Participants: Pr. C.A. Murray
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000906
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01:00 Hello friends and welcome
01:02 to the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church, 01:04 where we are continuing our series 01:06 entitled "Where Are All His Miracles?" 01:09 And tonight, we have a wonderful message in store 01:12 as the Lord has called Pastor C.A. Murray 01:15 to be the man of the hour, 01:16 to depart to us the bread of life 01:19 and I would dare say, baked in heaven, 01:21 he is simply the one 01:23 through whom God is delivering the food, 01:25 that He intends for us to receive. 01:27 So as our theme song is "It Took a Miracle." 01:29 We'd like you to join us right now. 01:31 The words will appear on the screen. 01:32 Let's all stand together as we sing. 01:35 "It Took a Miracle." 01:41 My Father is omnipotent 01:46 And that you can't deny 01:50 A God of might and miracles 01:55 'Tis written in the sky 02:01 It took a miracle 02:06 To put the stars in place 02:11 It took a miracle 02:15 To hang the world in space 02:20 But when He saved my soul 02:26 Cleansed and made me whole 02:32 It took a miracle 02:35 Of love and grace 02:42 Though here His glory has been shown 02:47 We still can't fully see 02:51 The wonders of his might His throne 02:56 'Twill take eternity 03:02 It took a miracle 03:07 To put the stars in place 03:13 It took a miracle 03:18 To hang the world in space 03:23 But when He saved my soul 03:28 Cleansed and made me whole 03:34 It took a miracle 03:38 Of love and grace 03:45 The Bible tells us of His power 03:50 And wisdom all way through 03:55 And every little bird and flower 04:00 Are testimonies too 04:05 It took a miracle 04:11 To put the stars in place 04:16 It took a miracle 04:21 To hang the world in space 04:26 But when He saved my soul 04:32 Cleansed and made me whole 04:38 It took a miracle 04:42 Of love and grace. 04:50 Amen. Let's bow our heads for prayer. 04:52 Heavenly Father, we thank You so much 04:54 for Your miracle of love and grace. 04:58 And tonight, each of us is a glowing example 05:01 of what the Lord can do 05:03 and so we pray that as our light shines, 05:06 that You alone will receive the glory 05:08 and others will come to know of Your saving 05:11 and Your wonderful transforming grace. 05:14 This we ask, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 05:18 You may be seated. 05:20 Once again, I'd like to welcome you 05:22 to "Where Are All His Miracles?" 05:24 And why am I so excited tonight? 05:26 It's because the speaker of the hour has been my pastor. 05:29 Many years ago, when I was being raised in New York city, 05:31 there at Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church in Brooklyn. 05:34 And the Lord in a wonderful way has allowed us 05:37 to rondevu and come back together in ministry 05:40 here at Three Angels Broadcasting Network. 05:43 Pastor C.A. Murray is involved and in charge of production, 05:47 but you know, if you're working here at 3ABN, 05:49 there are many hats 05:50 and Lord has gifted him in a marvelous way. 05:52 But even more than the gifts, the Lord has given him wisdom 05:55 and understanding of the word 05:57 and he knows the Lord as the personal Savior 05:59 and has been preaching the gospel 06:01 for more than 30 years in ministry. 06:04 So tonight, prepare your hearts for that 06:05 which God has baked in the oven of heaven, 06:08 given to his man servant, 06:10 who would break the bread of life to us. 06:12 Our scripture reading will be brought to us 06:13 by our elder Matt Andrew and after that, 06:16 a wonder selection entitled, "He Washed My Eyes With Tears" 06:20 by our founder Danny Shelton 06:23 and then the next voice you'll hear will be 06:24 that of Pastor C.A. Murray. 06:27 Our scripture reading right now, elder, 06:29 come and share with us from the word. 06:36 Good evening. Good evening. 06:38 If you would turn with me in your Bibles, 06:41 if you would open up the scriptures 06:43 to the gospel of Matthew. 06:46 Matthew in chapter 9. 06:49 And we will be reading Matthew 9:18 through 26. 07:00 As we open this, we read the words here, that it says 07:03 "While he spoke these things to them, 07:06 behold, a ruler came and worshipped him, 07:09 saying, 'My daughter has just died, 07:12 but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live. 07:16 So Jesus arose and followed him and so did his disciples 07:21 and suddenly a woman, who had a flow of blood for 12 years 07:25 came from behind him 07:27 and touched him on the hem of his garment, 07:30 for she said to herself, 07:32 'If only I may touch his garment, 07:34 I shall be made well.' 07:36 But Jesus turned around and when he saw her, He said, 07:40 'Be of good cheer, daughter, 07:42 for your faith has made you well.' 07:44 And the woman, who was made well from that hour. 07:48 When Jesus came into the ruler's house, 07:51 He saw the flute players and the noisy crowed wailing. 07:56 He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, 07:59 but sleeping." 08:01 And they ridiculed Him. 08:04 But when the crowd was put outside, 08:07 He went in and took her by the hand, 08:10 and the girl arose. 08:13 And the report of this went out into all that land." 08:18 May the lord bless us, as we consider these words. 08:27 Good evening. 08:29 The song I'm about to sing, 08:31 if you're old enough to know this song, 08:33 you probably either got a little gray hair 08:35 or if you're a man, maybe you have no hair. 08:37 But it's quite an old song and I remember, 08:40 my mother used to sing this beautiful song, 08:42 "He Washed My Eyes With Tears." 08:57 He washed my eyes with tears 09:03 That I might see 09:09 The broken heart I had 09:14 Was good for me 09:19 He tore it all apart 09:25 And looked inside 09:31 He found it full of fear 09:36 And foolish pride 09:41 He swept away the things 09:47 That made me blind 09:52 And then I saw the clouds 09:58 Were silver lined 10:03 And now I understand 10:09 What's best for me 10:14 He washed my eyes with tears 10:20 That I might see 10:28 I think, Brother Hal, 10:29 you are old enough to remember this. 10:36 He washed my eyes with tears 10:42 That I might see 10:48 The glory of himself 10:53 Revealed in me 10:59 I did not know 11:02 That He had wounded hands 11:09 I saw the blood 11:13 He spilt up on the sand 11:20 I saw the marks of shame 11:26 And wept and cried 11:31 Oh, He was my substitute 11:37 For me and you, He died 11:42 And now I'm glad He came 11:49 So tenderly 11:54 He washed my eyes with tears 11:59 That I might see 12:05 He washed my eyes with tears 12:11 That I might see. 12:26 Amen. Thank you Danny so very, very much. 12:30 Good evening. Good evening. 12:32 It is good to see you all. 12:35 It is an unusual pleasure being here at 3ABN 12:39 because we, we get to hear 12:41 so many good preachers of the word. 12:44 And it is fun because we like to hear each other speak, 12:47 we genuinely do. 12:50 Our next presentation will be coming from Shelley Quinn, 12:53 followed by Hal Steenson, followed by JD Quinn 12:57 and Danny Holdsworth and then, Jim Gilley. 13:00 And we like to hear each other speak. 13:02 We generally get a blessing 13:04 from hearing each other speaking, 13:05 so we encourage you to stay by for each presentation. 13:08 On last night Pastor Dinzey did a wonderful job. 13:12 Talking about the greatest of miracles, 13:13 which is the changing of, of a life. 13:17 And so, this is a good week talking about miracles 13:19 and lifting up what God can do and indeed is doing, 13:24 to and through to His people in these last days. 13:29 When we, when we speak about miracles, 13:33 you cannot speak about miracles 13:35 without talking about the Book of Mark, 13:37 the gospel as written by Mark. 13:40 For ounce for ounce, page for page, 13:45 blessing for blessing, 13:46 no New Testament writer pours more miracles 13:49 in his book than, than does Mark. 13:52 Mark is impressed by miracles, he love miracles. 13:59 When you think of the Book of Mark, 14:00 you think miracles and parables. 14:03 Miracles and parables. 14:04 Nobody puts more miracles in his book than does Mark. 14:08 Now, Matthew, Luke and to some extend John, 14:12 spend a lot of time 14:14 establishing who and what Jesus is all about. 14:18 In Matthew, you get that long genealogy. 14:20 You know, you get that line of David. 14:22 He spends several verses talking about that. 14:25 And then In Luke, you get the shepherds in the field 14:27 and the wise men and the flocks and unto you is born this day 14:31 in the city of David a Savior shall be Christ the Lord, 14:33 Matthew gives you that, Luke gives you that, 14:37 and then of course, John gives us in, 14:39 En arche en ho logos kai ho logos en pros ton as the word, 14:42 and the word is with God, and the word was God. 14:46 Mark could care less about that stuff. 14:50 Mark's thesis is, Christ came not to be served 14:56 but to serve. 14:58 And so he establishes that He was born 15:01 and then how He gets right into miracles. 15:03 Verse 21 of the very first chapter. 15:07 Jesus goes into a church, and there is the man there 15:10 with an unclean spirit, a demon. 15:14 And the demon begins to preach. 15:17 The demon says, "I know, who you are. 15:20 You are the Holy One of God. 15:21 You are the Lord who have come to torment us." 15:24 Now Jesus neither desires 15:27 nor requires a sermon from devil. 15:30 And so in verse 25, he addresses that devil 15:33 and says two things. 15:35 One, shut up. Two, get out. Yeah? 15:40 That's how you talk to the devil. 15:42 Jesus told him, "Shut up and get out." 15:45 And when Christ tells you to shut up and get out, 15:49 you know, what you do? 15:50 You shut up and you get out. 15:53 And so He tore that man and convulsed him 15:55 but he did get out. 15:57 And then right after that, 15:58 there is a miraculous healing of Peter's mother-in-law. 16:01 And so, Mark is about miracle working. 16:06 And having said that, we go now to Luke. 16:09 Because you'll forgive me, that was not the sermon, 16:12 that was just a little ecclesiological obiter dictum. 16:15 Just a little foundation. 16:17 Because we're going to Luke, 16:19 because this particular series of stories 16:22 is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. 16:26 Matthew as usual, is the shortest, 16:28 and that's why we read Matthew tonight. 16:30 Luke, as is his custom gives us much detail. 16:35 So when you read the story as found in Luke Chapter 8, 16:38 he takes 17 verses to give us intimate details of the story 16:43 that we'll not find no place else. 16:45 We find that Jabirus' daughter was 12. 16:48 We find that the woman with issue of blood 16:49 suffered 12 years. 16:51 We find a number of things in Luke 16:53 that we don't find in the other stories. 16:56 That sort of fill in the blanks 16:59 and make it a very real story for us. 17:04 Having said that now, 17:05 let's pray before we preach the word. 17:07 Father, God, we thank You 17:09 because Your word is indeed a lamp unto our feet, 17:13 a light that shines on the path before us. 17:16 We love You, Lord, and we know Your hand is upon us, 17:21 because Christ is coming soon. 17:23 We have seen miracles in the past 17:25 and we know that there will be miracles in the future. 17:29 Lord, we want to be close to You. 17:32 Teach us, show us, and then save us. 17:36 We thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. 17:40 I would invite you to turn with me, if you will, 17:41 to Luke Chapter 8. 17:44 Eighth Chapter, Book of Luke. 17:47 I want to begin at verse 41 17:50 and read just a few of the 17 verses 17:53 that make up this particular story. 17:58 Luke 8:41. 18:00 The word of God says, "And Behold, 18:01 there came a man named Jairus, 18:05 and he was a ruler of the synagogue. 18:08 And he fell down at Jesus' feet, 18:11 and begged him to come to his house. 18:15 For he had an only one daughter, 18:18 about 12 years of age, and she was dying. 18:22 But as he went, the multitudes thronged him. 18:27 Now a woman having a flow of blood for 12 years, 18:30 who had spent all her livelihood 18:32 on physicians and could not be healed by any, 18:35 came from behind and touched the border of his garment 18:39 and immediately her flow of blood stopped. 18:44 And Jesus said, "Who touched me? 18:51 Who touched me?''' 18:59 The Rule of First Mention, which says that 19:03 when a character is first mentioned in the word of God, 19:07 we need to take particular attention, is enforced here. 19:14 For when the Bible introduces a character, 19:18 it is very specific 19:21 in highlighting the character traits of that individual. 19:26 The Bible says in Matthew, Mark and Luke, 19:30 "Jairus was a ruler in the synagogue." 19:35 Matthew, Mark and Luke, all state emphatically 19:38 that he was a ruler. 19:39 And when we read monumental work Desire of Ages 19:42 written by Ellen White, 19:43 she uses the same term, "He was a ruler." 19:46 In fact, she says, "He was the ruler of the synagogue." 19:52 Now the Bible writers didn't waste words, 19:53 they didn't add words, they didn't mince words, 19:56 they didn't subtract words. 19:57 They always used word very carefully. 20:01 And all of the important characteristics, 20:03 germane to any particular character 20:06 in the context of that particular story 20:09 are found in the introduction. 20:12 So when a character is introduced, 20:14 you got to lock down on that introduction. 20:19 And so the Bible says, 20:21 "Jairus was a ruler in the synagogue." 20:27 Now most scholars agree that he was a ruler 20:29 or the head honcho shall we say, Hal? 20:32 In the synagogue of Capernaum. 20:35 Now he is important enough that his name is mentioned, 20:41 his position is mentioned, his status is mentioned. 20:46 Jairus, ruler, synagogue. 20:50 He is not a slave, he is not a suppliant. 20:54 He is not middle management. 20:56 He is not a gofer or a secretary. 20:59 He is not even an administrative assistant. 21:03 The word is "ruler". 21:06 He doesn't take orders, he gives them. 21:10 He is not told what to do, he tells others. 21:15 When Jairus speaks people listen. 21:19 He expects to be obeyed. 21:22 He is accustomed to being obeyed. 21:25 His orders are instantaneously and meticulously followed 21:29 because he is a ruler in the synagogue. 21:34 Jairus is the man. 21:38 He knows it. He shows it. 21:42 He lives like it. He acts like it. 21:46 He is respected and deferred to, 21:49 "Jairus is the leader." 21:53 I was in a meeting one time not too long ago. 21:56 We've been in that meeting for about five hours 21:58 and everybody was tired and scratching their head 22:01 and their ties were down. 22:03 And a chairman just was going on and on and on. 22:06 And I recall a pastor saying to the chairman, he said, 22:08 "Man, don't you have a headache? 22:11 Aren't you tired?" 22:13 And a chairman reared back in his chair and said, 22:16 "I don't get headaches, I give them." 22:21 And so we went for another four hours, 22:23 school board issue. 22:26 This is the kind of a person Jairus is, 22:29 He's accustomed to having people 22:31 interrupt their schedules for him. 22:34 Ellen White in the book, Desire of Ages, 22:37 describes his personality in one very, very telling word. 22:44 She says, "Jairus was hottie. 22:50 Hottie, proud, uppity, 22:56 altitude and attitude." 22:59 Now, "Hottie" is a word 23:01 that is kind of slip from modern parlance. 23:02 And so I looked it up in a dictionary, 23:04 just to make sure I understood what it meant 23:06 and what I found was, "Hottie" is arrogantly superior 23:12 and disdainful. 23:15 Arrogantly superior and disdainful. 23:19 Disdain was Jairus ministry pastor. 23:23 His ministry, his legacy was hottiness. 23:28 Arrogantly superior and disdainful, 23:32 looking down on everybody. 23:35 Mmm? 23:36 Thumbing his nose at everybody. 23:39 Treating other people like dirt. 23:43 Jairus, ruler, 23:46 synagogue, hottie. 23:51 In fact, he was such an arrogant so-and-so, 23:55 mm-hmm, 23:57 that the disciples were surprised 24:00 that Jesus even took time to talk to him. 24:03 Ellen White says, they mused in their mind, 24:06 'Why would the Savior spend time 24:08 with this egotistical self righteous social climbing, 24:12 class conscious, bigotous, bigoted, trying to be a pastor, 24:19 hater of individual?" 24:22 And yet Jesus did so. 24:25 You know, I'm, I'm so glad that there's a song that says, 24:29 "He looked upon my faults and saw my needs. 24:33 He looked beyond my faults and saw my needs." 24:38 Isn't that something to get excited about, 24:41 that God can look beyond the works and the scabs 24:47 and see who I am inside? 24:52 That's something to get excited about. 24:54 Jesus knew that Jairus was a jerk. 24:59 Mm-hmm. 25:00 But he looked beyond his faults and saw his needs. 25:05 You know, we laugh at Jairus but, so am I. 25:11 And if you want a newsflash, so are you. 25:15 Uh? 25:17 There's a song we used to sing at Oakwood called, 25:18 "There's so much good in the worst of us, 25:21 and so much bad in the best of us 25:23 that it doesn't behoove anyone of us 25:26 to sit around and talk about the rest of us." 25:31 Jairus was a mess, but so are we. 25:38 Heaven knows that Jairus, you and I and this world, 25:41 all need the same thing. 25:44 A healing touch from Jesus. 25:47 And so, Jairus, 25:49 who is so accustomed to giving orders, 25:52 finds himself in an unfamiliar position. 25:58 For he has to battle something now that is positioned 26:01 and his authority cannot help him with. 26:06 He was fighting an enemy that did not respect his money, 26:10 his bank account, his social standing. 26:14 The doctors had told him that your 12 year old daughter 26:19 will never see her 13th birthday. 26:22 Point of fact, she may not even see next week. 26:26 You need to get your money together, 26:28 hire the moaners and the flute players 26:31 and they won't be on retainer long 26:33 because your daughter is going to die. 26:36 One child on the verge of womanhood, 26:41 she'll never have a family, never get married. 26:45 She's going to die. 26:47 And so because his only child is dying, 26:52 this "hottie, self-righteous" ruler 26:57 leaves the comforts of Capernaum, 27:00 travels to the western shore of Galilee to get some help. 27:07 He fights through a mob. 27:10 He lowers himself 27:12 to go into the house of a hated tax collector 27:16 to find the one man on earth who can give him some help. 27:22 This proud, dignified lord of the temple 27:27 is on his knees. 27:30 His face in the dust, eating Palestine dirt, 27:37 begging Jesus to come and heal my child. 27:44 You know, when your kids are involved, all bets are off. 27:48 You know, when your children are involved, if-- 27:52 my wife is a fairly even tempered person, 27:55 but when you mess with Kevin or Becky or Marcus 28:01 or Gerald or Lucy or Ashley. 28:03 When you, you know she gets the claws come out. 28:07 You know, you want to see her arch her back and get at me 28:10 mess with her child or grandchild. 28:13 Something is different 28:15 when your children are involved. 28:16 When they attack your children, all bets are off. 28:22 And he's got one daughter. 28:24 And the doctors have wiped their hands. 28:26 "There's nothing we can do. She's going to die." 28:29 And so, you take off your fine robes. 28:31 You strip down and you drop down in the dirt 28:34 at the feet of Jesus and you say, 28:35 "Please come to my house 28:40 and help save my daughter." 28:44 You know, life has a way of cutting you down the size, 28:48 doesn't it? 28:49 It has a way of stripping away the patina. 28:52 Even when you think you're somebody, 28:55 when you think you are "it," life has a way of showing you 28:58 that the sun does not revolve around you. 29:01 You are not the centre of the universe. 29:03 It doesn't rise and set on you. 29:05 Life has a way of showing you who you are. 29:10 It occurs to me, when I look at anybody... 29:13 if you look at people long enough, 29:14 you can find a way to feel superior to anybody. 29:19 Well, he can sing but he can't play basketball. 29:29 You know, you'll find some little something 29:31 that make yourself feel better until you look at Jesus. 29:37 Then you see yourself as you really are. 29:42 Life has a way of cutting you down to size, 29:44 but praise God, Jesus didn't turn Jairus away. 29:49 Jesus didn't turn any of us away. 29:53 And so together, 29:55 they make their way through the crowd 29:57 to Jairus' house. 30:01 His miracle is on the way, it's coming. 30:07 But Jesus being Jesus, 30:10 Jesus can't stop being Jesus even for Jairus. 30:15 So while they're making their way through the crowd, 30:17 Christ is not just pushing people aside saying, 30:19 "I got to get to this Pharisee's house." 30:22 He's stopping to heal people. 30:25 Somebody needs a blessing, He blesses them. 30:28 Somebody needs a word from the Lord, 30:29 He stops and gives them a word from the Lord. 30:31 Somebody needs a little comfort or a little counsel, 30:33 He stops and gives them counsel. 30:36 And Jairus is sitting there, looking at his watch, 30:39 and tapping his foot, 30:41 'cause he's got a dying daughter at the house 30:46 and Christ is stopping to bless these lesser people. 30:55 He's blessing others, healing others, 30:58 comforting others, 30:59 and Jairus has to, as a word, get in line. 31:04 He got to wait. 31:08 He's got to wait to get his, 31:11 while others are getting theirs. 31:15 Miracle interruptive. 31:21 And in that crowd, there was another person 31:26 hoping to talk to Jesus. 31:30 A poor woman, who had bankrupted herself 31:35 trying to find a cure for a disease 31:39 that she had suffered for 12 years. 31:44 Now, this wasn't just a physical issue, 31:48 it was a spiritual issue, because if you read Leviticus, 31:53 the Bible says, "As long as there is a blood flow, 31:57 you're ceremonially unclean 32:00 and you cannot go to the temple." 32:03 So we must assume 32:05 that from the day that blood began to flow, 32:09 the priest pronounced her unclean, 32:12 unfit for worship, unfit for ministry, 32:16 unfit for pastoral visits, and unfit to go to the temple. 32:21 So she had a physical problem, 32:24 compounded by a spiritual reality 32:27 that she had nothing to do with. 32:30 And so she's bankrupting herself, 32:32 not just because she wants to get physically whole, 32:36 she wants to get back to the people of God. 32:43 And after 12 years, and all of her money, 32:48 they told her there was nothing they could do. 32:51 Her health was gone, her strength was gone, 32:56 her money was gone, and her faith, severely tested. 33:04 But she believed in the Messiah. 33:07 She believed in Jesus. 33:10 And her idea was, if I could just get to talk to him. 33:16 Her original plan was, 33:18 "Lord, just give me a few seconds with him, 33:21 just a sentence. 33:23 I just want to talk to Jesus, because I believe 33:26 if I can talk to him, He'll heal me. 33:30 I just want a short conversation." 33:33 And so she like Jairus, had followed the crowd 33:36 to the house of Levi Matthew. 33:41 She saw Him go in, she saw Him come out, and she followed Him. 33:47 And she realized in her mind, I'm never gonna make it. 33:53 There's too many people, the crowd is too big, 33:58 I'll never get close to Him. 34:01 Ellen Whites says, she got a glimpse of Him going by, 34:03 she did see Him, but there were too many people, 34:08 and she was too weak. 34:10 And the circumstances were not conducive to conversation. 34:14 She didn't have the strength to fight through the crowd, 34:18 and it occurred to her, 34:20 "I'll never get to talk to Jesus." 34:25 But her faith said, "If you can't talk, touch." 34:32 If you can't talk, a touch will do. 34:37 And so, she mused within her soul 34:41 that if I can just touch Him, just the hem, 34:47 just touch His robe as He flies by, 34:51 I'm gonna be made whole. 34:54 So she follows. 34:57 And as He spun around, Ellen White says, 34:59 "Her golden opportunity was there. 35:03 The great physician was near. 35:05 She could see him from the back." 35:09 There was noise, confusion, pushing and shoving. 35:13 And she thought she might lose her opportunity, 35:18 and so she darts her hand between two bodies. 35:23 And Ellen White says, "She barely touched the edge, 35:27 just touched the edge." 35:33 A touch so slight, so interdental 35:38 that there was virtually no way for Jesus to know 35:43 that His robe, 35:46 not His body, had been touched. 35:51 You see, Jesus felt, I believe, 35:54 what He felt was not the pressure of a hand, 35:58 it was the pull of faith. 36:01 It was the tug of urgency, exigency, 36:05 it was the touch of faith. 36:08 Ellen White says, Desire of Ages, page 343. 36:10 I love this. 36:11 "In that one touch 36:13 was concentrated the faith of her whole life." 36:17 "And instantly the feebleness, the pain gave place," 36:23 she says, "to the perfect vigor of health." 36:28 She was made whole 36:30 and in gratitude she wants to retire. 36:33 She didn't want to get on the 6 o'clock news. 36:35 She didn't want her 15 minutes of fame. 36:37 She got her healing, she was grateful, 36:39 she thanked God, and now she wanted to get out of there. 36:44 And she attempts to disappear. 36:48 But Jesus stops. Jesus stops. 36:54 Jairus is waiting and Jesus stops. 36:59 And the crowd stops. And the disciples stop. 37:05 And Jairus stops. 37:09 And Ellen White says, "Jesus turns around 37:11 and then speaking in a voice distinctly heard 37:14 above the confusion of the multitude. 37:16 He asks, 'Who touched me?'" 37:24 And Peter, you know, quick lip, 37:29 "Master, they're bouncing you around like a ping-pong ball. 37:37 I don't know who touched you." 37:41 But Jesus insisted. 37:43 Until the lady came forward and told Him her whole story. 37:50 Told him the whole story. 37:53 Twelve years of story. 37:58 Jesus not only takes His time healing others, 38:01 He turns this thing into a testimony meeting. 38:07 It's a revival meeting. 38:11 And Jairus 38:13 has got a dying daughter back at the house. 38:20 Precious moments are slipping by 38:24 while Christ opens the doors to the church. 38:29 And all too soon his worst fears are realized, 38:33 as a servant comes and brings him word, 38:38 "No use continuing in this trip. 38:41 Your daughter is dead." 38:46 What do you supposed went through his mind? 38:54 There's a man that's used to having his orders 38:56 taken care of immediately... 39:01 and Jesus got him waiting while others get healed, 39:07 opens up the floor for testimony. 39:10 This woman now has the health of a 12-year-old girl 39:16 and his 12-year-old girl is dead. 39:20 What do you supposed went through his mind? 39:27 Mercifully, we have no record of what he thought, 39:32 but Jesus also heard the report and he told Jairus, 39:38 I like these words, 39:41 "Fear not, fear not, just believe." 39:49 Everything changes, they're selling money, 39:53 just believe, and she shall be made whole. 39:59 She's going to be made whole on your belief. 40:05 And Ellen White says, "Jairus pressed closer to Jesus." 40:13 Got right up next to Him, maybe put his arm around His waist. 40:20 You see what was happening? 40:23 Jesus is breaking down Jairus' pride. 40:27 You see, before Christ builds you up, 40:31 sometimes he got to tear you down. 40:35 I found that out when you're going to the gym. 40:38 When you begin to exercise, you got to tear down the muscle 40:44 before you build it up, 40:46 which is why when you first go to the gym, 40:49 you're lifting and stretching and straining, 40:51 and you feel good. 40:53 And the next morning, you can't get out of bed. 40:56 'Cause you got to break the muscle down 41:00 before you build the muscle up. 41:03 And so, Jesus had to break through some pride 41:08 and some prejudice and some arrogance 41:11 and some self-righteousness 41:13 before Jairus was in a position to see Jairus. 41:20 Troubles, trials, and afflictions 41:23 will do one of two things. 41:26 One, they will either make you shake your fist at God 41:31 and drive you away, 41:33 or they will make you drop to your knees, 41:36 at the feet of Jesus 41:37 and make you press closer to Him. 41:42 And so Jairus pressed closer, because he realized 41:46 the same thing that we need to realize 41:49 that when you're next to Jesus, 41:53 there's nothing you can't accomplish, 41:55 nothing you cannot do. 41:57 When you're close to Jesus, 41:59 you are in the perfect position for heaven 42:02 to do something spectacular in your life, 42:06 when you're close to Jesus. 42:10 That's what sets the stage for a miracle. 42:14 So they get to the house, 42:17 and the paid mourners are already there. 42:20 You know, back in the Bible days 42:21 you hired people to mourn. 42:22 And if you've got a lot of money, 42:24 you can get folk to cry over your loved one for weeks 42:26 till the money ran out. 42:29 And so the mourners are crying, people are weeping 42:30 and wailing, gnashing teeth, hand out for the check. 42:35 The flute players are playing, they're already there. 42:39 And Christ dismissed everyone. 42:41 He takes Peter, James, and John, Jairus, and his wife, 42:44 they go in and close the door. 42:48 No fanfare, no big noise. 42:54 Mark 5:41 says, he bent over and said, "Talitha Koum," 42:59 interpreted, "Little girl, I say to you, 43:04 arise." 43:08 And Mark says, "Immediately, immediately the girl stood up. 43:15 Immediately got up and walked." 43:20 And I like this, Jesus says, 43:21 "Okay, give her something to eat." 43:23 It's there in the Bible. 43:26 Don't know how long she was sleeping, 43:27 but she's hungry, feed her. 43:31 And she arose. 43:36 Now we've never heard anything more about Jairus. 43:41 It's the end of our contact within the Bible. 43:45 But do you suppose that 43:48 that day's events changed his life? 43:53 Do you think Jairus was ever the same 43:56 after that particular day's events? 44:01 Do you not suppose 44:03 that that particular ruler was like another ruler 44:05 in the Book of John called Nicodemus 44:08 or a Pharisee called Simon? 44:10 Or a woman caught in adultery? 44:13 Or another woman at a Samaritan well? 44:16 Or a blind man named Bartimaeus? 44:18 Or two demons in the Gadarenes? 44:22 Or a Syrophoenician woman? 44:24 Or a cripple who couldn't quite get into the pool of Bethesda 44:27 at the right time till Jesus came along? 44:31 Or a young man whose parents were so afraid 44:33 of being kicked out of the synagogue 44:35 that when he did get his healing, 44:39 when Jesus did cure him, 44:40 they didn't even want to acknowledge 44:42 that it was Jesus who did it. 44:45 So they said, "Ask him." 44:47 And the Pharisees said, "There's no way in the world 44:49 that Jesus could have healed you because he is a sinner." 44:53 And a young man said, "Whether he is a sinner or not, 44:59 I don't know, but one thing I do know, 45:05 where I was blind, now I see." 45:11 You see the truth is, 45:12 when you come to Jesus, your life is never the same. 45:17 And the greatest miracle 45:18 is that a person can put down the wine bottle, 45:21 put down the drugs, put down the alcohol, 45:24 put down the old life, put on a suit and tie, 45:28 Bible, clean clothes, stand up for Jesus, 45:31 go down in the baptismal pool, 45:32 and come up a brand new creature. 45:37 No one who has ever touched Jesus 45:40 has ever been the same. 45:46 Don't ever give up on your miracle. 45:49 Don't ever give up on your miracle. 45:51 I'm so glad that while God is blessing you, 45:57 He's got time to bless me. 46:02 You may have to wait a little while, 46:04 because God is not like instant cocoa. 46:10 Keep on praying, He is coming and your blessing is coming. 46:15 He may be taking care of somebody else right now, 46:17 but yours is coming. 46:19 So many of us give up just before we get through. 46:24 Don't give up on God, because God will never, 46:27 ever, ever, ever give up on you. 46:30 I want to read something from Desire of Ages, 46:32 got a little bookmark right here. 46:35 I'm like Pastor Lomacang, 46:36 I just wear these as a fashion statement, 46:38 don't really need them. 46:42 Here we go, "It is for our own benefit 46:45 to keep every gift of God fresh in our memory." 46:48 Tell 'em God bless you, keep it your mind. 46:50 Rehearse it in your mind over and over again. 46:51 God blessed me yesterday. God blessed me that day. 46:53 Keep 'em in your mind, because on those days 46:55 when Satan is jumping on you with two feet, 46:57 remember what God did for you. 47:01 "Thus faith is strengthened 47:03 to claim and to receive more and more." 47:05 The more you talk about what is done, the more you get. 47:07 The more faith you exercise, the more faith you get. 47:09 Talk faith. Talk faith. 47:11 Listen, I'll tell you something. 47:13 God never ever sends discouragement. 47:17 Did you know that? 47:19 Never comes from the Lord, He never. 47:22 When you get to, "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen." 47:25 "I'm the only one left in Israel," 47:31 doesn't come from the Lord, never sends discouragement. 47:34 That comes from Satan, 47:35 when Satan can't get you any other way, 47:37 he'll depress you. 47:39 Doesn't come from the Lord. 47:41 Let me finish, 47:43 "There is greater encouragement for us 47:45 in the least blessing we ourselves receive from God 47:48 than all of the accounts we can read of the faith 47:51 and experience of others." 47:52 I'm glad the Lord blesses Hal. I'm glad the Lord blesses John. 47:56 I'm glad the Lord blesses Danny. 47:59 But I'm real glad the Lord blesses me. 48:02 Amen. 48:04 I rejoice in your blessing. 48:06 Pastor Lomacang got that brand new SUV. 48:08 I rode an SUV, I rejoiced when he got his SUV, 48:13 but I rejoiced more when I got my truck. 48:19 I can rejoice in your blessings, 48:21 and I can rejoice in mine, 48:22 because the same God that blesses you, 48:24 hey, blesses me. 48:28 "The soul that responds to the Grace of God 48:30 shall be like a watered garden." 48:32 Hallelujah. 48:35 "His health shall spring forth speedily, 48:37 his light shall rise in obscurity, 48:39 and the glory of the Lord shall be seen upon him. 48:42 Let us then remember the loving kindness of the Lord 48:45 and the multitude of His tender mercies. 48:50 Like the people of Israel, 48:51 let us set up our stones of witness, 48:54 and inscribe upon them the precious story 48:56 of what God has wrought for us." 49:01 He's a God of miracle. 49:02 You ought to be able to trace in your own life 49:04 a series of blessing that are emblematic 49:08 of the providential imposition of God. 49:10 In other words, you ought to be able to see 49:11 where God has stuck His hand into your life and blessed you. 49:13 You ought to be able to see a pattern, 49:15 a pattern of blessing, 49:16 a pattern of miracles in your own life, 49:18 and if you're walking with Jesus, they are there. 49:24 "And as we receive His dealings with us 49:28 in our pilgrimage, 49:29 let us out of hearts melted with gratitude, 49:32 declare, 'What shall I render unto the Lord 49:35 for all His benefits towards me?' 49:38 I will take the cup of salvation, 49:41 and call upon the name of the Lord. 49:43 I will pay my vows unto the Lord now 49:47 and in the presence of all of His people." 49:52 Isn't that powerful? 49:53 Again, we ought to be able to look into our own lives 49:57 and see where God has blessed His people. 50:02 Let me close with a modern day miracle. 50:04 So many, many-- 50:06 I was so happy to hear Pastor Dinzey 50:09 on last evening talk about miracles. 50:12 I had a friend, her name was Jaina Lee Kitch. 50:16 Bless her heart. 50:17 She was 104 years of age, 50:19 and we had a magnificent birthday party for her 104. 50:22 They put 104 candles on the cake. 50:25 Lit those candles and just melted the frosting 50:27 right off the cake. 50:29 But she told us of a story, I may have told this before, 50:33 I'm not quite sure, she said, "Sixty years ago, 50:36 when I joined the Seventh-day Adventist church, 50:38 my husband was fired from his job 50:41 and I lost my job. 50:43 We were sitting there on a Friday afternoon 50:45 with absolutely no money and no food in the house." 50:50 And she said, "I've just become a Seventh-day Adventist, 50:55 and I'm suffering for it. 50:57 Lord you got to work a miracle." 51:00 She said, "I don't want much. 51:02 I just want to buy some bread and milk for the baby." 51:07 She said, "I opened up the window, 51:09 I sat in my rocking chair, and I just rocked. 51:13 I prayed and I rocked. I prayed and I rocked." 51:18 She said, "After an hour passed her, 51:21 there floated through my window, 51:23 just as pretty as you please, a one dollar bill." 51:29 "Landed on the floor right in front of my rocker." 51:31 This is 104-year-old woman telling her story. 51:34 She said, "I looked, and I looked, 51:38 and I looked again." 51:41 She said, "My husband went upstairs 51:42 to see if somebody had dropped it out of the window." 51:45 She said, "While he was on the elevator going upstairs, 51:47 I was on the elevator going downstairs 51:49 heading to the store." 51:53 She said "Sixty years ago." And this is back in the '80s. 51:55 She said "Sixty years ago, a dollar could buy you 51:58 a loaf of bread, and milk, and a little cheese. 52:06 So I went to the store 52:07 and came back with the armload full of stuff, 52:09 and he's still upstairs, knocking on doors, 52:11 finding who lost their dollar." 52:12 She said, "That's Jesus' dollar." 52:17 She said, "We rejoiced, we had a good meal." 52:20 And she said, "We've never wanted for food since, 52:23 we've never been broke since. 52:24 We've always had a job. We've always had food." 52:27 She said, "That was a miracle from God." 52:29 She said, "I can't remember any recent miracles." 52:34 But she said, "That was miracle enough for me." 52:38 Amen. 52:39 One year later, she closed her eyes in death at 105. 52:43 She had one great miracle, 52:44 but that miracle carried her through the rest of her life. 52:47 Because when she was broke and had no money 52:50 and had no food and had no resources, 52:52 God floated a dollar down. 52:55 Just enough, what she needed at the right time. 53:00 Ellen White says, "Recount the miracles of God," 53:03 because they're there, they're in your lives, 53:06 and they will sustain you during the tough times. 53:10 They will keep you during the times of drought. 53:13 They're like water to a garden, 53:16 they will keep you fresh and warm and alive and vibrant, 53:21 during those times when Satan seeks to discourage you, 53:25 to destroy you, and to turn you away from God. 53:29 Hold on to the unchanging hand of Jesus, won't you? 53:32 And remember, the same God that got you here 53:36 will get you safely home 53:38 if you hold on to His unchanging hand. 53:41 Stand up if you will for prayer. 53:46 Holy Father, we praise You and thank You 53:52 that an arrogant man like a Jairus, or a Simon, 53:57 can be made a lowly, humble servant of God. 54:02 Because, Lord, we have problems in our lives. 54:05 It may not be arrogance, it may not be pride, 54:08 but each of us have something 54:09 that we need to surrender to You. 54:12 And, Lord, we come to You this night in full surrender, 54:17 giving ourselves again to You and asking You to take us 54:23 and work a miracle in our lives. 54:27 Push away, wash away, all that is unlike thee 54:32 and replace it with Your love, Your mercy, and Your grace. 54:39 Take the world and give us Jesus. 54:43 And prepare, even now, Lord, 54:46 somewhere in the precincts of glory, 54:51 a dwelling place for us, Your children. 54:56 And then mould us, shape us, fashion us, 55:02 give us just enough trial 55:05 to keep us at the foot of Jesus. 55:08 But give us just enough triumph 55:11 to know that we're on the winning side, 55:14 that soon and very soon, 55:17 He that shall come, will come, and will not tarry. 55:24 We love You, Lord. 55:25 We thank You for this opportunity to recite 55:28 and recount the miracles, almost too numerous to mention, 55:33 that you have give to us, to Your people. 55:37 And we praise You for loving us with an everlasting love. 55:42 We rededicate ourselves to You. 55:45 We thank You for Your power, Your presence, Your mercy, 55:49 and Your grace. 55:52 And we thank You for Your promise 55:55 to answer the prayer of faith. 55:58 In the blessed and worthy name of Jesus, our Lord, 56:03 our Savior, our soon coming King. 56:07 Amen and Amen. 56:10 Please keep in mind, the Lord that we serve, 56:13 and the God who loves you. 56:15 Recount, even as you drive home, 56:17 the goodness of the Lord 56:19 and let these things keep you, during the dark days. 56:22 The testing days, the trying days will come, 56:25 but praise God on the other side of the testing, 56:28 on the other side of the trials, 56:30 on the other side of the suffering for Jesus. 56:35 There will come a time of reigning with Him. 56:39 How many want to reign with Jesus? 56:41 Praise God. 56:42 Soon and very soon, we're going to see the King. 56:47 Soon and very soon, we'll be with Jesus. |
Revised 2015-12-10