Title: Faith with Grace
content p; Mark 10:46-52
p; The life of faith can be said to be the life of meeting the Lord every moment. We meet the Lord through worship, we meet the Lord through the Word, and we meet the Lord through prayer. Sometimes we meet the Lord through the beauty of nature, and sometimes we meet the Lord through events. For us living today, meeting the Lord will not mean meeting face to face. It means to understand God's will, to feel the Lord's walk, to feel the Lord's love, to feel deeply moved, and to be filled with faith. I bless you with such an encounter with the Lord.
p; Today's text is simply the story of Bartimaeus, a blind man, who met Jesus and was awakened. It was impossible for the blind to open their eyes. But when I met Jesus, the impossible became possible. When I met Jesus, the problem was solved. A new life began when I met Jesus.
How did Bartimaeus meet Jesus and receive grace?
p; 1. I received grace because I was in a position to receive grace.
...the blind beggar Bartimaeus sat by the roadside... 46
Bartimaeus met the Lord and received grace because he was in the right place to receive grace. It was pure luck that Bartimaeus opened his eyes. At least that's what Bartimaeus thought before he had real faith. Because it was not through his efforts that he met Jesus. Bartimaeus was lucky enough to be on the road to Jericho that Jesus was passing through. He was there and Jesus came to him.
p; A person matters where he is. Because it determines his life. If you are with a drinking buddy all the time, he is more likely to drink alcohol, and even non-believers are more likely to believe in Jesus if he is with someone who believes in Jesus.
p; *** Onesimus is Philemon's servant who stole his master's money and ran away. He went to jail, but when Paul was there with him, he became a new person and, in the end, a useful person.
In order to receive it, you must be in a position to receive grace. The revival meeting will start tomorrow. I hope you all do not fall into this seat of grace. When you are in the place of grace, you will receive grace. To believe in Jesus, you have to be with people who believe in Jesus. To become a person of good faith, you must be with people of good faith. In order to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit, you must be in the place of prayer, to stand in the confidence of the Word, you must listen to the Word, and to receive grace, you must be in the place of grace.
?If you receive it and go out into the world, don't be discouraged that you will soon lose it. It seems to be forgotten, it seems to disappear, but I hope that it only disappears from consciousness and is stored deep in your soul.
p; When I was young, I watched my grandmother grow bean sprouts in Siru. Place the beans in a bowl with a hole in the bottom and water it every day. The water quickly drains to the bottom. Just because it is water, it is not water mixed with any fertilizer, it is just plain water. Fortunately, the swelling is busy and all of it goes down. However, after a few days, the sprouts had grown profusely.
萱? Please believe that your faith will grow if you continue to receive the shower of the Word. Please do not be discouraged that you did not receive grace today. You will receive it tomorrow. Don't be discouraged if you don't get it tomorrow. Who knows who will get the sand! Anna and Simeon waited 80 days to meet the Messiah.
p; Bartimaeus, thankfully, was in a position to receive favor, so he became a recipient of grace. Because he was able to meet the Lord who was passing in front of him, he received the grace to open his eyes.
p; 2. I received grace by crying out for help.
Bartimaeus did not miss the opportunity when it came. When the time of grace passed in front of him, he did not spend it indifferently. definitely caught on. They cried out and begged for the hand of the Lord. That is the secret of his meeting with the Lord.
p; When he heard that Jesus was passing by, Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus with all his might.
“Son of David! Have pity on me!”
Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was the solution to his problem. Whether he had heard of it, someone told him, or happened to know him, he knew Jesus. And as Jesus was passing by, he cried out and cried out. ‘Have mercy on me!’ People gave me a pint cup because it was noisy, but I didn’t care. I gave him a call to be quiet, but he didn't waver. This was not their problem. It was his problem. So Bartimaeus did not listen to them, but focused his attention on the Lord alone. We did not miss the time of grace that may never come again.
p; I see many people coming to Jesus and walking in vain. Because they don't focus on Jesus. Those who believe are called saints--a holy people. This is the Lord's recognition of us as such, and we are not truly holy. That is why there are people like this and that in the church, so there are not necessarily only people I like. Therefore, faith focuses on Jesus, not on people.
p; Some people themselves want to believe in Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit, but they are unable to act because of their face. what other people will think of me In the eyes of the people in the family, in the relationship with friends, in the eyes of the people around... Life is mine, not theirs. Whether I go to heaven or hell is my problem, not theirs. None of them can live for me. None of them will give life for me None of them have anyone in charge of my life. Only I am the master of my life, and I am the master of my life. Therefore, I must not be conscious of my surroundings, do not look at the face of the person next to me, and make the decisions of my life myself.
p; Although Bartimaeus was a beggar, he left his life to his own decisions. They didn't listen to the people around them curling up or criticizing them. He cried out to have mercy on himself only toward Jesus. He focused his cry on Jesus alone.
p; The Lord did not turn away from Bartimaeus's cry. Jesus was in the midst of many people, but he heard their cry. The Lord did not turn away from the cry of a man who seemed to be insignificant in the distance from the roadside. He stopped on his way and called to him. When Bartimaeus heard that he was calling, he jumped up and ran toward the sound. Bartimaeus, who was blind, heard the voice of the Lord and ran toward it. And finally, I was able to stand before Jesus whom I had longed for.
p; 3. I received grace by throwing away my coat and running.
The Bible records this about Bartimaeus running to the Lord.
“The blind man threw away his cloak and jumped up and came to Jesus.”
At the sound of the Lord's call, Bartimaeus threw away the cloak that was wrapped around him and ran to the Lord. Bartimaeus was blind and a beggar. How important is the outer garment to a beggar! When traveling, Jews use their outer garments as a blanket at night and as a tent during the day. How much more would that robe be of great wealth to a beggar? The robe was the beggar's entire property. But when Jesus called, Bartimaeus threw away his cloak.
p; You don't need a coat to meet the Lord. No makeup required. No need for hypocrisy. It is enough as it is. If you don't have it, you have nothing, if you lack it, you need it, if you are weak, you have your weakness. No outerwear required.
p; There are times when we let go of the Lord because we take our coats off. What is outerwear? Sometimes it's knowledge, sometimes it's experience, sometimes it's experience, sometimes it's wealth, sometimes it's face, sometimes it's anxiety and worry. You don't need a coat to meet the Lord. All you have to do is go forward with your sincerity as you are.
p; Please do the same at this revival meeting. Even if you listen to the Word, sing praises, and come to the front and place your hands on it, don't miss the opportunity to hold onto it as your face becomes your outer garment. Please don't look at me in a negative light as my experiences are your outerwear. There is no limit to the work of the Holy Spirit. God who created the world, what would be impossible! Sometimes they fall while receiving prayers, even gold dust falls on their hands, and Satan is cast out. Nothing is impossible with God. People laugh at me when I talk about gold dust. Collecting them to make a ring...etc., etc., gold dust does not fall to satisfy the greediness of the flesh, but rather to see the living and working of God, such phenomena occur. Such phenomena appear to give evidence that God is with you.
p; Throw away your outer garments and run to the Lord with only faith. Then a miracle happens. Abundant grace will come. Joy comes. Please come to the Lord with that kind of faith.
p; When Bartimaeus heard the voice of the Lord, he took off his cloak and threw it away. And he ran with all his might toward only the voice of the Lord. The Lord asked Bartimaeus.
“What do you want me to do for you?”
“I want to see you.”
"go. Your faith has saved you.”
Finally, the eyes of this blind Bartimaeus, who had been wandering in darkness all his life, saw the light. Jesus accepted the image of him throwing away his cloak by faith and opened his eyes.
p; Today, we watched the process of a man of despair meeting Jesus and moving toward a blessed life. Bartimaeus met Jesus and his problems were solved and he received grace
① Because I was in a position to receive grace.
② Because he cried out and prayed for himself.
③ Because they threw away their outer garments and ran with faith.
I bless you in the name of the Lord that you may meet the Lord in grace, solve your problems, and enrich your life by focusing your thoughts and life on the Lord who is by your side today.