A Desperate Approach and 6 Words We All Need to Hear (2)

Mark 5:21-43

This morning’s message was a precursor to each of these four nights. The focus and goal of “Love-No Strings,” is to see people come to experience God’s demonstrative, sacrificial, and unrivaled love towards them—seen through Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

It’s a love we cannot earn or merit,

It’s a love we are not worthy of, nor do we deserve

It’s a love we that loves those who are (1) without strength, (2) ungodly, are (3) sinners

Starting tonight and thru Tuesday night, we will spend some time discussing three different gospel stories about how we can come to experience God’s demonstrative love—

Overcoming Fear

Knowing our Deepest Need

Faith which brings Healing

(TAKE YOUR BIBLE and TURN TO MARK 5:21-43)

(READ MARK 5:21-43)

I. (v.21) The Crowd that had Gathered around Jesus

Mark 5:21 “Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.”

This was typical throughout Jesus’ ministry—people were enamored/curious/questioning/or trying Him

II. (v.22-24) Setting and Setup

Mark 5:22-24 “And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.”

(CONTEXT) Jairus, his daughter, and his plea:

Jairus

A ruler of the synagogue

Elected into his position

Highly respected, capable, and popular

Wielded great power--he determined who would teach in the synagogue and supervised them

He was a man—you could say, “had it all together.”

Daughter

His only daughter

12 years old (Luke tells us this)

Extremely sick-to the point of death-(Greek translation suggests to the last gasp)

Despite Jarius’ prestige, there was nothing he could do to save his daughter

Jairus’ approach to Jesus--Desperation; desperation grabs the attention and care of Jesus; but note 4 things about desperation:

Selfless attitude: rulers like Jairus were actively and violently opposed to Jesus, they publicly expressed their opposition:

By coming to Jesus, Jairus:

Ran the risk of that hostility being turned on him

Ran the risk of being censored and shut out from his peers

Ran the risk of losing his position and profession

By coming to Jesus, it also reveals that Jairus was no longer concerned

If he was censored by his peers

About losing his position and profession

if hostility was turned his way

By coming to Jesus, Jairus believed

Life was too important-especially the life of his only daughter

None of what he knew was helping;

None of his religious rule keeping and law-keeping were helping;

All of what he thought and believed was failing to save his daughter’s life.

Note this also: Jairus himself went to approach Jesus (“Seeing Jesus,” he went); Jairus was so desperate for help:

He left his daughter to seek after Jesus—he didn’t send anyone else. It’s your sin, it’s your struggle, it’s circumstance and your heart—people can pray for you, talk with you, encourage you—but you are responsible for seeking Jesus for your healing—it’s not the responsibility of anyone else

Humble attitude: Note that Jairus, “fell at His feet.”

(See what happened)

Jairus pushed and shoved his way through the crowd as fast as he could

Jairus’ pace quickened when he saw Jesus

Jairus, when he finally reached Jesus, “…fell at His feet…”.

Humility at its highest; b/c despite his position and authority, he gave it and himself up, and fell at Jesus’ feet.

Pleading attitude

“Pleading”; means to call to one’s side for help, to entreat, to plead, to beg

Expectant attitude

Note the words of Jairus, “Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed.” Jairus

Had an expectation/certainty/confidence Jesus could save his daughter.

(CONNECTION-YOU and ME)

Our approach (your approach to Jesus) must involve a

Selfless heart

A person must come to the point where they admit that we cannot save ourselves—there’s nothing we can do to fix our sin problem or find our way out of it

“There is no answer within yourself. Your own goodness, your own discipline, your own devotion WILL NOT save you (from your sin), There’s only One – and He’s the One that took your place!” (Judah Smith); (A selfless approach to Jesus requires us to say, “It is NOT ABOUT ME, IT IS ABOUT JESUS!

A person must come to the point where, as Jairus, they go and take care of the issue themselves:

It’s your sin, it’s your struggle, it’s your circumstance and your heart—people can pray for you, talk with you, encourage you—but you are responsible for seeking Jesus for your forgiveness and healing

Must set aside everything to get to Jesus:

What sin needs to be set aside?

What lie of the enemy have you been believing that needs to set aside?

What stronghold and temptation need to be laid aside?

What is the fear you are holding onto, that you need to let go to get to Jesus?

Humble heart:

Must approach Jesus with a heart of humility; A laying down of

Pride and self

Selfish control

Prejudices

Must approach Jesus with a heart of:

Admittance of your status as a sinner and the position of Jesus as the Savior

A pleading heart: It’s not enough for a person to merely know their need—

They (we) have to verbalize your need; and verbalizing one’s need (making it known to God)—it draws out their faith

John 5:1-15 (Man at the pool of Bethesda)

They (we) must be persistent

Mark 10:48 “Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!””

An expectant heart

A person must approach Jesus without doubt—of who He is and not doubt that if His Word says He will forgive and save them

We must know and expect with certainty/confidence that God will do what He promises to do--when it comes to your sin and struggles.

If you don’t believe that Jesus can heal you from your sin, then you are missing out on the single greatest promise that God offers, and your belief in Him in incomplete. (REPEAT)

Jairus’ approach to Jesus was desperate, he was in great despair over the sickness of his daughter.

There’s one aspect of Jairus’ approach we don’t see here, not yet. He needed hope, needed faith that Jesus was whom He said He was, that He could heal his daughter

Enter the woman from last week and all we talked about (25-34).

III.(v.25-34) A Women’s Hopeless Approach

(CONTEXT)

Mark 5:25-26 “Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.”

What these verses teach us about this woman:

Bleeding for 12 years

Being taken advantage of:

Tried all she knew, she was seen by many doctors and spent all she had—yet she grew worse

Poor and destitute, and up to this point, trying to find healing for herself.

She was a soul who knew nothing but

Hopelessness; she was down to the end of herself

Cast aside, rejected, and unwanted

No one could touch her, or anything she touched; she was considered unclean, so much so she was divorced from her husband

Totally cut off from society

The deep, personal, and intimate matter of her utter helplessness

NOTE:The culture and “leaders” in this woman’s society, kept her living in her place where her only identity was in her disease and its effects:

(v.27-28) “When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.””

What can we learn when Scripture says, “When she heard about Jesus…”

This woman had already heard the stories of Jesus, knew of all He was and had done

This woman, in her hearing, believed the gospel (good new) of Jesus—if she didn’t believe she wouldn’t have gone.

This woman trusted what she heard—if she didn’t trust she wouldn’t have gone.

This woman acted upon what she heard, so much so, she went to Jesus, ignoring:

The crowds and their ridicule

The looks and the judgements

The embarrassment and the shame

This woman came to the realization that every person must come to…

When all else fails, there is Jesus!

When hope is found no where else, hope is found in Jesus Christ

What can we learn with Scripture says “…she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment...”

At first she wanted to touch Jesus without being seen or noticed. Why? Because she felt unworthy

Her disease was personal and intimate—something she didn’t want known or discussed

Her disease left her unclean, again, leaving her feeling unworthy to approach Jesus

Yet, it’s the sense of unworthiness and hopelessness that stirs the heart of Jesus b/c He responds to those who truly seek after Him—no what how unworthy sin has made them

Our sins can (and are) deep & personal matters—but they are understood by Christ b/c He is full of compassion towards you & I—so accepts the quiet and shy approach

Our sins can make us want to keep them secret b/c they cause serious problems for us—problems can drive us to hopelessness & helplessness—but again, Christ is compassion towards us (you) and accepts the hopeless hearts that seek Him

(v.29) “Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.”

The woman’s condition was immediately healed, she no longer was bound to her condition

In Jesus’ cleansing, washing, and forgiveness of our sin(s)

He never heals you partially from the bondage of sin;

The blood of Christ removes it all

Jesus always forgives, redeems, and lays waste to your sin, 1 out of 1, 100% of the time, completely….IF YOU GIVE IT TO HIM;

(v.30-34)“And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”” )

The touch-Jesus felt power leave Him-Why?

It was a touch of faith; healing doesn’t happen apart from faith

“There is a huge difference between bumping into Jesus here and there and reaching out to touch Him in faith. You can come to church week after week and “bump into” Jesus. That isn’t the same as reaching out to touch Him in faith.”

Thinking you can receive healing from Jesus and then continue in your sin doesn’t get you healed, it keeps you broken.

Desiring healing from Jesus means you are fed up with your sickness and don’t WANT IT ANYMORE.

The Question-Why ask who touched Him? (v.32 proves He already knew, “And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.”)

What Jesus already knew:

Her condition

Her need

Her sin(s)

What Jesus was doing:

His question was designed to draw out the woman’s faith

What Jesus knows about you:

He knows your sin and struggle, before you even come to Him

Nothing surprises Him (Has it ever occurred to you that nothing occurs to God?)

What the disciples misunderstood is something we desperately need to understand:

No matter of brokenness, no matter of embarrassment or shame, no matter feelings of unworthiness or guilt, should stand in the way of you getting to Jesus.

This was a question designed to convict this woman and draw out her faith

This is what the disciples misunderstood and missed

No amount of rules/works/religion could have saved this woman

No amount of self-reliance could have saved this woman

What saved this woman and got her healed…was faith in Jesus Christ

The Result, “…knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth

Conviction had led her to “…Fall at His Feet…” (worship)

Conviction had led her to CONFESSION

“Told Him the whole truth.”

What is confession?

What is repentance?

Repentance and confession are a package deal, one cannot exist without the other

And confession led her to CONVERSION..and her conversion made her a child of God

Mark 5:34 “And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.””

“Daughter” She was now counted as in the family of God.

John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”

“She was made well”-translated this means “SAVED.” This was this woman’s moment of salvation!

The change that happened inside this woman’s heart is what brought:

The cleansing of her condition,

Her from turmoil to peace,

Her from a sinner to a saint

Now we come back to Jairus

IV.(v.35-43)—READ

A believing attitude does not involve attitudes of fear and despair: note the circumstances:

While Jesus was talking with the woman, someone came from Jairus’ home with the news his daughter died

Imagine the trauma, anxiety, and nervousness he felt when Jesus stopped to handle the matter with the woman.

He was devastated, crushed, fearful, and despairing (remember the first part of the lesson)

There’s the crowd and the ridicule of the outside world telling him it was hopeless;

There was his own mind—all of what he knew, all of his knowledge, all of his religion—wasn’t enough to help his daughter.

At the same time, we must see what Jairus just witnessed: Jesus heal and save this woman; he witnessed the woman’s faith and what it took and cost her to get to Jesus

He (Jairus) would have known about her He would have been one of the ones who would have scorned and rebuked her

But now HE WITNESSED her life being radically changed by Jesus

Witnessing the heart change of another, seeing how Jesus freed this woman, gave Jairus belief that conquered fear

(v.36). Jesus’ challenging statement

In the midst of heartbreak HIS FEAR, Jesus challenged it all with one statement.

In the midst of the world and his mind, Jesus’ statement was made direct In this midst of all of this—we see Jesus turn and speak directly to Jairus.

In the midst of this moment, no one else was this message for.

In the desperation and hopeless need, the same message is for you.

Yes, the message of the Gospel is for the whole world, but Jesus is a personal; accepting Christ is a personal choice, why? BecauseJesus and he wants a personal relationship with you

There are precious moments in Scripture where we can see Jesus speaking directly to an individual;

Here Jairus is confronted with the world and confronted with Jesus;

He is standing at a precipice: imagine the scene—the world telling him that death is final, that his daughter’s death is the end of the line.

And then there is Jesus, here is the Savior of the World, looking directly at Jairus, softly shouting, quietly roaring, compassionately crying out that death was not final, and what He says in these 6 words, is the definition of Jesus’ entire ministry, and it is the defining moment of Jairus’ life and the life of every heartbeat confronted with the truth of Jesus.

“Do not be afraid, only believe.”

He’s not telling you to climb the mountain, He descended it

He’s not telling you to bear your sin for you, He bore it

He’s not telling you to handle your fear yourself, He’s already conquered it

He’s not telling you listen to the world to heal your wounds, He’s shown you He bore your wounds, so believe in Him. We liv

We live in a world where the voice, influence, and lies of the enemy will be loud, but the roar cross is louder.

There are those today who stand on the precipice, at the defining moment of their lives. And in this moment there are voices of that are telling you it’s not worth it, it’s too late, or you’ve don’t too much harm—Please know this, the words Jesus spoke to Jairus—are the words He speaks to you through the message of the Gospel…

“Do not be afraid, only believe.”

In the midst of your storm and your desperation Jesus is turning and saying do not fear only believe… and he is saying it directly to you. He is saying, give me your sin, your sorrow, your pain, your hurts, your worries, your anxieties, give me the weight you are trying to carry, give me the yoke, I can take it and I have taken it

(Connection-YOU and ME #1)

V. (v.37-38) Jesus, James, Peter, and John alone went with Jesus and Jairus to his home

Mark 5:37-38 “And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.”

Jairus’ salvation: It is my belief that what happened after Jesus’ 6 words speaks to Jairus’ moment of belief. Why?

Jairus made no effort to stop Jesus from going to his home..he let Jesus in, because… He believed that Jesus would heal his daughter

VI.(v.39-40) “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping

Mark 5:39-40 “When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.”

Everyone, other than Jesus, knew death was final, that nothing could be done to avoid death. And while this is true of the physical, the Bible always points and directs us to the spiritual.

Sin doesn’t have to have the last word

Strongholds don’t have to have the last word

Fear doesn’t have to have the final word

Death doesn’t have to have the final word

VII.(40-43)-Jesus heals the little girl, feeds her

Mark 5:40-43 “And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.”

“Astonishment” in Greek this word means “to lose one’s wits, to go out of one’s mind.”

The greatest day in your life is the day you realize Jesus conquered death for you. When you wake up from death and enter into life and light!

Sin is

Personal,

Shameful; and

It goes against God’s desire and design for us.

Sin, unchecked:

Leaves you in a wilderness, a place where we aren’t designed to be, and a place where the enemy tries to keep us

Sin, effects:

Your relationship with God and

Your relationship with others.

The truth?

There is Jesus—He took to the cross for you

There is Jesus—He loves you and sees you, and He has a desire to forgive you

There is Jesus—He knows you and is grieved over our sin,

There is Jesus—He knows what your sin can, has, and will do to you

There is Jesus—He, not for a minute, does He desire you to carry, be in bondage, or be lost to the wages of sin.

There is Jesus— He wants, in this very moment to free you, cleanse you, bind you in the Gospel, wrap you in His arms and give you a new and true identity; an identity that is not tied to your sin.

When you realize Jesus has the last word over death; you realize the empty cross, the empty grave rescued you, when you realize His resurrection bound up your sin and death and released you to life. You will not be left the same, forever you will be changed.

If you’re tired of your identity being defined by your sin, will you abandon fear and just believe?

If you’re tired of finding your self-worth in the passing pleasures of sin, will you let go the fear and just believe?

If you’re tired of creating an identity for yourself through worldly means, will you let go of fear and just believe?

If you’re tired of your flesh, will you surrender the fear and surrender to Christ?

Are you tired of others (the world) telling you you’re not worth it, the cross says you are—will you surrender the fear and surrender to Christ?