"God Deals With the Desperate"

This is on Solomon and I like to welcome you to our program today. You know it's a tremendous honor to God's given us to be on stations all around the nation bringing the truths of God's word as it is uncompromising and straightforward and I'm so glad you tuned in to listen and be part of that.

Thanks again for your support and your generosity that keeps us on the radio and now let's get to the word of desperation is a strange thing. It can make people do things they would never normally do in that interesting, you know that's true. And the reason I bring all that up is the cause that's what our passage is all about this morning. It's about desperate people and how Jesus Christ response to them. My goal this morning is to challenge your thinking about your relationship with Jesus Christ because you asked the question in my really desperate in my relationship with Jesus Christ or something else and is God only deal with desperate people and why and what is that mean for my life. I hope you walk out it with a different perspective than you walked in. Let's look at the passage in verse 40, Luke, chapter 8 now when Jesus returned a crowd welcome to return now from the other side of the Sea of Galilee, for they were all expecting you. Just then a man named John Iris came and fell at the feet of Jesus, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about 12 was dying when Jesus arrived back on the North Shore.

The Sea of Galilee was greeted by man named John Iris and the Bible tells us two very important things about this man Jarvis. First of all, the Bible tells us that he was a very influential man. He was a ruler of the synagogue in Capernaum. The Bible says he was in charge of all the public services of the synagogue. He was in charge of keeping up the facility as well. He was the one who chose who would pray and who read the total raw and who would give the sermon in every service. He led the local board of elders that ran that synagogue made the decisions about what was going to be done and next to the rabbi.

He was the most powerful figure in the town and this was Jarvis a man of incredible influence and the synagogue in Capernaum was the key synagogue in all of northern Israel. The second thing the Bible tells us about him is that he had a very serious problem. His problem is that his only daughter, a girl of 12 was dying. If any of you men have a daughter I think you understand how this man field. You know the old saying, a son is a son Billy takes a wife and daughters of daughter all your life and this man only had one hour how many sons he had been only had one girl and she was very sick and about to die and now he was really desperate. He resorted to Jesus and look first $0.41.

He fell on his knees at Jesus's feet can get a picture this, he probably grabbed Jesus's ankles. He probably had tears coming down his eyes and the Bible says he pleaded with cheese please come help his daughter manifest desperation will Jesus agrees to go look what happened. Verse 42, and the Bible says Jesus went on his way. The crowds almost crushed him. They were rounding so thick and as this happens, we need another desperate person, a woman there was a woman who'd been subject to bleeding.

This is vaginally bleeding for 12 years but no one could heal her.

As a matter fact Mark says. In Mark's gospel that she had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and it spent all the money she had all these doctors instead of getting better. She got worse and Mark five also said that she said to herself, if I could only get to Jesus and touch the rolled the hem of his rope. I know I'll be healed and so is Jesus in this huge crowd walked along she came up. The Bible says behind him and touch the edge of his garment. And immediately her bleeding stopped to talk to me. Jesus asked and when everybody divided Peter said master look really look people are all around this huge crowd. Everybody's bumping and you would touching you how you think I'm touched to Jesus and on the somebody touch me because I know that power has gone out for me and then when the woman saw that she could not go unnoticed. She came trembling and fell at his feet and in the presence of all the people she told why she had touched and how she'd been instantly healed.

And then Jesus said to her daughter, your faith has healed you go in peace I tell your friends when I read about this woman. She doesn't impress me as the kind of woman who usually did. Crazy thing she impress you. That way, but she had just done a pretty crazy thing coming to get to this crowd and get to Jesus was no easy thing.

I'm sure she had to go get out the way you get out here I'm coming through you step machine is impress me as normally been the kind woman but that's what you what I had to do to get through this crowd, and she didn't.

Why would she act so crazy so out of character because what she was desperate and as a result she got healed. I suppose this is probably as good a place as any to stop and make an observation when I was a boy we stab a say we used to say close but no cigar.

And you know that saying I think to my kids all the time they hated how is sacred close but no cigar. That's exactly how I would describe this crowd, I would say they were curious about Jesus Christ.

They were ashamed of him. They were embarrassed by me were turned off.

I am just, checking them out. Now there's nothing wrong with that.

Is nothing wrong with that except that none of the crowd saw Jesus act powerfully on their behalf. Did they because they were close to Jesus, but no cigar. Now the difference is this woman she thought Jesus Christ or something great for her and that's because she related to Jesus differently than the rest of the crowd. Did they have a nominal association with Jesus. They were acquaintances with Jesus. They were part of this crowd, but this woman turned her relationship with Jesus Christ into a personal thing. She reached out and believing faith and grabbed a hold of him and made her relationship with him, something personal and friends.

That's what makes all the difference in the world in terms of a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you're here. May I say to you, and you never had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. I don't mean a church encounter Adelina baptism encounter but I need a personal encounter with the living risen Messiah of Israel. Then, if you haven't had that you dislike part of the crowd.

See, we need to reach out in faith like this woman did and make our relationship with Jesus Christ. A personal thing and I want to turn this into something that's not a ritual and not a sacrament, and on an intellectual enterprise but is a personal relationship. That's the difference if you're here and you've never done. I hope you're ready to do that. I hope you check the amount been a member of the crowd long enough time to make a personal commitment, give you a chance to do that little later will come back to that clinic along with the story. The first 49 it says while Jesus was still speaking, somebody came from the house of gyrus and said your daughter is did gyrus.

She did don't bother Jesus anymore. Can you imagine the feelings that must've gone through gyrus when he heard that report. Can you imagine anger at the crowd slowing Jesus down anger at this woman who took the miracle that he has little girl should have all of which Jesus Jesus heard the report and said gyrus. Don't be afraid. Just keep on believing and she will be healed. I said I was coming to heal your daughter did not and I'm coming to heal you daughter the trust. Wonder why Jesus let this crowd waylay him and postpone him this long so that the little girl died several sure he did know the girl was going to die.

No doubt wrong.

He knew so why would he let himself be detained this long given.

Think about that is not an accident will not only get a thing to do with what he was can do for the little girl he was going to heal the little girl didn't make any difference. He knew that he didn't do this for little girl say he did this for her daddy's sake. This was some for her daddy something to deepen and mature this man's faith. That's why Jesus let this happen. He wanted to work in daddy you notice folks when it comes to great men and women of God. How when they were in certain circumstances. They seem to see it completely differently than the people around them.

Notice that the Bible take the Israelites of the Red Sea. All they could see is red say and the chariots of Pharaoh coming from behind Moses saw God how about in Babylon when Nebuchadnezzar stopped a big statue in the big fiery furnaces that it's all about out of authority in the furnace. All the people could see was the furnace but there were three Hebrew kids who could see God. Now why was that I tell you the answer is that God by not always giving smooth answers to these men's prayers, down through the years God had taught these men how to have a big stubborn faith God had given them adversity God and not always answer their prayer exactly the way that answered and when they wanted and how they wanted it the way they wanted it got a lot of cars in their roads read their lives in the Bible but as a result of all those curves and as a result of them hanging on to God around those curves and as a result of God always being faithful, even to the current God and taught people like Moses and David and those boys and Nehemiah had a have a stubborn and exalted faith that no amount of curves in the road could sure that's what he wanted to teach gyrus and that's why he threw them a curve ball right here that say to you that if you're Christian here this morning. This is why God is puts occurs in your life and in my life. God's trying to mature our faith does not merit us.

God has abandoned us. God doesn't hate us God's trying to mature our faith trying to cultivate in us a mature, stubborn, exalted trust in him did know about the curves in the road can should 20s out to do that when the road straight your whole life and so many Christians that I need spend their whole life concentrating on the curves presenting the curves that God put in their life.

They resent their parents.

They resent their upbringing. They resent their boss. They present their job. They resent how other people treated him and mess them up and they go through their whole life resenting and being bitter and angry about this and not realizing that those curves were their friends. God was just using that to try to do something in them that they would be glad for God just trying to get you to trust in deeper. For Christians, we need to learn to look beyond the curves and looked God.

That's what he was doing Jarvis's life will gyrus his faith grew and it survived.

Look at verse 51 it says and when they arrived at the house on his daughter's dead. Jesus did let anybody going with them except Peter, John, James, and the child's father mother me while all the people were wailing and morning and wailing the morning and Jesus said stop you giving me a headache. She's not dead.

She just asleep and the people laughed daddy knowing she was dead. Jesus said, not on your wrong and he went in and he took Peter and James and John and even all these people and laugh gyrus went in with, and I'm sure in Jarvis's mind. Jesus's promise look so unlikely. What mean funny but you know what he clung to it.

He went in that room with Jesus even stay outside laughing with the crowd and in response, look what Jesus did. Verse 54.

The Bible says that Jesus took the hand of the little girl and said my child cannot in her spirit return.

Just a word to God. The Bible says your spirit never dies, it just leaves your body first. Going to be with the Lord as a little girl and so it came back and Jesus immediately. At once she stood up and Jesus said to them, give her something to eat and her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anybody what it happened like they can hide it right. It is interesting what Jesus said, give the girl something to eat. I find that really interesting is that what you think would've been the first thing he would've said the strike, you will strange I thought about it this week and I thought I want or would he say something like that. Why would you do that well.

I think a lot of it has to do with eating. The only time I lose my appetite. You know when it is when I get this girl had been sick that she been so sick she was dead. That's pretty sick. She probably had not eaten for days and when she came back to life.

She did not come back to life. Still groggy and still feeling bad and still have an ally around for for five days until she got her strength back and felt like eating the understand the point when Jesus brought her back.

She was completely healed completely up completely healthy and she was hungry and she wanted to eat.

That tells me this was a 100% certified complete miracle this girl was completely that's the passage for this morning.

Great passage but it leads us to ask a very important question and that is what but the answer that in a few minutes.

I have left. Did you notice anything strange, anything strike you strange about gyrus coming to Jesus anything out of the ordinary sing well I don't know mean the man was desperately asked that healed her daughter early to think for second gyrus was a member of the religious establishment of Israel. True, he was the leader of one of the most prominent synagogues and old country out of the religious establishment of Israel feel about Jesus these days and well not sure. Well, it's a concentric turn in the next gospel. John's gospel chapter 9. Let me show you how they felt about Jesus risking the story here. The man born blind one the greatest stories in the Bible or my very favorite. After Jesus healed this man. The religious leaders calling in and go tell us all about it and then when they don't believe him to call his parents, and that's where we pick up stored verse 18 that you still do not believe the demanded been blind and that he received a slight delay sent for the man's parents.

Is this your son asked is this the one you say was born, why, how is it now, he can say when his parents answered. We know this is our son and we know he was born blind and how he can now see and who opened his eyes. We don't know. Ask him is of age and he will speak for himself a look at verse 22 and his parents sent to us because they were afraid of the Jews, for already, the Jews had decided that anybody look at this. Anybody who acknowledge that Jesus was the Messiah would be thrown out of the synagogue, and that's why his parents said I don't know what he asked for help. Go tell your will they call the guy back in again to look at the way it ends.

They said to him tell us once again how this all works way up in a sister why you want to be one of his disciples to wrong question. Verse 28 then they hurled insults at him and said you are there fellow disciples. We are the disciples of all of this we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this God.

We only know where it comes from. Look at this man says the man answered and said, now this is a remarkable thing guys this is incredible thing you don't know where it comes from and yet he opened my eyes. We know God doesn't listen to sinners… The godly people do is will nobody never heard of a person opening the eyes of a man born blind, but he did. If this man were not from God is no way he could've done this, you guys have been set up there not seminary too long. You need to get out here in the real world and see the way up. It was wrong with you people. To this they replied you were steeped in sin at birth. How dare you lecture us and make how was Jesus is a stock with the religious establishment these days. Let's just say he was not there favor first. Now let's go back to gyrus permit gyrus did not get to be the ruler of one of the most prestigious synagogues in Israel by being a political idiot. He knew how the politics working where the winds were blowing this guy was not an idiot did he realize what going to Jesus for help was going to cost him did he realize it was gonna cost him his leadership of the synagogue did he realize it was gonna cost him his membership in the synagogue did he realize it was gonna cost him a lot of his so-called friends were going to side with their synagogue membership like this guys parents did.

Did he realize it might even cost him his livelihood in that city.

Sure he did he say when and why in the world would he do because he was well. He was just seemingly desperate friends. You'll do radical things. The title of my messages morning is God deals with the desperate, and it's not that God will deal with people who want desperate God will is just that I have found that people usually won't deal with God until they get desperate and the reason for that is that God's terms that they have to deal with a radical turn most people won't deal with his radical terms until they get really desperate. And that's true when it comes to salvation when it comes to accepting Jesus Christ and being born again, God's terms, a radical God demands that we admit were utterly helpless that we have about as much chance of turning our way a day of it as a cadaver has a get not jumping rope. God demands that we abandon all of our self-help remedies that we throw away all of our work our way into heaven ideas and that we cast ourselves 100% on what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.

Plus nothing. Now most human beings I know will try anything and everything they can before they will come to the point that they'll turn to Jesus Christ in full surrender to humble themselves and fully depend on him for salvation will try anything else they can think of first and the reason is that God's way radically cuts against our human nature and the only people who are willing to do it God's way.

Our people were desperate. And that's true of us even once we become Christians really want to become a believer. God demands Lordship Lordship is a radical demand. Folks Lordship means that we seek to serve other people in this life not be served.

It means that we see our purpose for existence has been totally different than what we used to see.

Not that people wait on us and meet our needs and care for us but to serve other people. This is a radical thing and it's only Christians were desperate for the blessing and the honor of God that are willing to live this way. In Matthew chapter 5 Jesus was giving out a bunch of blessed blessed all the blessed are the blessed are the blessed you know. He said for one of them.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be filled. God is looking for people who were desperate for him to work in their life. People were desperate enough to discipline their schedule and get up and have quiet time with Jesus Christ every day. People were desperate enough to seek the face of God in prayer on their knees and not worry what television show they might be missed. Jesus is looking for people who were desperate enough to say no to what their body always wants to do, so that God can use their body to honor him instead God is looking for people were desperate enough that they're willing to step up and be counted out there in this world for Christ. They don't care whether people make fun of them and laugh at them or whether people think that there an idiot. They don't care. Finally, Jesus Christ is looking for people who were desperate enough to get on their knees and pray Lord I know that this prayer might cost me a lot.

I don't care. I want you to work in my life. I don't care what the cost is desperate for you to do that.

Is this where you are is a Christian in your walk with God. I met so many Christians were hungry and thirsty. Once and now they're just nibbling and sipping an account on autopilot and when they talk to about what God did in their life.

They'll tell you some great things God did. But if you ask him when it was always a long time ago asking what God's done in the life lately and you have much to say because they went from hundred and Thurston to nibbling insipid in the world got more attractive to the loss that hunger for Christ work in the life maybe that's you. If so, I got great news for you. The situation is not irreversible.

You can reverse it today if you want. That's the way you want to be God help you be that way but friend don't expect God to do a lot in your life. If all you want to do is nibbling soon. He didn't do much in the crowds life but he did a lot gyrus's life and a lot in that woman's life because they were hungry. First, that's the way God wants you. How is your desperation quotient. How is this about a given prayer when I had to bow their eyes closed. I'd like to very quickly as those of you here who were Christians. If you like this morning this afternoon to say Lord I really, have slid in the nibbling insipid. I know it, but I need to get back to a hungering and thirsting for you in my life. I want you to make me desperate again to see you work in my life.

Lord help the world pale away help you become the central focus.

The driving force in my life again.

If you're here and you've never made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. I like to give you chance to do that this morning.

Remember, just pressing around him and being an interesting onlooker doesn't get anything to got a make a person just like that woman you're here and you've been checking it out long enough for now. You're prepared to say I'm ready to grab a hold of make a personal thing ready to open my heart and life up and accepting the spark personal saving giving a personal role in my life that I like to pray with you if you slip your hand up will pray together this morning, dear heavenly father, I want to thank you for the people raise their hands this morning. First of all I thank you for the Christians who raise their hand saying that they wanted to have more of a desperate relationship with you, Lord, I pray that you would work in their hearts and honor of what they've done this morning, whether it be through circumstances or whether it be Lord through the spirit of God working in her heart or whatever. Bring back the desperation to see Jesus being number one to their hearts, Lord, even though I know it's a little scary to raise your hand at a time like this. Pray something like this. I pray that you would reassure them that Jesus Christ will never lead us anywhere but that we won't thank you that he took us there.

So Lord help them with confidence to let you leave in order pray for the folks who raise their hand saying that they wanted to make you a personal part of their life now or come into their heart as their personal savior. Today, forgive their sin and reassure these people that they belong to you, knowing that they have a personal relationship with you and that you're going to change their life. Thank you Lord that they were willing to step out of being part of the crowd and become like this woman.

Thank you for bringing us here today and I pray you would change our life by what we heard here today we pray these things in Jesus name, Amen. You've been listening to their wetland nonchalance. Solomon said, when is an outrage online, found in ministering to listen to today's message, or for more information that I might find line Solomon ministries.org. Thank you for your support. If you would like to contact us, please visit our website or call at 868788777 you will join us next time in line to answer one of life question