Believe in the Master of Miracles

Mark 5:21-43 (Read vs. 34-43)

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - Jan. 15, 2017

BACKGROUND:

*Our God is, and always has been a miracle working God. Today's Scripture in Mark 5 covers 2 great miracles Jesus performed: Healing a woman who had been terribly sick for 12 years, and bringing a 12-year-old daughter back to life.

*Lord willing, we will take a close look at the woman's story on another day, but her story is intertwined with the story of the dying daughter, so for background information, please listen to Mark 5:21-33. Now, with this background in mind, please stand as we read Mark 5:34-43.

INTRODUCTION

*Martha Hickman told about a time when she had just gone through some serious medical tests. She was fearful of the results and went swimming at the local Y to pass the time.

*At the pool, she noticed a dad carry his son over to the deep end. Still holding his boy, the dad dove into the deep water, and a few seconds later they surfaced. The son laughed and brushed water from his eyes as his father guided him safely to the pool's edge.

*Right then, Martha realized that she might have to go through some deep water, but God would carry her all the way through. This is the message for us in God's Word today. We can always trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, because He will carry us through. (1)

1. So, trust in Jesus when you are attacked beyond your ability.

*That's what had happened to Jairus' family in vs. 22-23:

22. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet

23. 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.''

*Jairus was desperate. His family was being attacked. His daughter was near the point of death. Luke 8:42 tells us that it was his only daughter, and the way he spoke to Jesus shows that she was Jairus' dearly loved daughter.

*Sometimes our loves ones will be hurting too, and there will be nothing we can do to help them on our own. Jairus shows us exactly what to do in a situation like that: Go to Jesus! Humbly, boldly, passionately, expectantly, go to Jesus.

2. Trust Him when you are attacked beyond your ability, and trust Him when the disaster gets deeper.

*That's what happened in vs. 34-36. And Jesus said this to the woman who had been sick for 12 years:

34. . . "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.''

35. While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?''

36. As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe.''

*You just thought things were bad, but now the news goes from bad to worst. The thunderstorm has turned into a tornado. Time has run out for you, and the situation looks totally hopeless.

*What can we do in a situation like that? Keep believing in Jesus! The Lord will not always come through for you with a healing miracle. But Jesus Christ will always come through for you!

*God sent His help to one broken-hearted mother, through the words of an elderly lady from Pakistan. The missionary couple had recently lost their 6-month-old baby. And their kind Pakistani friend shared these words of wisdom:

-"A tragedy like this is like being plunged into boiling water. If you are an egg, your affliction will make you hard-boiled and unresponsive. If you are a potato, you will emerge soft and pliable, resilient and adaptable."

*The missionary mother later said: "It may sound funny to God, but there have been many times when I have prayed, 'O Lord, make me a potato.'" (2)

3. Keep trusting in Jesus when the disaster gets deeper, and keep trusting when you don't understand God's plan.

*That's what happened in vs. 37: Jesus "permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James." The other disciples must have wondered: "What's going on?" Why did we get left behind?"

*The Lord separated Peter, James, and John three times that we know of. In His perfect wisdom, Jesus took this trio to places where the other disciples could not go. Here. Then on the Mountain of Jesus' Transfiguration. Matthew 17:1-3 says:

1. Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, brought them up on a high mountain by themselves,

2. and was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

3. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

*Then on the night before the cross, Jesus went through an agonizing time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26:36-38 tells us:

36. . . Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there.''

37. And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.

38. Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.''

*There will be times when the Lord leaves us out of the loop. We don't get to be in the inner circle. And we might wonder: "Lord, what's going on? I can't see what you're doing. Where are you taking us?"

*It is impossible for us to fully understand God. Steven Myers once wisely said: "Trying to understand God is like trying to teach calculus to a worm." (3)

*That's right! -- So we've got to learn how to trust God, even when we don't understand.

4. Keep trusting in Jesus when you don't understand God's plan, and trust Him when your sight contradicts His Scripture.

*That's what happened in vs. 38-39:

38. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.

39. When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.''

*Their eyes told them one thing, and Jesus told them another.

*If it ever comes down to a choice between trusting your eyes or trusting Jesus, you trust in the Lord Jesus Christ! Our eyes may deceive us, but Jesus never will! And if Jesus has said something, we can count on it forever! In Matthew 24:35, Jesus said: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."

*Then 1 Peter 1:23-25 tells Christians we have:

23. . . been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

24. because "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away,

25. but the word of the Lord endures forever.'' Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

*The Word of the Lord endures forever, so we will always be able to trust in His Word. And our eyes may deceive us, but Jesus never will!

5. So keep trusting in Jesus even when your sight contradicts Scripture, and trust Him when people laugh at our Lord.

*That's what happened in vs. 39-40:

39. When (Jesus) came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.''

40. And they laughed Him to scorn. . .

*A. T. Robertson tell us that this was loud, long, mocking laughter at the Lord. Who in the world would laugh in a situation like that, there in the room with broken-hearted parents? Well, they actually had paid mourners in those days. It could have been them. And it could have been neighbors who didn't really care about the family.

*We don't know exactly who was laughing so rudely, but we do know why they were laughing. They didn't believe in Jesus. They had no faith whatsoever in the Lord. They had no idea who was in the house with them that day, no idea of the Lord's power and majesty and glory.

*Many people are like that today. They were laughing at Jesus then, and they are still laughing at Him today. Most of the world laughs at our faith. They have totally rejected Jesus Christ. But don't let that shake your faith!

*Jesus is Lord of all! And if the mockers truly realized who Jesus is, they would fall, trembling at His feet to worship the Lord. The mockers laugh at our Lord. But we can trust Him no matter what they do!

6. Trust in Jesus when people laugh at our Lord, and trust Him to work more wonders.

*Verses 40-42 tell us about an amazing miracle from the Lord:

40. And they laughed Him to scorn. But when He had put them all out, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.

41. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi,'' which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise.''

42. Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement.

*She was raised from the dead! What a great miracle! Miracles are a wonderful thing. We want to see the miracles, and sometimes we get to. I know that I have received miraculous answers to prayer more than once. And God has stretched out His Hand in our lives much more than we know.

*But we don't always get to see the miracle, and one day this girl did die. She might have lived for 80 more years, but of course, she eventually died. And one day death will darken our door.

*It helps us to remember that our Heavenly Father knows best, and He always does the right thing at the right time. It also helps to remember that God's miracles have a greater purpose. And that purpose is to help more people trust in the Lord, especially, to help more people trust in the cross of Jesus Christ.

*Jesus brought this little girl back to life, because He is full of compassion for people, and to prove that He has divine power over death. But as Jesus brought this girl to life, He was getting closer to His own death, ever closer to the cross.

*And Jesus didn't come into this world to save us from earthly suffering. He came to save us from our sins! So the greatest miracle came when Jesus took the punishment for every sinful thing we've ever done. The greatest miracle came when Jesus rose again, victorious forever over death. The greatest miracle comes when we open our hearts to receive Jesus Christ, and trust Him to save our souls. Salvation is the greatest miracle that can ever happen to us, because salvation is the only miracle that lasts forever!

*Our God is and always has been a miracle working God, so we can trust Him to work more wonders. Let me tell you about the triple miracle that happened to Wesley's papaw Breard over the last few weeks. Early December 1st, Breard went duck hunting with his son, Doyle, grandson Wesley, and two other buddies.

*Around 8:30, they stopped to eat some sausage they cooked. Papaw got sick right after that. Wesley could tell something was wrong when his papaw stood up in the duck blind. Breard told them he felt uncomfortable, and sat back down on the bench.

*About a minute later they thought he was snoring, but when Doyle nudged him, Papaw didn't respond. They laid him down and started CPR, while Wesley called 911. Within about 20 seconds they got him back to breathing. Wesley was giving 911 directions on how to get to the duck blind. It's close to the Prairion boat ramp, about 25-30 minutes from St. Francis Hospital.

*To save time, they decided to get Papaw out of the duck blind and back to the gate, and they never could have done it without those two extra buddies there that day. They had to lower Breard down the hatch hole, 7 feet down into the boat.

*By God's grace it had just rained that week, so they were able to pull the boat right up to the bank. It took about 15 minutes to get Papaw to the gate, and about five minutes later the ambulance showed up. Dr. Keith White told the family it was a miracle Breard even made it to the hospital.

*Breard had an aneurysm. His aorta artery had stretched out from about an inch in diameter to the size of an eggplant. He also lost 6 units of blood. Dr. White said only 2% of people in his condition even make it to the hospital.

*But for years the family had been praying for Papaw. They were so concerned about his salvation. They often tried to talk to him about it, but Breard refused. The one time Papaw talked to our Katie, he said, "I just can't believe in something I can't see."

*He only had a 50-50 chance of making it in surgery, but God brought him through. I can't describe how concerned the family was about Breard's salvation. A couple of days later, Katie called, and she prayed the most passionate, tearful prayer I have ever heard anyone pray for someone to be saved.

*Breard slowly began to improve, but it was hard to talk to him, because he was in and out so much. He could only stay alert for a couple of minutes before dropping back off to sleep. But I could tell there was something different about him.

*On December 13th, I briefly talked to Breard about how God had blessed him with a miracle. Of course, he knew that already. Then I talked to him about Jesus, His love, and the cross. I knew Breard didn't have the strength to pray on his own. So I told Him if he wanted to trust in Jesus, I would say the words for him and he could pray in his heart.

*He firmly said, "Whatever," but not in the negative way people sometimes do today. Papaw's "whatever" was whatever he could do to trust in Jesus, and he did! Before I left, we prayed again, and as strongly as he could, Papaw said, "Amen!"

*He has slowly continued to improve since then. Papaw actually wanted to be dedicated to the Lord when our grandson John Luke was on December 18th! And one day soon he is hoping to be baptized at his wife's church.

*The day before the baby dedication, Papaw told his family about his other miracle. Doyle and his sister Sheila were in visiting with their dad, and Papaw started mumbling.

*Then he said, "Y'all just don't know what I've been through. The kids said, "Dad what do you mean? Papaw replied, "I've been to hell." (Not that he was suffering in hell, but that he was close enough to see it.)

*His stunned son Doyle replied, "Well the Lord must have snatched you up." And Papaw said, "I've seen Heaven too. I've seen the Lord. I just can't explain it. I can't describe it."

*Doyle said that you could tell Papaw was really struggling to put into words what heaven looks like. He kept saying, "It's just amazing. It's just beautiful." Last week, when he talked to Wesley's sister Meleah, Papaw talked about light, and prisms of infinite colors, and seeing his life full circle. He also gave praise to Doyle and Wesley for being patient with him, and always trying to share God's Word with him.

*Three great miracles: Not dying when he should have. A man who said, "I just can't believe in something I can't see," getting close enough to see the horrors of hell and the glories of heaven. And the greatest miracle of all: Getting saved!

*I've known 5 or 6 people who got close enough to see heaven and then come back, but I've never met anyone who has seen hell. Why did God do that? Much of it is a mystery, but it was grace! It was God's amazing grace! It was prayer. And it was the love of God shown on the cross of Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION:

*Our God is and always has been a miracle working God. So put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ! He will give you the greatest miracle of all: Salvation! Jesus Christ will forgive you and save your soul forever! Then He will help you through the hardest times of life. And one day, He will take you all the way home to heaven.

*Call on the Lord to save you as we go to God in prayer.

(1) Martha Whitmore Hickman, "Heart to Heart," Today's Christian Woman - Source: "Bible Illustrator for Windows" - Topic: Trust - Subtopic: In God - Index: 1214-1218 - Date: 12/1997.1797 - Title: Taking the Plunge

(2) "The Storm Within" by Mark Littleton, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL, 1994, p. 99. - Source: "Dynamic Illustrations: Apr, May, Jun, 2001)

(3) Steven Myers - Source: "Dynamic Illustrations: Apr, May, Jun, 2001 - Topic: God)