The Power of Jesus is for Desperate People

Tommy Meador

Follow the King • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

Mark 5:21–43

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When you are desperate for Jesus you put yourself in a position to experience His work.

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Introduction

Hurricane Sandy - Starbucks Chris Hernandez: “There’s nothing else we would’ve gone out for. This makes the day complete.” Bethany Owings walked 10 blocks with 1 year old daughter to get Starbucks in the storm. I went to Chik-Fil-A with pneumonia.

What are you desperate for and what would you do to get it?

As Hurricane Sandy bore down on New York City, almost everything shut down—except at least one rogue Starbucks near Times Square. Desperate (addicted?) but highly committed Starbucks junkies fought high winds, dangerous rains, and dire warnings just to get a latte or a cup of coffee. Bethany Owings, 28, walked 10 blocks with her one-year-old daughter for a fix. "I saw on Facebook that they were open," she said. "It was scary not having Starbucks." Her neighbor and friend 29-year-old Chris Hernandez came along and later said, "When she said they were open, I was like, 'Pack the baby up. Let's go!' I didn't know they were all going to close. I started panicking. There's nothing else I would've gone out for. This makes my day complete." Two stories of desperate faith - two very different people who know that Jesus is their only hope and are desperate for His power.

Two stories of desperate faith - two very different people who know that Jesus is their only hope and are desperate for His power.

Story of two individuals who were desperate and willing to risk their reputation and lives to get what they needed.

Christian = someone who is desperate for the work of Jesus. Disciple is someone who is growing in knowledge of Jesus. A disciple is someone who is growing in dependency (desperateness) on Jesus. You know you cannot live without Him.

Contrast

Christian = someone who is desperate for the work of Jesus. We often think that a disciple is someone who is growing in knowledge of Jesus. A disciple is someone sho is growing in dependency on Jesus - growing in desperateness. You know you cannot live without Him.

A disciple of Jesus is someone who knows that he cannot live without Jesus - therefore, I have to learn about Him, I have to get to know Him, I have to experience Him, I have to have His help in my life.

Are we desperate for Jesus? Three characteristics of a desperate faith.

A person of desperate faith is willing to be humbled by Jesus.

Urgency - The whole story has a sense of urgency (Getting Staci to hospital)

Jesus back in Galilee (Capernaum) and immediately confronted by Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue.

An important man. He made sure that each Sabbath the instruction and worship in synagogue was orderly. He made sure there were teachers ready and the right Scriptures were read and that the synagogue was cared for. Highly respected in his city.

You would expect Jairus to be swayed by the religious leaders - that’s who he associated with. Jairus should have seen Jesus as a heretic and blasphemer like the other religious leaders.

However, Jairus had a need - little girl was sick to point of death. She was about twelve, and the only child he had. So much life ahead of her, but seemed fading. ()

Heartbroken with nowhere else to turn, he goes to Jesus. He heard of the miracles, maybe even witnessed them. In spite of what the religious leaders were telling him, Jairus knew that the only chance his daughter had was to get Jesus to his home.

A great crowd - Jairus makes his way through, falls on his feet, and begins to beg Jesus to come to his house. (He approaches Jesus in a very different way than another religious leader, Nicodemus, did. Why? Desperation) “Just come lay your hands on her. She will be well.” Faith!

Humility! This religious leader bows before Jesus - Not what he should have done! He publically declares that he believes that Jesus could heal this girl.

When you’re desperate for the power of Jesus, you’ll humble yourself before Him.

Pride says, “I don’t need Jesus. I can figure it out on my own. I can do all things in my strength.”

Humility says - “I can’t do it without Jesus. I’m weak and insufficient. I need Him more than anything else in this life.” Humility says - “I don’t care who knows that I can’t do it. I don’t care who knows that I am insufficient and weak.”

At this moment, when his daughter’s life was on the line, Jairus didn’t care what the religious leaders thought about his faith in Jesus. He didn’t care if they laughed at him, ridiculed him, or called him a traitor. All Jairus cared about was getting Jesus to come home with him!

We are far too concerned with what people think about us and far too little concerned with experiencing the work of Jesus in our lives. Are you to proud to say, “Jesus, I need you?” How long will you let your life remain a mess?

When was the last time you said, “I can’t do it and I don’t care who knows that I can’t do it?”

This is what the church is missing! Desperate people!

Jesus responds to desperate people!

A person of desperate faith is not satisfied with simply receiving gifts from Jesus.

Jesus agrees to go with Jairus. All of a sudden hope! Imagine Jairus grabbing Jesus by the hand, hurriedly rushing through the streets, trying to get home. There’s not much time.

But, Jairus isn’t the only one who is desperate for the power of Jesus. There’s a woman who’s been sick for years; not a life-threatening illness like the little girl, but an illness that has caused people to treat her as if she was dead.

Issue of blood - 12 years - some type of hemorrhage that would not go away. She had seen every dr. possible and spent her life savings trying to look for answers. She hadn’t gotten better. She had gotten worse.

Problem: she couldn’t be around anyone because she was unclean. She was the opposite of Jairus. Jairus was respected. She was shunned and forgotten. She couldn’t participate in religious life. If anyone touched her, they would become unclean and have to go through cleansing rituals to be able to worship. Imagine that most of her time spent at home, away from people.

Hears the news of Jesus in the streets of her town. Could this be her chance? Imagine - wraps her head so no one will notice her. Quietly but quickly moves through the street. Maybe if she just touched Jesus she would be healed.

Reaches out and touches Jesus’ garment, but Luke gives us a key detail. “She touched the fringe of his garment.” ()

- Tassels on the garments of reminded Jews of commitment to serve the Lord - cord of blue - a reminder of commandments of God.

She reaches for the tassel! Faith! Belief that Jesus was more than a miracle worker - He was of God. He was acting on the authority of God!

Immediately healed - don’t know how she knew - but she did, and Jesus knew. He felt healing power go out of him. “Who touched me?” Disciples, “Do you see the crowd? Everybody has touched you!” (On the subway in China)

Woman wants to stay anonymous. Jairus starting to get antsy. “Jesus, my daughter. Keep moving.”

The woman knows Jesus knows. She falls before Him, and fesses up. Jesus: “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” Daughter! The first words of acceptance she had heard in over a decade.

She came for healing, but Jesus wanted more for her. She came in secret, but Jesus wouldn’t let her stay hidden. Why?

Jesus wants more for you than simply to give you His gifts. He wants to give you Himself. How many of us simply want the gifts of Jesus but not the giver of the gifts? Note: Jesus wanted everyone to know that this woman belonged to Him. She was no longer unclean but made clean by the God of all creation. What greater gift than the gift of Jesus Himself! Do you seek Him or do you simply want the stuff He can give you?

Jesus wants you to identify with Him publicly and not keep your faith hidden from the masses. He has a plan for you - not to simply bless you, but to bless you so can be a blessing. You can’t be a blessing to others if your faith stays hidden!

Have you settled for a secret Jesus? Or, is your faith in the open? We are far too quiet about our faith!

Desperate faith isn’t “Give me” but, “Because you give me, use me.”

A person of desperate faith is willing to wait on Jesus.

This whole situation made Jairus a nervous wreck. This could have waited. This woman wasn’t in danger of dying, but Jairus’ daughter was. The news comes: they’re too late. “Let Jesus go about his business. She’s dead.”

Jairus heartbroken and angry.

Jesus overhears and sees the pain in Jairus’ face. Simple statement: “Do not fear; only believe.” Jesus is telling Jairus: “You must trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

House: Peter, James, and John. They need to see this. People heartbroken and crying. Jesus, “She’s not dead, just sleeping.” Sounds cruel. These people know what dead is. She has no pulse. She’s not breathing.

Jesus sends them all out and takes Jairus and his wife along with Peter, James, and John to the little girl’s bedside. Takes her by the hand, and like a gentle, loving father, “Little girl, time to get up.” Immediately, she got up, walked around, and got something to eat. She was fine!

Jesus made Jairus wait, and there are times He makes you wait as well. Maybe He’s making you wait right now. It doesn’t seem like He’s coming through. Why does He make you wait?

Jesus makes you wait to grow you. Jairus needed to know that Jesus was more than a miracle worker - but the Son of God. Maybe you are in a season of waiting because God wants to grow you - to teach you something about Himself - about the way that He works. In your waiting, you grow by continuing to live out what you know.

Jesus makes you wait to reveal your heart. What do you really want? Jesus, or His stuff? His blessings?

Jesus makes you wait to teach you trust. You need to know that Jesus is purposeful. He does things according to His time to accomplish His purpose, not yours. His will is greater than your will. He makes you wait to teach you that His purpose is greater than yours, and you just have to trust Him.

Jesus makes you wait to show you a greater demonstration of His power. Jairus didn’t see Jesus heal his daughter from a fever. He saw resurrection! Power! The reason why Jesus waits is His plan for your life is far grater than yours. If He simply gave you what you wanted, what greater work would you miss? And, if you look back on your life, you will see how God has been at work and the great work He has done in you. (, “But, he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Sometimes the greater demonstration of power comes when you stay in your sickness, problem, etc. because it’s God’s means of making you more like Jesus. Ill. Paula)

. Jesus makes everything beautiful in its time. In the right time, God does a work in your life that is beyond belief.

Are you in a season of waiting? Ask God how He wants to grow you. Ask God to reveal your heart, teach you to trust, to long for a greater demonstration of His power than what you’re settling for.

This miracle is a preview of what we all need: resurrection. Apart from Christ, we’re all spiritually dead. Our sin has spiritually killed us and made us enemies of God. We need resurrected life! The only way to resurrection is death. That’s why Jesus came! He died in our place, took our sin, paid our penalty, so we could be raised from spiritual death and given spiritual life. This morning, do you need to be resurrected? Look to Jesus - He has the power to give you resurrected life!