Sermon Tone Analysis

Always Keep Believing in Jesus!

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared November 5, 2021)

BACKGROUND:

*Today we will study two of the countless miracles Jesus performed during His 3-year ministry on earth.

These two miracles are recorded in Matthew 9, Mark 5, and Luke 8.

They happened just as Jesus was about to finish talking with some disciples of John the Baptist.

*John's followers were greatly troubled because their teacher had been put into prison by their evil ruler.

They were also concerned about why the Lord's disciples weren't fasting like they did.

Jesus told them two short parables to help them understand the difference between His ministry and John's.

Basically, it was the difference between the Old Testament, and the New Testament good news of God's salvation through the cross of Christ.

*As Jesus talked with John's followers, two other people approached the Lord for help they desperately needed.

One of them was a ruler of the synagogue named "Jairus."

His name means "enlightened by God," and that's the kind of man Jairus was.

Matthew 9:18 says, "Behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.''

*By this time Jairus' daughter was already dead.

But the Gospels of Mark and Luke both begin their reports a little earlier.

Both mention the multitude of people there that day.

Mark 5:22-24 says, "Behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.

And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet, 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.'

So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him." (1)

*The other desperate person who approached Jesus that day was a woman who had been constantly sick for 12 long years.

As Jesus and Jairus headed to his house, this suffering woman came from behind and touched the hem of Jesus' outer garment.

*She was healed from that hour, and Jesus began to talk with this woman.

Luke 8:49-50 says, "While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, 'Your daughter is dead.

Do not trouble the Teacher.'

But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, 'Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.'''

*This desperate dad and desperately ill woman both did the most important thing we can ever do in life: They went to Jesus Christ for the help they needed!

They both had strong faith in the Lord, and they show us the life-changing power of believing in Jesus.

Let's read their stories in Matthew 9:18-26.

MESSAGE:

*One of the most powerful words in the English language is "Believe!"

This word has the power to change our lives forever.

But there can be a big problem with believing, because everybody believes in something, and most people believe in the wrong thing.

*Misguided people today will try to get you to believe all kinds of lies.

Some with try to lead you into an unhealthy belief in yourself.

They say things like, "Oh, You can do anything, if you will just believe in yourself!"

*Of course, that's not true.

I'll never be an astronaut, and I'll never pitch for the Braves no matter how much I believe in myself!

And the worst danger of believing in the wrong thing is that it will lead you to hell.

*But believing in Jesus Christ leads to everlasting life.

As John 3:36 says, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

*We cannot overestimate the importance of believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. FIRST, WE MUST BELIEVE THAT JESUS CAN DO THE IMPOSSIBLE.

*God's Word teaches this truth all through the Bible.

Here in vs. 18 we see a loving dad in the worst situation a parent can face.

His beloved daughter was dead.

Luke 8:42 tells us that she was his only daughter, and she about 12 years old.

*Jairus was a loving dad in a most desperate situation.

But he believed that Jesus could help him, so vs. 18 says, "While (Jesus) spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, 'My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.'"

*Now that is believing Jesus can do the impossible!

And God wants us to believe the same way.

In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel went to the virgin Mary to tell her that she would be the Lord's mother.

And in vs. 34-37:

34. . .

Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?''

35.

And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

36.

Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

37.

For with God nothing will be impossible.''

2. WE MUST BELIEVE THAT JESUS CAN DO THE IMPOSSIBLE, AND KEEP BELIEVING WHEN HIS HELP IS DELAYED.

*There is a double dose of this kind of faith in today's Scripture because both of these desperate people had to wait on the Lord.

*Verses 19-22 tell us that:

19. . .

Jesus arose and followed him (Jairus), and so did His disciples.

20.

And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment;

21. for she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.''

22.

But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.''

And the woman was made well from that hour.

*In these verses, the desperate dad only had to wait for a few minutes, but knowing that his daughter was dead made those minutes seem like agonizing hours!

And yes, Jairus had great faith in Jesus, but don't you know he was anxious for the Lord to hurry.

I can hear him crying out, "LET'S GO!"

*But there was an interruption from this sick lady.

And talk about waiting!

This pitiful woman had been waiting for 12 torturous years.

Mark 5:25-26 says, "Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.

She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse."

*She "had suffered many things from many physicians."

That's not talking about doctors like the fine professionals we are blessed to have.

This poor woman went through some very strange and dangerous treatments.

*For example, in cases like hers they would take her to a place where two roads meet and put a cup of wine in her right hand.

Then they would get someone sneak up behind her to scare her and say, "Arise from thy flux."

*If that didn't work, here's another treatment those "doctors" tried: "Dig 7 ditches, in which they should burn some cuttings of vines, not yet four years old.

Let her take in her hand a cup of wine, and let them lead her away from this ditch, and make her sit down over that.

And let them remove her from that, and make her sit down over another, saying to her at each remove, 'Arise from thy flux!'"

*Charles Spurgeon said, "The doctors in those days were much more to be dreaded than the worst diseases.

What with leeching and cutting, cauterizing, blistering and incision, strapping and puncturing, -- patients were made to undergo all manner of unimaginable tortures.

*The physicians of her day had reached perfection in the arts of torment.

I know not how many operations she had endured, nor how many gallons of nauseous drugs she had swallowed.

But they had certainly caused her a vast amount of suffering and bitter disappointment."

(2)

*James May said, "For 12 years she had cried, pleaded with God, prayed and sought help from every source possible.

For 12 years she wondered if she would ever get her answer.

But she wouldn't give up!

And at the right time, God gave her the answer she needed."

(3)

*Church: He will surely do the same for us!

God wants us to keep on believing.

when His help is delayed.

Never give up on Jesus Christ because he always does the right thing at the right time!

This is a hard truth for us because sometimes we will surely have to wait on the Lord.

3. BUT WE MUST KEEP BELIEVING WHEN HIS HELP IS DELAYED, AND KEEP BELIEVING WHEN THE CROWD DOUBTS.