¡§Chasing After Jesus¡¨
Text: Mark 5:24-34
Open: This woman was ¡§chasing after Jesus¡¨.
Are we here today to chase after Jesus?
Notice¡K
ƒæ NOTICE¡KThe Bible says she ¡§spent all she had¡¨. Have you ever felt that way? You¡¦ve given life everything you¡¦ve got and you¡¦re ¡§spent¡¨ (that¡¦s actually a good place to be today, because that is where this woman was). Maybe your energy is gone, your strength is gone, your batteries are run down. That¡¦s what Jesus wants to do for you!
ƒæ NOTICE that¡KEven though the crowd was around Jesus, maybe even touching Jesus, they weren¡¦t REALLY touching Jesus
ƒæ NOTICE¡Kthat this woman had to press through the crowd to chase after Jesus. What ¡§crowd¡¨ do you have to press through this morning to get to Jesus? Maybe the crowd of¡K
ľ Tiredness
ľ Bitterness
ľ Pain
ľ Discouragement
ľ Financial trouble
ľ Marriage problems
ľ Complacency
ľ Disappointment
ľ Anger
ľ Jealousy
ľ Loneliness
ľ Pressure
ľ Stress
ľ Confusion
ľ Fear
ľ Doubt
ľ Worry
ľ Exhaustion
Maybe the crowd of feeling¡K
ľ Unappreciated
ľ Unloved
ľ Unwanted
ľ Unaccepted
Or maybe you¡¦re like me and really everything is going real good in your life right now but¡K
ľ The closer you get to him, the closer you want to get to him
ľ The more you sense his presence in your life, the more you want to sense his presence in your life
ľ The more time you spend with him, the more time you want to spend with him
The question is ¡§Are You Ready To Chase After Jesus This Morning?¡¨
What if I don¡¦t chase after him? ANSWER? Things will probably stay the same¡Knothing new or exciting. Things will probably get even worse. This woman could have easily given up. She could have stayed in the crowd, hoping somehow Jesus would come to her. But she didn¡¦t. She went to him and pressed through the crowd. It probably took every ounce of strength she had left. She knew it would end either in tragedy or triumph. BUT ¡V when she touched him, she was completely different.
What if I DO chase after Jesus? At a MINIMUM you are guaranteed what his word says (the Bible)
Psalm 37:39 says he is your ¡§¡Kstrength in the time of trouble.¡¨
Psalm 146:8 says the Lord ¡§¡Klifts up those who are bowed low¡K¡¨
Job 8:21 says he will ¡§¡Kfill your lips with laughter and your mouth with shouts of joy."
Prov 3:24 says ¡§when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.¡¨
(Psa 1:3 NIV) says you will be ¡§like a tree planted by streams of water¡¨,¡K(yielding) fruit in season¡¨ ¡Kand¡KWhatever (you do will) prosper.¡¨
Deu 28:2-6 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
Phil 4:7 says the peace of God will guard your heart and mind
(Psa 91:9, 10 says If you make the Most High your dwelling¡Kthen no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
CLOSE: So I close with this question this morning¡K¡¨Will you chase after Jesus this morning?¡¨
Psalm 63:8 says ¡§¡Kmy soul follows hard after you¡K¡¨
Isa 55:6 says¡K Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
In Prov 8:17 the Lord says¡K I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
Closing song ¡§You Are Near¡¨
