Intro. There are many things people need in life. Sometimes, we have needs to which we have no answers. There are no answers found in logic, none in knowledge, none in our culture, none in counseling, none in possession, none in relationships. Sometimes it appears there is no answers! Oh, but there is!
When all else fails, we will realize that the answer to whatever we need will be found in Jesus! Sadly, many times God has to bring us to the end of ourselves so that we can come to the Right Conclusion.
I. A Father that was Determined - vs. 41-42
A. He was Driven by his Affection - He was a Dad - Here we find a dad that was concerned for his little girl. There is nothing like loving your kids. Mine are not perfect, of course they do not have a perfect dad. But we would all do anything we could for our children.
1. He was a Good man - “ruler of the synagogue.”
- Oversaw the daily operations of the synagogue.
- Arranged the services.
- He might have cleaned the building.
- as the leader, he would have organized the services.
- He was well known and much respected in the community.
- He had possibly heard Jesus speak in the synagogue at Capernaum.
2. He was a Grieving man -His daughter was sick with no answers.
B. He was Defined by His Actions
1. He was not Ashamed to Ask the Lord - vs. 41-42
(this was a great step for a leader in the Synagogue!)
- He Sought the Lord Personally.
* He did not send His Wife
* He did not send another family member
* He did not send a Friend
* He did not send a Servant
- He sought the Lord Publicly.
* He did not Come in the Dark (like Nicodemus)
* He did not Come in Disguise (multitude saw him)
- He sought the Lord Passionately.
* There was a Compliance - he fell at the Feet of Jesus. He did not care what others thought!
* There was a Cry - “besought” - beg
* There was a Cause - his only daughter needed a touch from Jesus.
2. He was not Ashamed to Associate with the Lord -vs. 41 Come into his house.
- He was willing for Jesus to be in the midst of it all.
- He was willing for Jesus to come Home with him. Not merely religion, but Jesus come into my house.
- He was willing for Jesus to be with Him in front of his friends!
At this point, there was no association as important as Jesus! When our needs become great, we will want Jesus close.
II. A Fear that Could be Defeating - vs. 49-50
They had been interrupted by the woman with an issue of blood. Patiently Jairus waited as Jesus dealt with this hurting lady. But then the news came.
A. The News that Grieved Him - vs. 49
1. There could have been no worse message than what he heard.
2. There could have been no worse feeling than he felt.
B. The Word that Grounded Him - vs. 50
Just as we saw in the life of the Shunamite woman. Jairus did not find strength in His course of life, His religion, His companion, or even His circumstances.
1. Yes, He was in the Proximity of Failure (would have been easy to give up).
2. He was in the Presence of Greatness - Jesus calmed him!
3. He was in the Plan of God.
Jesus knew things that Jairus did not and Jesus knew things the messenger did not know! - vs. 50 “She shall be made whole.”
There is nothing in his heart but panic and grief. He has no answers, but Jairus did not dismiss Jesus! How many times do we get in trouble, and we panic and dismiss the presence of the Lord in our lives.
III. A Faith that is Defining - vs. 51-56
We have not received a Spirit of Fear - 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." We can find courage in the Word of God - FEAR NOT
Whatever God says to do - Fear not. Where ever God says to go - Fear not.
But if you have left God out of your life - FEAR ON
A. There was no Reason to Fear His Plan - (In reality, Jairus had nothing to lose!)
1. Do not Panic in the Face of Consequences.
2. Have Peace in the Place of Control.
B. There was no Reason to Fear His Presence
1. The Mourners gave only Pain - with every cry, it deepened in his flesh.
2. The Master promised Peace - Which had you rather have?
Think of Gideon, the enemy had scared him, but God called him to a task. When Gideon found himself in the presence of God, he thought he would die. But God responded to him in Judges 6:23 "And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. 24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: God our Peace!"
C. There was no reason to Fear in His Problem
Think about Jairius - How would you feel if your daughter was in this condition? I can not imagine how Jairius felt while his little girl was sick. I love my children, I do not even like ‘em getting a cold. I would want to die myself!
One thing we must remember - We are not ringmasters of our life, we are not in control. Wherever we are, there is a Savior who says fear not. It does not mean that hard times will not come. It does not mean that death’s cold chill will not call on a loved one, but it does remind us that God is in control and He is the Victor, even over death. FEAR NOT!
1. Because of His Tender Presence - Psalms 25:6 "Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old."
- Tender in His Sympathy - Jesus raised three from the dead.
One in Nain was a widow’s only son. In Bethany, Lazarus was the only brother, and in our text, this is the Only daughter! Do you think that the ONLY BEGOTTEN knew in His foreknowledge the pain? He would be separated from the Father because of our sin - and the effect of our sin was staring Jesus in the face. He understood. You say, does Jesus care? And you can say - O yes He cares.
- Tender in His speech - Mark - Talitha Cumi - Aramaic, probably the language of their house. He spoke just how she would understand, Talitha - “little girl” - “Child arise.” He spoke the words as no other. Her spirit had left her body, but had to return when Jesus said -Child! AND HIS TENDERNESS BROUGHT HER BACK and reunited her with her father. All of us someday will be reunited with our saved loved ones at the tender words of Christ as He says ’Children come home! Unsure? - Trust Christ!
2. His Timely Provisions - an urgent situation where Jesus was right on time.
- He stopped for another (Jairius, no time to stop) - vs. 49 But He knew somebody had touched the finished work by faith! Wonderful for that woman, but hard on a dad. No time for this, but Jesus looked for her and she "declared before all the people" including this daddy!
This was not a sidetracked prophet, but a Sovereign God. He just stopped to give Jairius PROOF of His goodness as God! The woman testified of it! - Does anyone know and remember the goodness of God?
3. His Transcending Promise - He comes to the house with the mourners there, and He said - "She’s not dead" - What their logic said, mattered not!
- His voice Transcended Death - Moses - Shekinah glory in the bush - Exodus 3:6 "Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." I am, not was! I am still their God, they still exist! Jesus had a different view than Jairus - and no matter what you see, Jesus sees more than you do.
- His Victory Transcends All Defeats
Trials do not put an end to the goodness of the Lord! We win either way.
Concl. Has God been good to you? How do you think that Jairus would have lived the rest of his life? Rom 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Jairus came to the right conclusion. To what conclusion are we headed?
Disclaimer: A man once told me that if it is true, it is not new. If it is new, it is not true. We all know there is nothing new under the sun. With that said, I glean ideas for my sermons from God’s Word, my own thoughts and work, and many other sources. Any similarity to my sermons and others, where credit is not given, is either coincidental, or an unintentional mistake on my part. As none of us have a corner on the wisdom and teaching of God’s Word, it is my desire that any of my outlines be an encouragement, a help, and hopefully a motivation for others to preach God’s Word clearly. Please feel free to use any portion of my sermons if they can be of help to you and your ministry. It is all for His Glory.
