Knowing Our Deepest Need

Mark 10:46-52

Last night we discussed people’s first obstacle in experiencing God’s unrivaled love—fear and how belief itself (in Christ) can overcome that fear. Tonight we talk about another obstacle people have in experiencing God’s unrivaled love— knowing our deepest need

(READ MARK 10:46-52)

Every person—at different times & seasons in their life has need.

Some needs are physical

Some needs are emotional

Some needs focus on the mind

Every one of us here needs to know that God cares deeply for the different things we struggle & suffer with—He’s compassionate to the needs of our lives—He’s a God whose heart aches for the various needs that people have…so much so the Bible tells us that He can supply all our need (Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Yet, there exists a deeper need within all of man (all of us).

It’s a need some

Recognize, but don’t know where to turn to find it

Recognize but desperately need

Recognize, but seek to meet this need through

Passing pleasures of sin

Immoral and transactional relationships

Materialism/greed/covetousness

Making a name for themselves (social status, job status, community status)

Other worldly systems

The deep need within all man is the need of God’s mercy; what matters to God most is that person’s knows of the richness of His mercy and the sufficiency of God’s grace—b/c when this need is met, this his soul will be at rest & peace with God. God’s unrivaled love is focused primarily on the heart of each you

There is a Biblical warning to those who seek after (1) passing pleasures, (2) immoral relationships, (3) materialism, (4) self-righteousness, and (5) other worldly systems—will come to whither just as these things will:

1 John 2:15–17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

Understanding, believing, and trusting in the mercy of God, opens the door to the grace of God—which brings the salvation of God—and in salvation you can be assured that you will not pass away along with the things of this world

So, how can the Bible teach us about knowing our deepest need and the means by which we can know the mercy of God? Let’s dig into Bartimaeus!!!

—-—

I. First—You must put yourself in the right place

Mark 10:46 “Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.”

(CONTEXT)

The Bible teaches us that Jesus and His disciples were traveling through Jericho

Thought to be one of the oldest cities in the world, Jericho was also one of the most important cities in all of Palestine and was situated just 17 miles from Jerusalem

Jericho was a merchant, or commercial city, as one of the world’s main commercial roads ran N and S through the city

The Bible also teaches us that Jesus and His disciples were traveling through Jericho on their way to Jerusalem for Passover

Passover was the Jewish celebration held in Jerusalem remembering God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt, by means of God’s 10th plague over Pharaoh and Egypt

Not only was normal, everyday business taking place, 1000’s of Jews were making their annual pilgrimage to celebrate Passover

The Bible introduces to a blind man, named Bartimaeus, who was present at this time:

Bartimaeus was a blind man—presumably blind since birth (or at least most of his life)

Bartimaeus was a beggar—he made his living begging and pining for money/clothes/and the necessities of life

Mark tells us that Bartimaeus was found, “sitting by the roadside begging,”

Bartimaeus was well aware of his condition, and

Bartimaeus was all alone in his condition

There is no record of family—indicating that they had either died or abandoned him

There is no record of friends—indicating that any he had, left him to his condition

Culturally, Bartimaeus was a societal cast-out, considered unclean, unworthy, and an afterthought

Bartimaeus, however, knew where to be

He knew “religious people” were more sensitive to the needs of the helpless/beggars

The Gospel of Luke indicates that Bartimaeus may have even heard that Jesus was in Jericho—and if that is the case, he knew his best chance to find Jesus was to put himself where He could hear Jesus passing through

(WHAT DOES ALL THIS TEACH US?)

We must be aware of, not just our “condition,” but the extent of our condition

Each of us was born—spiritually blind—with a sinful nature—we all have sin(s)

Psalm 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.”

Romans 3:10 “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;”

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

The extent of sin is that—apart from Christ—we walk in spiritual blindness—separated from God presently, and if nothing changes, eternally

Ephesians 2:1–3 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

We must know where we must go to hear and know about God’s mercy/grace/and love

(FIRST) The Bible:

The Bible is God’s means of revealing Himself and His message of redemption and salvation through His Son Jesus Christ; it directs us to God’s means of salvation— faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified

Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

2 Timothy 3:15–17 “and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

(SECOND) The local N/T church:

The local church is responsible for preaching the truth of Jesus Christ—that salvation and eternal life are found through His sacrificial death on the cross and in His resurrection from grave/death

2 Corinthians 2:1–2 “But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?”

Acts 4:12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””

The local church must exist to help reduce the lostness in our communities

Romans 10:14 “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

The local church must function according to sound doctrine

Acts 2:41–42 “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

(THIRDLY) Through fellowship with other believers

Hebrews 10:25 “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

II. Second—You must believer the truth of the Gospel

Mark 10:47 “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth….he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!””

(CONTEXT)

Bartimaeus’ environment was sitting around before Jesus walked by:

From people passing by, groups and caravans of people conducting business or traveling through to Jerusalem—to their conversations, whether casual or serious, vain or off-colored, maybe even some religious—it was noisy and distracting, maybe even overwhelming.

Bartimaeus’ environment as Jesus walked by:

The size, noise, and conversations changed—gone were casual conversations; all the chatter, talk, commotion would have been focused on Christ

Bartimaeus’ realization at all this (“…when he heard that it was Jesus…he began to cry out….”)

A beggar with no one to care for him, no one to pay attention to him, and no one to love him heard Jesus walking in front of him and hope began to swell

A beggar who had, more than likely, heard about what Jesus was teaching and doing, began to see the possibility of healing well up within him—this is day he had hoped for and longed for

A beggar who, though he couldn’t see Jesus, heard others talking of Him and maybe even heard Him talking—believed that it was Him and acted upon his belief.

(WHAT DOES ALL THIS TEACH US?)

(FIRST) A person must believe in the truth of Jesus Christ

That He is the only begotten Son of God

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

That He Himself is God in the flesh

(READ) John 1:1–2 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 10:30 “I and My Father are one.””

John 14:8–9 “Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

(READ) Hebrews 1:1–3 “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

(SECOND) A person must believe that salvation is by grace through faith

Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

Ephesians 2:4–8 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”

(THIRD) A person must know there is assurance of salvation—meaning no one can lose salvation

John 10:28 “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”

Ephesians 1:13–14 “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

*No where does it teach in Scripture that a person can “lose” salvation, for it never teaches how to get it back

*The Bible says that Jesus died once for all sins; all sins includes the ones a believer will commit AFTER salvation

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,”

(Fourth) A person must believe that there is no other way to be right with God than through Jesus Christ

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

III. Third—You must know (acknowledge) that you have a need;

Mark 10:47 “…he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!””

(CONTEXT) Of the focuses here, is the immediate nature of Bartimaeus’ response is

“Jesus, Son of David….”—the points to Bartimaeus’ limited knowledge of Jesus, yet how he still cried out to Jesus as his hope/savior/and deliverer

Bartimaeus used what knowledge he had of Jesus and cried out to Him

“…have mercy on me!”

Bartimaeus could have cried for clothing/housing/or food (What would you cry out for?)

Bartimaeus, however, cried out for his basic, fundamental need of mercy….he knew his need went beyond the physical

(WHAT DOES THIS TEACH US?)

A person must recognize they are spiritually blind b/c of personal sin—they are spiritually poor apart from Christ

Luke 5:8 “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!””

Matthew 5:3 ““Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

A person must recognize that remaining in spiritual blindness has a wage

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…

A person must recognize they don’t have to have God, “all figured out,” before they can cry out to Him, but simply believe in this:

Romans 10:9–10“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

A person must recognize that Christ is the way to spiritual sight, eternal life, and forgiveness of sins…and cry out for their deepest need

Mercy is God withholding what we DO deserve in order that we might we receive what we DON’T deserve—God’s grace

Psalm 51:1–4 “Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.”

IV. Fourth—You must persevere in seeking after Christ;

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

(THIS VERSE DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE TO ASK FOR SALVATION—IT TEACHES US THAT STARTING WITH THE ENEMY, THEN WITH YOURSELF (SINFUL NATURE), THEN WITH OTHERS, AND FINALLY WITH THE WORLD—THERE WILL BE OPPOSITION—AND YOU MUST PERSEVERE)

(CONTEXT)

“Then many warned him to be quiet…” this indicates the world (people) around Bartimaeus tried to drown him out, to hush him, tell him to be quiet

“…but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” This indicates that Bartimaeus would not stop seeking God’s mercy

No matter how many voices there were

No matter how loud the voices were

(THINK ON THIS) Jesus had probably heard Bartimaeus as well, in fact Jesus probably already knew what Bartimaeus wanted.

If this is the case—this would be a test of Bartimaeus’ faith in Him, to be persistent against the naysayers, mockers, scorners, to be persistent against the enemy, in a sense saying, “OK Bartimaeus I hear you, but do you have enough faith in Me to cry out louder than the distracting voices around you?”

(WHAT DOES ALL THIS TEACH US?)

(FIRST) A person must understand the ways the enemy wants to keep you hushed or distracted from crying out to Jesus

The enemy will use this world: (give some examples)

The comforts and passing pleasures of sin this world offers

The status this world can offer you

John 12:25 “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

The enemy will use other people (sadly even friends or family) in trying to keep you from Jesus

The enemy will use lies & deceit about who you are and what you’ve done, deceiving you

About here your worth/value/identity are found

About the image you were created in

About a checkered past

The enemy will even use ourselves:

James 1:14–15 “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

(SECOND) A person must be willing to cry out to Jesus over the shouts/noises/deceits/and lies of the this world

Luke 11:9–13 ““So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!””

V. Fifth—You must expect that Christ will help you;

Mark 10:49–50 “So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.”

(CONTEXT)

Jesus stood still

Because of the man’s need, He knew the man could not reach Him by himself

Because of Bartimaeus’ persistence—his drawn out faith (if-you-will)—despite the distractions around him

Because Jesus NEVER turns away from the person who genuinely cries out to Him

Bartimaeus cast aside his coat—all that impeded him

He wanted NOTHING or NO THING to hinder him from reaching Jesus as quickly as he could

He literally “sprang” to his feet and moved towards Christ in one motion—the stress of this verse is the eagerness, intentionality, and purpose of Bartimaeus

(WHAT DOES THIS TEACH US?)

To get up and run to Jesus, a person

Must not doubt in Who He is;

Must not doubt in God’s promised to forgive your sins and save you (Isaiah 1:18);

Must be willing to lay ANYTHING and ALL THINGS aside and count the cost in following Jesus:

Sins

Hebrews 12:1–2 “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Self

Luke 9:23 “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Luke 9:62 “But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.””

Count the cost:

Philippians 3:7–8 “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ”

VI. Sixth—You must be specific in your request to have your need met;

Mark 10:51–52 “So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.”

(CONTEXT)

Bartimaeus knew exactly what he needed and he had no difficulty stating his need

He did not waver

He examined himself and knew precisely what he needed

Bartimaeus needed to make a personal confession of his need to Christ

Jesus knew His need—but the Lord knowing his need was not enough—Bartimaeus needed to confess his need to Christ

Bartimaeus’ need to confess to Christ his need was demonstrative of his faith that Christ would meet his need

It would save him and be a testimony to those around him

(WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THIS?)

(FIRST) A person must know exactly what they need

So many people, when confronted by the Gospel, can’t or refuse to move past the first part, the bad news and they turn and run when they realize who they are

James 1:22–24 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”

While a person may not like what they see in the mirror in coming to realizing the bad news, if that person would surrender all, truly examining themself, then what awaits for them

Is experiencing God’s unrivaled, demonstrative love

Is the magnificent burden lifting, yoke bearing grace of God

(SECOND) A person must make the personal decision to confess their need of Jesus

Confession (again) is two-fold

Confession (and repentance) is the demonstrative part of a person’s faith that says:

Jesus I trust you

Jesus I believe in You

Jesus I give it all to you

VII. Seventh—You must see God’s mercy (salvation as the beginning of new life;

Mark 10:52 “Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.”

(CONTEXT)

Bartimaeus’ specific request received a specific answer

“…your faith has made you well.”

Bartimaeus’ faith brought about immediate healing and a desire to follow Jesus

(WHAT DOES THIS TEACH US?)

(FIRST) A person must realize it’s faith and faith alone which brings restoration

Romans 6:23b “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”

(SECOND) A person needs to know that Christ’s healing (salvation) is instantaneous and immediate

(THIRD) A person must recognize

The “old self” has been put to death;

Romans 6:6 “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”

The new “life” you have brought into comes through faith;

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

This “new life,” is a life of learning, abiding, and attaching oneself to Christ—this is known as discipleship.

John 15:4–5 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

(CLOSING/WORSHIP TEAM)

In His mercy,

God withholds from us what we rightly deserve…condemnation and judgment for our sin(s)

God removes the misery that sin causes

Mercy comes through

Recognizing Christ for who He is

Recognizing our need of Him—as sinners

Repentance& Confession

Repentance is

Confession is

Following Him

In obtaining God’s mercy, we come to find

His mercy is tender towards us

Psalm 103:4 “Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,”

His mercy abounds

Psalm 103:8 “The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”

His mercy is everlasting

Psalm 100:5 “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”

*Have you been walking in spiritual blindness up to this point in your life?

*Have you been consumed with the distractions/deceits of the enemy?

*Have you been weighed down with doubts/fear/uncertainties

*Are you willing to truly examine yourself—to know your deepest need of God’s mercy—and be willing to cast all aside and come to the foot of the cross where their your sins are forgiven, mercy and grace are given, and new life is granted?