Good morning to each of you and welcome to online worship here at Woodhouse.
Let us begin by singing: How Great Thou Art
Scripture Reading: chapter 20:29-34.
As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus. There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” Jesus stood still and called to them, saying, “What do you want me to do?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.
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Let us pray:
Dear God, thank you that you love me and want to keep me from depending on other things instead of you. Forgive me for when I’ve depended on other things instead of you. Thank you that you haven’t forgotten me. Lord, the days ahead may be a little scary at times, but I understand now that the path to a miracle is through uncomfortable territory. I understand now that the source of a miracle will be unexpected, so I shouldn’t try to figure it out. I should just trust you. When you tell me what to do, and it doesn’t always make sense, I will still do what you want me to do. Help me to remember that you’re all I need and that where you guide, you’ll provide. I want to learn to trust you one day at a time. I want to go your way, not my way. I want to follow you, and I ask you to save me and come into my life. I claim your promise that if I trust you, you’ll meet my needs. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Please share with me in the Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
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Before we go to the word let us, Offer Up Our Lives
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GOD I NEED A MIRACLE
It’s easy to imagine that God will do a miracle for other people, but never, ever for me. Sure, I believe God can do miracles…just not for me. I mean, if I believe in a miracle and He doesn’t show up, I’m going to look like a fool.
How often in life do we think to ourselves – I just need a miracle. Nothing but a miracle is going to get this done. And you know the struggle with that? We just don’t know when, or even if, a miracle is ever going to happen. Is God going to step in this time, or not? I mean, if I believe in God for a miracle and it doesn’t happen – I’m going to look like an idiot. And you know something, so often that’s exactly what stops us from believing in Him for a miracle.
What will other people say? What if I believe God for this or for that and I tell someone else and then God doesn’t come through and then I look stupid. Well maybe, it would be safer not to believe God for that breakthrough. Maybe I should just shut up and stay in my little box and put up with the misery that’s going on in my life and let other people ask Jesus for stuff.
Jesus once said to his disciples, “The reason you haven’t received anything, is because you haven’t asked me for anything yet.” But … well, anyone who’s ever dared in their heart to believe God for a miracle will know that feeling, that niggling sense of “what will other people think?” This is real life. I don’t want to dress up the idea of miracles. There are two equal and opposite mistakes in talking and thinking about miracles. The first one is to under spiritualise. We can think and act and behave and believe as though miracles never happen. I have to tell you something – if miracles never happen, I wouldn’t be here with you this today. I just wouldn’t.
The other end of the spectrum is too over spiritualise. This kind of drifting on cloud nine kind of spirituality. As if nothing ever goes wrong in life if you believe in Jesus. What a load of rubbish. Of course, things go wrong. Of course, we make mistakes. Of course, people get poorly. Of course bad things happen. But somewhere in the middle of all that, the notion that I might be embarrassed if I believe in God for a miracle and He doesn’t show up. Well, that sort of thing niggles away at our minds, doesn’t it?
I want to introduce you today to a couple of men – men at the bottom of the social ladder who put everything on the line. And a third man, right at the top of the social ladder who did the same. The first of these two men are blind beggars. They heard that Jesus was in town. Let’s read it again. Matthew, chapter 20:29-34.
As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus. There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” Jesus stood still and called to them, saying, “What do you want me to do?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.
These were two blind men, and they were outcasts. There was no social security net in those days. No money coming in every two weeks. They were blind, they couldn’t work, therefore they were poor, therefore they were ostracised. Therefore, they weren’t part of the crowd following Jesus. They were sitting on the side of the road. Crowds were milling around Jesus. They were normal people. They were the beautiful people. They were the people who had a right to be there. Would have been so easy for these beggars just to say to one another: Hey Fred, Jesus is here. Yeah, I know Dave, but look at us. Do you really, really think He’d ever do one of those miracles for the likes of you and me? I suppose you’re right, it’s a complete waste of time isn’t it?
Can you imagine, if they’d had that attitude, they would have died blind. What a complete and utter tragedy that would have been. There aren’t any words to describe it. If they had said, I’m not good enough! Let’s not go! They would have missed out, wouldn’t they? But they didn’t. They shouted out in public. The crowds told them to shush. But they went public anyway, they went against public opinion.
They went against conventional wisdom. Conventional wisdom was, “Jesus won’t do a miracle for you because you’re not one of the beautiful people, right?” And yet, they got their miracle. But you may say, they were outcasts. What did they have to lose? Well, they had nothing to lose. So, at this point let’s look at a man at the complete opposite end of the social scale. A man by the name Jairus.
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue a man named Jairus came and, when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” (Mark 5:21-23)
This was the leader of the synagogue. This Jairus guy was really somebody. He threw himself publicly, in front of the crowds, in front of the people who attended his synagogue, down at Jesus’ feet. He would have looked stupid if Jesus had ignored him or turned him away. And there it is. There’s the answer.
Read Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, any one of the historical accounts of Jesus life, and tell me if you can find one instance where Jesus turned away just one person who came to Him and asked Him for a miracle. And I’ve got to tell you, I’m going to save you some time. There’s not a one.
Tell me the one time when Jesus admonished someone for having too much faith or for calling on Him in public – NOT ONCE! That’s why people did it. That’s why they weren’t concerned with looking stupid – because He never turned them away. Didn’t always give them the answer they were looking for but mostly He did. Jesus never, ever turned them away. Jesus never made them look stupid. He always rewarded their faith.
You know what I’ve decided – I am happy to put my faith in Him and believe in Him for a miracle when I need one, even if I end up looking stupid. That’s because I just don’t care what other people think. I don’t mean that arrogantly at all. I’d rather look a fool, than miss out on the miracle working power of God in my life. And you know what happens when we abandon our reputation. When we stop worrying about what other people think and put our trust in Jesus, you know what happens? We end up seeing more than our fair share of miracles. And so will you. Just believe.
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As we come to the close of our worship, let us sing: King Of Kings
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The Lord bless thee and keep thee
The Lord make His face to shine upon thee
And be gracious unto thee
The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee
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