FIGHT FOR YOUR SMILE

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Mark 10:46–52 NLT

46 Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. 47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” 50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.

Disciples were asking for power and

THE WORD OF GOD FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD....THANKS BE TO GOD

We have all seen Bartimaeus at one time or another. We see him at the corner holding a sign asking for money....

We see her at the entrance of a department store parking lot a little dirty and disheveled maybe with her children sitting next to what looks like a broken down car with a sign ANYTHING WITLL HELP...

Each one of these people have either come on hard times or made bad decisions to get them to this place in life…It does not matteR how they got there they are simply there.

But they also have another thing in common. If you look you can see it… Each one of these people has a deep sense of despair in their eyes.

Each one of these people has a deep sense of despair in their eyes.

Maybe you have never seen it...but it is there…a sense that no one cares as they have been ignored or looked past on a regular basis.

The sad thing is many of them have accepted this fate. It is a terribly sad place to be when we see people simply give up or give in to difficult circumstance.

Bartimaeus was one of these people. He had been blind and was totally dependent on the generosity or even the pity of others. Some probably gave him money on a regular basis, others gave him money occasionally but the truth is most probably just looked right through him.

Thinking or even telling him out loud that his sin is what got him in the position in…get a job…pull yourself up by your bootstraps…never mind he had no boots.

Even though we do not think of a blind man seeing people ignore him he had to have known…he had given up hope and took this spot everyday resigned to the life that he had become accustom to.

Then it happened…while his eyes were blind his ears were fantastic, probably as we have all heard his hearing was almost super human…he probably knew peoples secrets and in his eavesdropping he had heard about this guy named Jesus. He had the power to heal the lame, and give sight to the blind.

Give sight to the blind…maybe the first time he heard it he dismissed it…but as people continue talk about the Power that Jesus has Bartimaeus begins to wish on hope.

Hoping to meet Jesus but maybe resining himself to being a blind beggar for the rest of his life…

But then it happens…he hears it from a distance Jesus is coming…the crowds are getting bigger and louder and Jesus is getting closer.

Will he see me? Can it be true? Does Jesus have the ability to give me my sight? What have I got to lose….JESUS SON OF DAVID HAVE MERCY ON ME!

He yells it out he is desperate. He needs Jesus. Jesus holds the key to the rest of his life….as Jesus gets closer he yells again…JESUS SON OF DAVID HAVE MERCY ON ME!

SHUSH old man. Jesus does not have time for you. You are just a blind beggar Jesus has no use for you. But Bartimaeus is not deterred, this is his chance and he will not be denied…

He is willing to fight for his healing!

Have you been there? Are you there now? Maybe your not homeless.

But maybe if I looked into your eyes I would see the same sense of despair that we have been talking about.

Your smile is gone but you desperately want it back…Jesus is coming....can you hear him?

POSSIBLE PRAYER HERE (Jesus Son of David Have mercy on Me) Have the people pray this out loud. AMEN

Jesus hears his cries and Jesus also hears the voice of those who are admonishing Him and telling him to be quiet and Jesus does something that gets overlooked here.

Jesus hears his cries and Jesus also hears the voice of those who are admonishing Him and telling him to be quiet and Jesus does something that gets overlooked here.

49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

He forces those who would ignore him and rebuke him to acknowledge the man with their own voices…

He restores dignity to this man…this is the beginning of a greater healing….Not only does Jesus heal this mans blindness…which is what we focus on the most. But he restores his self worth…Jesus is helping this man find his smile!

One that he has probably not seen in years.

If Bartimaeus had given into the voices around him and kept quiet not only would he have died blind, but he would have accepted a lie that his life was doomed to be unhappy and his life did not really matter.

Sometimes we have to be willing fight to find our smile.

No matter how you feel or what others around you are saying it is important that just like Bartimaeus you not give up.

TURN TO THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU AND SAY DON’T GIVE UP.

It is important that you aggressively draw closer to God so that you too can have your dignity and self worth restored.

Instead of embracing Nihilism(extreme skepticism maintaining that nothing in the world has a real meaning or quite simply put nothing really matters) what if you were willing to fight for your smile?

To cry out to God despite the raging voices around us.

This is the real enemy in our current world. People simply do not believe that anything matters.

They read their bibles, go to church but they still see people around them supporting things that are not in harmony with the Gospel.

So faith does not matter.

Politically I run into more and more people who do not vote because the have bought into the idea the it just doesn’t matter

I am convinced that many times we fail to find our smile or live with the dignity because when things get hard we simply give up instead of giving all we have.

They are unhappen in their work or and

I am convinced that many times we fail to find our smile or live with the dignity that God has for us because when things get hard we simply give up instead of giving all we have.

The way we respond to Jesus after we seek him also determines our future.

Respond to Jesus Immediately

When the people called Bartimaeus to Jesus he did not waste any time going to Jesus.

50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.

I think that many times our desire to believe that we have it all together or our desire to make other believe we have it all together creates a lackadaisical response to God calling in our life.

We drag our feet and we may even be stuck in this Nihilistic thought that nothing really matters…Jesus can not restore us and help us if we are not quick to go to him when he calls

Honestly Answer God’s Question?

51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.

It seems obvious that Bartimaeus would want his sight…but Jesus ask him anyway. Why?

I think that this is a time where we have to stop and be honest with God about what we really want. Many times the physical action sin easily entangles is not what we need to stop…what we really need is something deeper.

Jesus already knows what you need but Jesus want us to acknowledge what we want or really need.

Live the rest of your life Engaged with Jesus

This family did not need things to be easier…they needed to allow God to be a real part of their lives…they have

Live the rest of your life Engaged with Jesus

52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

I see it all the time people in need and only reaching out to God when their life is a mess. ( Ryan Collier....)

If we want to break cycles of pain in our life and recover joy it is imperative that we continue to walk in the ways of Jesus…everyday in every way. Gather, Grow, Serve and Multiply.

If you are struggling to find your smile would you begin by Stopping and (REPEAT THE POINTS)

If you are struggling to find your smile would you begin by Stopping and (REPEAT THE POINTS

Maybe you need to

Respond to Jesus

Answer God Honestly

Live an Engaged Christian life.

The altar is a great way to take care of these things…The Altar is open as you come for communion.

PRAYER

COMMUNION: Come to the Altar and Come Find your smile as we remember the death, resurrection and coming again of Jesus.

FEEL FREE TO BE DISMISSED AFTER YOU TAKE COMMUNION GO IN PEACE.