Sermon Series
Lord, We Need A Miracle – Part 4
“Before We Can Start Over!”
Pastor Jerry
Mark 10:46-52 (NLT)
————————————- Message Synopsis ————————————-
Pastors who are being given permission in reopening their worship services said they were worried about exposing elderly congregants, who are especially susceptible to the deadly coronavirus. And they are concerned about whether the extensive safety restrictions would actually work.
Do any of you know what this is? It’s dried up grass. It’s shriveled, falling apart. It symbolizes our days of the coronavirus? A dried up kind of a life?
We’re going to talk about that together this morning. Do you need a miracle in your life? Do you need to start over. Psalm 145:14 says, “God gives a fresh start to those who are ready to quit.” That is God’s promise. And that comes as a miracle. The miracle of God giving you a fresh start is one of his greatest miracles. We’re going to examine the example of a man by the name of Bartimaeus who Jesus healed. As you see how Jesus heals this man you see the steps, the ways the things that God does in our life to cause this fresh start to happen.
Bartimaeus needed help because he lived a pretty miserable life. He needed a miracle. He was blind physically, but he could see in his heart that there was more in life to live. The truth is there are a lot of people who can see physically but can’t see what life should be. They are miserable. They’re feeling sidelined by life in this Pandemic. All of us feel lost sometimes.
Oftentimes when we feel lost, we think this: I wish I could go back, just rewind the life that I’m living right now, and start over.
The question today is how can you start over? You can – but it takes a miracle from God – only God can give you a fresh start in your thinking, in your faith, in your life. With Bartimaeus, as we walk through what Jesus did for him, we’re going to see how God can give us the miracle we need. There are five choices that he made that changed everything in his life. And they can change everything in our lives too.
Do you need a miracle? The five choices that Bartimaeus made show us how to receive a miracle. Choice number one: here’s where you start.
“S” – Seize the moment.
You seize the moment when it comes. You don’t wait. You don’t delay. You come now. You realize when it comes to a miracle that God wants to give into your life, it is this now or never moment. Bartimaeus had this moment in his life. He didn’t know that Jesus Christ was going to pass by that day. He hadn’t planned for it to happen, he hadn’t prepared for it to happen, he wasn’t thinking about it going to happen, but when it happened, when the opportunity arose, he seized the moment… without excuses.
The truth is there are many opportunities of faith all around us. But we miss it many times. One of the main reasons we miss it is because we just put it off one more day. Then one more day becomes a week. hen all of a sudden it’s months and even years. Then you are out of it, lost. That’s why it’s now or never. Today is the day!
What do you need today? Do you need a miracle? What step of trust in God can you take in your life right now? Do it now. Seize the moment. That’s the first step in starting over, you seize the moment.
Then the second step to a miracle is…
- “T” – Tame your fear.
Why? Because we all face fears. In any change, in any opportunity there’s going to be some fear that goes along with it. You can’t always do away with your fear, but you can choose to not let it control you. Fear, paralyzes our decisions. It can keep you from doing what you should.
Is that the voice some of you hear in your mind today? God doesn’t have time for you. He wouldn’t be interested in you. He’s got more important things to do. When you hear that, you need to just think one word in your mind: That is a lie. That’s a lie from Satan who is a father of lies. How do I know that? Because of what God tells us. John 6:37, here’s what God says: “I will never turn away anyone who comes to me.”
We often live our life because of what somebody else might be thinking about us. Proverbs 29:25 “The fear of human opinion disables you: trusting in God protects you from that.” How do I stop letting the fear of other people’s opinion control me? Here’s the way. Write down these three words: put God first. You put the importance of your relationship with Jesus first.
- The third choice to a miracle is –“A”- you Announce your faith.
You make a choice to clarify what you really want. Then you confess it in faith. I believe Jesus can do miracles, because only God can heal somebody of blindness. He trusts Jesus in that moment.
Here’s the amazing thing? Jesus Christ asks every one of us this same question today. What do you want Jesus Christ to do for you right now? Do you need a miracle? God wants to do great things in your life but you have to ask in faith.
The fourth thing that happens to receive a miracle is…
- “R” – Receive God’s grace.
Mark 10:52 “Jesus said to Bartimaeus, ‘Go your way. Your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he regained his sight.” He received the gift of a miracle, new sight, and it got him back on the road. I have no doubt that there are many of you who are facing difficult circumstances during this pandemic.
You need God to help you start over. Regardless of the circumstances, Jesus Christ wants to give you a miracle. It is a gift. You can’t start over yourself. Ephesians 2. Here’s how grace happens. “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast…” Do you need a miracle today? God wants to give it to you.
There’s one final thing you need to do to receive a miracle…
- “T” – Take the next step.
What’s the next step for you? Whatever God wants you to do and you haven’t done it yet. For some of you it is giving your life to Christ. For some of you it is fully surrendering your life to Christ, for others it is joining the church, for others it is being baptized. Do you hear Jesus calling you today?
When it comes to taking the next step, what we often say is, I’m aiming to do that someday. Today is the day to make that decision. This is the day to decide, I want to start over. The truth of the matter is, Jesus is passing by right now. Do you need a miracle? Do you need to start over? Do you need Jesus?
When life shrivels up and dies. I don’t know how to give it a fresh start. I don’t have the power to do that. But Jesus Christ does. He has the power to do what you and I can’t do. It takes a miracle. Only one person – Jesus Christ –can do that. But if it’s going to come in your life, if it’s going to happen in your life, you’re going to have to do something. James 2:14 says “If people say they have faith, but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing.” So my question to you is, do you need a miracle? What are you going to do about it?
Jesus was passing by Bartimaeus that day… he had no idea what was about to happen. He didn’t plan for it, he didn’t prepare for it. But when Jesus came into his presence the opportunity came and he took it. Jesus is passing by right now for me and for you. What are you going to do?