Zach (Host) (20:32)
We all have voices that we regularly turn to in moments of doubt, in moments of uncertainty. The teachers who offer us wisdom and insights as we traverse through life. Friends with words of encouragement and affirmation to keep us moving forward. Perhaps parents or Loved ones who offer consolation and comfort in dark moments. These voices can be a wonderful blessing in life. The Bible continually reminds us that we have to surround ourselves with good counsel. People who care about us, but people who are also going to tell us the truth, even when it's hard to hear. But we have to know that nobody's perfect and their words won't be either. Sometimes we get bad advice or find ourselves surrounded by pessimism to give up. It's good to have voices of reason until a point. Today's story shows us two men who have the chance for change, the moment they've been waiting for, to have their whole lives turned around. Jesus was finally near enough for them to meet him. And if God's favor was upon them, they were near enough for a miraculous healing. Though they had been through the margins of societies as outcasts trapped in a cloak of darkness, Bartimaeus wasn't going to let the negativity of others rob him from his hope. You see, Bartimaeus was desperately grasping for Jesus. The crowds were trying to deny him access. As the crowds pressed towards Jesus and pushed the two blind men to the sidelines of life, Bartimaeus found a boldness to fight against the pessimism, to fight against the voices that told him to stay back. Bartimaeus had a boldness to not give up any ground in his endeavor to reach for the Lord Jesus, the Son of David. Bartimaeus was putting himself at risk by throwing himself into the crowd. He was at their mercy because he couldn't see anything. He could be pushed and shoved with veracity, and they would maybe trample on over him. The jabs, the pushing, the shoving could have left these two men broken on the floor to be trampled. But despite the risk, Bartimaeus knew that getting to Jesus was worth it all. Following Jesus requires that we take risks. It's a call to leave behind our old lives. It compels us to combat the things of this world that would try and bring us down. It leads us to places of discomfort and sometimes even danger. But when we choose to follow Jesus, the odds are always in our favor. Whatever path we must take to get to Jesus and follow him, we can be sure of two things. The first is knowing that he will bless us. In Ephesians 1:3, the apostle Paul writes, praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing, despite whatever we face losing and boldly making our way to Jesus. The blessing on the other side is always worth it. The second thing we can be sure of is knowing that he will empower us for any obstacle that stands in our way. Paul writes to the Philippian church in Philippians 4 I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content. And in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. You see, we love Philippians 4:13. We use it on our coffee mugs, our bumper stickers, and frame it on our walls as a mantra that we can do anything by Christ's strength. But in the context of the passage, we see that this verse is packed with much more of a promise. What Paul has learned in his experience of faith isn't that Jesus is a spiritual vending machine or a wish granter, allowing him to attain anything his heart desires. Instead, he's learned that the road to following Jesus is narrow, full of twists and turns, highs and lows, suffering and triumph. But through the strength afforded to him, through Christ, he was able to endure it all with a boldness and boast about the greatness of God, even amidst great trial and difficulty. As Bartimaeus and his friends weave their way through the crowds, Bartimaeus begins to lift up his voice and shout for Jesus, crying, jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. His cry blended in with the hundreds of other voices that were likely calling out to get Jesus attention. And even though there were some around him who tried to quiet his roar for help, like a lion on the hunt, he couldn't be stopped. He cries out again, son of David, have mercy on me. It was at this moment that the Lord stopped. There must have been something different in Bartimaeus call. Perhaps not something perceptible to the ears, but something different in what Jesus perceived in Bartimaeus heart. A shimmering well of faith, a determination to be near Jesus. This unwavering courage despite the voices of doubt seeking God. It was this that caused Jesus to command the people to call the blind man to him. You see, there's going to be a lot of people that tell you to calm down. There's going to be a lot of people that tell you to chill out. There's going to be a lot of people telling you that your vigor, your fire, your enthusiasm is just distracting people from the actual mission that's ahead. But there's only one voice that truly matters in the end, and that's the Voice of Christ beckoning you forward. We should never let the voices of doubt stop us from being passionate and passionately pursuing Jesus. When we call out to Jesus, whether it's the most meager or humble whisper for help or the strongest impassioned shout, Jesus hears us when we call and he calls back to us, saying, come near. There's something truly moving. Don't feed into the lies that tell you to calm down. Don't feed into the negative voices in your life that tell you to stop being so passionate. Jesus wants to hear from you, and he loves your boldness. I remember being in a worship service once, and this worship service was one of the standard worship services you would find in an evangelical church. Some people are singing loud, some people are singing quietly. Some people are raising their hands. Some people have their hands in their pockets. Everyone worships in their own way. But there was one person in the front who is particularly loud. Now, I would be lying if I said that he wasn't distracting me a bit. You see, he was dancing. He was going up and down the aisles. It wasn't performative. You could just tell that this man was so overwhelmed with joy that he just couldn't help it. He couldn't contain himself. Did he have a few screws loose? Maybe, but that really wasn't the point. He was so joyful in the presence of God, and he was shouting and he was praying and he was praising to the Lord. And I'll never forget the cynicism I had in my heart. I was thinking, man, who's going to come and calm this guy down? But then the pastor came up. The pastor came up and he was pointing to the man and he said, heaven is going to be filled with people like you, brother. People who can't contain the joy of being in the presence of Jesus. You see, that statement floored me. I was someone who had the attitude of, let's shut this guy up. But then I found a heavenly perspective. This man was overflowing with joy. Now, is there a time and place for everything? Absolutely. Should we be distracting others from worshiping? And there's plenty of moments in scripture where we find that actually being loud and obnoxious is actually the antithesis of what God calls us to do. But in this specific context, it seemed right. This man was overflowing with joy, wanting to be near Jesus. And do you know what? The pastor was right. Heaven is going to be filled with people just like him, can't contain themselves and can't help but proclaim Jesus from the rooftops. Nobody likes the idea of looking ridiculous by putting ourselves out there only to fall flat on our faces. But we don't have to worry about that happening in our search for God. Hebrews 11:6 reads and without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Our boldness for God will never put us to shame. God rewards our faithful seeking by not hiding Himself, but revealing Himself to us, and one of the greatest prizes granted to us when that happens is getting to witness the work of God being bold before the Lord gives us a front row seat to seeing him at work. Bartimaeus and his friend didn't simply have their sight restored, they got to play a part in one of Jesus final miracles that affirmed all of his claims to be the Son of God. Where can we find such boldness? The boldness of Bartimaeus? Well, it definitely won't come from within ourselves. If our boldness comes from within, it rises and falls along with us. Lasting boldness is birthed from faith and the Holy Spirit, knowing and being grounded in who Jesus is and being sustained by the power of God's Spirit. Bartimaeus wasn't bold for a stranger. Bartimaeus was bold because he knew who Jesus truly was and he knew what was to gain. If he could push through the doubt, he could push through the cynicism and fall at his feet.
