A PLACE AT THE TABLE

Dr. Marty Baker / Luke 14:14-24 / October 25, 2009
Good morning and welcome to The Creek. I want to specifically welcome those in our Grovetown Campus and those that are watching on television and at www.StevensCreekChurch.com.
Have you ever felt like an outsider? I have. When I was in the seventh grade, I joined the high school band. (Some of you watching today may remember this because this service is on channel 11 in Abbeville.) After the first competition that fall, it was evident that my legs were too short to hit the line or I was just uncoordinated. For whatever reason, I was just not measuring up, so I, along with six other folks, were pulled from the show.
From that point till the end of the season every time the band performed we had to stand at attention on the sidelines. As a seventh grader, this was not cool. It was humiliating. On more than one occasion, I can remember going home in tears because I wanted to be a part of the group and not on the sidelines.
Has there ever been a time where you felt like that? Maybe you were not in the band, but you were cut from the football team and your friends made the team. Or maybe you failed to get into the college that you wanted, or you were passed over for a position or left off the guest list at a party you wanted to attend. Along the way, every one of us has felt left out or have experienced some sort of rejection.
At times we bring those feelings into church thinking that because we have been rejected at other places that God has rejected us too. But, I have good news for you. God has a plan for you. He has a seat of honor for you. He has a place at the table for you.
Today, we continue our series, Amazed, with a look at a story that Jesus told about a great banquet. This parable shows us the incredible heart of God. In it we see His passion to include people, people who have been on the sidelines, people like you and me.
Luke 14:16-17
16 Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.
17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
To understand this passage, you have to look at it in light of their customs. In Biblical days, people typically received two invitations to celebrations. When a feast was first proposed, a nonspecific invitation would go out to the intended guests, announcing the event and highlighting its significance.
They did this way because planning was so unpredictable. The host did not have the luxury of running down to the grocery store to stock up on supplies, so they may have to wait for certain ingredients to become available or they may have to wait for the cow to fatten up before they would slaughter it.
People typically sent out the first invitation without a specific day or time stipulated. Guests would then anxiously wait for the much anticipated second invitation that said, “The feast is ready, it’s time to party!” Those invited never quite knew when that second message would finally be delivered, but they prepared to be ready to go as soon as the invitation was extended.
The banquet that Jesus was referring to was a big deal; it was a great banquet. It was a big-time, guzzle-and-gulp-it-down feast. They did not use plastic-plated deli trays or cheesy cheese logs. They did not have rubbery chicken-ALA-king or dry sheet cakes. It was a meal fit for a king.
In those days, people knew how to throw a party. So many of the banquets we go to begin a 7:00 and we are out by 9:00 PM. In those days, people came early and stayed until all the food was gone and their energy ran out. Banquets were huge celebrations. It was a banquet that people look forward to attending; well that is, most people.
As the story goes, there were several people who excused themselves from the party. At times we have all made excuses. We’ve all had our schedules change for one reason or another and are forced to give an excuse for not being somewhere. We give an excuse. If we miss an appointment, we give an excuse. If we are stopped for speeding many of us try to give an excuse. If we are a few minutes late to the office we give a detailed explanation.
As a pastor, I am always on the receiving end of somebody’s excuse. They want to explain to me why they were not in church. I hear this a lot, “Pastor, things are crazy right.” What does that mean? When are things not crazy? One of the most random excuses for missing church came to me several years ago. Someone said, “Pastor, I am sorry I missed church because I had to get my oil changed?” Really, an oil change? Is that the best excuse that you can come up with? Just tell me that you had a hang-over.
Sometimes our excuses are elaborate and have very little truth in them. That’s what’s happening in our parable today. Jesus is telling a story about a generous host who wants people to come and share in a rather glamorous feast, but several of the people make excuses for not attending. What are they?
Luke 14:18-20
18 "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
19 "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20 "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
On the surface, these seem somewhat logical, but let’s look a little deeper. The first one said, “I’ve just bought a field and I must go and see it.” How many people buy land sight unseen? Very rarely do people make large land purchases without walking the property, examining the lay of the land, and admiring the view. This excuse was not realistic.
The next guy said, “I’ve just bought five yoke of oxen and I want to try them out.” In those days, five yoke of oxen would be like buying five John Deere tractors. If you are going to buy a tractor you are going to kick some tires and test drive it. Before anyone buys a yoke of oxen, he is going to check them out first. He is going to see if they are strong enough for the job.
The final excuse seems a little more logical. The guy said, “I’ve just got married so I can’t come.” That man was not out of the gate good and he was hen-pecked.
What is Jesus really saying in this story? He is using this story to teach us a lesson about God and His passion to bless His people. You see, God has invited us to a great banquet. It’s a celebration. It’s a family dinner where you feel accepted, loved and cared for. It’s a place where you feel secure and you feel like you belong. It’s life in His Spirit.
God sent out the invitations, but instead of accepting His invitation, many people have excused themselves from any kind of connection with you. They have excused themselves away from any spiritual experience.
When they are asked to come, they simply say, “I am not interested.” Many people are like the man who just bought a field, they allow their possessions to keep them away from God’s will for their lives.
Some are like the second man who felt like his business expansion was more important than his spiritual life.
Others are like the last man who allowed relationships with other people to take precedence over their faith. Each one of these individuals gave an excuse and thus rejected the offer to the great banquet.
Today, God is reminding you of His invitation to join Him. What’s your excuse? You have seat at the table. God has a place of honor for you. He is looking for you. He wants you here. God is not mad at you. He has not rejected you. So, what’s your excuse for rejecting Him?
This invitation is for all of you. It does not matter where you came from or where you are right now. God is searching for you. He has room for you at his table. Let’s look at God’s response.
Luke 14:21
21 "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
This is very interesting because the people that we would normally exclude from our guest list are found on God’s list. So, at this table here today, there is room for everyone.
Luke 14:22
22 "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
God is bigger than we think He is. His heart is bigger. His compassion is bigger. His plans for you are bigger than you imagine. Just when you think that you have asked too much, God says, “There’s more.” There is still room.
Luke 14:23
23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.
This story is not only about those who are on sidelines, but here he speaks to those in the game. He told his servant to go. We, as believers in Jesus Christ, are his servants and we have the responsibility to go and make them come in.
We take this so lightly. We have bought into the cultural view of tolerance to the point that we do not care if someone dies without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are too afraid that we may offend someone so we remain silent. Remain silent about the greatest gift that you have ever received.
You cannot watch a good movie without telling ten of your friends how great the movie is. You cannot go to a good restaurant without telling a number of people how good the food is.
Yet, when you go out of here, you are so timid to tell anyone what God has done in our life. Tell your story. Tell your friends how you felt before coming to Christ and how you feel today. Tell your friends what it feels like to be forgiven. Your friends aren’t looking for a lesson in theology, they are looking for hope.
When you talk to them, don’t talk down to them. Don’t preach to them. Don’t judge them. Just love them enough to share some good news. Just tell your story. Just tell that Jesus has changed your life and that He is room at the table for them too.
Jesus is telling us to go. He said, “Make them come in.” We need to be pro-active. We need to take the initiative. There will be people that we will see this week that are headed for a Christ-less eternity. Will we even notice them? What do they look like? Let go back to verse 21.
Luke 14:21b
21 ...Then the owner ... ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
He specifically mentions the poor, the crippled, blind and the lame. He said to begin with the hurting people. Some of us immediately think about folks that under-resourced and disenfranchised. So, we sign up for a First Saturday Missions experience here at The Creek. I appreciate that. We need to be in the inner city. But, I believe that our vision must be broader.
When Jesus refers to those who are poor, could he be referring to those individuals who are poor in spirit? These are the people who are depressed and discouraged.
Here’s his message. There’s room at the table for people whose lives are broken and hurting. There’s room for people who are not perfect. This is a healing place for a hurting world. You can find healing. You can find hope in Jesus Christ.
What about the crippled? Could this include those individuals that have been crippled by life? What about those folks who have and are suffering through a divorce?
You never dreamed that your life would turn out like it has. When you exchanged rings on your wedding day, you thought that it was till death do you part, but it has not turned out that way. God hates divorces, but He loves divorced people. If you have been crippled by divorce, there’s room at the table for you.
Maybe you have been crippled by a financial reversal. You never thought that you would be in this situation, but here you are.
There are some here today that have been crippled by an unexpected death of a loved one. There’s room at this table for you. You can find comfort in Jesus Christ. If you are grieving a loss, there are people here at The Creek that will walk along side of you. You don’t have to go through the grieving process alone. We have a grief share group that meets on Mondays at 7:00.
Luke 14:21
… 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
What about the blind? There are many people who are blinded by the world and cannot see the light of God’s love. Maybe we are to extend a loving touch to these individuals.
What about the lame? These are the people who have never been given a chance to walk. Could it be that God is calling us to help them get on their feet and get started on a new path?
Our vision must be broader. There’s room here at The Creek for people who have suffered, people who have lost their way, people who have stepped out of bounds. There’s room for you.
When you look back over this passage, the message is very clear: we are to bring them; we are to make them. God wants you to be involved in this work.
For years, we have encouraged you to invest your life into people and then invite them to church. Here’s an empty chair. We are the hands and feet of Jesus in this community. It is our responsibility to have a conversation with the people that God brings our way.
But, not only that, we are to go into our week and compel people to come to the banquet. There’s a place here for you and your friends.
God’s arms are open wide and He is saying to come to the table … those of you who are wounded, hurting, sin-laden and lost. Come, come to His table today.

RESTORING YOUR SPIRITUAL PASSION

Dr. Marty Baker | October 18, 2009 | Mark 12:28-34

Welcome to Stevens Creek Church! We are glad that you are here. We want to welcome all of the Creekers in our Grovetown campus, those watching us on television, and on the net.

When I was a kid my Dad always said, “Son, I want you to go to school so that you can do more than I have done.” I think that’s the goal of most parents. Over the years, I have grown to understand that just maybe my Dad had an underlying message, “Son, I want you to go to school so that you can get a job and get off of my pay-roll.”

When I look back over my formative years, there has always been a teacher that inspired me to go further than I thought that I could go. I think about Leland Scott in high school. He taught me the value of leadership and how to lead people. I think about Winston Elliot in college who taught me to dream of how things could be. In graduate school, W.A. Cowley taught me to press through mental barriers that were keeping me from moving forward.

A teacher has an unusual ability to shape a student’s future. They help mold our thinking. They inspire our visions and help direct our footsteps. Throughout history there have been many teachers that have captivated the imagination of their students, but there has never been a teacher like the one that I am going to talk about today. His words shaped not only a generation, but a movement that has transformed the world. When people heard him speak, they were simply AMAZED at what He said. Today we are starting a brand new series based on the Teachings of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:28-29

²⁸When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Over the next several weeks, we are going to open up the Bible and see what Jesus taught. His words will instruct you, encourage you and most of all give life to you. You will find his words written in the Bible and what you will discover is that His words are not only for the hearing but for doing. They are action steps to a better life. When we apply His word to our lives, we will become the people that we were meant to be. So, let’s get started.

One day a man walked up to Jesus and he said, "Lord, what’s the most important thing in the Bible? What’s the greatest commandment?"

Mark 12:29-31

²⁹"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.³¹The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."

Jesus is teaching here that our interaction with God should be more than an old worn-out ritual. It should be more than just following the rules and regulations. Instead, it should be a life-giving relationship that flows from your heart to His. In scripture, the heart is more than an organ. The heart is the center of a person. It is the seat of his emotions, passions and appetites.

To "Love the Lord with all your heart" means to make a conscious decision and commitment to serve God above everything else. Jesus is saying that I want you to be sold-out, fully devoted and passionate about your faith.

You know in America, it is okay to be passionate about anything except God. I can be passionate about movies. I can be passionate about sports. I can be passionate about politics. I can be passionate about fashions and clothes. I can be passionate about restaurants, but I cannot be passionate about God. That’s a no-no.
This past week I went to www.Amazon.com and typed in the phrase "a passion for..." I found scores of books with that title like: A Passion for Nature, A Passion for Opera, A Passion for Publishing, A Passion for Chocolate (that’s understandable), A Passion for Fashion, and even A Passion for Motor Sports.
It seems to me that in our culture it is okay to be passionate about anything except your faith, except your relationship with God. I can go to a rock concert, or a political rally or a football game and I can shout my head off. I can get excited. I can get hoarse from yelling so loud.

When my team loses I could cry. Nobody thinks that’s a big deal. When my team wins I can jump up and dance around and wave my hands in the air.

If I do that at a game people go, "He’s a real fan!" If I do that in church some people may say, "He’s a fanatic! He’s a nut case." You don’t want to get too emotional about your faith. Jesus approached faith very differently. He taught us:

Mark 12:30

³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

We need to give God our all. Many of us here today would say, “Okay. I am going to do that. I want a passionate and dynamic spiritual life.” So, you make a decision to say, “Yes” to Jesus. You turn your life around. Things get better. You are free from your past. Your sins are forgiven. You start to see God’s hand on your life. You filled with joy.

But, then life happens. Storms blow in. Challenges come. Things get tough. Before you know it, you have lost your joy. You have lost your peace. You lost your contentment. You have lost your spiritual energy. Where did it go? Where did you lose it?

I see this happen a lot. People get excited about faith, but then their spiritual fires burn low. They lose focus. They lose passion.

How does this happen? Let’s be practical. There are several things that work against our spiritual growth. These things get us off track. They invite confusion to come in. They slip in and rob the joy right out of your life. They steal our spiritual passion.

Over the next few minutes I want to help you pinpoint some of the things that are draining the life out of you and hopefully offer some help along the way.

Restoring Your Spiritual Passion.
1. Take a realistic look at your schedule.
I talked about this a few weeks back. When your schedule gets out of whack, it creates a spiritual drain. When you are overworked or under worked, you are going to lose your enthusiasm for life and you are going to lose your passion for God and other people.

Remember that life is a series of seasons. There’s a season for everything. There’s a rhythm to life. You need both input and output. You need both rest and work. And too much of either will cause you to lose your enthusiasm. Too much work will affect you and too much of doing nothing -- boredom -- will affect you too.

Probably in a crowd this size, half of you need to work less and half of you probably need to work more. There’s a temptation to go either way.

Some of you are struggling because you are always giving out. You’re always helping, you’re always sharing, you’re always serving, you’re always working, you are always being generous and you never take time to recharge. You cannot sustain a passionate spiritual life with that schedule. Here’s what is going to happen. You are going to burn out from too much work.

Others of you here, you’re the exact opposite. You’re always taking in but never giving out. You go to Bible studies, you listen to teachers on the radio, you listen to podcasts, you go to Christian concerts, you go to workshops, you come to church all the time. You’re always learning, always taking in, but you’re not giving out any.

You don’t have any ministry, you don’t have any mission. You’re not really helping anybody. It’s not healthy. You need balance in your life. You need both … an input and output. You need work and you need rest. You need balance in your schedule. When your schedule is out of whack, it creates a spiritual drain in your life. Take a realistic look and then reorder your schedule. Here’s another spiritual drain.
2. Ignite your passion by using your gifts and talents to help others.

Every believer has been given gifts and talents to be used to serve Christ and His Church.

1 Peter 4:10

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another

God gives you these gifts, talents and abilities. These gifts are not for your benefit. They’re for the benefit of other people. My gifts are for your benefit. Your gifts are for my benefit. You are to use those gifts in the service of other people.

God has given you a special role in this world. He wants you to make a contribution with your life. God did not give you special abilities just to sit on them and do nothing about it.

An unused talent will cause you to lose your enthusiasm for life and your passion for God. Again, let’s be practical. If you are stuck in a job that does not use your talents to any degree you are inevitably going to lose your passion. You will eventually burn out.

Studies have shown that 70% of all Americans are in a job that does not use their talents. That’s tragic. That makes God sad. Because God did not give you talents and then say, "Don’t use them. Just go make some money." There’s something more important than money. That is using what God gave you.

If you’re in a job right now that uses only 30% of your talent that’s going to give you a 70% boredom factor. Some of you know what I am talking about. You are bored by your job because it’s not using the talents that God put in you.

The reality is you’re never going to find a job that uses 100% of your talent. You’re never going to find a job that is 100% fulfilling.

Why? Because God never meant for you to find 100% fulfillment through your job.

Your life is more than your job. He wants you to have a ministry. That’s why you need a ministry in the church so that you can use the talents you are not using in your job.

You need a job but you also need a ministry that expresses what you’re good at. That’s why we here at Stevens Creek encourage everybody to find a ministry. Ignite your passion by using your gifts and talents to help others.
3. Make peace with your past and move forward in forgiveness.

This is a big one. Few things rob you of spiritual passion, confidence and joy more quickly than guilt. This guilt typically comes from un-confessed sin.

When we allow sin to stay in our lives un-confessed, it subconsciously gnaws at us. We try to push it aside by saying, “I’m okay. It’s no big deal. Everybody else is doing it. We try to justify our actions, but the guilt eventually comes back.

Most of you work with computers. Have you ever had one to crash? That’s when some program tries to write the wrong thing to the wrong place and it crashes.

Guilt does that to us. Guilt can cause a system crash in your life. We’re not made to live with guilt. God wants us to deal with it immediately that is why He sent Jesus to this earth to die on a cross. Through Christ we can be forgiven and our guilt removed. You can be free from your guilt. Confess your sins to Christ. Ask him to forgive you.

1 John 1:9

⁹ But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

That’s His promise. To confess just means you agree with God. You just say, "God, I agree with You. It’s a sin. What I did was wrong. Please forgive me. I want to live the kind of life that you want me to live.”

You don’t have to carry this guilt around with you for days or weeks. Right now in your heart, say, “Take it, God.” Say, "I confess it. Forgive me of my sins. Restore my joy. Restore my passion.”

4. Do your part to resolve the conflict that you have with others.

You are going to have conflict with others. There will be certain people that know how to get under your skin. There are certain people that rub you the wrong way. When this happens, you get angry and before you know it you are in conflict with them.

Conflict drains the passion right out of you. Your joy goes out the window when this person comes in the room. Your attitude all of a sudden just goes flat.
Some of you are in the middle of it right now…at home, at work, or with a relative. It feels as though conflict is constant. It’s time to work at resolving the conflict. Do what you can to minimize the conflict. You do the possible.

Romans 12:18

¹⁸If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

As you work at it, be careful to protect yourself. You must guard your heart. Don’t allow resentment, jealously and prolonged anger to stay inside of you. You must let it go. You have to forgive.

Forgiveness is the key to healthy and growing relationships. If you don’t forgive, then resentment and bitterness will control you. Don’t let that happen. Let it go. Put them in God’s hands and let Him handle it. Our scripture today says….

Mark 12:30-31

³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ³¹The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.

You must love God and love people. Learn how to love even when it’s not easy to do so.

5. Stay fresh in your spiritual life through connecting with God and other believers.
I want you to have a vibrant spiritual life. I want you to be passionate about your faith. How do you do that? How do you stay fresh?

You need times with God. You need to get to know Him personally. I want you to join this church, but church membership is not as important as developing your relationship with Jesus Christ.

You need regular times that you connect with God in pray. You need to learn how to listen to His prompting and respond to His directives. You need to learn how to worship, not just in this auditorium but in your everyday life.

You need to read God’s word and grow to be more like Christ. You need to have a ministry where you’re using your talents to help other people. And you need a mission in the world where you’re sharing your faith.

If you want to restore your spiritual passion, you not only need to connect with God, but you need to connect with other believers.

You need fellowship with other believers. Sometimes you lose your enthusiasm for God because you’re not spending time around other people who have a passion for God. You’re not spending time around other Christians. You’re not getting any fellowship. We need each other.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

⁹ Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.

¹⁰ If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

We all stumble at times. So we all need people to help us up in our lives. This is why you have to be in a small group. Do not wait until the crisis comes and then think, “Now I need a small group.” Do it today. Every one of us needs a group of people that we can do life with.

Human beings were made for relationships. We’re made to live in community. Whether you’re married or single you need relationships with others. If you don’t have the support of other believers, there will be a higher probability that you will lose your enthusiasm for faith.

Here’s what I have seen over and over. A person stops coming to church. They stop hanging out with other believers. They rationalize it by saying, “I’ll just watch it on the Internet or on FOX.” I’ve got other things to do... I’ll get back to church soon.”

When you do this, your heart starts to turn cold. You start to feel far from God. You start to feel like God’s far from you. God did not move. You did. It’s time to come back. It’s time to re-connect with God and other believers. You need Him in your life. If you don’t make room for God in your life, your heart will shrivel up.

I don’t want to see that happen. I don’t want you to continue living an isolated life. You don’t have to walk alone. God wants to walk with you. Jesus loves you. If you could boil the whole Bible down to one verse, it would be John 3:16.

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God really loves you. The real focus of today’s talk is for you to respond to His love. Do you love Him?

This past week I watched the closing moments of the classic movie: Fiddler on the Roof. You may remember the scene when the husband asks his wife in song: “Do you love me?” She responded in song with all of the things that she has done for him. She said, “For 25 years I have washed your clothes, cooked your meals, cleaned your house, given you children, milked your cow.” The husband responded over and over, “But, do you love me?”

This morning Jesus is asking you, “Do you love me? There are so many people that respond to that question with a list of things that they have done. I have attended church. I have given money. I helped with a special project. I even joined a small group. But, Jesus is saying, “Do you love me?”

That’s the question that I want you to answer today. Do you love Him with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength?

EYES TO SEE

Dr. Marty Baker / Mark 10:46-52 / October 4, 2009

Good morning, I am Marty Baker and I would like to welcome to The Creek. We are glad that you are here. I would also like to say hello to all those watching by television and on the web. Thanks for tuning in.

Today we are continuing the series, Incredible, with a talk called Eyes to See. I wore glasses for over 20 years of my life and eight years ago, my glasses broke right before I preached one Wednesday night. In frustration I cried out, “God, fix my glasses or heal my eyes.” To my surprise, my eyes were healed that night. I did not believe it and over the next three months I saw three different doctors and they told me that I did not need glasses. I cannot explain it, but here’s what I know, for the last eight years, it has been a blessing to be able to read and drive without glasses.

The Bible is packed with life-changing stories that cannot be explained away with human logic or reasoning. We call them miracles. Many of you, just like me, have seen unexplained occurrences that have taken place in your life. Over the last several weeks, we have been talking about the things that defy logic, those incredible miracles that are featured in the Bible. We have talked about loaves of bread being multiplied, handicapped people walking and today a blind person receiving his sight.

Miracles are those moments that God moves into our lives and brings encouragement and strength for our journey. Over the years, I have come to realize that many of these divine interventions are for that moment. In fact, I have come to realize that many recorded miracles in the Bible were time-stamped. For instance, the multitudes were fed with two fish and five loaves of bread, but later on those same people were hungry again. Lazarus was raised from the dead, but he eventually died again.

Here’s my point. Well, I am in my upper 40s and age is starting to creep in on my eye sight. I am trying to handle it gracefully, but Patty who looks much younger than I do, is not quite as graceful as I am. You see, she does not have an eye problem, but we have discovered that her arms are too short. This discovery is especially true when we are in restaurants and she is trying to read the menu. When you put the two of us together, we give our kids something to laugh. They can laugh all they want to, but their day is coming.

Today’s story comes from the second book of the New Testament, the book of Mark, chapter ten. At this moment, Jesus is winding down his earthly ministry. He is only days away from going to the cross. He and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem by way of Jericho. We pick up the story in Mark 10.

Mark 10:46

⁴⁶Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging.

Let’s pause for a moment. Being blind in our day is very bad, but in Jesus’ day it was much worse. In first century Palestine blindness meant that you would be subjected to abject poverty. You would be reduced to begging for a living. You lived at the mercy and the generosity of others. Unless your particular kind of blindness was self-correcting, there was no hope whatsoever for a cure. So, we see Bartimaeus here on the side of the road begging for food or money.

Mark 10:47

⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

There’s no doubt that Bartimaeus had already heard about Jesus and his miracles. The news of Jesus opening blinded eyes, touching deaf ear and making lame people walk had spread through the country side. Now, this man who we assume has been blind since birth is within earshot of Jesus, so he shouted: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy upon me!” When Bartimaeus used the title “Son of David,” he was referring to the fact that Jesus was the Messiah of Israel. It interesting that Bartimaeus lived in darkness and he could not see anything with his natural eyes, but he had a vision that few of the Jewish people of his day had. He could see that Jesus was more than just a man; more than just another teacher of the Law and more than just a priest. He saw Jesus as the Messiah, so he cried out, “Have mercy on me!”

This unnerved some of the disciples of Jesus. They told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more…

Mark 10:48

⁴⁸Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Bartimaeus was desperate for help. He knew that this was an opportunity that he did not want to pass up. Jesus, the miracle worker, was passing by. As Bartimaeus continued to shout out loud, Jesus stopped.

Mark 10:49-50

⁴⁹Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you."

⁵⁰Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

Here we see that Bartimaeus responded to the call of Jesus. He jumped up. He made the move. He took the first step. He did what he could do. He did not wait for anyone else. He could not see him, but he ran in the direction of Jesus’ voice.

Some of you are here today and you have said over and over, “I will believe it, when I see it.” I want you to leave room in your heart for the voice of Jesus. You may not see it, but you will sense his promptings. You will hear his voice. Bartimaeus heard Jesus call him and he jumped to his feet and ran towards him. Jesus asked him.

Mark 10:51

⁵¹"What do you want me to do for you?"

Jesus was saying, “Tell me what you need. What do you want me to do?” Jesus already knew what Bartimaeus needed. He knew that Bartimaeus was living in darkness, but he also knew that Bartimaeus needed to confess it. He needed to say it.

Faith is not faith until you confess it. We have to speak it. Jesus was giving this blind beggar an opportunity to confess his faith. When we speak out in faith, our lives are changed. Bartimaeus was very specific. He knew what he wanted and he prayed a specific prayer.

Mark 10:51

⁵¹"…The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."

Possibly all of his life he had lived in darkness. He had never known the beauty of a sunset. He had never seen the wonderful colors of creation. This was his opportunity. He wanted to be changed. He believed that Jesus the Messiah could do what no one else could do. He said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” Jesus responded.

Mark 10:52

⁵²"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Bartimaeus put his faith in Jesus and his eyes were opened so that he could see. No longer was he bound to the darkness of his past. No longer was he locked into a cycle of poverty. No longer would he have to rely on others to basic necessities. The darkness lifted and the light came and his life was never the same.

As most of you know, our church works among the poor and the under-resourced in the inner city. What you may not know is that when something stays in our lost and found more than six months, it is given to the poor. Several months ago, Connie Seviertson took a pile of unclaimed glasses with her downtown where she met an older homeless man that could not see well enough to read. She helped him try on the glasses that she had, both men’s and women’s. He found a pair that seemed to work. When she gave him the glasses, he started to cry because he said he hasn’t had glasses to read for a very long time. He said “now I can read again.” The miracle of sight… it changes the way we live.

When Jesus opened the eyes of Bartimaeus, it changed his life. Some of you are saying, “That’s a good story, but it really doesn’t affect me.” There is more to this miracle than meets the eye. There’s a deeper message. It’s a message about spiritual blindness. It’s a message about specific types of prayer. It’s a message of restoration.

So, let’s drill down. What can we take away from this story? What do I want you to do with this message? I want this to be very practical. Here’s the question of the day.

What do you want Jesus to do for you?

I believe that God answers prayer. Jesus offered to help Bartimaeus and today, I believe that he is extending that offer to us.

When Jesus asked that question, Bartimaeus responded with a request or a prayer. I want to you respond to this morning with a prayer. I know that some of you are not comfortable with the thought of praying. Don’t be intimidated. Prayer is simply talking to God. I want you to have a conversation with God. Let it come from your heart. I want to lead you through a few simple prayers.

Over the next few minutes, we are going to open our lives to God. We are going to ask him to help us. We are going to take the step. We are going to respond to his offer. We are going to pray. Here’s the first prayer.

Today, I am going to ask...

Prayer One:

God, open my eyes to who you are and help me to become the person that I was meant to be.

I meet a lot of people who have had an encounter with God through Jesus Christ. They are spiritually blind. I see them stumbling around in darkness. They are looking for fulfillment. They are longing for purpose, but they have not found what they are looking for. Why? Because they are looking in the wrong places.

People who are spiritually blind typically view their desires, their agenda, their needs, their wants as the most important focus of their life. They say, “It’s all about me.”

Life is not about you. It’s not about me. It’s about Him.

Some of you are struggling with emptiness because you feel as though something is missing in your life and you don’t know what it is.

We were created with a spiritual hole in our heart, a void, a longing in our soul. That longing will only be filled when you surrender your life to Jesus Christ.

Jesus wants us to be a part of God’s family. We will never discover true meaning and purpose living outside of the family of God. Living in the family means that we live under his plan, under his authority, under his blessing.

When you step out from under his plan, you will not become the person you were intended to be. You will wander around in darkness never fully understanding your purpose on this earth. So let’s pray: God, open my eyes to who you are and help me to become the person that I was meant to be.

Here’s the next prayer.

2. God, help me to make good decisions so that I will honor you with my life.

Your decisions in this life really matter. You have the ability to choose how you want to live, what you want to do, and where you want to go. But, please understand that your decisions will determine your destiny.

Don’t continue to walk around in darkness. One day you are going to stand before a holy God and you will give an account of how you have lived your life? What are you going to say?

Well, “I am not as bad as the next guy.” That’s not how it works. You are not responsible for the next guy. You are responsible for you. Take responsibility. Turn your life around.

Too many people say, “I’ve got time. I will get in church later on. I will connect with God when I get a little older. I believe that there is a God, but I am not ready to go there yet.”

Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Today is the day to encounter Jesus. Your life is a mist. You are here one day and gone the next. Don’t waste your life.

Most of you feel as though your lives are very much in front of you. They may not be. You may have already lived most of your life. But if God wills, many of you have several decades to live on the earth before you die and give an account of what you did with your life.

What are you going to do with your life?

When I was a kid, we use to sing a song at church that had these words: “Only one life, twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”

What are you doing with your life? Are you going to work your whole life just to turn 65 just so you can go fishing, golfing, play bingo and shuffleboard? Is that what life is about? You work and work and work so that you can retire? There is more to life than looking forward to retirement.

You were created to make a difference. You were created to do good works. Make the right choice. Honor the Lord with your life. Allow Him to shine His light through you.

Ephesians 2:10

¹⁰For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

You were created to honor God with your life. You were created to do good things. It’s not the good works that will save you. Jesus saves you in order that you may be an influence for Him in this world. Doing good works begins with making the right choices.

So, let’s pray: God, help me to make good decisions so that I will honor you with my life.

Prayer Three:

God, give me a sense of balance so that I can finish the race strong.

A lot of people take a step towards God, but they never grow in their faith. This is a prayer about our priorities. I don’t want you to be tossed about from here to there. I want to see you rooted and grounded in your faith. God has a plan for you and He wants to live a balanced life.

Deuteronomy 5:32-33

³² So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left.

Where do we find the balance? We find a balance when we get our priorities in line. You know: God first, Family second and so forth.

Some of us are blind to the fact that our schedules are leading us into darkness. It’s time to refocus on the things that are important.

Look at your relationship with God. How are you doing? Are you investing time in your maturing your faith? Are you in a small group? If you are in college, your group meets at my house tonight. Be there. Are you serving? Are you giving?

There is a reason that one of the Ten Commandments states: Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. That verse reminds us to recalibrate our lives every week. We must put God first.

Look at your relationship with your family. Are you carving out time for them? It’s more than staying busy. Some folks feel that if they keep their kids busy, everything will be okay. This is not about activities only. Your kids need you more than they need the activities that you provide. Your wife needs you more than she needs your pay check.

Living a balanced life will mean that you learn to say, “no” to certain things and learn to say “yes” to other.

Matthew 6:33

³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Our prayer today is: God give me a sense of balance so that I can finish the race strong.

Jesus asked Bartimaeus: What do you want me to do? Bartimaeus said, “I don’t want to live in darkness anymore. I want to see.”

Prayer Four:

God, give me freedom from my past so I can embrace my new life.

We started this talk with the story of Bartimaeus. When Jesus called him, he jumped up, threw cloak down and ran towards Jesus. The cloak was an outer garment that he used as a coat, as blanket and even as a tent when it rained. It was his best friend, his protector and his home. When Jesus called him, he threw is down. In some ways, Bartimaeus was saying was leaving his past behind and embracing a new future. He was not going to allow, his past to define his future. He was free.

Several months ago, I received this note.

Before I met Mark, I had been unsuccessfully married 3 times (yes 3 times). I married an alcoholic the first time, an atheist the second and an alcoholic/drug addict the third time and never in any of these marriages did I include God. It wasn't until I was suffering miserable, laying on the family room floor crying did I realize that I needed "some God" in my life.

I went to work and mentioned this to a friend who just about forced me to go church. I was so disparate for something, a change, healing, peace, etc. that I went the following Sunday. I wasn't in the church for 10 minutes when I knew that that was where I was supposed to be. It was the first time in my life that I had ever felt the presence of God.

It was there that my life began to change as I learned what it was to truly be a Christian. It was there that I gave my life to Christ and was baptized.

I made a commitment to myself that I wasn't going to be involved in another relationship without God. From the very beginning, I told him that I wasn't going to be involved with anyone again who didn't "do God". He told me he was willing. God was working on Mark and he started to change. Within a year of being married, he devoted his life to Christ and was baptized at Steven Creek.

My life has been forever changed for the better since I decided to let God into my life.

Patricia found freedom in the presence of the Lord. She was in darkness. She was blind, but now she can see.