When Someone Steals Your Miracle Part 1

It’s easy for us to feel insignificant in this world. I mean, there are over seven billion people on the same planet as us! What do we have to contribute that is so special in such a big place? Well, Dr. Timothy is here with an encouraging word for us today. God knows exactly where we are and exactly what we need, at any time or place we can imagine. The Lord is all-knowing and all-loving, and He won’t ever forget about us! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to Truth for Transformation with Dr. Timothy Brown. You're about to hear a message from God's Word filled with biblical wisdom, practical insights, and life-changing truths. A message designed to inspire your faith and give encouragement.

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Don't let the crowds crowd up Jesus. Realize that even if you're like one of 8 billion people on Planet Earth's each year, he knows you. So when you think that someone has taken or stolen your miracle, don't let the crowds crowd out Jesus in your life. Keep your eyes focused on him.

SPEAKER_00 0:52

It's easy for us to feel insignificant in this world. I mean, there are over 7 billion people on the same planet as us. What do we have to contribute that is so special and such a big place? Well, Dr. Timothy is here with an encouraging word for us today. God knows exactly where we are and exactly what we need at any time or place we can imagine. The Lord is all-knowing and all-loving, and he won't ever forget about us. Prepare your heart, open your mind, and get ready to embark on a journey of faith with Dr. Timothy in the book of Luke chapter 8, as he begins his message when someone steals your miracle.

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We're gonna be in Luke chapter 8. I just want to give you a brief but encouraging word. Have you ever felt like someone cut in on your miracle? Like you were hoping something would happen, and then someone just seemed to steal it. I know there's some single people watching, and you had your eye, guys, on a particular girl, and some guy took her, and you're like, what happened? You know, some of you ladies, same way. That guy you you were hoping he would ask you out, and then somebody else, you know, cut in on you. So that this this theme through life happens. The workforce, you were hoping for promotion, and someone else got the job. So I want to give you, before we get into our biblical text, I want to give you a true story. There's a lady by the name of Mary Kay Ash. How many of you ladies know the name Mary Kay? Everyone, right? All the ladies listening at least. So, what a lot of us don't know is her backstory. Mary Kay was a business lady, and she was helping train different people in this company she worked for. And she kept watching each person she trained get promoted above her. She was often more well qualified. In fact, she's the one training these guys. And so she just got sick and tired of not getting the promotion. So she decided with $5,000 in a dream to start her own company. She wanted to just gamble on herself in a positive way. So she started her company, and we know the rest of the story. Mary Kay just took off, and the company kept growing exponentially. And right before she passed away, her company was selling. Are you ready for this? About $1.2 billion a year in sales. So with the $5,000 she started with, and then just the multitudes that she was uh selling her products to. And many of you ladies that sold Mary Kay, you know some of the backstory. And I want to use that as kind of a bridge to today's message that many of you have had dreams that haven't come true. Some of you have just grown so discouraged, and you're like, why does God choose everyone else but me? Why does everyone get the blessing but me? Everyone but me. Have you ever been there? Can you relate? So we I bring that up because in Luke's Gospel, chapter 8, give you a little preview. We're gonna see some characters. We're gonna see this guy by the name of Jairus. Can you say Gyrus? Yeah, Jairus, thank you. And he's wanting a miracle, and someone cuts in on his miracle. And for a moment, it seems like someone stole his miracle. And it seems like his miracle is not going to happen. So I've entitled this message of You're Taking Notes, When Someone Steals Your Miracle. And I put quote unquote steals because we're going to find out it's kind of like a paradox. They can't steal something God has for you. But just go with the title. All right. So we're in Luke chapter 8, starting at verse 40. So it was when Jesus returned that the multitude welcomed him. For they were all waiting for him. And behold, there came a man by the name of Jairus. Let's say it again. Jairus, thank you. And he was a ruler of the synagogue, and he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as he went, the multitudes thronged him. Now a woman having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, she came from behind, and she touched the border or the hem of his garment. And immediately, someone say, immediately, yeah, right away, immediately, the flow of her blood stopped. So she was bleeding, now she's not. And Jesus said, Who touched me? Now I want you to just kind of get on the irony of this moment. Crowds are thronging, crowding into Jesus. A lot of people are touching him. And all of a sudden, Jesus knows that someone touched him in a different way. Let's read on. When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, Master, the multitudes throng and press you, and you say, Who touched me? Peter's like, Jesus, come on now. A lot of people touched you. Why did you think just one person? But Jesus said, Somebody touched me, for I perceive power coming out from me. Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling. And falling down before him, she declared to him in the presence of all the people the reason she touched him, and how she was healed immediately. There's that word immediately again. And he said to her, Listen to the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Such touching words. Daughter. So this unnamed woman he now calls daughter. Be of good cheer. Your faith has made you whole. Go in peace. Such beautiful words. While he was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house and said to him, Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher. Can you imagine being that father that Jesus was going to heal your daughter? But this other unnamed lady that you don't know, a lady in the crowd, takes the miracle, and now your daughter is dead. I want you just to let that soak in. Like what happens when it appears that someone has taken your miracle? Alright, read on. We're in verse 50. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him saying, Do not be afraid, only believe, and she will be made well. I just want to pause there before we read the rest of the passage. This is someone's word for today from the Lord. Don't be afraid, only believe. You are fearful of so many things. And I'm just believing in my heart that someone listening is afraid. Everyone's got in front of you. Others have gotten the promotion. Others have gotten the relationship. Others have got the advancement, but not you. And our Lord and Savior would speak to you today. Don't be afraid. Only believe. Let that soak in. Alright, read on. We are in verse 51. Only believe and shall be made well. When he came into the house, he permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John. Of course, the inner circle he allows to go in. And the father and the mother of the girl. Now all wept and mourned for her, but he said, Do not weep. She's not dead, but sleeping. And they ridiculed him, knowing that she was dead. So you see twice that Jesus is misunderstood. Peter's like, What are you thinking? Who touched you? Peter didn't get it. And now these professional mourners, who many of them were paid to cry to support the family, mournet those who mourn, they're laughing at Jesus. But look who gets the last laugh. Verse 54. But he put them all outside. He took her by the hand and said and called, saying, Little girl, arise. Little girl. Then her spirit returned. And she arose, there's that word, say it with me, immediately. Say it with me, immediately. And he commanded that she should be given something to eat. And her parents were astonished that she astonished. And he charged them to tell no one what happened. May God bless his word. So today I want to give you six things to remember. When it appears that someone has stolen your miracle, and I quote, quote unquote, stole because no one can take what God has for you. All right, if you're taking notes, number one, first thing to remember, don't let the crowds keep you from your miracle. In verse 40 and in verse 42, we see the multitudes all around Jesus. And it would be so easy when you have a need to think that you're just another face in the crowd. And I just want to reach through into your living room, into your car, wherever you're listening from, and just say, God sees you. Even though there's a crowd, he sees you as you're the only one. He sees you and he sees the crowd. And I just love reading this text that the madness of the multitudes shouldn't keep you from connecting with Jesus. Don't let the crowds crowd out Jesus. Realize that even if you're like one of eight billion people on planet Earth, he sees you. He knows you. And he loves you. So when you think that someone has taken or stolen your miracle, don't let the crowds crowd out Jesus in your life. Keep your eyes focused on him. Alright, that brings us to the second thing to remember. Don't let your pride keep you from your miracle. In verse 41, we're introduced to Jairus, the synagogue ruler. And something to know about a synagogue ruler, he had a place of prominence in the Jewish community. And Jairus was a man that he had at least heard about Jesus' miracles because he has faith. And he's a church leader, and even though he's high, he humbles himself before the Lord. And I just want to encourage you, some of you are this close. I mean, you're you're like you're like this close to the miracle, but pride is keeping you. And only when you bow low before our high and lifted up King Jesus, can you humble yourself and experience this miracle? So Jairus humbles himself. And James 4, verse 6, it says this, but he gives more grace. Therefore, God resists the proud, but what? He gives grace to the humble. We see Jairus, even though he's this really prominent figure, he humbles himself because he knows only Jesus can heal. Only Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 12:00

You've been listening to Pastor Timothy Brown. We'll be right back with the message, but first we'd like to share some exciting news with you. We're releasing Dr. Timothy's new book called Go After Jesus. This book is a fresh approach to discipleship and focuses on your identity in Christ as a launching head for Christian growth. In Go After Jesus, Pastor Timothy paints the picture of the six identities for every follower of Christ. You are a speaker, a disciple, a friend, a fisherman, a warrior, and a lover. We're currently offering two free chapters of this book as a digital download. To get your free chapters, go to Dr. Timothy's website at drtimothybrown.org. Now let's get back to the rest of the message with Pastor Timothy.

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So whenever you get low before Jesus in the midst of your great misery, only then can he lift you high in his great mercy. So in your misery, bow low before Jesus, and he will lift you high in his great mercy. All right, third truth. Go after Jesus with a sense of urgency. We are in verse 41 and following. Notice that Jairus, he fell down, that's the humility, at Jesus' feet and begged him to come to his house. He had this sense of urgency because he had a 12-year-old daughter. This was his only daughter. My daughters are different ages. I have a 14-year-old, a 12-year-old, and I have a five-year-old, and I have three boys as well. But I'm just going to put myself in to imagine if I had just one child, one daughter, and she was going to die. I would do anything humanly possible as a parent to see her healed. I would do whatever it took. I would give my life if need be to see my daughter whole. And this is Jairus. He he wanted his daughter to be healed. 12 years old is far too young to die. So he threw himself at Jesus' feet. So if you want God to move in a special way, have a sense of urgency. Jesus told us to ask, seek, and knock. Have the sense of urgency of like having reckless abandonment. You're going to go after the Lord with everything you've got. You're going to go after him because faith moves mountains. And if you have faith, you don't give up when the going gets tough. You keep pressing in. Alright. Number four, believe that God rewards bold faith. So this is build upon this urgency. But look at the faith. We're going to see in verses 43 through 48, there's a woman, unnamed woman. And notice she has an issue of blood. We're in verse 43. And the Bible says that she had spent all of her savings. Every time she went to a doctor, instead of getting better, she got worse. And so we're going to see, like in this passage, Luke, who's a brilliant doctor, contrasts these two figures. If you're taking notes, look at this contrast. Jairus was rich, this woman was poor. Jairus was known, she was unknown. We don't even know her name. Jairus is the leader of the synagogue, and this woman, because she has an issue with blood, most likely she doesn't even get to go to the synagogue. She's considered unclean. Now, this is interesting, the number of twelve. Jairus' daughter was how old? Yeah, twelve years old. This woman had been suffering for how long? Twelve years. Is there a connection there? Stay tuned. So this woman had a desperate hemorrhage for twelve years. She spent everything she had, and then she did the unthinkable. I want you to notice the verse that she came from behind, where in verse 44, touch the border of his garment or the hem of his garment. Now, in the Greek, it's kind of fascinating, the word language. It's the idea, not of a casual contact. In the original Greek, it's the idea of grabbing hold, clinging to, fastening to. This was not a polite touch. This was deliberate, determined faith. That she deliberately saw Jesus, reached out, and touched. What part of Jesus' garment did she touch? Go and put in the comment section. The border, right? Why did she touch the border? And this is something that is fascinating that the border of his garment. What's up with this? This was not, this was not like some kind of magic. This wasn't superstition. This was theology in motion. Now, I listened to a little clip by Pastor Josh Howerton. He pastors a church in Dallas, so shout out to this. He brought up an interesting point from Malachi. I'm going to read you this verse. Malachi 4, this is the last chapter of the last book of the Old Testament, the book of Malachi. This was prophesying of Jesus to come. Listen to this verse. This is going to make you excited once you get here. Malachi 4, 2. Write it down. Look up it later. It says that when the Messiah came, the son of righteousness, listen to this, this is the verse from Malachi. The son of righteousness would rise with healing in his wings. So keep in mind this chapter prophesizes the Messiah. And Malachi 4.2 says, the son of righteousness would rise with healing in his wings. Okay. You're like, big deal, wings. Let me give you the Hebrew word for wings. You may want to write this down. It's K-A-N-A-P-H. Kanaf. Can you say Kanaf? Alright? This word can mean wings, like the wings of a bird, but also get this. It can mean the edge or the corners of a garment. Alright, let's tie this together. Malachi prophesies that when the Messiah comes, there would be healing at the wings, the corner of his garment. This unknown woman, why does she go for his garment? We don't know, but there's a likelihood, there's a chance that she knew Malachi 4-2. That if I could just get to the wings of his garment, if I could just get to the border of his garment, if he is the Messiah, there's healing in his wings. So this lady reaches out and she touches him and she's healed instantly. She was willing to do whatever it took to get better. Twelve years of bleeding, 12 years of being called unclean, 12 years of being hidden, 12 years of like, man, I'm such in pain. This is such disappointment. The doctors can't help me. So she wasn't just reaching for a rabbi, she was reaching for the Messiah, the one prophesied in Malachi 4.2, who has healing in his wings. If I can just touch the hem of his garment, I shall be made well. That's a good time to say, Amen. Wow. So when you read the Old Testament and it builds to the New Testament, all you can just say is God's word is good. And at Radiant Church, we believe all six all 66 books of the Bible. And we just love how one verse builds upon the other, and it's just beautiful. So she reached for him and she was healed. And so she touched his garment. This was not magic, this was not superstition. This was her finding a release point for her faith. I'm going to release my faith into him. And I just want to encourage you today, no matter what you're going through, just remember this. Write this down. Take note of this. God rewards bold faith. So she reaches out, she touches him, and she's healed. And that brings us to the fifth thing to remember. Don't let your circumstances circumvent your faith. So what am I mean? Well, we're back to Jairus. Who cuts in on his miracle? This unnamed woman cuts in, gets his miracle. And verse 49 says, While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler of the synagogue's house said to him, Your daughter is dead. Let those words soak in for a moment. Your daughter is dead. So, Jesus, I did all this work, and you helped her, but not me. I'm the synagogue ruler. I've been serving you all my life. And you helped out this woman who can't even go to church. And it's so easy for us to think that. I'm not saying Jairus thought that, we're not sure, but you can imagine he was discouraged. You can imagine he wanted to give up. And so when this happens, his breakthrough just broke down. And it there's only two options in this situation. So I want to speak to someone right now. You're going through something, there's two options. You can walk by sight, what you see, or you can walk by faith. And what Jairus chooses to do, I just want to implore you to choose to do. Walk by faith. No one can take what God has for you. If someone got the job promotion ahead of you, don't sweat it. God's got something else for you. If, ladies, if someone took that guy that you had your eye on, he wasn't the one for you. If he's already married and taken, God has something for you that no one can take from you. So let's read on. The story just continues. And that brings us to our final point. Do not be afraid, only believe. I want you to say it with me. Do not be afraid, only and believe. Alright, I can't hear you. Do not be afraid, only believe. But Jesus in verse 50, when he heard it, he said, Do not be afraid, only believe. And what we're gonna see in the rest of this passage, I just want to highlight what Jesus Jesus did in tragedy. He didn't dwell on the bad news. He didn't get discouraged by the bad news. He didn't like let fear overwhelm him. Jesus spoke faith in the midst of his problem. Jesus spoke promise when others were speaking problems. She's dead. Jesus said she's not dead. She's just asleep. So I would encourage you. Really, you can focus on the good or the bad in your life. All of us have good and bad. It's what you focus on. Jesus focused on what God was gonna do, not what had happened. And I just want to reach out to you and just say, listen, I believe God's best for you. And if you will just keep following Jesus, even when it seems like someone has taken from you what God has for you, remember this. Nobody can steal what God has for you. And that's today's big idea. Write it down. Nobody can steal what God has for you. Do not be afraid, only believe. The rest of the story, Jairus' daughter is raised from the dead. All is well. The lady that had the issue of blood is now healed. Jairus' 12-year-old daughter is now healed.

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We'd like to thank you for joining us for today's edition of Truth for Transformation with Dr. Timothy Brown. Dr. Timothy has been teaching from God's Word with a message meant to encourage you and build you up to face the challenges of today's complicated world. Did you know that the Bible has wisdom that is applicable to any situation that you may find yourself in today? Well, the Holy Spirit wants to help you make wise decisions in this life. But that discernment only comes by spending time in God's Word. If you would like to hear more teachings from Dr. Timothy, we invite you to visit his website at drtimothybrown.org. There you'll find links to previous sermons as well as other resources to help you in your walk with Christ. If you'd like to speak with someone about the Ministry of Truth for Transformation, you can give us a call at 828-684-6780. One more time, that number is 828-684-6780. If you've been blessed by the ministry of this radio program, we would also ask you to consider making a financial gift to support this ministry. We believe that giving fuels the mission of ministry that has been placed on Dr. Timothy's heart. You can make a gift by clicking the Give tab at the top right of our website. Well, that's all the time we have for today. Join us again next time for another timely message from Dr. Timothy Brown here on Truth for Transformation.