Desperation, Delay, Doubt, & Divine Deliverance

What's going on, we're going to pick up in Luke chapter 8, verse number 40.

Luke 8 · chapter mention

You can follow along the screen as well.

Verse 40 says,

I love Peter's response.

And when all denied, Peter and they that were with him said,

Master, the multitude thronged thee and pressed thee, and sayest thou, who touched me?

Peter's not afraid to rebuke the Lord.

He's like, listen, you've lost your mind.

Everybody's touching you, Lord.

We're on a mission here.

Let's just keep moving.

Verse 46,

And Jesus said,

Somebody hath touched me, for I perceive that virtue has gone out of me.

And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling and falling down before him,

and she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him

and how she was healed immediately.

And he said unto her,

Daughter, be of good comfort.

Thy faith hath made thee whole.

Go in peace.

And while he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house,

saying to him,

Thy daughter is dead.

Trouble not the master.

But when Jesus heard it,

he answered him, saying,

Fear not,

believe only,

and she shall be made whole.

And when he came into the house,

he suffered no man to go in,

save Peter, James, and John,

and the father of the mother and the maiden.

And all wept and bewailed her,

and he said,

Weep not,

she is not dead,

but sleepeth.

Verse 53,

And they laughed him to scorn,

knowing that she was dead.

And he put them all out,

and took her by the hand,

and called,

saying,

Maid, arise.

And her spirit came again,

and she arose straightway,

and he commanded to give her meat.

And her parents were astonished.

But he charged them,

they should tell no man what was done.

We've kind of seen over these last few weeks here in the eighth chapter of Luke,

that Jesus is kind of,

Luke is kind of showing Jesus' identity.

Who he is.

That he's not just a carpenter,

he's not some rabbi.

No, that he is God in the flesh.

And he has authority over the nature,

we saw that.

Over these demons,

he has it over death and disease.

And he reminds us that there is nothing

that we are going to face in life

that he can't control.

That he can't fix.

That there may be desperation in life,

there may be delay,

there may be doubt,

there may be all kinds of things.

But God is able to give divine deliverance.

Now sometimes that's here on this side,

and sometimes that's on that side.

But we're going to see how we can apply these truths to our life this morning.

So let's go to hymn and prayer,

and then we'll jump right in.

Father, thank you for this time.

Thank you for the songs that have been sung.

Thank you for those that have come to worship you this morning.

I pray that you would be with us now.

Lord, I pray that you would just quiet our hearts and minds

to the busyness of life,

and maybe the things we brought with us,

and the things we're facing ahead this week.

Lord, I pray you would just speak to our hearts.

I pray you would convict us where we need to,

challenge us where we need to be.

Lord, I pray if there's somebody here

that does not know you as their Savior,

that today they would realize that that is their greatest need.

Lord, I pray you'd be with me.

You would empty me of self,

cleanse me of sin,

fill me with your spirit,

that I might be a help to these people this morning.

And we ask it in Christ's name.

Amen.

Thank you so much for standing.

You may be seated.

You know what tests your patience almost more than anything?

The DMV.

Do we have any DMV employees?

I don't want to.

I'll pray for you if you do right now.

You're like,

I ain't raising my hand in a group of this many people.

But you go there and you take a number

and you sit down and you wait

and you wait

and you wait

and you wait some more.

And we know this.

If anybody's driven down California Street

about 5.50 in the morning,

there's a line sitting right outside.

I mean,

and you look at those people

and you realize maybe if you get in that line

how woefully unprepared you are

for what you just entered into.

You see that some folks look like

they're tailgating for a football game.

I mean,

we got snacks,

comfy chairs,

they're having a cornhole tournament.

Because they know

they're going to be here all day long.

And they're there

and some of them look like

they've been there since last Tuesday.

But you go into it

and you're determined to stay hopeful.

You tell yourself all the time,

my number's got to be next.

I mean,

they're going to call me

and then the loudspeaker calls

now serving B47

and you're Z197.

Then you realize

it's not going to happen anytime soon.

And it's in that moment,

in that waiting,

that you realize

that it doesn't matter who you are,

it doesn't matter what position

or money or influence,

you just can't seem

to get to the front of that line.

You're really stuck

until your number is called.

And as we kind of walk

through the Gospels,

we see that every time Jesus shows up,

there's a huge crowd.

Jesus had just taken a trip

to the other side of the Sea of Galilee

and to the country of the Gadarenes

and we saw that he met

this maniac of Gadare

and completely changed his life.

And the people there

weren't really understanding

what was going on.

They couldn't comprehend it

so they said,

we just need you to leave.

We're not sure about you yet.

So Jesus gets back in the boat

and they come to the other side

and we see the line

is already gathered

because they're thinking

to themselves,

well if he went that way,

he's got to come back here.

And they've been gathering

on the shore

and waiting for him to be there

and the crowd is there

but there is a man in the crowd

that needs his number called.

He's there waiting

and thinking,

when is Jesus coming back?

I really need him to show up

and we're introduced to him

in verse number 41.

That out of the mass of this people

steps a man who's wealthy,

who's powerful,

who's most likely well respected

in his community.

But at this moment

when we meet him

in verse number 41,

none of that matters.

Doesn't matter what his position was.

Doesn't matter what his bank account said.

Why?

Because his world

has just collapsed.

And the Bible tells us his name

that his name was Jairus.

So who was Jairus?

Well we can see very quickly

as we read this morning

that he was a desperate father.

But his job,

verse 41,

tells us that he was a ruler

of the synagogue.

So that's why we know

that he's respected.

These men in these communities

would have been well off,

they would have been well known,

and they would have been

very influential.

Basically what his job was

is he was kind of the one

that managed the church,

so to speak.

But he ran it

and he scheduled the teachers

and he cared for the scrolls

and he oversaw the services

and really just kind of

kept the synagogue up and running.

And the synagogue

wasn't just a church to them,

that was the center of their life.

That was the community

would gather around that

and they would come together

and they would pray

one for another

and just everything

about the synagogue

was so vital

to their everyday life.

So they would be appreciative

of a man like Jairus.

So simply put,

here's what we see about Jairus.

People looked up to him.

But yet when we're introduced

to him here in our text,

we see Jairus on his knees

at the feet of Jesus.

Jesus.

Why?

Because his only child,

a girl about 12 years of age,

lay dying.

And we know if you're a parent,

there's nothing you would not do

for your child in this situation.

We could assume,

we don't know,

but maybe she had been sick

for a while

and he had called the best doctors.

He had called from Jerusalem.

He may have had connections

and he tried everything

that he could

and yet she didn't get any better.

And sometimes we kind of

read over this

when we see that he fell down

at Jesus' feet

and besought him.

He's kind of begging,

he's pleading

that he would come to his house.

And we kind of maybe

just read over that.

But for Jairus,

a man of his stature,

a man of his occupation,

for him to throw himself down

in front of Jesus

would have been shocking

to the crowd.

Maybe there were some

that were closer

and they saw Jairus come

and said,

excuse me,

excuse me,

like,

what is Jairus doing here?

Why is he here?

And we know this

as we study the Gospels

that most of the religious leaders

and those kind of in charge

of situations like this

wanted nothing to do with Jesus.

Now, he wouldn't have been

a Pharisee per se,

but he would have had to kind of

rub shoulders with men like that.

And we know that group,

that religious crowd,

the elite of the day,

so to speak,

they were very critical of Jesus.

They slandered him

and they were constantly

trying to trap him.

We don't know if Jairus

was like that,

but he would have been

kind of lumped into that crowd.

But as we come here now,

Jairus doesn't care

what anybody thinks.

Because when your little girl

is slipping away,

pride doesn't matter.

Positions don't matter.

Opinions don't matter.

All that mattered to Jairus

was getting to Jesus.

He had heard the stories.

He had maybe seen

some of the miracles

and maybe still trying to process

who is this man?

Who's this guy from Nazareth?

I mean, we all know

nothing good comes from Nazareth.

And Jairus was struggling

and wrapping his mind

around that possibly.

But we see here

that desperation

can really be the starting point

of faith.

that sometimes God allows

very difficult things

in our life

because it reminds us

that we can't do it.

That we don't have

the answers.

And see, Jairus' life

proves that out in this text.

So I want us just to kind of

trace his journey.

And I think there's some

great things that we can take

from this account

and really apply it

to our own lives.

Number one,

I think we see this

in our text,

that desperation

can activate our faith.

The desperation

can activate

our faith.

See, as we mentioned already,

Jairus had the status.

He had the wealth.

But none of that

kept him alive.

And the reason we find him

where he is

is because

that was his only option.

And sometimes

that's maybe what God

has to do to us.

And let's just be real.

Maybe that's why

you're here this morning.

Maybe you're thinking,

and it may not just be

something that everybody knows,

but there's something

in your life

and you're thinking,

Lord, what do I have to do?

Lord, I don't understand.

I need help.

Lord, what direction do I go?

And here's the truth.

We don't like desperate situations.

I don't.

When there's a difficulty

in my life,

when there's a desperation moment,

here's what I want

the Lord to do.

Get rid of it

as fast as possible.

Yeah, okay,

just making sure

we're on the same page.

Nobody says,

you know what,

this is awesome.

Let's just hang out here

for a while.

Nobody says that.

But I think the question

we have to ask ourselves,

kind of bring it

where we live,

is that when trouble

hits our life,

because it will,

I said because it will,

okay,

just making,

I was like,

man,

I want to come live

your life.

I mean,

Jesus told us that.

That we're going

to have difficulties.

We're going to have

struggles.

But when that trouble

comes,

when that desperation

happens,

what gets activated?

Is it fear?

Because sometimes

maybe that's our

natural reaction.

We get a report,

we get,

the company has a layoff

and our immediate reaction

is what am I going to do?

How am I going to move forward?

How am I going to pay the bills?

How's this health situation

going to be?

Maybe it's worry,

maybe it's anger.

Lord,

I've just been serving you,

I've been trying

and I'm coming to church

and I'm doing these things

and you let this happen?

Why?

Lord,

that's not fair.

Look at all these other people.

They're not doing anything

they're supposed to,

but I am.

We get angry at God.

We can get mad.

We can get frustrated.

Sometimes self-pity

gets activated.

And we have to,

we can't live there.

Or maybe it is faith

that gets activated.

Because that's what we see here.

See,

Jairus' desperation,

it activated his faith.

Maybe he was

kind of,

kind of teeter-tottering

of,

I'm not really sure

about this Jesus,

but he came to a realization,

this seems to be the only man

that can do anything about it.

And he ran to Jesus

and he came

and the Bible says

that he fell on his knees

and he begged him,

he said,

Jesus,

you have to come to my house.

You have to come

because my daughter is dying.

I know my number,

I may be way back in line,

but I need you right now.

And that's kind of

where we find him.

Listen,

when we're desperate,

sometimes we think,

well,

I don't want to bother the Lord.

No,

run to him.

Cast all your cares on him.

Why?

Because he cares for you.

Because I know

from my own life

when I have difficulties

and I have problems

and I'm desperate

and I try to fix it myself,

then I have to go to him

and say,

I need you to fix this problem

and I still need help here.

We're not designed

to bear the burden,

to carry the load.

Listen,

you might be trying

to handle it,

but let me just remind you

that Jesus can handle

a broken marriage,

a rebellious teenager,

your anxiety,

your depression,

your disappointment.

Jesus can handle

what you cannot.

And maybe you came here

this morning

and you're just tired

and you're beat down

and you're frustrated.

You know why?

Because you're carrying

things that you cannot.

And you're fearful

and you're worrying

and your anger

is kind of boiling up.

And here's what Jesus

is saying,

bring it to me.

Bring it to my feet.

And we can say those things,

but here's where

it really boils down.

Do you believe that?

Because Jairus did.

He got to the place

where he said,

I believe that Jesus,

I'm not sure

what he's going to do,

but I believe

that he can do something.

And I love this.

I love verse number 42

at the end.

But as he went,

the people thronged him.

In Mark's gospel,

it says that Jesus

was walking alongside

and I just want us

to stop and not read

over that real fast.

What a beautiful picture

that is.

That the Lord

of heaven and earth

is walking side by side

with a desperate father.

Because it reminds us

of this truth

that when we go to God

and we have these things,

he doesn't say,

take a number,

get in line.

No,

he walks with us.

He walks with us

through that valley.

He walks with us

through that trial,

through that health situation.

And just when Jairus thought,

hey,

help's on the way.

He's thinking,

wow,

that went a lot faster

than I thought it was.

I can't believe

I got to the front

of the line that much.

life through

in an interruption.

Don't you love

when life does that?

Don't you love

when they go,

man,

this is all going

according to plan.

And then I always

look over my shoulder

because guess what?

Life usually happens.

We say,

it is what it is.

But here's something

we can learn.

This interruption

teaches us another lesson

about faith.

that while our desperation

can activate our faith,

delay can grow our faith.

I'm just as much like you

in this sense.

I do not like waiting.

Like I will drive

45 minutes

out of the way

as long as my wheels

are moving

as opposed to

setting in traffic

for the five minute delay.

Can I get an amen

right there?

Yeah.

And then usually

it doesn't work out well

and I come back

and it sends me

back in the line.

And I'm like,

Lord, what are you doing?

He's like,

just stay on the road, man.

But sometimes

we just don't like delay.

I mean,

maybe you or some

of the people

that are behind me

at the light

when it turns green,

point one second

after it turns green,

you're like,

I'm like,

what is going on, man?

I mean,

we just don't like waiting.

And you go to a drive-thru

at a restaurant

and you're thinking,

what's taking so long?

Maybe they're cooking it.

I mean,

that could be an option.

I just,

you know,

I would prefer them

to take a little longer

if it's not cooked

just so my food is ready.

But the simple truth is

we don't like delay.

Whether it's in traffic,

at a stoplight,

at a restaurant,

and we sure don't like it

when it comes to our life.

It sure doesn't,

we sure don't like it

when we're in a trial of faith,

so to speak.

And we're thinking,

Lord,

if you love me,

I think you'd answer

this problem right now.

Lord,

I know that lady

looks like she's got

some problems,

but we got some business to do.

My daughter's really struggling.

Because as he's making

his way to Jairus' house,

a woman saw an opportunity

to get close to Jesus.

See,

just like Jairus had heard

about Jesus

and the miracles,

and he thought,

you know what,

this is the one I need to get to,

so did this lady.

And the Bible tells us

that in verse number 43

that a woman

had an issue of blood

12 years.

Think about that.

For as long as Jairus' daughter

had been alive,

this woman had been suffering.

She had been struggling.

She had spent

everything she had.

Mark's gospel said

she spent all her living

and was none the better.

In fact,

she grew worse.

So she realizes

that my life is,

it's coming to a place

where it's probably

not going to go well.

And can you imagine

having 12 years

of weakness and pain

and frustration

and disappointment?

Maybe some of you

have walked through

something like that.

But hers wasn't

just physical.

See,

according to Jewish law

and her condition

made her ceremonially unclean

and that's kind of

where you read

in the book of Leviticus

and you're thinking,

what's all this going on?

But it laid out laws

for situations like this

and really what it meant

is she couldn't go

to the synagogue.

This place that Jairus

was in charge of,

this center of community

where she could come

and I love coming in

on a Sunday morning

and feeling the community

and the excitement

and just kind of

the buzz of people talking.

Listen,

she couldn't be around that.

She couldn't really

have friends.

She couldn't participate

in the feast

and the festivals

which would be just

life-giving to these people.

She couldn't embrace

her family.

She couldn't hug them

without making them

unclean.

See,

for 12 long years

she had lived

in isolation

and rejection

and shame.

For 12 years

she was told,

stay away.

She was treated

as an outcast.

12 years

of hopelessness.

She would have been

kind of on the level

and par with a leper.

Nobody wanted

to be around her.

Nobody really could.

But she heard

about a man named Jesus

and she thought

this might be

my only opportunity.

And her faith

began to stir

and if she thought

if I could just

get to him,

if I could just

even touch

the hem

of his garment,

I know something

would happen.

Talk about faith.

She didn't say

if I could just

get there

and he could talk

to me

and we could

kind of work

through some things

and maybe he could

give me some money

to go to the doctor.

No, her faith

wasn't in his clothes.

It was in Jesus.

She said,

if I can just

get close enough

to Jesus,

I know something

will happen.

And so that's

what she does.

She gets into the crowd

and she gets into

the press

and she kind of

makes her way

through.

I would imagine

just in my own mind

she's kind of

ducking down

so nobody sees her

because they probably

knew who she was.

They said,

hey, you can't be here.

And she reaches out

and she touches

the hem of his garment.

And the Bible says

that immediately

her issue

was resolved.

And that's what

we kind of read

there in verse

number 45.

Jesus stops

the crowd

and says,

hey,

who touched me?

And like Peter

is just,

Peter is a large child.

And I'll talk to Peter

when we get to heaven

because maybe I am too.

But you know,

it's kind of like

when you have a delay,

here's Peter.

Master,

I don't know

if you notice,

there's a lot

of people here.

And I'm pretty sure

everybody in this village

has touched you.

and you want to know

who touched you.

Here's who touched you.

Everybody,

let's keep moving.

I mean,

that's kind of

what's going on.

The disciples were baffled.

They couldn't understand it.

In other words,

they're just saying,

Jesus,

what are we doing here?

But here's what,

Jesus knew it was different.

He knew it was.

He said,

no, no, no,

virtue's gone out of me.

He realized

that somebody came to him

and he knew who it was.

In verse number 47,

the Bible tells us

that she came

before Jesus.

She realized,

well,

I can't keep this

a secret anymore

because I just think

Jesus had that

kind of mindset.

I'm not moving

until I find this out.

And she came

and she fell down

before him

and declared unto him

before all the people

for what cause

she had touched him

and how she was healed

immediately.

And I love

verse number 48.

Sometimes we kind of

just read over that

and we think,

wow,

that's a cool thing.

But Jesus doesn't rebuke her.

He didn't say,

look,

I'm busy.

Have you met Jairus?

He's a wealthy,

powerful man.

He's got a 12-year-old daughter

that's dying.

And you're trying

to stop me?

You're trying to delay this?

No,

he didn't rebuke her.

In fact,

he speaks words to her

that maybe he hadn't heard

in a long,

long time.

In fact,

it's the only time

Jesus uses this word

in the Gospels.

He says,

daughter.

Somebody that had lived

in isolation.

Somebody that kind of

had just been left

to the side

and saying,

well,

she's a hopeless cause.

No,

after 12 years of rejection,

she belonged again.

He said,

daughter,

be of good comfort.

She had a reason

to rejoice.

Why?

Here's why.

Thy faith

hath made thee whole.

It wasn't that she

touched the garment.

It's that she believed.

She had faith

that just reaching out.

We kind of remember

the story of the mustard seed.

Listen,

she had mustard seed faith.

If I can just reach out,

if I can just touch him,

everything's going to change.

And he told her this,

go in peace.

That she had that wholeness again.

That she could go

and she could live her life.

And that's kind of

where it meets us again.

The same way with Jairus

that maybe you're here

and you've been carrying

a burden for years.

Here's the great news.

Jesus can lift that.

It's not your burden to bear.

Maybe you've been isolated

by shame.

Here's the great news.

Jesus can restore you.

Maybe you've spent everything

looking for answers in the world.

You've tried this

and you've tried this diet

and you've tried to be

a better person

and turn over a new leaf.

Listen,

here's the truth.

Miss Tiffany sang

a great song about it.

Jesus has it.

When we come to Jesus,

we find it all.

Everything you're looking for

is in Christ.

Peace and joy

and love and hope.

All of those things

are found in him.

Maybe you feel unclean,

unworthy,

unwanted

and here's what God calls us.

Daughter.

Son.

That's what he's doing.

That's his mission.

His mission wasn't come

to heal a bunch of people

and feed their bellies.

He came to seek

and to save

that which was lost.

He came to give us

a seat at his table

and adopt us

into his family

and that's what he reminds us

and here's the connection.

While Jairus' faith

was being tested by delay,

this woman was

being rewarded

with deliverance.

See, Jesus wasn't distracted.

He was deliberate.

He's always on mission.

He healed her publicly.

I believe so Jairus

and we too

would see

that he's never too busy,

he's never too late

and he's never too weak

to meet you where you are.

Because sometimes

we can get this idea,

well,

I think God can do it for them.

But I'm not sure

God wants to do that for me.

No, he does.

He wants to do that for you.

That's why he came.

But sometimes

the reality is

that delays

give way to something

even harder to face,

disappointment.

Because sometimes

it just feels like

we're just waiting

and waiting

and it feels,

well, it already passed.

Maybe you're praying

for something.

Maybe it seems

too far gone

and you're thinking,

well, what can I do?

We notice this here

in our text,

number three,

that disappointment

can replace our faith.

I just picture Jairus

just standing there,

you know,

trying to, you know,

keep it all together

and he's

a little agitated.

He's saying,

okay,

can we heal faster?

Can we do something?

Verse 49,

when he yet spake,

there cometh one

from the ruler

of the synagogue's house

saying to him,

my daughter is dead.

Trouble not the master.

Talk about devastating.

I mean,

Jairus came with faith

and he bowed down

and he got on his knees

and he begged Jesus to come

and Jesus said,

let's go.

And I can imagine

maybe just the hope

that was there,

still struggling,

knowing his daughter

is on her death,

but knowing,

hey,

something's going to happen.

And Jesus is on the way.

But now we see

that Jairus' greatest fear

had become reality.

But I love Jesus' response

in verse 50

because it reminds us

that Jesus already knows

what's going on.

That Jesus knows our heart.

He knows what we're thinking.

And as the devastating news came,

he just looks at Jairus

and says,

fear not.

Only belief.

He met Jairus

where he was

and he understood this,

Jairus' faith

is about to be replaced

with fear.

And Jesus reminded him

of this,

I can handle this.

You came to the right source.

Because sometimes

when delay comes

and disappointment comes,

we leave the source

where it's supposed

to be at Christ

and we try to handle it ourselves.

And he's just reminding Jairus,

no, you're right

where you are.

You're right

where you need to be.

And that's what Jesus

tells us

in our disappointment,

in our worries,

in our desperation.

He tells us this,

keep believing.

Keep believing

when the sickness comes,

when your prayers

seem to go unanswered.

I'd imagine

in a crowd this size

somebody's been praying

for something

for a long,

long time.

Maybe it's a loved one

that doesn't know the Lord.

Or maybe it's a son

or a daughter

that's kind of fallen away.

Maybe it is a health situation.

You know what,

you know what Jesus reminds us?

Keep praying,

keep believing

when you're tempted

to give up,

when it feels like

the bottom's fallen out.

Just keep believing.

Because Jesus

knows what he's doing.

His time schedule

is a little different

than ours.

It's a little different

how he operates.

Because the reality is,

and we don't have to

gloss over and act

like it's not true,

but life is full

of disappointments.

Anybody disappointed

this week?

How many cowboy fans

in here?

Keep believing.

Okay,

I'm not sure

that applies,

but we just face

disappointments.

Some are silly,

but on a serious note,

I bet somebody

was disappointed

this week.

Thinking,

why?

I've been praying

for this

and this is what happened?

We have to be careful.

That disappointment

doesn't replace

our faith.

Because here's what

Jesus is saying

to you this morning.

Fear not,

just believe.

I'm still working

in your life.

I know you look

at all the situations

and you think,

Lord,

have you taken a break?

Have you checked out?

No,

he hasn't.

And see,

even when we push

through our disappointment,

there's still another obstacle

that many times comes

in situations like this.

Here's what it is.

Doubt.

Doubt.

You know what doubt

can do?

It can restrict

our faith.

Verse number 52.

So he makes it there.

Verse 51,

he brings Peter,

James,

and John,

the inner circle,

the mother and the father.

He gets there

and all wept

and bewailed her.

But he said,

weep not.

She's not dead,

but sleepeth.

So these people

most likely

were professional mourners.

See,

in this culture,

what they would do

is,

especially wealthier people,

they would hire people

to come to the house

and weep

and wail

and kind of make

a big ado

about all this.

And these were,

these were professionals.

They had seen

death once or twice.

They knew,

hey,

I'm sorry,

but she's,

she's,

she's not here anymore.

Well,

Jesus shows up.

He said,

hey,

why is everybody crying?

She's not dead.

She's just sleeping.

And the Bible says

that they laughed him

to scorn.

These mourners quickly,

I mean,

they can turn it off

and off,

professionals.

And they just start laughing.

Like,

what,

what is this guy doing?

The Bible says,

I love,

I love verse number 54.

And he put them all out.

He said,

get out of here.

You know,

you know what he's saying?

Doubt wasn't going to dictate

what happened next.

He had already looked Jairus

in the eyes and said,

fear not,

only believe.

And I think we can tell

from the text,

Jairus was still holding

on to that.

He was struggling,

but he was surrounded

by people that said,

hey,

this is never going to happen.

I've seen this once before.

I mean,

this is my job after all.

She's dead.

Jesus put them all out.

And in verse 54

and verse 55,

he went into the room.

He took the,

the young girl by the hand

and he said,

maid,

arise.

He didn't do all these

crazy things.

He just spoke.

Luke.

Many of the miracles,

we say this all the time,

Jesus speaks.

Why?

Because he's just reminding us

who he is.

Just like Luke is reminding us

that he's God,

he's going all the way back

to the beginning

where he said,

let there be.

That everything we know,

he spoke it into existence.

And he's reminding us

that that is who he is.

That even the scariest thing

that we face as human beings,

death,

he just speaks to it

and it obeys.

It doesn't matter what it is.

Jesus can handle it.

And I love how Luke

kind of put that,

verse 56,

and the parents were astonished.

No kidding.

See,

here's the journey

of Jairus' faith.

And maybe it

kind of relates to you.

Maybe it's in a situation

you're walking through.

Maybe you are desperate.

Don't let desperation

turn you the wrong direction.

Let it activate your faith.

If you've got

a desperate situation,

you know what you need

to do this morning?

Run to Jesus.

It doesn't matter

who you think you are

and what position you hold.

No, no.

You need Jesus.

He's the only one

that can do anything.

Without him,

the Bible tells us,

we can do nothing.

Maybe you're here this morning

and you're walking

through a delay.

And you're thinking,

Lord, what are you doing?

I came to you.

I came to this altar.

I bowed by my bedside.

I'm reading my Bible.

I'm doing all these things.

And this,

I'm just stuck?

The problem's just

going to keep going on.

Or maybe we feel like

the problem's too far gone.

Listen,

delay.

Instead of being frustrated by it,

let it grow your faith.

Because Jesus comes alongside

and says,

listen,

don't worry.

Just believe.

Maybe some of you are here

and disappointment

is threatening your faith.

Well, if this is what God does,

I don't want any part of that.

It's very easy sometimes

to get in a situation

and say,

well, this is how it's going to be.

I'll just walk away.

Because if God loved me,

He wouldn't let this happen.

But you realize

that everything in our life

God is using

for our good

and for His glory.

The Bible tells us

that all things work together

for good

to them that love God.

Number one,

you have to know

the Lord is your Savior.

To them that love God

and are called

according to His purpose.

But then the very next verse,

Paul reminds us

in Romans 8, 29,

that all these things,

here's the goal,

that we would be conformed

to the image

of His dear Son.

Sometimes devastation comes

not because God is mean,

it's because He loves you so much

that He wants to make you

more like Jesus.

Because Jesus went through

some pretty devastating things.

Some pretty great disappointments.

Some doubt that tried to creep in.

That He was tempted

at all points like we were

yet without sin.

betrayed by ones He loved,

forsaken.

But we do notice this

about Jairus.

And it reminds us

that we can do it too.

That through all the things

He faced,

He kept believing.

And guess what He saw?

Jesus come through.

See, when you keep believing,

God keeps working.

He wants to be working

in your life.

And He does,

but sometimes we want

to walk away from the work.

We get right up to it

and the delay happens.

We try it for a little bit

and we say,

well, this is not really working

how I thought.

I'm gone.

We get past that,

the disappointments,

and it's not that we

turn our back on God.

You can still come to church

every single time

the doors are open

and be just disappointed

with God.

God, why'd you let this

happen in my life?

Remember the DMV?

You sat there forever

holding ticket Z198,

wondering if your turn

will ever come.

You're feeling like

nothing's happening,

like you've been forgotten.

Maybe that's how Jairus felt.

Maybe that's how the woman

with the issue of blood felt.

Maybe it seemed that

God was never going to call

their number.

But I want to remind you of this,

that Jesus never misses

the number.

Even when it feels like

he's late,

you may have heard of a man

named Lazarus.

He's kind of late.

Four days late

is what they thought.

I love the old song,

no, he was right on time.

Because sometimes

God allows us to go

through things

not just for us.

Because guess what?

There was a whole crowd

that saw this woman heal.

Peter, James, and John,

they're still kind of

trying to figure out

all these things

and Jesus brought them in.

These were going to be

the leaders,

especially Peter,

moving forward.

And they just,

he wanted to show them,

listen, I can do this.

I'm capable of that.

That Jesus is never too late.

He's never too busy.

He's never too weak.

See, when everyone

else thought the line

was closed

for this little girl,

Jesus walked in

and it changed everything.

See, maybe you've stopped

believing because God

is delaying.

Maybe disappointment

has replaced your faith

with fear.

Maybe doubt has crept in

and it's really taking over.

Here's the good news.

You don't need

a perfect faith.

You need faith

in a perfect Savior.

And His name is Jesus.

See, that's what Luke's

showing us here

in chapter number 8.

So I'm challenging you today

the same challenge

that Jesus gives.

Fear not,

believe only.

I don't have to know

your situation,

but He does.

And these are the words

that He speaks.

And He just wants

to remind us

when we keep believing,

when we keep trusting,

when we keep placing

our faith in Him,

He will keep working.

That's what He does.

That's who He is.

This is our God.

Praise the Lord for that.