Sermon Central
-
Faith To See Jesus Series
Contributed by T.j. Conwell on Aug 7, 2014 (message contributor)
Summary: When Jesus heals a woman's daughter who was possessed, and a man who was deaf and mute, He displays to us how He can meet us right where we have a need as well. However, this can only happen IF we will seek Him out in the same way through faith!
Faith to See Jesus
Introduction
- Jesus is demonstrated in this book as a “servant”
-- Key verse: Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
- IMP: What God says to us here is critical application for living for Him
- Encouragement: When we encounter God’s truth, it should cause a change
-- We should feel uncomfortable in some areas of our life
-- Sometimes however, it IS our entire life that needs to change
-- The Gospel is not for the weak at heart, so count it an honor to be included
- Continuing in our study, we see Jesus performing more miracles/healings
-- His approach is direct, but sometimes the “why” is hidden from us
-- Let’s explore these passages and see if we can discover the “why” for ourselves
- Today we will look at three miracles performed by Jesus while He traveled
- Read Mark 7:24-7:30
∆ Point 1 – Faith of Steel (24-30)
- Once again we see Jesus traveling to another place of ministry
-- Tyre is located in modern day Lebanon (and still exists today)
- This first event happens on the heels of the encounter with Pharisees
-- Remember: sin is a heart condition and not a matter of ceremonial cleansing
-- This was the crux of the argument, and it’s what’s driving this time now
- Jesus, who has come for everyone, is now about to demonstrate this
-- IMP: SPOILER ALERT: THIS IS GOOD NEWS FOR YOU AND ME
- This woman He encounters is of Syrian Phoenician descent
-- She is a Syrophoenician woman, originally from ROME (She’s a … Gentile)
-- Now, if this doesn’t get you excited I dare say that nothing will!
- Previously, His encounters (and arguments) have been with the Jewish religious
-- Now, He is seen confronted (associating with) a woman of Roman descent
-- Even though he asks for His arrival to be a secret (v24) it’s impossible
- What this woman does is cross ALL cultural and traditional boundaries
-- Personally, I have one word: BRAVO! She knows He has what she needs
-- Again, what would YOU do for your child? This is her response to that
∆ CHANGE SLIDE
- Even though Jesus’ mission centered on the lost house of Israel
-- In Jeremiah 50:6, God calls Israel His people and “lost sheep.”
-- “My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place.”
- The Messiah, spoken of throughout the Old Testament, was seen as the one who would gather these “lost sheep”
-- Ezekiel 34:23-24, “I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.”
-- Micah 5:4-5, “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders,”
- When Jesus presented Himself as a shepherd to Israel, He was claiming to be the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy
-- John 10:11-16, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
-- Hebrews 13:20, “Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep”
-- 1 Peter 5:4, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”
-- Revelation 7:17, “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
