I got something to SAY!
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I got something to SAY!
I got something to SAY!
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
Intro:
Now sometimes.........
......there are those people in our lives that talk a little bit too much!
(pause)
......and then even there are also those people that have very little to say........
But.......
........then every now and then there are those who whenever they open their mouth we just cannot get enough...
(pause)
And so the question becomes.......
....what validates the importance of whatever is being said
(slight pause)
.....and depending on who we are talking to when we discuss this has a lot to do with the answers that we come up with.....
(slight pause)
Paul Tillich says,
“The first duty of love is to listen!”
And I believe that in order to determine the value of what is being said....
.......is to first identify how well an individual is able to listen.
Because......
......often times it is when a person refuses to listen that the entire mouth is ruined with the spoils of selfish and narcissistic ideology....
And so I would argue that......
....until we are ready to listen
.......we really have nothing of value to say.
(pause)
And then I started thinking.........
........that what if from a spiritual perspective we were unable to hear
.....and if that were the case,
......the results would be detrimental as it relates to how we would communicate from a spiritual perspective.
(pause)
And I believe that even though today’s text primarily deals with the physical limitations of hearing.....
......that there is a way of understanding from a spiritual perspective how powerful it is to be able to hear what God is speaking to us.
(pause)
Look at it now.....
Mark 7.31
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.
According to the text....
Jesus leaves the place where he was staying in the neighborhood of the city of Tyre and went further along north the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and through the city of Sidon, about 20 miles north.....
and.....
After passing through Tyre, he turns southward toward the southeastern shore of the Lake of Galilee in the region of Decapolis which is about 120 miles.
and so.....
What the text seems to be explaining is that Jesus is journeying through areas where he would not be as recognizable........so that he can give the greatest amount of his time to the disciples.
(pause)
Look at it now....
They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him.
And so even though Jesus seems to be intentional in not being as recognizable.....
.......according to verse 32 someone finds him and brings a man with a problem to him.
(pause)
And so the first thing I wanted to know is......
Who is the “they” that brought the man.....
And apparently these were people from Decapolis who had heard the testimony of the man who had been healed by Jesus who was demon possessed....in ....
(pause)
And so it is that we see the power of one’s testimony that strenghtens the faith of these men that this deaf and mute man might be healed.....
.........they had the audacity to believe Jesus Christ could do something transformative
And because of this faith......
.........they picked up their problem and “biblically Ubered” this man to Jesus!
(pause)
Freedom family......
If you’re going to spend your time carrying a problem..........
It should be carried into an area where transformation is possible........
And if we are paying close attention..........
.........the way that this man is being moved is as a result of their faith!
(pause)
And watch this......
The man with the problem is not the one who asks for help!
As a matter of fact.......
It is his limitation of speech that keeps him from asking for help.....
(slight pause)
But.....
Because FAITH has no limitations.....
......it never stops trasporting the problem.....
And that’s because....
Faith does not see problems.....
Faith visualizes God....
(pause)
And.......
We only get frustrated with our limitations when we struggle in the area of our faith
(pause)
But the bible says.......
“And they begged him to put his hands on him!”
meaning.......
.....they earnestly asked Jesus to do something for him on his behalf
(pause)
Listen....................
....................these people spoke on his behalf with their faith, because his limitation suggested that he could hardly speak!
(pause)
And so here’s my question....
Who’s begging Jesus to do something for you because of an area of your limitation?
(pause and expound)
Freedom family.....
Be careful how you treat people who can identify your limitations......
.......because they might just be begging Jesus to take the limits off of some things in your life that you are unable to ask for based on your situation!
........because some of the folk you feel you don’t need are
.......because they might be begging Jesus to take the limits off of some things in your life!
(slight pause)
This man is unable to hear or speak clearly...........
......but he has some people around him in his life that are guiding him into an area of transformation!
And the bible teaches us that......
Faith comes by Hearing, and Hearing by the Word of God!
And so if I were to identify the sequence of transformation that is happening in this context of scripture...
We see Faith represented by the people who are bringing this man
We see the deaf man representing someone who is in need of Hearing something transformational
and......
of course We see Jesus (Logos) as representing the Word of God.
(pause and expound-option)
Look at it now....
He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue.
The text says........
Jesus takes him aside......
and.....
Jesus touches him........
(pause)
It would have been useless for Jesus to try to speak to a deaf man.......................
and so.......
He starts touching him in a way that communicates what he is getting ready to TRANSFORM........
1. He places his fingers in his EARS.........which is the place of his deafness.
2. He then touches him on his TONGUE......which is the place of his muteness.
And in my spiritual imagination......
.....I see Jesus proving to this man that he is connected to him
.....and that’s extremely powerful if you are ever in a position where you feel completely disconnected from everything around you.
(slight pause)
And without saying a word........
Jesus COMPLETELY CONNECTS with this man through the power of a TOUCH!
(pause)
And......
What hit me when I saw this is the fact that...........
......The people that brought this man to Jesus did not ask Jesus to SPEAK a word of healing to this man
Their request was strategic to ask.....
“Jesus...................
......LAY your HANDS on him!”
(pause)
In other words.....
God.......
....TOUCH this problem area!
(pause and expound)
And so the first thing we see Jesus prove is CONNECTION.......
And then in verse 34 we watch Jesus prove the second thing which is COMPASSION....
Mark 7.34
Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
The text says.......
After Jesus proves connection by touching this man in the place of his infirmities. He looks upward to connect with His father.......
“He looks up to heaven, and sighs”
.......and this word sigh in the Greek actually means to Groan in his spirit.
See......
....its one thing to talk about a problem from a distance
But......
.......it hits different when I put my hands on what you’re dealing with, and I begin to feel your pain that you’re going through!
And so now.......
.......because Jesus has touched him he has gained an understanding of his issue.
......notice that the deaf man has not spoken to Jesus plainly
.......but notice how attentive Jesus is listening to what he is going trough just by touching him at the point of his need!
(pause)
..........it’s not until they
And I believe that sometimes.....
.....the greatest Gospel we can share to somebody that can’t articulate their problems is a TOUCH!
(pause)
And sometimes folk will CURSE you out because of a pain that has absolutely nothing to do with you.......
(pause)
But
But......
........whenever we can get to a place where we can understand the level of pain that a person is going through....
.....sometimes it will help us to understand what kind of BLOCKAGE is going on in their lives!
(pause and expound)
And in my spiritual imagination that’s what’s happening in this situation…......
Jesus has felt with his own hands, and now understands what Satan was trying to stop in this man’s life..................
........and it DISTURBED JESUS to the point that he groaned in compassion!
Have you ever experienced what somebody was going through and then said.....
“Mmmmmm............now I see what’s going on!”
(pause and expound)
Watch this........
because after Jesus groans......
his first words are now directed towards this man.......
when he says.....
“Be OPENED!”
And I believe that in this very moment Jesus is proving his CONTROL over what was closed up in this mans life.
Because in verse 35 it says.....
“Immediately his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.”
(pause)
Now.......
Watch the order in which this takes place......
His ears open.......
.......and then his tongue is released
(pause)
And.....
That word released or loosed in the Greek means......
....to REVERSE the result of tying by untying.
(pause)
And so when God OPENED up his HEARING ability..........
........IT was connected to his SPEAKING ability.........
(pause)
And so because he could not HEAR before..........
.......his tongue was tied up!
But......
......when his Hearing is OPENED.......
........he is no longer tongue tied....
Which tells me......
Our hearing controls the level and ability of what we SAY!!!!
(pause)
And I just wonder if that’s what happens to us spiritually......
When we are unable to HEAR what God is speaking into our lives
..........everything we say is TIED UP and INEFFECTIVE
(pause)
And so this text now becomes a scene of liberation.......
......whereas we see Jesus breaking the chains of a prisoner with his CONNECTION, and with his COMPASSION, and with his powerful CONTROL!
And once Jesus opens up his HEARING.........
.......now everything that comes out of his mouth makes sense!
(pause)
And then in verse 37.......
.....after Jesus has told them to keep this secret between he and them
Because of the level of LIBERATION that just took place......
.......they were unable to hold it quietly to themselves
(pause)
Jesus.......
“I know you don’t want us to share this with anybody......
.....BUT
I got something to SAY!!!!!”
We brought 1 man to you that had 2 problems.........
And all we knew to say was....
“Lord lay your hands on him!”
(pause)
And it’s one thing to believe God is going to do it
....BUT it HITS way different when God actually makes it happen!
Optional Barrel:
Story of how Cousin “Brother” laid hands on his great grandson who has Autism and was told he would never be able to develop speech......
On last week the child was talking like never before!
(pause)
And somebody in here needs to know that.....
God has pronounced your HEARING to BE OPENED!