We believe in the sufficiency of scripture the power of scripture That it alone being read goes forth and does a work That we don't always see Let us pray Father we come before you in the name of your son Jesus our Father, we are in need this morning of the Holy Spirit that dwells within everyone who has faith in Christ. We need him to open our eyes to see, open our ears to hear, to encourage us in our faith, to illumine our minds and our hearts that we can be transformed by the truth of your word, that we can be conformed to the image of your son, that our hearts may be put into flame, that we would desire Christ above all else. Help us this morning, let your word be swift, to travel from our ears to our hearts, that we might be changed and we might bear fruit, 30, 60, 100 fold, all for the glory of Christ. Amen. We are continuing in the gospel of Mark this morning. You'll notice that the sermon title comes right out of the text. Do not fear, only believe. As I was studying this passage this last week, one of the things I'll do from time to time is I'll look at the Greek text, the original text that's in there. And I want you to know that this particular phrase we have translated, it's more readable to us, do not fear, only believe. But in the Greek it's no fear, faith alone. No fear, faith alone. It cuts to the chase. We've been looking at the Gospel of Mark and we see the in-breaking of Jesus Christ from the very beginning. How He identified with us in His baptism, how He identified with us in His temptation, how He then declares that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel. Those words are substantiated then by Jesus' healings, His miracles, His work that He has done to show that He is Jesus, the Son of God. That question that we have, who is Jesus? And so we see these miracles begin to happen in the synagogue healing a demon-possessed man. Then going on to Peter's house, the fever being released and gone. We see his authority of Scripture. We see his authority over demoniacs. And then, last couple of weeks, we have seen the power of Christ. We've seen that He is Lord over nature or Lord over creation. calming the sea and the winds with a simple word, peace be still. Last week we see the demoniac known as Legion. Legion was a figure that was used for Roman armies over 6,000 soldiers. So there were many demoniacs, demons within this man. Yet Jesus shows his power over Satan, over demons. And in this passage this morning, we see Him with power over disease and we see Him with power over death. But I'm not gonna speak much about that. I do want you to know that Jesus is Lord over creation. I want you to know that He's Lord over Satan and demonic beings. He is Lord over diseases and He's Lord over death. But for Him to be your Lord, requires faith, not fear. Do not fear, only believe. This passage before us is in some ways a Markan sandwich, but not really. We see two pieces of bread in the story of Jarius. He's at the beginning and he's at the end. Sandwiched in between this story is a woman with a hemorrhage, with a flow of blood. But this passage goes much more deeper than that. We see ourselves in this passage. We are going to find in this passage that faith leads the desperate to Jesus. We're going to find that faith is received by Jesus without partiality. We're gonna see that faith in Jesus breaks down barriers, and faith in Jesus brings new life. Have you ever been desperate? I bet you have. If you just pause for just a moment, you can think about moments in your life when everything has been spent. When everything has been done, you have come to the end of yourself. You're at the end of your rope. You have done all that you possibly can. It is a fallacy to think that we're in control of our own lives. Is it not? Oh, I can think I'm in control of my life when I drive my car. I think I can be in control of my life when I lay my head on my pillow at night. But God is sovereign and He is in control of all things. We know that His sovereignty extends over creation and providence. I love the shorter catechism question, what is providence? Providence is His, God's most holy wise and powerful, preserving and governing all His creatures and all their actions. He's in control of all things. And this passage helps us to see that particular point. And it's in our desperation that He meets us. And we will see the desperation of two people in this text this morning. First we see that Jesus has gone across the sea and he's come back across the sea. Last week we saw that he traveled that distance for one Gentile to save that demoniac and to send him out as the first Gentile missionary to the Decapolis, those ten cities. Jesus has a purpose in everything that He does. So as He comes back, there was a crowd. Commentators believe that He's come back on the shores of Capernaum, His adopted hometown. And in doing so, He comes back and there's already a crowd there. They're waiting. This has become a pattern. Jesus goes from one side of the sea and he comes back again. So instead of walking all the way around, some people just go, let's camp out, let's wait. Have you ever seen that? People that stand in line for hours to get a ticket to the movie theater, they want to be first. People waiting at assemblies or going to see someone speak and they wait hours upon hours. These people are waiting. But the question has to be asked, who are they waiting for? Who is Jesus? This crowd had gathered and they were by the sea. But out of this crowd comes a man. And it's curious because he has a name, Jarius. He is the ruler of the synagogue. This man would have been known by people. I'm sure that some after Mark had transcribed this letter, this gospel, Some may have read it and go, I remember Jairus. You remember him? He was the president of the synagogue. He made sure everything was orderly and put everything in process and who was speaking, where the scrolls were, all of that. He's a well thought of man. He was respected. He was esteemed. Everybody thought he was a godly man. Jesus doesn't pass over the wealth, the status, or privilege of an individual. Not those that have faith. And we begin to see the desperation of this man Jairus. He sees Jesus and he comes to Jesus and the first thing that he does that shows some faith Maybe not a perfect faith. Maybe an imperfect faith. Maybe not a complete faith. Maybe a childlike faith. Maybe the faith of a mustard seed. But Jarius comes to Jesus. He is at the end of his rope. And he falls down before Jesus. Falls down before him and he begins to implore him. He begins to say, Jesus, this is in the present tense, so he's over and over and over. My little daughter's at the point of death. Come lay your hands on her that she may be made well and live. Over and over and over. You know the parable of the persistent widow in Luke chapter 18? She seeks justice. She goes to the judge's house and she's knocking on the door. Come down and give me justice. He doesn't want to. He wants her to go away. She keeps knocking. She keeps asking. She keeps seeking until she finds justice. That's Jairus here. He's desperate. I don't know what all he's tried. But he certainly has had wealth. He has certainly been well connected. He has certainly probably gone to every doctor and every place that he possibly can. And all for naught. When you're in desperation, you don't always necessarily think crystal clear. But one thing he knew with clarity, is this Jesus, this Jesus can heal. Mark has already shown that several times over in this text of his gospel. So he is begging. He's in desperation. He knows he has wealth, he knows he is esteemed, he knows he has privilege, all these things, but Jesus doesn't show partiality to that. He sees him bow down before him. He sees an imperfect faith. He sees a childlike faith. And Jesus' response, I'll go with you. I'll walk with you. I'll follow you to your home. That had to make him feel encouraged. When Jesus goes with us, when we know His presence, puts a skip in our step. So here Jairus goes. But there's a problem. There's a barrier here, a physical barrier of a crowd. It's called a throng, an army of people. So crowded that they're bumping into one another, shoulder to shoulder, back to front, front to back. If they had watches in that day, Jairus would be looking and going, you know when I left, she wasn't doing good. Jesus, can we walk a little bit faster? Jesus, she's dying. My little girl. Luke tells us in his account in Luke chapter 8, his only daughter. I could just see him, come on Jesus, come on, let me make way in the crowd. Come on, a little faster, let's go. And then there seems to be a pause, a stop. There's a woman. who has a discharge of blood, a flow of blood for 12 years. Ladies, you understand this. Every month you will have a week. The flow of blood. This woman didn't have it for just a week. She had it for 12 years. Twelve years. Constant. Leviticus chapter 17 says that there's life in the blood. She is losing her life in slow motion. She too, like Jairus, has tried everything. She's desperate. She's gone to physicians. No help. She has spent all her money. No help. All this with the hope of feeling better, of being restored. She just grew worse. She's desperate. But that's only half of it. in Leviticus chapter 15 the law speaks about the flow of blood and a woman during that week having her period is unclean this woman would have been unclean for 12 years the practical application of that she can't go to worship She can't see a priest come into their presence because she's unclean. She cannot be touched. Because touching her makes the other individual unclean. We don't know if she's married or was married. If she was, she's probably divorced. Because being in the presence, being in the same house with her, you're unclean. She's like the leper. Can you imagine not being touched for 12 years? No one embracing you, pulling you close, letting you cry on their shoulder because of this condition. To put a hand on you and pray for you doesn't happen. So she's desperate. This barrier that she has had, spiritually speaking, because she can't go to worship, she can't make a sacrifice, none of those things, she's poor, she's outcast, she's alone. The shame she must feel, the guilt she must feel, but luxurious. Our text says she heard a report. She heard good news about a man named Jesus. It says what she did before it gets into some of the other details of why. It's as if she said, barriers be damned. I'm going to go to Jesus. I'm going to work my way through that crowd. I don't care. The text says, she came up from behind him. For she said, this is the reason, catch this, if I touch even his garment, I will be made well. There's a little bit of mysticism in her thought there. During this period of time, the garment that someone wore was seen as an extension of the body. So she figured she didn't have to completely touch Jesus, she just needed to get to the garment. Jesus would have had a garment that would have had tassels on it, at least four tassels. Some commentators believe that's what she had in mind, just the corner of his, I'm gonna get one of those tassels. And so she does. One of Mark's favorite words in his gospel is immediately. She touches that. The little mustard seed faith that she has, the little childlike faith that she has. As she touches that, two immediately's take place. Immediately she's healed. It says that the blood has dried up and she felt it in her body. She knew she was healed. The second immediately, is she's recognized. This woman has been invisible. She's been outcast. She's been unclean. The recognition comes when Jesus says, who touched my garment? He knew the power went out of him, and it went into her. Power out of him, into her. The disciples are just flabbergasted. Jesus, you see this crowd? We can't even move. And you want to know who touched you? Are you out of your mind? Same line that his family used a couple chapters earlier. He said, you want to know who touched your garment? A thinking Christian would say, why? Why does Jesus want to know this? Why is he making this statement publicly? But that's the key. He makes it publicly because faith is a public act. He's doing this for the woman who has been healed. And this woman who he's looking around, who he knows where she is, who she is, the woman by the spirit conviction within comes near in fear and trembling. Proverbs says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. It's the beginning of wisdom. This woman does as Jarius did and she falls down at his feet and she told him everything. The whole truth it says. Some years ago I was asked to testify in a federal case and I remember the assistant ADA, Rachel Jones. We had working here an intern at the time named Rachel Jones. She married, became Rachel Bond. But that assistant ADA said, Jeff, don't worry. When you get on the stand, just tell the truth. Tell the whole truth. If you tell the truth, nothing can go wrong. Her truth was the truth about Jesus. Her truth was a testimony of who Jesus is and what He could do. Her testimony, I believed He could heal me, and Jesus did. With just a touch. This interaction is public. It's like when we bring new members and present them to the church body. Could you just see that crowd kind of open up? Be a little space. And they're standing on one side is Jesus and there's the woman who's just been healed. Who is at his feet, who maybe then raises up. Bears forth her testimony of her entire life. Answering the call of Jesus to repent and believe. If she told the whole truth, she said everything. She confessed her sins and confessed her faith. And how does Jesus respond? Daughter, your faith has made you well. He called her daughter. She had gone from a poor, outcast person, outside of the community, and Jesus is calling her a daughter. The daughter of God, she has been adopted, she has been brought into the family of faith. Jesus said earlier in Mark's gospel, who is my mother? Who is my brother? Who is my sister? Here he's saying, you're my daughter. Go in peace and be healed of your disease. What Jesus has done here, has shown us a picture of salvation. That phrase, made you well, one word in the Greek, means to save. He has delivered her. He has healed her. He has given her peace, not just with herself, but peace with God. She is now whole again. She is a renewed human being, and she is adopted as part of the family of God. I could just see Jarius going, how long is this going to take? I'm really happy for her, but Jesus, I came first. She didn't even cut in line, you just made room for her. We do that with Jesus sometimes. We think so much of ourselves and not of others. While Jesus was telling her, go in peace, be healed, a man comes up to Jarius from his house And he cuts right to the chase. His words must have cut to the very heart of his soul. It says, your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further? I can only imagine the news and how it hit. Jairus in desperation with a little bit of adrenaline and excitement and he goes to Jesus. Jesus says he's gonna go with him. And now he gets this news, your daughter's dead. His whole countenance must have fell. Jesus overhears these words that are being said to him. And he says to Jairus, in front of everybody, do not fear, only believe. No fear, faith alone. Jesus' words must have been like salve, not completely, but enough to get him moving toward home. enough to put one foot in front of the other sometimes faith is that way, is it not? I just need to put one foot in front of the other and follow Jesus it's interesting that Jesus was following Jairus before but now it's reversed and he allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, John, the brother of James and they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue And there's a commotion. There's a scene. In the ancient times, they would hire professional mourners. People that would come and cry and wail and weep. As if that's coming alongside and saying, we understand. We feel your pain. And so this commotion is all over. Jesus works his way through. He says to all these professional mourners and everyone who's there, the child's not dead, but sleeping. They laughed at him. They mocked Jesus. As if to say, everybody knows she's dead. What do you mean she's asleep? Are you stupid? But then something amazing happens. There's a but here. Meaning what we have just talked about, everything's going to go in another direction and change. He puts all those who are in unbelief out. And He has those with childlike faith with Him. And He's about to show in His power who He is. Because only God can raise the dead. He no longer refers to Jairus by name. He no longer refers to him as the ruler of the synagogue. He calls him the child's father. and mother. This gets deeply personal. I understand who you are to this little girl. My mother, my father, my sisters, my brothers are those who believe. He went into where the child was and said two words in Aramaic. Talitha Kumi. which means, as Bill read, little girl, I say to you, arise. This gospel is written by John Mark, but it's Peter's gospel. Peter would have been talking to Mark about what to put in the gospel. These two words must have been branded on Peter's heart and his mind. I'll never forget the desperation of this man. I'll never forget the desperation of this woman. And these words, little girl, arise. Two more times the word immediately is used here. Immediately she's raised. She got up. A picture of the resurrection that is to come. The second immediately is that they were overcome by amazement. This is a play on words. It means they were amazed with great amazement. They can't believe it. How can this be? That which was dead has risen again. His instructions are, don't tell anyone about this and give her something to eat. Why eat? If you remember Jesus at the end of John's gospel, when there's a little disbelief about who He is, He might be a ghost, He takes something and He eats it to show that He truly is resurrected. We see in our desperation, by faith, we are led to Jesus. When we're at the end of our rope, He is the lifeline. He is the one who cares. Faith receives Jesus and there is no partiality. You see here, it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman or a child. It doesn't matter if you're 12 years old or you've had a disease for 12 years. It doesn't matter if you're rich or you're poor. It doesn't matter if you have status or you're outcast. It doesn't matter if you're seemingly godly or you're unclean. Jesus says that He receives all who come to Him by faith. There is no partiality. And the barriers are broken down. Jairus' barriers, at the beginning, he's a ruler of the synagogue. What did all the people in the synagogue, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, think about Jesus? They thought he was a blasphemer. They thought he was demon-possessed. They wanted to do away with him. Jairus crossed the barrier. by faith for the sake of his daughter. The woman, the barriers of being unclean, cast those aside. Faith gives us the strength to break through the barriers of life and come to Jesus. And faith brings new life. It brought new life for the woman with the blood flow. It brought new life for the 12-year-old. Life in Jesus. So there's no partiality, there's no barriers that we can't overcome by faith in Jesus. Jesus can do all things. He is Lord over all. By these miracles that He's done in the end of chapter 4 and on in through 5, show that Jesus brings the disciples back to safety. He brings the demoniac back to sanity. He brings the woman back to community. Brings a little girl back to life. He can do this for you. Are you in fear this morning? Do you feel anxious? Do you feel stressed? Are you poor? Do the circumstances of life have you at the end of your rope? You're not in a bad place. For it's when we are low that He lifts our head. He simply asks for us to repent and believe. to be delivered, to be forgiven, to be saved. The beauty of this particular passage is the desperate learns by faith to become dependent upon Christ. That where there is no partiality by faith, the individual becomes persistent in prayer. That barriers that are overcome by faith become bridges for our faith to others. And the new life of faith grows our faith and our love for Christ and for others. And it shows itself in our worship and our witness. Brothers and sisters, if you're here today, be encouraged. Regardless of the circumstances of life, Jesus is there. When you're desperate, He delivers. When there's barriers, He gives you the strength to overcome them. He doesn't care who you are, where you are, what time it is. He's there. He's the one who saves. If you don't know Him, we implore you, like Jesus, come to Him. Believe in Him. and receives all the grace and the blessings that come through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Let us pray. Father, we do ask that you would bless this word, that it would go forth, that it would do its work, that it would take root within our own hearts, that we might bear fruit, that though our faith may still be imperfect, though it may be small, that you take that and you grow it so that we might become more like you, Jesus. I pray that for us this morning. In Christ Jesus' name, amen.