WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:05.599 So uh Cindy Fournier has a really incredible story about overcoming abuse. 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:10.320 And it's a powerful story, it's a very poignant story for a lot of the things that have been going on in our culture. 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:14.880 One of the things we're gonna be doing a lot more of this year that I'm so excited about is sharing stories. 00:00:15.039 --> 00:00:20.239 Because every single one of us has a story, every one of you has a story, and our stories are incredibly powerful. 00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:23.120 God uses our stories to speak into the lives of others. 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:29.600 That's why a lot of times, if it's like a baptism Sunday and people are sharing their stories, half the way through I'm like, why am I even talking today? 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:31.760 You know, like this is God, I'm pointless today. 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:33.679 You've already communicated so much. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:40.960 And so what we're gonna do this year is is share a lot more stories, a lot more of your stories than ever before, but we're doing it in kind of a unique way. 00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:47.119 Um, Cindy and I sat down for about half an hour and we just had a completely normal conversation and she got to share so many things. 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:48.159 I'm so glad I got to do that. 00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:49.119 I was blessed by that. 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:50.799 And we just recorded the conversation. 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:54.079 And so here today we showed you a little snippet of that conversation. 00:00:54.159 --> 00:01:03.679 But if you want to watch the entire thing, you can go to our website, you can go to the mobile app, click God Stories, and and you can watch the entire conversation uncut at any time. 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:05.200 I really would encourage you to. 00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:06.560 It's an amazing story. 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:10.480 It may be something you want to share with someone else, but we're gonna be having a lot of those this year. 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:15.359 And I'm just I'm excited for us to all hear what God has done in so many different people's lives, right? 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:16.719 It's always good to hear stories. 00:01:16.879 --> 00:01:18.480 So look forward to that. 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:24.079 Today, today we begin a brand new series called Bumping Into God. 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:25.680 Bumping into God. 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:29.359 You ever bumped into someone and it seemed like a completely random encounter? 00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:33.519 But then after the fact, you maybe thought, that wasn't by chance. 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:35.920 That may have not been as random as I thought. 00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:41.599 Sometimes the things in our lives that happen to us that seem random or other people would think are random are actually God orchestrated. 00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:44.159 It's funny because this series has been planned for a while. 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:48.000 And the idea behind it is that in Jesus' story, there's a lot of people who bumped into Jesus. 00:01:48.079 --> 00:01:52.000 They woke up one morning not knowing that they were going to bump into God that day. 00:01:52.159 --> 00:02:00.879 They thought they were gonna have a normal day, they thought they were going about their normal business, and it just so happened they bumped into Jesus and their entire lives changed. 00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:04.159 All it takes is one encounter with Jesus to change everything. 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:05.359 That's all that it takes. 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:12.319 And so this series has been in the works for a while, and it just so happens that this last week I had a bump into someone experience that was totally from God. 00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:13.199 It was awesome. 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:20.479 So on Wednesday morning, I had a meeting in Marietta, and after the meeting, I thought to myself, I'm pretty close to Dick's sporting goods. 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:21.840 That's a thought that I have pretty often. 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:23.360 I like Dick's sporting goods. 00:02:23.439 --> 00:02:24.800 I dress like a 12-year-old. 00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:29.360 I wear basketball shoes and sweatshirts and t-shirts, and that's really all that I wear. 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:32.400 That's my wardrobe: jeans, basketball shoes, and a shirt. 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:32.800 That's it. 00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:42.080 In fact, Megan told me not that long ago, you know, Justin, for a while I thought you were gonna like start to dress more maturely, and it seems like you've regressed and you just dress like a 12-year-old. 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:44.719 And I thought to myself, what did I wear when I was 12? 00:02:44.879 --> 00:02:46.240 And yep, this. 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:47.439 So yeah, I do. 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:51.680 And Dick's Sporting Goods is like my store because it's filled with all the things that I like to wear. 00:02:51.759 --> 00:02:54.800 And since my son is really into basketball, I always use that as an excuse to go. 00:02:54.960 --> 00:03:06.159 So if I'm near Dick's Sporting Goods, if I'm down by like Barrett Parkway or up at the one in Canton, if I'm just close by, even if I have like a really busy day, I just I have this thought, like, man, I'm so close, I should probably go. 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:07.520 I should probably just go. 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:08.400 And so I did. 00:03:08.639 --> 00:03:16.960 Wednesday morning, I go to Dick Sporting Goods and I'm there, and I get a text while I'm in Dick's, and it says, Hey Justin, are you in Dick Sporting Goods right now? 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:21.199 And it was from a number I didn't recognize, and I thought, well, this isn't creepy at all, you know. 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:24.879 Someone's watching me right now, but I don't know who it is. 00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:32.240 And I kind of do this like, I must have looked so suspicious to the people working there, because I'm just like, you know, who's watching me? 00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:46.319 And then I thought, okay, hold on, this is probably someone who goes to his hands, that makes sense, and a lot more people have my number than I have theirs, and so I just text back, like, hey, yeah, I am, where you, I'll come find you, because my thought is I don't know whose number this is, but I'm sure I'll recognize them when I see them. 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:49.599 And so they say, I'm over by the bows and arrows, come meet me. 00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:53.520 And again, I'm thinking, like, this is gonna be fine. 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:55.280 This is totally gonna be fine. 00:03:55.439 --> 00:03:58.879 You know, this doesn't seem like a scene from a horror movie at all. 00:03:59.039 --> 00:04:05.840 I'm just walking down the bows and arrows section of a department store, meeting a stranger, everything's gonna work out great. 00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:10.719 But I walk down the aisle and boom, as soon as I see him, I'm like, wow, it's it's my friend Matt. 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:14.240 And Matt is someone who's been a part of our church for a long time. 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:16.160 There's probably a lot of Matt's here. 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:17.199 I recognize that. 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:21.040 But this particular Matt is someone that I hadn't really talked to in about four months. 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:23.279 Matt and his family had gone through a lot last year. 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:33.439 There's a lot of time in the hospital, a lot of serious medical conditions going on, and I'd spent some time you know praying with Matt and talking with Matt in October of last year, and just really praying through some things going on in his life. 00:04:33.519 --> 00:04:35.600 And I hadn't talked to him though since that time. 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:37.920 It had been about four months since we had conversed at all. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:44.319 But what's crazy is the night before, Tuesday night, Megan and I are sitting on the couch, and Matt just came to my mind. 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:46.720 And I told Megan, I wonder how Matt's doing. 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:49.120 We need to we need to reach out and find out what's going on. 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:52.399 I haven't heard an update in a while, and and I just I need to talk to them. 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:55.360 And so I shot Matt a text on Tuesday night. 00:04:55.519 --> 00:04:57.519 Hey man, thinking and praying about you. 00:04:57.680 --> 00:04:58.720 Let's connect soon. 00:04:58.879 --> 00:05:04.000 And so when I see Matt in that aisle at Dick Sporting Goods, I'm like, Matt, what are the odds, dude? 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:07.439 I texted you last night and he just has this blank stare in his face. 00:05:07.680 --> 00:05:08.639 He did not get the text. 00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:10.240 And I told him, like, no, I texted you. 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:15.839 I pulled up my phone and I showed him, you know, to Matt, dude, I'm praying about, you know, praying for you and all that. 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:19.839 And then I was like, well, why didn't I recognize the number that he sent me his text from? 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:22.800 And he's like, oh, I switched phone numbers like two months ago. 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:25.199 And I must not have shared my new number with you. 00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:29.199 And I'm thinking, well, then somebody who has your old number is like, wow, people are praying for me. 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:29.839 This is really cool. 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:31.120 This is exciting. 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:32.079 You know. 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:34.959 But I'm sitting there going, man, what are the odds? 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:47.279 What are the odds of randomly, you know, randomly, on Tuesday night, Matt comes to my mind, and there's really no reason for him to it just sort of happened, and I was like, man, I need to reach out to him. 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:50.560 I need to, I need to get updated, I need to figure out what's going on in Matt's life. 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:56.560 And and I shoot him a text, and little do I know that he's not gonna get that text because I don't have his new number. 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:07.120 But the very next day, I just so happened to have a meeting in Marietta, and then I just so happened to go to Dick Sporting Goods, because again, I'm a child, and um, and then like, not that if you go to Dick Sporting Goods, it's for children. 00:06:07.199 --> 00:06:09.439 I'm just my reasoning was very childlike. 00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:10.800 I just wanted to go. 00:06:11.120 --> 00:06:26.319 So I happened to bump into this guy, and we connected and we talked, and I got to hear an update on what's going on with his life, and it was really encouraging, and I was I was also encouraged to know that there's some things that we can do to help, and I was so excited, so glad that I got to connect with him, but but I knew that was God. 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:29.360 I mean, again, what are the odds? 00:06:30.399 --> 00:06:36.160 Sometimes those random moments in our lives are the very moments that God has set up from a long way off. 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:38.480 God orchestrates so many incredible moments. 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:48.959 Proverbs 16, 9 is a verse that we looked at a couple times last week because of all the God moments that happened as we began our partnership in Guatemala, says that we can make our plans, but the Lord directs our steps. 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:54.240 And so now I will go to Dick Sporting Goods every chance I get because God just shows up there. 00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:54.959 That's what I've learned. 00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:56.959 Like it's just it's, you know. 00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:06.160 There were a lot of people in the story of Jesus who just so happen to bump into Jesus. 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:17.279 Little did they know that God had orchestrated this connection because he loved them and because he wanted them to experience what only Jesus could have them experience. 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:20.000 And we learn so much about Jesus in these moments. 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:24.959 You actually learn a lot about who people are and what they're like when you bump into them and they're not expecting it. 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:26.160 You know what I mean? 00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:27.759 It's kind of a different filter. 00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:29.680 And so we learn a lot about Jesus in these moments. 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:33.759 We learn a lot about his power, we learn a lot about his personality, and I think that's really important. 00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:41.600 In fact, my my number one hope this month as we go through this series is that the personality of Jesus would become more clear to us. 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:48.399 Hebrews 1 3 says that the sun radiates God's glory and expresses the very character of God. 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:53.360 The message version puts it this way: the sun perfectly mirrors God and is stamped with God's nature. 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:57.680 In other words, Jesus is the clearest picture of God the Father that we can get. 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:06.480 And so it becomes really important for us to have a clear picture of Jesus because if we don't have a clear picture of Jesus, we will not have a clear picture of God the Father. 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:18.240 And if our if our picture of Jesus, if our picture of God is hazy and fuzzy and confused, and when we pray and when we we go to God, we can't go with the kind of directness and boldness that we could go to if we really knew him. 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:20.399 You know, think about the people you really know. 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:26.639 You know them so well that if someone told you that they did something or said something, you could go, no, they didn't. 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:28.079 Because I know them. 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:30.319 That doesn't sound like them at all. 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:38.240 When you know someone that well, think about your conversations and how direct and how meaningful and how productive those conversations can be. 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:44.639 The more clearly we see Jesus, the more clearly we understand who he is and what he values and what he cares about. 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:48.320 The more we do that, the more clearly we know God. 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:51.759 It changes the way that we pray, it changes the way that we can interact with him. 00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:54.480 It's very powerful to have a clear picture of Jesus. 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:59.919 And I want the personality of Jesus to become more clear to us because, guys, he has a personality. 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:06.960 We have to remember that Jesus is God as a person, not God pretending to be a person. 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:09.120 It's a big distinction. 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:17.200 Sometimes I think when we read the words of Jesus, we'll we'll read it as if Jesus talked in this very ethereal voice and he was just sort of monotone and had no emotion, you know. 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:20.720 He's just like, Come, my children, let me share the ways of the world with you. 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:21.600 You know, like that. 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:22.879 And that's not how it was at all. 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:24.879 Jesus has a real personality. 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:27.039 I mean, there were things that got Jesus excited. 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:32.879 There would be certain things that Jesus would do that that would have driven you crazy if you were one of his friends. 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:36.320 Because just like any person, Jesus had idiosyncrasies. 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:38.480 He did, because he's a person. 00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:40.559 Like Jesus could have snored in his sleep. 00:09:41.279 --> 00:09:42.799 Someone's like, blasphemy. 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:45.279 He would have slept like a baby. 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:46.159 You know? 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:46.960 Maybe. 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:47.600 I don't know. 00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:49.519 I'm just saying he's he's real. 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:51.279 He has a real personality. 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:52.799 There were things that would have annoyed Jesus. 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:56.000 Jesus would have had things that if someone would have done, he'd been like, that drives me crazy. 00:09:56.080 --> 00:09:57.120 That drives me so crazy. 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:03.039 Like I have this thing that if you chew food, like the sound of food being chewed is grating to me. 00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:05.200 And and anyone else share that? 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:06.240 Amen. 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:12.000 I'll never forget the day that Megan ate a pickle about two inches from my face in bed. 00:10:12.080 --> 00:10:13.600 And I was like, why? 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:16.320 Hey, why do you have a pickle? 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:18.240 Like that's not a random thing. 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:19.840 Why do you have a pickle? 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:21.279 And why are you eating it that I was asleep? 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:26.320 I was right about to be asleep, and I just hear the noise of a pickle, which is crunchy and squishy at the same time, and it was awful. 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:28.559 And I was just filled with rage and anger. 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:29.440 You know? 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:34.559 It's actually a thing, by the way, it's like a disorder that it triggers anger and rage. 00:10:34.639 --> 00:10:35.360 It's a thing that I have. 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:36.320 I'm praying about it. 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:40.080 But uh, but Jesus could have had those things. 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:52.080 Jesus could have had something that just annoyed him, like, because he's real, he has a personality, and it's kind of humorous to talk about, but at the same time, we need to understand that there are actually things that matter more to Jesus than other things. 00:10:52.480 --> 00:10:55.679 There's things that Jesus just cares about more than he cares about certain things. 00:10:55.840 --> 00:11:01.200 In fact, a lot of where religion has gone wrong is wrongly guessing and assuming what God would care most about. 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:06.480 The religious people of Jesus' day thought that God cared most about these things, and Jesus shows up and he's like, Yeah, not so much. 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:08.559 I really care about this though. 00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:11.440 And so it's important for us to see Jesus clearly. 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:17.840 It's important for us to understand what makes him tick, what he cares about, what he values, what captures his heart. 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:23.120 Today we're gonna look at a story of a person who bumped into God, and this story reveals something really powerful to us. 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:27.279 Something really powerful if we can grab a hold of it, and it's what gets God's attention. 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:30.799 What got Jesus' attention? 00:11:31.279 --> 00:11:36.879 What made Jesus stop and give significant focus to someone? 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:42.399 I mean, how how amazing would it be if if we could get God's attention, right? 00:11:42.559 --> 00:11:44.799 And I want to be clear like, God gives us his attention. 00:11:44.879 --> 00:11:45.919 He loves all people. 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:50.240 And he will give every person in this world the attention that they need. 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:58.960 But at the same time, there are things that we see in Scripture that certain people did, and it's almost like God stopped and gave them extra attention because whatever they did really grabbed a hold of him. 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:01.519 And we see this in the story today. 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:10.080 We see, in a sense, what Jesus cares about so much, what he values so much, that he stops and gives his full attention to it. 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:13.039 So we're going to look at a story in Luke chapter 18. 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:15.600 It's a story of a blind man named Bartimaeus. 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:18.159 And let's just go ahead and read it, and then we'll unpack it a little bit. 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:22.080 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:27.759 And when he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening, and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:31.120 So he began shouting, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:32.159 And be quiet. 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:35.519 The people in front yelled at him, but he only shouted louder. 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:43.200 And when Jesus heard him, he stopped and he ordered that the man be brought to him. 00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:47.120 As the man came near, Jesus asked him, What do you want me to do for you? 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:49.039 Lord, he said, I want to see. 00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:51.519 And Jesus said, All right, receive your sight. 00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:58.799 Your faith has healed you, and instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God, and all who saw it praised God too. 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:01.679 A lot of the stories we're going to look at this month are like this one. 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:04.879 They're very short, they're succinct, they're kind of neatly wrapped. 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:09.519 And it'd be very easy just to read this story and move on and go, oh, cool, Jesus heals a blind guy. 00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:10.080 That's awesome. 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:11.360 That's powerful, that's amazing. 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:20.159 I know sometimes, by the way, that we can read stories where miraculous things happen and we're sort of like, uh, the miraculous stuff, it kind of some people have a hard time with that. 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:30.480 And I guess I'll just say this we're gonna read a miracle pretty much every single week, but it shouldn't be surprising to us that our supernatural God does supernatural things. 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:36.320 Like, if God doesn't do supernatural things, that means he's not supernatural, which means he's not God. 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:42.639 And I think we should actually expect, when we follow a supernatural God, to see supernatural things happen. 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:49.279 I used to be someone who, if someone started talking to me about something miraculous, I would sort of like pull back and go, like, are you crazy? 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:54.799 And then I had some things happen in my life that that were supernatural. 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:58.080 And it showed me, oh no, God is God. 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:04.080 And the miracles that we see in the Bible weren't limited to the time of the Bible being written. 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:05.440 Those miracles still happen today. 00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:06.879 God still does supernatural things. 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:15.120 And if you need God to do a supernatural thing in your life, if you have a problem that only God can solve, then be glad that you have put your faith in the God who can solve your problems. 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:17.840 Because he still does supernatural things. 00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:28.639 But I don't just want to focus on the obvious because sometimes when we read these stories, we're like, oh, cool, it's a story of a man being healed, but there's so much more going on. 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:37.120 Even though the story is very succinct and neatly wrapped, if we unpack it, there's a lot going on behind the scenes between the lines. 00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:37.840 I want to look at that. 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:41.440 Number one, let's kind of look at this through the perspective of Bartimaeus. 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:43.039 Let's think about who this man is. 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:48.080 It becomes clear very early in the story that he's not expecting to meet Jesus that day. 00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:57.600 So he didn't know that Jesus was going to be in town because when he hears this buzz, when he hears all this commotion, he has to ask, hey, what's going on? 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:02.000 And someone tells him, Jesus of Nazareth is here. 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:07.679 And instantly, like the exact moment that Bartimaeus hears that Jesus is nearby, what does he do? 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:08.559 He shouts. 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:12.639 He says, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:16.080 So it becomes also clear that Bartimaeus knows who Jesus is. 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:19.200 Because he doesn't say, uh, who's Jesus of Nazareth? 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:21.039 I'm not familiar. 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:22.720 Someone goes, Oh, you haven't heard of Jesus of Nazareth? 00:15:22.799 --> 00:15:27.200 Oh, he's this guy that's been traveling around all over the country and he's doing crazy things, like miraculous things. 00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:29.279 I heard he even killed a blind person like you. 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:30.720 And he goes, Oh, are you serious? 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:31.519 I didn't know. 00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:33.679 I gotta go figure out who this guy is, and he goes up to Jesus. 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:43.919 No, the second he hears that it's Jesus, he instantly shouts out as if he has full knowledge of who Jesus is, and that's because Bartimaeus had absolutely heard the stories of Jesus. 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:50.480 Because virtually everyone at this point in history, in this place in the world, had heard stories about Jesus. 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:57.679 There was no person more talked about, there was no person more famous than Jesus of Nazareth in that time and in that place. 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:06.480 It says in John chapter 6, verse 2 that huge crowds followed Jesus wherever he went because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:08.240 Jesus is doing things. 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:11.919 Again, very important for us to remember that our God is a God who does things. 00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:14.000 Our God is a God of action. 00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:16.080 And he's doing things that no one could do. 00:16:16.159 --> 00:16:22.080 He's healing lepers, and he's healing the lame, and he's healing the blind, and he's healing sick people, and he's performing these miracles, and it's creating a buzz. 00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:27.360 And by the way, when it says huge crowds followed him, we're talking crowds of around 10,000 people. 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:28.960 Like there's a story. 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:30.720 I mean, just imagine you're Jesus. 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:38.960 There's a story of Jesus needing to get away because he's received some really devastating news, and he just needs to go be by himself with his closest friends, and he needs to pray. 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:43.360 And then he opens his eyes, and upwards of 10,000 people have shown up where he's at. 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:45.360 10,000 people. 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:49.360 Have you ever been in a crowd of 10,000 people? 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:54.159 That's the kind of buzz that Jesus generated when he went somewhere. 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:55.759 Everyone was talking about Jesus. 00:16:55.840 --> 00:16:58.639 In fact, in Luke chapter 23, Jesus has been arrested. 00:16:58.879 --> 00:17:04.480 And part of his trial process was that he needed to go see Herod, who was the governor of that area under the Roman Empire. 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:06.880 Herod called himself a king, but he wasn't a king. 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:17.039 Rome ruled Israel, but Rome was okay if Herod wanted to pretend that he was a king, if that made him feel better, just so long as he kept Israel doing what Rome wanted Israel to do. 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:29.119 And so Jesus goes to see King Herod, and it says in Luke chapter 23, verse 8, Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:33.759 Herod asked Jesus to perform for him, and Jesus is not a performer, so he does not. 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:45.680 But even Herod, even the highest-ranking person in the entire country, has heard about Jesus and has long, long awaited a chance to meet Jesus. 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:48.400 So everybody's talking about Jesus. 00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:51.599 And there's no question that Bartimaeus had heard. 00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:57.680 In fact, I would imagine Bartimaeus heard people talk about Jesus a lot because Bartimaeus, as a blind person, had to beg for a living. 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:01.200 This is at a time when the government did not provide for the disabled. 00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:09.920 And honestly, the religious, like the church at that time, they didn't really provide for the disabled as well because they had this idea that if you were disabled, it was judgment from God. 00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:11.920 And so there wasn't a lot of compassion. 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:15.440 You couldn't expect compassion if you were Bartimaeus from institutions. 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:19.279 You would rely on the compassion and the generosity of individual people. 00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:33.119 Which means every day Bartimaeus would have gotten up and he would have placed himself in some public place, in a place where the most people would pass by in a day, and he would have just sat there and asked and waited for people to be generous enough to hand him something. 00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:45.119 And there's no question that in those places, in those crowds, in the busy places, in the intersections of culture, that Bartimaeus would have heard a lot of people talk about a lot of things. 00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:51.359 Like I would go ahead and venture that Bartimaeus could have given you the inside scoop on all the buzz, all the juicy gossip in town. 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:58.319 Bartimaeus was probably keyed into all of it because he sat every single day, and though he could not see, he definitely heard. 00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:00.480 He listened. 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:11.359 And so just imagine being Bartimaeus, and you're sitting in the square, you're sitting in the marketplace like you do every single day, you're hearing all these people talk about what's going on, and one day you hear this name Jesus. 00:19:12.079 --> 00:19:22.799 And you're listening as people are talking about this Jesus and a miracle that he's performed, and you listen intently, and people are saying that he's healed people and he's healed people of things that no one could possibly heal people from. 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:24.640 He's healed people of leprosy. 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:29.039 And your ears begin to perk up because you have a problem that only God could solve. 00:19:29.359 --> 00:19:35.680 And then you hear a story one day that Jesus has healed a blind person, and you're Barmaeus, and you hear that. 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:39.200 And maybe for the first time in your life you have hope? 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:42.400 Maybe it's possible for you to actually be able to see. 00:19:44.319 --> 00:19:50.319 I imagine Bartimaeus hearing about Jesus could have even prayed and asked and maybe even begged God to send Jesus his way one day. 00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:52.720 God, could you please bring Jesus to my town? 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:55.279 Could you please bring Jesus to Jericho? 00:19:57.680 --> 00:20:04.400 You very much get the impression, in fact, I think it's it's completely true, that Bartimaeus believed in Jesus long before he met him. 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:09.359 Hearing these stories about Jesus was enough for Bartimaeus, that his faith was in Jesus. 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:12.720 Because when Jesus shows up, Bartimaeus does not go timidly. 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:16.079 Bartimaeus is bold. 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:18.960 The second he hears it's Jesus, he shouts. 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:22.400 And he shouts so loud that the people tell him to be quiet. 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:24.960 That means the people were embarrassed. 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:29.920 They were embarrassed at how loud and demonstrative Bartimaeus was being. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:35.039 By the way, the Jewish culture at that time was an extremely demonstrative culture. 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:43.279 Like if a tragedy happened in your area, you would rip your clothing, pour ashes on your head, go into the city streets, and wail. 00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:46.799 That's the culture that they live in. 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:53.200 And apparently Bartamaus is being so loud and so demonstrative that those people are like, you're starting to freak people out. 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:53.759 Okay? 00:20:54.480 --> 00:20:55.519 Like you're embarrassing us. 00:20:55.599 --> 00:20:56.559 We don't want to be seen near you. 00:20:56.640 --> 00:21:02.000 So he's shouting, you know, he's shouting for Jesus, and everyone says, be quiet, and it doesn't dissuade him. 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:03.599 He shouts even louder. 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:06.880 He says, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:10.000 And what he says there is very, very important. 00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:15.440 It gets Jesus' attention. 00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:19.119 Because we're told that Jesus stopped. 00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:32.079 And here's Jesus walking on his way, and there's all kinds of people that are grabbing at Jesus and yelling for Jesus and trying to get Jesus' attention, but something that Bartimaeus says it catches Jesus' attention so much so that he stops what he's doing. 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:35.519 He has everyone pause and he brings Bartimaeus to him. 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:46.720 And I believe it was more than just the volume with which Bartimaeus spoke, it was the words that came out of his mouth because that phrase, son of David, was a very loaded phrase. 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:59.839 See, the the Jewish people had a prophecy that one day a Messiah would come, and that Messiah would bring in a new era of God's relationship, a new covenant, a new type of relationship between people and God. 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:04.160 That the Messiah would be able to free them from oppression. 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:11.759 And it was prophesied that this Messiah would come from the line of King David, a king that we meet in the Old Testament, a very famous king in Israel's history. 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:16.640 And so the people were awaiting the day when a son of David would show up and fulfill the prophecy. 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:19.759 Jesus came from the bloodline of King David. 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:25.200 But you'll notice that the people around Barnamaeus do not refer to Jesus as son of David. 00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:26.960 When Barnabas says, hey, what's going on? 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:30.160 They don't turn around to Bartimaeus and say, Jesus, the son of David, is here. 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:34.880 That's because those people aren't all in yet with who Jesus is. 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:40.319 They see Jesus as a great teacher, as a miracle worker, but they may not see him as the son of God. 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:45.440 So Bartimaeus doesn't get this whole son of David thing from the people around him. 00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:49.359 Bartimaeus has already made a decision in his heart as to what he believes about Jesus. 00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:54.079 And so when he hears Jesus is nearby, he doesn't just yell his name, he yells Son of David. 00:22:56.160 --> 00:23:04.480 It might as, in their culture, it would have been no different if Jesus, or if Bartimaeus rather, just yelled Messiah, Savior, Son of God. 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:08.400 He's yelling, acknowledging who Jesus actually is. 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:12.559 And that had to mean so much to Jesus because no one has ever been as misunderstood as Jesus. 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:15.279 No one has ever been as underestimated as Jesus. 00:23:16.559 --> 00:23:22.720 You have all these people as Jesus is walking around and they're all saying, you know, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. 00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:27.599 And all of a sudden, one person, one person is actually calling Jesus who he actually is. 00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:30.799 One person is saying, Jesus, son of David. 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:36.240 Amidst this sea of voices, Jesus hears one person acknowledge who he actually is. 00:23:38.079 --> 00:23:40.160 And that makes Jesus's ears perk up. 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:41.920 And he stops. 00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:51.039 When you recognize who Jesus is, it's a very powerful thing. 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:58.880 When you recognize and declare who Jesus is, it gets his attention. 00:23:59.680 --> 00:24:00.960 Like it affects him. 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:06.400 We see this, for example, in Matthew chapter 16, Jesus takes his disciples to a place called Caesarea Philippi. 00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:12.400 Caesarea Philippi was kind of a cultural hub, and there would have been a lot of different people that practiced a lot of different faiths. 00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:20.799 And so with the backdrop of Caesarea Philippi and all this worship to all these different gods, Jesus asks his disciples, Who do people say that I am? 00:24:21.200 --> 00:24:22.559 And all the responses are good. 00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:25.759 One of the disciples says, People think you're nuts. 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:31.279 People think you're a charlatan, you're just some trickster, you're just some type of fraud. 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:33.519 No, they all say really good things. 00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:36.000 They say, Oh, Jesus, people think you're a prophet. 00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:42.240 Which is a big deal, by the way, because at that point in Israel's history, there hadn't been a prophet in about 400 years. 00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:46.480 So they're saying you're the first person to directly hear from God in 400 years. 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:49.119 That's a flattering thing to say. 00:24:50.319 --> 00:24:55.440 The disciples say, some say that you're Elijah, the great prophet of old, who's returned. 00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:57.440 I mean, that's an amazing thing to say. 00:24:57.759 --> 00:25:00.640 To say someone's Elijah, Elijah, we spent a lot of time talking about him last year. 00:25:00.799 --> 00:25:02.319 Elijah was awesome. 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:09.680 And Jesus listens to all the good things that people have said about him, and then he stops and he says, a very pointed question. 00:25:09.839 --> 00:25:13.440 I believe a question that all of us have to answer at some point in time. 00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:15.599 Who do you say that I am? 00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:18.400 He says, Who do you say that I am? 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:27.119 And you have to imagine the silence that fell, because it's a lot easier to tell Jesus what other people have said than it is to tell him what you think. 00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:32.480 And Peter speaks up first, and Peter says, I say you're the Messiah. 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:35.119 And when we see this in verse 16, I'll just read it. 00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:38.880 Simon Peter answered, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. 00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:45.680 And Jesus replied, You are blessed, Simon, son of John, because my father in heaven has revealed this to you. 00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:47.599 You did not learn this from any human being. 00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:54.960 Now I say that you are Peter, which means rock, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 00:25:55.119 --> 00:25:57.599 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. 00:25:57.759 --> 00:26:02.160 Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. 00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:07.599 So, in other words, Peter gets the answer right, and he seems to get a pretty cool prize. 00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:11.599 You know, you win the keys to the kingdom of heaven. 00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:19.119 The declaration to Jesus of who Jesus actually is, it affected Jesus. 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:29.359 When Peter said, You're the Messiah, I'm not gonna hedge, I'm not gonna give some like on the fence answer of you're a good teacher, you're a great prophet. 00:26:29.440 --> 00:26:34.559 He says, I'm going bold, I'm saying that you are nothing short of God in the flesh. 00:26:35.200 --> 00:26:38.559 And when Peter said that, he got a new name. 00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:40.960 He got a new identity, he got a new destiny. 00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:47.359 Jesus was affected by the statement that Peter made, and he blessed Peter richly. 00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:50.160 It's a really powerful story, by the way. 00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:53.440 In fact, it's interesting, his name was Simon until that moment. 00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:58.240 And Jesus says, from now on, I'll call you Peter, which means rock, and upon this rock I will build my church. 00:26:58.400 --> 00:27:03.920 But but if you read it in the original language in the Greek, there's two different words that are used for rock. 00:27:04.400 --> 00:27:14.240 And so when Jesus names him Peter and says that means rock, he uses the word petros, which means a stone, like a stone you could pick up, a stone that you might skip on water, or something like that. 00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:18.240 So he says, Simon, I'm gonna name you Petros, stone. 00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:21.359 And then he says, and upon this rock I will build my church. 00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:22.240 And that was a different word. 00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:29.839 That was the word petra, which means a large, massive stone, a stone that would be fitting to lay as a foundation for something. 00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:34.640 What that means is that Peter himself is not the rock that the church is built on. 00:27:34.799 --> 00:27:36.160 Peter is a stone. 00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:42.480 The rock that the church is built on is the declaration that Jesus is God. 00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:49.039 When Jesus said, upon this rock, I will build my church, he wasn't saying upon you personally, I will build my church, Peter. 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:58.559 He's saying upon the declaration that you've just made, that statement that you just said, Peter, that I am the Son of God, that is the foundation of the church. 00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:02.559 That's why it's so important for us as believers. 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:08.160 It's so important for us individually and corporately as a church to never hedge. 00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:25.519 No matter how politically incorrect it is, to unashamedly and boldly declare that Jesus Christ is God, that he is not a way, he is the way, he is the king of kings, he is the Lord of lords, that he alone is the Messiah. 00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:28.079 That is the foundation of the church. 00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:31.039 And I'm proud of that. 00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:34.160 Like, be proud to stand with Jesus. 00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:44.240 Even if culture looks at Jesus and evaluates him and grades him and says, eh, you know, stand with Jesus. 00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:49.680 And stand proudly and boldly declare who Jesus is. 00:28:49.920 --> 00:28:52.640 Because when you do that, you get his attention. 00:28:53.759 --> 00:29:05.759 Like you better believe that if you're a person who has said out loud and you've crossed a line in your heart that you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, you better believe that Jesus would stop for you, just like he stopped for Bartimaeus. 00:29:07.039 --> 00:29:09.599 Because when you make that declaration, you affect him. 00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:13.119 He sees that. 00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:17.119 It means something to Jesus for you to tell him who he is. 00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:22.079 I mean, really, when you think about it, what has God asked us to do to be his followers? 00:29:22.880 --> 00:29:24.480 To enter into the family of God. 00:29:24.640 --> 00:29:26.880 He hasn't asked us to do some giant thing. 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:28.160 We don't have to scale some mountain. 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:30.400 We don't have to prove ourselves worthy. 00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:35.839