Intro: They say that there is no one so blind as he who will not see. In this story, we are presented with a man who was absolutely blind. Bartimaeus could see nothing with the physical eyes with which he had been born, yet he could see things one a spiritual level that others were blind to. He saw what no one else saw…what no one else, not even the disciples of Jesus Christ could see…we have much to learn from this visionary of Christ. This man was blind physically, but he had 20/20 spiritual vision.
There are many people who have a very pertinent disease. Probably one of the greatest tragedies in modern day faith today is the lack of vision. People don’t see that without vision, there is no hope…see Proverbs 29:18 tells us that where there is no vision, the people perish. Bartimaeus knew nothing else than Jesus Christ. He knew that his life was without vision UNLESS he had Christ…we need to have this same attitude.
I. V. 46 HIS PITIFUL CONDITION
Let’s recognize first that Bartimaeus was a blind man. He couldn’t see anything...he was born this way...see the connection???
Secondly, let’s see that he was dependent upon other people in order to survive...he was pitiful and a wretch...
Thirdly: Spirtually speaking...like Bartimaeus the lost person is spiritually blind...
Apparently, this condition was one with which he had been born. Blindness was a common condition in Bible times, because of various diseases and sanitary conditions.
Because of his Physical condition Bartimaeus was prevented from finding and performing a job in order to earn a living. In that day, there were no welfare programs or charitable institutions who would help him. There was no social security or other government programs to which he could turn. Bartimaeus was totally dependent upon the generosity of others in order to survive. His was a pitiful and wretched condition!
In his condition, Bartimaeus is a good portrait of every person who depends on everything else but God. When Bartimaues had a problem, and in his pitiful condition, he relied on Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can open your eyes! Some of you right now are “sitting by the highway” and waiting for Jesus…but He’s passed by four or five times, and you haven’t been “looking for Him”
See, many of us are in the same condition as Bartimaeus as far as our vision goes. We are blind to it, because we haven’t asked God for the same passion in us, as in other people. You’re a beggar because you’re begging God to do all of the work for you. God’s calling you out tonight, because remember, the harvest is many, but the workers are so few…be a worker…be a visionary…be all that you can be…because that’s what God’s called you to do…
Here’s the key to vision:
HAVE ONE!!!!!!
If you don’t have one:
YOU CANNOT SEE!!!!!!!!!!!
If you don’t have one:
ASK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vision with passion is moot…you have to be passionate about your vision. A vision is only worth something if you’re serious about it. Young, old, anything, a vision is YOUR responsibility, not someone else’s…
See with a vision like Stephen you can accomplish great things…
Don’t make excuses for a powerless vision…Acts 1:8, you shall receive POWER, and THAT’S passion, THAT’S purpose…THAT’S vision!
II. V. 47-49 HIS PERSISTENT CRY
Ill. Even though Bartimaeus was blind, he was able to see things that others all around him, who had their vision, could not see. In these verses, Bartimaeus proved that even though he was blind, he still possessed 20/20 spiritual vision.
A. He Recognized Who Jesus Was - Apparently, Bartimaeus had heard about the miracles preformed by Jesus. He must have heard about the lepers, the lame, the demon possessed, even the dead that Jesus had touched and made whole again. As he sat by the highway, he heard the travelers as they talked one to the other. He had heard about Jesus and he knew that what Jesus had done for others, He could do for Bartimaeus! Some of us have no clue who Jesus is…we may know a lot about Him, but we don’t really, honestly know Him….
The Son of God…remember Luke 4:18-19??
Luke 4
18
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim
that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors,
19
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.[1] "
B. He Realized What Jesus Could Do - Bartimaeus exercised faith in Jesus, which is the key ingredient for receiving anything from God, Eph. 2:8-9. Beyond that, this poor, blind man saw things that most of the people who were in that multitude never saw. In fact, He saw some things that many in this building have never seen. Some things that you need to see today. Can Jesus do anything for someone that believes?? The answer is YES!!!!!!
1. He Was That His Greatest Opportunity Had Come - For years this man had sat by the highway begging. He was helpless and in a hopeless condition. As Jesus passed by, it dawned on Bartimaeus that if Jesus was who He claimed to be, this was the day of his greatest opportunity. As a result, he began to cry out for the Lord to have mercy on him. Bartimaeus, though blind, was able to opportunity when it stared him in the face. This may have been his only chance…
NOW IS THE TIME: Esther 4:14...you and I have come here, right now, today, this second, for such a time as this...right NOW...God wants to instill in us a vision that is lasting, that is motivated, that is passionate...all for you and I!
2. He Saw That This Opportunity Could Easily Pass Him By - If Bartimaeus had sat still that day and said nothing, then the next day would have been like all the others before. He would have sat by the road begging until he died. He may have been blind, but even he could see that unless he did something about this situation, he was doomed to a life of misery and darkness.
If God has been calling you out...if He’s been speaking to you, about establishing a vision and sticking to it..., I challenge you obey that call. If you refuse, then this golden opportunity will certainly pass you by...God doesn’t have to call you...look at Matthew 22...MANY ARE CALLED, BUT few are chosen...do you just want to be called, or do you want to be chosen...your choice...
4. He Saw That Christ’s Way Was Far Better Than His Own - After Bartimaeus had received healing from the Lord, he was told to "go thy way." However, he saw that Christ’s way was a far better way than his own and he followed Jesus and according to Luke 18:43, he praised the name of the Lord as he followed Jesus in the way.
Luke 18
43And instantly he received his sight and began to follow Jesus, [1] recognizing, praising, and honoring God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.
There are many pride issues here....my way is better, I can get things done on my own...that’s what Judas thought too....when we go Jesus’ way, people notice…and people follow…being a visionary, people will follow your actions…and what you do and say…
C. He Repeated The Cry - Those who stood by, and those who were traveling with the Lord tried to make Bartimaeus stop crying out to the Lord. However, his determination was so great to get help from the Lord that he continued to cry out, and in fact, he simply got louder. He was not hindered or bothered by the opinions of others. He needed something from the Lord and he was determined to get it. Regardless of what anyone thought or did! He kept crying, he kept praying...even though nothing was seeming to happen, he cried, he prayed, he asked, he sought, he knocked...HE DID IT ALL! How bad do you want it???
D. He Received A Response - When Jesus heard the cry of this beggar, He stopped in His tracks and called for Bartimaeus to come to Him. What a glorious moment that must have been for this poor, blind beggar! His faith was honored and he received an audience with the Lord Jesus.
Some of you are relying on everyone else for your vision…you’re relying on everyone else for your problems and personal issues, and the focus is on something else, rather than God…instead of chasing after the heart of God, you’re chasing after the heart of someone else…God is speaking to you tonight…turn to ME for your vision, I want to give you hope, and a bright future…(Jeremiah 29:11)
Here’s the bottom line…some of you are relying and depending on yourself for vision, yourself for hope…you have GOT to rely on God…imagine what would have happened if Bartimaues would have quit shouting like the rest of the crowd told him to…What would have happened? He would not have received his miracle, and probably would be one of the most “UNCOMMON” cowards in the Bible…instead, he yelled louder, going after God with everything he had in him…and he was rewarded for it with his healing…
Here’s the key...Jesus honored his faith and answered his cry...wouldn’t it be great if...
III. V. 50 HIS PASSIONATE COST and COMMITTMENT
According to this verse, when Jesus called, Bartimaeus got up to go. The Bible says that he cast away his garment. This means that he threw aside his outer coat and jumped up to go to Jesus. This coat must have been very valuable to Bartimaeus. He must have known that someone else could easily pick it up and carry it away. He must have known that he could have lost it and this man would not have had the means to replace it. However, he counted the cost and was willing to pay whatever price was necessary just to get to Jesus.
For someone as poor and weak as Bartimaeus him casting aside his garment was a huge step of faith. He had to totally rely on people other than himself…
I can’t stress this enough...I can’t go over it enough...It’s going to cost you something...If you complaining about the cost, God won’t reward you. I will talk about it from now until the end of my life...It cost Bartimaeus everything that he had....he just wanted to be healed...he just wanted to be able to see, and he was willing to give up whatever necessary to see that happen...again I ask you, how bad do you want it? Bad enough to spend an hour a day on your knees...bad enough to walk the streets of Pomona speaking the word of God against the enemy...HOW BAD do you want it?
Being a visionary…being someone of vision, a leader, a follower, a person that has TRUE vision.
Let’s look at the disciples of Christ. Look in the Gospels. They IMMEDIATELY left everything they had. They did NOT hesitate…that’s PASSION…
MINISTRY THAT COSTS NOTHING, ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING…
VISION=A mode of revelation…changed lives, renewed commitments, genuine love for Christ.
The following terms were used in the survey by those being surveyed who confessed to be born again Christians, in describing themselves:
(a) Stressed Out: 31%
(b) Too Busy: 49%
(c) Needing New Friends: 50%
(d) In Debt: 40%
(e) Dealing with Addiction: 11%
(f) Self-Sufficient: 90%
(g) Searching for purpose: 48%
(h) Skeptical: 55%
(i) Likes to ‘be in control’: 62%
IN CLOSING
(Requires a can of Coca-cola) Coca-cola is one product that has far outgrown its humble beginnings. In 1886, Dr. John Pemberton first introduced Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia. The pharmacist concocted a caramel-colored syrup in a three-legged brass kettle in his backyard. He first "distributed" Coca-Cola by carrying it in a jug down the street to Jacobs? Pharmacy.
After little more than 100 years, surveys show that 97% of the world has heard of coca-cola. 72% of the world has seen a can of coca-cola. 51% of the world has tasted a can of coca-cola.
Psalm 34
8
Taste and see that the LORD is good.
Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!
All due to the fact that the company made a commitment years ago that every one on the planet would have a taste of their soft drink.
We should stand up and take note here...97% of the world has heard of this sugar and water concoction while 1.7 billion people world-wide have no access to the good news of Jesus Christ! It is estimated that 17 million people die every year without having heard the name of Jesus!
When I hear those facts, I should not hang my head in despair and shame. Instead, I should be challenged, motivated, and inspired to a new level of commitment in sharing the message of forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ.
I have a vision that 1 year from now…AT LEAST 71% of this town will taste and see that the Lord is good…That’s my vision, that should be your vision…LETS REACH FOR THAT VISION TONIGHT.
1. Maybe you’ve solely depended on yourself, or those who can’t help you. Tonight, God wants you to depend on Him, because He can and WILL help you, IF you ask Him to. If you’re in a pitiful condition, come just as you are, just as Bartimaeus and let God heal and touch your life. This is speaking spiritually speaking as well as physically. Bartimaeus humbled himself and sought after God because he wanted VISION, and that’s what we need.
2. Perhaps some of you have given or are on the verge of giving up. God wants to instill a vision in you that lasts, and that is not fake. This will ONLY come if you let Him do this. This is YOUR choice, and YOUR call. Bartimaeus didn’t give up and look how he was rewarded. God allows you to go through things to refine your faith. God wants people who trust in HIM to be visionaries.
3. Maybe, just maybe you’ve been LAX about your vision. You’ve not put your whole heart into praying for this vision and you aren’t exactly ready for it. Maybe you just plain don’t know what vision God has for you. In that case, get ready, tonight, God’s going to instill a vision in and for you.
What’s your vision tonight? What are you spreading around?? Is it a coke can, or is it the cross? If you want vision, if you want to see God totally and hands down change your life and make you a visionary, bring your Coke can up here and set it by the cross…
