Sermon Series: Getting to Know Jesus 

Your Faith in a Mirror 

Mark 5:21-43 

PSBC 2/24/02 AM

In a nutshell: The faith responses of the people in our two stories will tell us something about their faith. But they also will become a mirror for you and me to evaluate how strong our faith in God really is.

I. Introduction

A. Randy Reid Story

In May 1995, a 34 year old construction worker by the name of Randy Reid, was doing some final welding on top of a nearly completed water tower in one of Chicago's suburbs. At one point, Randy unhooked his safety belt so he could reach for some pipes. But at that same moment, a metal beam slipped off a nearby crane, and bumped the scaffolding Randy was standing on. The scaffolding tipped, and Randy lost his balance. He fell 110 feet to the ground below. In landing, he just missed a pile of rocks and construction debris on the ground. Instead he landed face down on a pile of dirt. A fellow worker saw the whole accident and immediately called 911.

When paramedics arrived, they couldn't believe their eyes. They found Randy completely conscious, moving, and complaining that he had a sore back.

Even though he went through such a horrendous fall, Randy still maintained his sense of humor. Because as paramedics carried him on a backboard to the ambulance, Randy asked one thing. He said, "Hey guys, be careful, will you? Don't drop me."

When he arrived at the hospital and was examined by the doctors, and they discovered that the only injury he suffered was a bruised lung.

Friends, I think sometimes our faith resembles Randy. God protects us from harm in a 110-foot fall, but we're still nervous about three-foot heights.

By that I mean, we have faith that God will save us from hell and death, but we're afraid that He won't be able to protect us from the smaller difficulties we are going to face this coming week.

B. Transition

How do you respond to the difficult and hard times in your life? -Do you respond in faith… or does your world fall apart? -Do you remain calm… or do you find yourself all tied up in knots? -Do you blame other people… or do you look to the Lord for the answers? You see, how you and I respond to difficult and tough times, reveals a lot about our faith.

If you have your Bibles, I'd like you to turn to Mark 5, starting at verse 21. In this section we're going to hear two different stories. And in those two stories we are going to find four different faith responses by the people Jesus met on this particular day. These faith responses will tell us something not only about the faith of the people in these situations, but they will also become a mirror for us to evaluate the strength of our faith in God.

C. Explanation and Review

But before we get into these two stories, I want to explain something. I've been asked by a few people, "Why are you preaching a series on "Getting to Know Jesus", when the theme of our church this year is "Building Family Unity"? What's the connection?

Well, let me tell you. If we are going to develop any kind of unity or strengthen the unity we already have here at PSBC, then we have to keep something very important at the front of our minds. Let me use the words of the Dutch theologian, Louis Berkhof, to describe what I mean. I put his words on the front of your WIG's this morning…

Church unity is internal; church union, external. Church unity is the result of spiritual growth in Jesus Christ; Church union is … the product of the organizing activity of men. Therefore, unity among believers is found only in their union with Christ. Louis Berkhof (1873-1957).

In other words, we're getting to know Jesus, because when we're all on the same page with Him, we'll all be on the same page with each other.

Well, with that in mind, we're going to look at two stories in the second half of Mark 5. -One is the story of a man named Jairus, and his plea for Jesus to heal his daughter. -and the other is a story about an unnamed woman who had a disease that caused her a great deal of pain due to a hemorrhaging condition.

Four faith responses are recorded in these verses. Which one or ones mirror your faith? II. Responses of Faith A. Faith From Need

The first response of faith is what I call Faith from Need. This is illustrated in both stories. And each story gets this response from a different angle. The first is in the story of Jairus.

1. Jairus story

Mark 5:21-24a 21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." 24 So Jesus went with him.

Jairus is a pretty important man in this town. He's described as one of the synagogue rulers. That means he held a very prominent position as one of the leading elders in the nation of Israel.

But Jairus had a huge personal problem. His daughter had contracted an unknown illness, was dying from that illness, and she was only 12 years old!

Illustration: I think back to when my own daughter, Jori, was twelve years old. It was a significant time of bonding between us. We went on dates together, we played catch in the backyard, we played basketball together, and during those times we talked a lot about God, about life, and about how God fit into our lives. She was my little girl, who was starting to grow up. She was her daddy's pride and joy!

Well, this 12 year old was Jairus' pride and joy. She was his little girl, on the threshold of adulthood. Her whole life was just starting to open up for her, but she was suffering and her life was threatened by this disease.

And seeing his little girl suffering was tearing Jairus' heart out. Because of his prominent place in Jewish society, we know he had access to the best medical care available. But none of that was working. His little girl was dying, and he was powerless to do anything about it. Jesus was his last hope. He did the only other thing he could do-he came to Jesus for help, on behalf of his daughter. His faith was on behalf of someone else.

2. Woman's story

But there's a second way this "faith from need" is illustrated. It comes as a parenthesis in Jairus' story…

Mark 5:24b-34 A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" 31 "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'" 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

The second way faith from need is illustrated, has to do with this woman. Her faith isn't on behalf of someone else's need, like Jairus. Her faith comes from personal need. Her situation was bleak. She was in a lot of physical pain. She had spent her life savings on various doctors. But never received healing. In fact, things only to got worse. But then she heard about Jesus.

Now, in the Greek language of the New Testament, the definite article-the-appears just before the name "Jesus". Jesus was a common name in Palestine in those days. But sentence structure tells us something important. It tells us that she had heard about the Jesus. In other words she believed that when she was coming to Jesus, she was coming to the one and only person who could help her. She came to Jesus because she had faith in Him. In fact, the Bible says that her faith was so strong that she believed that all she had to do was touch the hem of His garment and she would be healed. And that's exactly what happened.

Now, when tough times come into your life and you feel a real sense of inadequacy in your own abilities, what do you do? -Do you reach out to God in faith, -or do you give up, -or do you rely on your own strength? Regardless if it's a personal need or the need of someone else… turning to Jesus in times of difficulty and stress is a true sign of a faith that is real and pleasing to God.

B. Inadequate Faith

But there's a second kind of faith response in this section. I call it inadequate faith. You see, there are a lot of Christian people who claim to have faith in God, but when the difficult times come it becomes evident that what they really have is nothing more than a cheap imitation. There are three examples of inadequate faith in this section. The first one starts in verse 30…

1. The disciples

Mark 5:30-32 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" 31 "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'" 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.

The first example of inadequate faith is the reaction of the disciples.

When the woman pressed through the crowds and touched Jesus' cloak, Jesus felt healing power go out from Him. He realized that something special had just taken place. So He asked, "Who touched My clothes?"

But His disciples were too caught up in the hustle and bustle of the crowds to understand what Jesus understood. Now there's some reasons for that… -You see, Jesus was in touch with God, while the disciples were only in touch with their circumstances. -Jesus saw "the individual woman", while the disciples only saw the crowd. -Jesus was looking through "spiritual eyes", while the disciples were looking through physical eyes. All that contributed to their inadequate faith.

2. Jairus' servants

But inadequate faith is also demonstrated by Jairus' servants.

Mark 5:35-36 35 While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?" 36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

The faith of these servants was inadequate because they thought that once the girl had died there was no longer a need to bother Jesus. Their faith was only in what they could see. But Jesus told Jairus to believe in what could be, if Jesus intervened.

3. Mourners

Mark 5:37-40 37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep." 40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was.

Inadequate faith was also the response of the mourners. In that day the wealthy used to hire professional mourners to come in and mourn with the family when a loved one died. These people were in the grief business, and so they believed they knew everything there was to know about death.

So, when Jesus told them that the girl was only asleep, they quit crying and began laughing in ridicule. Instead of faith, the mourners demonstrated pride. And that's where they really messed up. Because faith is always hindered by pride. These mourners had closed their minds to a deeper spiritual truth because all they had experience-they thought they knew it all. But in reality, they were limited because their experience didn't include Jesus.

Illustration: I once heard a missionary tell how he was trying to do translation work in a particular tribe and found it hard to translate the word pride and the concept pride. He finally decided to use their word or words for the ears being too far apart. In other words, he was saying that pride was a big head. And I think that's about as accurate as you can get.

If you're seeing yourself in any of these inadequate faith responses, the best thing I can tell you is to guard against your pride in difficult times. Pride will keep you from seeing what can be with God's help. But that requires a strong faith in the power of Jesus Christ, not a strong faith in the power of yourself.

C. Faith that Enables

The third kind of faith response in this story is what I call, faith that enables. If you look again at verse 37, you see that Jesus only took certain disciples with Him to Jairus' house. He only allowed Peter, James and John to stay with Him in the room. This wasn't unusual in Jesus' ministry. There are a number of occasions where He took only those three guys with Him. But have you ever wondered why? I mean, was Jesus showing favoritism to just an elite group of his disciples, while dissing the rest? The answer is "No, He wasn't."

Jesus needed men around Him who were open to God's working and supportive of His mission. That's why he put the mocking mourners out of the room before he raised up the little girl. Certain people were a hindrance to have around.

Friends, let me tell you, faith works best in certain circumstances. -In times where there is openness and expectancy for what God can do, God moves mightily. -But where there is unbelief and cynicism, God refuses to move.

When Jesus visited his home town, the first six verses of Mark, chapter 6 tell us that they refused to believe Him, because they had no respect for Him. Because of that fact, Mark writes in 6:5 … 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

No significant mighty works could be done in His home town, because those people lacked faith.

I think this is one of the Christian church's biggest problems today. When a new idea comes along, too many people in the church say, "It won't work!" And we aren't willing to try something new. And with our negative attitudes we put limitations on what God wants to do for us, and in us, and through us.

Illustration: I read an interesting section in one of Robert Schuller's books a couple of years back. Normally you would think of Robert Schuller as an extremely affirming kind of guy. But I was intrigued to read his "Tips On Handling Impossibility Thinking Laymen" from his book Your Church Has a Fantastic Future. Listen to what he writes… 1. Don't attract them to the church. 2. Don't feed them. 3. Don't build a stage for them. 4. Know when and how to confront obstacle people. 5. Attract possibility thinkers. 6. Put possibility thinkers in power positions. 7. Remember positive ideas are stronger than negative ones. 8. Show love for impossibility thinkers. Then he adds a final thought, "Now forget about the obstructionists. Go on adding and winning new members to your church. Your new converts will soon outnumber, outvote and overpower the opposition."

That doesn't sound like the "warm fuzzy" Robert Schuller, does it? But it is. Whether you agree with everything he says or not, he does understand the point that negative, and cynical attitudes limit what God can do.

Is your faith an enabling faith? What a wonderful thing it would be to be the one who enables someone else to do mighty things for God. I think of the Old Testament guys, Aaron and Hur. They came along side their friend Moses, and held up his weary hands so that the battle could be won. I'm sure some people criticized Moses for not being stronger. But Aaron and Hur didn't criticize. They stepped in and provided what Moses was lacking, without any complaints.

The sobering thought that this passage brought to my mind this week is this, "Would I have been among those faith-filled disciples Jesus asked to go in that room with Him?" What about you? Would you have been one of them? Friends, if we're going to be truly effective in reaching people for Jesus Christ, we need to be faith enablers, not faith detractors.

D. Faith that blesses

A fourth kind of faith response to our difficult circumstances is faith that blesses. You see, faith isn't just for yourself. Now, it can be-the case of the woman with the hemorrhaging condition is a good example of this. But our response of faith can also give a blessing to others. That was the case of Jairus.

Mark 5:40b-42 40b After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.

Illustration: Lloyd John Ogilvie, our United States Chaplain to the Senate, used to be pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood. He tells the story about sitting on the platform with Billy Graham at a celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Billy's crusade work.

Billy said to him, "I could not preach with power nor lead anyone to Christ if it were not for the positive prayers for the blessing of God by thousands of believing people."

Just before Billy got up to preach Ogilvie said to him, "I'm praying for you, Billy!" Graham responded with a flash in his clear blue eyes, "I need that more than anything in all the world!"

Friends, I don't think we take into consideration enough, how our faith will affect someone else. But if our faith in God is what it should be, we can give a spiritual blessing, or encouragement, or even new life to other people. Jairus' daughter received life because of the faith of her father. Others can receive new life and hope because of your faith and your willingness to demonstrate it during the difficult times of your life.

III. Conclusion

Let me conclude with this…

Illustration: Many of you know that the Niagara River drops about 180 feet straight down at the American and Horseshoe Falls. Just before the falls, there are very violent, and turbulent rapids. But farther upstream, the river flows more gently, and boats are able to navigate.

But just before the Welland River empties into the Niagara, a pedestrian walkway goes across the river. Posted on this bridge's pylons, I'm told, is a warning sign for all boaters: "Do you have an anchor?" followed by, "Do you know how to use it?"

Friends, faith is our anchor. It comes to us as a gift from God. The question is, do you know how to use it to avoid spiritual disaster?

As you looked into the mirror of these four faith responses in these two stories this morning, what did it reflect back? Is your faith the kind that will help you and maybe others avoid spiritual disaster? Or are you a spiritual disaster waiting to happen because you don't know how to use your faith?

A prayer I have been praying everyday for the past year has made a lot of difference in my life. I start my day by praying… "Lord, please give me all the faith I need to accomplish what you want me to do today." I'd encourage you to consider praying that as well. I can guarantee that you'll begin to see a great improvement in your faith response to difficult and hard times. 

Amen.