Jesus Can - Week 2 - St. Peter - Pastor Bill Monday
Jesus Can
Week 2 - St. Peter
Pastor Bill Monday
We are taking a look at all the challenges and struggles that we face in life and when we feel down and out and when we can't do it, we praise the Lord God. “Jesus Can”. So, we pray that you're encouraged. This is our second week and our series “Jesus Can”. If you missed our first week, I would encourage you to go look it up online through our church app and here, Pastor Tim's message on Jesus calming the storms or Pastor Michael. I'm Pastor Mike down at the core. With that, we are going to be taking a look today in Matthew's gospel will continue on what happens next in Matthew 9:18 and following Jesus encounter is not a storm of life, but two individuals that are going through crises in life. Let's just kind of see that the Savior we have is. Matthew leads us long. Before we jump into our message, let's open up with prayer.
Sanctify us by the truth. O Lord.
Your word is truth. The truth that makes us yours. That strengthens our faith. That inspires us to weather every storm. Because Lord, you are a rock at our Salvation. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
What do you say?
What do you say to someone who is going through a crisis?
That's something I often ask myself in Ministry, which is nearing some 20 years.
What do you say to the couple that shows up in your office and they've got good news and they've got awful. Horrific news.
They announced they're expecting a child but as the weeks have come along, they've had many tests because something's not right? And the ultrasound confirms it, this child. Doesn't have a brain, only a brain stem.
So the doctors are recommending, termination, but they love the Lord. They love life, no matter the quality.
But with the doctors say that they'll face this, if this child makes it to delivery This child will surely be non-verbal and we'll need all sorts of extra care for however they live and however long and it could be a full life.
What do you say?
But he said you a couple.
Who are crying, which should be tears of joy. Tears of Sorrow. What do you say? What do you say to a woman who calls you up? And it's not the first time, maybe the hundredth time. And she still is overwhelmed by anxiety and worry, and every part of her body hurts her joints, her knees, her hips. She's looking at surgery after surgery. She's on this pill and this medication or kidneys aren't functioning. Well, she has afib. She's so worried about losing her loved ones. Losing herself. What do you say?
What do you say when she can barely make it out of the house? And when she finally does, it's really just to go see another doctor. Who says just drop another pill and it won't really help.
What do you say to a man who's in his 90s and he's been in hospice care for years, nearly a decade. Hospice care should last maybe upwards of six months. And that's where you're just preparing to leave this life.
What would he say to a man who was restrained to his chair or to his bed who can only live, vicariously through the birds that come to his feet are when he says to you, why?
A man who has spent a lot of time outdoors. He could be well and through his 70s and 80s. What are you saying? What? Man like that, when there is no solution when there is no cure.
What do you see when you enter into an eternity award? It should be celebration because this is what babies coming in this world and where mothers and fathers beam with joy. What do you say when you walk into a hospital room and this poor mother is there Two months too soon. And her water has broken. And they're wondering if she actually has enough just to make it through another day for this child, but Are already preparing her for the loss of a little boy.
What do you tell her? As she waits in Praise, and his bedridden day after day? She's praying week after week. What do you say?
What does he say to a mother who's during her second pregnancy, she's diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, and they don't know how long it'll be, but it seems to be growing. How long should I have left in this life? What of your young husband and other child?
What do you say to a woman in her 20s who just lost her husband, 27, from a heart attack. Left two boys behind.
What do you say?
I'm not usually short on words if you know me you know me didn't find? No, I'd like to talk. In fact, in times past people would actually nickname, me, white noise. I think I've shared that with you, I just keep talking and talking and talking. And I love to resort to humor sometimes at least whatever is funny in my mind and so I've been known to pop into a hospital room saying. Well, what are you doing here? This wasn't part of your plan for the week, was it? They don't really laugh much, but usually, I reserve that for a time. When I know they're going to get out.
And I know there's hope on the horizon.
I'm quite the different Pastor when it comes to devastating news. How about you?
How about you when a loved one or maybe you are the one? Where life is not going at all as planned. And everything's going south and really quick. And you don't see an end to it.
How are you when you're standing? You are the one standing at the graveside. You're the one in the front row at the funeral.
Are you tongue tied, too? Praise Jesus.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. He actually gives us words to speak and they're just not words.
But words, filled with “He can.”
He can change things. He can give hope where there is none. God in Christ Jesus can do the impossible. That's what we celebrate today. And we're going to see it in this account of Matthew 19. And from this account we're going to find we actually have words that the world can't speak. Maybe refuses to speak but mostly doesn't know this new reality. What it is to know the gospel and the hope of our Salvation.So what do you say?
Let's take a look and see. What Jesus might say. We'll take a look at Matthew 9:18 through 21 and we'll catch up with Jesus. In His ministry here, Jesus is going along, He's preaching good news, He's saying things that are impossible. Like “I forgive you, your sins.” Oh, and the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the Sanhedrin, the Jewish leaders, the religious leaders, they're offended, fine. And you see they're so comfortable. They're not really in crisis mode that they don't need a Savior. They're fine with whatever the world might think they're fine with whatever. They're Sciences, their religious thoughts, their ideas, their self-righteousness might proclaim.
But Jesus is going to show very quickly here and how all those things fall short. Except what he has to offer.
So, Matthew 9 says, a synagogue leader came and knelt before Him, that would be Jesus. And said the most devastating any parent, whatever thing that a parent could say, he said, “My daughter has just died.”
“But come and put your hand on her and she will live.”
Now, in other accounts, Mark's gospel, Luke's gospel. We find out this man's name is Jairus, his daughter is just 12 years old.
She died. He's just gotten news, actually from those that had come from his house. He was a synagogue ruler. We believe in Capernaum. And so as they arrive, they say, she's gone. What can the teacher do? And he turns, and he pleads with Jesus, please. He had obviously heard about the things that Jesus could do, but raise the dead. Can He?. I mean what, what will Jesus say?
Take a step back. What would you say?
But with the world, tell this man.
Now, as that's happening, as Jesus gets up to go along with this devastated Father.
Here's another crisis.
Just in a woman who had been subject of leading for 12 years as long as Jairus, had a daughter.
She came up behind him and she touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, if I only touch his cloak, I'll be healed.
The scene is amazing is Mark and Luke described it. The crowd is so amazed by what, maybe Jesus could do what he could say that they're actually crowding in on him. They're crushing him in the sense of the Greek and as he's striving to help Jairus, move along and thinking of what He'll say and what He'll do this poor woman, she fights through the crowd, and she is so full of faith. She thinks that if I just touch the hem of His garment I know He'll heal me.
But will He?
I mean what what will He say? What can He say? I mean the world would say: What are you doing, Jesus?
The science says, “Reason says the world would suggest there's no helping here.”
Maybe some words of encouragement, but nothing that can remedy these situations. Even today. Can't remedy that.
And, what would Jesus say before? We answer that let's take a look at what the world does say.
In my training and what counselors would offer in encouragement, in resources and how to help people manage chronic illness and grief. Oh, here's the best of what the world can offer. And by the way, when I share these eight things and if you want to go ahead and throw those eight things up there, they're in your bullets and I would encourage you to take notes. A lot of times when we talk about the world, it's all bad. It's all wrong.
The world here has a lot to offer a lot of wisdom. So I want to share eight things to keep in mind so that you aren't terribly tongtied. But even as I share these eight, things, I want you to be thinking what's missing?
It's obvious, it's painfully obvious by the, the silence. That there is something the world cannot do. And that's because of the devastating effects of sin and how death reigns in this broken world.
So think of someone in your life, think about maybe a time, whether the past or the present, something you're going through, would you want to hear?
You say things. The first one. How about someone expressing in words empathy? Turning to Jairus and saying, “Dear friend. I can't imagine the grief losing a child. No one should have to bury their children.Being a father myself I can get that sense of how devastating this is. I feel for you. I walk with you.
Together, we can face this. You're not alone.
I would want to hear that. I would appreciate somebody that can come along and show some Empathy and shows some understanding. That's the other I think that we can be about and do and maybe turn our thoughts to the woman that's, that's bleeding and perpetually. So for 12 years and she's exhausted all her finances and she's turned to this doctor and that and she only gets worse and there's no solution, no remedy, and she's cast out. Because in those days you're unclean with that, that kind of illness. You're like a leper.
Surely to show some understanding.
I'm amazed at your bravery. Your courage over 12 years every day, getting out of bed. In keeping hope alive. I'm amazed. Hey, what's in you?
Keep persevering. How many of us wouldn't want to hear that? Share that right. How about this to offer assistance.
You know, we can't take away the burn, but we surely can say how can I make life be a little better for you. To make that burn a little lighter. Can I do anything? What can I do? Just name it and I'm there. How about this? I'll bring over a meal. I'm coming over tonight. I won't accept no and I'll bring some good company. I don't want you to be alone.
Let me help you.
How many of us would like to hear that? Of course we would. To encourage self-compassion.
To encourage someone to give themselves a break. To be that friend where you can tell them like, look, you are so strong. But around me, you can be weak. It's okay to cry.
It's okay to be angry. It's okay to doubt it all. It's okay to just lift your eyes. The skies and wonder why, it's okay. You can be that around me. It's okay. If you feel lost it's okay, it's okay.
You can be that here.
Because people try to carry so much so many times and they try to be strong for others, but when can they just vent and let it out, to be able to encourage self-compassion. Do that. We would all want somebody encourage us to invite us into that. How about? Celebrate small victories. Like hey, it's neat to see you today. You got out of bed. Good for you. It is not easy. You made it through another hour, another day. Wow, look at that strength. You have another week, another month. Another holiday. Another year.
Your strength is inspiring.
Celebrating the little victories. Or how about sharing positive thoughts. I'm so impressed that you don't give up your outlook, your optimism.
Again you're inspiring. How about reinforce their values? So often you can be so consumed by that problem that just doesn't go away. Which is debilitating, maybe robbing you of life or that grief, that pain that loss that you can't recover and do any of us ever truly recover.
To be able to reinforce their value to say when I look at you, you know, I don't see.
That defines you. Praise God.
You are so much more than that pain. That struggle. You're so much more. Then that loss I want you to know when I see you. I see a beautiful soul. That is so much more.
Probably this one. Maybe the best one of all offer a listening year.
And not just while everybody else is sitting. Cards of condolences and sympathies, but when the months go by and nobody remembers, When they continue with that, chronic illness and you ask for updates and it's not getting in better, and it's been years upon years. To be there to say, hey, can we get some coffee? It's on me.
How are you doing? You can tell me.
Those are things that I look to offer. When I share those opening scenarios. Or wise words there but did you notice the one thing that's missing?
Any real solution.
Any real victory to offer and again, don't mistake me. Those are amazing tools and we should use them. We should learn not to be tongue-tied.
But there's no restoration. And why? Well because that's the nature of this world. We can't fix everything for young people. For our children here, too. I remember when I was your age and I had this thought about life, like I could go to the doctor and they can fix anything. Maybe I lived a little recklessly in my use. Then you find out. No they they can barely fix a knee or hip. They can't fix you.
That's because that's the power of sin.
And friends, we live in a world where science would say, in reason would suggest and the world would proclaim Death Reigns.
But hey, we'll make the best of it until we make it there.
Is that what Jesus says?
Oh, let's take a look. Let's see how Jesus says. More, he says so much more. He says so much more to the woman and so much more to Jairus. We return our thoughts to Matthew 9:22.
Jesus going along again, with Jairus, they're striving for the house.
This man's daughter is dead.
He turns, he's wondering, someone touched me this power's gone out from me the disciples say everybody's touching you and you ask who touched you,
And he turns and he faces this poor woman and notice what he says.
He says “take heart, daughter.”
Now in Mark's gospel, He actually says, “Tell me. Tell me your story.” So he actually employs a lot of the things that the eight tools that you can use when somebody's down about.
And he listens and just think about Jairus probably invasionally like, hey, hey my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, and he's just listening and listening, and listening and listening, and he says, “take heart daughter.” And that word, there isn't just a meaningless word. Daughter, remember the context for 12 years. She's been the daughter of no one. At least because the false practice in those days. And what the wayward church was saying, “she was not a child of God, she was not his daughter.” She was like a leper. She had no community, no belonging, no worth, no value.
Jesus says, who are my daughter?
And that simple term of endearment. He says, you're God's child.
And she maybe was thinking, well, how can that be? Because I don't belong because because of this because of my sickness
And he proves why he can say those words. They're not just words he says, “Your faith, which is trusting in me. It has healed you. And the woman was healed at that moment daughter.”
That's what Jesus says.
Jesus says way more than the world can Jesus says, “I can heal you. Your faith in me is not in vain.”
Dear friends. That's what we get to say to one another.
And so what what do we say? Filling in the blanks here? Yes, we get to say all the comfort in the world.
That's some of God's gift to us in the world things but then be sure as a Christian people to go beyond the world and say this Jesus is Big with healing.
What encouragement to be able to say someone who's got a chronic illness? Where the doctors can't be able to say, you know, Jesus can heal you.
I firmly believe He is the power to do it and if we pray, don't be surprised if He does have that child develops with a brain. If that woman overcomes our anxiety and depression in this life, if that man can get out of his dying bed and enjoy life for a little bit longer,
God can do that. God promises. He can do all things when we ask in Jesus name now. If it is His will.
And many times it's not His will in this life, even better. Because God only knows how to give greater gifts. He never gives second best. If you're not healed. It is because God has something greater in mind with what assails you.
And in the end, He'll make it all clear.
These are the words that we get to say. Jesus is big with healing but even more. We get to say something else.
And now we return our thoughts to Matthew 9 23-26
What does he say to Jairus?
It says when, when Jesus entered the synagogue leader's house. So some time had passed and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes. The mortars had already arrived. They were certain, she was dead. That's what science said, that's what reason understands. That's what the world suggests. There's no evidence to say otherwise
As he sees this crowd, And the funeral procession.
And the singing of the hymns. He said go away.
I mean just imagine that in a funeral today. If somebody stood up and said okay that's enough. Everybody out. We’d be offended. And that's what they were. When he said, “the girl is not dead, but is sleeping. They laughed at him in the Greek word, there's not just like just uncomfortable. Okay, then.
It was like, “how dare you! Who do you think you are?”
How offensive to suggest that? We don't know reality. This girl is dead and no one fixes that. It was pure unbelief.
Jesus didn't care.
Better yet, Jesus cared and so, he pushed everyone out. After the crowd had been outside, he went in and he took the girl by the hand. Mark tells us the words. He says, “he's holding her hand”, it's 12 year old girl. Which is the little girl. “Get up.”
She got up.
The parents were amazed the three disciples that were there. Unbelievable! We've never seen anyone raise the dead. And they’re so amazed that they actually forget about the girl. Jesus says, “Hey, hey, can we get our meal? She's probably hungry, you know, being dead and everything.”
And they get into a meal.
And word about this not surprising spread throughout the region.
Anyway, love is a Christian people. This is the kind of thing Jesus says. Kind of thing Jesus does, you know what we get to say?
In moments, when we're even facing death. The graveside of someone we care about in love, you know, we get to say, never mind the world. Never mind, the science. Never mind the reason or the understanding. Never mind this thought. Death reigns. We just need to resign to that truth.
The visitation line of a funeral. When you're looking to encourage someone and you feel a little tongue tied, and you notice how everybody else is and they start talking about the past and the good times and maybe bring in some humor. Like that. You get to hug them and say, Jesus wins.
You get to hug them and say it is for this very moment that our Savior came. This is not the end.
You will see your loved one again. It's only a matter of time.
The world, when it's silenced. Here we come and we get to Proclaim truth. And notice this too. We didn't say, oh, I bet they're looking down on us. And we didn't say, well haven't got another Angel. And we didn't say, I thought I saw a butterfly they're with us or hey it was a sunny day, but all of a sudden it starts raining isn't it like so and so they were always a prankster.
And I've heard all those things and I don't mean to feed up on anyone for saying such things. We're trying to say things in a time where words just aren't appropriate.
God bless us when we're trying to encourage but we have something more than fairy tales. We have reality, we get to say, Jesus Lives. And therefore you will live and your loved one will live and you'll be better than an angel. You're a child of God and there's no greater status. And that's who they are. God doesn't forget his children.
Instead of pointing to outward signs and numbers, or butterflies or rainbows or rain. We get to say, “Thus, saith the Lord, His word that is written. It cannot fail. Heaven and Earth might pass away, but this word will not. Your loved one will live. Jesus wins.
It is inspiring. It is life-giving. It is power. Because when we can't, he can
And I didn't make this up.
You know, very well. This is how scripture reads 1 Corinthians 15 after we fill in these blanks. Here, we get to say, nothing is bigger than Jesus.
Never mind the world. Here's the Apostle Paul. He proclaims even in this broken, sinful world. He says, “Where, o death, is your victory? That's present tense. Where, o death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God. He gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ.”
God, give us the confidence, the boldness to say such things.
Because what else is there to say?
And what else is needed to be said, friends, when we can't.
When family can't, when doctors can't, when the world can't, when science says it's impossible, point everyone to Jesus because He can.
The ambassador of that good news because the world needs it. We all need it.
Amen.
