Experience TRUTH - #6

Hey this is Mike Zwick from if not for God podcast our show stories of hopelessness turned and I hope your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just seconds.

Enjoy it share but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network. Everything changed in the life of a poor blind beggar when he encountered Jesus Christ I'm Stu Epperson welcome to experience true.

So glad you're with us on with my buddy baseball legend, trainer, coach picture everything Joseph early Joe, it's good to have you express Drupal thanks to great to be here. You are something else major part of our Wednesday in the word journey and is one slide, grab a couple of those guys in here and we go to the word together on the radio when you're also natural radio show are working on right so you trailer these young people and you're trying to give a mission statement of what you're trying to brother Joe will try to bring all these athletes out there to the Lord, you know, a lot of lot of go down her own path and they get competitive and were trying to understand that the Lord is is really first and in the sports come second so you might talk shoulder we talk about what's missing link to advance in playing sports that we really want to know everybody listen to because I see too many boys and girls that go on and that should be playing a lot longer than they do. And that's one of the missions God has laid on my heart to help those first leading to God fantastic and like a blind beggar. We only Lord only organ going there today reinforce we are. This is one of the what's the passage this week, Luke Luke Joe is this week. This is Luke 1835 through 43.

A force with then it happened, as he was coming near Jericho in a certain blind man sat by the road, begging and hearing a multitude passed by, he asked what it meant, so they told the Jesus of Nazareth with passing by and he cried out, saying Jesus son of David, have mercy on me than those who went before warned him that he should be quiet, but he said what he cried out all the more, son of David, have mercy on me. So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to him and what he had come near. He asked him saying what you want me to do for you.

He said Lord, that I may receive my sight.

And Jesus said to him receive your site. Your faith has made you well and immediately he received his sight and fault him, glorifying God and all the people when they sought give praise to God what a great story and what a great event that actually happened in the habit of the end of Luke chapter 18 this is a journey through Luke we do or we can experience truth Joe asked at first question right there is tight in the context of this will kinda take us right into this discussion. How does this blind man compare contrast with the older brother. The prodigal Pharisee the publican in the rich young ruler while so there's this theme in Luke Joe you been in our study with this year you there's this Jesus is contrasting over and over again.

We just came out of the story of the rich young ruler, the man who was too good to go to heaven contrasted with the babes, the little ones in Jesus and bring them to me that such is the kingdom of God and you look at the prodigal son who was too sinful even come home to his dad's dad accepted him in grace, contrasted with the rich older brother who was proud and self-righteous and all these things then you have the two men that went to the temple to pray right that that the guy was arrogant and proud. You know, and that the man who is humble the sinner, he would even going to your court he would even lift his eyes to heaven he said God have mercy on me. On Monday a center and then we have this poor blind beggar. So this is a real fasting story. This is an event in Christ life and it opens up by saying as he came up to Jericho, which is interesting. He says that because we know from the topography and geography. The Jericho is about 700 feet. You know, you know, kind of below sea level, but it's coming. So you so when you're coming from Jericho you're coming up from Jericho into Jerusalem sees you're coming kind of an upward climb to. So Jesus is leaving coming out of Jericho is that all these miracles, you know we we know that he is going to meet a guy named Zakia's right so he's coming down his energy coming into Jericho upward Jerusalem so there's there's some events that are still going to happen in Jericho before his triumphal entry later and in chapter 19 so Christ is wrapping up his earthly ministry were getting because of the wind down here toward the cross toward Jerusalem. Your tour the travel entry and so on and it says is a great statement, a certain blind man. The bacillus time of the blind people in ancient Israel the blind who were viewed just a notch higher than the despised tax collectors and that we will never learn about and in Lupino later in chapter 19 you have you have these guys attributed to the blind is a presumption of sin in religious people solid one. This is Adobe like him or something simple his life. Generational sin going on. This guy is despised by God because he has his blindness of your death, your blind remainder leper stated they would assume they would assign a sin to you, and so this guy had a lot of shame on them. Hit all kinds of stigma associated with him and you of all the blindfolds by the way, it was this certain blind man shows the neat nature of the specific nature of who Jesus calls he calls us recalls individuals you call certain people and is a real fascinating course you know we could do a whole to conversation Joe about spiritual blindness HRD jungle time of the Lord they will get because a lifestyle and there's a spiritual blindness right it's epidemic you in our culture.

No question that there's a spiritual blindness that I call it select install open the shade to really let the God spirit into them in and they just can't have the blinders on and in a lot of them go down some paths in only in life and in sports that that really is a huge destruction that it takes them to hit that rock bottom before.

Sometimes you know God gets to them as a Rita's next little question here are the little gives you door.

I just want to make this note. He sat by the road, begging the likely someone brought them there. Someone maybe was depending on his begging to support his life.

He had to eat right had to stay somewhere had to be accommodated.

Go and read this you go and read this next going. Rita's question right here. Why did they rebuke him for calling him out, calling out to Jesus. Okay so here's what you have going on. You have this blind beggar. So he's blind. He's already got problems there. He's a beggar so he's dirt poor. What is you have to bring to Christ what he what is he bring to the table right needs a certain blind man is a certain blind beggar and he sits by the roads. We sit there. He's helpless you know you just sit there, you know, in mobile and and he hears the multitude passing by any asked what it meant is like what's going on. Will this multitude. No doubt is and tell them you cannot believe what's going on what Jesus is doing what he's talking about the miracles coming in the wake of all this stuff. I cannot believe all the amazing thing he's done in the adjoining towns nearby, and so on and so forth and and so they're all innocent. As soon as years Jesus travels. Maybe he knew other people were blinded were healed by Jesus and omit you know, maybe he knew some of these characters that were lepers or even people that were dead that were raised from the dead and maybe heard about this and of them do these awesome miracles of Christ. And so he's want to know what's going on what's happening and so they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was best when they said, Jesus of Nazareth. That's what they did in those days Emulex and Joe from Minnesota you know or Steve from Arizona… A association or or from the south side right of New York or whatever.

Well, he cried out verse 38 is interesting that he cried out. There's passion. That word cried. There's there's an intensity and outward cried out, he cried out, saying Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.

Now that's interesting, they said, Jesus of Nazareth. They gave kind of a human. They gave Jesus human title.

He gives Christ. No noble title son of David know what is significant about that. Will David was the great king of Israel, so he was assigned to Christ, the nobility, due his name. He was calling Jesus by his by not just his birthright, and as a as a human is a man is that in is the God man but is is keenly air and Christ did have the blood of David you coursing through his veins as both Mary and Joseph had date you have came in the line of David. Of course, God promised David his seat who would reign forever right right and so, here, here is the son of David Jesus so he says, Jesus son of David, look in the next part of his prayer have mercy on me, so this is a great statement of crying out to God for mercy. This is like the per the two-minute woods until pray. We talk about you know of a loan couple weeks ago that one of them cried out, the one that was prayer was answered it in just to the ceiling was the was the pump Corp. or the public in the sinful dirty rotten publican who said God have mercy on me a sinner will hear. He cries out with a great passion, son of David, acknowledging God is the Messiah, the Savior of keenly sent, have mercy on me, which is the same as David prayed in Psalm 51 one, where he said had mercy on me. Oh God, according the lovingkindness blot out my transgressions.

So very, very similar, but please praying this to the only one who can have mercy on him. So this question why they rebuke him universe.

39 is as they try to shut them up.

And what is this guy doing good gracious man.

We we've all brought our kids and we brought our family.

We brought our other sick and we really try to hear the master he's in a hurry.

He's gotta get to Jerusalem and for the Passover and there's a lot going on here and who is this guy, this numbskull nobody blind beggar, worthless son of a gun.

Nothing Joe and he pops in their and Jesus is he's too busy for this and know that the cyber like what in the world, man you but what is interesting is the last guy that came to Jesus was the dream original ruler we talk about him last time. This guy was the ideal person you know this guy would pay this guy brought a lot of value to the table right he was rich he was young, as ruler likely on the Sanhedrin, a religious guy kept all the commandments or me.

This is the guy we want in our building program. This is I were like this I really make way the VIP section 8 of let's check your credentials. This blind I didn't have any credentials. Couldn't see a lick in what he had to bring.

I think I think that's all powerful. Right now, when we look at her 2000 years later is that Jesus is still working through everybody nobody needs to come to him and he will he will forgive them and you will have no eternal life with him and I and I think I see a lot of hurting people right now. If you are listening to this Jesus. It doesn't matter what you done or where you've been. You need to get turn your life over to him just like these, this blind I didn't Jesus heal, heal anybody in there and I see so many now stew that that can really and in this world we live in an and everybody going in such different directions, and so many people homeless and so many people without employment and so many hurting use in that that they just need to really now if if Jesus did that years ago.

He's good. He can do that. 2000 years later, is a different, yet this is the right and there's a there's a spiritual blindness that that that is blinding for analysis. Question here because Jesus it's amazing what Jesus did, because after these people said to be quiet and he just dials it up for you and says those warrant those that went before, and warned them to shut up. Be quiet, but he cried out all the more so here is even do that. That's even feed the fire stoking the flame of him crying out more. Joni says again he said, son of David, have mercy on me. Verse 40 is a great thing it says so Jesus stood still to know how many things can't you just tell the storm to stand still right that a lot of folks stood still at the side of Jesus at the sound of his voice, but how many times you have Jesus standing still, he hears the cry and I love the love Psalm 30 words of the righteous cry and the Lord hears them comfortable and delivers them from all their troubles will Jesus you know that's fasting because it's still out there. Me this is the crowded road to Jericho.

Mrs. Ito bedlam crazy.

All these people as devotionals clamber, no doubt Jericho was a thriving Middle Eastern growing up with you very robust economy people are buying and selling and trading in eating and you know get a capitalistic like crazy and Pilates Jewish merchants are going nuts.

And they're doing great things and this is one of the major trading routes here through Israel up to Jerusalem on down and so here in all the noise, the clamber. Jesus stood still.

After hearing this guy cry out, Lord Jesus, orca, son of David, have mercy on me. It says he did to Jesus did two things he said. He stood still, he commanded him to be brought to him as he equally rehabs of Jesus.

These commanding brought him and when he had come near. He asked now Jesus asked his guy question for Joe runtime read the word share the word study the word be in the word and join us next time for experience truth. As we journey through Luke we was always great to have you with us. This is the Truth Network