How do We Get to God?

Thanks guys...I am so excited to be able to speak to you guys tonight...it's been about 2 months since I last had a chance to share a message with you, and for some of you that may be a blessing and you wish it would be another two months before I take the podium again. But tonight is kind of special for me, because tonight, I am going to be preaching on the biggest passage I think I’ve ever preached about at RISE708.

You know, when you talk to people about how they came to Christ, everybody has their own special and very different testimony, which is just a fancy shmancy churchy word for the word “story.” And some of this may sound strange to those of you here tonight that don't consider themselves Christians, or who don't consider themselves "born-again" Christians. But the fact is that when you do come to Christ, from God’s perspective, everyone’s testimony or story of their Christian faith is pretty much the same - That's simply because of this - simply because God chose certain people before this world we all live in ever existed, to be adopted as His children, and then when God decided it was time, not when we decided it was time, He draws them by His grace to Himself, and works out all the details so they can hear the gospel, and grants them repentance so that they are saved.
But from our perspective, sitting in this room tonight, we would say that some people come to Christ when they’re young, maybe in elementary school, maybe a little older, like when they are in high school or college, maybe a little older when they are middle aged, or maybe a lot older when they are, well, pretty old.
People have all different sorts of testimonies and descriptions and stories of what brought them to their faith. There are not two stories that are the same, not from the day Jesus was born. But, what’s wild is that when you talk to a lot of people and you ask them about their testimonies and their stores about becoming a Christian, it seems to me that most people came to Christ during some sort of crisis in their lives—some sort of tragedy, some trial, some sickness or sickness in their family, some sort of pain, some sort of misery, some sort of problem in a relationship, some sort of affliction, maybe even because of the death of a friend, or family member. Raise your hand if you came to Christ during some sort of painful time or crisis in your life. Go ahead, raise them up. See, I told you. Now, if I were to talk to you one-on-one and ask you “Is the pain that you go through good? Is misery you go through good? Is sickness you suffer from good?”, you would probably answer “No, no, no.”

But one of the miracles of being a Christian is that God uses that pain, God uses that misery, God uses that sickness, that death of a family member or friend, because about half the people in this room, tonight, have come to Christ through some sort of trial in their lives.

Don't get me wrong – I'm sure it's cool with God if we seek him out when we were healthy, and wealthy, and it seems that everything is going OK in our lives- things are going great with our boyfriend or girlfriend. I'm doing pretty well in school and teachers aren't giving me a hard time. My parents aren't on my case. My friends are being loyal and not gossiping about me behind my back. But the sad part is that we rarely do that. We hardly ever seek out God when things are going our way. We hardly, or never, pick up our bibles when thing seem to just be cruising along. And we probably never pray, or talk to God, when we "don't have to." But the problem is that we won’t have God during those times. Many of us trust ourselves and think “Why do I need God? Everything is so good, everything is so wonderful.”
So what God does is that He brings upon us trials, brings upon us afflictions, brings upon us sickness, brings upon us stuff that makes life tough - whatever it takes - to bring those He has chosen to repentance…to remember who He is. And, in that way, He does a good thing for us by a painful thing. He reminds us to keep God big in our lives, and ourselves small.

Imagine a situation where your best friend is sick. And I don't mean an upset stomach or sore throat. I mean really sick- something that needs immediate medical attention. And because your best friend's parents are away or at work, you drive your friend to the hospital. Maybe there isn’t an immediate cure at the hospital, but you know that at least there is help in that hospital. You know that there are trained medical people as well as tons of medicines to help with your best friend's worsening condition. But, because of all the one-way streets and medians and no u-turns allowed signs on the way to the hospital, you can’t actually get to the hospital. And all the time while driving endlessly through one-way streets and medians, you see your friend in the passenger seat of your car getting worse and worse and worse. Can you imagine the frustration, as you drive around and around the hospital? You are close to the hospital, you are no more than a hundred yards from the hospital emergency room door, but you can’t quite get there…get to a place where your friend’s life can be saved.

OK Bob, what does this have to do with RISE708, or Jesus, or God? It’s simply this- when it comes to relating to God, I bet there are many people in here tonight who feel like that person driving their dying friend around and around the hospital. They know God is there. They know God can do wonderful and miraculous things in their life. Though God may not give them everything they want, they know God has the power to help them with their lives. But, there is something in their life holding them back, and making them drive through all those one-way streets, all those medians, all those signs that say you can’t make a u-turn back to God. So the question I ask each and every one of you tonight is this- “How do you get to God and all He has for you?” That's what I want to talk about tonight- How do we get to God and all he has for us?

The answer is in this book…that’s one of the reasons why CCC is going through a one-year reading of the bible called “Got Life.” Why are we doing this- reading through the entire bible? Is it to give Pastor John something to talk about every Sunday? No. Is it because we just need something to do for flocks or small groups? No. Is it because we should be required to read the bible? Nope, not even that. It’s because of this- every question you have about life – every concern you have about life – every problem you have in your life – the answer is found in the Bible, God’s love letter to each of us.

Now I know the bible is not easy…it’s not easy reading some of the books in the bible, and sometimes the answer may not be easy to find. But hear me on this- God assures us that the answer is there. So, I am pretty sure that the bible answers my question of “How to get to God and all He has for me” in the book of Luke, chapter 8, verses 40-56. In Luke 8:40-56, Jesus encounters a man who is desperate for help. The bible says that:

When Jesus got back to Galilee, a crowd welcomed him, because everyone was waiting for him. A man named Jairus, who was the leader of the Jewish synagogue, came to Jesus and fell at his feet, begging him to come to his house because Jairus' only daughter, about twelve years old, was dying.

Now you might be saying, big deal. But this was a huge thing for Jairus to do. You see, this guy Jairus was not just some ordinary guy in the streets of Galilee- Jairus was the leader of the local Jewish synagogue, which gave him a pretty high social standing. Yet, here, in this story, Jairus puts this high social standing in jeopardy when he publicly throws himself at Jesus’ feet. Why would he take this risk? Why would he risk throwing away his pride, his job, his money, his social standing?

Two reasons – first, he was desperate. Imagine for a moment that you are the sick one in that car being driven around the hospital by your friend, or even your mom or dad. They drive and drive and drive but can’t get to the hospital. Personally, I would be freaking out. I would be panicking. I would be desperate.
The second reason Jairus is willing to throw everything he has away is because he believes Jesus can help him. He has faith in Jesus. So in response to his faith, Jesus heads back with Jairus to his house. But it’s not quite that simple- you see as Jesus and Jairus walk back to help his dying daughter, their walk is interrupted by someone in the crowd:

While Jesus was on his way to Jairus' house, the people were crowding all around him. A woman was in the crowd who had been bleeding for twelve years, but no one was able to heal her. She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his coat, and instantly her bleeding stopped. Then Jesus said, "Who touched me?"
When all the people said they had not touched him, Peter said, "Master, the people are all around you and are pushing against you." But Jesus said, "Someone did touch me, because I felt power go out from me." When the woman saw she could not hide, she came forward, shaking, and fell down before Jesus. While all the people listened, she told Jesus why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Jesus said to her, "Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace."

This woman has some things in common with Jairus. For one, she is desperate. She has suffered from bleeding and hemorrhaging for twelve years. Can you imagine that?! Today, with all of our medical technology we could never imagine someone bleeding for twelve years. The woman in this story has sold everything she has and has spent all her money on doctors and medicines and has not found a cure. So, she is at wit’s end. She is desperate. Just like Jairus.

But, also like Jairus, she also takes a risk. You see, during this time in history, woman like this were considered to be ceremonially unclean. They were social rejects - the absolute bottom of society. In fact, if noticed by someone who knew her, she would face certain rejection. Yet, like Jairus, she endures the risk because she believes – she has faith- that Jesus will be able to help her. And her faith is rewarded because as soon as she touches Jesus, her bleeding stops. Imagine that – twelve years of suffering, 12 years of doctors’ visits with no results, and with one touch- just one touch- everything is better. And for one reason and one reason only- she had faith. Jesus makes the issue clear. Jesus says, “Your faith has made you well.”

Why does Jesus call on her to make a public expression of her faith? First, he wants to do her a favor. He wants everybody to know that she is well. No longer is she a social outcast. No longer is she ceremonially unclean. She is well. She can live free. She can participate in public activities. She can go to the local Stop & Shop without fear. She can hang out with friends and family at the mall and no longer will she be spit upon, or made fun of. Now, because of her faith in Jesus, she can do what all of us take for granted today. She is no longer carries the social stigma of being “unclean.” But, more importantly, Jesus wants her to understand that it wasn’t her touch that led to her healing. It was her faith that led to her healing.
When we look at other Gospel accounts, this woman almost mixed superstition with her faith. She probably felt there was magic in touching Jesus. Jesus just wants to clear up this misunderstanding.

It is interesting to me that Jesus honors this imperfect expression of faith. This woman doesn’t have it all together. She has got some bad doctrine, that is, she is way off thinking that there is magic in touching Jesus. But you know what, Jesus honors her misguided faith.

Maybe you are here today and you don’t feel you have it all together. Maybe you have imperfect faith. Maybe you don’t know the Old Testament from the New Testament. But you are here tonight. And I really believe there is a reason why you are here tonight that is bigger than just hanging out with friends, because you could do that anywhere. And I want to assure you that God will honor your imperfect faith, tonight.

Clearly, everyone here at RISE708 wants to teach and learn all the right stuff. We want to live out our faith in accordance with God’s Word. But if we wait until we have it all figured out, we will never exercise our faith. Wherever you are in your journey with God, I urge you to put your faith in Jesus Christ.

This woman, who had suffered so long is finally healed. Twelve years and finally she is back in good standing in the community. God Himself has declared her well. And now she understands that is her faith which matters to God. Not some superstition. Not magic. Not good works. Not tithing or giving money.

But there is one person in our story who does not like any of this…Jairus. Because all the while this is going on with the bleeding woman, time is slipping away. Remember, all this stuff with the healing of the women takes place when Jesus is on his way to see the dying daughter of Jarius.

Can you imagine being Jarius. He must have been going out of his mind, kinda checking his watch and saying to himself, "uh, Jesus, can we get a move on this please. I mean, my daughter is dying and we’re out here wasting time with this unclean and disgusting woman."

Remember, Jarius had exercised his faith in Jesus. Jarius had put his standing as leader of the Jewish synagogue on the line with his faith in Jesus, and now it looked he was going to get burned. It looks like time is going to run out on his daughter. In fact, in verse 49, it appears time has run out:

While Jesus was still speaking, someone from Jarius’s house came and said to him, "Your daughter is dead. Don't bother the teacher anymore." When Jesus heard this, he said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid. Just believe, and your daughter will be well."

This time we get a new and better word for faith from Jesus- believe. But the idea is the same, Jesus wants us to believe, to have faith, to trust. Jesus honors our faith.

My guess is that it was pretty hard for Jairus to have faith at this point. Jesus seemed to get distracted by helping the bleeding woman, with the clock ticking away on his daughter. Then, just when they are about to resume their journey, a messenger comes to Jarius and says, sorry man, it’s too late. She’s gone.
When Jesus went to the house, he let only Peter, John, James, and the girl's father and mother go inside with him. All the people were crying and feeling sad because the girl was dead, but Jesus said, "Stop crying. She is not dead, only asleep." The people laughed at Jesus because they knew the girl was dead.

When facing the saddened crowd, Jesus calls the people to believe. In effect he says, “stop crying, I’ll take care of this situation.” Again, remember that Jairus is the synagogue ruler. He runs with an enlightened, educated crowd. This ain’t no group of dummies. So the crowd responds with laughter as Jesus’ call for faith. So, Jesus leaves them all outside, and only takes the girl’s parents and Peter, James and John with him. Only people of faith will see this mighty work of God.

But Jesus took hold of her hand and called to her, "My child, stand up!" Her spirit came back into her, and she stood up at once. Then Jesus ordered that she be given something to eat. The girl's parents were amazed, but Jesus told them not to tell anyone what had happened.

So, in the end, Jairus’ faith is honored. With a simple touch this little girl is raised back to life.

So how do we access God’s power? Just like the bleeding woman and Jairus did – with our faith. We can say, “Faith gives us access to God’s sovereign power.” My belief gives me access to God’s sovereign power.

Something about our faith touches the heart of God. Something about our faith moves God to work on our behalf. Because our faith matters to God, we need to be aware of anything that would hurt or stop our faith, like fear.

When Jesus heard the messenger tell Jarius his daughter was dead and there was no reason to bother Jesus anymore, Jesus said this to Jarius: "Don't be afraid. Just believe, and your daughter will be well."
Don’t be afraid. Just believe.

Often our fear restricts our ability to trust in God. Instead of saying “don’t be afraid, just believe,” our world tells us we need to be afraid because our faith is foolish. But, we need to reject fear if we are going to embrace faith.

I don't know about you guys, but I am one of those people that naturally gravitates toward fear. I mean one little thing goes wrong in my life and I just start losing it. Is anyone else like that? And I can think of so many times that I have suffered because I chose fear over faith.

There is a freedom that comes in choosing faith over faith. I am not over my natural inclination to fear, but if you talk to people who knew me 5 or 10 years ago, they will tell you I am a very different person. --far less stressed out, far less depressed. Why? Because of this - the realization that I can’t live in fear and faith at the same time. If you are living in fear, I invite you to make the same decision I make on a daily basis. Write out your fears. Confess them. Ask God to release you. Acknowledge that God can handle the things that most scare you. Tell Him you want to live by faith.

Something I find encouraging from this passage is that whatever faith we do have, no matter how little, God is committed to developing that faith. He is committed to growing that faith. In the bleeding woman’s case, we see where Jesus called her to a public expression of her faith, and Jesus took her smoldering wick of faith and fanned it into a flame of faith. However, with Jairus, Jesus took a different step in developing his faith. He made Jairus wait. He grew Jairus in the persistence of his faith. He taught Jairus that even when circumstances say otherwise, we need to keep believing in Jesus.

Often, Jairus’ test is our test. We have to wait. And circumstances don’t look very good. What do we do then? Think about being a part of that crowd that day. Jesus has just healed a woman who was sick for 12 years. Don’t you think that would cause the crowd to take a “wait and see’ attitude? But not this group. They thought they were too smart. They knew better. And they missed a mighty work of God.

We are often faced with the crowd’s choice. When God doesn’t answer our faith on our timetable, what is our response – do we continue our faith, or toss it away for some immediate satisfaction? We have God’s track record of faithfulness. Will you look to that track record? Or will you take the easy road and give into suspicion and doubt?
I understand some of you have been waiting a long time on God. You have prayed, like we encourage you to do, and nothing seems to change or get better in your life. And you feel like giving up on God.

So, what’s it gonna be? You have to make a choice. Having doubt, or having faith. Everyone on the youth team and Derek beg you not to give in to cynicism and doubt. Everyone on the youth team is willing to do anything so you don't give up on God.
I would personally and gladly lay my life down so you don’t. And I believe everyone on the youth team and Derek would do so as well without giving it a second thought.
Follow in Jairus’ footsteps and continue to believe, continue to trust God. Some of you here tonight have never put your faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sin. I ask you to consider Jairus and the bleeding woman. One, Jairus, was at the top of the social ladder. He ran the synagogue. The other, the woman, was at the bottom of the social ladder. She couldn’t even step foot in the synagogue. But their social position didn’t matter to God. All they needed to do was to exercise their faith to access the power of God.

I don’t know where you are in life. I don’t know where you stand on the social ladder, and frankly, I don’t care what people think of you, if you’re from the right side of the tracks, or from the nice part of town, or the bad part of town, whatever that means. But I do know you need to exercise faith to access the power of God. If you will call out to Jesus, you will experience God’s power. God created you to live for Him. But like all of us, you have been born in sin, which means you live for yourself. If you call out to Jesus in faith, He will come into your life and forgive you. Not only that, but He will do something that you can’t do for yourself. He will begin to change the disposition of your heart so that you live for God rather than yourself. Jesus will allow you to live the way God created you to live. And how does this all happen? Like Jairus and like the bleeding woman, you approach Jesus with your imperfect faith and cry out to Him with your need for forgiveness and your need for a changed heart. If you have never made that decision, I invite you to make that decision as soon as I finish. Seek out a friend who has already made that decision, or see anyone on the youth team.

You know, when we finish up the message we almost always end by saying, “let's pray.” But tonight I am doing something a little different. Tonight, we will end in prayer, but this prayer was written by one of you, and when I read it, it was so genuine, it was so heart-felt, it was so real, that I knew as soon as I read it that I needed to use it. So I humbly as AL to come up and give the closing prayer:

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.
AMEN!