Mark 10:46-52

Big Idea:

Jesus is not okay with brokenness.

Intro:

Good morning! It’s good to “see” all of you. Some of you know that right now - as you watch this - Janelle and I are in Grand Rapids, Michigan. No, we’re not exactly on vacation, though we have stopped a few places for vacation-like activities. We’re in Michigan because a couple months ago, we were invited by a pastor to come visit their church, pray and talk about future partnerships, and strategize about how to further the Kingdom of God in New England.

The pastor who invited us used to live here in Connecticut. Coincidentally, he has a couple of really good friends who live in Glastonbury. And even though God eventually called him to Michigan, he’s continues to have a heart for the people of our state! And like many, he believes God is doing something special in Connecticut!

So church family - it’s an exciting time to be part of our church! God is doing big things… some of which, I will share today.

You know, God’s word says…

Acts 17:26–27 NLT

From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.

One way to apply this verse is to know God planned who we would be (our family, personalities, friends, experiences), the places we would live, and the times we would exist. And purpose of that plan is through carefully crafted circumstances, we (and others) would come to know Christ. As it’s said in the Book of Esther...

Esther 4:14 ESV

For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

You - as you are listening to this - are not doing so by accident or coincidence. God created you for this time. He picked you to live in this area and to be a part of this church. And it’s all part of His place to save the world.

This should highly encourage and motivate you!

Now, I understand it’s hard to believe stuff like this... That God has a master plan and...

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Especially when you’ve probably heard me talk about we have a God-given, free-will, and that our choices are real and matter. It’s reasonable to ask, “How can God have a master plan and our free-will exist together?”

I don’t know, but that’s a conversation for another sermon. But for now, let me give you a few personal stories that might help you see this reality...

Growing up, I didn’t know God. Didn’t go to church. But God created me with a natural ability to be good at school. All my life I had good grades without trying. And for college, I only wanted to go to UCLA. And for some reason, I didn’t get it. So I went to junior college with the intention to transfer.

For 6 semesters, I’d take classes and have the highest grade in the class. Then, I’d get bored, stop going to class, and would drop classes. Eventually, I was on academic probation at every JC in San Diego, so I just quit school.

Then, when Jesus saved me, I sensed Him calling me to get my ministry “preparation thru education.” So at the age of 30, I went back to school and ended up getting my Bachelors in Biblical Studies and Master’s in Practical Theology.

During that time I met this guy named Brandon. Couldn’t stand the dude, but got paired with him for a project and we became good friends. Years later, when it was time for us to move to Glastonbury, Brandon told me, “I got a friend you should meet who happens to live in the area.”

Now, this friend’s family had also recently moved to CT - kicking and screaming. They were living the good life in Singapore and yet - all of a sudden - got picked up and dropped off in New England. They were asking God, “WHY!?!?!?!” Then, one day in 2015, I met this friend at Daybreak Coffee. That guy is Pastor Jon. Do you think that was a coincidence? No. That’s God’s master plan.

Another story: When we moved to Connecticut we lived across the street from another young family. They had a son the same age as Kade. And early in the school year, Kade and this other kid get into a fight in the halls of Naubuc school. Such a beautiful example of how the pastor’s family is a blessing to the community.

However, God is the God of redemption, amen? And these two boys became best friends. Then, on our first Easter service, this family came to church for the first time. And the mom became the first person to ever receive Christ at The River Church. 6 years later, her son decided to follow Christ at this year’s Summer Camp. Do you think this coincidence? No. That’s God’s master plan.

One final story (and then we can move past the intro of my sermon!): At a pastor’s retreat, I met a guy from Georgia who moved up here to plant a church in Maine. I had an instant connection with him. Also, they raise Collies as a side hustle. And that’s where our dog, Kota, comes from.

This pastor’s wife had a good friend from the Alabama. The friend’s husband got hired for a job in Glastonbury. The husband started looking for a church online and found one he liked. He told his wife about it, but she wasn’t having it. She said something to the extent of, “I’ll just ask my friend (who planted a church in Maine) if there are any good churches in the area.”

The friend said, “Oh, we have good friends who started a church in Glastonbury. You should go to The River Church!” The wife goes to the husband, “I found a church for us, let’s go here...” The husband says, “That’s the church I’ve been telling you about!” That couple is Clif and Mitzi - who is also just had back surgery, so be praying for them! But do you think that is coincidence? No. That’s God’s master plan!

And these are just 3 of hundreds of similar stories. Ask Shannon why they started coming to The River Church. Ask Sia. Ask Howard and Kay!

All of this points to an important principle: Right now, we get an opportunity to participate (as The River Church) in God’s master plan to save the world. To reach our community with the gospel - the good news of how Jesus can make everything right. And right now, we’re in Michigan to see how we can do that in a greater way. And right now, you’re listening to this sermon because God is desiring to call you to be a part of His great plan of salvation - maybe in a greater way.

And that’s important to understand, right? Because there’s a lot of brokenness in our world! And Jesus is not content with the brokenness caused by sin, which is why He came to earth and went to the cross in the first place - exactly where He is headed in our passage today as we continue in the book of Mark. Picking up in chapter 10, verse 46, it says...

Mark 10:46–52 ESV

And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 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!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 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.” 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.

Body:

Just like in our day, Jesus finds brokenness wherever He goes. And He’s not willing to walk by it. It is not God’s intention for us to live and remain in utter brokenness. Jesus Himself said, “I’ve come to give life, and life more abundantly.” That principle is revealed in this passage an extremely personal way...

And to help us see this, I want to jump over to Luke’s telling of Jesus’ arrival into Jericho. You see, Bartimaeus wasn’t the only broken person Jesus met at this point of the journey. Luke says...

Luke 19:1–2 ESV

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.

What verse 2 tells us is Zacchaeus was a broken person. He had every worldly thing money could buy, but it didn’t fix the brokenness. But he’s also heard about Jesus. Maybe even heard that Jesus said of Himself...

Luke 4:18–19 ESV

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And Zacchaeus thought, “I some of need that!” But then the rest of the story leads us to believe that he would never get a chance to meet Jesus. Never find hope. Never find a solution for his brokenness. But then... something amazing happens. It’s probably one of my most favorite passages of the Bible.

Luke 19:5 ESV

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”

In the original language, the phrase “I must” means, “God has ordained this moment for us to meet. It’s part of God’s master plan.” In other words, “Zacchaeus, the reason I came to Jericho, at this specific moment, was to meet you and fix your brokenness!”

And since that’s true, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was part of God’s master plan for Jesus to meet Bartimaeus too. To heal HIS brokenness, because... Jesus is not content with brokenness. And you know what, neither are we here at The River Church!

Some of you may know today was originally a scheduled “Church Online” day. It’s why I accepted the invitation to go to the Michigan this weekend. And typically, in New England, we experience what’s sometimes called the summer-slump.

A lot of people are on vacation.

The weather is nice.

And it’s been a fact that less people come to church during Summer.

Usually, for the church, summer time is a slower season.

But that’s not the case this year!

To be sure, plenty of our regular people are on vacation. But it feels like the Book of Acts lately! God just keeps adding to the church! There’s a spiritual momentum here in Glastonbury!

The vision of our church (or when we look into the future and see what God is calling our church to will look like) is:

Building communities who love Jesus and bring joy to others.

And church family, that’s happening this summer like never before. It’s the primary reason today isn’t a Church Online day. Our leadership team looked around and decided it would be unwise to take another week off. Right now, people experiencing brokenness keep coming thru the door because they’ve heard Jesus can help them!

Therefore, like Jesus, we too will not be content with letting brokenness exist, even if it costs us. Even if we have to sacrifice...

Right now, I’d like to highlight two very special people in our church. Two people who have stepped up this past month to fill in the huge volunteer gaps we’ve had because of summer vacations. And that’s David and Kimberly Oakes. If they’re sitting in service with you, give them a hand.

They’ve pretty much served every week this month. And they don’t do it for the applause. They do it because they are not content with the brokenness in our community. They are willing to sacrificially serve for a season because Jesus said...

Mark 10:45 ESV

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

And that’s how they choose to live too. They give their lives so the broken can find hope in Jesus. And their continued faithfulness reminds me of the persistence we see in Bartimaeus, who, after...

Mark 10:48 ESV

And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Church family - this is instructive to us: We must keep pushing towards Jesus and never grow content with brokenness in our lives. Bartimaeus could’ve given up and just lived with the blindness. But he didn’t. He wouldn’t be content. And neither should we, because the truth is Jesus doesn’t want us living in brokenness. Look at what He told Bartimaeus...

Mark 10:49 ESV

And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.”

On the other end of our faithfulness and perseverance is Jesus’ invitation to restoration and wholeness. The response Jesus gives Bartimaeus is the response He’s waiting to give every broken person in our community! Therefore, in order for broken people to be healed...

It’s worth your time.

It’s worth your money.

It’s worth your reputation.

It’s worth your energy.

And here’s a Scripture principle that comes into play when we faithfully have the same heart as Jesus...

Luke 16:10 ESV

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

It’s easy for us to get content in the busyness of life. To miss how God is constantly moving in our world. So, if you haven’t noticed, I’m taking the opportunity today to make us aware of what God is doing here with us - so that we won’t be content and continue to faithfully further the Kingdom of God!

One way we see God moving in our church is thru our kids ministry. From the beginning, our church family has always had a large percentage of kids. I love it. The presence of kids is a sign of life!

But recently, two things happened:

Many of those kids grew up and jumped into middle school and high school (and are youth group age).

COVID happened, which severely limited kids ministry for two years.

…and for a moment, River Kids seemed a little quiet. But this Summer, it’s been booming! And now… we have both a good-sized Youth Group for a church of our size, but also, God’s given us a fresh batch of new River Kids.

Jackie, our River Kids Director, and I were chatting last week and it was like God was telling us, “You were faithful with all of these kids who are now in the Youth Group. Well done good and faithful servants. Here’s a new batch. I’m giving you MORE because you’ve been faithful with LITTLE.”

Guys, these are exciting times!!! And I don’t think this faithfulness and growth is happening ONLY with the young people, but also with every generation in our church. It wouldn’t surprise me that the reason we’re NOT experiencing a summer-slump, but rather seeing NEW families every week, is because our church has been faithful with little. And now, it’s time to be faithful with more. Because God can trust us to bring more broken people to Jesus!

Furthermore, He knows we’re not content to limit our faith to Sunday mornings, at one location, for one hour. So, He sends us out beyond the walls of our church and homes. Because right now, outside of this building or your home, are literally thousands of broken people who need to be introduced to Jesus and so they can hear Him say...

Mark 10:52 ESV

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.

It is God’s master plan that all people move from brokenness to restoration. From death to life. From despair to hope. And part of His plan includes us being SENT OUT INTO THE WORLD - where broken people are at!

That’s why I say (even though it gets me in trouble)...

If you are a faithful follower of Jesus and you need to miss Sunday morning for a season to participate in Youth Sports - DO IT! Why? Because Sunday morning corporate worship isn’t important - OF COURSE NOT! But because there are tons of families standing on sports fields right now, not in church, living in brokenness, and YOU could be part of God’s master plan to bring them to Jesus.

That’s why we cancel service sometimes and serve in the community instead. We’re trying to meet MORE broken people and bring them to Jesus.

It’s why I’m driving my family almost a 1000 miles to Michigan. I’m NOT skipping church. Rather, I don’t want to be content with what God’s currently doing - even as GREAT as it is! I want to be challenged. I want to faithfully grow. As your pastor, I want to continually lead you in a way that always cause us to further the Kingdom of God.

There is brokenness all around us, but we have HOPE. We know Jesus has come and gone to the cross to FIX EVERY BROKENNESS. And we believe His promise that one day He will return to ENSURE that anyone turning from their sins and putting their faith in Him as Lord and Savior, will NEVER EXPERIENCE BROKENNESS AGAIN! Instead, they would live in the abundant, eternal life God created them for!

Response:

As we close today, maybe that’s the message you need to hear. That this day, this moment, is part of God’s master plan for YOU to hear that Jesus loves you, He sees your brokenness, and is asking you (as He did Bartimaeus), “What do you want me to do for you?”

And your heart’s response is, “Rabbi/Jesus, heal my brokenness.” If that’s you today, hear this… His answer to you today is...

Mark 10:52 ESV

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.

By faith, receive all that Jesus has for you!

And for everyone else - for all of you who have already recovered your spiritual sight and are following Jesus... remember this: You have come to Glastonbury for such a time as this.

When you placed your faith in Jesus, He could’ve taken you to heaven in that moment. Because theologically, your salvation is secured by the perfect and finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. You’re good!

But why didn’t He? Because it is part of His master plan to use YOU to bring OTHER PEOPLE to Him. To help our families, friends, neighbors, and co-workers - broken and blind people - find sight and salvation in the name of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, don’t grow content! Go into the world and tell people about Jesus! Invite them here, so they can experience the presence of God and find joy!

Psalm 16:11 ESV

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

That promise is happening here and now. God is doing something special in our time. And He’s called us for this time! Get ready! Get excited! Because we serve a God who..

Ephesians 3:20 ESV

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

Let’s pray...

Jesus, thank you for all that You’re doing! We are excited about life today. Because we believe you come to fix our brokenness and give us life more abundantly. Help us to never grow content, but to have your heart to see the world around us transformed. Start with us. Then, use us to further Your Kingdom. In Jesus name, amen.

Thanks for joining us for Church Online. If this was your first time joining us, fill out a Connect Card. We’d love to say hi and send you a gift. Also, if you have prayer requests, would like to know more about TRC, or you decided to follow Jesus today - we want to hear from you. And there’s an easy way to do that on our website (riverchurchct.com), or follow the links in the comments below, or you can text TRCConnect to 94000.