The Whelps Of Winter

WORRIED, WEARY, AND WORN OUT

Heb. 12:3

For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

I. Worried

Luke 7:12-15

12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

Here is a widow woman who does not know how life can go on. Her husband has passed on in another time, and now her son is about to be buried.

Jesus is passing that way. She may not have even known the Lord. There is no reference of her saying even one word to Jesus.

This is a case where Jesus was moved with compassion as He saw a woman that everyone else considered "past her prime" and "useless to society". We do not know of one person who interceded in her behalf. Yet Jesus cared about her need and moved to perform a miracle in her behalf.

Jesus did not even give her a list of "do's and don'ts" after the fact.

5 Great Powers

1. Power of Death

2. Power of Love

3. Power of Tears

4. Power of Prayer-------IL. of the parrot of the pastor who only could say "let's pray" and the parrot of the deacon who only would say "let's kiss". They were put together and the one parrot said "let's kiss"; the other said, "my prayers have been answered".

5. Power of Christ

II. Weary

John 4:15-19

15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

Jesus stops at a well at mid-day to rest and be alone. The next thing you know, a woman is coming to the well, surrounded by kids, of whom none have the same daddy. She is so weary with life. Looked for love in all the wrong places, now she is the talk of the town. She does her best to avoid crowds. Her heart has been broken so many times, she has lost count.

The Lord pulls out His needle of faith and a thread of hope and goes to work to mend her wounded soul.

Again, we see the Saviour reaching out to a person that the world would say that they would be better without. No one else would want to give her the time of day. She was an embarassment to the city, and it would be better if she remained in obscurity. Not so, with Jesus. He sees the worth of a soul that age and infamy has taken its toll. With Christ, it is never too late.

III. Worn Out

Mark 5:25-27

25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

Another woman in the winter of life; out of money, looking twice as old as her age, still sick as a dog. Everyone was tired of hearing her hard luck story. They were about ready to thrust her outside the city gates with the lepers. A hopeless case in mans' estimation.

Jesus never withheld His help to her, not even for a moment. Even while He was busy attending to others, His healing virtue was extended to her for her present need.

Three people who would be deemed "less than desireable. Three women in their winter of life.

One who was Bereaved

One who was Rejected

One who was Dying

This is just a sampling of the many souls that the world would rather just throw away:

--babies about to be aborted

--terminally sick

--mentally challenged

--drug addicts

--AIDS victims

Society and unfortunately, the church has been guilty of pushing these to one side, even in the crevices of the shadows of life.

Jesus never shunned any of them. He welcomed them and He provided a better quality of life in each and every case.

Is the church going to rise up and follow in the steps of the Master?