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We’ve been looking at the Authority of the King and today's miracle that we’re going to witness or today's story we are going to witness, really answers this question - what do you do when all hope seems lost?  Maybe some of you are in such predicaments.  Maybe you have been diagnosed with an illness and you've tried many means and all hope seems lost.  Maybe some of you are facing predicaments like this at home.  Your son, your daughter has turned rebellious and it seems like nothing is going to change.  What do you do when all hope seems lost?

What do you do when you have a very difficult marital relationship today?  Some of you going through that, you want to give up on your marriage, your husband is doing something wrong, you’re or maybe you are trying your very best but there's no way to salvage your family.

What do you do when all hope seems lost at work, financially and even in ministry or even in the hope that you will share the Gospel successfully with someone in your family - your loved ones just won't receive the Gospel and it seems to be all too late.

What do you do when all hope seems lost?

The story before us is about this man named Jairus and his story is given to us in Matthew, in Mark, in Luke and the most detailed account of this story is found in Mark. There are some 22 verses, 23 verses there as contrasted with just 9 in Matthew so, therefore, I'm going to turn us to Mark chapter 5 to look at this story in greater detail and so today's sermon is really very simple.   I'm just going to run through the story with the reading of the verses and then I am going to apply some spiritual lessons for ourselves so Mark 5 verse 21 and when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about Him and He was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing Him, he fell at His feet and implored Him earnestly, saying, my little daughter is at the point of death.  Come and lay your hands on her so that she may be made well and live.

So the story is about Jairus, he's a ruler of the synagogue.  He's a religious man.  He's a man of status and regard. He takes care of the synagogue.  He's responsible for the processes, procedures that would take place in this place of worship but Jairus here has a big problem.  His daughter, his beloved daughter, is now sick. Later on, you will read that this daughter is 12 years old. She is a lady, young lady blossoming I'm sure, coming into womanhood and now she is gravely ill, she's at the point of death. I'm pretty sure that Jairus would have tried everything possible - panadol, doctors, pediatrician, SGH, NUH, [names of local hospitals], he must have tried everything but obviously she's not getting better, she's going to die.

He must have heard about this man named Jesus.  He must have heard about how this man, Jesus, is able to do all kinds of miracles, cure all diseases, cast out all kinds of demons, preach an amazing sermon at the Sermon on the Mount and even had the voice of heaven declared, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. He must have heard about all these things, all these news revolving Jesus and so he thought to himself, this is my daughter's only hope. I need to get to Jesus and that's what he did. He ran, I believe, to Jesus, fell at His feet and implored Him earnestly. Well, what does that mean, in simple English and in literal meaning, it's said, simply means he begged Jesus greatly. He kept begging Him with all the might that he could muster so we then read, Jesus went with Jairus.

In short, He agreed to go with Jairus.  Alright, I'll go to your house, lay my hands on your daughter and heal her, I will go and as He embarks upon this journey to Jairus' house, a great crowd followed Him and thronged about Him.  Everybody was swarming around this famous man called Jesus, especially when He says, He's going to heal Jairus' daughter who we know is very sick - will He be able to save her?

Well, as He was going along, Mark then tells us there was a woman who had a discharge of blood for 12 years who had suffered much under many physicians and had spent all that she had and was no better but rather grew worse so interestingly, there's a story within a story. The story is He's supposed to heal Jairus' daughter but before that there is this interruption, there's this little interjection of another story, the story of a woman suffering from a bleeding disorder.

Now, I don't think she's bleeding from the nose, from the eyes. I think and most commentators believe she's probably having menstrual bleeding for 12 years so she's been bleeding nonstop, this problem chronically affecting her. I think this will be greatly inconvenient for her.  It will be a very embarrassing for her but more than that I think she will be very weakened by this disease.

You keep bleeding for 12 years.  She's weak I think.  She's anemic, she's probably very cut off from Jewish worship life because according to Mosaic law, a lady who is menstruating is considered unclean and is not allowed to go to the temple to worship so she's, she's been cut off from all that for 12 long years.

Again, I think this lady must have gone to NUH SGH KK [names of local hospitals] everywhere, seen all kinds of obstetricians and gynecologists but no one could help her.  She spent all the money she had.  Probably went through all kinds of procedures, had all kinds of medicine and drugs but she only got worse. Likewise, she must have heard of Jesus and thought to herself, she has only one chance and that is to get to Jesus, He's my only hope and so that's what she did.

She came to Jesus and came up behind Him in the crowd so very interestingly she sort of a, had a sneak attack.  She, she didn't dare to come straight to Jesus because she knows she's unclean and she didn't want to be marked out or embarrassed so she's sort of tried to squeeze in a crowd behind Him and I can imagine she thinking to herself, if I can just touch His garments, I will be made well and then, as if Steven Spielberg is filming this, you can imagine the camera, just focusing, zooming in on her face and then zooming in on her hand and then you can hear the music rise to a crescendo, louder and louder, base beat and so on until camera freeze, freeze screen, what's going to happen next?

Is she going to touch Him?  Is He going to know about it, what's going to happen next and then there's a loud boom and he grabs, she grabs the hem of His garments, just a piece from the lower part of His garments and then everything stops for a while, what's gonna happen now, will she be found out, will she get well.

Mark tells us, immediately the flow of blood dried up, no more bleeding and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. I think it's not just that the bleeding stopped, I, I think she might have her blood, red blood cells come back, she might have a full healing in that sense, that she’s no more weak and anemic and panting and breathless but she feels well and she was healed of her disease.

Well I think this is a wonderful time to celebrate.  It's a wonderful cause for joy!  This lady afflicted for 12 long years is now well.  Wow, I think people must be excited and then read, Jesus, perceiving in Himself that power had gone out from Him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, who touched my garments. I thought this is a rather strange question.  A lot of people around you what!  I thought a lot of people would be near Jesus, would probably have some touch, some brushes here and there, why do You ask this?  Well this is exactly what the disciples asked actually.

The disciples then said to Jesus, You see the crowd pressing around You and yet You say who touched me?  Lord what's up?  Why do You, why do You say something so obvious?  Why do You ask something so obvious?   Everyone touched You but He looked around to see who had done it so He didn't answer the disciples but He just looked around. He didn't change His question.  He didn't clarify His question.  He just looked around. I think there was maybe a pause for a while, everybody….. what's up, what's that, I mean everybody touch Him, why did He ask that and I think when there was silence for some while then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. I was the one and He said to her, daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace and be healed of your disease.

I don't think Jesus asked that question to purposely embarrass the woman.  I think He asked that question to purposely encourage the woman. Now you don't have to hide anymore, you can let everyone know your faith has made you whole.  You are healed, I've healed you. You don't have to feel like you have stolen this from me. Now again like I said this should be a wonderful time to celebrate, people would say, yay, this, this lady, we know she has been struggling, she's now well! Praise God, amazing and Mark doesn't tell us that, that went by but I think that must have been the joy and delight of many gathered that day so it was a happy time except for one thing.  Don’t forget our friend, Jairus.  You think how Jairus is feeling now? Wahlao [local dialect exclamation] why so long, faster lah [Singlish exclamation], we got to get going, my, my daughter is going to die soon, she's fighting for her life and if You do not come soon, she's going to die, come, quick. I think he must be flustered with Him, don't you think?  I mean, you imagine yourself in Jairus' shoes, this is all an unnecessary delay and interruption.  Jesus, let's get going. My daughter is going to die soon and the next verse tells us, while he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house, some who said your daughter is dead, why trouble the teacher any further.  Jairus, I'm so sorry to tell you, your worst fears are con, confirmed I, I wish Jesus had been faster, I wish you had run to Jesus earlier but your 12-year-old girl, has just breathed her last breath.  She is dead.  We can't bring her back.  You can let Jesus go.  There's nothing we can do about it.

Can you imagine what’s going on in Jairus' mind now?  You know what's “pek chek", in Hokkien [exasperation or frustration], “pek chek” times a thousand times I think. He must be so, so frustrated.  He must be so devastated and this is what, don't you think?  I mean, Jesus agreed to go with me and if He just went a bit faster and this stupid woman didn't come up, my daughter would have hope but now it's all gone!  What do you do when all hope seems lost?

Well we didn't have to wait very much longer because the next verse, we are told, overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, do not fear, only believe but my daughter is dead, only believe so He went on and Jesus allowed no one to follow Him except Peter, James, John and they now arrive at the house of the ruler of the synagogue, of the house of Jairus. There was a great commotion out there, people were weeping and wailing loudly and asked why are you making such a ruckus?  Why do you make so much noise?  Why are you guys weeping?  The child, this 12-year-old girl, is not dead, only sleeping.  Huh, sleeping?  You don't know medicine?  You do not know basic science, she's not breathing, there's no heartbeat, she's stone cold, she's dead and so they laughed at Jesus but He put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with Him and went in where the child was and taking her by the hand, He said to this 12-year-old lifeless body, talitha cumi which means little girl, I say to you arise.  Again like I said if nothing happened, very paiseh [hokkien: shy, shameful].  Eh, arise, but that never happened because and immediately the girl got up and began walking for she was 12 years of age and they were immediately overcome with amazement and He strictly charged them that no one should know this but He told them to give her something to eat, proving that she is really alive.

Now this is a long story and it's a story within a story right?  You see, it's an interweaving of two stories together and I think it's intentional. There, there can be many things spoken about this passage but I just want to highlight.  I think the major thought here is what do you do when all hope seems lost. That's I think the major thrust looking at things from Jairus' point of view and God is using this passage to teach you and I, when you are in such predicaments, when all hope seems lost, when it seems to be too late, when your prayers are not answered and there are delays and things aren't happening. What do you do?  I just want to suggest three things you want to, I hope you can remember and they are these.

Number one, when all hope seems lost remember that God can use your frustrations to grow your faith. Now God can use your disappointments to grow your dependence. Again imagine Jairus, he must be flustered when the woman came into the picture.  He must be anxious.  He must be racing up and down.  His heart must be beating real fast.  He must be really anxious to get Jesus going and when he heard the news that his daughter is dead, he must be absolutely frustrated and maybe that's your situation because you need something to happen, you need your son to turn around, you need your wife to turn around, you need your company to turn around, you need your family to turn around, you need ministry to turn around but it has not turned around.  What you hope for did not come true and you’ve been praying but there seems to be no change and you're getting frustrated and now you are convinced it is all too late.

What do you do?  Well, I hope you remember from this story that sometimes God can use such frustrations to actually grow your faith because God did not choose to heal the girl when she was sick. God chose to raise the girl to life after she died because our God can use such frustrating circumstances to show you His exceeding great power, He can do more than you think He could do.

Now I'm not saying that God will do this every single time in our life because sometimes our frustrations are for life because the frustrations are kind of a laboratory, a kind of a test environment to help grow you and train you in your faith and to help you mature spiritually so I'm not suggesting that every circumstance in life is going to turn out like what Jairus experienced but sometimes it is that He's not answering you because He wants the this the situation to get even more desperate that when He answers then, your faith is stretched and expanded and grown.

You know we are in the building that reminds me every single time that God uses our frustrations to grow our faith. For some of you who are familiar you were with us before we came to Punggol, you knew that we actually entered a bid for a church land here in Punggol before this piece of land we got and I still remembered that time we really tried our very best.  We encouraged the church, we prayed, we, many of you gave sacrificially we, we put in a very strong bid.  It was a very, very strong bid and we were quite convinced, actually I was quite convinced, we are going to get the land but of course the land now turns out to be the Catholic Church right beside the MRT, the Church of Transfiguration.  I, I was pretty sure, our leadership, we were pretty convinced it was a bid that would have gotten the land.

Long story short, we did not even come close!  We were the 3rd, not even second!  We didn't get it and so I think immediately there was a kind of a, if I may dare say that, disappointment, frustration, aah, we didn't get it?  Now don't get me wrong, I don't think anyone of us was frustrated with God because we, we trusted that it was all within His hand but we were disappointed that we were not the ones that He chose to place here in Punggol. Some of you were very worried and some of you were very kind, you, you wrote to me and say eh Pastor Jason you okay or not?  Honest as if I’m going to collapse and so disappointed that things are not going to go, go well.  I leave you to figure out what, what's, what's the rest of Chinese words but essentially this is the message I got - Pastor Jason you okay or not because it was, it was natural that we would be disappointed with the fact that we didn't get the land although we could continue to trust that God is good and He's sovereign, He's wise, He knows what's best but in my heart I really thought that the dream to come to Punggol is over.

Now, why were we keen on Punggol, by the way, because I think we, we were a relatively younger church with younger demography that could really serve the population here, I think by the grace of God so we were excited for the opportunity to come but it was closed.

Now who is to know, who is to know that, that frustrating disappointing event as it were, turn out to be a wonderful blessing because hey, now we have this piece of land here in Punggol.  It was eight months later that the HDB released the same size land here in Punggol.  It has never been done before why because HDB always releases lands, land parcels once in three years for churches. To release it within eight months is unprecedented.

What's more interesting is that they never release the same, they never released land consecutively in the same town.  It's going to be spread all over Singapore but eight months later, another piece of land was released here in Punggol and the long story short again, we put in a bid, I think it was 30% lower than our first bid and we got the piece of land and God raised the funds through the giving of the people here.  He raised the team to oversee the construction of the building, it's now up, we see all of you come and join us, many of you from Punggol join us.  To me it was like a dead girl was raised to life.

Really, I don't have a girl, I've two sons but this was almost like it. It was a dream that is gone dead, buried, forget it, we will just continue in hotels, we’ll just move from place to place, it's okay but who is to know that frustrating experience in the first bid turned out to be a wonderful lesson to grow my faith.  Hey maybe that's what God wants to do in your life.  I'm not saying He always does this but God can use, sometimes when all hope seems lost, God can use your frustrations to grow your faith.

Like I said your marriage is in such a big mess.  You just want to throw in the towel.  Number one, God never wants you to throw in your towel, you're committed for life and it may be a frustrating situation for your whole life but God means it for your growth but perhaps He does want to deliver you out of this difficult marriage by changing you, your spouse, whatever that may be, hey, keep trusting God because it might get worse before He will heal.  He might let the daughter die before He will heal. It's the same for your ministry, maybe you want to share the Gospel with someone and your father, your mom, your aunt just won't come to Christ and you think that all hope seems lost, don’t give up hope. It might be that God would use you someday, continue to serve them, be a good witness before them, pray for opportunities to do so. Hey, when all hope seems lost, sometimes is not all lost because our God can do the impossible, He raises the dead to life alright.

Number two I want to say when all hope seems lost, this, this story teaches me that God, you got to remember that God, can use someone else's story to encourage you in your story. You know, Matthew, Mark, Luke records this story exactly the same style, start with Jairus, interject with a woman with menorrhagia, with the excessive bleeding and then come back to Jairus. It's a story within a story and we got to understand why the Holy Spirit gives us the story like this and not two different stories because one story is used to encourage the other in his story.

They are interwoven together and if you think about it, these two stories have a lot of similarities. They both involved ladies, both ladies are called daughters.  Both are bound together by this number of 12. One afflicted for 12 years with tears, living in the shadow.  The other 12 years of maybe bringing sunshine and joy to Jairus, the dad but now the both of them are united together with a common fate and that is that they are sick. Really, desperately sick and both of them are incurable diseases that require purely the power of God, the mercy of God to save. Both of them are healed by a single touch from Jesus. Both of them are stories that are meant to be looked at together because God can use someone else's story to encourage you in your story.

Do you realize that's why Christianity is never a solo religion?  It's never a faith that says, it's only between me and God. Yes, Christianity is very personal. I can't believe Jesus for you, but Christian, Christian living is not meant to be private.  It’s not meant to be solo, it's meant to be communal, God has called us to a community.  God has called us to be part of one another's lives so that, one of the reasons, someone else's story can encourage my story and my story can be an encouragement for someone else's story.

That's what Paul says, blessed be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, why, why does God give me this story of comfort, you know why so that I'm comfortable, no, He gives me this story of comfort so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction. Think about this, we pray God, heal me of my cancer so that I don't have to suffer pain.  Sometimes God gives you pain and God gives you healing - for what so that you can then comfort someone else with the same comfort which you have received.

See your experiences are not for yourself alone so often we think, O, God help me, God bless me and, and I keep to myself, no!  God intends for your story to impact other people's stories and therefore God also intends for you to be in a Christian community where you receive the grace of hearing God's hand in other people's lives.

I like what Jon Courson he says, whenever the Lord delays our prayers and is working in other people in and in other places like Jairus!  You are supposed to come to my house to heal my daughter but wait a minute, I'm going to heal someone first so when God delays our prayers and He's not working in my life but working in other people's lives at this point, be observant of where He is working and what He is doing because therein lies lessons for you as well. Keep your antennae up, your eyes wide and your journal open to record information the Lord knows you will need shortly.

I think one of the reasons why Christians struggle so much in life is because you struggle alone. You do not know, you do not know that the same God you worship, is working powerfully in someone else's life oh, my marriage is so terrible, oh my kid is so terrible, oh my disease is so terrible but don't you know that God is working in their life, his life, her life and if only your antenna was up, your eyes were opened, you were recording and looking and learning you would say hey God… did that for them, surely God can do that for me if He chooses to, there's nothing too hard for God but when you choose to isolate yourself and say I'm the only one struggling with this, God cannot help me, you have just missed the grace of God, the means of grace from God, which is the Christian community so when all hope seems lost, I want you to remember God can use your frustrations to grow your faith. He allows your daughter to die before He brings her back to life. He doesn't do just what you want Him to do because He wants to do more than what you ask Him to do.

Number two, God can use someone else's story to encourage you in your story. You know one phenomenon I see in Christian life and in church is this, when you are experiencing hardship, the instinct you have is to withdraw. I've a difficult marriage.  I'm quarreling with my wife, my husband, so what do you do, I don't go to church.  I don't want to be in a care group.  I don't want to meet with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I don't want to talk to anyone in church because I'm very embarrassed about this, I'm struggling with this and I just want to get off as far as I can.

Hey, but God wants you to come right back in, in community, because that's where God can use someone else's story to encourage you, that's what Hebrews 10:24-25 is all about right?  Do not forsake the assembling of yourself together, why so that you may provoke, stir up one another to love and good works. I think sometimes we don't go care groups and in Christian community to look good so you want to convince everyone in your care group that you've got life under control so you don't dare to share your weaknesses, your struggles, your difficulties and so when real difficulties come, you, you find it hard to tell them I'm struggling.

Can I tell you something?  It's okay to struggle.  In fact, it's normal to struggle. How many of you have got life all sorted out?  You are the perfect husband, you have the perfect wife, you live a perfect life and you've perfect kids, anyone?  You belong to the wrong church if you're perfect. We are all flawed sinners struggling with the flesh even though I'm saved.

Hey, care group is not where you want to look good.  Care group is where you know we are not good and we need one another. That's what Christian community is for!  You want to look good, go look in the mirror, it's okay but if you want to help yourself and you want others to help one another then you got to be in a care group where it's alright to share I am struggling with my marriage.  I'm struggling with a miscarriage.  I'm struggling with a new diagnosis.  I'm struggling with my ministry.  I'm struggling in my, in my thoughts.  I'm having depression I need help and maybe someone will share?

Well I had that and that's how God came through for me, hey, I didn't know you got that and that's the means of grace God has given to you. Hey Christianity is not just coming to church on Sunday and hear a sermon, way more than that!  It's engaging in one another's stories, journeying in life together alright but finally I want to say when all hope seems lost, I, I just want to you to say, remember frustrations growth faith, interruptions are instructions. Denials are sometimes designs to grow your faith.

Number two, don't miss out on community because God can use someone's story to help you and you can use your story to help someone but number three, remember, remember at the end of the day, we need to keep true to the intent of the author of the Gospels and I think Matthew has included the story because when all hope seems lost, we can remember the supreme power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. After all, that's the theme of the segment of Scripture right. Matthew records for us some 9, 10 miracles to prove over and over again the Authority of Jesus Christ. Jesus has healed the leper.  Jesus has healed the demoniac.  Jesus has calmed the storm but now the pinnacle of that power demonstrated in the miracles is the raising of someone from death to life.

Like I said, there's nothing more final than death. When you go to the hospital, as long as you've a heartbeat, as long as you're breathing, the doctors will try to bring you back.  They may wrestle with you for half an hour, one hour, but they, they, they know that not all hope is lost but when you stop breathing, when your heart stops beating and when you're clinically proven dead, they give up. They don't take any more blood pressure, they don't do anything else, they don't take any more blood, it's gone, it’s final nothing can be done!  There's nothing more final than death, there's nothing more ultimate than death, in the sense, in our experience.

Hey, but this story tells us there's nothing too hard for God. The Authority of Jesus is, is proven in bringing someone from death to life. What situation is more devastating than death and if Jesus can deal with that, He can deal with your situation.

A young preacher, named DL Moody, was called to preach a sermon for a funeral service. He's never done that before so he said okay I'll do a good job.  I'll try to do a good job so he goes to the Bible to search for a sermon Jesus preached when he was at a funeral. He searched and searched and searched but he could not find a single sermon that Jesus preached in a funeral, why, because every funeral Jesus goes to, He breaks it all up, He heals and brings the dead to life.

Here is the power of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He can resurrect the dead and He can take back His own life which He laid down at the Cross and therefore He tells us in John 11, I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in me, though he dies yet he shall live again!  There is nothing more devastating and ultimate than death but Jesus conquered death.  He has authority over death.  He has power over death.  There's nothing that can hold you back from God's will.

Recently a man named Billy Graham passed away. He is a world-famous preacher, evangelist and what he said is so true. You may not agree with all of his theology but this statement is true. Someday you will, you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead.  Don't you believe a word of it, I shall be more alive than I am now, I would just have changed my address. I would have gone into the presence of God.

This is the supreme hope of the Christian - death cannot hold me. The supreme hope of the Christian is that I am no more, no more, no more going to die and go to the place of judgment called hell but instead because of Jesus, who is the Resurrection and the Life because of Jesus and what He has done on the Cross, having paid for my sins, when I die, I will live and this live is eternal life.  Eternal life is knowing God and His Son, Jesus Christ and I say to you, this is the great news of the whole Bible, folks!  When all hope seems lost, when man is so steep in sin, ruined in sin, destroyed by sin, Jesus is our hope.

When we cannot save ourselves from our sins, Jesus is our hope.  He died and paid for our sins and He rose again the third day. I say to you, I triumphantly, joyously call out to you, believe in Jesus Christ. When there is no hope in any other way and any other religion, in any other figures, there is One Man, the God Man Jesus Christ who came, who died, who rose again, who is now at the right hand of the throne of God, and they who repent of their sins and believe in Him, one day will join Him forevermore!

This is the great hope of the Bible, you can be saved from your sins, you can come to know this God.  How do you come to know this God?  How do you come to know this Jesus?  Well, be like the woman, humbly coming and say if I could only touch His garment.  If I could only reach out to Jesus by faith, I will be healed and you will be right because He did promise for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. I pray today will be the day you will reach out to Jesus by faith and find that hope that can burn within your heart, the hope of knowing God forevermore.

Let's bow for a word of prayer together. Perhaps today you are going through hardships and adversities and seemingly hopeless situations, there's nothing more final and more devastating than the daughter dying and yet that's what Jesus can do, bring hope into a hopeless situation. Supremely that can be seen in the story of this whole world.  When man has chosen to go against God and when man cannot find a means by which we can find acceptance with God, Jesus came into this world to be the Savior for our sins. When all seems lost, here is the Savior, Jesus Christ.

This morning, if you're here with us for the first time, if you're someone who is seeking for salvation, seeking for cleansing, seeking for forgiveness, seeking for new life and you said to yourself, I've tried many times over and over again, I've tried many religions, I've tried many means, I've listened to many people but I don't seem to have this assurance of salvation, my life is not changed, I'm not sure if God will accept me, let me tell you today, you can be sure God will forgive you of your sins, God will receive you to Himself, if you're willing to be like that woman to repent of your sins and to reach out to Jesus because He did say whosoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have everlasting life.

Today is the day my friends, your life can absolutely turn around.  You're not too far for God to save.  You're not too sinful for God to save. We are all very sinful but here is the marvelous news of the Bible, God's grace, God's power, God's forgiveness is greater than all our sins.  It's so helpless you say, no it's not too helpless, Jesus paid it all, it's already done and He's proven it, by His resurrection on the 3rd day.

I know there are some of you here, sitting right here, you come to church every single Sunday but you're not yet saved, I say to you, please don't just come to church, come to Christ, repent and believe in Him.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, I hope you understand that this sermon, this story of Jairus, is not a guarantee that every difficult situation in life will always be turned around in this life. The Bible doesn't promise that but I can say to you that in every difficult circumstance and trial, God has a purpose for it and I say from the Scripture I know that He wants to grow you, He wants to strengthen your faith, He wants to help you mature, He pursue that and it might be a lifelong training process but you can still trust that He's always good, always wise, always able.

For some of us, perhaps He wants you to go a little bit lower before He will lift you up and when He does so, remember that lesson of faith, just like as we look around this building we remember the lesson of faith.

I say to some of you today if you are living your life as a Christian man or woman, I think it involves being in Gospel communities.  If you are living a private isolated life, I call you, I ask you, I encourage you to repent and come into community.  Let others encourage you in your walk and may you also encourage others in their walk.  The comfort you have received. Think about it, it's not just for you it's for someone beside you

Father, thank You for this morning and I pray that Your Word will continue to settle in our hearts so that we are not just knowing the theory behind it but we would diligently consider what we can do and what we should do and how we should respond. May you bring many to salvation, may you bring people to comfort and may You steady our gaze to realize that we have a great hope and one day, no matter how messy life is here, we will all be well when we meet with Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, face to face so comfort the hearts of those struggling today, strengthen our faith to keep following You, we ask this now in Jesus Name, amen.

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