WEBVTT 00:00:09.699 --> 00:00:13.300 Hello, and welcome to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:14.839 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:16.199 We're startup church. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.460 We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.539 --> 00:00:32.299 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect, be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:40.399 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:43.079 Grateful to grateful to see you all. 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:45.380 I hope that you guys are doing well. 00:00:45.640 --> 00:00:50.259 I think this is, well, this is our third year that we've been here in the month of October. 00:00:50.820 --> 00:00:52.140 And that's exciting. 00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:57.359 Yes, this is, this is the most fall weather that we've had as well. 00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:03.018 I don't know if maybe you guys don't remember, but I remember the last two, it being so warm in this greenhouse. 00:01:03.280 --> 00:01:05.299 And so, uh, you know, we're just grateful. 00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:07.159 We're grateful to God for that. 00:01:07.260 --> 00:01:14.140 I wanted to go through just a little bit of the ways that this church has changed over the last year. 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:14.920 Okay. 00:01:14.939 --> 00:01:20.200 And so, and if I'm missing anything at the end of it, you can, you can shout out a couple as well. 00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:28.579 Um, so the first is we started the year or we rather, we started at the end of October with basically no teen ministry. 00:01:28.659 --> 00:01:32.000 And now we have routine, uh, teen events. 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:34.019 There are team leaders. 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:41.079 Um, and then in the next month or two, there's going to be a, this team leaders conference that two of the couples in our church are going to. 00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:49.180 And so we're excited about that kingdom kids kingdom kids started. 00:01:49.180 --> 00:01:56.959 They, we started out with only one classroom and it was a crazy mess of, uh, of good hearts. 00:01:57.079 --> 00:02:04.200 And now there's two kids kingdom classes, which is exciting, which is a crazy mess. 00:02:04.299 --> 00:02:05.319 But now there's two of them. 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:08.400 We've had some people move in. 00:02:08.979 --> 00:02:11.599 We've had some, uh, we've had some people that were sent out. 00:02:12.020 --> 00:02:17.979 Uh, they're not here this morning, but there's been a, there's a new baby who, uh, last year was not here. 00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:21.259 And now baby Nina Somerville is here and we're excited about that. 00:02:23.300 --> 00:02:34.500 We've, uh, we've moved locations to a place that allows for us to continue to grow and to continue to, uh, to serve the community, but be, uh, the family that we know we are and we really want to be. 00:02:34.979 --> 00:02:39.180 Uh, we separated into three house churches as opposed to two. 00:02:39.500 --> 00:02:41.479 Uh, we hired a campus minister. 00:02:47.419 --> 00:02:54.360 And on top of all of that, God has, uh, God has added to the number eight people who've gotten baptized in the last year in our church. 00:02:58.139 --> 00:03:06.319 I think, I think this can be a time where we can certainly in this moment, but then maybe in this next week, just dream a little bit. 00:03:06.340 --> 00:03:12.539 So many of you have been coming for a little bit of time or an extended period of some, this is maybe your first Sunday, your first couple of Sundays. 00:03:12.539 --> 00:03:32.879 I want to challenge you to just take a moment, uh, not right now, but maybe during your week to really dream about what God can be doing certainly in your life, but then in your life and then in the lives of the people around you, uh, as well, amen, uh, to, to consider just for a little bit about where this church is, is going to go. 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:39.919 Uh, it's, we can do that forever and it's exciting, but, but what I would say is without Jesus, it's impossible, right? 00:03:39.919 --> 00:03:54.340 We can come up with the most amazing ideas and plans and organize it perfectly and it can be so wise, but without God working in this church, it's, it's meaningless and it's nothing and maybe we accomplished the goals, but God is not glorified by it if it's not in his name. 00:03:54.379 --> 00:03:54.539 Amen. 00:03:56.599 --> 00:03:58.919 So this, this last, you guys can go to Luke eight. 00:03:59.020 --> 00:04:03.460 Uh, also at the back of the, the handout is also the scriptures. 00:04:03.620 --> 00:04:05.080 Well, it's the main text that we're going to be in. 00:04:05.240 --> 00:04:13.439 And so if you don't have a Bible, you can just look at that sheet and if you don't have a Bible and you want one and you, you can just keep it, you can go at the back. 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:15.560 There's a, there's, there's a few giveaways. 00:04:15.800 --> 00:04:16.860 We'd love to do that. 00:04:17.278 --> 00:04:26.060 Uh, so, so just recently at last two weeks ago, I sat down with, uh, with this guy that we're starting to work with. 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:29.600 We're starting to work with him basically about what does it mean to be a disciple. 00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:39.660 And uh, and he has a background in faith and I asked him what is one word he could, he would use, or I didn't say one word, actually I said, what would you use to describe Jesus? 00:04:39.860 --> 00:04:41.480 Like what would you say about it? 00:04:42.100 --> 00:04:44.800 And the only thing he could come up with was crazy. 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:48.000 Uh, there's truth to it. 00:04:48.060 --> 00:04:48.959 I think it's interesting. 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:49.660 He said crazy. 00:04:49.779 --> 00:04:50.620 And that's not where I would go. 00:04:50.660 --> 00:04:50.920 Initially. 00:04:50.959 --> 00:04:51.680 That's, it's true. 00:04:51.740 --> 00:04:52.139 It's accurate. 00:04:52.720 --> 00:05:06.009 Um, but, but if I had to ask you, okay, describe your best friend to me, you, you wouldn't say stuff that they do or it's something they did. 00:05:06.009 --> 00:05:14.170 If you had to ask me to describe, Hey, describe Bianca, I wouldn't say, well, she graduated in 2014 with a nursing degree from Marquette university. 00:05:14.350 --> 00:05:16.709 And that's, that's not what I would say to describe her, right? 00:05:18.310 --> 00:05:26.009 Your best friend, you wouldn't say, well, they're, you know, and, and go with the, they're, well, they're wearing red today and they love their, their favorite color is orange. 00:05:26.050 --> 00:05:29.509 And yeah, no, you, you would share about experiences you've had with them. 00:05:29.569 --> 00:05:31.689 You, you would share about how they make you feel. 00:05:31.709 --> 00:05:36.069 If you got really deep, you might share about the things that they've done and how they personally touched your life. 00:05:37.730 --> 00:05:43.029 And so for us, the challenge today is when I asked this question is how would you describe Jesus? 00:05:43.810 --> 00:05:50.389 I, I hope that, that we can mature from saying, well, he walked on water or well, he fed 5,000. 00:05:51.209 --> 00:06:05.170 These things are true, but if, if it's, if our understanding of Jesus is just exclusively what he has done, then, then we're missing the life that Jesus lived and really our discipleship is going to be short-lived. 00:06:07.500 --> 00:06:12.939 Because if we look at, if we look at the life Jesus lived, then we can understand, this is how I can live my life a little bit better. 00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:13.480 You know, right? 00:06:13.560 --> 00:06:14.860 If I say, what did Jesus do? 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:16.319 Well, he walked on water. 00:06:16.439 --> 00:06:17.879 Well, let's walk on water too. 00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:35.439 And you'd say, no, we can't do that, but, but you can have a sense of humor and we can say, well, you can't feed 5,000 people, but you can have compassion for large crowds of people and you can't die for someone's sins, but you can die to yourself and show someone who did die for their sins, right? 00:06:36.259 --> 00:06:45.980 See, the key to unlocking a dynamic relationship with Jesus is not learning more about what he did, but paying attention to and embracing why he did it. 00:06:46.379 --> 00:06:53.240 So today we're just going to look at one story in the Bible and there's a couple of people that Jesus heals forever. 00:06:53.480 --> 00:06:57.399 We're going to look at one story though, and I want, I got the seven quick points. 00:06:57.600 --> 00:06:59.360 You say seven, that's going to take forever. 00:06:59.579 --> 00:07:03.939 We're going to go through them very quickly, but I bet that seven, what I would say is it's not comprehensive. 00:07:04.240 --> 00:07:07.980 There's, there's more that you're going to see just in the text that we won't even cover. 00:07:08.160 --> 00:07:18.160 And so the, the goal though, again, if we grow in our adoration and admiration of Jesus Christ, then we'll have no choice but to grow in our followership of him. 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:36.819 So if you grow in your adoration to say, wow, he's, he's amazing so much so that I'm going to live how he lived or try to, and if you grow in your admiration so much so that to say the teachings that he has are exactly perfect and it's incredible if you grow in both of those things, you'll have no choice but to grow in your followership, followership of him. 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:45.689 It's Luke eight, the title of the lesson today is worthy to follow in verse 40 we'll pick up. 00:07:45.750 --> 00:07:51.350 It says now when Jesus returned, a large or rather a crowd welcomed him for they were all expecting him. 00:07:51.750 --> 00:08:00.970 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader came and fell at Jesus's feet pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about 12 was dying. 00:08:03.089 --> 00:08:12.790 As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him and a woman who, who was there who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years, but no one could heal her. 00:08:13.069 --> 00:08:18.089 She came up behind him, touched the edge of his cloak and immediately her bleeding stopped. 00:08:18.810 --> 00:08:19.769 Who touched me? 00:08:19.850 --> 00:08:25.310 Jesus asked when they all denied it, Peter said, master, the people are crowding and pressing against you. 00:08:25.310 --> 00:08:27.649 But, but Jesus said, someone touched me. 00:08:27.730 --> 00:08:29.149 I know that power has gone out for me. 00:08:30.629 --> 00:08:37.190 Then the woman seeing that she could not go unnoticed came trembling and fell at his feet in the presence of all the people. 00:08:37.350 --> 00:08:41.090 She told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 00:08:41.350 --> 00:08:46.509 Then he said to her daughter, your faith has healed you go in peace. 00:08:48.970 --> 00:08:57.990 Jesus had, has just gotten back from interacting with some non Jewish people and he healed them and did amazing things, uh, did amazing things there. 00:08:58.070 --> 00:09:01.509 Then he went back and there's people who are just waiting for him. 00:09:02.009 --> 00:09:09.850 Uh, he's there's, there's so many people and they're, they're, they're expecting him to show up and you get the image. 00:09:09.929 --> 00:09:17.529 I don't know if you've ever been, uh, popular enough and I, I've not that as soon as you go somewhere, there's a bunch of people around you. 00:09:17.750 --> 00:09:22.750 Uh, maybe you've been in a big crowd of people where you feel like, I, I don't know where I'm going next. 00:09:22.750 --> 00:09:32.090 I guess just recently we were at, uh, well not recently, I guess we were at Dayton and Owens, uh, high school or rather middle school promotion and I felt like leaving that space. 00:09:32.210 --> 00:09:44.409 It was cramped and we're all trying to get out and so you've been in a spot like that, but now imagine that instead of all trying to go out in the same spot, they're all pushing against you to try to talk to you, interact with you and have you heal them. 00:09:44.809 --> 00:09:47.870 This is what is going on with, with Jesus right now. 00:09:49.549 --> 00:09:57.710 This, this woman then comes up to him and some, some, uh, other translator, rather other accounts will say that she spent everything she had. 00:09:57.809 --> 00:09:58.710 She was extremely desperate. 00:09:58.830 --> 00:10:02.129 She had no, uh, no hope for, for healing outside of Jesus. 00:10:02.190 --> 00:10:08.210 She spent all of her, whatever she made to, to get this and get this healing, but it didn't work. 00:10:10.549 --> 00:10:15.029 Uh, so what I want to start with and the first thing, what are we pulling from the life of Jesus? 00:10:15.029 --> 00:10:21.149 How are we growing in our adoration or admiration of him and understand that Jesus is not concerned with your place in society. 00:10:22.309 --> 00:10:25.250 There's a well respected man, the synagogue leader. 00:10:25.350 --> 00:10:29.970 This is the guy who might've been, uh, he would have been really well known to almost everybody there. 00:10:30.029 --> 00:10:43.250 They would have been, they would have seen him and he might've been like, if you can imagine, perhaps this is the image I get like a mayor, but who's also, uh, involved in religious activity so much so that he would have organized the service. 00:10:43.250 --> 00:10:48.169 He was like a pastor who was also a mayor of sorts and like he had some ownership. 00:10:48.350 --> 00:10:49.909 He had some clout as he walked around. 00:10:50.190 --> 00:10:57.909 Uh, they thought people thought highly of him and then there's a woman who is viewed at a distance, uh, from society. 00:10:57.909 --> 00:11:00.070 She's ceremonially unclean. 00:11:00.129 --> 00:11:02.169 She couldn't interact with her people. 00:11:02.309 --> 00:11:06.909 Everything she sat on, every person she touched would, would be deemed unclean. 00:11:09.179 --> 00:11:15.000 One person respected the other entirely despised and Jesus doesn't heal based on their standing in society. 00:11:15.379 --> 00:11:15.480 Right? 00:11:16.120 --> 00:11:23.200 Jesus doesn't go to the, the, the, the amazing guy, the guy who's respected and say, I got you and I'm going to leave that woman to the side. 00:11:23.779 --> 00:11:25.059 Nor does he say, you know what? 00:11:25.159 --> 00:11:27.080 You don't, Jairus, you got a lot going for you. 00:11:27.139 --> 00:11:29.100 I don't think you really need much help. 00:11:29.159 --> 00:11:30.639 You kind of got, you're working okay. 00:11:30.840 --> 00:11:34.879 You know, you'll be okay without your daughter and I'm going to worry about these lowly people. 00:11:34.919 --> 00:11:36.080 He doesn't do either of those things. 00:11:36.159 --> 00:11:37.980 No, he, he decides to heal them both. 00:11:40.059 --> 00:11:40.980 What does that mean for us? 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:47.740 Well, I think for you and me, it's a question of what do we look at when we decide who is open to hearing the message? 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:51.919 I would, I would put before you that you probably go one of two ways. 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:54.100 Uh, you, you might, this is what I would say. 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:58.480 Maybe you go to a spot of, you're like, you know, this person is a lowly person. 00:11:58.580 --> 00:12:01.120 They don't, they're just here for a handout. 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:03.320 I don't, man, they're, they're exhausting. 00:12:03.580 --> 00:12:04.519 They're too much work. 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:08.419 They don't need to hear the gospel or if they do, they're going to find it somewhere else. 00:12:08.460 --> 00:12:09.519 We're not that kind of church. 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:19.139 Or maybe you go to a spot and you say, you know, this person, he's respected, he's wealthy, he has everything going for him. 00:12:19.539 --> 00:12:20.720 He doesn't need to hear the gospel. 00:12:21.460 --> 00:12:22.299 He's got it. 00:12:22.340 --> 00:12:23.220 He figured life out. 00:12:23.340 --> 00:12:25.159 If anything, why would he listen to me of all people? 00:12:27.799 --> 00:12:29.460 Jesus is not concerned with that though. 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:33.259 The next thing we see is that Jesus, he doesn't fit your status quo. 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:39.679 In that day, it's frowned upon to interact with any woman who, who's not your relative in public. 00:12:40.220 --> 00:12:49.820 And, and even from what I understand, a little bit of study, even interacting with your family would have been a little bit frowned, it would have been frowned upon or a little bit seen as, as being weird. 00:12:51.299 --> 00:12:57.360 Jesus has this conversation with her in front of everybody and, and, and understand what she's saying. 00:12:57.399 --> 00:13:06.100 If she had to go through all of these people, then what it would mean is that this, this woman was saying, everybody I interact with, I'm unclean. 00:13:06.100 --> 00:13:08.580 You get the image of this woman just wants to go, birds are amazing. 00:13:08.580 --> 00:13:14.360 This woman just wants to go and, and touch his cloak and get out of there without anybody noticing. 00:13:14.580 --> 00:13:15.740 She's very content. 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:16.779 She knows he can solve it. 00:13:16.840 --> 00:13:20.019 And yet he decides, no, I'm going to have this interaction with her. 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:23.759 He's not, he's not concerned with what's appropriate. 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:27.320 He's not concerned with, with what society says is normal. 00:13:27.399 --> 00:13:29.360 No, he's not concerned with your status quo. 00:13:31.259 --> 00:13:37.279 Next thing is that you can be in proximity with Jesus without being healed by him. 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:41.419 That Jesus couldn't move around, right? 00:13:42.860 --> 00:13:44.820 And so he, but he asks, who touched me? 00:13:45.460 --> 00:13:49.100 His most loyal follower said, Hey, Jesus, everybody touched you. 00:13:50.539 --> 00:13:52.080 Think about being in that crowd. 00:13:52.179 --> 00:13:52.879 Put yourself there. 00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:56.879 Now you're in the crowd and you, maybe you, you're a little bit sick. 00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:07.379 You got your coffin and you know, your, maybe your, your leg hurts or there's something wrong maybe from birth or maybe in the last, you know, little few years or maybe in the last few months, there's just, there's something going on. 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:10.379 You're interacting, you're, you're there, right? 00:14:10.460 --> 00:14:23.820 You're, you're waiting for him to, you're in, maybe you're in line to get him healed or you're trying to make it there and, but, but it doesn't, it doesn't happen for whatever, whatever reason this woman decides it doesn't, I don't, I'm going to get healed or I'm going to go for it. 00:14:24.940 --> 00:14:36.120 You know, what's, what's incredible about, about this, this woman, what she was saying when she decided to go touch his, it would have been like a tassel basically. 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:51.700 And so this is basically, she's looking at the book and she understood at least from what somebody taught her in the book of Malachi, you don't go there, but in the book of Malachi, it says that when the Messiah comes, there's going to be healing in his, in his, in his wings or in his garments basically. 00:14:51.820 --> 00:14:57.659 And so she's like, I think he's the one I got to touch that guy, however, which way I'm going to, I'm going to get to him. 00:14:57.840 --> 00:14:59.299 She had faith to be healed. 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:07.299 These other, these other men, women, presumably around Jesus, they were next to him, but for whatever reason, they weren't, they weren't healed. 00:15:07.379 --> 00:15:10.179 And you can be in proximity with Jesus without being healed by him. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:14.240 Jesus has this connection with this, this woman. 00:15:14.539 --> 00:15:24.559 This is the only place in scripture where he calls, where he uses the word daughter to describe somebody for you and me. 00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:25.059 What does that mean? 00:15:25.159 --> 00:15:26.840 Well, going to church, it doesn't get you healthy. 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:29.000 Reading your Bible doesn't get you healthy. 00:15:29.480 --> 00:15:30.799 Praying doesn't get you healthy. 00:15:31.320 --> 00:15:33.220 Only Jesus can make you spiritually healthy. 00:15:34.220 --> 00:15:38.139 Certainly those are the means, those are some means to get to Jesus. 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:40.500 But if we take those to say, that's the end of it. 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:41.799 I just need to read my Bible. 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:42.779 I need to pray. 00:15:43.039 --> 00:15:44.720 I need to show up to church and I'm good. 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:46.179 Then we're missing it entirely. 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:50.519 Are you, are you calling out to Jesus? 00:15:50.659 --> 00:15:55.840 Do you, do you see that you are spiritually or emotionally unhealthy? 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:04.480 We see also that Jesus, he desires to partner with you. 00:16:05.100 --> 00:16:06.580 He could have attributed this healing. 00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:07.519 He could have just said, you know what? 00:16:07.559 --> 00:16:08.379 No, my, my feeling. 00:16:08.460 --> 00:16:09.139 I did it. 00:16:09.139 --> 00:16:09.659 I'm the one. 00:16:10.100 --> 00:16:10.799 And he would have been right. 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:11.580 He would have been justified. 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:11.879 Right? 00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:15.320 But instead he decided to empower this woman. 00:16:16.299 --> 00:16:17.919 Jesus, Jesus, work with me here. 00:16:17.960 --> 00:16:21.799 He does virtually everything, but he does ask for something. 00:16:22.179 --> 00:16:31.299 When I was in eighth grade, graduating to high school, there was two schools that joined up into this bigger high school, two middle schools that joined into this high school. 00:16:31.600 --> 00:16:34.460 And then there was also like some kids from a neighboring school that would come. 00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:37.240 And then, then there was a Catholic school that kind of filtered in. 00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:39.399 And we got a bunch of different kids going to this high school. 00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:40.899 It's, it's a, it's a normal occurrence. 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:42.139 You guys know what I'm talking about. 00:16:42.620 --> 00:16:47.399 And basically though, during this time, there's kind of this, the freshmen, at least I experienced it. 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:50.679 Freshman history was kind of this feeling out process of sorts. 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:57.820 And you kind of figured out like, who's, who's the, the go above and beyond student and who is the one that's riding the coattails type of student. 00:16:59.399 --> 00:17:06.680 People assumed that I was the riding the coattails type of student and I was okay with that as long as I got a good person to, to, to lead me basically. 00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:08.940 I was fine with not doing very much of the work. 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:12.559 And as long as I got the grade and the grade was decent enough, I'm I'll live. 00:17:18.430 --> 00:17:24.710 I don't know if there's a confession or if that's something, you know, but what I would say is what, what, what do I mean, or what's, what's the point? 00:17:25.930 --> 00:17:31.630 Maybe you've been in a, in a group project and maybe you, maybe you're in the other, the other end. 00:17:31.710 --> 00:17:35.950 You said, I mean, I did all the work and now I don't want to put this guy's name on the project. 00:17:36.369 --> 00:17:38.230 Or maybe you said, no, I did all the work. 00:17:38.230 --> 00:17:38.890 I'm content with it. 00:17:38.950 --> 00:17:39.150 Whatever. 00:17:39.329 --> 00:17:41.710 Or you didn't do any of the work, but your name gets on the project. 00:17:42.690 --> 00:17:54.650 Jesus is, uh, if he's, if he desires to partner with us and he's doing 98, 99, it's not even worth talking about percentage of the work in healing, in healing you and in healing the people that you interact with. 00:17:55.109 --> 00:17:56.049 What does he ask of you? 00:17:56.089 --> 00:17:57.630 He just says, put your name on it though. 00:17:58.230 --> 00:17:59.210 Put your name on the project. 00:17:59.289 --> 00:17:59.910 That's all you got to do. 00:17:59.990 --> 00:18:00.829 I got the rest. 00:18:01.210 --> 00:18:02.230 You just need to do a little bit. 00:18:02.269 --> 00:18:06.230 And so you think about how much God is working in your life and what does he ask of you? 00:18:06.230 --> 00:18:11.630 Well, he asks you to give your entire life, but in the grand scheme of everything, what is that really? 00:18:11.950 --> 00:18:12.069 Right? 00:18:13.970 --> 00:18:15.150 Let's continue reading. 00:18:15.309 --> 00:18:25.329 Uh, it says, while Jesus was still speaking in verse 49, someone came to someone came from the house of gyrus, the synagogue leader, your daughter is dead. 00:18:25.450 --> 00:18:28.529 He said, don't bother the teacher anymore. 00:18:29.769 --> 00:18:32.789 Hearing this, Jesus said to gyrus, don't be afraid. 00:18:33.009 --> 00:18:35.349 Just believe and she will be healed. 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:44.859 When he arrived at the house of gyrus, he didn't let anyone go in with him except Peter, James or Peter, John and James and the child's mother and father. 00:18:45.700 --> 00:18:48.680 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. 00:18:49.059 --> 00:18:49.680 Stop wailing. 00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:51.259 He said, she's not dead, but asleep. 00:18:51.880 --> 00:18:58.000 They laughed at him knowing that she was dead, but he took her by the hand and said, my child get up. 00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:02.440 Her spirit returned and at once she stood up. 00:19:02.559 --> 00:19:05.359 Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 00:19:05.890 --> 00:19:10.559 Her parents were astonished, but they ordered, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:20.759 Think about being a Peter, James and John in, in this story here. 00:19:20.940 --> 00:19:27.480 And imagine the, uh, imagine the difficulty of keeping this quiet until Jesus rose from the dead. 00:19:27.579 --> 00:19:27.920 Right? 00:19:28.259 --> 00:19:34.079 You've got, you, you, you have this amazing story and, and you're like, man, this, this is so cool. 00:19:34.119 --> 00:19:35.160 This is exactly what happened. 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:38.619 And then maybe your brother asked, Hey, I'm one of the disciples too. 00:19:38.619 --> 00:19:39.279 My name's Andrew. 00:19:39.420 --> 00:19:39.519 Yeah. 00:19:39.539 --> 00:19:40.660 What, what happened back there? 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:41.519 How did he raise her? 00:19:41.539 --> 00:19:43.119 And you'd say, I just can't tell anybody. 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:44.180 I don't, I don't know. 00:19:44.220 --> 00:19:45.079 I was sworn to secrecy. 00:19:45.180 --> 00:19:47.200 What a, what a difficult proposition. 00:19:47.220 --> 00:19:50.279 It's amazing that they kept their mouths shut for as long as they did. 00:19:52.339 --> 00:19:53.400 Notice Jesus's words. 00:19:53.660 --> 00:19:57.000 What, what does he tell to, uh, to, to the father? 00:19:59.710 --> 00:19:59.990 Yes. 00:20:00.029 --> 00:20:00.690 Don't be afraid. 00:20:00.950 --> 00:20:07.579 Just believe, you know, Jesus, this is the fifth thing that we can gain from Jesus. 00:20:07.579 --> 00:20:11.619 She empathizes with nuance issues and emotions. 00:20:13.339 --> 00:20:16.960 If I had to ask you, what would you say to somebody whose child just died? 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:19.339 I bet you, you wouldn't say, don't be afraid. 00:20:21.420 --> 00:20:22.400 That doesn't make any sense. 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:25.640 Don't be afraid of what, how, how, what are you talking about? 00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:25.880 Jesus? 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:27.480 I'm more sad than I am afraid. 00:20:27.559 --> 00:20:28.079 I'm angry. 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:30.299 Perhaps that you, you could have healed her. 00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:34.359 And if you would have just not made a big deal out of that woman, we would have been good. 00:20:34.519 --> 00:20:34.880 Jesus. 00:20:35.880 --> 00:20:36.599 I'm frustrated. 00:20:36.599 --> 00:20:36.759 I'm frustrated. 00:20:37.019 --> 00:20:38.920 I feel discouraged. 00:20:39.140 --> 00:20:43.900 I'm having to think about what is my life going to look like without my, my daughter. 00:20:47.650 --> 00:20:51.630 Jesus understands the human heart better than you or I could ever dream though. 00:20:51.670 --> 00:20:51.869 Right? 00:20:52.609 --> 00:20:59.450 And he, he, he speaks through and, and really if we say, don't be afraid, understand that there's an emptiness to it. 00:20:59.990 --> 00:21:03.750 When Jesus says, don't be afraid, just believe he's actually going to raise her from the dead. 00:21:03.990 --> 00:21:09.329 But Jesus empathizes with, with multifaceted issues and emotions and he's not afraid of them. 00:21:09.390 --> 00:21:10.390 He doesn't shrink back from them. 00:21:10.750 --> 00:21:12.230 He embraces them entirely. 00:21:13.829 --> 00:21:16.970 Another thing we can get is that Jesus, he's not looking for empty followers. 00:21:18.569 --> 00:21:24.029 He sends everybody out, but these three men and the girls, mom and dad, he doesn't give them a chance to see this miracle. 00:21:24.569 --> 00:21:29.470 These people, it was, it was a normal thing to hire mourners and they were, that was their job. 00:21:29.529 --> 00:21:35.750 Their job was to wail and cry and that was what they were supposed to do in order to bring attention and allow the family to grieve. 00:21:36.529 --> 00:21:37.829 I wouldn't want that job. 00:21:37.829 --> 00:21:41.509 I don't know if, uh, if any of you would, I wonder how well they paid. 00:21:41.910 --> 00:21:49.730 But anybody who says Jesus was doing miracles in order to gain a following is totally inaccurate. 00:21:51.230 --> 00:21:57.809 Certainly he, he did that to some extent, but not, that's not the extent of all of his miracles were so that he could gain a following. 00:21:57.910 --> 00:22:01.250 This one in particular, he says, don't tell anybody what just happened. 00:22:03.910 --> 00:22:06.849 No, we can't be looking for empty followers, either them, right? 00:22:07.430 --> 00:22:16.630 Any church or group of people that's not calling its members to what the Bible teaches, not just on Sunday, but every day of the week, uh, is on thin ice according to Jesus. 00:22:20.349 --> 00:22:26.470 Another thing that we see is that maybe the most important, the thing that permeates all is that Jesus cares. 00:22:28.599 --> 00:22:36.799 He had already, he'd already shown to people that he was able to fit, to heal somebody without being in physical proximity to them. 00:22:36.819 --> 00:22:37.220 He healed. 00:22:37.220 --> 00:22:44.700 You can go, I think it might be one chapter before the, the healing of the centurion, uh, the centurion servant, the centurion says, I don't need it. 00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:45.940 You don't need to come by me. 00:22:45.980 --> 00:22:47.920 Just say the word and you'll be healed and he'll be healed. 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:51.940 I know it because I know you, why, why did you just walk with her then? 00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:57.039 Why think about Jesus is, is entirely perfect, totally incredible. 00:22:57.420 --> 00:22:59.200 He subjected himself to be tired. 00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:00.619 He subjected his feet to hurt. 00:23:00.880 --> 00:23:01.619 He didn't have to. 00:23:01.660 --> 00:23:03.740 He could at any point said, I don't want my feet to hurt. 00:23:03.940 --> 00:23:04.839 I'll just keep walking. 00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:05.599 And he's God. 00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:06.440 He could have done that. 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:10.539 But, but why then, why, why would he decide to do this? 00:23:10.740 --> 00:23:11.200 Why waste? 00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:12.519 Why waste his time? 00:23:12.660 --> 00:23:20.619 Maybe if you or me were in his shoes, we'd say, ah, I got you, you know, and, and just snap your fingers and you'd have been, the child would have been healed. 00:23:22.259 --> 00:23:27.339 I believe Jesus saw the condition of humanity at every, every single day that he woke up. 00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:34.359 He saw the impact that sin and its consequent decay had on the world. 00:23:34.359 --> 00:23:36.539 Every single moment that he was walking. 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:41.940 I'm sure that he took great joy in feeding 5,000. 00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:45.980 I'm sure he took great joy in, in walking on water. 00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:48.619 I'm sure he took great joy and then feeding 4,000. 00:23:48.700 --> 00:23:57.579 I'm sure he took so much joy in that, but I'd have to imagine that there's something special to be able to look at this, this little girl and to say, no, no, get up. 00:24:02.579 --> 00:24:12.579 And so if someone asks you, this is a rhetorical, if somebody asks you to share what impresses you most about Jesus, what would you say? 00:24:20.980 --> 00:24:25.579 You know what, what, what's we're going to transition here into a time of communion. 00:24:25.579 --> 00:24:33.279 And I, I think it's, it's incredible that I, you've heard it and I've heard it a lot that I don't believe in Jesus. 00:24:33.640 --> 00:24:37.000 I don't believe in, uh, I believe he was a good man. 00:24:37.240 --> 00:24:39.920 I believe that, but I don't believe he rose from the dead. 00:24:39.980 --> 00:24:40.799 I don't believe he's God. 00:24:40.839 --> 00:24:41.700 I don't, I don't believe that. 00:24:44.779 --> 00:24:51.000 And, and almost always that person has never read the Bible because you can't hear me. 00:24:51.140 --> 00:24:57.799 You can't believe that, that Jesus, uh, only has good teachings if you don't also believe he's Lord. 00:25:00.630 --> 00:25:04.690 Jesus says in John 14, he says, I am the way, the truth and the life. 00:25:04.829 --> 00:25:07.009 No one comes to the father except through me. 00:25:08.210 --> 00:25:11.490 And then he Phillips says, Hey, show us, show us the father. 00:25:11.549 --> 00:25:12.029 That'll be enough. 00:25:12.049 --> 00:25:12.650 He says, no, no, no. 00:25:12.650 --> 00:25:14.470 You don't understand me and the father. 00:25:14.690 --> 00:25:15.369 We are one. 00:25:17.609 --> 00:25:24.059 If Jesus is not God, then his teachings are arrogant and self-centered there. 00:25:24.299 --> 00:25:25.160 He's a narcissist. 00:25:25.400 --> 00:25:27.859 If he's not also Lord, he's a narcissist. 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:29.920 He just desires attention. 00:25:30.039 --> 00:25:34.339 He desires praise from everybody, but he can't really, he can't really entirely back it up. 00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:52.640 Jesus in his calling out to humanity is different than any other religious leader who you respect that you've ever known in your entire life and any other religion that you look at is always pointing towards, Hey, I'm, I am a way I'm, I'm leading you to the way. 00:25:52.980 --> 00:26:10.049 They don't say I am the way they can't say I am the way they realize if I say I am the way that I have to back it up and I'm not able to back it up us, us deciding to take communion and really embrace Jesus dying for our sins. 00:26:10.190 --> 00:26:14.630 And then, and then raising from the dead is us saying, Jesus, we know you're different. 00:26:14.630 --> 00:26:19.069 We understand that you're not just a good teacher. 00:26:19.809 --> 00:26:25.890 We we're committing ourselves to, to living for you every day, but specifically this week. 00:26:27.089 --> 00:26:31.690 That's why we take it on a weekly basis is to remember, remember him and remember his sacrifice. 00:26:32.309 --> 00:26:36.970 And so I want to challenge us as we, as we close, we're going to close in a prayer. 00:26:37.049 --> 00:26:47.809 And then there's a, there's some communion cups and if they're, if you're, if you're missing some, you can just put your hand up after the prayer and, uh, and, and people will make sure you get a communion cup. 00:26:47.930 --> 00:27:01.490 But as we take communion, I want, I want to challenge you guys to really consider one, what impresses you about Jesus, but then, but then to consider what it means to take communion and to say, you are Lord, you are King. 00:27:01.509 --> 00:27:06.170 And what that means not only right now, but what ramifications it has for the rest of your life. 00:27:06.210 --> 00:27:06.410 Amen. 00:27:06.910 --> 00:27:07.829 Let's pray right now. 00:27:11.119 --> 00:27:17.019 Dear God, Jesus, we come before you and we're, uh, we're in awe. 00:27:17.460 --> 00:27:18.519 We can't stand up. 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:31.519 We, we, the Lord, there's going to be a day when, uh, when every knee bows, Lord, the, the most staunch atheist is all going to be on their face, Lord. 00:27:31.539 --> 00:27:41.099 And we're going to be right there with them or we, we can't, uh, we, we can't stand up when we, uh, when we see you, father, we're, we're so grateful, Jesus, for the Lord. 00:27:41.099 --> 00:27:48.799 Life that you live, we're, we're in awe of, of how perfect you were at every step of the way. 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:51.740 Jesus, you, you never said anything wrong. 00:27:51.859 --> 00:27:53.319 You looked at people and loved them. 00:27:53.400 --> 00:27:58.380 You are impressive in every, every facet you, you didn't make any mistake. 00:27:58.480 --> 00:28:01.599 Everything was calculated and yet you were entirely warm. 00:28:01.740 --> 00:28:03.019 We don't know how to do that. 00:28:03.099 --> 00:28:07.240 God, we, we need you to, uh, to, to cover our sins. 00:28:07.319 --> 00:28:09.640 Father, please forgive us of our sins. 00:28:09.640 --> 00:28:11.339 Lord, please wash them away. 00:28:11.460 --> 00:28:19.619 Lord, I pray that we will make decisions today to turn away from whatever is ailing us and turn towards you forever. 00:28:20.539 --> 00:28:23.220 This is in, uh, this is in your name, Jesus, that we pray. 00:28:23.440 --> 00:28:31.599 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:28:31.940 --> 00:28:35.299 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:42.900 Please go to kalamazoo.church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. 00:28:43.119 --> 00:28:45.519 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.