Find the Power You're Looking For

A very good morning, everybody. My name is Craig and I work for the church as a pastor in training.

! I want to add my welcome to all the other welcomes that you've heard this morning already.

! It's really great to be together.

So, as Bogdan was saying already, this month we are having this special focus on sharing the good news of Jesus

with people around the world that don't know him already.

And so, over the course of March, we're doing these special messages from the Word.

And so, our topic this morning is find the power that you're looking for.

So, we're going to be thinking about power this morning.

And we know that in our world, we have big problems with power.

Men and women are looking for power.

Many people step on other people to get it.

And many people suffer when power is abused.

The first problem that we have with power is that it is abused.

When we think about power, I wonder what comes to mind when you think about power.

I don't think of chess pieces, but that was just a cool picture I found online.

But when we think about power, we often think about the big people in our world.

The kings and the queens, the presidents, the CEOs of the big companies.

But in actual fact, across all layers of society, we have people using their relative positions of power

to trod on other people to benefit themselves.

I think we can probably imagine how that happens.

Nearly every day on our news channels, we see examples of people abusing their power for selfish gains.

People abuse other people who are under their care.

World leaders throw their weight around like children in the playground.

And people in the workplace devote as much time to one-upmanship as they do to their work.

And people do this without a care for the consequences

and without any feelings of compassion for those that are suffering under their actions.

There's a fellow called Lord Acton.

You'll probably recognize his quote rather than his portrait.

But this is Lord Acton.

And he famously wrote that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Great men are almost always bad men.

And I think Lord Acton was right.

When sinful hearts are empowered,

they suddenly have a greater ability to follow their sinful heart's desires.

And the fallout to following these desires is often much uglier.

When kids fight at primary school,

there are often tears.

But when kings fight,

primary schools get wiped out.

And because we've seen so many terrible examples

in our lives, on the news, day to day,

we actually become quite suspicious of all powerful people.

We are skeptical and we often assume the worst

in people who enjoy power and status and success.

We actually need better examples of power to follow.

The second problem we have with power is that it is fleeting.

Power has a time limit.

It is limited by death.

Even the greatest men and women in our world

won't be powerful forever.

They will die.

This is perhaps a mercy when we think about the tyrants in our world,

but the good kings die too.

Does anybody know how old President Trump is?

I want a bit of audience participation.

He's 79.

He's 79.

And in June, he's going to turn 80.

He's going to have his 80th birthday.

He's the most powerful man in the world.

And he's turning 80 this year.

And he doesn't have an answer to death either.

In 20 years, he'll be gone.

And there's nothing that he can do about it.

So power is fleeting.

Now, the question, I've said it already,

but the question that we're asking ourselves this morning is,

can we find the power that we're looking for?

Now, we're not asking, where can we find power for ourselves?

Rather, to rephrase the question slightly,

it's, how can we find a power which is truly good?

Can truly powerful people also be compassionate and selfless

without a sniff of corruption?

Can absolute power be wielded lovingly to lift up weak and helpless people?

That's the question that we're asking this morning.

So in Luke chapter 8, which Aaron read for us,

Luke 8 · chapter mention

it'd be good to keep it open in front of you

because we're going to track through the story that we've read.

And in Luke chapter 8, we meet a man

Luke 8 · chapter mention

who not only wields incredible life-changing power,

but a man who doesn't use it for his own gain.

So this is a different kind of power to what we see in the world around us.

Jesus sees and he comprehends human suffering

and uses his power to lift up weak and hopeless people.

And not only that, unlike the great men and women of our world,

Jesus claims to have the answer to death.

His power is absolute,

but it is power which is eternal and outlasts death.

And Jesus invites us this morning to have faith

that he is the ultimate answer to our suffering,

to our shame,

to our separation from God.

And only he can give us the hope of life beyond death.

So this is a story sandwiched inside another story.

And it is about a man called Jairus

and about a woman who has suffered for many years.

And we're going to examine this story in three parts.

So we're going to first look at how Jesus sees

and cares about human suffering.

Then we're going to see how one person's faith is commended

and see another person invited to have faith in Jesus.

So our first point,

Jesus sees and cares about human suffering.

So look again at the verses.

So verse 40,

we see that Jesus enters a town

and he is met with a huge crowd

who are waiting for him

and anticipating his next move.

And as Jesus walks through these streets,

it tells us that he's nearly crushed by the crowd.

There are so many people here

who've come to see this man.

It is exceedingly busy.

And it is here in this town

that he meets a man called Jairus

who has no answers to death.

Jairus is a successful and important man.

He is the leader of the local synagogue.

But his world is utterly falling apart

because his daughter is so sick

and she is close to death.

Despite the masses of people

who've come out to meet Jesus,

Jairus manages to get to Jesus

and he falls down at Jesus' feet,

pleading with Jesus,

come to my house

and save my daughter before she dies.

Jairus' daughter is young.

She's only 12 years old.

And she is his and his wife's only child.

Now, I'm not a father just yet,

but Josie and I already feel

so much love for our unborn baby boy.

So I can somehow relate

to what this man is feeling.

But even if you're not a parent,

I'm sure you can understand

the gut-wrenching distress

that this man is experiencing

because he is so close

to losing his daughter,

his pride and joy,

the love of his life.

And Jairus is totally out of answers.

He has no answer to his daughter's sickness

and there's nothing he can do

to prevent her from dying.

But he has heard

that this man Jesus is coming to town

and he's heard that he can heal the sick.

Maybe Jesus can help.

Now, the British have been famous

for their stiff upper lip attitude

in times of war and in hardship

or in times of pain.

And even from a young age,

British people would learn

to grin and bear it,

bury your emotions,

remain calm,

or as the phrase goes,

keep calm and carry on.

Respond unflinchingly

to adversity.

And as admirable as that attitude is,

it can only get you so far.

It can give you the tools

to cope with suffering,

but it doesn't explain

why the suffering is happening

and it certainly cannot save

your children from dying.

Jairus pleads with Jesus

to come to his house

and Jesus agrees.

But as they make their way

through the melee,

we are introduced to a woman

who has no answer

to suffering or shame or separation.

The very fact that this woman

isn't named in this passage

speaks into her situation.

She has suffered with a terrible,

persistent bleeding for 12 years,

the same length of time

as Jairus' daughter has lived for.

And the stigma and the shame

of this type of suffering

has left her as this unnamed outcast.

Her condition has caused her

constant physical suffering

and has brought her shame

in the community

and it has separated her

from public worship

at the temple

because of her constant

ceremonial uncleanness.

Temple worship at that time

was central to the lives

of the Jewish people.

It reminded the Jewish people

that they were God's chosen people

and it gave their lives

meaning and a rhythm.

For this woman to be separated

from public worship

at the temple,

it must have seriously rocked her

and caused her to question

her identity

as a daughter of God.

So we're going to see

what happens next then.

The next part of the story.

Look at verse 44.

Verse 44 tells us

what happens next.

She came up behind him

and she touched the edge

of his cloak

and immediately

her bleeding stopped.

Jesus' power

immediately

and miraculously

healed her.

Imagine the sudden relief

that she felt.

This condition

had been ruining her life.

for 12 years

but now it's gone.

Now she can slip away

without anybody noticing

and get on with her life

restored

and happy.

Not so fast.

Jesus stops

in the middle

of this moving mass.

He's been carried along

by the crowds

but he stops

and he says

who touched me?

Everyone around him

says

not me.

And even Peter asks

what do you mean?

Who touched you?

Everyone is pressing

around you

bumping into you.

This crowd

is nearly crushing you.

It's like a busy bus.

I don't know

if you've been

on the bus.

Sometimes I take

the 24 home

and if I time it wrong

all the James Gillespie

kids all pile on

as well

and it's a nightmare.

You're holding on

to one of the little handles

and you're getting

thrown around

and everyone's around you.

Or maybe it's like

being on the London Underground.

I don't know

if you've ever been

in the Underground

during rush hour

and everyone's crushing

into you

cramming into you

shoulder to shoulder

and you're trying

not to look

into strangers' eyes

if you bump into them.

It's a little bit similar

but Jesus is insistent.

Somebody touched me.

I know that power

has gone out from me.

What an interesting

thing to say.

Jesus knows that someone

very deliberately

touched him

and had been affected

by his divine power.

I want to know

who it was, he says.

Own up.

Who touched me?

It's important to ask

what's all the fuss about?

Why is Jesus

so insistent?

Why is he making

such a big deal of this?

Why did he need to know?

And why does he need

to know right now?

Wasn't he in a hurry

to get to Jairus' daughter?

Let's remind ourselves

that Luke's Gospel

is full of eyewitness accounts

of Jesus' life

and they've been written

so that we might have

certainty about

who Jesus is

and what he came to do

on earth.

So this event

with Jairus

and the woman

it's playing out

in the presence

of hundreds

of eyewitnesses.

Perhaps what Jesus

had to say

to this woman

was important enough

that he wanted

everyone

to hear it.

Verse 47

tells us

that the woman

had nowhere to hide.

If that was me

I'd be petrified.

Oh no

I've really done it now.

I've stepped out of line

by reaching out

and touching Jesus.

I should have

waited my turn

and asked him

to heal me.

But we're told

that just like Jairus

the woman

falls at Jesus' feet

trembling

before him

and she explains

to Jesus

and to all the crowd

what she had done

why she had done it

and how she had been healed.

But see the way

that Jesus

speaks to her.

He does not

scold her

or humiliate her

in public

for getting it wrong.

Quite the opposite.

Jesus speaks

to her lovingly

full of compassion.

He says

daughter

your faith

has healed you.

Go in peace.

this is beautiful.

He calls her

daughter.

He's effectively saying

you might have felt

separated from me

and questioned

your identity

as a daughter

of God

but I am God

and I call you

my child

my daughter.

but Jesus

also commends

her for her faith.

Many people

were bumping

into Jesus.

Many people

were seeking

his healing

but her faith

is the reason

that she has been

made well.

She didn't

she didn't

actually touch

Jesus.

She merely

brushed his clothing

but she meant it

and she did it

with a heart

full of faith

fully believing

that Jesus

had the power

to heal her.

Jesus is saying

I understand

why you didn't

want to make

a big scene

and draw attention

to your condition

but I want to

make a big scene

of your faith

because you

had faith

in me

you can go

in peace

lovingly

treasured

by your father

in heaven

who calls you

daughter

your suffering

is over

I have taken

your shame

away

and now you

can draw near

to God

because I've

taken away

that uncleanness

that separated

you from him.

I wonder

if we can

identify

with the woman

in any way.

Perhaps

you have

suffered

significantly

and silently

with some

physical

or mental

condition

or burden.

Maybe you're

feeling

overwhelmed

with shame

for things

you've done

or you feel

ashamed

or looked

down on

because of

your particular

situation.

Perhaps

you're suffering

an identity

crisis.

The things

that should

have given

you meaning

are out of

grasp

or you've

realized that

the things

that you have

relied upon

to give your

life purpose

they're empty

and they

failed you.

Jesus looks

on us

with that

same compassion

and he wishes

to teach us

the same

thing.

Only he

has the

power

to deal

with our

sickness

our shame

and our

separation

from God

and what

we need

is not a

brush with

his robe

or a visit

to a shrine

or touching

a holy relic.

What we need

is faith

in our heart

that only

Jesus can

save us.

Jesus'

death on

the cross

is the

answer to

these things.

The Bible

tells us

that there

is eternal

healing

and restoration

in Jesus

for those

who have

faith in

him.

And those

that acknowledge

that the

greatest problem

is not

chronic suffering

but chronic

sin.

he has

taken our

guilt

and our

shame

on the

cross.

He's

suffered for

the wrong

things that

we have

done

and he's

healed the

rift

that separates

us from

God.

And he

gives our

lives true

meaning

when we

choose to

follow him.

The difference

for us

is that

he doesn't

promise us

physical

healing

healing

in this

life

although we

do believe

that he

has the

power

to

miraculously

heal

if he

chooses

to.

However,

Jesus has

promised that

today he

can take

your shame

and your

uncleanness

if like

the woman

you have

faith in

him.

We're going

to talk a

little bit

more about

that in

just a

minute but

we've

forgotten

about

Jairus.

He's

standing there.

Come on.

Hurry up.

Come on.

So let's

look at

verse 49.

The next

part of the

story that

tells us

while Jesus

was still

speaking

someone came

from the

house of

Jairus

the synagogue

leader.

Your

daughter

is dead.

Don't

bother the

teacher

anymore.

At this

moment

the bottom

drops out

of Jairus'

world.

It's too

late.

His

daughter

is dead.

The news

that he

was dreading

to hear.

But before

Jairus has

the opportunity

to be

swallowed up

by grief

and shock

Jesus

gently invites

Jairus to

have faith

in him.

Don't be

afraid.

Just believe

and she

will be

healed.

I know

you are

suffering

but don't

worry.

Even now

it's not

too late.

Believe in

me.

Believe that

I have the

power to

save your

daughter.

When they

arrive at

the house

the air

is thick

with grief.

People

are wailing

and mourning

but Jesus

tells the

mourners to

quieten

down.

And he

says she

is not

dead but

asleep.

How can

he say

that?

The servants

have made it

abundantly

clear that

this girl

is dead.

Is Jesus

making a

mockery of

Jairus'

situation?

Is he

euphemizing

her death

like we

often do

when we

say Deirdre

has passed

away or

Gerald has

gone to

a better

place?

No, I

don't think

so.

I don't

think he's

euphemizing.

Jesus has

a true

grasp of

her situation.

The girl

is dead,

yes, but

this is not

the end of

her story.

She won't

stay dead.

Now, the

mourners,

they respond

negatively to

Jesus.

They laugh

at Jesus.

They know

she's dead

but they

don't believe

that Jesus

has the power

to bring her

back.

but taking

the girl's

parents and

his inner

circle inside

the house,

Jesus goes

to where the

girl is lying

and Jesus

takes her

hand and

he says,

my child,

get up.

Again, his

words are

beautiful and

they are gentle

but they're

filled with

power.

Hand in

hand, he

causes her

spirit to

return and

raises her

to life

again.

And at

once,

immediately,

she stood

up and

her parents

were astonished.

She's alive

and her

family is

restored once

more.

Now, we

are supposed

to stop

and marvel

at these

moments like

this in the

Bible.

In case you

haven't noticed,

this isn't

normal.

Jesus has

the power

which exceeds

any power

that we see

in our

world.

He can do

things that

nobody else

can do.

He's not a

marvel superhero.

He's the

son of God

who has

absolute

power,

even over

death.

And he

lovingly

wields his

power to

lift up the

weak and

the helpless

and point

them to his

heavenly

father.

But just

as we saw

with the

woman,

Jesus is

seeking to

teach Jairus

something here.

And Luke,

the doctor

turned gospel

writer,

has recorded

the eyewitness

account so

that we can

learn the

same lesson.

But what

does Jesus

want Jairus

and us to

know from

this story?

That he

is the only

answer to

death.

Unlike the

great men

and women

in our

world,

only Jesus

has the

answer to

our final

enemy,

the grave.

Jesus

promised to

raise the

girl from

the dead.

He says

that to

Jairus,

believe and

she'll be

healed.

And he

invited Jairus

to have

faith beforehand

that he had

the power to

do it.

Jesus

extends that

same invite

to us

too.

Do you

believe that

I have

power over

death?

Let's be

real.

We will

die too.

that's

the way

all of

our lives

go.

But this

miracle shows

us that

death is

not the

end of

the story.

This

story points

to a

future

reality

where Jesus

will resurrect

everyone who

has ever

died.

Everybody

that's ever

died is

going to be

resurrected.

resurrected.

For those

that have

faith in

him,

he has

promised he

will resurrect

to that

new life

that we

were talking

about a

minute ago

where there's

no more

suffering or

shame.

But on the

other hand,

those who

reject and

mock and

laugh at

Jesus' offer

of salvation

and forgiveness

will be

resurrected to

a courtroom

and sentenced

to eternal

punishment.

punishment.

We've got to

be real

here.

This is what

the Bible

tells us.

But how

can Jesus

promise us

this new

life?

How does

he have that

power over

death?

Because in

this story,

he was soon

to endure

death himself

when he was

crucified on

the cross

for the sins

of the world.

But then he

conquered death

and he broke

its power

when he was

raised from

the dead.

That's what

the resurrection

is all about.

And the

Bible tells us

in 1 Corinthians

15 that

Christ has

indeed been

raised from

the dead.

The first

fruits of

those who

have fallen

asleep.

Jesus'

resurrection is

described as

the first

fruit of

the harvest.

A sign.

His

resurrection is

a sign that

guarantees that

a harvest

is coming.

His

resurrection

guarantees that

those who

have faith

in Jesus,

like the

woman,

like Jairus,

will rise

like Jesus

did to

new life.

We will

all certainly

die.

We feel

the crushing

pain and the

hammer blow

of death.

Death is

brutal,

death.

But Jesus

loves us

and he has

the power

to save

us,

to lift

us up

from our

brokenness,

to give us

meaning in

our suffering,

to give us

certainty of a

life beyond

death,

when Jesus

in his

power will

raise us

from the

dead to be

with him

if we choose

to anchor

our lives

upon him.

Let me

pray.

Our

Heavenly

Father, we

thank you so

much for this

morning.

We thank you

for church.

Thank you that

we can come

and hear

more from

your words.

Thank you that

you've preserved

your message

of the gospel,

of the life of

Jesus for us,

not so that we

can just enjoy

a story,

but to see

that he is

the one

who has

come to

the world,

the world

that he

created,

to seek

and save

the lost.

Thank you

for his

incredible

power,

that he

yielded not

to serve

himself,

but to lift

up the

broken and

the weary

and the

burdened,

and those

who are

suffering with

shame and

separation

and the

stigma,

and who

have

acknowledged

that their

sin is

the greatest

problem that

they have.

Lord, would

you help

each one of

us to

see and

to understand

and to

believe that

without him

our sin

separates us

from you,

but we

thank you

that Jesus

has come

to suffer

for us

and to

take our

shame and

to heal

that rift

that we

have,

that separation

that we

have from

you.

Thank you

that it is

possible now

to know

you and

to be

called

sons and

daughters

of yours

because of

what Jesus

has done

on the

cross for

us.

Thank you

for his

power over

death and

that we

can believe

and trust

that we

too will

be raised

like he

was with

glorious new

bodies to

spend eternity

with him

face to

face if we

will trust

in him and

give him our

lives today.

So we ask

all this in

the powerful

name of

Jesus.

Amen.