Uncertainty
I. TEXT:
Luke 8:40-56 (NKJV)
"So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. 41 And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. 43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. 45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” 46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. 48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” 49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.” 50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” 51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” 55 Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. 56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.
II. INTRODUCTION:
Uncertainty is one of the most challenging parts of human life. Uncertainty is a place in the middle of where we come from and where we are going. Uncertainty is when we have traveled too far from our starting point to turn around, but not far enough to complete the journey. Uncertainty can be paralyzing. It can be deadly. Many dreams have died halfway between the starting point and the end.
We have all faced moments and even seasons of uncertainty. We have faced places where there doesn't seem to be a firm place to stand. We may have woken up in the morning not sure what the day will hold, or laid our heads on a pillow at night uncertain what the morning would bring. For some, there is uncertainty about where the next house payment will come from. Sometimes we face moments where our hopes are dashed against the rocks of an imagined uncertain future and our faith shrivels along the journey. Uncertainty happens in the middle, in the transitional places of life.
Uncertainty can push us into a panic causing us to run blind. Uncertainty can fold us into a place of paralysis. There are people who live their entire lives in places of uncertainty, running or hiding. Then there are others of us who hide our uncertainty under a veneer of pretended confidence. We are afraid to be vulnerable. We don't want to blow our cover and admit that we are unsure.
We have all been there at some point. When asked the question, "How are you?" Our response is. "Okay, how are you?" We don't admit the uncertainty in our souls. Under the surface, we are loaded with the fear of the foggy future ahead and so we keep up the front...
That is the way it is with uncertainty.
An exasperated husband asked his wife, "Why are you always worrying when it doesn't do any good?"
She piped back, "Oh, yes it does! Ninety percent of the things I worry about never happen."
We live in a world that wants to know. If you don't know, "google" it. We don't like uncertainty, but it is a part of life. we walk through one uncertain place after another.
Uncertain places.
III. TEXT:
Jairus is called a "ruler of the synagogue."
The “ruler of the synagogue” occupied a very important position. In the temple synagogue he was the third officer in rank; the first officer being the high priest, and the second the chief of the priests. In provincial synagogues the “ruler” was supreme. No one was eligible to this office until he had a certificate from the Great Sanhedrim that he possessed the requisite qualifications. His election, however, was by the members of the synagogue. It was his duty to supervise all matters connected with worship.
(https://bibletruthpublishers.com/834-the-law-and-the-prophets-rulers-of-the-synagogue/james-m-freeman/manners-and-customs-of-the-bible/la98368)
Jairus had influence. He probably had wealth and friends. But, his twelve-year-old daughter was sick and none of these could help. It was in his moment of desperation that he turned to Jesus. Who else has ever been at the end of their rope and all they could do was cry out to God for help? The truth is that the first place we should turn is to Jesus. He can do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine (Eph 3:20)!
Jairus came to Jesus. He sought him out and found him and asked him to come and heal his daughter. For Jairus, this was an emergency and he was certain that Jesus could meet the need. There are times in our lives when we do not think that God understands our situations or circumstances, but the reality is that he knows us better than we know ourselves.
And so, Jesus and Jairus are traveling along together toward Jairus's need. And then right in the middle of the journey, there was an interruption. Someone else had a need, a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years. She wound up in the same place, at the same time as Jairus and Jesus. Their needs converged, the journey to heal the twelve-year-old sick daughter and the need of a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years.
Both Jairus and this woman were desperate. The woman said within herself that if she could just touch the hem of Jesus's garment she would be made whole, and she did, and she was made whole. Her faith reached to touch Jesus. When we touch Jesus with our faith, things happen! She received her miracle. But, as she was receiving her miracle someone arrived from Jairus's house with a message, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.” Imagine Jairus's emotions at the moment. He must have experienced uncertainty. He had come all the way to find Jesus. He had placed his faith where it should be and then in a moment's time a message from another place crushed his hope. He found himself in the fog, not knowing what lay ahead.
IV. MOVEMENT 1
During ancient Israel's wilderness wanderings, they were led by a cloud. Do you know what a cloud on the ground is? Fog. "Water droplets suspended in the atmosphere in the vicinity the earth's surface that affect visibility." (American Meteorological Society's (AMS) Glossary of Meteorology)
God chose to lead them in such a way that they could only see a few steps in front of them if that. He promised them a land flowing with milk and honey. He promised to provide for them and protect them, but they had to have faith to follow because he led them in such a way that they could not see what was ahead.
Walking through the fog, or driving in the fog is the stuff of horror. Our minds can play tricks on us when we cannot see what is ahead. We can tell ourselves stories that cause fight or flight to kick in.
ILLUSTRATION:
A man named Jack was driving on a dark country road one night when he got a flat tire. He saw a cabin in the woods and began to walk toward it. He told himself that the person who answered the door would be angry and irritated by the interruption. In fact, the person would probably harm him. He was probably a truly terrible person. Who else would live in the woods away from people? Jack convinced himself that the person who lived in the cabin was a menace to society, so when he opened the door, Jack punched the man in the nose and ran away (Cruzman).
Someone said that fear is the darkroom where the negatives of life are developed. When we are walking through the fog of life and we listen to our fears we can imagine all kinds of things. We may hear voices telling us that there is no need to trouble Jesus any longer because our needs will not be met. Fear looks at uncertainty and says, "It's too late!" It says that although the Lord has made promises to you and is walking alongside you, you no longer have any hope.
But the voice of Jesus says, "Fear not, only believe, and it will be well!" Don't doubt in the fog what Jesus told you in the bright of the day!
The Weather Guys blog at the University of Wisconsin, say "Fog often dissipates with daylight. This is sometimes referred to as the fog “burning off” but that analogy is not correct. When the sun rises, the air and ground warm up. This leads to the air temperature being warmer than the dew point temperature, which causes the fog droplets to evaporate."
In times of uncertainty, the answer is hearing the voice of Jesus again. Jairus could have rushed away from Jesus, but he drew near. The words of Jesus are like the rays of the sun warming our hearts and dissipating our fears. Do you hear his voice? He is still with you on the journey!
Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding, all along the path of life acknowledge him and he will direct your path! Fear not. Only believe. It will be well! Don't let a voice other than Jesus's voice control your view of reality! When Jesus comes, He clears the fog away!
Jesus has walked with you this far, he is going to walk with you the rest of the way.
V. MOVEMENT 2
In Christ, God suffers along with us. Jesus knows what it is like to be human. Jesus is fully human and fully God. God is an invisible Spirit who cannot be contained by the universe. In order for us to know him, he became human. Jesus said that to see him was to see the Father (John 14:9).
ILLUSTRATION:
One of Denmark's leading sculptors had a consuming ambition to sculpt the greatest statue of Jesus Christ ever made. He began by painstakingly shaping a clay model of a triumphant, majestic figure. "This will be my masterpiece!" he exclaimed on the day the model was completed.
However, during the night a heavy fog rolled into the area, and the seaspray seeped into the sculptor's studio through a partially open window. In the morning, he was shocked to see his model. The droplets of moisture that had formed on the statue created the illusion of bleeding. The head had drooped. The facial expression had melted into compassion. The arms drooped and expressed welcome. The artist was horrified and was aghast at having to start all over again.
As he kept looking at his statue of the Savior, his thoughts began to take a different shape. He realized that this image of Christ was closer to reality than his imagined portrayal. He then wrote his caption and placed it under the figure: "Come unto me!"
In truth, as he had initially desired, though not in the manner he had envisioned it, this "divinely" altered piece of art was, in fact, his masterpiece.
Jesus came into the world to show us what God is like. In Jesus God's fullness dwells in a bodily form (Colossians 2:9). He is all-powerful, yet compassionate. Because he is human, he is able to understand what we go through and what we feel. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed to God that if it was possible, the cup of suffering that he was about to drink would pass (Matt 26:39). He was walking into the uncertainty of the cross. And it was walking through this fog that gives him the ability to offer us the help we need.
Hebrews 2:14-18 (NIV)
"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."
Jesus walked with Jairus in human flesh and human feet. He suffers along with us, and he offers his supernatural power to help us. From start to finish. The apostle Paul said:
Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)
"being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."
Psalm 138:8 (NKJV)
"The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands."
VI. MOVEMENT 3
ILLUSTRATION:
A story is told of a licensed pilot that was flying his private plane on a cloudy day. He was not very experienced in instrument landing. When the control tower was to bring him in, he began to get panicky. Then a stern voice came over the radio, "You just obey instructions, and we'll take care of the obstructions." (365 Devotions).
Jairus was walking through the fog. Jesus was walking through the fog with him. Jesus was like the sunlight dissipating the fog. His words are truth. "Fear not. Only believe. All will be well."
You're going to make it through this! You may not think you are. You fear you won't. When will the depression end? When will the pain leave? When will the yelling stop? Will this grey sky ever brighten? Will we make it through this season of life? Sometimes we feel stuck, trapped, paralyzed...
We imagine that we will not be able to make it through. We worry about obstructions to the fulfillment of Jesus's promises. But, as the old song says, "It is not secret what God can do, what he's done for others, he'll do for you!"
You'll get through this. Jairus did.
It seems that one of God's favorite words is "through."
Isaiah 43:2 (NKJV) says:
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you."
We often want God to remove the obstructions of life. We want him to carry us over them, or tunnel under them. But often God simply carries us through.
David wrote:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
The LORD carried the children of Israel through the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22).
He carried them through the wilderness (Deuteronomy 29:5).
And through the deep (Psalm 77:19).
We are uncertain about so many things. The old song says, "I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds my hand."
VII. CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION
You may be walking through the fog right now. You may be uncertain about what life holds. It is in these moments that we must draw near to Jesus and listen for his voice. It is his voice that can clear the fog. It is his voice that can guide you through the fog.
Do you have a consistent life of prayer? Set a time each day for prayer. During your prayer time take time to listen quietly. Ask God to speak to you. Do you read the Bible every day? Make a decision to read and listen.
Now today I want to invite you to come and pray along with us. God wants to settle your heart today. You are uncertain. You can trust the Certain One!
