Sunday, November 3, 2013

We need Jesus



While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live." And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I will be made well." Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well. And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district.          Matthew 9: 18-26

Can you imagine this scene in your mind. Jesus is reclining at table, eating with his disciples, tax collectors and sinners, the Bible says. He is answering the Pharisees as they wonder why Jesus would eat with sinners, Jesus states that He came to sinners, not those who think they are righteous an do not need Him. While He talking, a man comes in, who is a ruler and knelt before Christ. A ruler is someone with some authority and power. You have to realize that Jesus was not recognized as having power or authority by those who were in authority. Jesus was poor, I mean financially, I know the money lovers, who preach money, have made Jesus rich, to justify their preaching, but Jesus was poor. When Joseph and Mary came to made a sacrifice for Him as a child, for purification according to the Law (Leviticus 12) what did they have, they had either two turtledoves or two pigeons, you were suppose to bring a year old lamb, but if you could not afford a lamb you could bring the birds.

So when this ruler comes he knelt before Jesus. He needed Jesus. Imagine it, Jesus is talking and this man comes in in great turmoil, greatly distressed, he may be sobbing, clothes disheveled, his daughter has just died. He is pleadingly asking Jesus to help him, Jesus, no doubt recognizes the man's pitiful state and Jesus has pity on him. Jesus does not say anything to him, He just get up and goes with him. One thing this man does have is faith. He believe that Jesus can raise his daughter up from the dead. Jesus has done some mighty miracles but He has not raised anyone from the dead. Jesus has preached powerfully, and he has healed many people, and this man believes that Jesus has power and authority.

We need Jesus, church. The pure fact of the matter is we need Him every hour. We need to recognize that we need Jesus every hour. Jesus is holding the universe up, He is the One who give us life, breath and being, if you are breathing, Jesus is willing that you have breath, it's the only way you are breathing, it is the only way you continue on your being. When Jesus wills for us to stop breathing, we will be like this rulers daughter.

As Jesus is going to the ruler's house. A woman with a discharge of blood also has faith and comes to Jesus and touches the fringe of His garment and is healed. When we see faith in action in the Bible we should be strengthened to trust in Jesus even more. We should look around for a discharge of blood in our live, you don't have that, what about persistent sin, what about a bad habit, what about anger, it shouldn't be hard for any of us to find something. We all have something, the reason we know that we all have something is because Jesus wants to prove His power and authority over you, over your sickness, or your persistent sin, over the devil, over the world, over your sinful nature nature, over any other name you want to use. Jesus wants to show you He is a mighty warrior, He wants everyone around you to know that He has all authority and power, he wants every demon that attacks you to know that He has absolute complete authority and power. So engage your faith, you have some, because God gave it to all of us who believe. Use it, to the glory of God. Don't be afraid of the evil and temptations that come your way, but rejoice that you have an opportunity for Jesus Christ to manifest His power and authority. Do we want to grow in grace? yes, we need Jesus. Do we want to obey Jesus more and yield to temptation less? We need Jesus.

We need to become just as the ruler was because of the death of his daughter, we need to come to that same point in our thinking, in our reasoning, we have to be brought to the point of kneeing before Jesus Christ, and pleading for Him to come and deliver us from whatever situation/circumstances we may be in. Jesus was on His way to raise a girl up from the dead and the woman with the discharge came and was healed. Give Jesus no rest, if something is in your life causing you to not be a the place you know you want to be at in Christ, go to Christ and keep going to Christ, until He comes and raises you from the death that you are in and give you live. We must need Jesus, only the meek need Jesus, only the weak need Jesus, only those who want to bring Him glory and honor need Jesus, for we can truly do nothing without the Lord. Fight the good fight of faith. Jesus Christ slays His enemies and crushes them under His foot. He is our Lord and Savior. He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, don't sell Him short in the way you live your Christian life, He has power and He has all authority, there is grief and pain to bear on the heavenly way, Christ bore it as our Savior, the apostles bore it, Paul, Peter, James, all those who want to live godly will bear it, it is the way of the cross, it is the way of glory.

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