But Jesus said something to Jairus. Look at verse 50.
50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
You cannot have fear and faith together. They will cancel each other out. Believe is an imperative verb. It is a command for present, continuous action.
51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother.
52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”
53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.
Why did Jesus tell everyone that she was not dead but just asleep?
Sleep was used to describe death. They say sleep because everyone will get up someday. Death is not permanent. Sleep is followed by awakening, death is followed by resurrection.
Did you know where they get the word cemetery from? The Greek word for cemetery is koimeterion which means dormitory. This is from the root word koiman which means ‘to put to sleep.’
There is a resurrection that is coming for every single person, both believers and unbelievers. Death is not final. All of us will spend eternity somewhere.
And when Jesus told them that the girl was just sleeping they laughed at Him.
When you have people that are around that are negative all the time, get them out of your life. You don’t need those people in your life.
54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!”
55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.
56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.
So, why did Jesus choose to raise this girl from the dead? There are only three instances that we know of that Jesus raised anyone from the dead. This one, the one we read about a few weeks ago when they were in Nain, the widow’s son and Lazarus.
I believe it was for the parents sake for one. And two I believe it was to show that He is sovereign. Jesus is in control.
So, why did He tell them not to tell anyone what had happened?
Jesus did not want the news to spread. People would want to follow Him for the wrong reasons. They would wanted him to raise all their relatives from the dead. We don’t follow Jesus to see what we can get from Him. We follow Jesus because of what He did for us on the cross. He already paid the price.
1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,
2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.
4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.
5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.
This is an apprenticeship for the disciples or discipleship. Jesus was telling them to go unprepared and watch what God will do.
Jesus was counting on hospitality. During this time, it was the sacred duty of the village to care for travelers. The people in the villages would take care of each other as you would travel through. So, Jesus was telling the disciples to rely on the people to help you in the ministry. And if a town didn’t accept you then shake the dust from your feet. This was a way to disassociate from the pollution of those lands and to announce judgment on them. This was just a short trip. Jesus was training them for what they would have to do later on.
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead,
8 others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life.
9 But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.
It is interesting that Herod wants to know about what is going on with Jesus ministry. He is hearing these rumors. He is kind of confused because he knows that John the Baptist is dead because he is the one that had John beheaded. And Herod’s headquarters were in Tiberius. In all the Gospel accounts we have no record of Jesus ever being in Tiberius. But the news is spreading about Jesus and the disciples. And it has spread so much that Herod wants to know what is going on.
Let’s end this morning with one more story. Verse 10.
10 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida,
11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”
13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.”
14 (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down.
16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people.
17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
The disciples have just come back from their ministry time away. Jesus is taking them to a place off by themselves for a time of reflection and rest. But it didn’t last long because a group of people followed them and what did Jesus do, He welcomed them. He taught them and He healed those that needed healing.
And so it starts getting late and the disciples approach Jesus and wants Him to send the people away because it is getting late and they were in the middle of nowhere. But Jesus gets a great idea to give them another opportunity at ministry. Jesus tells the disciples that they need to feed this crowd. Our text says there were about 5000 men. In that count the women and children are not included. So you can figure there were more like 20,000 people there and all they have is five loaves of bread and two fish.
And don’t you know that Jesus is in the multiplication business. He takes those 5 loaves and 2 fish and is able to feed all those people and scripture says there were 12 baskets left over. There is that number again.
The number twelve is the fourth number that represents completion. So you have a woman that has been sick for 12 years. A dead girl that is 12 years old and 12 baskets of food left. In each one of these scenarios Jesus completes what He started. He is in control.
I believe the feeding of the 5000 shows us something here.
1. Jesus is concerned for our physical needs.
1. Jesus is concerned for our physical needs.
Jesus wants to supply all your needs. If you need healing. Jesus wants to heal you. If you need life restored to you. You feel like your life has been stripped from you. Jesus is the restorer of life. If you need your needs met, financial, physical, whatever. Jesus can meet your needs.
2. Jesus uses the simple things to do great things.
2. Jesus uses the simple things to do great things.
All they had was 5 loaves and 2 fish. Jesus looks to heaven and then the bread and fish begin multiplying as they started breaking it so much so that they had 12 basket fulls left over.
Jesus is in control
Jesus is sovereign over everything.
Today we celebrated the resurrection. We celebrate the giver of life. If you don’t have Jesus in your life, you can ask Him today to come into your life and take your sins away. And Jesus can restore your life to something greater than you ever imagined.
Let’s pray.