Well, Christchurch, if you have a copy of God's Word, please turn with me to Mark chapter 10. This evening we will continue in our series. on the gospel of Mark as we conclude chapter 10 as Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem to give his life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Mark chapter 10 and beginning in verse 46. Would you please stand with me? And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stopped and said, call him. And they called the blind man saying to him, take heart, get up, he is calling you. And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, what do you want me to do for you? And the blind man said to him, rabbi, let me recover my sight. And Jesus said to him, go your way. Your faith has made you well. And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. Amen. Would you pray with me? Oh Lord, our God, as we come to your word once again this Lord's day, we ask that you would speak to us and that we would, by the illumination of your Holy Spirit, hear your word, that your word would be a fresh spring in our hearts, that you would be pleased to work in us that which is pleasing in your side, and that you would draw all men, women, and boys and girls unto yourself so that we all, like this blind beggar, would spring up and come to Jesus. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. George Whitefield is a name that will be familiar to many of you. He was a great Calvinistic preacher of the 18th century during the First Great Awakening, which mainly took place in the British Isles and in colonial America. Whitefield lived from 1714 to 1770 and was a contemporary of notables like John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards. He is considered by many to be one of the most influential men in modern history. If you've ever read a biography on Whitefield, you already know that his life was a constant blaze of passion for God, one of tireless proclamation of Christ and Him crucified. And it was while studying in Oxford that Whitefield met his Savior and gained a deep assurance of his life-transforming love. We have his journal entry from that glorious day in 1735 when he writes the following, quote, to seal me even to the day of everlasting redemption. Oh, with what joy, joy unspeakable, even joy that was full of and big with glory, was my soul filled, when the weight of sin went off, and an abiding sense of the pardoning love of God and a full assurance of faith broke in upon my disconsolate soul. Surely it was the day of mine espousals, a day to be had in everlasting remembrance. My joys were like a spring tide and overflowed. the banks. On that day, God called George Whitefield from death to life. He was spiritually blind, but Christ healed him and gave him sight, and he lived out the remainder of his days in service to his Savior. As we've been learning over the past several months, whether it's in the first century or the middle ages, the 18th century or the 21st century, this is precisely what Christ does in the lives of those whom he was sent by his father to save. He takes people who are spiritually blind and by grace through faith, he gives them eyes to see the truth and hearts to embrace the truth. In fact, what we have before us this evening in Mark 10 is a passage which profoundly underscores this reality. So let's turn our attention to this wonderful portrait of God's grace. Look with me at verse 46. Here, Mark informs us that Jesus and the 12 came to Jericho. The reason they had come to Jericho was because it was on the way to Jerusalem. In fact, located about 15 miles northeast of Jerusalem, Jericho was the last major city before their destination, the place where Christ would fulfill his messianic mission. Notice too that a great crowd was with Jesus. It's important to understand this, that this great crowd was also headed to Jerusalem for the annual Passover feast. It's really something, isn't it? How we're hearing a lot about Jericho and Passover today in both of our texts. from Joshua and from Mark. The Passover, as we considered last Lord's Day from the book of Joshua, chapter 5, refers to the night when the angel of death passed over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt when God was sending these plagues, and those who had smeared the blood of the lamb across their doorframes the angel of death passed over their homes and did not bring judgment upon them. Those who did not have the lamb's blood smeared on their doorpost, namely the Egyptians, woke up that morning to find their firstborn slain by the angel of death. This annual feast was meant to commemorate God's faithfulness to his people and spur them on to great devotion and commitment. You can read about the Passover, of course, in Exodus chapter 11, Exodus chapter 12, and you can read about the instructions of keeping the Passover in Leviticus chapter 23, 4 through 8. It's also interesting to note that typically, As the crowds of Jews were journeying towards Jerusalem, they would sing psalms together. We were just considering earlier in the service about the importance and centrality of psalm singing in the life of the church. Well, as pilgrims were making their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the three major feasts of the Hebrews, one being Passover, they would sing Psalms and they would particularly focus on the Psalms of Ascent because they were making their way up to Jerusalem. The Psalms of Ascent would be the Psalms 120 through Psalm 134. Most scholars are convinced that these are the very Psalms that the Jewish pilgrims sang on their way to Passover. Because Jerusalem is 3,300 feet above Jericho, it was typical for people to say that they were going up to Jerusalem. And that is exactly what Jesus said to his disciples in Mark 10, 33. That is, that we are going up to Jerusalem. Do you remember the psalm that we have sung in previous services in Psalm 121? There we can picture the people singing to God, going through the valleys, making their way up to the hills. I to the hills will lift up my eyes, from whence shall come my aid. My safety cometh from the Lord, whom heaven and earth hath made. Together, these pilgrims, probably from the region of Galilee, were making their way up to the Passover feast to celebrate God's faithfulness. Little did most of them realize, the disciples included, that the blood of those Passover lambs that had been spilled for centuries, and that would be once again spilled at the Passover in Jerusalem as they made their way there, foreshadowed the impending death of Christ, the true Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. So the scene is set. Christ and his 12, along with thousands of others, are making their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast, singing psalms of ascent and rejoicing in the covenant promises of God. Then all of a sudden, there's an interruption. All of a sudden, there is an interruption. Just outside the city gates of Jericho, sitting by the roadside, was a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. You see, although blind, he can hear the bustling crowds passing on their way to Jerusalem. We've heard it said that when someone loses one sense, that the other sentences are heightened. You can imagine, though he cannot see, his hearing is excellent. And he hears that there are bustling crowds coming by. And as they pass, he hears that Jesus of Nazareth is in the crowd, the one whom he had heard so much about. The one who had cast out demons, healed diseases, raised a little girl from the dead, fed thousands with only a few loaves and a few fish, demonstrated power over nature by calming the storm and walking on water. And the one who taught with unparalleled authority. Imagine yourself in his shoes. blind, sitting by the roadside as a beggar, and hearing that this one is coming near. Jesus' reputation had preceded him. well beyond Galilee, and Bartimaeus knew exactly who he was. Fully aware of his own need, both physically and spiritually, verse 47 states that this blind beggar began to cry out, saying, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me! Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me! As often happens when a dignitary or a VIP walks by, people do begin shouting all kinds of things. I remember being in Edinburgh back in the early 2000s, Tony Blair was the prime minister at the time. And as I was walking into this hotel to have a Bible study with a couple of guys, there were all these people around, cameramen, reporters. I said, what's going on? I said, Tony Blair is about to walk down the stairs. Ooh, So I stood there and watched him come down the stairs and kind of followed him outside. And, and you can bet that there were people yelling all kinds of things at him. The Iraq war was going on. He was supporting Bush. All of this was happening. And so you can imagine the kinds of things being yelled. This is what happens when VIPs are in public and they are walking alongside the way people are yelling and shouting. You can imagine members of Christ's entourage telling him to be quiet, be quiet. You're being a nuisance. Don't bother the teacher. He's busy. We are going up to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. No offense, but he doesn't have any time for you. You can imagine these things being said. When they did this, however, verse 48 states that Bartimaeus cried out all the more. You can imagine maybe even why these people are telling them this. He's saying, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. And then to everyone's surprise, Jesus stopped. He stopped. Aren't you glad he stopped for you? He stopped. Surely he wasn't going to stop and speak to this blind beggar. Christ turned and said, call him. Suddenly members of the crowd seemed to have had a change of heart and they began encouraging him. They appear to be excited for him. Take heart. They said, take heart, get up. He is calling you. He is calling you. It's a wonderful word, isn't it? About the gospel going forth, the word of Christ going forth. And this same word goes out this evening. Take heart, get up. Christ is calling you to believe the gospel, to believe the good news. And so let us not miss the drama of what happens next. With euphoric joy, verse 50 states that Bartimaeus threw off his cloak, sprang up and came to Jesus. How joyful he must have been. I wonder if he was like running into people, you know, because he couldn't see. So excited, so exuberant, throws off his cloak and surely someone guided him. Then Jesus looked at Bartimaeus and said to him, what do you want me to do for you? And he said, Rabbi, let me recover my sight. Now, before we see what happens next, let's pause for a moment and consider a few things about Bartimaeus in this story. First of all, let us not miss that he calls Jesus The Son of David. The Son of David. This is the first and only time anyone refers to Jesus as the Son of David in the Gospel of Mark. There are two significant issues at work here. A. Bartimaeus calls Christ by a title which is reserved for the Messiah. We see this in Isaiah chapter 11, Jeremiah chapter 23, Ezekiel chapter 34. Though the masses thought him to be a great teacher or prophet or even Elijah, Bartimaeus believed that he was the promised Messiah. And this is what compelled him to cry out to him as he did. He believed that Jesus was more than a prophet or some resurrected prophet, but that he was the Messiah promised by God. Secondly, notice that Jesus did not try to keep his identity a secret as he had done many times before. Why is this? Well, at this stage, as Jesus approaches his final days and his passion, Jesus is gradually disclosing his true identity, not just to his disciples, but to the world. Besides calling Jesus the son of David, notice with me, that Bartimaeus recognized his need. Bartimaeus recognized his need. He was blind and he wanted to see, but his physical blindness was not his greatest problem. And he knew that. He knew that. We will see later that he came to Christ for both physical and spiritual healing. Thirdly, he believed Christ was the only remedy for his need. The main reason Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus as he did was because he believed that Jesus was the Son of God and Savior of sinners, the one who possessed authority over life and death. So when this blind beggar came up to Jesus and said, Rabbi, let me recover my sight, we must remember that he comes to Christ as one who believes that Christ is indeed the Son of David, the Messiah of God. And so here in verse 52, we see a portrait of grace, don't we? After this faith-filled request by the blind beggar in Jericho, Jesus says the greatest words this man has ever heard. Go your way. Your faith has made you well. It then says that immediately he recovered his sight. Immediately he recovered his sight. Upon Christ's words, This man recovered his sight. He could see. After all these years of blindness, he could see the blue sky and the brilliant colors of the robes being worn by the travelers. He could see the children playing and the vendors selling their goods. The same account told by Luke informs us that after the healing, Bartimaeus glorified God and so did the people who saw what happened. What a dramatic scene, to be sure. But it's more than an inspiring scene, beloved. What are we to take away from this passage? What does God want us to learn? And how does he want us to live in the light of this text? Well, I'm glad you asked this evening. These are questions we should really always be asking when we read our Bibles. What is this saying to me about my life? And what is this saying about God? What is this saying about salvation? Well, number one, this narrative is meant to persuade and convince the reader, not only the first century reader in Rome that would have read this, its first audience, but also the 21st century reader here this evening. The story is meant to persuade and convince the reader that Jesus Christ is in fact the son of David, the Messiah. And we, like Bartimaeus, are blind beggars who are totally dependent upon him for salvation. Notice that Bartimaeus did not come to Jesus in his own strength, but in his weakness. This is an important point. So many come to religious services or they think of themselves as having to appear strong before God and others. But the reality is Bartimaeus comes in his weakness. He knows he is blind. He knows his needs. And so he cries out to the Savior. He didn't come trying to impress Jesus or others. as did the rich young ruler, but rather he came as a weak, blind sinner, a beggar in need of grace. Have you ever come to Jesus like that? I hope so. That's the only way to come to Jesus, recognizing that we are weak, blind sinners who need his grace. If you don't see yourself like this, this evening, if you don't understand yourself as a weak sinner who needs God's grace and salvation, then you are not a Christian. Christians are those who recognize their weakness, who recognize their need, and who come to Jesus. You say, well, pastor, I'm already a Christian. Even as Christians, we come to God, we come to Christ daily with our weakness, with our confessions, with the reality of the remaining indwelling sin and our need for Christ, our need for grace, as much today as we ever needed Him. We, need to recognize our great need. And really, our words should be, Lord Jesus, have mercy on me. Have mercy on me, son of David. This really is what comes out in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. You remember the Pharisee with his long flowing fancy pharisaical robes standing near the temple, praying to himself is what the text says. He's praying and thanking God that he is so wonderful and that he tithes off of everything that he receives. And I thank you God that I'm not like this scumbag tax collector over here. Meanwhile, the tax collector, who is so humble, so broken, so aware of his weakness that he will not even raise his eyes up to heaven, and he beats his chest and says, Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. Jesus asked the question, who went away justified? Of course, we know the answer. Not the one who was trusting in his own righteousness, but the one who was trusting in the righteousness of Christ. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. And isn't it true that even after a life of faithfulness to God, a life of really, really good attendance to church, a life where you've spent time sharing the gospel with others, you've tithed, you've done mission, you've really served the Lord after decades and decades of life. Really, the only thing that we ought to say in the end is, Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. And that is how we must understand ourselves in relation to God and to one another, so that we don't live our lives comparing ourselves to one another, but rather serving and loving and encouraging one another. So that's the first point of application. Let us throw ourselves upon Christ and depend upon Him alone for salvation. If you have never given yourself, if you've never bowed the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ and said, Lord, forgive me for my sins, save me and lead me and guide me for the rest of my life. I give my life to you. I want you, I want to serve you, I want to follow you, then tonight is the night to do that. Tonight is the night to give your heart to the Lord, to surrender yourself to Him, and it will only be by His grace if you do so, and praise Him for it. Secondly, in this passage, we are taught another lesson on true humility, discipleship, and servanthood. Indeed, the attentive reader will have noticed that the structure of this story is almost identical with the one just before it in verses 35 through 37, when James and John, you remember, make their ambitious wooden-headed request to sit at Christ's right hand and left hand in the kingdom. In both of these stories, We have them calling Jesus, teacher or rabbi. In both of the stories, Jesus asks what they want him to do. In both of the stories, a request is made. One, an ambitious request for status. Another, a humble request for eyesight. And finally, we have an answer given by Jesus. What is being highlighted here is that a common beggar has become the example of what it means to be a true disciple. even over and above the 12 men who have been with Jesus for three years. What does something like this do? It teaches us to be humble, dependent disciples who have childlike faith in Christ, like Bartimaeus did. It also teaches us that Christ at times calls the most unlikely candidates to be recipients of his life-transforming grace and salvation. Anyone reading this story and hearing Christ's praise of this man's faith will recognize that even members of the lowest strata of society can become recipients of divine grace and faithful members of the kingdom of God. We need to recognize that Christ came for all sinners. So it doesn't matter if you are wealthy or if you are poor, if you're highly educated or no education, the Lord came to save sinners. Because Bartimaeus' name and his father's name are both mentioned at the beginning of this story, they must have subsequently become fairly well-known members of the early church, perhaps even leaders in the early church. Here's the point. Anyone, by God's grace and mercy, can receive spiritual sight from Jesus and walk with Him by faith. One commentator says that in a way, Bartimaeus represents all of those who have been given spiritual sight by Jesus and the reader is challenged to believe and travel with Christ on the road to the cross. If you want to follow me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. Notice that Bartimaeus goes with Christ to Jerusalem. Thirdly, this passage challenges us to exercise our faith, perhaps in light of the prosperity gospel or the name it and claim it movement. Even Christ's words here might make you a little uncomfortable. Notice he says, go your way, your faith has made you well, right? Jesus doesn't say I made you well, but your faith has made you well. Well, we of course know that it is Christ who has made him well, but the exercising of faith, faith, which is a gift from God, lest no man should boast, must be exercised. And it will be exercised for those who are brought into saving union with Christ. It's like Christ is saying, the faith that you received from God as a gift, I commend you, Bartimaeus, for exercising it upon the only object that will bring you healing, life, and salvation. The faith God has given us is meant to be exercised, and exercised upon Christ through his means of word and sacrament. Fourthly, Jesus had time for Bartimaeus, and he always has time for you. We don't always have time for each other, do we? And life is just short and fast and full. And here's the thing. Jesus always has time for his people. He always has time for you. He's never busy. His calendar is never full. He never says, well, can we do, you know, can we, can we do eight weeks from now? You know, it's like trying to get a doctor's appointment. Oh yeah. You're about to die. We'll see you in five months. Um, you know, it just, it just doesn't work like that. The Lord Jesus Christ says, come, come, and be with me. He's always ready to hear your prayers. He's always ready to comfort you and fill you with his truth and give you his peace as you read his word and hear his word and meditate upon his word. He always has time for you. And as we contemplate the profound love and availability Christ provides us, we ourselves will be eager to follow his example. And even though we will not always have an abundance of time or endless time, we do want to make time for one another. And I would argue we need to make time for one another in the life of the body of Christ. It's important, isn't it? It's important. And we want to cultivate hearts of humble service towards one another, not seeing others as a nuisance, to our busy schedules, but as people God has providentially brought into our lives to be served and to be introduced to Jesus of Nazareth. I think about all of the visitors that we have seen coming through our doors over the last couple of years. I mean, really it's been for 12 years, but really an abundance of visitors over the last couple of years. Think how easy it is for us to get in the mindset that you know, I have my friends. I have my kind of core people And I'm just not gonna really make the effort with new people who walk through the door but then all I have to do is just stop and think about the love and the welcoming of the Lord Jesus Christ to us and Also, all we have to do is think for one half second about the first time we walked through that door, right? I and we're encouraged and welcomed and embraced and loved. And we want to make that a priority in the life of our church. Dear ones, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, George Whitefield responded to the call of Jesus. By grace through faith, Bartimaeus responded to the call of Jesus. And may we all here this evening respond likewise. Remember, Jesus stops for you. He has time for you. More importantly, he gave his life for you. He is the Passover lamb who shed his blood for your sins and mine. And so let us look to him by grace through faith for our salvation. Let us trust him. and let us share the good news of him with others. Let us pray. Father, we thank you for this brief time in your word this evening in the gospel of Mark. Lord, such rich layers of this text. We thank you, Lord Jesus, that when we by grace called out to you, you stopped and we sprung up in new life to be with you and to follow you. Lord, if there are any in this room who have not received you as their Lord and Savior and have called out to you, we pray that tonight that they would indeed call out to you for grace and salvation, for we know that you receive all those who come to you by faith. And we pray this in Jesus' name.