A very good morning, everybody. My name is Craig and I work for the church as a pastor in training.
! I want to add my welcome to all the other welcomes that you've heard this morning already.
! It's really great to be together.
So, as Bogdan was saying already, this month we are having this special focus on sharing the good news of Jesus
with people around the world that don't know him already.
And so, over the course of March, we're doing these special messages from the Word.
And so, our topic this morning is find the power that you're looking for.
So, we're going to be thinking about power this morning.
And we know that in our world, we have big problems with power.
Men and women are looking for power.
Many people step on other people to get it.
And many people suffer when power is abused.
The first problem that we have with power is that it is abused.
When we think about power, I wonder what comes to mind when you think about power.
I don't think of chess pieces, but that was just a cool picture I found online.
But when we think about power, we often think about the big people in our world.
The kings and the queens, the presidents, the CEOs of the big companies.
But in actual fact, across all layers of society, we have people using their relative positions of power
to trod on other people to benefit themselves.
I think we can probably imagine how that happens.
Nearly every day on our news channels, we see examples of people abusing their power for selfish gains.
People abuse other people who are under their care.
World leaders throw their weight around like children in the playground.
And people in the workplace devote as much time to one-upmanship as they do to their work.
And people do this without a care for the consequences
and without any feelings of compassion for those that are suffering under their actions.
There's a fellow called Lord Acton.
You'll probably recognize his quote rather than his portrait.
But this is Lord Acton.
And he famously wrote that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Great men are almost always bad men.
And I think Lord Acton was right.
When sinful hearts are empowered,
they suddenly have a greater ability to follow their sinful heart's desires.
And the fallout to following these desires is often much uglier.
When kids fight at primary school,
there are often tears.
But when kings fight,
primary schools get wiped out.
And because we've seen so many terrible examples
in our lives, on the news, day to day,
we actually become quite suspicious of all powerful people.
We are skeptical and we often assume the worst
in people who enjoy power and status and success.
We actually need better examples of power to follow.
The second problem we have with power is that it is fleeting.
Power has a time limit.
It is limited by death.
Even the greatest men and women in our world
won't be powerful forever.
They will die.
This is perhaps a mercy when we think about the tyrants in our world,
but the good kings die too.
Does anybody know how old President Trump is?
I want a bit of audience participation.
He's 79.
And in June, he's going to turn 80.
He's going to have his 80th birthday.
He's the most powerful man in the world.
And he's turning 80 this year.
And he doesn't have an answer to death either.
In 20 years, he'll be gone.
And there's nothing that he can do about it.
So power is fleeting.
Now, the question, I've said it already,
but the question that we're asking ourselves this morning is,
can we find the power that we're looking for?
Now, we're not asking, where can we find power for ourselves?
Rather, to rephrase the question slightly,
it's, how can we find a power which is truly good?
Can truly powerful people also be compassionate and selfless
without a sniff of corruption?
Can absolute power be wielded lovingly to lift up weak and helpless people?
That's the question that we're asking this morning.
So in Luke chapter 8, which Aaron read for us,
it'd be good to keep it open in front of you
because we're going to track through the story that we've read.
And in Luke chapter 8, we meet a man
who not only wields incredible life-changing power,
but a man who doesn't use it for his own gain.
So this is a different kind of power to what we see in the world around us.
Jesus sees and he comprehends human suffering
and uses his power to lift up weak and hopeless people.
And not only that, unlike the great men and women of our world,
Jesus claims to have the answer to death.
His power is absolute,
but it is power which is eternal and outlasts death.
And Jesus invites us this morning to have faith
that he is the ultimate answer to our suffering,
to our shame,
to our separation from God.
And only he can give us the hope of life beyond death.
So this is a story sandwiched inside another story.
And it is about a man called Jairus
and about a woman who has suffered for many years.
And we're going to examine this story in three parts.
So we're going to first look at how Jesus sees
and cares about human suffering.
Then we're going to see how one person's faith is commended
and see another person invited to have faith in Jesus.
So our first point,
Jesus sees and cares about human suffering.
So look again at the verses.
So verse 40,
we see that Jesus enters a town
and he is met with a huge crowd
who are waiting for him
and anticipating his next move.
And as Jesus walks through these streets,
it tells us that he's nearly crushed by the crowd.
There are so many people here
who've come to see this man.
It is exceedingly busy.
And it is here in this town
that he meets a man called Jairus
who has no answers to death.
Jairus is a successful and important man.
He is the leader of the local synagogue.
But his world is utterly falling apart
because his daughter is so sick
and she is close to death.
Despite the masses of people
who've come out to meet Jesus,
Jairus manages to get to Jesus
and he falls down at Jesus' feet,
pleading with Jesus,
come to my house
and save my daughter before she dies.
Jairus' daughter is young.
She's only 12 years old.
And she is his and his wife's only child.
Now, I'm not a father just yet,
but Josie and I already feel
so much love for our unborn baby boy.
So I can somehow relate
to what this man is feeling.
But even if you're not a parent,
I'm sure you can understand
the gut-wrenching distress
that this man is experiencing
because he is so close
to losing his daughter,
his pride and joy,
the love of his life.
And Jairus is totally out of answers.
He has no answer to his daughter's sickness
and there's nothing he can do
to prevent her from dying.
But he has heard
that this man Jesus is coming to town
and he's heard that he can heal the sick.
Maybe Jesus can help.
Now, the British have been famous
for their stiff upper lip attitude
in times of war and in hardship
or in times of pain.
And even from a young age,
British people would learn
to grin and bear it,
bury your emotions,
remain calm,
or as the phrase goes,
keep calm and carry on.
Respond unflinchingly
to adversity.
And as admirable as that attitude is,
it can only get you so far.
It can give you the tools
to cope with suffering,
but it doesn't explain
why the suffering is happening
and it certainly cannot save
your children from dying.
Jairus pleads with Jesus
to come to his house
and Jesus agrees.
But as they make their way
through the melee,
we are introduced to a woman
who has no answer
to suffering or shame or separation.
The very fact that this woman
isn't named in this passage
speaks into her situation.
She has suffered with a terrible,
persistent bleeding for 12 years,
the same length of time
as Jairus' daughter has lived for.
And the stigma and the shame
of this type of suffering
has left her as this unnamed outcast.
Her condition has caused her
constant physical suffering
and has brought her shame
in the community
and it has separated her
from public worship
at the temple
because of her constant
ceremonial uncleanness.
Temple worship at that time
was central to the lives
of the Jewish people.
It reminded the Jewish people
that they were God's chosen people
and it gave their lives
meaning and a rhythm.
For this woman to be separated
from public worship
at the temple,
it must have seriously rocked her
and caused her to question
her identity
as a daughter of God.
So we're going to see
what happens next then.
The next part of the story.
Look at verse 44.
Verse 44 tells us
what happens next.
She came up behind him
and she touched the edge
of his cloak
and immediately
her bleeding stopped.
Jesus' power
immediately
and miraculously
healed her.
Imagine the sudden relief
that she felt.
This condition
had been ruining her life.
for 12 years
but now it's gone.
Now she can slip away
without anybody noticing
and get on with her life
restored
and happy.
Not so fast.
Jesus stops
in the middle
of this moving mass.
He's been carried along
by the crowds
but he stops
and he says
who touched me?
Everyone around him
says
not me.
And even Peter asks
what do you mean?
Who touched you?
Everyone is pressing
around you
bumping into you.
This crowd
is nearly crushing you.
It's like a busy bus.
I don't know
if you've been
on the bus.
Sometimes I take
the 24 home
and if I time it wrong
all the James Gillespie
kids all pile on
as well
and it's a nightmare.
You're holding on
to one of the little handles
and you're getting
thrown around
and everyone's around you.
Or maybe it's like
being on the London Underground.
I don't know
if you've ever been
in the Underground
during rush hour
and everyone's crushing
into you
cramming into you
shoulder to shoulder
and you're trying
not to look
into strangers' eyes
if you bump into them.
It's a little bit similar
but Jesus is insistent.
Somebody touched me.
I know that power
has gone out from me.
What an interesting
thing to say.
Jesus knows that someone
very deliberately
touched him
and had been affected
by his divine power.
I want to know
who it was, he says.
Own up.
Who touched me?
It's important to ask
what's all the fuss about?
Why is Jesus
so insistent?
Why is he making
such a big deal of this?
Why did he need to know?
And why does he need
to know right now?
Wasn't he in a hurry
to get to Jairus' daughter?
Let's remind ourselves
that Luke's Gospel
is full of eyewitness accounts
of Jesus' life
and they've been written
so that we might have
certainty about
who Jesus is
and what he came to do
on earth.
So this event
with Jairus
and the woman
it's playing out
in the presence
of hundreds
of eyewitnesses.
Perhaps what Jesus
had to say
to this woman
was important enough
that he wanted
everyone
to hear it.
Verse 47
tells us
that the woman
had nowhere to hide.
If that was me
I'd be petrified.
Oh no
I've really done it now.
I've stepped out of line
by reaching out
and touching Jesus.
I should have
waited my turn
and asked him
to heal me.
But we're told
that just like Jairus
the woman
falls at Jesus' feet
trembling
before him
and she explains
to Jesus
and to all the crowd
what she had done
why she had done it
and how she had been healed.
But see the way
that Jesus
speaks to her.
He does not
scold her
or humiliate her
in public
for getting it wrong.
Quite the opposite.
Jesus speaks
to her lovingly
full of compassion.
He says
daughter
your faith
has healed you.
Go in peace.
this is beautiful.
He calls her
daughter.
He's effectively saying
you might have felt
separated from me
and questioned
your identity
as a daughter
of God
but I am God
and I call you
my child
my daughter.
but Jesus
also commends
her for her faith.
Many people
were bumping
into Jesus.
Many people
were seeking
his healing
but her faith
is the reason
that she has been
made well.
She didn't
she didn't
actually touch
Jesus.
She merely
brushed his clothing
but she meant it
and she did it
with a heart
full of faith
fully believing
that Jesus
had the power
to heal her.
Jesus is saying
I understand
why you didn't
want to make
a big scene
and draw attention
to your condition
but I want to
make a big scene
of your faith
because you
had faith
in me
you can go
in peace
lovingly
treasured
by your father
in heaven
who calls you
daughter
your suffering
is over
I have taken
your shame
away
and now you
can draw near
to God
because I've
taken away
that uncleanness
that separated
you from him.
I wonder
if we can
identify
with the woman
in any way.
Perhaps
you have
suffered
significantly
and silently
with some
physical
or mental
condition
or burden.
Maybe you're
feeling
overwhelmed
with shame
for things
you've done
or you feel
ashamed
or looked
down on
because of
your particular
situation.
Perhaps
you're suffering
an identity
crisis.
The things
that should
have given
you meaning
are out of
grasp
or you've
realized that
the things
that you have
relied upon
to give your
life purpose
they're empty
and they
failed you.
Jesus looks
on us
with that
same compassion
and he wishes
to teach us
the same
thing.
Only he
has the
power
to deal
with our
sickness
our shame
and our
separation
from God
and what
we need
is not a
brush with
his robe
or a visit
to a shrine
or touching
a holy relic.
What we need
is faith
in our heart
that only
Jesus can
save us.
Jesus'
death on
the cross
is the
answer to
these things.
The Bible
tells us
that there
is eternal
healing
and restoration
in Jesus
for those
who have
faith in
him.
And those
that acknowledge
that the
greatest problem
is not
chronic suffering
but chronic
sin.
he has
taken our
guilt
and our
shame
on the
cross.
He's
suffered for
the wrong
things that
we have
done
and he's
healed the
rift
that separates
us from
God.
And he
gives our
lives true
meaning
when we
choose to
follow him.
The difference
for us
is that
he doesn't
promise us
physical
healing
in this
life
although we
do believe
that he
has the
power
to
miraculously
heal
if he
chooses
to.
However,
Jesus has
promised that
today he
can take
your shame
and your
uncleanness
if like
the woman
you have
faith in
him.
We're going
to talk a
little bit
more about
that in
just a
minute but
we've
forgotten
about
Jairus.
He's
standing there.
Come on.
Hurry up.
Come on.
So let's
look at
verse 49.
The next
part of the
story that
tells us
while Jesus
was still
speaking
someone came
from the
house of
Jairus
the synagogue
leader.
Your
daughter
is dead.
Don't
bother the
teacher
anymore.
At this
moment
the bottom
drops out
of Jairus'
world.
It's too
late.
His
daughter
is dead.
The news
that he
was dreading
to hear.
But before
Jairus has
the opportunity
to be
swallowed up
by grief
and shock
Jesus
gently invites
Jairus to
have faith
in him.
Don't be
afraid.
Just believe
and she
will be
healed.
I know
you are
suffering
but don't
worry.
Even now
it's not
too late.
Believe in
me.
Believe that
I have the
power to
save your
daughter.
When they
arrive at
the house
the air
is thick
with grief.
People
are wailing
and mourning
but Jesus
tells the
mourners to
quieten
down.
And he
says she
is not
dead but
asleep.
How can
he say
that?
The servants
have made it
abundantly
clear that
this girl
is dead.
Is Jesus
making a
mockery of
Jairus'
situation?
Is he
euphemizing
her death
like we
often do
when we
say Deirdre
has passed
away or
Gerald has
gone to
a better
place?
No, I
don't think
so.
I don't
think he's
euphemizing.
Jesus has
a true
grasp of
her situation.
The girl
is dead,
yes, but
this is not
the end of
her story.
She won't
stay dead.
Now, the
mourners,
they respond
negatively to
Jesus.
They laugh
at Jesus.
They know
she's dead
but they
don't believe
that Jesus
has the power
to bring her
back.
but taking
the girl's
parents and
his inner
circle inside
the house,
Jesus goes
to where the
girl is lying
and Jesus
takes her
hand and
he says,
my child,
get up.
Again, his
words are
beautiful and
they are gentle
but they're
filled with
power.
Hand in
hand, he
causes her
spirit to
return and
raises her
to life
again.
And at
once,
immediately,
she stood
up and
her parents
were astonished.
She's alive
and her
family is
restored once
more.
Now, we
are supposed
to stop
and marvel
at these
moments like
this in the
Bible.
In case you
haven't noticed,
this isn't
normal.
Jesus has
the power
which exceeds
any power
that we see
in our
world.
He can do
things that
nobody else
can do.
He's not a
marvel superhero.
He's the
son of God
who has
absolute
power,
even over
death.
And he
lovingly
wields his
power to
lift up the
weak and
the helpless
and point
them to his
heavenly
father.
But just
as we saw
with the
woman,
Jesus is
seeking to
teach Jairus
something here.
And Luke,
the doctor
turned gospel
writer,
has recorded
the eyewitness
account so
that we can
learn the
same lesson.
But what
does Jesus
want Jairus
and us to
know from
this story?
That he
is the only
answer to
death.
Unlike the
great men
and women
in our
world,
only Jesus
has the
answer to
our final
enemy,
the grave.
Jesus
promised to
raise the
girl from
the dead.
He says
that to
Jairus,
believe and
she'll be
healed.
And he
invited Jairus
to have
faith beforehand
that he had
the power to
do it.
Jesus
extends that
same invite
to us
too.
Do you
believe that
I have
power over
death?
Let's be
real.
We will
die too.
that's
the way
all of
our lives
go.
But this
miracle shows
us that
death is
not the
end of
the story.
This
story points
to a
future
reality
where Jesus
will resurrect
everyone who
has ever
died.
Everybody
that's ever
died is
going to be
resurrected.
For those
that have
faith in
him,
he has
promised he
will resurrect
to that
new life
that we
were talking
about a
minute ago
where there's
no more
suffering or
shame.
But on the
other hand,
those who
reject and
mock and
laugh at
Jesus' offer
of salvation
and forgiveness
will be
resurrected to
a courtroom
and sentenced
to eternal
punishment.
We've got to
be real
here.
This is what
the Bible
tells us.
But how
can Jesus
promise us
this new
life?
How does
he have that
power over
death?
Because in
this story,
he was soon
to endure
death himself
when he was
crucified on
the cross
for the sins
of the world.
But then he
conquered death
and he broke
its power
when he was
raised from
the dead.
That's what
the resurrection
is all about.
And the
Bible tells us
in 1 Corinthians
15 that
Christ has
indeed been
raised from
the dead.
The first
fruits of
those who
have fallen
asleep.
Jesus'
resurrection is
described as
the first
fruit of
the harvest.
A sign.
His
resurrection is
a sign that
guarantees that
a harvest
is coming.
His
resurrection
guarantees that
those who
have faith
in Jesus,
like the
woman,
like Jairus,
will rise
like Jesus
did to
new life.
We will
all certainly
die.
We feel
the crushing
pain and the
hammer blow
of death.
Death is
brutal,
death.
But Jesus
loves us
and he has
the power
to save
us,
to lift
us up
from our
brokenness,
to give us
meaning in
our suffering,
to give us
certainty of a
life beyond
death,
when Jesus
in his
power will
raise us
from the
dead to be
with him
if we choose
to anchor
our lives
upon him.
Let me
pray.
Our
Heavenly
Father, we
thank you so
much for this
morning.
We thank you
for church.
Thank you that
we can come
and hear
more from
your words.
Thank you that
you've preserved
your message
of the gospel,
of the life of
Jesus for us,
not so that we
can just enjoy
a story,
but to see
that he is
the one
who has
come to
the world,
the world
that he
created,
to seek
and save
the lost.
Thank you
for his
incredible
power,
that he
yielded not
to serve
himself,
but to lift
up the
broken and
the weary
and the
burdened,
and those
who are
suffering with
shame and
separation
and the
stigma,
and who
have
acknowledged
that their
sin is
the greatest
problem that
they have.
Lord, would
you help
each one of
us to
see and
to understand
and to
believe that
without him
our sin
separates us
from you,
but we
thank you
that Jesus
has come
to suffer
for us
and to
take our
shame and
to heal
that rift
that we
have,
that separation
that we
have from
you.
Thank you
that it is
possible now
to know
you and
to be
called
sons and
daughters
of yours
because of
what Jesus
has done
on the
cross for
us.
Thank you
for his
power over
death and
that we
can believe
and trust
that we
too will
be raised
like he
was with
glorious new
bodies to
spend eternity
with him
face to
face if we
will trust
in him and
give him our
lives today.
So we ask
all this in
the powerful
name of
Jesus.
Amen.