" WHAT WILL YOUR KEY OPEN?"
MARK 5:25-34
HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED THE PRICE IS RIGHT? SOMETIMES I WISH THAT I COULD GO ON THAT SHOW AND WIN ALL THE PRIZES BECAUSE I ENJOY PLAYING ALL THE GAMES. ONE OF THE ONES THAT I LIKE IS CALLED THE MAGIC KEY. YOU HAVE TO GUESS AT THE PRICE OF A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PRIZES AND EACH TIME YOU GET ONE RIGHT, YOU WIN A KEY. YOU ARE PLAYING FOR THREE PRIZES THAT INCREASE IN VALUE USUALLY UP TO AN AUTOMOBILE. WELL YOU MIGHT NOT WIN THE KEY FOR THE MAJOR PRIZE BUT IT IS POSSIBLE THAT YOU COULD WIN THE MASTER KEY – THE KEY THAT UNLOCKS EVERYTHING.
JESUS GAVE US THE KEY TO UNLOCK EVERYTHING IF WE WILL ONLY HAVE FAITH. IN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST JESUS ACCORDING TO MARK IN CHAPTER FIVE STARTING IN VERSE 25 WE WILL LOOK AT A WOMAN THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO WHO HAD THE KEY TO UNLOCK ALL THE PROMISES OF GOD. SHE HAD THE KEY OF FAITH.
OPENING PRAYER…
FIRST CHARACTERISTIC WE NOTICE ABOUT THIS WOMAN IS THAT SHE HAD A NEED IN HER LIFE. SHE HAD A NEED THAT ONLY JESUS COULD FILL. SHE WAS VERY SICK AND AFTER MANY YEARS OF SUFFERING, SHE WAS WORSE OFF THAN EVER BEFORE BECAUSE OF THE TREATMENT GIVEN HER BY THE DOCTOR’S OF HER DAY…
1. HOW MANY PEOPLE LIKE THIS WOMAN DO WE KNOW THAT HAVE A DESPERATE NEED IN THEIR LIVES? THE WORLD IS FULL OF THEM. UNTIL WE GET DESPERATE FOR THE THINGS OF GOD, WE WILL NEVER SEE REVIVAL SWEEP THROUGH THIS COMMUNITY.
2. THIS WOMAN HAD A NEED IN HER LIFE THAT ONLY JESUS COULD MEET
3. INSIDE ALL OF US IS AN EMPTY SPACE THAT ONLY GOD CAN FILL
SECOND THING WE NOTICE ABOUT THIS WOMAN IS THAT SHE PUT FEET TO HER FAITH…
SHE HEARD ABOUT WHAT JESUS WAS DOING AND THAT HE WAS GOING TO BE NEAR HER AND SHE MADE A DECISION TO TOUCH JUST THE HEM OF HIS GARMET. ALL THE EMPTINESS AND THE SUFFERING WOULD BE ALRIGHT IF I CAN JUST TOUCH THE HEM OF HIS GARMET!
A. HAVE YOU BECOME DESPERATE FOR THE THINGS OF GOD
B. DO YOU THINK ALL HOPE IS GONE? NOWHERE TO LOOK BUT UP MY FRIEND
C. SHE PRESSED THROUGH THE GREAT CROWD OF PEOPLE TO TOUCH HIM
ILLUSTRATE CRAWLING… WELL NOT ME BROTHER MIKE THAT’S JUST TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR ME TO GET DOWN ON MY HANDS AND KNEES. THAT IS WHY THE TITLE TO THIS MESSAGE IS " WHAT WILL YOUR KEY OPEN?" NO MAN OR WOMAN EVER STANDS TALLER THAN ON THEIR KNEES SEEKING THE FACE OF GOD. YOU MAY NOT THINK THAT I STAND TALL RIGHT NOW BUT MY HEAVENLY FATHER DOES BECAUSE YOU SEE NOW I HAVE HIS ATTENTION. PRAYER UNLOCKS THE SUPERNATURAL POWER OF GOD WHEN WE HUMBLY ASK HIM FOR HELP.
BUT YOU MIGHT THINK I DON’T HAVE THE ATTENTION OF HEAVEN, HUH?
WELL JESUS KNEW THAT VIRTUE, SPIRITUAL HEALING THAT CURED A PHYSICAL BODY, NOW DIDN’T HE? WHY WOULD YOU NOT BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY HE HEARS OUR PRAYERS?
AND EVEN THOUGH EVERYBODY AROUND HIM WAS PRESSING IN TO TOUCH HIM AND SPEAK WITH HIM,
ONE LITTLE WOMAN TOUCHED THE HEM OF HIS GARMET WITH THE
HAND OF FAITH AND RECEIVED A MIRACLE.
THE KEY TO YOUR SITUATION IS A FAITH IN JESUS THAT IS REAL AND PERSONAL. YOU MAY NOT REALLY WANT THE POWER OF GOD TO MANIFEST ITSELF TO YOU THOUGH BECAUSE WE FIND THAT WHEN THE LITTLE WOMAN CAME INTO THE PRESENCE OF JESUS
SHE WAS FEARFUL
SHE WAS TREMBLING
SHE KNEW WHAT HAD HAPPENED IN HER BODY
SHE KNEW WHAT HAD HAPPENED IN HER HEART
JESUS DOES THE MOST AMAZING THING IN THE LAST VERSE OF OUR TEXT…….
1. HE CALLS HER DAUGHTER – LETS US KNOW WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD
2. HE TELLS HER WHY SHE HAS RECEIVED FROM GOD WHAT NO MAN COULD DO
3. HE MADE HER WHOLE
4. GAVE HER PEACE
YOU MAY NOT UNDERSTAND ALL THAT HAS HAPPENED, BUT I DO! I TOUCHED THE HEM OF HIS GARMET ON September 10, 1995 AND THIS SAME SON OF GOD MADE ME WHOLE. HE DELIVERED ME FROM THE DISEASE AND THE SICKNESS THAT HAD CONSUMED MY LIFE AND THAT NO MAN ON EARTH COULD CURE ME OF.
A. OH YEAH PEOPLE CAME TO MY HOME AND INVITED ME TO CHURCH, BUT NOBODY COULD MEET THE NEED IN MY LIFE FOR A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THAT WAS REAL AND PERSONAL.
B. I JUST KEPT TRYING TO SHOVE SOMETHING INTO THAT BIG EMPTY SPOT IN MY SOUL BUT NOTHING CAN SATISFY YOU LIKE JESUS, BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
C. ONE DAY I CRAWLED THROUGH THE CROWD OF PEOPLE AND HE HEALED ME
D. MAY NOT BE EVERYTHING HE WANTS ME TO BE BUT THANK YOU LORD THAT I AM NOT THE MAN I USED TO BE
DO YOU HAVE A DESPERATE NEED IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW ? DOES IT FEEL LIKE EVERY PIECE OF YOUR NEAT LITTLE WORLD IS FALLING TO PIECES AND ALL THE KINGS HORSES AND ALL THE KINGS MEN CAN’T PUT YOU BACK TOGETHER AGAIN?
I CAN ONLY TELL YOU WHAT I HAVE SEEN GOD DO IN MY LIFE AND I CAN ONLY PRAISE HIM FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE THROUGH MY LIFE IN THE LIVES OF OTHER PEOPLE. IF YOU HAVE A DESPERATE NEED IN YOUR HEART AND YOU ARE SEEKING COMFORT, JESUS IS IN THE CROWD TODAY. THE WORD OF GOD SAYS THAT WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED IN MY NAME,
THERE
I
AM
IN
THE
MIDST
OF
THEM.
IS HE SPEAKING TO YOU HEART RIGHT NOW ?
WHAT WILL YOUR KEY OPEN ? WILL IT OPEN THE FLOODGATES OF HEAVEN ? DO YOU JUST SEND UP A THIMBLEFULL OF PRAYER AND GOD SENDS YOU BACK A THIMBLEFULL OF ANSWER?
HE WANTS TO POUR OUT THE FULL MEASURE OF HIS BLESSING ON US, BUT WE MUST HUMBLE OURSELVES IN HIS PRESENCE LIKE THAT ONE LITTLE WOMAN THAT PRESSED HER WAY THRU THE CROWD TO GET A MIRACLE IN HER LIFE.
DO YOU NEED A MIRACLE? COME TO THIS ALTER AND POUR OUT YOUR HEART TO THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN MEET THE DESPERATE NEED IN YOUR LIFE… BUT THEN SOMEBODY MIGHT THINK SOMETHING BAD ABOUT ME, LIKE I’M ALL CAUGHT UP IN SIN…
MAYBE THAT’S WHY YOUR KEY WON’T UNLOCK ANYTHING IN YOUR LIFE…
INVITATION
