It's Worth The Trouble

I'm going to invite you if you can join me in the book of Mark chapter 5 and verse 21.

Mark 5 · chapter mention

I want to share with you a word that God has placed in my heart today.

Mark chapter 5 and verse 21, amen.

Mark 5 · chapter mention

God's been so good.

God's been so good.

I know some of you fathers right now, you're like, I hope he doesn't preach too long because

I got a steak waiting for me.

I got a burrito or something waiting for me.

Amen.

Well, if you preach with me today, praise God, I won't be too long.

But amen.

This message has got to get through.

The word of the Lord says, now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other

side, a great multitude gathered to him.

And he was by the sea and behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.

When he saw him, he fell at his feet and begged him earnestly saying, my little daughter lies

at the point of death, come and lay your hands on her that she may be healed and she will

live.

So Jesus went with him and a great multitude followed him and thronged him.

Skipping to verse 35.

While he was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said,

your daughter is dead.

Why trouble the teacher any further?

Why trouble the teacher any further?

I came to preach today this thought, it's worth the trouble.

It's worth the trouble.

Someone say it's worth the trouble.

Let us pray.

Father, I thank you for your presence that is here in this place today.

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.

And I thank you Lord for all that you've done.

I thank you God for being our heavenly father.

You taught us to pray our father who are in heaven and we honor you today as our everlasting

father.

And we also thank you God for all the fathers, Lord, those that are here, those that are

not.

We pray a special prayer blessing over them and their families and their children, God.

And I ask that in this message, Lord, you would anoint my lips of clay and anoint the

hearing of all that are here today that we can receive this word.

We ask this in the name of Jesus.

Someone say amen.

You may be seated in the presence of God.

I want you to know that we live in a busy world where most people don't want to be bothered.

One is walking around these days with their heads down, eyes glued to their smartphones

and in a hurry to get somewhere, anywhere as fast as they can.

Nobody wants to be troubled and nobody wants to trouble anybody.

I'm old enough to remember that you used to have to stop and ask a stranger, sorry to

trouble you but can you point me to the nearest gas station?

How many of you remember when we used to have to do that?

Now some of you, many of you don't know what I'm talking about because you've always had

GPS and you could just pull it up on your phone and know right where you're going.

Some of us know what it's like to have to stop and interrupt somebody and say sorry

to trouble, sorry to be a bother but I need your help.

And there seems to be now a new kind of social anxiety about interrupting people, about disturbing

someone from their busyness.

And if that person happens to be a high profile figure, your chances are even less because

if you want to get close to them, you got to get past their security and those that

are guarding them and they don't want you troubling them.

They don't want you bothering that important person.

Even if all you want is an autograph or just a thumbs up, you know, a wink even.

They can't be bothered.

They have other important things to do.

But what if that person had the power to cure your affliction?

The power to save your life or the life of your loved one, the life of a child.

I want you to know that there are some needs in life that it doesn't matter who or what

you have to push through.

You cannot take no for an answer.

Especially when that need again is for someone you love.

You have to tell yourself that it's worth the trouble.

Someone say it's worth the trouble.

That's where Jairus was and I think that's what Jairus must have told himself when a

group of people tried to dissuade him from bothering Jesus with his daughter's illness.

They tried to stop him and tell him, you know, your daughter's already dead.

Why trouble the teacher any further?

In other words, it's already over, Jairus.

It's a waste of time.

Why don't you just leave Jesus alone and let him go about his business because it's too

late.

The situation has progressed and now it's final.

So leave him alone.

Just don't bother him.

He's got more important things to attend to.

He's got other matters to deal with.

And so just don't bother him anymore.

But what I love about this text is the story is I love the father's mindset here because

to him it was worth the trouble.

And I believe today that the world needs fathers like Jairus.

Somebody say amen today.

The world needs fathers like society needs fathers like Jairus.

It needs good and godly men.

I want to tell you today that the world needs real men.

Amen, somebody.

Oh, come on now.

I said the world needs some real men, real fathers who will fight for their families

and fight for their children and fight for their marriages and fight for what's right.

I think that we are living in a day and age.

We're living in a time where we ought to look at examples like Jairus and and tear a page

out of his playbook and and learn from a father that was not willing to give up no matter

what it cost him, no matter who he had to step over or step by in order to do what was

right for his family and for his child.

And I hope and I believe and I pray and I know in my heart that there are some Jairuses

in the house of God today.

There are some real men and some real fathers that are willing to stand up for what is right

for their family.

Come on somebody that are willing to call upon that name that are willing to say to

themselves and to their family that is worth the trouble.

Somebody give God a hand, praise today.

It's worth the trouble.

Your children need you.

Your families need you.

They need you present in their life.

They need you to fight for them.

And I believe that there are fathers like that here today.

There are Jairuses like that here today.

And we honor you and we thank you and we applaud you for what you are doing.

But every once in a while even real fathers have real problems they have to deal with.

Real fathers have real issues and real dilemmas.

They have real needs in their life.

According to Mark's gospel, Jairus was a ruler in the local synagogue.

And this would have created a unique dilemma for him because he was a prominent social

and religious figure in his community.

And as a leader Jairus was expected to uphold a certain kind of order, a religious order,

a an established order.

And often such figures like him during the time of Christ were skeptical of Christ's

ministry.

Disappointment because they saw him to be a controversial teacher.

It was not popular in his time among Jairus's friends, among his peers, among other leaders

of the synagogue.

It was not popular.

It was not common.

It was not acceptable.

It was taboo for someone of his stature, for someone of his reputation, for someone of

his status to pursue this Jesus.

And so what I love about this man is that he was willing to risk his reputation, his

status and even face possible backlash.

He could have faced possible retaliation from among his peers who may want to punish him

for what he did.

But what I love about Jairus is that he sought the Lord anyhow.

And he didn't just come to Jesus with a little petition like, you know, some people are accustomed

to doing and I'm not here to rag on that or anything, but like he didn't just write a

little note and, you know, I don't know if some of you remember, you know, back in the

days in church, you know, if somebody had one prayer request and it didn't make the

official list, you know, there would be a little note that would come up, give it to

the usher, send it up to the, you know, put it on the, you know, put it right there on

the pulpit.

He didn't send him a little note, you know, he didn't pass the note to the other disciples.

What I love about Jairus is that no, for the situation that I'm in right now, I've got

to do everything I can to get the attention of this man.

And so the Bible says that he sought Jesus and he fell at his feet and he began to worship

him and he humbled himself before the Lord and he began to plead and cry out to God and

say, I need, I need a miracle in my house and, and there's something about what Jairus

did that no matter where you are today, be husband, be father or mother, saint of God.

There are certain things that will get God's attention.

And one of those things are, is if you start to seek him, somebody say seek him.

If you start to seek God, the Bible says seek and he shall find.

If you seek him with all of your heart, you're going to find him.

I came to tell somebody that all you got to do is start seeking him here today.

Start calling upon his name today and God and God will begin to turn to where you are.

Amen.

And not only that, but the Bible says that he fell at his feet.

Another thing that gets God's attention.

If you want to get his attention is you humble yourself.

You fall at his feet and you say you are greater than me.

Hallelujah.

You are greater than I.

And so Jairus gets to the feet of Jesus and he gets on his knees, a man of stature, a

man of reputation, a man who's got people who are watching him, a man who's got a, who's

got a status to uphold a man of the cloth and he gets on his knees and he starts pleading

to Jesus.

I don't know if there's somebody like that here today that says, I don't care what anybody

says about me.

I don't care what people think about me.

I don't care if they talk about me.

I need to get to the feet of Jesus.

I wish somebody would magnify him right now.

I wish somebody would glorify him in this place today.

He threw himself down at the feet of Jesus and he began to plead and say, God, I've got

a situation at home that I need you to fix.

And these are the things that will get God's attention.

But I didn't come just to preach about that today.

I come to talk about what happens after you do that because it was after Jairus got the

attention of Jesus.

Jesus is now going to his house.

He's bringing Jesus back home to his problem, which was his sick daughter.

But ultimately the things that we want from God, the things that we desire, the needs

that are in our life are going to be decided by how you respond to the forces that work

against you.

And there are some forces that are working against you.

There are some hindrances that can stop you from receiving what God has for you.

And the first force could be an unexpected delay.

Someone say delay.

An unexpected delay is exactly what Jairus faced just as things were starting to turn

around in his favor.

Just as things were starting to look good.

Jesus is coming home with me.

He probably felt good about that one.

I'm going to get Jesus to come to my house.

And he's feeling good about that.

Hey, everything is going to be all right.

Maybe he even sent one of his servants to run ahead of them.

Tell my wife, tell the family, everything's going to be because Jesus is coming home.

Amen.

He probably feels good about that.

He's just, you know, his emotions have just turned around.

But as he's on his way, he gets interrupted by another person who needs a miracle.

That other person happened to be the woman with the issue of blood.

The one that we've all heard about who crawled and finally touched the hem of Jesus's garment

and was made well.

Well, that's a beautiful story.

I didn't come to preach about that today.

Amen.

Maybe another Sunday.

Hallelujah.

But you have to understand that what is happening here is that this miracle is right in the

middle of Jairus trying to get his own miracle.

Now put yourself in Jairus's shoes for just a moment if you can.

Here's a father whose daughter is on death's door.

And every minute could mean the difference between burying his baby girl or celebrating

her healing.

This delay could not have come at a worse time.

This delay could not have come at a worse time.

And I want to ask you a question today.

What's your response to delay?

What's your mindset when God pauses your miracle?

Amen.

And pauses what he's doing in your life when you encounter an interruption.

Now if we were like Jairus, I might have said something like, hold up, Lord, I came to you

first.

You know, first come, first serve.

I came to you first, Lord.

And I'm just being real with you if that's all right.

I mean, maybe some of you wouldn't think like this.

But I might have said, Lord, I got to you first.

And she's had this problem for 12 years.

I mean, what's another day?

My daughter is literally about to die.

Okay, I'm just thinking like a human.

I'm just thinking like a desperate dad right now.

Like, Lord, my daughter's about to die.

I understand this.

But can we postpone this?

Can you help this lady afterward?

Time is of the essence, God.

We got to get back.

And it's not like we could just catch an Uber.

I mean, we got to walk there.

This is going to take some time.

And so, Lord, can you help me out here?

What you don't read in the passage is you don't read anywhere that Jairus started to

complain to God.

In fact, he waited on Jesus without complaint.

And he must have said, you know what?

I wasn't planning for this.

I didn't think this was going to happen.

I thought we were going to go straight to the house.

I wasn't planning on making any pit stops.

I would just want to get home.

But he must have said to himself, you know what?

It's worth the trouble.

I came all this way.

I went through all the things I did.

I pushed and I pressed.

I finally got to Jesus.

So guess what?

I'm not going to let this little interruption stop me from the miracle and the blessing

that I need from God.

I think Jairus had made a mind in his life that said, you know what?

If it costs me a little more time, if it's a little inconvenient, if God doesn't move

on my timetable, that's all right with me.

As long as I got Jesus, hey, I'm talking to somebody right now.

And I'm telling you that even if you're experiencing a delay, everything is going to be all right

as long as Jesus is with you.

Somebody give God some praise today.

And here's the beautiful thing about Jairus is that he's on his way to his daughter's

miracle.

He's never seen a miracle of Jesus, probably with his own eyes.

He's only heard about it.

But now he gets to see a miracle of healing right before his own eyes.

The woman with the issue of blood and that have that has to have done something to his

faith.

When Jairus saw that he probably said to himself, it is true.

He is a miracle worker.

It did something to him.

And I tell you that as you are waiting for the big thing to happen, as you are waiting

for the great miracle, as you are waiting for the big breakthrough, there are some little

breakthroughs along the way that God will show you about his goodness.

And there are some things that God will show you about him, about yourself.

And so don't miss those miracles in the making.

Oh, he saw with his own eyes.

And you see, I can relate to Jairus because there's been times in my life that as a father

and as a dad, I needed God to do something on behalf of my children.

I needed God to bring my baby girl, my three pound baby girl out of the hospital when she

was born.

And all I wanted was to see her get out of there.

And all I wanted was to see her get delivered and get her life back.

That's all I wanted.

But it didn't happen on my timetable.

But I need to tell you that it was during those moments of desperation.

It was during those moments of loneliness.

It was during those moments where I felt like God was taking his sweet time that I came

into contact with other miracles.

Let me tell you, can I testify?

Is that all right?

Somebody say go ahead.

Come on.

Somebody say go ahead.

I want to testify that I was as I was waiting on the miracle of my daughter's healing, I

discovered the miracle of the church.

I discovered the miracle of belonging to a body of people who were praying for us, who

loved us, and who supported us.

Some of you are here today who were among them that brought food to us in the hospital.

I would have never known the miracle of belonging to the body of Christ like I did in that moment.

I would have never known what it was like to be a part of the faithful brethren that

when we are down we're never by ourselves.

But it's called the miracle of the brotherhood.

The miracle.

How many of you believe it's a miracle to belong to the body of Christ?

Hallelujah!

It's a miracle.

I discovered the miracle of strength.

I learned that if I can survive this I can survive whatever the devil throws at me.

I learned some miracles along the way to the miracle of miracles and I've come to encourage,

I've come to tell a father, a saint of God that your blessing is delayed but not denied.

That the promises of God are yes and amen.

It's okay.

It's okay.

Everything's gonna be all right.

You just hold on.

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

Somebody give God a hand.

Praise today.

Oh thank you Lord.

Thank you Lord.

Those unexpected delays.

Oh hallelujah!

Those divine interruptions are not sent to harm us but to help us.

They are sent to show us something about God that we've never seen before and I just want

to encourage you today.

I want to let you know that if you're experiencing a divine interruption, a divine delay, understand

that God is still sitting on the throne.

Understand that God is still the one in charge.

Understand that God is still, my Lord I wish I had some help right now.

Understand that everything is good.

I don't know who I came to preach for today but I need to let you know that now is not

the time to give up.

Now is not the time to quit.

Now is not the time to throw in the towel.

God wants you to know that if you can just tarry a little bit longer I'm gonna show you

that I am awesome.

Oh my God, hallelujah.

Hallelujah God!

Come on somebody just praise him for a moment.

Thank you Jesus.

Thank you God.

Oh hallelujah Jesus.

Hallelujah Jesus.

Another force that he had to deal with was an undesirable update.

He got an update he didn't want.

In the middle of the waiting, in the middle of waiting on that miracle someone came from

his house and they told him your daughter is dead.

You know can I tell you today two words that should never be in the same sentence is child

and dead.

You don't ever want those two words to be in the same sentence.

And that's exactly what this man heard.

Your daughter is dead.

Now I cannot for one moment begin to imagine what must have went through his mind when

he heard those words.

I can only try to think that possibly when he heard that he probably didn't hear anything

else after that.

I think his world started to spin.

I think he started to question and wonder what was going on.

I think that his body must have froze.

Oh my God.

I think that his heart must have been shattered into a million pieces.

I think that he just must have been at a place of beyond words as he's wrestling.

Now what do I do?

And what am I supposed to think?

How am I going to explain this to my wife that instead of being there at our daughter's

side in her last moments that I was over here pursuing and chasing this man of miracle,

he's trying to think about how he's going to explain all of this, what's going on.

And these people they just they don't just tell him that his these people are cold hearted.

They don't just tell him that his daughter is dead.

They said stop troubling him.

Can you just leave him alone?

Can you just stop troubling the teacher?

What's the point?

Iris, what's the point?

And Iris is now hearing conflicting voices in his life.

On the one hand, he's got people telling him, man, what are you doing, man?

Your daughter is dead.

You ought to be home.

You ought to be planning her funeral and going through all of that.

You ought to be grieving.

What are you doing?

And then on the other hand, he's hearing this voice.

Yeah, but you came all this way and you just saw him do a miracle.

And so he's kind of caught between the two of these voices.

And so I need to tell somebody that you need to know some of the things that the difference

between the voice of fear and the voice of faith.

You need to know the difference.

And I need to tell you that let me can I help you out with that here today?

You need to know what things that faith will never say.

Can I tell you some things today that you will never that faith will never say that?

Oh, hallelujah.

Faith never says it's too late.

Faith never says it's too late.

Faith never says it's too hard.

It never says it's too bad.

It never says it's not worth it.

And most importantly, faith never says it's not worth the trouble.

And if that's what you're hearing today, I can assure you that's not the talking of the

Holy Ghost.

That's not God that is talking to you saying it's too late.

It's too bad.

It's too it's too this or too that.

That's not God talking to you.

And if you want to know if it's the Lord talking to you, this is what Jesus said in verse 36.

As soon as Jesus heard that the word was spoken, he said to the ruler of the synagogue, do

not be afraid.

Only believe somebody say believe.

Faith never says it's too late.

It says only believe.

Only believe someone say only believe.

Only believe.

And I love the timing of God's word.

How many of you know God's word is always on time?

Can I get a better amen than that?

How many of you know God's word is always on time?

Yes, it is.

What I love about how Jesus responds is Jesus responds to the word of fear immediately with

a word of faith.

He turns to Jairus even before Jairus can speak.

And he says, don't panic.

Hold on to your faith.

Don't panic Jairus.

It's all right.

I know what they're saying.

I know what the word out is on the street.

I know what people are saying.

But Jairus, don't panic.

It's going to be all right.

But how?

Tell me.

Just don't worry.

Only believe.

I came to tell somebody, I'm only going to be a few more moments.

I'm just about done.

I came to tell somebody that God will never let a word of fear go unanswered.

There is a word of faith to counter every word of fear.

That's what I love about his word.

Is that his word comes into our life just at the right time.

Can I tell you?

There is truth.

Someone say truth to counter every lie.

And God, Jesus looks to Jairus.

He says, I know it sounds bad.

I know what you heard.

But you got to trust me on this.

I'm with you.

All you got to do is believe.

Everything is going to be all right.

I just came to tell somebody that everything is going to be all right.

Can you clap your hands and give God a praise right now?

Hallelujah!

But God doesn't stop there.

He doesn't just replace the wrong word with the right word.

There is a third element here.

There is a third force and that is the unbelieving crowd.

Watch what happens because there is one more barrier.

There is one more force working against Jairus and all that God wants to do in that moment

for his family, for his daughter.

And there was a gathering of people there at his house that before Jesus was going to

perform his miracle, he had to take care of some matters.

And so watch what happens in verse 37.

And he, speaking of Jesus, permitted no one to follow him except Peter, James and John,

the brother of James.

Then he came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue and saw a tumult and those who

wept and wailed loudly.

And he came in, he said to them, why make this commotion and weep?

The child is not dead, but sleeping.

Through his actions, Jesus is teaching us a principle.

Through his actions, Jesus is revealing that not everyone is qualified to accompany you

in your miracle.

Well, praise God.

Not everyone is qualified to accompany you in your blessing and in your victory.

Jesus gets to Jairus' house and then he sees a group of people there.

And they're all telling him, they're all telling Jairus, it's not worth the trouble.

It's not worth the hassle.

It's not worth trying anymore.

Hallelujah.

And those are the exact voices that the Holy Ghost wants to evict from your life because

they could stand between you and the very thing that God wants to do in your life.

Hallelujah.

Oh, hallelujah.

Don't ever underestimate the power of who you have in your life and the things that

they are saying and enforcing or reinforcing in your spirit.

Don't underestimate those that are around you because it could be that they are the

very thing blocking you from the thing that God wants to do in your life.

Hallelujah.

As I get ready to close, according to Jewish tradition, those who are wailing outside of

Jairus' house, these were professional mourners.

These were hired people who came to mourn and to grieve and to play sad music.

I mean, think about this.

And all of the songs they had, you know, they were all sad songs.

It's just like, you know, grieving songs, mourning songs.

And they would all surround the house and with the deceased person there, they would

create this spectacle of grief and to think you had to pay these people.

And they were all there.

And Jesus gets to the house and he sees these people.

He says, who said there was going to be a funeral today?

Who said I didn't come to officiate a funeral?

I came to officiate a miracle.

I didn't come to bury the dead.

I came to resurrect into new life.

And so he began, I just came to tell somebody that the same thing happens today.

There are certain people that thrive on the pain and the weaknesses of others.

They benefit from people being depressed, broke, upset, and bitter, disgruntled, so

that they will be needed.

And they truly don't care about you if that's what they're doing.

Because if they really care about you, they wouldn't be telling you, just give up.

It's not worth the hassle.

It's not worth the trouble.

On the contrary, they would be telling you, it's worth the trouble.

It's worth it.

It's worth you staying in the fight.

It's worth you going the distance.

Why don't you hang in there and give it to God?

Somebody give the Lord some praise right now.

I feel something in my, would you stand up on your feet this afternoon?

I came to tell you that God is still in the miracle working business.

God is not in the grieving business.

God, now I know it says that we ought to mourn with them that mourn.

But it also says we ought to rejoice with them that rejoice.

I didn't come for a funeral here today.

I didn't come to tell a father, to tell a husband, or a saint of God.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

Is it life tough?

I don't know if it's going to get any better, man.

You know, I guess we'll just, you know, we'll just see how it goes and stuff.

No, I came to tell you, square your shoulders, look to the hills from what cometh your help.

My help comes from the Lord.

I don't know if I'm talking to somebody right now.

I don't know if there's somebody in this place that says, God, only you can do it, Lord.

Only you can make a way where there is no way.

Only you, God, can bless me.

Oh, hallelujah.

Somebody say hallelujah.

They got to Jairus' house.

And when they recognized what was going on, I want to read this for you right here in

Matthew 924, and we'll wrap this thing up.

Jesus told the crowd this.

He said, make room.

Somebody say, make room.

Oh, I need you to help me right now.

I said, I need you to say, make room.

Oh, one more time.

Help me out, musicians.

Somebody say, make room.

That's what you got to do.

Could it be that your miracle is waiting on you to make room?

Could it be, my God, I decided that I've got to make room, even if I got, hallelujah,

Jesus, hallelujah, God.

That's why when I praise God, I need to make some room.

I don't want anybody locking me in.

I don't want anybody forcing me in.

I need room to lift up my hands.

I need room.

Oh, I don't know if I'm making any sense to you right now.

I need room to live for joy.

I need room to shout, hallelujah.

Oh, somebody say, make room.

Come on, say, make room.

I need some room, hallelujah.

And if I make some room, and if I start dismissing this attitude and that mentality or this person

or that thing, and I say, God, here's my life.

You know what the Lord told me?

If you'll just let me make some room in your life, I will shut down the mourners.

I'll put the grievers out of business.

Oh, my God, my God, I feel like preaching if that's all right with somebody.

I said, is that all right with somebody?

I'll put the mourners out of business.

Yes.

I'll put the grievers to the unemployment line because they're going to know that at

the Rodriguez household, they're going to know that at your household, the devil is

not allowed.

Fear is not allowed.

Those lies are not allowed.

But the presence of God, mighty God, I feel so.

I wish somebody had some joy.

I wish somebody had some faith.

I wish somebody would lift up those hands right now and call on the name of Jesus.

Call on his name right now.

Hallelujah, hallelujah.