Seeing Beyond Your Circumstances Series

GOSPEL OF MARK: GOD’S SERVANT IN ACTION

SEEING BEYOND YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES

A. Mark 10:46-52 (READ)

ILLUSTRATION:

My youngest grandchild is Reanne Sonnefield, Shonda’s younger daughter, who will be turning 14 in June. When Reanne was almost 3-years-old, Shonda and her girls—Shalie and Reanne, my other granddaughter Brianna, and I went to a church conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma called: The Tulsa International Soul Winning Workshop. It was held in March of every year, and is much like the North American Christian Convention, except it is put on by the Churches of Christ.

Our first night in the MOTEL we were all getting settled into our beds to go to sleep—Reanne was in bed with her Mom, Shalie and Brianna were sleeping together, and I was sleeping on a roll-away-bed. Just about the time I was DOZING OFF, I hear Reanne yell out, “I can’t SEE! I can’t SEE! I’m BLIND.”

I raised my head to LOOK over at where she and Shonda were sleeping, and there was Reanne sitting up in the MIDDLE of BED with her EYES CLOSED yelling again, “I’m BLIND! I’m BLIND!” And I said, “Sweetie, open your EYES.” After opening her eyes she looked around and said, “OH!”

1. Not all CIRCUMSTANCES are that easy to SOLVE.

a. Sometimes we feel as if we are STUCK in whatever CIRCUMSTANCE we find ourselves.

b. We’re unable to SEE beyond the CRISIS, TROUBLE, PROBLEM or INACTIVITY in our lives.

2. We desperately look for a SIGN or MESSAGE that tells us everything will be ALRIGHT—that our

CIRCUMSTANCES will CHANGE or IMPROVE.

a. Obviously, there are some CIRCUMSTANCES that may never CHANGE, but our ATTITUDE

toward those CIRCUMSTANCES certainly can.

b. One thing I know for sure is, yours and my CIRCUMSTANCES will never get BETTER until we take STEPS to make it BETTER.

B. This is what Bartimaeus DISCOVERED in our Gospel story today.

1. Let me take a moment to sketch out for you the CIRCUMSTANCES that this man was in.

a. Firstly, he was BLIND. A blind man in the first century couldn't work. He couldn't read or write. There was no Braille writing. He couldn’t even get around without help.

b. Secondly, he was reduced to BEGGING. A man in his condition, unless he had family to support

him, could do little else but sit near a popular thoroughfare and cry out, “Alms, Alms for the poor!”

c. Thirdly, he was an object of PITY. I say that because of the way he made his LIVING. It was only by SOLICITING the PITY of others that he could SURVIVE. And he probably got pretty GOOD at what he did.

d. Finally, for the most part, his life was reduced to those last few words of verse 46: “sitting by the ROADSIDE.” These were his circumstances: BLIND. BEGGING. PITIED. SITTING BY THE ROADSIDE. For most people such OBSTACLES would be considered INESCAPABLE.

2. However, Bartimaeus, even though BLIND, was able to SEE BEYOND HIS CIRCUMSTANCES,

and DO SOMETHING about them!

COMMENT:

As Jesus passed by the ROAD where Bartimaeus was BEGGING, this BLIND MAN took a LEAP of FAITH that led to his HEALING. Had he NOT taken the STEPS he did, his CIRCUMSTANCES would never have IMPROVED. There are at least four ACTIONS that Bartimaeus did that will also help us in dealing with life’s CIRCUMSTANCES.

MESSAGE:

I. BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN MOVE BEYOND YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE

A. Sometimes we don’t MOVE beyond our CIRCUMSTANCE because we believe NOTHING can be

done to make it BETTER.

1. With Bartimaeus’ SITUATION, he could certainly be subject to such REASONING. I’m sure he

would have no trouble finding those who would SUPPORT him in his thinking.

COMMENT:

Okay, so REPORTS have filtered down to Jericho about a man named Jesus who can HEAL the BLIND. Probably FANTASY! Although Bartimaeus hears that Jesus is in TOWN and is coming down the very ROAD where he SPENDS his time BEGGING, Jesus is probably a BUSY man and doesn’t have time for him even if the REPORTS about His HEALING power is TRUE.

2. This is what Bartimaeus could be THINKING, but instead he looks at Jesus’ COMING as a once

in a lifetime OPPORTUNITY to CHANGE or IMPROVE his present SITUATION.

a. “When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have

mercy on me!’”- v. 47

b. We will never MOVE beyond our CIRCUMSTANCE unless we BELIEVE that God can make

it BETTER.

ILLUSTRATION:

A COUPLE screams, “Our MARRIAGE is on the ROCKS and there is absolutely

nothing that can be done to RE-IGNITE the SPARK!”

A STUDENT wines, “I’ll never get a GOOD GRADE in that CLASS, so what’s the use

TRYING?”

CHURCH MEMBERS lament, “There’s no LIFE, no SPIRIT, no GROWTH in this