Luke 8:40-56

The Gospel of Luke this morning, chapter 8. I want to read beginning with verse 40 and read through verse 56. Now it came to pass that when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him, for they were all waiting for him. and behold there came a man named Jerus. He was a ruler of the synagogue, and he fell down at Jesus’ feet and besought him that he would come into his house. For he had one only daughter, about 12 years of age, and she lay a dine. But as he went, the people thronged him. And a woman having an issue of blood 12 years which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind him and touched the border of his garment, and immediately her issue of blood staunched. And Jesus said, who touched me? When all denied Peter and they that were with him said, master, the multitude thronged thee and pressed thee, and sayest thou who touched me? And Jesus said, somebody hath touched me. For I perceive that virtue were, we might say power has gone out from me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him and how she was healed immediately. And he said under her daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith. hath made thee whole, go in peace. While he yet spake, there came one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, thy daughter is dead, trouble not the master. And when Jesus heard it, he answered saying, fear not, believe only, and she shall be made whole. And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter and Jesus. James and John and the father and mother of the maiden. And all wept and bewailed her. But he said, weep not. She is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, took her by the hand, and called, saying, Made arise, and her spirit came again. she arose straightway, and he commanded to give her meat. And her parents were astonished. But he charged them that they should tell no man what was done. God blessed to us his sacred and His holy word this morning. A distinguished painter was conducting a class for aspiring artist. and he was speaking on the subject of artistic composition and he emphasized that it was wrong for example to pray to portray a woodland a forest or a wilderness without painting a path out of the wilderness or out of the trees so when a skillful artist draws any kind of picture or landscape he always gives the picture he said an out otherwise the tangled trees and the trackless spaces to press and dismay the onlooker. In scripture, the Bible gives details about the troubles of man. And friends, there is a whole force of troubles that man has. But the scriptures also provide an out in the person of the Savior. the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus has been in the country, recall the gatherings. Verse 37 tells us of this, and this is across the Sea of Galilee. He comes back across the sea and comes back across the sea and comes to Galilee once again. And he continues his ministry. And the scripture says in verse 40 that he was well received by the people in general. Now the last time Christ was going to Jarus’ house, you recall. It was going to heal his very sick daughter. But a woman with an issue of blood, long troubled by her condition, touched the hem of Christ’s garment and was healed. And of course, she was at first hidden among the the throng of people, but Jesus fared it her out. She had to give a public testimony of her faith in Christ and what Christ had had done for her. And Jesus gives her a word of encouragement. We looked at that last week in verse 48, that she is a daughter. He is, in a sense, the everlasting father to his people. She is a daughter to him. She is one of his children. children in the sense that he has taken control and oversight of her life and is going to provide for her spiritually. He’s the mediator for her. He also says, be of good comfort. She need not fear or worry. She’s snucked this healing. Jesus was glad to give her the healing. And now her life will look up. You know, if she looks to, him she was going to find blessing flowing from the Savior to her your faith has saved thee or made you whole and she has a woman of faith she has believed like just touch him this garment I will be healed and she is and Christ recognizes her faith here now at this point because this story was sort of wedged in between the with regard to Jarus. We’ve got to go back to Jarus and pick up what happens in that situation. I want to focus on verses 40 through 42 this morning and then Lord willing next time finish this section with regard to what happens. But I want to talk about seeking the Lord in the day of trouble. Now, you’re going to face trouble. in this life we find in Job 141 these words man is born of a who is born that is born of a few days and full of trouble and so you find all men are exposed to trouble in this life man is born on the trouble as the sparks fly upward we also find that in scripture as they are job five seven every descendant of Adam every man born of a woman as the scripture indicates to us is fallen in nature and because we are fallen into sin we are exposed to all the troubles all the misery and all the sorrow that we find in this life this all stems from sin it all goes back to Adam you only live a few days on earth generally about 70 according to the psalmas maybe 80 if you’re strong and then you die and we die because God’s curse the curse is that the day you eat thereof you shall die every man dies because we have all fallen and Adam some of us die as redeemed many deny denied die in their sins. But your days on earth are full of trouble. So sin and trouble go together. So numerous are the train of afflictions that we have in this life and the miseries that flow from them and that whole thing is all because of sin’s entrance into the world. We can’t easily escape the trouble. Just look at Christ’s ministry. Just Just take that slice of life if you would. Think about all the people, the diseases, the disorders, the poverty, the distress, the pain, the sorrow that’s clinging to people. Here in this text of scripture, if we back up, we didn’t even go to the passage before this, the gathering, the maniac. Then you have Jarus’ daughter. And then you have the woman with the issue of blood, and on and on and on it goes. His whole ministry’s for this situation. It’s an endless stream of people. This trouble doesn’t come by chance, but it’s a result of man’s sinful condition. And thus, man needs help to address his sinful state and all the problems that are. are associated with that sinful state. So you find all men are exposed to trouble. Now, your greatest trouble is what we will find in our text. It’s the threat of death. Jaris’s daughter here, we read in verse 42, she lay a dying. The fear of death overhangs every man, every woman, even every child upon the face of the earth. It’s like that sword of Damocles. And back in the ancient state of Syracuse, the Damocles was given a lesson in the perils of a ruler’s life. When the king, remember, seated him at a feast under a sword that was hanging by a single horse’s hair. And it was a very precarious situation. He says, that’s the way my life is. Now you know. Friends, we all have this sort of death hanging over us. And few griefs are so crushing and heavy to bear as the death of a child, especially an only child, as Jaris’ daughter was, as this text indicates to us. There’s no amount of money. There’s no skill. of a physician that can put this off. Death is a reality. It’s going to come. Now the subject of death is one that nobody wants to talk about, and yet everybody has to face it. It’s too frightening to contemplate. I can’t tell you how many times, you know, I’ve talked to people, and they asked me, you know, maybe I was going to the gym or something, they asked me, I had a suit on one time. I went to the gym, which is unusual. I usually have my other clothes on, but I was going to change at the gym. I got there and they, and they said, oh, you’re all dressed up today. I said, yeah, I was at a funeral. All of a sudden you could hear a pin drop. They didn’t want to say another word. They don’t want to talk about death. They don’t want to hear anything about death at all. That’s the way man is. But in order to prepare for death, one must look death square in the face. Death is going to come to your house and to your family whether you like it or not. not. The Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the only hope for those who are facing death. not only physical death, but eternal death, who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 2 Timothy 110. He that believeth on me hath everlasting life, John 647, whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die, John 11, 26. For those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, death, loses its sting. In fact, you’ll be able to say what the Apostle Paul to be, to die ultimately is gain. Philippians 121. You’re going to face trouble in this life. All men are exposed to trouble, and your greatest trouble is this threat of death. Now, secondly this morning, when in trouble, you should seek the Lord. You find people, you find people. You find some people appreciate Christ and some people do not appreciate Christ. Notice verse 37 when he was at the Gatterines here. The whole multitude of the country of the Gatorines around about beside him did apart from them, where they were taken with great fear and he went up into the ship and returned back again. Verse 40, notice the contrast. And it came to pass that when Jesus was returned, the people glad to receive him, for they were all waiting for him. Our Lord had gone to the country, the gatherings, they didn’t want him. In fact, they came out and said, please leave. And he does. He’s not going to stay long where he’s not wanted. He was there long enough, though, to cure the man that had the legion of demons. And the Lord, though, Sometimes it is God’s purpose to only save one of a city and two of a family. The gathering is the only one who gets saved at this point. While some will not receive Christ or others that anxious are anxious that he would come. And so we see that in verse 40 here. When Jesus arrives back in the area around Copernium here, the mold is the moment. The mold is welcome him. They’ve been waiting for him. Now the lesson, of course, we learned for this, if you’re rejected in one place, you’ll be received in another. Some will gladly receive your message, and they will come to Christ, and they will find salvation in him, and some will not. Think about this woman with the issue of blood. She’s thinking, alas, if he doesn’t come back, what hope do I have of ever be? healed. I have not a penny left to spend upon another physician. I need Christ to return soon. She’s waiting for you. And then there’s Jaris here, the ruler of the synagogue. Where is the great prophet? Do you think he’s going to come back soon? My daughter, my only daughter, is getting worse and worse. I don’t think she’s going to live much longer. I hope he comes back soon. They’re waiting. for the Savior. And so we see another lesson here. If you’re prepared to welcome Christ, he will soon come to you. Blessed is the person who comes to God’s house, eager to hear what Christ has to say to him or her. What a beautiful sight there is. When we read about the House of Cornelius in the Book of Acts, the Roman centurion, he fetched all his relatives, all his close friends, gathered them to his house so that when Peter arrived, he says this to the apostle. Now therefore, are we all here present before God to hear all the things commanded thee of God? Acts 1033. We’re waiting. We’re willing to hear what you have to say. They were all ready. They were all waiting. They were all eager to hear. the message from God. Would to God more church congregations have that spirit about them? When it comes to your worship, let it be said they’re all waiting for him. As we read here in this text. So you find some people appreciate Christ, some do not. You find the Lord here a sure help, though, in the day of trouble. We read that passage from Psalm 107. They cried under the Lord. Lord in their trouble and he delivered them out of all their distresses. It doesn’t matter what it was. Have you ever noticed in Scripture, do you ever find Christ refusing to help someone? Go through the Gospels. Does he ever say, no, I’m not going to help you? No. It’s an amazing fact, isn’t it? That all that come to him for help, he helps them. That should be an encouragement to us. Jerus’ daughter here, his own only dog. Just 12 years of age, lay a dying, the man is desperate. Jesus is his only hope. Will Jesus come? Will we come to my house? Will he touch her? Will he heal her? Yes, I’ll follow you. Let’s go. He readily agrees to do so. What a comfort this this text provides, this incident provides, in your day of trouble. You can go to the Lord because he’s a Lord that cares and will help us in our distresses. In your private, in your public prayers, or your family prayers, beseech the Lord to come to your aid. You can be confident then it it will. When a church member, or family member, is sick, restoration to health, is most likely to come through prayer to the Savior that he would heal. One of the reasons we have the prayer requests is if we’re going to pray for sick people, we have to pray to the Lord that he would heal them, that he would intervene. It’s the normal way God works. Don’t be hesitant to appeal to Christ. He’s always ready to help you in your time. time of need so that we can go boldly to the throne of grace, knowing he’ll hear us and help us. The prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up. James 5.15. The scripture says Christ’s ears are open under the cry of his people, and I like what it says in Psalm 5015, where Christ says this to us in this passage. call upon me in the day of trouble. Now that’s an encouragement. It’s not. Whatever that trouble may be, call upon me in the day of trouble. So when in trouble you should seek the Lord, you find some people appreciate Christ, some don’t, and you find the Lord sure to help those who call upon him in the day of trouble. Thirdly this morning, when in trouble, you should humbly seek the Lord. You’ll notice here in verse 41, he fell down at Jesus’ feet and besought him. Now when the Bible uses the word behold, it’s saying notice this, pay attention to this. This is something unusual. Contemplate this. A surprising event. Jaris is the Old Testament name Jair with a Greek ending on it. You remember Jair was one of the, you know, the cities of Jair over there across the Jordan River that we have in the Old Testament when Joshua and Moses were conquering the land. We find that man comes to light there. His name means one that’s enlightened. Now it wouldn’t be unusual, would it not? For a ruler of a synagogue to seek out Christ. That’s an unusual thing. A high Jewish official. Remember what the chief priest and the Pharisees said. Have any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed on him? No. But Jarus is one who is enlightened. Is he not? And he has faith in the Savior. And so he seeks out the Lord’s help while the rest of the rulers would not. So there’s a behold there. This is unusual. But this is the case. And notice how he seeks the Lord’s help. He fell down at Jesus’ feet. Great humility showing tremendous respect for the Savior. Matthew’s account specifically says this and worshiped him. Matthew 918. For a Jew to worship someone is a recognition of deity in this person. The deity of Christ seems to be recognized here. The Greek word for worship is repeatedly used in the scripture for the worship of God alone. For example, when Satan demanded that Jesus fall down and worship him there in the book of Matthew 4.9, that word worship is the very same word that we find here in our text. When Jesus rebuked him by quoting the Old Testament Scripture, thou shall shall worship the Lord God and him only shalt thou serve. The word worship there from Matthew 4.10 that word worship is the same word too. Worship him that liveth forever and ever. Revelation 410, same word. Let all the angels of God worship him. Hebrews 1.6. when the disciples were in the ship and they came and they worshipped Christ saying of a truth thou art the son of God after he still the waves and the sea and so forth it’s the same word. So the idea here of falling down at Jesus’ feet is more than than just the idea of showing him reverence or some type of respect let’s it that way. But it carries the weight of worship involved here in this text. When Peter went to the Gentile Cornelius’s house and he entered in, he had the curtail, the man’s worship. Do you remember? Peter was coming in to Cornelius, and Cornelius met him, and he fell down at his feet and worshipped him, Acts 1025, and Peter says, no, no, no, no, no. Stand up. I’m a mere man. Don’t worship me. Worship the Lord. For a Jew, especially a religious leader, to worship Christ, was certainly something unusual. It’s not something done to a mere man. It’s reserved for God alone. And Christ is God manifested in the flesh. And here’s another example of life. So that behold, once again, carries some weight, doesn’t it? Now the lesson here is this, the general lesson. If you desire the Lord’s help, you must give honor to Christ. Respectful worship is due unto Christ. Humbling yourself before him is necessary in order to receive his help. acknowledge him give him his rightful place and then lay your petition before his feet look through the scriptures consider all the titles that are given to the Savior he’s called the Lord of glory he’s called the God blessed forever he is called the only wise God and Savior he is he is called the mighty God he is called the mighty God he is called the mighty God he is called the the blessed and only potentate the king of kings and the Lord of Lords. These are the titles by which we should appeal to our Savior. Is this how you recognize Christ when you appeal to him? Do you approach him in prayer as the one who is described in these verses of scripture that I just mentioned to you? If we do not honor Christ properly, how can we expect to receive anything from him? He is the Lord of glory. Give him that honor. He’s the only wise God and Savior. Give him that honor. He is the mighty God. Give him that honor when you pray. Come humbly before the Lord with a worshiping heart. If you want your petitions heard and your troubles relieved, when in trouble you should humbly seek the Lord. Notice something fourthly in last. Lastly, when in trouble, you should seek the Lord in faith. Obviously, here, Jaris believed that Christ could heal his daughter, or else he wouldn’t have gone to him and asked him to come back to the house. Now, perhaps he doesn’t have the faith that we read earlier with a centurion and said, oh, you just say the word, and my servant will be healed. but he still believes that Christ can heal his daughter. Matthew’s gospel gives this statement, it makes this clear in Matthew 918. Come, lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. That’s his faith here. When it comes to seeking Christ, help the biblical principle is this. Ask in faith, nothing wavering. That’s the biblical principle. therefore I say unto you Jesus said what things ye desire when you pray believe that you shall receive them and you shall have them mark 1124 must believe in the power and the ability of Christ to perform what you’re requesting this means the greater knowledge you and I have of Christ the stronger our faith should be in what you’re requesting this means the greater knowledge you and I have of Christ the stronger our faith should be in what you can do for us. You’re not to doubt. You’re not to oscillate. Between faith and unbelief, you’re to pray with confidence, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed for let about that man think. He should receive anything of the Lord. As James 1,6, and 7 tell us. You remember one point in Christ’s ministry. Two blind men began to follow him and cry out to him saying, thou son of David, have mercy on us. And Jesus thought that he said to these men, believe ye that I’m able to do this. So on Matthew chapter 9. Do you believe I’m able to do this? Do you believe I’m able to take away your blindness to cure you of this disease? And both of the men responded, yea, Lord. Yes, we do. And what does Jesus say? They believed in his ability to heal them. And he says, we read here, he touched their eyes, and he says this, according to your faith, be it under you. And they both receive their sight. According to your faith, be it under you. So when you go to the Lord in your time of trouble, go in faith. According to your faith. It’ll be unto you. This is the way we have to seek the Lord’s help. Assured, of Christ’s power, to do the very thing that we’re requested. We have to have faith that he can do it. A distinguished painter taught his students to provide an out when drawing any type of landscape like a path out of a forest. The Bible details the troubles of man, and there’s a whole forest of them, and it provides an out in the Savior of the Lord Jesus Christ. You’re going to face trouble in this life. It’s the sparks fly upward. It’s as sure as the sparks fly upward, man is born under trouble. When in trouble, you should seek the Lord. And how should you seek the Lord? Humbly, reverently, and in faith. That’s how we should overcome the trouble that we have. Let’s close with a word of prayer this morning.