Providence

Class. Race. Wealth. Education.

There are so many different categories that we as humans have created to distinguish between each other. We all fall into them. But the great equalizer amongst us all is death, and COVID-19 has kept in the front of our minds the reality of sickness and inescapability of death. How could we possibly find peace when sickness, which is rampant, is leading to death, which is also rampant?

“Jairus was respected in society, and the bleeding woman was rejected in society. There is no righteousness so great that doesn’t need Jesus, and there is no suffering so great that doesn’t need Jesus.” – Dave Owen

In Luke 8, we see two people who fall into categories that are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Jairus is a respected, prosperous, Jewish man of great status amongst the people in his city. The ill woman is an outcast with no money, no family, and no options. Jesus, in His sovereignty, orchestrates the lives of these two people to seek Him out in their time of need to reveal to us an important truth: our hearts are in need of serious healing, and we can only find that healing in Jesus.

Jesus, like many other times, uses the miracle of physical healing to show our need for spiritual healing. Jairus, whose daughter was dying, could not find any peace through the religious system he so desperately served. The bleeding woman found no peace either in the numerous physicians who drained her economically, physically, and emotionally. But both found peace in the Savior. Whether from touching the trail of his garment in a busy crowd, or witnessing Him resurrecting his daughter from the dead, both experienced the miracle of physical healing through Jesus.

“The religious system Jairus found himself in could not provide peace while his daughter was dying. The unclean, ill woman cannot find peace in a multitude of physicians.” – Dave Owen

However, Jesus didn’t stop there. He used both moments to get their attention. Jairus was in a rush; He knew his daughter was dying. But, upon feeling power leaving Him, Jesus stopped and pointed out the woman in the crowd, the isolated outcast who was marked as unclean. And the first word from His mouth to her was, “Daughter.” Jesus knew her heart was full of faith, He knew her struggle, and He knew at that moment she had become His child. Her body was healed, and her heart was saved. All this time, Jairus is waiting and waiting until He gets word that it was too late, his daughter had died. And yet, Jesus still asks to see her. At His words, her spirit returns. He doesn’t resuscitate her but resurrects her. He was giving Jairus and others a foretaste of His resurrecting power, and pointing to how He will conquer death for all.

 

SERMON NOTES

  1. Look to Jesus who commands our attention. (Luke 8:40-43) 

    1. Isaiah 51:4,6 — Look to Jesus, His salvation is forever.

  2. Listen to Jesus who cleanses us from our sin. (Luke 8:44-48) 

    1. 2 Corinthians 5:21 — The doctrine of the substitution atonement of Christ.

    2. Mark 2:1-2 — The first words Jesus says to the paralytic are, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ He is showing the importance of spiritual healing, and that He can do the miracle that cannot be seen by doing the one that can be seen.

    3. Psalm 103:12 — Have you been cleansed of your sin?

  3. Lean on Jesus who conquers our greatest sickness, death. (Luke 8:49-56)

    1. 1 Corinthians 15:55 — Jesus conquers death in His death.

    2. Psalm 23:4 — In Christ, death is a blow, but it feels like a shadow hitting you rather than the object creating the shadow hitting you.

 

INTROSPECTIVE QUESTIONS 

  • Is God getting your attention in this global pandemic? 

  • Are you questioning God? 

  • Are you listening to God? 

  • Have you trusted Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins? 

  • How can you tell others about Jesus and how He conquers death? 

 

CLOSING THOUGHTS 

Especially during this virus, death can feel closer than ever. It can feel like we are just sitting in anticipation waiting for the virus to strike and take us out. This can create feelings of hopelessness and despair. In Christ, death certainly is a blow, but it feels like a shadow hitting you rather than the object creating the shadow hitting us. Death is not the end, it’s the threshold into the presence of Jesus. We have peace knowing that Christ’s death defeated death. It’s time to wake up, and tell others!

 

Watch the entire sermon below or on the Providence mobile app.

WATCH SERMON