Do Not Fear, Only Believe | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

Christ is alive, he's alive. And well, Jesus has heard our

voices, he sits at the right hand of the father and he is

patient as he desires all to reach repentance.

But there is a day coming when that number will be complete and

he will return and take us home. And we be with him forever and

ever and ever. And until then we want to please

him. Do we not, we want to.

Seek him, we want to know him and I pray as much as we've sang

about our freedoms and Jesus, we would also fear Him for he is

alive and he is Holy and he can intervene.

In this very moment, he can bring life and he can also cease

life, he can bring restoration and he can and his perfect

Justice. Bring destruction.

And so the Christ that we just sang to is the Christ that we

are going to hear from. And I pray with you, I'm sure

you are with me on this that his voice.

And his voice alone would be heard and we're going to hear it

in Mark chapter 5 together. The Bible is God's word.

Mark 5 · chapter mention

And the word of God is the voice of God.

So meet me in Mark chapter 5. And scroll down in that chapter.

Mark 5 · chapter mention

Down to verse 35. If you were here last week, you

know, where we ended, we ended at a very awkward place because

we didn't complete the story as because the story's written a

little differently. It's two stories really

conjoined. Together, there's an

intersection. There is a meeting of two people

who had the same desire and desperate plea for Christ to do

something in them. And at this time, we will

continue where we left off and where we left off is with a

crowd that is fixated on an interaction between the Jesus

that we love in. No, and a broken woman who has

been made whole by not him touching her but by her touching

him And in this atmosphere of faith and compassion and love a

group of Messengers. Come to gyrus, the the man who

originally invited Jesus to his home because he also has a need.

He has a little baby little girl.

The age of 12 who is terminally ill and she is ready to give her

final breath at any second. And this group of people come to

update gyrus with what had taken place with his child and in that

very precious moment where so many hearts came alive.

Gyrus would have the wind of Hope knocked right out of him as

he would hear. The words that no father would

want to receive concerning their ailing child.

Your daughter is dead. Your daughter is dead and you

can imagine how the heart of this desperate father sank to

his stomach. He can also Imagine The

intrusive thoughts, the crashing ideas that would have visited

him in that very moment. A flood of confusion may be

frustration and fear that would have buried him further into

despair, unless the Lord had interjected immediately and

provided a word of a show. Assurance, a revelation that

would have rescued him and it did.

Do not fear only believe. Do not fear only believe and

there is no doubt that gyrus here would have experienced this

temptation as a prevailing one. The prevailing thought could

have been that he would have connected the death of his

daughter with the delay that Jesus had prolonged.

Let's read this together. They understand what I am

saying. In verse 35, while he being

Jesus was still speaking. There came from the rulers

house. House some who said your

daughter is dead? Why trouble?

The teacher any further? But overhearing what they said.

Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, do not fear, only

believe. And he Allowed no one to follow

him, except Peter and James, and John, the brother of James.

You read that in verse 35, while he being Jesus was still

speaking. Speaking to the woman that he

just restored. This woman who was stunned by

the fact that this man who was a obvious men of God, a prophet

more than a prophet Messiah turning to her and saying

daughter daughter and reassuring her.

Not just of her restoration physically, but of a

relationship, a relationship with the true and living God.

He's speaking to her And while he's speaking to her, these

Messengers came and tell this father your daughter is gone.

Why bother him? And he further Why move forward.

This is it this is the Finish Line let's just let's just go

home. There's a funeral waiting for

you. Could it be that gyrus thought?

Oh, Jesus. If you had just kept walking

instead of talking What would you think if you were gyrus in

this moment? What would be the thoughts?

What would be the calculations you would have made?

Maybe my daughter wouldn't have died if Lord, you weren't I'm

sorry to say distracted. May be distracted.

And here we have already an instruction from the school of

faith. That is absolutely important for

you and I to know about ourselves.

Our fear comes from many things, but let me tell you what the

strongest, or one of the strongest motivations for our

fear. It is from a perception, a false

perception that Christ supervision over our fares is

subject to negligence or oversight.

One of the things that create fear is our, our failed

perception, that Jesus is subject in his lordship of my

life, to being negligent forgetful.

Overwhelmed. Maybe sometimes.

Emotionally unstable. And I didn't do my best this

week, so he changed his ideas about how he's going to bless me

and guide me and provide for me. You know, if I were to ask every

single person in this place, do you believe Jesus is The

Shepherd of your soul? Do you believe he really guides

you? Do you believe you can provide

everything that you need? It would be very hard for me to

believe that one of you would even say I don't think so unless

you're a non-believer. I don't think that's the object

of our doubt. I think we all can say yes it's

right. Jesus Does lead us he promises

to not forsake us. But it's our doubt that comes

from his ability to do so consistently or adequately.

And if we're not careful that kind of fear when it is

nurtured, and tolerated can convince us that we can evaluate

the Lord's faithfulness based on whether or not he comes through

according to our timetable, or are preferred type of provision.

And then we sit on the Judgment seat. looking down at our Lord

and saying, You claim to be faithful.

But look I can point to different things where to me, it

wasn't really the best that you can do.

I know that's not easy to hear, but listen, are ugly hearts.

Can testify of what I'm saying. We've had those thoughts.

We've had those ideas come through.

And gyrus did the right thing of coming to the Lord.

He did the absolute perfect thing to come to the Lord.

And to just unravel his heart and say, here I am.

This is something that I can do. I give it over to you.

And because of the nature of the problem, the nature of the

issue, that's all gyrus could have done.

And that's a freeing thought that.

When you and I come to the Lord with a burden in that very

moment, we also have to rest and knowing that's all I could do.

This is all I can do. This is what gyrus need to do

this very moment that the same Jesus you called upon as the

same G's as you are supposed to continue to trust in moment,

after moment, day after day, regardless of how things play

out and here is why the rest comes from the Revelation that

you have surrendered, it to an all Sovereign God who actually

cares about you? That's where the rest comes.

You've placed it before him and because of that, there should be

a Serene Stillness. That is unshakable.

In fact it's amazing how the Bible describes what should come

about for those who claim to have faith in this God and I

want to show you one of the most precious promises attached to

simple Faith like simple trust in the Lord.

It's an Isaiah 28. And I would like you to go there

with me in verse 16. Despite delays despite the

circumstance of concern, that seems to grow worse and worse

before your eyes. here's what God says about those who really

believe who truly believe Isaiah 28, verse 16.

Isaiah 28:16

Therefore, thus says the Lord God.

Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation and Zionist

own. A tested Stone, a precious,

Cornerstone of a sure Foundation here it is.

You ready whoever believes will not be in haste whoever believes

will not be in haste. What does that mean?

It means that a person who really believes is not overcome

by uncertainty. They're not fidgety.

They're not fickle. They're not frail.

They are someone who understands the foundation that they've laid

their life on, Is something that you can rest on continually

regardless of the trembling beneath your feet.

A person who is not in haste as somebody who doesn't scatter,

and abandon his post to try to find a different recipe of

success. You're not the soil that is

received this thing with joy immediately, but the moment

Trouble Comes, you uproot yourself and move somewhere else

to give your roots to know a person who really believes is

not in haste. His faith.

Empowers him by the grace of God to be composed and calm,

regardless regardless of anything that would demand

otherwise. He will not be in haste. and

then Paul, the Apostle borrows from this very scripture in

Romans 9, To make a case about faith.

But even though he is making the same point as the prophet

intended, the Holy Spirit puts a different shade on it.

Not that Paul changes this verse but he borrows the Greek version

of the Hebrew text called the Septuagint.

And it is still scripture obviously, but there's a

different shade to this promise that only adds to the blessing

of what it means to be a person who believes.

And so you have to see it for your own eyes and with your own

eyes and Romans 9. And in Romans 9 33, look how

Paul gives the same verse and notice the difference in the

promise though, it is the same heart.

Romans 9:33. Isaiah said, whoever believes

Romans 9:33

will not be in haste. Paul says, as he quotes the same

text as it is written, behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of

stumbling and a rock of offense and whoever believes in him will

not be put to shame. Will not be put to shame the

same text a different shade. And what he means here is that

the emphasis for the believer, the promise toward him, who

believes, is that? Because of his faith, he will

never be disappointed. Never, he won't be embarrassed.

He won't be regretful. He will in hindsight realized.

Oh, this Foundation is the only foundation.

And this Messiah is a faithful, God.

And so put those things together, the believer will not

be in haste. He's not panicky.

He doesn't drift. He's solid.

Because the foundation is solid and more than that beyond that

he will never be put to shame as you continue to trust the Lord

and petition. The Lord, and wait on the Lord.

His promise to you is I'll never make you blush.

I'll never make you think that I really, really, really do the

right thing and giving myself to this truth You will know the

light. So you'll be stable through and

you will be joyful when you come through, whoever beliefs The

news of his daughter's death is not the only thing that these

Messengers brought forth to him. What did they say afterwards?

Your daughter is dead. Then they went on to say why

trouble the teacher any further. In other words, these Postman

came to gyrus and they said there's no more that Christ can

really do at this point. Your daughter's been sealed with

the fate of the grave. So just dismiss him and move on

and let's just go and mourn your loved one.

And yet again, we have another instruction, here concerning the

school of Faith because we're all in the school of Faith.

We're just at different levels. And God has one goal for all of

his children that they would graduate.

So, here's another truth gyrus here, unfortunately, was the

recipient of Agents of fear. Instead of faith.

These men came to him not to build his faith in the person of

Jesus, but the cast more doubt. If it caused him to ultimately

deny the power of Jesus. And if we are not continually

aware of that, if you're not prepared for that, you can be

caught off guard. And you can be swept up by the

skepticism and by the Limited understanding of others who

might mean well, but don't know the God of this Bible the way

they should. Not everybody is an agent that

will benefit you and bless you. Unfortunately, there are some

who will come to stifle and to dampen and to bring you low and

here's the thing. Yeah they're unbelievers there

on my social media to do that. No, no.

I'm talking about people who have some kind of grasp of who

Jesus is and what he can do. These people understood that he

was a teacher and they understood that he could do some

things. But their problem was their

scope of Faith was very limited Christ, demanded so much.

Why bother the teacher any further, meaning he could have

done something up to this point, but beyond this point, he's not

very helpful. You have people who are like

that in the realm of Christendom.

They have an idea of what Jesus can do but they really don't

have a full understanding of what he can do.

And those kind of people affect those who are really believing

God for something and trusting and waiting on the Lord more

than anybody else. What should have the counsel of

these men be, I don't want to add to scripture, but we have

enough scripture to know exactly what true friends, true

Messengers should have done. I suggest that they shouldn't

have downplayed the death of the daughter.

But also, instead of saying, why bother the teacher any further,

you know, what, I would have said to drivers Why not seek the

teacher further? Why not teach yourself by coming

to Jesus and trusting that there is nothing too great for him.

And that in that moment, whatever counsel he gives rest

in that truth, that would have been much better message.

Hey, this thing escalated gyrus turn to the Lord now and beseech

him and implore him and see what he says.

Let him make the final call, let him draw the line.

But that is not the case, not everyone around us will spur us

on to Christ and to trust them more.

So be aware be very aware fear is just as contagious as

faithless. Fears just as contagious as

faithless and this is an instruction throughout the

Bible. Even when Israel would go to war

before they would head out, they would have a pep talk and the

leader would look out and see if any of you are afraid.

Go home. If any of you are afraid go home

less, you make your other Brethren's, Hearts melt and

fear. So the Bible is very aware and

clear and telling us that people who are fearful can rub off on

even those who have a little bit of faith.

There's so many examples of that, but I want to move on.

We see here. That Christ was speaking to this

woman at this time. And guess what?

Jesus heard it verse 36. But overhearing what they said,

Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, do not fear only

believe based on how Jesus is dressed in.

Do you know how we know what happened to gyrus?

Clearly, he was smitten. By some kind of anxiety or

Terror and we can understand that.

And so Jesus addresses that he focuses on Isis.

Listen, I know what you're feeling right now.

Do not fear, do not fear, and then he provides the antidote to

overcome it and it's summarized in two simple words, right?

We all know it only believe. Only believe fear might have

many faces, I'm telling you, the object of people's fears are

vast and wide though. The fear itself is universal, we

all know what fear feels like. One's fear might be another's.

Forte might be their strength and might be you actually

bothered by this. Nevertheless, the remedy is the

same for all types of fear, whether that fear is financial

challenges, potential failure, the fangs of enemies who are

merciless or the unknown future. The solution is the same only

believe, only believe And in Luke's version of the same text,

the Holy Spirit tells us that Jesus added something to that.

So he said in Luke 850, you don't have to turn there unless

you want to Do not fear only believe and she will be well.

And she will be well, okay. I'm going to just be very

pastoral now We're gonna do some discipleship.

Just very practical impartation here.

One of the most effective ways to Prevail against the energy

draining night. Stalking feeling known as fear.

This is the best way to do it, is to Face it with the most

tailored promise that you can find in God's word regarding

that very same thing. That is trying to nudge you

Here's the point that I'm trying to make the more specific, the

truth is the sharper, the blow will be against that, very lie,

that wants to ravage your faith. Believer.

I want to stretch you hear God wants you to grow.

Don't settle in spiritual warfare for generalities about

who God is. Don't try to go out there and to

live this life for the glory of Jesus Christ and depend upon

vague ideas of who God is and what he can do.

It won't take you too far. The best thing that you can do

the most brilliant thing that you can do to whether trials or

to endure, those Seasons where you are really struggling to

maintain peace and trust and glory to Jesus Christ is to take

what came from God's mouth. And then to play it over and

over again in your mind and especially in your prayers.

What did God say? What did he say?

What did he really say? No, it become familiar with it.

Hide it. Rehearse it.

We need to go beyond in those hours of Crisis.

God, you're good. I need some help here that that

is okay. But there's better.

Reach deep in the Armory of faith and pull out those weapons

that come from the words of God about you and toward you.

Wield it and watch it / Every Lie.

And cut deeper. Until it bleeds to death.

When I think about this, I have so many examples that come to

mind, but the one that came to mind was that a Jacob?

Remember Jacob was told go to your uncle laban's house.

And his mother said. I'll fetch for you when his

anger subsides and we have no indication that she ever sends

an email. Hey, he says doing better.

You can come back home. He stays for years, he gets

married. Got tricked into one of them.

It's married. Again, has children, he has an

Empire of a business and the next thing that he hears about

his brother, Esau who comforted himself of murdering his own

blood, is what you see. In Genesis 32, I want you to see

it in verse 7. Let's go to the beginning here.

And see how the Bible is harmonious with its precepts and

promises and principles. Here is the next thing that this

man hears. About his brother.

Let's go to verse 6 of Genesis 32 and The Messengers returned

to Jacob saying we came to your brother Esau and he is coming to

meet you and there are four hundred men with him.

How comforting is that? If you had just said, Isa was

coming. I can deal with Esau.

But for whatever reason he saw it necessary to bring 400 guys

with him, some kind of reunions. You can imagine how he felt

verse, 7 tells us so you don't have to go too far with your

imagination, then. Jacob was greatly afraid.

Greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who are

with him and the flocks and herds and camels into two camps

thinking if he succumbs to the one camp and attacks it, then

the camp that is left will escape so he plants I don't

blame him. Okay let me break this thing up

so that he doesn't completely devour me.

One side can at least accept Escape if he's to come the way.

He is planning to come. That's not all he does.

He does what you and I should do.

He does what gyrus did verse 9 and Jacob said, oh god of My

Father, Abraham God of my father Isaac.

Oh Lord, here's the part. Look at this.

Who said to me, Who said to me, you said something to me.

You inscribe something over my fate.

You've determined my future. Who said to me, return to your

country and to your Kindred that I may do you good?

so, the sphere Just unannounced, visits him and he knew exactly

how to wrestle it. He wrestles it with what God had

said to him. I got news about Esau, I'm now

going to combat it with the news that God already gave me And he

begins to now in the presence of God before God tell God, not

that God is forgetful. But for his own heart, his own

soul. You told me, you told me return

to your country, He didn't just stay there, scroll down to verse

12 and see what he continues to do.

Verse 12, but you said he's still praying.

But you said I will surely. Do you good and make your

Offspring as the sand of the sea?

Which cannot be numbered for multitude.

Jacob new. The promises of God.

There right there. The bullets were in the chamber,

they're ready to fire. And so he says you said this and

Lord, you also said this. That's how you overcome that's

how you see Victory, that's how you see yourself, escaped the

clutches. Of anxiety and worry.

Despair. And if you're serious about

living, Fearless, if you're serious about knowing and

coasting in life, With peace and serenity.

And Repose, then you'll be serious about what God had said.

You'll be serious about what God had said, and I get it.

Because I've been there. I've been there.

Here's where I've been Putting great effort into looking at the

word of God, trying to memorize the word of God. and when the

Trouble Comes, it seems as though things just evaporate,

And you can't hold on to anything and it's very hard to

remain calm and to recollect when your heart, and your mind

is being flooded with so much. So, the best thing really is in

that moment to have it ready on your lips, right?

And just to know what to say in that time, but if you can't find

those specific promises for every single situation in life,

though, that would be the greatest thing and do the next

best thing and have have just a couple solid solid promises

about who God is descriptions of the faithfulness of God,

examples of what God has done in other people's lives and have

those things ready to apply to anything.

At any moment, I shared this a few Fridays ago and I think it's

worth sharing. Now, I remember years ago,

talking to someone who reached out to me and I barely talked to

this person, they just felt that impressing their hearts to

update me and to hear what's going on in my life.

And when we just share, what's going on and that person asks,

how can I pray for you? I shared a couple of requests

and in that moment he prayed like any of us would pray what's

on our hearts, what we may be said before, but in that prayer,

he paused and I knew he wasn't reading a text or a verse or

anything from an Actual page. But just from his heart came out

a passage from Isaiah. And when he had said it, that

was the most impactful thing he prayed for me.

Because God said it, it came from God's mouth. and to this

day, that left an imprint on my heart and I forgot everything

else that men prayed for Have something ready?

Have something ready for you. Have something ready for a

brother have something ready for that.

Emergency phone call have something ready.

When you bump into a person, and in that moment, you have nothing

to turn to, but it's there and you can rehearse it, and you can

declare it and you can share it. And you can also see perhaps

somebody else delivered, If you can't, if you can't even get

yourself to get there, if you're still rather, I'm being honest.

It takes takes much for me to arrive there.

Then do the next best thing. Here's the next best thing apart

from this. I don't know.

I was to help you, I'm sorry. Be familiar enough with the map

of the Bible. Your Bible get a copy of God's

word in your hand. I'm a book guy, get God's book

in your hand because there's something about even not being

able to know references at the top of your head.

There's something about reading it, consistently enough being

familiar with it enough where, you know, where it's vaguely

connected in some page in the right side than the side of the

book and that book. And here's the next best thing.

No, at least where you can find the promise of God with the word

of God in your hands. So you can turn there as you're

breathing heavily and sweating profusely and you can look at a

scripture or Psalm that you know where to go to and just rehearse

it and read it and wash yourself in it.

I know our faith is about Grace by, God's not going to help us

do this. He gave us a brain.

He gave us a book and he gave us principles so that we can grow

and no greater strength against our foes and this flesh.

Jacob knew how to wrestle because he knew what God had

said. Something was set the gyrus.

Do not fear only believe. Luke says, she will be well,

that's what he held onto, and we have every reason to believe

that he trusted and obeyed. What Jesus had said, because we

find ourselves in the next portion of this, text

approaching gyrus is home. But before we enter into his

house, we're told something quite interesting in verse 37.

We're told by the spirit of God, that Jesus only allowed.

Peter and James, and John, the brother of James to go with him.

So remember there was a crowd, that was following Jesus.

And then there was a checkpoint, the woman grabs ahold of His

Garment Jesus pauses and a dresser gyrus now is they're

filled with fear because these messenger said your daughter is

dead and so at that at that point Jesus looks at the crowd

and he dismisses them. and not just them, he looks at his 12

and he says, you, you come with me Come with me.

Peter James and John. Let's go.

No reaction from the others. This is the first time that we

are introduced in our study of the gospels of Jesus, Inner

Circle, Jesus had Inner Circle and it was the same Trio.

We find them here, we find them in different portions and

different miraculous events. We find them even in those final

moments, in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus would,

you pray with me and they couldn't even do that for an

hour. I'm not going to spend time here

explaining why Jesus had an inner circle.

But I want to show you for one brief moment who was in a circle

and why that should bless us three people mention, you know

who moves me? the fact that Peter went, out of

all of them, Peter Yeah, he had leadership qualities but he

messed up a lot. And you're saying, well, where

did he mess up here? He actually did.

Go back to verse 30 and 31. We didn't cover this in depth

last week, but it's worth looking at it.

Now, when Jesus was touched by this woman, it says, in verse 30

perceiving in himself, that power had gone out from him

immediately turned about in the crown and said, who touched my

garments? Who touched my garments and his

disciples said to him, you see the crowd pressing around you

and yet you say who touched me? Okay, here are the disciples

again proving that they are lagging.

And are limited and their understanding of divine

perspective, Jesus experienced something, Jesus perceive

something, they couldn't register why he would ask such a

question when there is pendemonium going on and people

pressing in on him perhaps even others trying to grab him as

well. And yet, Jesus is asking who

touched me? And there's a hint of criticism

here from the disciples. Are you actually asking this

question? And you can also imagine that

these disciples are feeling a little squeeze because they feel

the stress and the pressure of getting to gyrus is home before.

It's too late and here's the Lord pausing and asking a

question. Like that, who touched me Lord?

Is it really important? Now to figure out the obvious?

Everyone is touching you They understand that there was power

that came out of him. There is someone who really

touched me. They didn't perceive that.

But when you go to Luke's version, who do you think the

main spokesperson of the criticism was, you don't have to

guess it, but I want to show you so don't think I'm lying Luke

Luke 8:45

8:45. Luke 8:45.

Luke 8:45

We're told in Mark all the disciples side this but Luke by

the spirit highlights, the spokesman Luke 8:45 and Jesus

Luke 8:45

said who was it that touched me? When all denied it, Peter said

Master the crowds around you and you are and are pressing in on

you. Peter Peter, Peter.

So quick to speak. So quick to sound Superior and

smart. So quick to bring correction,

you didn't do it just this time he brought correction on

different occasions to Jesus. What kind of audacity have to

criticize? Someone who is perfect?

That's who we're dealing with you Peter?

And think about if Peter was responsible here for these

comments, you would think that he would be the last guy to get

a front-row seat to a resurrection.

And yet Jesus, when he chose his Trio, said, Peter, let's go.

That was the others as we really, Lord m.

And I looked at that, and I thought to myself meditating on

it last night and here's the question that came to mind.

Rhetorically, are you not happy? Are you not glad that?

Jesus still allows us to follow him to gives us, give us

glimpses of his glory and his goodness, even though at times

we doubt and maybe even internalized criticism towards

his leadership. I'm just so blown away from time

to time that the Lord allows me to still play on his team.

And doesn't bench me. even though I do things like what

Peter's done, it's amazing to know that we can slip up mess

up. He had the Lord is still willing

to invite us deeper. Take us further.

See, that's not fair. Well, that's what Grace is.

It's not fair. Well, wouldn't that encourage us

to just mess up even more, not, not if you love him.

It will melt you, it will mold you.

It will be the greatest encouragement to Holiness that

you can imagine. So, Peter gets to go. and Jesus

brings three, because there is a law in Deuteronomy that On the

basis of two or three Witnesses. A thing is established.

So he brings three to testify. What's about to take place?

So they come. As encouraging as that point is,

we have to balance it. We have to balance it with an

honest view of how Jesus responds to Faith.

And it is true that it he is patient and he beckons us

despite our imperfection and are stumbling.

But look at what he's about to do.

Now is he encounters a crowd that is crushing into the home

of gyrus verse 38? They came to the house of the

ruler of the synagogue and Jesus saw a commotion people weeping

and wailing loudly. And we had when he had entered,

he said to them. Why are you making a commotion

and weeping? The child is not dead, but

sleeping and they laughed at him.

And they laughed at him but he put him out all outside and took

the child's father and mother and those who are with him and

went in with a child was, they laughed at him?

So here's what happens. Jesus enters into the scene and

it's chaos. Wailing weeping, pulling

screaming. Screeching And the Lord steps

in. And he provides comforting

correction. What is this all for?

She's asleep, she's not dead. And it makes you question.

Whether this grieving was a performance or if it was sincere

because they were able to shut that off so quickly and turn to

him and begin to mock him. It's very difficult for a

morning person to do. Jarvis was unimportant, man.

It's not a mystery. Why?

There are so many people attending his daughter's

funeral. And the Lord wants to now do

something even in their hearts. By elevating their perspective

about this situation to God's Viewpoint of her condition and

of her hopeful future by saying she's not she's not dead.

She's asleep. Listen.

When you're in Christ and when you believe this Christ and when

you follow this Christ, you see things differently, everything

differently. When you're truly born again.

May God help you. If you are selling for a cheap

fake salvation, just to have some social credit among other

professing Christians don't settle for anything.

But the true thing because when you're truly born again, I'm

telling you, you'll know you're born again and when you know

you're born again, here's one way.

You see things differently? You see things differently.

Your eyes are open to New World though.

You've traveled through these streets before, and come into

these buildings before. And ate the same food before and

handled the same money. Before everything now is

changed, there is a redefining of all aspects of life,

including the dreaded appointment that you and I have

with death. Because of the supremacy of the

Lord Jesus Christ, his authority, his vicarious death

and Resurrection. He's able to look at something

as permanent as death and give it a different definition.

He's able to give it a different metaphor, different figure and

say, This is just a transition. This is temporal.

She's not sealed in this condition forever, she's coming

out of it and every time you go through the New Testament and

you read the reference of death labeled as sleep, it is a

reminder from the Holy Spirit to you that one day your body.

Will be awakened at a resurrection morning.

We don't believe in Soul, sleep. We don't believe that when you

die, it's like when you go to sleep, and then when the

Resurrection comes, then you will be present with the Lord,

we believe that the moment you give your final breath, your

soul is in his arms and you come into His presence.

And the resurrection that we're speaking of here, the sleep is

the body that same body that has been corrupted by sin, scarred

by iniquity traumatized, by your own decisions, and by the force

of others that same body, one day when Christ, makes the call,

will know a glorification, a healing and a renewal forever

and ever and ever. It's sleep.

So why grief Christian that's why our funerals should look

different. That's why our morning is not

extended. Can I tell you something?

Christian marriages are a joy and this may sound strange, but

it may be just as strangest. Death being referred to as sleep

funerals are also exciting when it comes to a person that you

know who's in that casket walk with God.

I don't like the funerals. I go to where people claim to be

Christians but their life, testifies otherwise and you just

hope that they're in heaven. I don't like those funerals.

I like those funerals where you go and you're like, I know where

that guy is, I know where she is.

Oh, that person. Loved God.

That person served. That person was truly a saint

because of the grace of Jesus, guys in them and through them.

Celebration. They're sleeping and I can go up

to that casket and pay my respects and say, I'll see you

soon. Do you have that confidence?

Death is referred to in the Book of Job as the king of Terrors.

People say I'm not afraid of death, really.

You just flinched at them and you see them go like that,

clearly, you're afraid of being hurt.

If you're afraid of being heard and you're afraid of dying, But

Christ delivers you from death. He delivers you from the fear of

death. And he gives you a whole new

dictionary on life. Were you able to look at death

itself and say? Because of Jesus, this is sleep

for the believer that stirs you to worship for the unbelieving.

It's a cause for derision and Scorn.

And that's exactly what we just said.

And heard. They laughed at him.

It's not just a chuckle because of a surprising comment made by

some stranger to just deal with the awkward tension.

It was a collective effort. To mock Jesus and his message.

It was continual, they kept jeering at him.

And it came to the point where the reaction of these people was

enough for Jesus, to say, okay, I know what I'm going to do with

you and he pulls them away from the whole thing and pushes them

out. That's how much Authority had.

I don't know how he did it. That's kind of like a cleansing

of the temple thing but he managed to take a packed house

and with his authority, get out. And the same way that we read

this reaction and believe that it points to a reflection of the

culture that we are in today, which blasphemes God's truth.

On so many fronts I believe that the Judgment that Christ gave

this crowd is also a foreshadowing of what will come

on that final day to the same type of people.

They laughed at him and we read but he put them all outside.

He put them outside of a home to not witness a resurrection, but

there will be a final evasion where people will not be in the

presence of God and will not know the resurrection unto life.

Because during this life, they mocked him.

They hated him, they despised him and they rejected his truth.

When it was given to them. Don't be that person.

Don't be that person. You will miss out on so much.

not just in this life, but in eternal life, these people were

exposed to the truth but they were expelled.

And one day there will be a people who have been exposed to

truth. And there will be an eternal

expulsion. Where there will be weeping and

gnashing of teeth. I pray that your soul would be

saved for real if you're not born again, in this place.

Jesus tells them to leave. Let's finish this together with

an alertness, shall we? Verse 41.

Taking her by the hand. I love that.

Because Mark is very descriptive of how Jesus is personal and his

miracles. He looks around to see, you see

a lot of seeing from Jesus in, Mark, there's a lot of touching

with the Miracles and Mark to show that he's personal.

He's compassionate, he wants to be near.

He doesn't just want to dispense his power from afar.

He wants you to feel him and know his love and every touch

taking her by the hand, he said to her talitha, koum.

I Aramaic. Which means little girl, I say

to To arise. You can imagine the suspense of

that moment, right? And immediately, the girl got up

and began walking for. She was 12 years of age and they

were immediately overcome with amazement.

This healing was so complete. There was no need for Rehab.

There was no need for any kind of supervision or inclination

towards restoration. It was immediate she left.

She just jumped out of bed and began walking around with full

strength in Her Bones in her muscles in her nerves.

They were amazed that what they had seen And it could have ended

there but it ends with verse 43 and verse 43 is so insightful

and he strictly charged them. That no one should know this.

Why why not? Well, one reason for certain is

because Jesus again did not want to fuel The hysteria of people

coming to him just for miracles, he had a message, there is

healing in his gospel that he wanted to prioritize.

And to throw this out there with would probably just cause people

to get all caught up in the Miracles all over again.

And so he hesitates for this news to go out just yet, But

there's something else, he tells them.

And told them to give her something to eat.

Now, we look at that were like, okay, that's, that's a sweet

gesture know. It says something, it says

something about Christ. Because again, let's go back

into that scene that bedroom, right?

This young girl gets up, she starts walking and you can just

imagine the joy just bursting forth.

You can imagine that belief but this belief, you can imagine the

embrace, you can imagine the tears, the crying if she had

siblings, while she was the only one that maybe other relatives

in there, that would hear later on the reunions, that would

happen that and all these things, right?

And yet, with all of that, Holy commotion, Jesus is aware of

something that nobody else is aware of.

Hey, she needs to eat. Give her something to eat.

She probably hasn't eaten in days.

Give her some food, somebody preparers some lunch.

And reflecting on that. I thought to myself that showed

that the Lord was more attentive to her needs.

And anyone else in that house, he knew exactly where she was at

and the depth of his awareness of what she needed.

Is an insight about how he is. More knowledgeable, more caring,

more present, more aware than anyone, you know, anyone you

know. You might have a mom who adores.

You. It might have a father who

provides for you. You might have siblings who will

die for you. You might have friends who make

so many promises to be there for you.

You might have a pastor who supports you but no one like

Jesus. They all missed it.

He didn't. You see Christ, what he does

here. Is it brings to the attention of

the people, something that he knew that she needed that they

didn't, and Christ does this in ways that I hope you would never

be blind to. I think about even Elijah, how

God tells him go to the east of the Jordan.

And I have commanded the Ravens to feed you there.

So, he goes in twice a day, the Ravens come and they provide him

a meal. And notice when the Ravens come,

they provided me exactly what he needed for that meal.

He had no leftovers. So you have to trust that

dinnertime a Ravens, going to come and the next day another

Raven other Raven. And then from there, he tells

him to go to Zarephath which was inside on and he says, go there

for. I've commanded a widow to feed

you there. God has all these instruments.

All these vessels around us and whether you're aware of it or

not, he moves through people through Providence because he's

aware of what you need and he places it perfectly in your

path. How the Lord knew how to take

care of Elijah, how he knew how to take care of this woman.

The Lord knows how to take care of you and me.

Remember how it mention Grab ahold of one or two promises

that you can tuck in here and from time to time, sharpen your

memorization of it so that you be ready to face that fear that

wants to viciously. Rip it out from you.

Here's one to consider Isaiah 49:15.

Isaiah 49:15

Can a woman forget her nursing child That she should have no

compassion on the son of her womb, you know what the Lord is

doing their, he's pointing to one of the strongest

demonstrations of human love. A woman, a mother for her

nursing child. That baby can't do anything in

return for that mother. And yet there's something

churning in her, there's something, keeping her up at

night. There is no doubt in any part of

who she is. That she will give 10 lives for

that baby to survive another day.

And the Lord points to that kind of love.

And he says extreme in as high as that love is it is still

subject to fail. It's possible.

Even for a mother to forget on some level.

And then he contrasts that love with his love my love as we read

here. Even these may forget yet, I

will not forget you, my love is not only stronger, it's

Unbreakable It's constant. It doesn't have episodes, It's

dependable. It's strong and it's something

you can lean on and I don't get tired of it.

A mother may know. Exhaustion, I do not sleep.

A mother may burst out from time to time.

What did I get myself into I don't.

Even these may forget. Yet, I will not forget you.

But secondly this command shows how practical God is.

Does it not give her something to eat?

Lord, you just raise her from the dead.

Maybe you can also make a meal. All right, you can feel her

belly. You, you filled her body with

breath. You can feel her belly.

Maybe you can make something appear before her on her lap

before she even takes another step.

But he doesn't do that. He did his part, he looks at the

parents and he says, now make her something.

God is very practical. And what you see here is that

the power of Christ in our lives does not discourage us,

discourage us from participating and making things happen.

Let me put it this way. Not every situation in your life

requires a miracle. God has expectations on you.

He has instruction, he has wisdom, he has given us skills

resources, and he expects us to plan and prepare accordingly for

things to be accomplished. From time to time, he may allow

us to face a situation like what gyrus face, so that we would

have to call on him because there's nothing else we can do.

And in those moments where only a miracle makes sense, Do not

fear. Only believe.

Let's pray. Even these may forget.

Yet, I will not forget you. Father, help us believe in your

personalized. Love for each person here.

Help us. Not wait for a subjective surge

of emotion. Help us, not look to events to

qualify how you care for us. Like Jacob.

May we be greatly acquainted with what you have said, already

in your word. Help us believe your word.

Lord, you know. The fears in this place, the

unspoken fears. The fears that might be

embarrassing to share about because they seem so silly and

trivial. the Lord, as you showed with this young girl, You know.

And you care. We love you for that.

It's loading this very moment. We want to worship you. because

as we leave this place and go and deal with the Affairs of

life, As we go into our bank account and look at numbers that

might not be the most favorable. Or a calendar and see things

that are coming up. That might be overwhelming or

going back to a home. That might seem anything but a

home. Will might receive a report.

I will rattle us to the Core. We just pray.

That this word would not be forgotten.

Help us ignore the Agents of fear in our lives.

That don't believe fully what you're able to do.

Mute every other voice. And magnify your own.

And Lord in those moments. Where we feel lazy toward your

word indifferent. Help us.

God cultivate a familiarity so that we can be prepared.

We sing to you because we are grateful to you.

You deserve the glory. We love you Lord in Jesus name.

Amen let's Stand Together.