When Miracles Happen
 
Mark 5:22-34
22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me”? 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
 
True living faith says, that God is in control. God has given each and everyone of us a measure of faith. (Rom 12:3) “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” And, God expects us to believe it
To overcome our fear and worries.
 
You see… “faith”, tells us that God is in control. And we need trust in Him fully. Every Christian home has at least three bibles at home. Every Christian…regardless of age has heard of every miracle that God has done. And yet…still, at times we tend to doubt Gods power. We question the Creator of heaven and earth.
 
People today are searching for many things. Things that would satisfy the need, even if its just temporary….
 
Some are looking for love. Some are looking for money. Some are looking for opportunity.
Some are looking for answers. Some are looking for fulfillment. And some are just looking for a miracle!! Whatever the reason, they are facing certain situations and their only answer is a miracle.
 
Webster’s defines a “miracle” as: an event that appears to be contrary to the laws of nature and is regarded as an act of God.
You may find yourself at a place where you cannot solve your problem on your own, you have tried everything and looked everywhere with no success. Through your struggle you have failed to look to the One who can do what no other can do. We serve a miracle working God and nothing is beyond His power. Just think for a moment about all of the miracles that Jesus has performed in the Gospel up to the time of this miracle from our text…
 
God has…
Turned water into wine. Healed the sick. Cast out demons. Healed Peter’s mother-in-law.
Cleansed a leper. Healed a paralyzed man. Raised the widow’s son. Calmed the raging storm.
And many more to mention.
 
As we come to our selected text, we find one miracle being interrupted by another miracle…
 
Mark 5:22-24
22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him.
 
We arrive in the midst of the story of Jairus and his sick daughter. She was young and at the point of death, in fact she did die. Jairus went to Jesus for a miracle and that is exactly what happened, Jesus raised the little girl from the dead. Here is another account of this same story according to Matthew…
 
Matthew 9:18
18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”
 
Same story, same characters. God made a miracle happen. As they are headed to Jairus’ daughter, Jesus is interrupted by the lady that we read about in verses 24-34. She is described as a “woman subject to bleeding” This was a lady who was searching for answers …she needed a miracle. Keep in mind, Jesus was on His way to Jairus’s daughter, then all of a sudden, a miracle happened for this young lady. A young lady who was in desperate need of a miracle.
Mark 5:24-29
24 So Jesus went with him.  A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
You see, when it comes to miracles, we don’t need answers or explanations on how or when it will happen. We just need to believe in the One that can make it happen. People get real skeptical when they hear that word, (Miracle) Even amongst Christians, they roll their eyes when you speak about God working a miracle. We fail to realize that miracles still happen today just as they did in the time of Jesus.
 
It is one thing for an unbeliever to be skeptical about a miracle, but if you are saved you have already experienced the greatest miracle of all time, your …SALVATION!!! Some people have to reach a devastating situation before they are willing to open their eyes and see that God is their only hope and to see that God can & will work a miracle in their life.
 
Now, look at this young woman’s situation. “And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.” (An issue of blood) - speaks of hemorrhaging, or bleeding, from some part of the body.
 
This woman endured a continual flow of blood. Due to her blood loss, she would have been weak and anemic. She would have been pale in appearance and would have had no energy at all. Do you know what it is like to have no energy at all? It is frustrating and discouraging. We can assume that as a result of her illness, she may have also experienced depression and discouragement.
 
Let’s look at the facts here…she endured her illness for 12 years. Not only did she face serious health problems, but she also found no relief. She had endured this disease for 12 years …over a decade of sickness. This woman would have been considered unclean according to the Law. This would have resulted in social isolation…away from everyone else….
 
Leviticus 15:25-26
25 ‘If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean. 26 Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and whatever she sits on shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity.
 
Could you imagine 12 years of isolation and separation? Because she was pronounced, “Unclean”. Sad right!!! Not only did she feel all alone, she could not get any help from anyone, not even from any doctors/healers…
 
Mark 5:26
She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.
 
She’s already suffering from her disease, and doctors/healers, can’t even help. For a long time this lady had been looking for answer but to no avail. The Doctors were no help at all, you can read into this verse that they did more harm than good for this woman. “instead of getting better she grew worse”. And…not only did she not get the help that she needed, she put all her money/all she had, hoping to be healed. (had spent all she had)
 
The doctors and their useless remedies had not helped her. But they apparently took her money anyways. After all of her searching and suffering now she had spent everything she had. Here she is, sick, separated and broke! Yes, I would say she is in a place of severe desperation!
 
As I mentioned, sometimes folks have to come to a place of “severe desperation” before they are willing to look to Jesus for a miracle. You may be here and spiritually you are in the same situation as this woman. You are looking for help, hope & happiness. You have searched everywhere with no success, you have tried everything, and still no answer. You have looked to other people and they couldn’t help you.
 
You have spent much money trying to buy things that will provide you with happiness …it didn’t work. You have dedicated yourself to you career and you are miserable, you have a void that cannot be filled. You thought a new relationship might solve your problem. You thought that more material goods & money would make life better. You turned to drugs & alcohol to numb the pain. You have tried it all AND NOTHING IS WORKING!!
 
YOU ARE MISERABLE AND YOU NEED HELP NOW!
 
If that sounds familiar in your situation, then you are at a place of “severe desperation” and that may be the best place for you to find the answer that you need! This woman was at that point in her life and she found the answer… but how? That is the next thing I would like for us to see…
 
Mark 5:27-28
27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”
 
Notice her statement… “when she heard about Jesus”. How did she hear about Jesus? There was no such thing as, News, social media, newspaper. She heard of Jesus because there were some excited people in the area talking about the Man (Jesus) who had done so many miracles. We have already reviewed the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. It is possible that she has had a first-hand encounter with one of the people who were healed. Maybe she had heard from someone who witnessed one of the previous miracles. Maybe she heard from someone who heard from someone who witnessed the miracles. Regardless, we know that somebody told her about the healing power of Jesus Christ!
Another clue from this story, is the fact that when Jesus came…a great crowd pressed against Him. No, common man will enter a city, and get such welcome. Now, I don’t know how big or small this young lady was, but she fought her way through that crowd, just to get to Jesus. As weak as she was, she needed to get to Jesus. “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”
 
Jesus was her only hope, and she knew it. She didn’t care about the crowd, she had one goal in mind…she was desperate. And in front of her, was the only ONE that can help her! Then, by her efforts of fighting through the crowd, we see a miracle, the whole crowd didn’t even see…
 
Mark 5:29
29 Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
 
This woman showed great faith in her determination to get to Jesus. In past miracles the people were healed by the words of Jesus Some were healed when Jesus reached out and touched them. This lady says, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Her determination is also seen in the fact that she fought her way through the crowd to get to Jesus.
 
What did Jesus do when this happened. Keep in mind that there is a crowd pressing on Jesus when this happened…
 
Mark 5:30-32
30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”31 “You see the people crowding against you,” His disciples answered, “and yet You can ask, ‘Who touched Me”? 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.
 
There was a great crowd gathered around Jesus. This weak, frail, sickly and desperate woman fought through the crowd with what little strength she had. She finally gets to where Jesus is and she reached out and touches “His clothes” We are told that “immediately” she was healed. The miracle that she had been looking for and longing for had happened. The thing that she had spent so much time, money & effort on was wiped away in an instant. This woman who was deemed unclean by the law is now clean/healed, because of Jesus! Let me ask you, ARE YOU AS DESPERATE AS THIS WOMAN? Later on, I will tell you how far you need to go to get to Jesus, and you don’t even have to fight a crowd to get His attention.
 
You see, here is something many had missed from this story. As big as this crowd was, and as many trying to get their hands on Jesus, only this desperate woman received a great miracle. What happened to the rest of the crowd? They were all pressing on Jesus. What miracle did they receive? Even Jesus’ disciples didn’t see the miracle that happened, look at what was said..
“Who touched my clothes?”31 “You see the people crowding against you,” His disciples answered, “and yet You can ask, ‘Who touched Me”? You see…if you are as desperate as this woman was, only you can/will receive the miracle that is meant for you only! The disciples said “Really, everyone is bumping up against you… LOOK AT THIS CROWD!” You see many bumped into Him, but this woman touched Him with purpose.
 
Moving on…
 
Mark 5:32-34
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at His feet and, trembling with fear, told Him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
 
As Jesus spoke, this woman “fell at His feet and, trembling with fear” She came behind and touched the hem of His garment because, she was afraid of rejection! She must have expected Jesus to rebuke her for touching Him. According to the Law her touch would have made Him ceremonially unclean until sundown. Jesus’ response was far from what she had expected. - v34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” She was not just another face in the crowd… This woman was special. There was a “Special Connection”
 
With all of the other people there, even “Jairus”, who was waiting on Jesus to heal his daughter, Jesus stops and takes time for this social outcast. Notice this one on one conversation between this lady & Jesus - "Daughter," "Your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering" What a beautiful verse… You can have a personal relationship with Jesus as well. A “special connection so to speak”. A miracle happened in her life because of Jesus. Jesus can…and will do the same for you, when you come to Him in FAITH and not in doubt!
 
Now if you’re wondering what happened to Jairus’ daughter, she also received a miracle her whole family never expected…
 
Mark 5:35-36
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
 
The whole household lost hope…
 
 
 
 
Mark 5:38-42
38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at Him. After He put them all out, He took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with Him and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.
 
Two very special miracle happened because of their faith in Christ. While many doubted, Jairus believed that only Jesus can heal his daughter. When the crowd pressed on Jesus, a desperate/ill young woman saw her only Healer and fought through the crowd.
 
Do you need a special touch from the Lord today? Are you in need of a miracle that only Jesus can provide? You have a choice, you can bump into Jesus like so many in the crowd that day or you can reach out and touch Him with purpose. Earlier I had mentioned that I will show you how far you need to go to get to Jesus, without having to fight a crowd!
 
18 inches! Maybe 15 for me. I’m short. 18 inches is how far your knees are from the floor. In times of desperation, we need to get down on our knees and pray. A lot of the greatest spiritual battles are won by Christians, who fall down on their knees in prayer. It shows great humility when approaching the Lord. Get down on your knees in faith…and not in doubt and see “When Miracles Happen”.

                                                 Pressing Towards The Goal 
 
Philippians 3:10-14
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
 
What is Paul saying here? Well, if we look back at verses 10 and 11 we see that Paul is telling us that the goal of his life is to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, to share in the fellowship of His suffering, and to become like Him so that he might attain to the resurrection from the dead.
 
You see, in life...we like to set goals right! We’re in a new year, and many like to make, “New Year resolutions”. Eating healthy, smarter decisions, change of lifestyle, financial goals, and so on. We al have done it at one point or another. Because that is what everyone else is doing every New year. It never changes. But what happens? Is the goal met? Every resolution that we make, did we finish it?
 
As you can see from our text, the Apostle Paul wanted none of that. He didn’t care about worldly things. His mind was set. “I want to be like Christ”, that was his goal for his new life.
“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead”. You see, setting goals, requires the person to persevere. He/she, pushes itself to get to the goal, whatever it is. “Pressing Towards The Goal”. Because that is what the heart desires.
“I have to do this, I have to finish”. “I have set a goal for my future, I can’t fail”.
 
Basically, Paul is saying he wants to be made Christ-like. He wants to know Christ personally and intimately so that through the power of Christ’s resurrection he might be made perfect in Jesus.
Now he tells us in verse 12 he hasn’t reached that goal yet. He’s not perfect but he presses on toward that end.
 
Philippians 3:12-13
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.
 
The price of salvation in its fullness has not yet been won, a point Paul makes against ideas of being perfect. This is the Apostle Paul here church. As good and as faithful as he was, he never claimed to be perfect, in his life in the flesh.
 
Believers do not yet fully experience all the benefits of redemption, for we all await our glorification, at which point the Lord will remove us from the presence of sin. Yet the saving process for every believer will be revealed in the day od Christ and the resurrection from the dead has already began. Therefore, Paul has said, believers presently experience the power of Christ. This salvation will surely be consummated for all who have put their faith in Christ alone.
 
To get there he says he forgets what is behind him, the past, and he strains forward to what lies ahead, the goal of winning the prize of the upward calling of Christ. In other words, eternal life, and resurrection from the dead, where he will finally be made perfect and be able to enjoy the kind of relationship God intended for us to have with Him.
 
I don’t know about you, but there are a lot of things in my past that I wished never happened. I have a lot of regrets. Why can’t we just erase our mistakes? Why can’t we just delete them from our minds like we do with our texts, emails? Sadly, that is the reality of life. Those mistakes, the pain, the sufferings that went with it, came with a lesson. But our past, should never determine our future.
 
You see…if we continue to live our lives, by re-living our past, then we will never make it to the finish line. We will never make it to our goal. It is like living in this life carrying a bunch of heavy luggage on your shoulder. The weight of it can wear the person down. Let them go, put them down, and never pick them up again. Its just too heavy and pointless to run a race with a heavy baggage.
 
2 Corinthians 5:17-18
7 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
 
This is what it means to have this new life. Let us live in this life, pressing towards the goal that God has set. Lets never pick up those, heavy baggage again, they have done their job as a lesson learned. And continue on what Christ has laid in advance. Again, our past should never determine our future.
 
Paul spelled out his focus and that was the prize set before him at the finish line of life. In order to gain the prize, we have to be moving toward it.
 
There are many Christians who are content to live in what used to be. They are content to dwell in safety and not take risks for the Lord. In their walk with God they feel it is much easier and safer to preserve what they have than to reach out for more that God has for them.
 
For example. Imagine with me that life is like the 110M hurdles. The runners start the race with their gaze straight ahead toward the finish line. When the gun goes off the runners takes off like a bullet, flying down the track. After a few steps, this thing pops into their consciousness, and they think, “Whoa, I’m going to have to hurdle over this obstacle to continue the race.” So, they jump over the hurdle and continue running. Then what? You got it, another hurdle, and another, and another.
 
Now the runners don’t stop after making it over the first hurdle and proclaim, “I’ve made it!” Of course not. The runners keep going, jumping over all the obstacles till they finish the race. The goal is not to clear the first hurdle, or the 2nd or the 3rd. The goal is to finish, and hopefully win, the race. That must be our goal, as well.
 
Paul indicates that there is one major threat to us achieving our goals of the future, and that is our past. Paul says, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind, I press on toward the goal to win the prize.” Our pasts, good or bad, can cause us to miss out in the future. But we don’t want that to happen. So, like Paul, we have to forget our pasts and keep our focus ever on the future.
 
Many people in churches today are simply preserving spiritually. They are holding on to the past and by doing so are forfeiting their future. They are forfeiting the possibilities of what could be because they can’t let go of what has been.
 
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. His Word is unchangeable. But we are changeable, and we should not be the same today as yesterday, and especially not in the future. I don’t want to just preserve my relationship with God. I want to progress in it daily, because if I’m not progressing, Then… I’m not growing.
 
We won’t make it to the prize if we are preserving. We have to be moving forward! We should be continually striving to be, and to become, all that God wants us to be. In our walk with God, if we are going to progress, it’s all about action. Notice the action words Paul used to describe his pursuit of his goal. “but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead”.
 
Paul had a passion about knowing Christ and it was not a passive thing, it was very active. In order for us to progress in our walk with God we have to be doing the same thing. We have to be active spiritually.
 
 
If you are satisfied and have no desire to go on further with Christ, to be more holy, to pray more, to study your Bible more, and to do more for Christ, my only conclusion is that you must already be like Him (Perfect) or you just have no appetite for Him.
 
You know what it means when you have no appetite? It means you’re sick. Paul is insinuating that if you don’t have this type of appetite for Christ that he has described, then you’re spiritually ill and you don’t even know it. If that’s the case, then you need to consult the Great Physician for a critical heart surgery.
 
But you know it’s not only good experiences in our past that can rob us of reaching our full potential in the future, here is where things may get painful to hear, but hear it we must. Or else, moving forward will be impossible. it can, Often, sin and past failures that hold us back. Maybe you find yourself stuck in a spiritual sense today, You… feel unable to move forward spiritually because you are still living in sin.
 
No one has ever reached Christian maturity until they were able to deal effectively with their sin. We all have things in our past that Satan would like to continually remind us of in order to hold us back from progressing spiritually. 
 
This forgetfulness can only occur through confession of your sin, correction of your life, and restitution. You’ve got to come to God and tell Him that you’ve sinned, you’ve got to correct the problem in your life and repent of it. Then you have to make things right. Restitution is making right whatever you can that you’ve done wrong in your past.
 
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
 
And again, another great reminder from the Psalms…
 
Psalms 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
 
That’s how God deals with the sins we confess to Him. He discards them where they can never be retrieved, and He remembers them no more. So…why should we! We have to take God at His Word and believe He does what He says He will do. Otherwise we are calling Him a liar and showing our lack of faith in Him.
 
Usually it is harder for us to forgive ourselves than it is for God to forgive us. If you confess your sins to God, they are under the blood of Christ and they have to be forgotten. God dealt with them on the cross of Christ, they are history… so we have to let them go.
If we don’t forget it, it will remain a bitter memory that will destroy what God wants to do in and through us in the future. So, let’s not be historical about our forgiven sins. Let us not… keep a record of our faults and failures, let them go and forget about the past, it’s a lesson learned, so… that we can progress toward the prize that awaits us at the finish line of life’s race.
 
As we press on, we will have goals to complete and hurdles to overcome. We can’t stop after clearing our first hurdle or become satisfied after accomplishing a goal and we can’t quit running just because we may have tripped along the way. We have to keep, “Pressing Towards The Future”, lest we get left behind.
 
In Conclusion:
 
Philippians 3:14
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
 
We need to remember that the race is not over. God is not through with us yet. We aren’t perfect, we’re just forgiven. We will have many more goals set before us and we must keep pressing on toward the goal of the heavenly calling of God. What is the goal? To be like Jesus. And the only way that can happen, is if we continue to run the race.
 
How could we ever even hope to reach that goal? Think, of the 110M hurdles. Therein lies the secret to moving from where you are to the character of Jesus. The runners know that they can’t get over all those hurdles in one leap. No! They must take one hurdle at a time, as they get to them, moving ever closer to the finish line. God puts all of these goals (or hurdles) in front of us to lead us in the same direction – toward becoming more Christ-like.
 
Let me end with this illustration that I learned from watching, “Francis Chan”.
 
 

                                          Is Church Membership Important?
 
Acts 2:42-47
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
 
What does it mean to be a “church member”? Is it biblical? Is it important for a believer to be part of a church? How do I become one? What type of church should I go to? Since our meeting last Sunday and one of the discussions in that meeting was the renewal of church membership.
And why it had to be done.
 
Many today look for a church that will suit their needs. “I like this church, it’s big, I can just blend in”. “I don’t like that church the pastor’s message is boring”. “I like this church because it encourages me to be successful in my busyness”. I don’t like that church…they talk about sin to much”. Here’s the truth, YOU will find the church that you want. YOU have that freedom to do so! YOU have all the freedom to attend every church in the world. YOU can attend as many church services as you want on any given Sunday. YOU are FREE to do whatever your heart desires, because that is what YOU want.  But…what does God want. Where does He want YOU to be?
 
Tonight…it will not be so much as a sermon, but more like a Bible Study. Seeking the Lords will, His truth. Like I had mentioned in one of our Bible Studies…we do live in the “last days”, where many can be deceived. As we have just read from our opening verse, it is very clear that they were a group of believer…believing the same thing, had one thing in common. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  All the believers were together and had everything in common. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
 
These are the assembly of those who have been “called out”, “called out of darkness into light”.
Called out by God to a new life in Christ. These are the family of God, The body of Christ. One that is formed by God.
 
Many today question the relevance of the church. Not just the people outside but also many from inside. The church is seen as an institution that puts tradition before truth. Amazingly enough, many professing Christians see themselves as part of the universal church of Christ, (I belong to Christ, I really don’t need to be a member) Then what body do you belong to? Many do not want to participate in a local body, where God’s gift can be used. Others openly discredit the idea of formal membership in a congregation. Many just want to come and go, do as they please. But neglecting Gods will for their life.
 
But while many have given up on the church, Jesus has not. The church is still the center of God’s work in this world, and if you are going to have a right relationship with God, you will have to have a relationship with His church…belong His formed body.
 
Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:25, that “Jesus loved the church and gave Himself for her”. The church is the bride of Christ. Now, as an example…you cannot have a good personal relationship with me and bad mouth my wife, so how can you expect to be right with Christ and disrespect His bride?
 
So…this brings us to the real question today. Is Church Membership Important? Let’s, let the Lord speak through His words and see if our eyes, our hearts will be open to receive His truths.
When an individual is saved, he becomes a member of the body of Christ….
 
1 Corinthians 12:13
For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
 
When a sinner gets saved, he/she is now part of Christ. Belongs to His body. Now committed to follow His will. And the only way that he/she can be identified as believer, is when he/she is formed in with the body of believers. “All the believers were together and had everything in common”. And Luke, indicates that there was some record of who was part of this group by what he says in Acts 2:41, “3,000 were added to their number.” The biblical basis for local church membership is seen in . . .
 
Acts 2:41
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
 
“Added”, Where? To form a body of believers. God added to their number, those who were being saved. Let’s take a look at 1 Corinthians 1, and get a basic understanding of who is being addressed here…
 
 
1 Corinthians 1:1-2
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
 
So…it is clear that we have here a city, Corinth and a local church within that city. “To the church of God”. These are those that had been sanctified by Christ, separated from the world, from sin, declared as “saints” by the Lord. “are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints”
“Called by Christ to be saints”. Not by a priest, but by the Lord Jesus Christ. You will also see in these two verses an assembly of believers joined/formed in a church.
 
Here is another fact through scripture, that if and when a believer moves to another city or town, a letter from the church will be sent to confirm that he or she is a faithful believer.
 
Acts 18:27
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.
 
Who was the brothers and sisters writing to? To the church of course. This letter is confirming that Apollos was in good standing with the church, and they should welcome him.
 
Here’s another one…
 
Colossians 4:10
10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)
 
You see, the reasons for these letters were to protect the church. They were letting the other churches know that they are sending them a saint/believer chosen by God. And they did not need to worry. The instructions were, that were to be welcomed. From these two verses alone, it’s a little scary to be doing an altar call simply because the cannot really tell where this person came from. That is why it is best to speak to the person privately and get the background of their faith. The Pastors and church leaders need to protect the church. That is what these letters were for. To protect the church.
 
So…if you are a “believer”, jumping from one church to the next, you may become a threat to that church. How can a local church accept you, if you are a total stranger to their body of believers? So, you see, church membership is very important. It’s a command. It’s a body formed by God. So, if you have someone going in and out, that’s a little scary right!
As I had mentioned earlier, the pastor and leaders are responsible for the well being of Gods church. Here are some example…
 
Acts 20:28
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
 
Another physical body of believers here. “flock & church”. Here’s another one…
 
Hebrews 13:17
17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
 
Who are the leaders keeping watch? Gods flock of course. And look at what it says… “because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account”. The church pastor/leaders will give an account for Gods flock. If you would look at those Mega Churches, I wonder how their leaders keep track of each and every member? As I had mentioned in one of our meetings, I cannot worry about those that chose to leave. God knows that I had gone after them more than ones. But they still choose to leave. I have to care for those that are still here. simply because you are the ones that, I and our deacons will give an account for one day.
 
One more…
 
1 Peter 5:2
2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve.
 
“God’s flock, under your care, watching over them”. From these verses that we have just read, there is physical body/a church. Gods flock, under the leaders care and the command is to “watch over them”. So… “Is Church Membership Important?” I think so!!!
 
Within the church, biblical teaching, application and discipline needs to be enforced. That’s why you are all encouraged to read your Bibles, we have bible study every other Saturday where you can continue to grow and be equipped. And I am sure we all know full well, how we approach church discipline.  A command that we cannot ignore if the situation arise.
 
 
 
 
Matthew 18:15-18
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
 
So again…not to sound like a broken record. This is a physical body. This is a church. Discipline needs to be enforced when needed. And as a church our fellowship is about building each other up. We should be growing together, loving one another. Not tearing each other down. Don’t spread rumors about your brother or sister, we are one body. We all belong to Christ. No one here is better than the other. We all kneel to Christ. We are all bought by His blood.
 
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
 
Church…we are all that we have here in this world. We have been separated from the world, being prepared for heaven. No, ONE…believer can make it in this world alone. Where is your fellowship, who will you break bread with in remembrance of our Lord? Who will give “love and good deeds” to? Who will you encourage in the Lord? You see…belonging to a church is very important. It is what God wants and planned from the very beginning.
 
IN CONCLUSION:
 
Going back to our opening verse. Paul mentions…
 
Acts 2:42-47
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
                                                 (Don’t add to power-point)   
 
 
Notice how he describes their activity: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (DISCIPLESHIP) and to the fellowship (FELLOWSHIP), to the breaking of bread and to prayer. They were all TOGETHER, had everything in common. They meet together all the time. This was their life and it should be our as well.
 
The purpose filled Christian life can only be lived through committing to be part of a local church and working to make it work for His purpose. “Christ loved His church and gave His life for her”. That is how important the church is to our Lord. He gave His life for her. Jesus gave His life for you and me. So, let me ask you again, IS CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IMPORTANT?
 
YES IT IS!!!
 
Let us pray:
                             
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                                                  
Revelation 3:14-22
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
 
We are now in the last of the seven churches “Revelation”. The church of Laodecia. Laodicea was the wealthiest of the seven Churches. It was known for its banking industry, manufacture of black wool, and a medical school. As we have read, Christ…again like the church of Sardis, did not find anything to commend this church. NOTHING!!!
 
Revelation 3:14
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God”.
 
Christ was giving witness to the Church that He did have the authority to judge their works. Jesus spoke this world into existence and rules His creation. Being a faithful and true witness from the very beginning of His creation until now, gives Him the authority to rebuke and discipline the people that He loves.
 
He says of Himself that He is 1) the Amen, 2) the Faithful and True witness and 3) the ruler of God’s creation. In every letter so far, the introduction used is a key to the interpretation of the rest of the letter, so remember these things carefully. So…basically, God has placed judgement on this church, faithfully, by His witness of their being and works. And it is final.
 
Let us now see the downfall, the condemnation of this church…
 
Revelation 3:15-17
15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
 
Christ saw a church that had become like so many churches today. He saw a church that was not productive. Sure, they attended services each week, but they did not grow. They were content to just sit back and watch the world turn as they enjoyed their luxuries/wealth.
 
It is clear from this passage that the wealth of the city greatly affected the church. It seems strange to most people that riches and sorrow go together. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. Most of the time, riches produce rotten living. There are a few rich people who serve God, and there are a few rich churches that are spiritual, but the general rule is that riches brings sorrow. Jesus said, “It is hard for the rich man to enter the kingdom of God!”(Matt 9:23) That does not mean that God cannot or will not save a rich man? He can, and He will. But the sad fact is that riches and spirituality do not seem to walk together. You will either serve God or serve your money/wealth.
 
These Christians thought by being wealthy, that they needed nothing, not even God. And to think that they called themselves a church who believed in God. The Laodiceans are neither cold nor hot, but have about them a kind of nauseating quality, which will make the Risen Christ vomit them out of His mouth.
 
Notice the use of the terms “cold” and “hot”—not “dead” and “alive.” The LAODICEANS were in the most dangerous state possible. They were not referred to as being spiritually dead, nor as being spiritually alive. They were still lost, of course, for had they been born again they would not have been spewed out of the mouth of Him who is the head of the Church. Had the church been totally cold, there would have been a possibility of reviving the coldness, and the church might have become warm again. Had it been hot, the Lord would have blessed.
 
The church at Laodicea was a group of undecided… neutral members who would not take a stand one way or the other toward Christ or the truth, and this is the most hateful, disgusting spirit possible to display against God, God’s Word, and God’s Church. Such a condition must be dealt with immediately. The last condition of the church is the worst by far. They never really wanted God, their god was their wealth. It is either, your for God, belongs to God or your still of the world. God does not like a half-hearted relationship with Him. You cannot hold on to God in one hand and satan on the other.
 
 
 
Revelation 3:18-19
18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent.
 
Laodecia prided itself on its financial wealth. It was rich and had acquired wealth and had need of nothing—so it thought. The Risen Christ advices Laodicea to buy their gold from Him; then they would have real spiritual treasures. They had fool’s gold in their bank accounts, gold from this world with no spiritual or eternal value. Only with Christ’s gold would they be rich. It may be that GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE stands for faith since Peter compares it to faith in…
 
1 Peter 1:7
7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
 
This is the kind of gold that God gives and wants. True gold that is tested and true. Wealth can do much but there are things that it can never do. It cannot buy happiness nor give a man health either of body or of mind, it cannot bring comfort in sorrow nor fellowship in loneliness. If all that a man has to meet life with is wealth, he is Poor indeed. But if a man has a faith tried and refined, there is nothing which he/she cannot face, and he/she is rich indeed. (rich in Christ)
 
“and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed”. A statement made by Lord to which only He can provide a “white garment”, that is fitting to wear, and acceptable to Him. Being made clean, washed by His blood alone is acceptable. As rich as this church was, they cannot by their salvation. They did not believe, nor received the truth that only Christ can clothed them for salvation.
 
“anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see”. It means for them to see things spiritually. Things from God, the truth of God and His words. “Let Me (Jesus) anoint your eyes, so that you can see.  But…sadly, they remained blind from the truth.  Gods truth…to them, was just made up of what they wat the truth to be. NOT GODS TRUTH!!! Simply because, they were still blind!
Unless our eyes are opened by the Lord, we cannot discern spiritual matters.
 
1 Corinthians 2:14
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
 
They were spiritually dead still. They were a church, but dead still. No new creation in their walk.
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent”. Here is a verse which echoes a truth found elsewhere in the New Testament. God disciplines those He loves. His rebuke and discipline came because of His love for the church. Christ will “spit out” those who disobey (v. 16), but He will discipline those He loves. God’s purpose in discipline is not to punish but to bring people back to Him. God may discipline you and I, to help us out of our uncaring attitude, and He uses only loving discipline. We can avoid God’s discipline by drawing near to Him again through confession, service, worship, and studying His Word. Just as the spirit of love can be rekindled in marriage…so that through discipline, the Holy Spirit can reignite our zeal for God.
 
The word “ZEALOUS” means “to be hot.” This is His last message to the church. He says, “BE ZEALOUS.” Be hot. Get on fire for God. He is ordering this church to forsake its lukewarm state, and he says, “REPENT.” This church needs repentance more than all the others. And the message of repentance is for the church today.
 
Moving on…
 
Revelation 3:20-21
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
 
This verse is well-known and is often used in conjunction with a picture of Jesus standing at a door, knocking, and asking to be let in. There is no picture of intimacy more striking than that of setting at a common table and breaking bread together. This is the picture of the relationship of the Christian to God as the Christian comes to Him in Jesus Christ. There is nearness, there is sympathy, there is understanding; there is fellowship.
 
Remember the story of this church. Their a Christian church, WITHOUT CHRIST! Christ is saying to this church, that He is the One missing in this church…in their lives. Christ is knocking at their door as a way of revelation…reveling to them His truths. But sadly, to this church, their wealth is their god. Not…JESUS CHRIST. And they ignored His voice.
 
Christ enters the sinner’s heart and makes him/her new.  “I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me”. That is a perfect picture of a true relationship with Him. “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne”. These are the ones who had refined gold, “tested in the fire”. One who is clothed in “white garments”, One who has received Christ as Lord and Savior. Saved for all eternity!
 
 
This is the ultimate reward for the believer. Eternal life with our God. Sins forgiven, no more tears, no more pain, no more temptation. The beginning of the true life. Like I had mentioned last week, we are only here temporarily. This is not our home, so don’t hold on to it. Our homes… enjoy it for now, for it is Gods provision from His promise. But, a mansion awaits the ones who overcomes. The Laodecian church held on to what’s in front of them, what they had, but they did not see the picture of eternity. Let us learn from their mistake. Their mistake caused them their lives for all eternity.
 
Lastly:
 
Revelation 3:22
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
 
Seven churches, 5 condemned, two commended. And each and every church…ours included, receives this warning. How shall we respond, as a church and as an individual. Should we listen to Gods warning? YES… WE SHOULD!!!