Crisis Points Mark 5:21-43.
The widow of Stephen Oake whose husband was a special branch police officer who was stabbed to death in Manchester by a terrorist, said in the Daily Telegraph article… That while she realized there was going to be some dark day’s ahead, she felt assured that “God is real.”
After sentencing in April 2005 Later during the sentencing of the man who murdered her husband she explained she had forgiven the man who killed her husband and also prays for him every day.
This tells me that there are times in our lives when our faith is serverly tested.But we must learn that these crisis points can become turning points, deepening points and healing points, such is the case for the widow of the late Stephen Oake.
And I know that this is true for many of you sat here today because you have experienced it. For others it’s still to come. But to some extent we have all faced crisis points in our lives. But the big question is how are we going to respond to it?
Remember as James tells us Jam.1:3-4 that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.
When a Christian hits a crisis point they will become turning points, where their faith will continue and grow rather than becoming bitter and cynical towards God their relationship will become deeper. And that is what we will encounter in this part of Marks gospel two people whose faith will grow as a result of crisis points in their lives.
• Mark again 3.13-30. Delivers a split screen with a story within a story.
1) Crisis points can become turning points.
• The life of conservative politican Jonathan Atkin who was convicted of purgery a crisis point in his life turned out to be a real turning point in his life.
Jarius story V22-23. The next two encounters deal with crisis points in the lives of the two people one is Jarius who is the horrible position of losing his twelve-year-old daughter. We see him pleading with Jesus falling at his feet asking for him to come and heal his little girl. So Jesus sets off with Jarius…
The womans story V30 Suddenly its all interrupted as Jesus is touched by a women who for twelve years has suffered from servere bleeding. (Menstrual or uterine disorder). And had spent all that she had on finding a cure but to no avail she was getting worse. She had to keep a low profile for she was ceremonial unclean, she shouldn’t of even been there.
We encounter turning points
Both of these problems were of personal nature: Jarius daughter was dying, her death would have repercussions for the whole family The women’s bleeding was making her personal life a misery both were at a crisis points which would change into turning points
The alternatives had failed v26
The women had tried alternatives to no avail and all though its not inferred no doubt Jarius had gone to great expensive with doctors to keep his daughter alive.
Both the woman and Jarius eventually turn to Jesus for help. Whatever situation we are facing we need to turn to Jesus and continue turning to Jesus for help.
I want to encourage you this morning,maybe you have tried the alternatives and you are still at a crisis point in your personal life? That’s bearing down upon you right now?
It could be anything from an illness, financial, relational, drink or drug related or even living your life void of Jesus being inside, I want to say turning to Jesus in your crisis point is the key just like Jarius and the woman, seeking out Jesus.
2) Crisis points can become deepening points
Heb.11:1 Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Both these individuals had faith in Jesus, we see that faith in them turning to Jesus for help we see it in their actions and words: Jarius was sure that Jesus was the Messiah unlike others who merely called Jesus a teacher v35. His faith was certain that the Messiah could bring about healing to his little daughter.
a) Faith in his actions v22
Jarius was a synagogue ruler one who was responsible for the worship and the weekly activities in the synagogue he had close ties with the Pharisees. It is highly likely he had heard of Jesus and been told to keep his distance from this charlatan.
Yet here we see a Synagogue ruler prepared to humble himself before Jesus, throwing himself to the floor. For Jarius to bow before Jesus was a significant act of respect and worship. (Notice the rich young ruler)
This tells me that our crisis points should become deepening points where we will humble ourselves before God and earnestly plead for help in so doing our faith will be deepened.
The psalms are full of such situations with King David Psalm 86:1-7, 1Pet: 5:6-7. Humble yourselves, therefore under Gods mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.
b) Faith in his words v23 In Jesus we see that God is willing to help in times of trouble. Psalm 46.1. God is our refuge…. Jarius earnestly pleads with Jesus, in his words we see a deepening faith. He knew that it was not a matter of ‘can you’ heal my daughter but ‘will you’ so that she will be healed and live.
He believes in Jesus, more than his peers around him, we see here that through his words he is implicitly trusting Jesus to bring restoration to his little girl.
c) Faith in the words of Jesus.
V35 He then gets the Bad news v36 and the good news.
Who does he listen too? He listens to Jesus. His Faith is rooted in Jesus in his darkest hour. When he reaches his home his daughter is dead and the mourners begin to laugh at Jesus v40 but Jarius continued to trust in Him.
• There will be times when people will try to undermine our faith in Jesus considering we are wasting our time In our darkest hours we need to continue to trust in the words of Jesus.
d) Faith in her actions v30. Here again we see faith in action, notice what she thought v28 If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed. The purpose of Jesus stopping and asking the question V30 who touched my clothes? Which seems to the disciple’s absurd v31 as the crowds were all touching him. Is that her touch was different it was the touch of faith, That’s why Jesus was sensitive to her touch in the morass of people. The people were putting there weight onto him the woman had taken power out of him.
Where is faith placed? v30. Jesus here is teaching us that only faith saves us. The whole purpose of Jesus stopping was to deepen the woman’s faith.. she believed the cloak healed her Jesus wanted her to understand that it was her faith in Jesus that healed her you see the power didn’t come from his clothes but it came from Him
Superstitious faith: The Church has been slow to learn throughout the centuries to the present day have often substitute things (icons) as a substitute for a nearness to God. So called relics of the Saints or even of Christ, like the Turin shroud the supposed grave clothes of Christ have been paraded as if some how touching them will contribute to our blessing and healing.
3) Crisis points can become healing points.
We finally see that Crisis points can become healing points, when we experience the healing touch of Jesus. Lets face it when we come to Jesus many of us have excess baggage that we need to deal with and yet Jesus has the power to deal with us holistically whether that’s physically emotionally and spiritually.
The healing of the women brings peace and freedom V34 Jesus has given the women peace for the first time in 12 years and freedom from suffering in an instant.
• The lesson for us is the only way we will receive peace and freedom is through faith in Jesus Christ. Isn’t it true that when we receive Christ as our Saviour we experience these blessed truths peace with God and freedom from sin
The women was in despair
People are searching for meaning to life, many people in this world are hurting inside, searching for significance, searching for peace and yet all they find is a bondage to sin :Bono says in that spiritual anthem from U2; ’I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.’
At any cost.... It took this women twelve years, before she was able to turn to Christ for the answer she had tried it all and also at great expense to alleviate the suffering, but nothing brought peace and freedom until she came to Christ.
People today are still searching for fulfilment and inner healing and will search in a variety of places and pay almost anything to find true fulfilment and inner healing.
Recently TV presenter Carol keating died of breast cancer but prior to her death,she and her husband searched for healing travelling to Australia and Switzerland trying all different methods from spiritual healing to latest technologies at great cost but sadly all to no avail, she died of cancer.
We all can know a deeper healing through the deepest disease of sin in Christ we can experience a total cure a new birth, a new life and the cost has been meet in Jesus Christ paid in full.
Notice the healing of the girl brings real hope v39
Firstly we see that we must never give up hope on our family members, Jesus raises this little girl to life it is proof of what Jesus can do to one whose soul is dead from the things of God. It is He who can breathe new life into the dead! From a home filled with mourning to a home filled with rejoicing.
G.K. Chesterton said, "Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all. As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude: It is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be strength."
Secondly we see the confirmation that Jesus has the power over death. That although we shall die we can be assured of the words of Jesus who said ‘I am the resurrection and the life he who believes in me even though he dies shall live.
We see that death is only sleep v39 from which we will awake whether saved or unsaved, when Christ returns 1Thess 4:13-18. Those who have fallen asleep in Christ will be raised from the dead and will reign with Christ and receive new and glorious bodies at the resurrection and he will judge the living and the dead.
This is the Christians real and certain hope, death has been conquered once and for all Jesus rose from the dead and Lives and so too will we with him.
And we will be ransomed healed restored and forgiven…….
So let your crisis points become turning points, let them become deepening points and finally allow them to be healing points in Christ alone.
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