A Frantic Father, A Brokenhearted Sister, A Desperate Beggar

Title: A Frantic Father, A Broken Hearted sister, and a Desperate Beggar

Text: Jeremiah 8:22: Mark 5; John 11; and Acts 3:1-10

Theme: Healing, Jesus Name, Believers authority, miracles

P.S. Where the need is greatest, Jesus is nearest.

Introduction:

Is there no balm in Gilead, Is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery For the health of the daughter of my people?

ILLUSTRATION: From ““The Healing Touch of Faith””

The scream of sirens pierced the warm air as what had promise to be a quiet summer night turned into a nightmare of flashing red lights, twisted metal, and whirring pain.

The driver of a small red sports car had lost control and crashed over a 30-foot embankment. The tiny baby riding on his mother’’s lap had been thrown clear to land safely on a grassy knoll, but his mother was not as well off. Her legs were crushed and pinned the wreckage.

Rescue workers fought feverishly to free the woman. They knew she was in shock. Finally, after some 45 minutes of prying and cutting, they managed to slide a blood-spattered stretcher into a waiting ambulance that lunged into the muggy night, hospital bound with the woman on board.

Two hours later a nervous husband paced the floor outside the emergency room, praying to God that he would be able to see his wife alive again.

Suddenly, a Doctor appeared in the hall with a clipboard and pen. ““Are you Mr. Johnson?”” he asked. ““Yes I am.”” ““Please step inside the waiting room with me for just a moment.””

The young husband steeled himself for what he was afraid he was going to hear.

““Sir, there is just too much damage to save your wife’’s legs. We are going to have to amputate both of them. Your wife is unconscious. We need your permission to do the surgery. Will you sign the release that allows us to operate?””

This husband was facing a hopeless situation. I want to introduce you to three people who faced a hopeless situation. Medical science of the day had no cure for them. Medicine even today is not an exact science but it has made leaps and bounds from what these individuals were probably subjected to. Two are named and somewhat familiar to us, one is a nameless almost invisible man. They had no one waiting in the waiting room of the hospital. No prayer chain to call upon to stand in the gap. No T.V. evangelist to call . They were surrounded by crowds of people, yet achingly alone in their need.. Each of these individuals are in pain, desperate, and looking for a miracle. But When the need is the most desperate, Jesus is nearest. Healing is at its best in hopeless situations.(The healing touch of faith.)

A. THREE ORDINARY PEOPLE:

1. a Frantic Father: Mark 5: His name was Jairus. W.Wiesbe tells us that he served as the elected ruler of the local synagogue. (A 1st century church secretary treasurer). This meant he was responsible for supervising worship, running the weekly school, and caring for the building itself. Jairus was well off financially, well connected politically, and well respected socially and hopelessly impoverished.

2. A Broken Hearted Sister John 11: Martha as you remember was the sister to Lazarus and Mary. She was the consummate workaholic. She lived to work and worked to live. She was the sister who grew impatient with her sister Mary when Jesus came for Dinner. Martha was busy in the kitchen while Mary was at the feet of Jesus. Martha, the bible says, was a devoted disciple, follower, and financial supporter of Jesus and the disciples. Yet even this stalwart woman of face had her heart broken by loss.

3. A Desperate Beggar Acts 3:1-10: Luke does not give his name. All we know is that this man was lame from birth. He was carried each day to the temple called beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple to worship.

There were nine gates that led from the court of the gentiles into the temple itself. More than likely this was the :Eastern Gate” that led into the court of Women. It was made of bronze but had the appearance of gold, giving it the common title, “Golden Gate.” It was a choice place for a lame man to beg. Bible scholars estimate that there may have been as many as 200- 1000 beggars at this gate. Here this man lay, among many other nameless, desperate beggars.

No name, no money, no home, no family, no hope!

I can see some of us in their stories. No, not everyone has such a burdensome physical illnesses,

but some of us do. Others carry spiritual illnesses that keep us brokenhearted and separated