The Lord's loving response to grief. I've been amazed this past week in reading the fifth chapter of Mark. It's incredible and loving response of Jesus Christ wherever he met grief. Scripture says, "He's surely touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He's borne our grief and he's carried our sorrows." It's not a strange work. He knows the pain and the ache. I don't know what you brought into the service with you physically, mentally and spiritually. We serve a faithful God who knows how to meet those needs.
This is a church that worships and sings but we honor the Word of God. We honor the word. We believe that when we're walking with him, he gives us true manna and fresh word from heaven. This past week I was reading and rereading Mark the fifth chapter from the 22nd verse down through the rest of the chapter. Let me read a portion that. If you of your Bible Mark 5 beginning at verse 22, "Behold there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue Jairus by name. When he saw him he fell at his feet. He besought him greatly saying, 'My little daughter lieth at the point of death. I pray you come. Lay your hands on her that she may be healed. She shall live.'
Jesus went with him. Much people followed him and thronged him. A certain woman which had an issue of blood 12 years. Had suffered many things of many physicians. It spent all that she had. Had nothing but had nothing bettered but rather grew worse. When she heard of Jesus came in the press behind him and touched his garments. She said, "If I may touch but his clothes I shall be whole.' Straightway the fountain of blood was dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of that plague."
"Holy Spirit will you open this to us. Show us how that same Christ, the same Jesus not another, has such compassion and such hope and such healing for those who come but touch him. Even to the hem of his garment. Speak life to us. Show us how you bring life out of death. In Christ name, I pray. Amen." What a feature on this man Jairus he is ruler of this synagogue in Capernaum. The city where Jesus did most of his miracles. The scripture bears that out all through Capernaum. Which has been exalted above heaven.
You're going to be brought down to hell for if the mighty works which were done in the had been done in Sodom they would have repented and to this day. It is been said that this is the same synagogue where a man's withered hand was healed. Stretched out and healed. Jarius certainly was there when the multitudes flonged into that into Capernaum from all surrounding parts. Demons were cast out and people were healed. Evidently a withered hand being healed does not draw him to Christ. He had to be there seeing those mighty miracles that are so powerful that God indicted other areas for indicted them for having so many miracles and not being changed by them. Jairus did not come on that account. We don't know much about his contacts with Jesus. We do know he had witnessed these miracles. The fact is, the truth is that this man came to Christ driven by grief. Overcome by grief. He said, "Master could you come with me. My daughter is at the point of death." It was not the miracles that brought him. It was not seeing firsthand the power of Jesus Christ. It was the grief. A sudden grief, a sudden calamity came into his life. It could be that Jairus would have never come to Christ, had it not been for the grief, then this calamity that had come to his home. His little daughter probably knew of Jesus. I was thinking about that because all the children knew Him. I'm sure she may have told her father, go find Jesus bring Him, he'll make me right. He will put me on my feet. Here he is with a child at the point of death. It says, there were multitude that followed. I think many of the multitude was watching the reaction to Jairus as he approaches Jesus. He had to press through the crowd also. He comes and he falls at the feet of Jesus.
This is an amazing thing because he belongs to an institution that’s mocking Christ and would have him killed. Here's an institution, here's a church gathering, here's a church body that rather seem dead than alive. Here's a ruler of that synagogue bowing down in his feet before the master. This was a challenge. This was a big step because he could have been put out of the synagogue. All of his friends and all of his acquaintances and those that he wined and dined with, that would all end. There is a cost when you come to Jesus and press in. It does affect your friends. It does affect your social society. It does affect the way you move in your lifestyle.
It does affect you and many will not come to Jesus. His disciples could have looked at that man and say, "Jesus, why would you go with him? He didn't come to you when he saw the miracles. He didn't want you when times were good and everything was well. Now he wants you because of his grief. He wants you because there's no other option." I want you to know something. I know this church is the church of last option. We don't mind if you come here as the last option. Evidently, you've tried everything else. We are the last option church and there are many of them in the United States.
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The last option, because where is he going to go? To whom is he going to go? This man is in desperate. These people are following to see what would happen. Jesus responds to this man. The scripture says, "He begged Him urgently, and Jesus went with him." You see Jesus responding to the hurt and the pain in this man. See, it could be that you're here and you're like this man, Jairus. Up to now, you have not given much time and thought to Jesus. You've not thought of forsaking all to follow Him and be His disciple. I'm confident because I heard the whisper of the Holy Spirit this morning that some of you have walked in here now.
You're here because of a need. Something drew you here. Maybe you're from another country but you're here. You're here seated miraculously by the Holy Spirit. He is here right now speaking to need but also feeling the pain and feeling the grief. This word by definition, grief, is deep sorrow, sadness caused by an extreme distress. I'm asking if there is an extreme distress hanging over you now, or burning in your heart, and you’re here and you say, well, I've never given Him much time.
You see the Lord in His gracious providence, He leads people. I've talked to many over the years in church now. I think it's 22 years this month. Over the years, we've talked to many that walked in here and you couldn't tell by looking at them. They've never said anything, but you see, the Holy Spirit knows everything. He knows every mind. I've talked to people who said, it was a miracle that I was here because God dealt with me today. He's dealing with you now. Even though you can forget every rejection you have made of him. You may be a part of a society like Jairus' was that mocked Christ, you would have nothing to do with him, but you can step out of that place right now because the Holy Spirit wants to minister Christ to your need. He wants to minister to your pain and to the grief that is in you. Even in the Old Testament, you find God's response to grief. On one occasion in Judges, the 10th chapter, the verses 9-16, God was so angered at evil among His people. The Bible said, "His anger had grown hot."
He began to see the cries and the tears of the people under the chastising hand of God, and the Bible says, "God mourned, and He pained." The grief of their hearts overwhelmed our Father. He answered and brought them through to a victory. It says over and over again, God repented because of their groanings. In the Hebrew, because He wanted to pity them, give them sorrow, and to console them, and to comfort them, and to ease their burden. Even when David sinned against the Lord by numbering the people and 70,000 military men and others died of the plague.
The death angel was standing over the city of Jerusalem and about to destroy the city, and God looks at this broken-hearted man, this David who had sinned. Now he had already murdered a man and he committed adultery, but he sinned a very grievous sin, it cost 70,000 lives. Now, Israel was partly to blame because of their pride and arrogance also. God looks at David and he sees that terror. He sees that grief of his heart and his crying, "Oh God, I'm the one. Judge me."
The scripture says when the angel of the Lord was about to stretch out his hand to Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil and said to the angel that destroyed the people, "That's enough. Stop your hand now." You see, God's heart answers to honest grief. The cry of the heart that is so burdened down, so overburdened by grief, that there's something in the heart of God. If you want to see it and search for it, you'll find it in a number of places through the scripture.
The Psalmist said, "He remembered His covenant for them, and he repented according to the multitude of His mercies." In fact, he made His enemies to pity them as they carried them about. This is a picture of the heart of God and beginning to understand his ways when there is something of grief that leads to repentance. In justice, and even when God is having to chasten His people, it says, "Those he chastens, He loves. He loves in chastening at times."
Many listening to me right now, many burdened with a heavy grief. The pain of somebody in your family. I was trying to list some of the griefs that I've experienced over my 78 years of life. I remember the grieving times. How many times in the hospital that looking at Gwen's over 20 operations. Folks, I've known grief and we've all known grief. You may be sitting here with some kind of grief in your heart now. Maybe some loved one or friend face-to-face with a terrible sickness, affliction. You may be going through the affliction of your life.
I think it's wonderful when we come to church and we worship and we praise, and we clap our hands. The Holy Ghost helps us. And there is a release in all of that, and it's glorifying to God, but if you only knew, if you had only-- If God could show us just a few. On Sunday nights there's testimonies that we hear and we get a little inkling of what goes on in the lives and what they've been delivered from. If God could show us on the screen and just take five minutes out of, maybe 50 people, and show some of the grief and afflictions up there, we would be on our face. It'd be so overwhelming. Jesus responded to this man who was overwhelmed. Bible says, "And he went with him."
Let me tell you, when you start walking with Jesus and you hear his voice and you're step-and-step with Christ, you're going to know delays and this is exactly what happened to this Jairus. He was going to be brought to point to of utter hopelessness. He's walking with Jesus, he's been on his face, but a deadly delay is coming regarding his prayer.
His hopes are dashed to the ground and calamity is about to strike his home. He's going to be surrounded by miracles happening to others and not get his on the time. Jairus' miracle is delayed because Jesus is responding to somebody very desperate who just touched him. You know the story of the woman who had the chronic issue of blood or chronic hemorrhaging. For 12 years she'd been to every doctor, she'd been everywhere, to the specialist. Luke, who himself was a physician said, they helped her none.
She would tell them the problem. Have you ever been through this routine where your situation would go from one doctor to another doctor and you tell the same story and there's not much they can do, but they make you promises and you go back and it doesn't work. Then some run to Mexico. Running everywhere looking for an answers She had spent all her living upon physicians and none could heal her of her disease. Bible says it was growing worse every day.
I have this, something of the Holy Ghost, that's been burning in my heart all this week. There's something of the Holy Ghost speaking in my heart and God made it real to me, that there would be those in this service this morning. We don't know who you are. The Holy Spirit is trying to reach you in a very unique and special way. You see, this woman came back trembling because Jesus said, "Who touched me?" She came back trembling because under the law she was unclean. She should've waited three days for purging, or for cleansing. She was not to touch any clean thing. Certainly she touched a clean thing in touching Jesus.
Ceremonially according to the Law, she's unclean. She comes trembling at the feet of Jesus. There are some that come to this church. You may be here now, and you come knowing in your heart there's something unclean. I want to talk to you in love and the mercy of God. You've come to a clean place. Jesus is here. You see, under the law, the law would condemn and convict, but under Christ in this day of grace, it's the Holy Spirit does the work.
He brings. He said, "When the Holy Spirit--" Bible says, "When the Holy Spirit comes, he will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgement." If you're honest before the Lord and you don't have a hard heart, right now the Holy Spirit is doing His work. Because he lives in this church, he abides in this church. This is a spirit-filled, spirit believing church and you've come wherever you've come from, and you're sitting in here now and you have a bleeding heart. In a way, you're like this woman spiritually. In your heart, there's something unclean that you've battled with for years, maybe 12 or more years, just like this woman battle with her problem. You've tried everything and you've counseled with people, you've done many, many things trying and you feel this unclean this in you because nobody has to call you that that's something your conscience calls you and you want freedom. You say, "If I do come to Jesus, then what about my past? How do I make up for my past? What about those around me? Are they going to turn me?" You're playing with the cost in your mind. You say, "Well, Pastor David, you don't know what I've done. You don't know how I go to bed at night. You talked about bleeding. You talked about no hope."
I had a dear drug addict friend, delivered drug addict. He was director of one of our centers our drug centers. He been saved for a number of years but in a downtime of testing, he went back to heroin. One by one, his boys walked out because they recognize something unclean in their director. He kept shooting heroin. He called me and he said, "Brother Dave, I feel like I'm the dirtiest man on earth." He said, "I have marks on my face, where I get down on my rug and cry and weep and plead with God to deliver me. Pleading with God."
I want you to know that he didn't come through, he came through. He was healed, and not later died. It wasn't through works. It wasn't through effort. It wasn't through making promises. It was through him trusting what God said, "Don't be afraid. I am with you. Don't be afraid, just believe. Just believe." He began to trust God and God began to deliver him. He had his last year or two with a wonderful ministry down in Florida. Then the Lord glorified him and took him home.
You see, this church doesn't matter how much you've sinned. This church doesn't matter how bad you've sinned. You're among of people who serve a holy God. You've come to the right place if you bleeding in your heart because the doctor is in. I said the doctor is in.
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Jesus suddenly stops, turns about and said, "Who touched me?" She fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her came and fell before him and told him all things. Now see, here's Jairus very nervous now because Jesus has already started the walk toward his home and he surrounded and this woman now touches him and Jesus, there's a delay. You can be a step in step with Jesus, you could have been on your face before him and made your petition known and the delay. There's a delay. Your answer hasn't come. That many of you know what that is.
You have been there, maybe you're there now. Your situation is very desperate and appointed at the point of death or the point of despair. Jesus is listening to him because he told him all. I wonder if Jairus is wringing his hands and saying, hey, look my daughter's 12 years old. Can't this wait? She's been at this 12 years. She's an adult. I'm wondering if he's looking over the crowd anxiously to see looking toward the path to see if there any messages coming. Jesus listens to this woman.
I see two reasons why Jesus delayed. This hit me yesterday. He first wants to relieve her of her sense of defilement and He wants to remove her reproach. He wants to publicly remove her reproach. He did just that. The second reason is the impatience of this man. Jesus had to have seen it. A group of men came from his home and said, "Don't bother the master. Your child is dead." Jesus overheard that. He said, "Just don't be afraid. Just believe." Don't be afraid. Just believe. She goes on. Here's the problem I see. It's possible that he's so consumed by our own needs. We can't stop and rejoice when we see others being healed and blessed.
I see this is what Jesus is dealing with. This is what Jesus wants to accomplish, and sometimes this is how he does deal with us in our grief and sorrow. God knows how desperate your situation is. He knew all about it. There was nothing hidden to Him. He's wanting this man, first of all, to have his faith encouraged. Whenever you see people around you being healed, and your healing hasn't come, or they're getting answers to prayer, and yours, I'm sure Jesus' saying, "Can't you just wait a little bit."
This woman has been 12 years. That's when your daughter was born, 12 years ago. All that time that you've enjoyed the fellowship, that child, this woman has had this hemorrhaging. It's the same woman who's not allowed in your synagogue. This is the woman that needs help. She needs me. Now, the Lord, just saying, there's something about Jesus. He can be healing a thousand people around you and still have his eye on you. He had his eye on Jairus. I think that's what God is saying to us. I want you to get this out of what I'm saying today. We are so focused on our pain.
When I was going over this last night, I went into my office and just looked at what I had written. I came in. Gwen was on the couch sitting. I sat by her. I just broke down weeping with joy. I started praying in the Spirit. Gwen, Holy Ghost just told me he knows all about it. He's going on with us. He's going to give us faith to believe. It's not going to be our faith. It's going to be his.
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Gwen started walking and getting under the Spirit. I was walking, bumping into her in the hallway. We have something that Jairus didn't have, and we have something this woman didn't have. They didn't have the abiding Holy Ghost. They didn't have the Comforter living in them. They didn't have the promises being made real from inside their very hearts. We've got something no other generation had. We have the Holy Ghost that comes to comfort us in our time of sorrow and suffering. There's something else. This man has to come to a place where he looks death in the face.
There comes a time when Jairus must have that moment that some of us are going to face and we all must face one day. When you go into a confused room, you go into the face of confusion. He went home, Jesus went with him.
There's doubt and fear at all sides and the people are saying there was no use. There's no use, let the master alone-- We don't know if Jairus' faith held up but we do know that he went on with Jesus. We do know that he went to the house. I would picture his wife falling in his arm saying, "Where are you? It's too late. Why is Jesus here?" Outside the door, these paid minstrels are playing their flutes and wailing and screaming. Jesus saying, "What's all this ado about? She's just sleeping," and they laughed at him with scorn. He walks in to that surrounding and he's looking death right in the face.
There comes a time to walk right into the house of confusion with death and terror looking you in the face. You hear a word, "Do not be afraid, only believe." Jesus turns to him face to face with death. Don't be afraid. If a Holy Ghost doesn't come and make those words real, don't be afraid, only believe. That has to be what we say time and time again in the face of death in the face of hopelessness. Death here represents hopelessness, all human possibilities are gone. Humanly, nothing can be done. You will hear, as I have heard time and time again after 58 years of preaching, in every crisis that God has brought us through, David, don't be afraid. Just believe. I say, "Lord, then you're going to have to help me. You're going to have to put your faith in me. I can't do this on my own." Folks, if we're going to live in our despair, if we allow ourselves to wallow in our sorrows, we're putting kindling on the fire of despair. It just goes deeper, it gets worse.
There comes a time where you have to take a stand and I have to take a stand. I believe Jairus did and this woman did too, "If I could just touch the hem of his garment," and how Jesus responds. It's not just that he responds, but it's how he responds. He has he who absolutely breathed the stars. David said he breathed to pass the stars, the very breath of his mouth, he put all of the galaxies in place hanging on nothing and racing through space. This God who, who has created billions and billions of stars and galaxy after galaxy, folks, all you have to do is stop and say, "If God can do this, he certainly can meet my need." I do that every day I concentrate on the majesty and the glory of God.
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I don't think that any preacher from any pulpit can give you answers to everything. I can't give answers anymore to many, many things, but I do know this, in 78 years walking this walk God never failed me one time. Never.
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You may think God has failed you, you may think he's not answered your prayer, but it's on the way. He's at work. The first moment you pray, he began to do something in the supernatural realm, and he's not going to forsake you. I'm telling you, the hills may shake and the mountains may fall into the sea. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken, but he cannot be shaken. His church cannot be shaken. God's people will not be shaken. There are some things that cannot be shaken. I want to tell you in closing, I was sitting in this pulpit last Sunday, sitting next to pastor Carter and the Spirit of the Lord was on me, and God said to me something that I will never forget. He said, "David, your destiny is in nobody's hands, but mine."
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"Your destiny and my destiny has nothing to do with the economy. Our destiny has nothing to do with the Muslims. Our destiny has nothing to do with Congress or any world leader. We are not under the hand. We are not in the hands of these situations around us. We are in the loving hands of Jesus Christ, our Savior who's written us in the Palm of his hand.
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Get your eyes off. Get your eyes off the things that we don't know about. Yes, folks. I believe with everything in my heart that God would spare even America, if God's people would get a hold of God and renew their faith, that there could be a time. I believe God is so merciful and so touched with the grief. There's such grief in the land. 80% of the people they say now we're in some sorrow and fear and living in fear. God who made you, God who made me, God who made all things is still their creator. If he can create in David a clean heart, he can create a clean heart in me. If God would not take away his Holy Spirit from a man like David coming through adultery and coming through murder, then he can save any sinner in this house and he can turn your life around.
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Will you stand? This woman was healed because she came to Jesus. She pressed through. Jairus, saw a miracle because he came to Jesus and he believed. I'm going to ask you if you're here this morning and I'll make this simple, clear and to the point. No one will push you, beg you. No one will say anything to you. You come willingly. If the Holy Spirit has moved on you, sometime that's reflected by real feelings in the inside of you. It could be a conviction, it could be a drawing, but whatever it is and you relate to this story, there's something that was said that touched your heart. I'm not going to try to find that point, but you know what it is.
This is a praying church. This is a church where thousands of people turn to Christ in a year's time. Every week people turn to Christ. Sometimes in many services come to Christ. Those who are backslidden come home. While tshe musicians are ministering the music I simply invite you to get out of your seat. Up in the balcony, you could go the stairs into the side, come down the steps. Come to the front of this church and make a confession. I need him. If you're in grief of some kind, God will respond to your grief. You may not have faith even, but he'll take your grief. He’ll respond to your grief. You that grieving heart that hurt and that pain, bring it to Jesus.
We'll pray with you that the Lord will give you his faith and bring you to repentance and healing. Anywhere in the house. As they’re ministering of music. Step up. I'm talking about those who are backslidden specifically. I'm talking about those who are carrying tremendous grief and those who don't know Christ is Lord or you have stepped away. You don't have that relationship with Christ. Lord, speaking, mercy and grace. Lord, bring home many that have been running from you. You obey the Holy Spirit. There are people coming follow these that are coming.
If you came forward to surrender your life to Christ, or to renew your life with him, will you pray this prayer with me right now? Pray it verbally. Let it be heard. Dear Jesus, I ask you to send the Holy Spirit and lead me and speak to me and comfort me. I'm casting all my cares on you. Forgive me, Jesus, of all my sins, and all that I've done against you.
All my pride. Everything that I've sinned, I bring to your blood for cleansing and healing. Jesus, I want to touch you. Jesus, you told me not to be afraid. So take the fear out of my heart. Heal my grief. Jesus, you told me to believe, I believe. I believe that you're real. I believe that you forgive me. I believe you'll answer my prayer. Now, would you just lift up your hands and say Thank You, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Lord, we thank you.
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Now, Lord, for those that are burdened down with sorrow, overcome by grief, we pray, Lord Jesus, that they would reach out by faith. That's the only way, by faith and say, I take your word. He sent his word and healed. Now Jesus, send your word and heal. Let people that have come down here to the front, who brought their burden, cast at your feet right now.
That's what he said, cast all your burdens on Him because He cares for you. Oh, audience people in the annex here. Would you lift your hands? Would you hear him speak to you right now? Don't be afraid. Just believe. Would you just tell God you believe him now. Say, Lord, I want to believe. I want to trust you. No matter how dark it gets, no matter what happens. I want to be one of those who trust you. I want to be a testimony. I want that testimony.
I want that testimony, and I can't do it in my physical power. Lord, we have to come to you. We have to quit thinking about what we're going through and focus on reaching you, focus on seeking you, focus on resting in your promises. Oh, God, you will never fail. You will not fail your church and you will not fail those who are in your presence. Right now. We thank you. Now just give him thanks.
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