THE COMPASSIONATE CHRIST WILL HEAR YOU IF YOU HOLLA

SERMON: “THE COMPASSIONATE CHRIST WILL HEAR YOU IF YOU HOLLA “

TEXT: MARK 10:46-52

INTRODUCTION

Mark 10:46-52 (KJV) 46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. 50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. 52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

The good news about Jesus is no matter what has you blind and no matter what has you bound, no matter you condition and no matter you desperation Christ can undo all that has you undone. In the book of Mark, we encounter a long procession of hurting people who found their help and hope in Jesus.

Mark’s theme is not to show Jesus as the King of the Jews as in Matthew; nor as the son of man; as in Luke. It is not his purpose to show Jesus as the eternal Logos who was manifested in the flesh; as in John.

Mark’s gospel, the shortest one and believed to be the first one, has as its purpose to present the Master as the suffering Servant who came into the world to sacrifice Himself for the world. Mark shows us Jesus in action. He emphasizes the Lord’s movements and ministry rather than His message.

Two words recur in the King James translation of Mark, immediately, and straightway. Both words are translations of the Greek word EUTHOS, which conveys the idea of action that is swift and decisive.

Mark’s story rushes on in a kind of breathless anticipation of the next incident in the life of Christ. He adds statement-to-statement connecting them simply with the word “and”. For instance, in Greek in the 3rd chapter there are 34 clauses or sentences one after the other introduced by “and” after one principle verb.

In Mark’s gospel we see Jesus encountering all kinds of hurting people who needed His help. I think I ought to declare even today there are whole lot of people who need the Lord’s help. I declare this invisible, insidious virus is still causing serious health and financial challenges. We need help.

In the text before us we meet such a man. His name was Bartimaeus. He was a blind beggar who sat by the roadside looking and hoping for assistance.

Jesus the Lord of life and the best the world has ever seen was on His final and fateful journey to the city of the Prophets, Jerusalem to offer Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. He is passing through the ancient city of Jericho. He encountered blind Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus is one of the few people healed by Jesus who is actually named. Lazarus was another such person, as was Malchus.

It is the desperate cry of Bartimaeus that captures our attention. It reminds us that our Savior is the compassionate Christ. If we call out for help, He will answer. I declare if we holla, He will hear.

As we unpack the passage to uncover the principles there are two truths threaded into the tapestry of the text. They form the substance of the sermon and offers the homiletical hinges on which this message swings. Notice, HIS CRY INDICATES A GROWING PERCEPTION, and notice HIS CRY DEMONSTRATES A GENUINE PERSISTANCE.

I. HIS CRY INDICATES A GROWING PERCEPTION

Bartimaeus is sitting there by the roadside a man in a crisis that is beyond his control or ability to correct OR change. He had little hope of ever having a better life. His main concern from one day to the next was just survival. To survive one more day. He is stuck in his situation, there is nothing that he can do. I wonder if I’m talking to someone who know a little something about being or feeling stuck. Stuck:

· With a bad habit you can’t seem to break

· With a bad relationship you can’t seem to improve

· With an obstacle you can’t seem to overcome

· With a crises you can’t seem to conquer

· In some mess that you can’t seem to manage

· Inside with your parents’ grandkids and you are just about to lose your mind up in here up in here

Bartimaeus could not plan his way out of his situation. He cannot educate his way out of it. So…he chose to go to a higher source, to a source outside himself.

Something inside of him realized that this Nazarene could do something for him that he had done for other sick people. A hunger and a desire for change was stirring inside of this blind beggar and it drove him to go against conventional wisdom. In his despair, in his hopelessness he had found hope. He called out to the one who could heal him and make him whole. He made up his mind that he no longer wanted to remain in the condition he was in.

What about you today are you just trying to survive one more day? Are life’s problems bearing down on you? Do you feel that the world is closing in around you? Do you feel that no one else has ever had your problems? Are you tired of being in the condition you are in day after day? Then you need to do what Bartimaeus did. CRY OUT FOR MERCY!.

Some people never get beyond their present condition because they are not desperate enough. They fail to recognize what Bartimaeus recognized. If his blindness was to be alleviated he needed to cry out to Christ.

A. HE PERCIEVED WHO HE NEEDED- Some people never get the help that they need because they fail to realize who they need. They fail to recognize their need for Jesus.

Bartimaeus cries out to Christ declaring “thou Son of David have mercy on me.” By calling Jesus the son of David he was acknowledging that Jesus is the Messiah. The designation, “Jesus of Nazareth” is used to describe Jesus’ humanity. “Jesus Son of David”, appeals to Jesus’ divinity. Jesus of Nazareth was used by unbelievers, mockers and detractors like those who arrest Jesus, or like the soldiers who beat Jesus. You see Nazareth was the hood. Even the girl who confronts Peter in the courtyard during Jesus interrogation refers to him as Jesus of Nazareth. After Jesus is risen, He is referred to as Jesus Christ of Nazareth, with Christ being the term of Lordship. But, the designation Bart uses, “Son of David” is a messianic term, used to describe the messiah. This is a messianic title that we see expressed in Isa 11:1, Jer 23:5f, Ezek 34:23f.

The title “Son of David” is a very specific Jewish title. And it was reserved for only one person in all the world…the Messiah. So when Bartimaeus called Jesus the Son of David, the whole crowd knew what he was saying. Bartimaeus was saying “I believe this is the one we’ve all be waiting for, the savior of the world and the deliverer of God’s people.” Bartimaeus was smart enough to know that no one could give him his sight except God Himself. And so he turned to Jesus and he wasn’t disappointed.

I think I ought to tell somebody it does not matter what you have if you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have enough. You may have:

· Possessions, position and prestige but you need Jesus

· Status, station and standing but you need Jesus

· Recognition, resources and renown but you need Jesus

Yes, oh yes, hallelujah yes, you need Jesus. ...! He alone is the 'way'...from...

· darkness unto light..

· . ...despair unto delight

· ... ...turmoil unto peace..

· . ...anxiety unto assurance

· ... ...burdens unto blessings..

· . ...sorrows unto joy...

· ...emptiness unto fulness... .

· ..selfishness unto compassion...

· ...loneliness unto love.

· .. ...ashes unto beauty...

· ...misery unto glory...

· ...filth unto purity... .

· ..fear unto faith... ..

· .desperation unto hope...

· ...deceitfulness unto truth...

· ...nothing unto something...

· ...nobody unto somebody..

· . ...wickedness unto righteousness..

· . ...weakness unto strength...

· ...vice unto virtue...

· ...hunger unto satisfaction...

· ...yearning unto contentment...

· ...failure unto fruitfulness...

· ...bondage unto liberty..

· . ...defeat unto victory... .

· ..pain into power... .

· ..sadness unto gladness...

· ...sin unto salvation... .

· ..death unto life... .

· ..earth unto heaven...!

B. HE PERCIEVED WHAT HE NEEDED- Bartimaeus somehow knew that he couldn’t approach the Lord on the basis of what he deserved. So he cried out instead for mercy. The Greek word is Eleeo, and means to “have compassion on the undeserving.”

I find it striking that although he was blind he does not ask for sight initially. Although he was a beggar he does not ask for food. He ask for mercy. That is what he needed most.

I think I ought to tell you that mercy is the only basis by which we can seek help from the Lord. We need mercy because many are:

· Lost and need to be saved

· Down and need to be lifted

· Imprisoned by their past and need to be set free

· Bound by a stubborn habit and need to be liberated

· Fatally sick with sin and need to be cured

· Completely dominated by the devil and need to be delivered

We must cry out to God with the same spirit that publican approached Him when in the parable of Jesus he cried “have mercy on me a sinner.”

Have mercy Lord is the cry we need to make. Have mercy Lord:

· I deserve so little but I need so much

· I have so much guilt but I need your grace

· I know how I have fallen but I need your forgiveness

· I know I have let you down but I need you to pick me up

· I know I deserve condemnation but I need salvation

II. HIS CRY DEMONSTRATES A GENUINE PERSISTANCE

This helpless, sightless, hopeless man possesses a persistence born of desperation. He had no concern for whether he was breaking decorum. He gave no thought to whether or not his cry was against custom. He was blind and knew that Jesus could do something about his condition.

A. THE INSISTENT CROWD- The crowd did not appreciate this unscheduled interruption. They insisted to Bartimaeus that he should be quiet. They told him to hush. The word "charged" is epitimao "to rebuke, censure severely." "Hold his peace" is siopao, "to be silent, to hold one's peace." It is ingressive aorist, speaking of entrance into a new condition. Luke says that it was the crowd in front that rebuked the blind man. That was easy for them to do because they had their sight.

I declare there are people who don’t want you to cry out to Jesus. They prefer that you stay blind. They are more comfortable if you remain in the condition that you are in. They have no interest in you getting better.

People got in his way, told him to be quiet, and did their best to keep him from Christ. But this sensible man—aware of his need, sure of the saving power of Christ, and conscious that it was now or never for him—refused to be intimidated by the crowd. It was indeed his one and only chance. Jesus was on His way to Calvary. He would not be back that way again. Somehow Bartimaeus knew that if change was to ever be accomplished in his life it was now or never.

I think I might ought to mention that there are some people who when they cry it is not the cry of desperation it is the cry for attention. Some folks shout but they are just making some noise they don’t want to be better, they don’t really want to change. They are just calling out for attention. They can’t stand it when the focus is on someone else. They cry but it is not the cry that leads to positive and productive change.

B. THE PERSISTENT CRY- This blind could care less about this crowd. He knew they probably wouldn’t do anything for him even if they could. The one person who could forever alter his condition was about to pass by. So in spite of the crowd he made his cry.

Many among the crowd tried to hush Bartimaeus, but he was desperate and determined and in dead earnest. He would not be discouraged, silenced or stopped. He repeatedly cried to the top of his lungs: "Thou Son of David, have mercy on me."

The point is that Bartimaeus persevered, he persisted in his cry. He had need, and he would not stop seeking to have his need met. Note the voices raised against him, and they were "many." His faith in Jesus was strong. He believed Jesus could really help him. His faith stood against all the voices of discouragement and against the feelings of so many that it was useless.

We have voices all around us who try to block our connection with Jesus. They say things like, “You don’t take the bible seriously do you?”, They insinuate that being spiritual has something to do with being organic or being in touch with yourself. They say to us: “This whole faith thing must not be real, God hasn’t done what you asked – so you might as well give up”. They tell us that taking the spiritual world seriously is foolishness. What they do, is they shout ignorance our way….don’t buy it. Don’t listen to those detractors. The reality is this: Jesus is real, Jesus is powerful, Jesus is ready to act on your behalf and change your world. Voices may try to cut off your path to God, but they can never cut off your heart for God. Bart seem to instinctively know this and he keeps calling for Jesus. Follow his example.

If you want Jesus to change your life you have to keep looking to Christ and stop listening to the crowd. The crowd can’t help you. Often the crowd won’t help you. Christ can and will help you if you cry out in desperation. “Father I stretch my hands to you no other help I know if thou withhold thyself from me where can I go?”

There is somebody listening who need a miracle in their life. You are facing a situation, which is apparently hopeless. You are facing a situation in your marriage and you think there is no help, you are facing a situation on your job, you are facing a situation in your own life and you believe there is no hope. But the reason there is hope is that Jesus is passing by today. I declare don’t let Jesus pass you by. The compassionate Christ will hear you if you holla. The bible declares; Ps 106:44-45

Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, When He heard their cry; 45 And for their sake He remembered His covenant, And relented according to the multitude of His mercies. NKJV

1. Today is your day Jesus is passing by so if you need a miracle for your mess, if you need a change in your condition cry out to Christ. Pass me not, O gentle Savior, Hear my humble cry; While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.

o Refrain: Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry, While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.

2. Let me at Thy throne of mercy Find a sweet relief; Kneeling there in deep contrition, Help my unbelief.

3. Trusting only in Thy merit, Would I seek Thy face; Heal my wounded, broken spirit, Save me by Thy grace.

4. Thou the spring of all my comfort, More than life to me, Whom have I on earth beside Thee, Whom in Heav’n but Thee.

I think I ought to tell you that Bartimaeus’ persistence paid off. The bible declares that Jesus stood still and called for the blind man. Jesus heard the man when he hollered and stopped in His tracks to come to the man’s rescue. The bible still says; 1 Peter 3:12

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." NKJV

Bartimaeus was blind and a beggar but when he made his cry and answered the Lord’s call he got blessed. Oh my people that can happen to you, yes it can.

Conclusion

Yes, oh yes, hallelujah yes. The compassionate Christ will hear you if you holla. Go ahead, holla at Him, He will hear you: He will give:

· THE COMFORT OF HIS PRESCENCE

· SUFFICIENCY OF HIS GRACE

· THE POWER OF HIS BLOOD

· THE AVAILIBILITY OF HIS SPIRIT

· THE CERTAINTY OF HIS WORD

· A SURE FOUNDATION THAT NEVER SHAKES

· A BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR THAT NEVER DIMS

· THE ROSE OF SHARON THAT NEVER fades

· PEACE FOR YOUR PERPLEXITIES

· HOPE FOR YOUR DISPAIR

· DELIVERENCE FOR YOUR BONDAGE

· GLORY FOR YOUR GLOOM

· WISDOM FOR YOUR DECISIONS

· GUIDE FOR YOUR JOURNEY

· SHELTER FOR YOUR STORM

· BLESSINGS FOR YOUR BURDENS

· HELP FOR YOUR HURT

· BALM FOR YOUR BRUISES

· STRENGTH FOR YOUR WEAKNESS

· POWER FOR YOUR PROBLEMS

· ANSWERS FOR YOUR ANXIETIES

· FULNESS FOR YOUR EMPTINESS

· JOY FOR YOUR SORROW

· LOVE FOR YOUR LONELINESS

· FADES

· A RESOURCE THAT CAN NEVER BE DEPLEATED

· A WELL THAT WILL NEVER RUN DRY

· A HEART REVIVED

· A JOY RENEWED

· A PEACE RESTORED

· A SOUL REDEMNED

· A FUTURE SECURE

Holla at Him, holla at Him, the compassionate Christ will hear you if you holla