The Divine Difference Jesus Can Make

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - Jan. 22, 2017

*This week, I've been thinking about people who have made a difference in my life. My wife has made an infinite difference in my life. Anybody who knows Mary knows what a blessing she is. And Church: You have made a difference in both of our lives.

*This past week, one of our old friends from the 1970s passed away. His name was Jimmy Posey. And though I haven't seen him in 40 years, Jimmy made a giant difference in my life.

My co-teacher, Georgia Savoie had invited us to McClendon Baptist Church in West Monroe, and we started going. Georgia was the choir director, and she asked us to be in the young adult choir. Even though she knew I wasn't a Christian, she asked me to be in the choir.

*One weekend we went on a choir retreat, and that night around the fireplace people gave their Christian testimonies. Mary and I were the only people on the back row, because the pastor and his wife Georgia knew I didn't have a testimony.

*Jimmy Posey was one of the last people to speak, and he started to weep about his twin brother, Jerry, who was not saved at the time. Jimmy had the same passion our Katie had a few weeks ago, when she prayed for Papaw Breard to be saved. And as Jimmy was pouring his heart out, that's when the light went on for me.

*I remember thinking, "This is real! Jesus is real! The Bible is true. Jesus really does love me. He died on the cross for me." I realized that those people had something in their life that I did not have, and I wanted it. That night I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and God used Jimmy Posey to help turn on the light.

*Many wonderful people have made great differences in our lives, but standing over and above them all is Jesus Himself! Let's look into God's Word, and see how Jesus makes a divine difference in our lives.

1. First: He gives us a new desire.

*Jesus gives us a new desire. That's what happened to blind Bartimaeus in vs. 46-47:

46. Then they came to Jericho. And as He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.

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!''

[1] Blind Bartimaeus was in a terrible situation.

*Simon Rundell explained that "today, people with serious vision problems can live full, happy and productive lives. But back then, it was very different: No sight, no work, no work, no food, a very direct relationship. So Bartimaeus sat by the roadside hoping that someone would pity him and would fill his bowl with food, or maybe give him a few coins to purchase the things everyone needs.

*Because he was blind, Bartimaeus was less than human to many people. He was an object to be pitied, or cursed, or ignored. He was desperately trapped by the Jericho Road, as the world passed him by." (1)

*The world had little or nothing to offer Bartimaeus. And in our health and comfort, in our freedom and affluence, it can be hard for us to relate to Bartimaeus. But surely we know about troubles, too.

*Some of us may feel the way Bartimaeus felt that day. Sometimes we may feel like the world is passing us by. We can feel left out by life, trapped by our jobs or our relationships. We can feel trapped by problems or habits, unable to break free, unable to change things. And it may be hard for you to see this truth right now, but in the long-run, this world can't offer us any more than it offered Bartimaeus.

[2] But the best thing that can ever happen to us happened to Bartimaeus that day.

*He realized that Jesus was near! And Bartimaeus didn't know anything about the cross, but he believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior! Bartimaeus had heard of the wonderful things Jesus had done, and he believed that Jesus could help him like nobody else could.

*Before, Bartimaeus was begging for money or a little food. Now, he was begging for the Messiah, and for mercy. Now, he was begging for Jesus! In vs. 47, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!''

*God gave Bartimaeus a new desire. And when you have a real encounter with Jesus Christ, it will change your life. He will change your life.

2. Jesus gives us a new desire, and new determination.

*We can see Bartimaeus' determination in vs. 48: "Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!'''

*Who were these people trying to keep Bartimaeus from Jesus? Well, this was only a few short days before the cross, and William Barclay wrote: "For Jesus the end of the road was not far away. Jericho was only about 15 miles from Jerusalem, and we must try to visualize the scene.

*The main road to Jerusalem ran right through Jericho. Jesus was on his way to the Passover. When a well-known Rabbi or teacher was on such a journey, he was surrounded by a crowd of people. They were his disciples and learners, who listened to him teach while he walked. Also, those unable to attend the Passover would line the streets to cheer the Passover pilgrims on their way.

*So the streets of Jericho were lined with people, and Bartimaeus the beggar sat at the northern gate. He heard a crowd draw near, and he asked what was happening; who passed by. They told him it was Jesus! And he started an uproar to get Jesus' attention.

*The beggar's shouts offended the people nearby, and they tried to silence Bartimaeus. But no one was going to take away his chance to escape from the darkness." (2)

*The sad fact is that religious people were trying to keep Bartimaeus from Jesus. And this is a warning for us to be careful about how we live. We don't want to do anything to keep other people from Jesus.

*But Bartimaeus wasn't about to let anybody keep him from the Lord! That's the kind of determination we all need! Don't let anything or anyone keep you from getting closer to Jesus Christ!

3. Jesus gives us new determination, and a new dimension in life.

*Jesus Christ will add a brand new dimension to your life. We can see this truth in vs. 49-52:

49. 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.''

50. And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.

51. And 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.''

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.

*"Your faith has made you well." Your faith has made you "whole" the KJV says. This word "well" or "whole" is "sozo" in the original language. And it's the same word the Bible uses for people being saved.

*"Sozo" is the word in Matthew 1:21, when the angel told Joseph about Mary's miraculous pregnancy: "She will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.''

*"Save" is "sozo." It's the same word in Luke 19:10, where Jesus said: "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.'' "Sozo" is also the same word the jailer used in Acts 16:30, when he asked life's most important question: "What must I do to be saved?'' And "sozo" is the same word Paul and Silas used in Acts 16:31, when they gave the jailer this reply: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.''

*Blind Bartimaeus wasn't just healed. He was saved, because she believed in Jesus. And that's a totally new dimension in life.

*But what's the difference? How are saved people different from lost people? We grow up. We go to school and work. We're all a part of a family. We get sick. We get tired. Sometimes we get "sick and tired." We pay bills. We have problems. We cause problems. We sin. We get older.

*We have so much in common with lost people that it's easy for them to miss the difference. But there is a difference! Knowing the Lord makes all the difference in the world!

[1] One difference is hope.

*Christians: We have hope, real hope, everlasting hope. Just minutes before Jesus came by, Bartimaeus lay desolate in the dust. But hope made him spring to life. John Maxwell explained why:

-"Hope shines brightest when the hour is darkest.

-Hope motivates when discouragement comes.

-Hope energizes when the body is tired.

-Hope sweetens when bitterness bites.

-Hope sings when all melodies are gone.

-Hope believes when evidence is eliminated.

-Hope listens for answers when no one is talking.

-Hope climbs over obstacles when no one is helping.

-Hope endures hardship when no one is caring.

-And hope presses toward victory when no one is encouraging." (3)

*Hebrews 6:19 tells Christians that the hope we have is "an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast."

[2] And because of Jesus Christ, we have real hope. But we also have real help.

*Jesus wants to help us like no one else can. In vs. 49, Jesus stood still and commanded Bartimaeus to be called. Then they called Bartimaeus, saying: "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.'' This verse reminds us that God wants us to have His help. He's not too busy for us. He will always stop and make time for you. And He is calling you close to His side.

*Then in vs. 50, Bartimaeus threw his garment aside, rose and went to Jesus. This verse reminds us that we should rush to Jesus for His help. Don't let anything slow you down.

*Next in vs. 51-52:

51. . . 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.''

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.

*These verses remind us that Jesus cares enough to help us, and He wants to answer our prayers. Matthew 20:34 tells us that Jesus had compassion on blind Bartimaeus, and He will have compassion on you.

*Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ! He will give you help and hope. Jesus will even forgive your sins, and save your soul! And that's whole new dimension in life.

4. Jesus Christ gives us a new dimension of life, and a new direction in life

*This truth is at the end of vs. 52, where again, "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." Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way to Jerusalem. He got a whole new direction for his life.

*Bartimaeus got a new purpose in life. Jesus said, "Bartimaeus, go your way," and it's as if Bartimaeus replied, "Lord, my way is your way now! I want to follow you!" Bartimaeus got both a new purpose, and a new place in life. He got a brand new destination in life. He got a place to belong, a place to belong forever. Bartimaeus wasn't just on his way to Jerusalem. He was on his way to Heaven!

*Without Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you aren't headed to Heaven. You are surely headed to hell. But when you trust in Jesus and what He did on the cross for us, then, you are surely headed to Heaven. So run to Jesus! Believe in Him. Put your trust in Jesus. Receive Him as your Lord and Savior, and start to follow the Lord today.

*Bartimaeus began to see! And he followed Jesus up the road to Jerusalem. He saw the beauty of God's creation for probably the first time in years. And Bartimaeus saw our Savior face to face. But only a few days later, he probably looked on some tragic, horrible things. Bartimaeus likely saw our Lord brutally beaten, and nailed to the cross.

*But Jesus suffered and died on that cross for Bartimaeus. And Jesus suffered and died on that cross for us. He paid the price for our sins. Pastor James Chandler found this out in an unusual way.

*James said: "As a teenager, I went to an outdoor drama of the crucifixion of Christ. I was not a Christian but was curious about all of this Jesus stuff. The audience was to play the part of the crowd during Jesus' trial and death on the cross. We all shouted, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"

*They brought Jesus out and began to beat him. Even though I knew it was just a play, I was amazed at how I was drawn in to it. As we, the crowd, began to follow Jesus up the hill carrying his cross, Jesus stopped and fell to his knees.

*I didn't know he was supposed to do that. A Roman Soldier looked right at me, pointed, and yelled: "You: Carry his cross." I was stunned and confused. I hoped he was talking to someone else. But before I knew it, there I was carrying this heavy wooden cross up the hill. For the first time, all of this Jesus stuff began to make sense." (4)

*Has it started to make sense to you? As believers, we understand that Jesus suffered and died for us. Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to take the punishment for all our sins.

*But three days later, Jesus rose again from the dead! And now if you will turn to Jesus and trust in Him as your Lord and Savior. He will make an eternal difference in your life.

CONCLUSION:

*Let Jesus Christ give you new desires and new determination. Let the Lord give you new help and new hope for living. Let Him give you new direction and a new destination for your life. Jesus Christ wants to make an everlasting difference in your life. Call on the Lord as we go back to God in prayer.

(1) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "Your Faith Has Saved You" by Simon Rundell - Mark 10:46-52

(2) Adapted from "Barclay's Daily Bible Study Series - NT" by William Barclay - Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew - Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA - "A Miracle By the Wayside - Mark 10:46-52

(3) John Maxwell in "Think on These Things" - Source: SermonCentral illustration contributed by David DeWitt

(4) SermonCentral illustration contributed by James Chandler