SERMON: EXPERIENCING GOD: TOUCH

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 8:1-4

Matthew 8:1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series on experiencing God -- on how we can experience God with our senses as we walk through this world seeking His presence

            -- too often in the church, we tend to relegate our spiritual experiences with God to traditional spiritual disciplines -- going to church -- reading the Bible -- praying -- but I think this does such a disservice to God and discounts the many other means of grace by which we experience His presence and His life daily

            -- as Henri Nouwen put it, “To walk in the presence of the Lord means to move forward in life in such a way that all our desires, thoughts, and actions are constantly guided by him -- When we walk in the Lord’s presence, everything we see, hear, touch, or taste reminds us of him”

            -- that’s what this series is all about -- the ways we can experience God’s presence during this time when we are not able to gather in traditional church worship services -- and, hopefully, this will open your lives to recognizing God’s presence even after life goes back to a semblance of normality

            -- so far in this series, we have looked at the topics of sight -- of how God is a seeing God and how we might see God in our world if we would but learn to look -- and of hearing -- of how God constantly speaks, but how we need to listen with open ears to hear His still, small voice in the midst of this world’s noise

            -- this morning, we are going to be talking about experiencing God through His touch -- and how we might minister His presence to others in the same way

            -- the fiction author Jim Butcher pointed out that “there’s power in the touch of another person’s hand. -- The need to be touched is something so primal, so fundamentally a part of our existence as human beings that its true impact upon us can be difficult to put into words -- From the time we are infants, we learn to associate the touch of a human hand with safety, with comfort, with love”

            -- this is something that Kim and I have discussed during this time of coronavirus self-distancing and self-isolation -- it used to be so normal to just go through your day and randomly touch someone else -- a handshake -- a hug -- a kiss -- just laying your hand on someone’s shoulder or their back -- little things that just let someone know that you saw them -- you noticed them -- that you are there with them

            -- and that’s something that the coronavirus has taken away -- we wear masks to protect ourselves and others, but end up hiding our faces and our hearts -- and when we pass each other now, we stay our mandated six feet apart -- longing to touch -- but never able to just acknowledge the presence of someone in that way

            -- Luke Combs just put out a timely song, “Six Feet Apart,” where he talks about how this has affected us -- in the chorus, he sings:  “I miss my mom, I miss my dad, I miss the road, I miss my band, [I miss] Givin' hugs and shakin' hands”

            -- how sad would it be if this one aspect of our humanity -- the ability to touch another person -- to shake someone’s hand -- to give them a hug -- to hold them when they are hurting --is something that we never are able to experience again because of this virus?

            -- can you imagine it? -- to never touch or be touched again?

II.  Leprosy

            -- well, in the Bible, there were some who knew exactly what that was like -- people with the dreaded disease of leprosy

            -- many people in Jesus’ day believed leprosy was a punishment because of sin in their lives -- they were considered unclean -- physically and spiritually -- and were despised and feared by the people of Israel

            -- when someone became infected with leprosy, they became the ultimate outcast -- they were shunned by their community and cast out of society

            -- they were forced to wear rags -- to let their hair grow long and unkempt -- and to wear a bell around their neck to announce their presence -- when someone came near them or when they entered a town where people were, they were to cover their mouth with a cloth and to proclaim, “Unclean, unclean,” so the person would be able to see them and stay away

            -- they lived in communities with other lepers outside of towns and villages -- and they stayed there until they either got better or died -- this was the only way the people knew to contain the spread of the contagious forms of leprosy.¹

            -- they weren’t allowed to come with six feet of another person, including their family -- and they weren’t allowed within 150 feet of anyone when the wind was blowing -- they lived their lives separated from others -- seeing them, but never touching another human, except for someone else with the same disease¹

III.  Scripture Lesson (Matthew 8:1-4)

            -- that’s why the events that occurred in this passage from Matthew 8 were so astounding and so unbelievable to the people in Jesus’ day -- let’s look at this passage together now

            -- look back at verse 1-2a

Matthew 8:1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him…

            -- this moment in Jesus’ life took place just after He had delivered the Sermon on the Mount, when crowds gathered around Jesus and He taught them the true meaning of the Law and the commandments of God from the Old Testament

            -- Jesus showed the crowd on that day that obedience and relationship with God was something from within -- from the heart -- rather than just outward expressions of religion, as the Pharisees taught -- Jesus was trying to get them to see that the state of their heart was more important than outward holiness, for God is more concerned about someone’s heart than anything else

            -- and when Jesus finished speaking and came down from the mountain, large crowds of people continued to follow Him -- listening to Him as He preached and as He spoke -- watching Him -- just wanting to be with Him

            -- now remember what I told you about how lepers were treated in this day -- a leper would never have approached a large crowd of people -- it just wasn’t done -- it just wasn’t allowed -- lepers would have been kept away, for fear of contaminating a person -- not only physically, but also spiritually -- if you touched someone with leprosy, you were spiritually unclean

            -- and that’s why the audacity of the man with leprosy here in these verses is so remarkable -- we don’t know how long he suffered from this condition -- we don’t know how many years it was since he was cast out from society -- how many years it had been since he had experienced the touch of another person

            -- but something drove him to defy societal norms that day -- hope

            -- I think it’s interesting how the NIV translates verse 2 -- most other translations say that “a leper came and knelt before Jesus,” but the NIV changes this and says, “a man with leprosy came and knelt before Him” -- and I think that’s important

            -- while there were instances in the Bible where God did send leprosy on someone because of their sin -- Miriam, Moses’ sister, is one example -- I think it’s safe to say that in most cases, leprosy and other afflictions came upon people simply because that’s what happens in a fallen world -- people get sick -- people get injured -- people suffer from the diseases and vagaries of life -- there is nothing in this passage that indicates that this man’s condition was a result of sin in his life

            -- but leprosy did symbolize sin in Jesus’ day and it was recognized as a condition of uncleanness in the sight of God -- that’s why it’s important to note that the NIV translates this as “a man with leprosy” and not “a leper” -- it denotes a difference in how God viewed this man -- he was not his disease -- he had not become leprosy -- instead, he was a man infected with leprosy

            -- in the same way, we do not become our sin -- instead, we are people who have sin in our lives -- there’s a separation there -- that’s why we hear that God loves the sinner but hates the sin -- this separation makes room for healing -- this separation allows God’s touch to bring restoration to someone’s soul -- and that’s what we’re about to see here

            -- look back at the second part of verse 2b-3

2b “…and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.

            -- I’m not sure we can fully comprehend how this leper felt at this moment -- yes, he was healed, but it was more than that

            -- Jesus could have healed this man with just a word -- we see Him do just that in the story of the ten lepers that He heals -- He could have just said the word, and the man would have been made whole

            -- He could have prayed and called out to the Father for healing, as we see Him do in other healing miracles -- as He did when He raised Lazarus from the grave -- a public prayer -- a cry to the Father -- and healing would have come

            -- but Jesus did neither -- He did something that was unthinkable -- even while this man was a leper -- even while this man was covered with sores and mangled and rotted flesh -- Jesus touched him -- He reached out and He touched him

            -- how long had it been since this man had been touched? -- when was the last time He had felt the touch of another person’s hand on his head -- his shoulder -- his hand?

            -- Jesus touched Him and then said, “I am willing to heal you -- be clean”

            -- Max Lucado wrote from the leper’s point of view in his book, “Just Like Jesus,” -- “I will never forget the one who dared to touch me. He could have healed me with a word. But he wanted to do more than heal me. He wanted to honor me, to validate me, to christen me. Imagine that . . . unworthy of the touch of a man, yet worthy of the touch of God.”

            -- verse 4

4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

            -- after Jesus healed this man, he told him to not tell anyone, but to go and show the priest and to fulfill the requirements of the Law, which mandated he be examined by the priest and proclaimed whole in the temple of Jerusalem

            -- not tell anyone? -- why? -- how could Jesus expect this man to be silent about the great miracle that had happened?

            -- we really don’t know why Jesus said this -- we can speculate, of course -- and, I thought about this for a while

            -- remember the life the leper was living -- outcast -- shunned -- avoided by everyone -- never able to be with people -- never able to be around people

            -- and now, he has to go from the region of Galilee to Judea -- to Jerusalem -- in order to go to the temple and see the priests -- this would be a long journey -- a long road to take -- walking alongside other people and meeting people traveling from Jerusalem back to their homes

            -- it would have given this man time to adjust -- time to reflect -- time to grow

            -- think about it -- in the past, if he had tried to follow the crowd, they would have run in fear and cried out, “unclean, unclean” -- but now, he’s just another face in the crowd -- another traveler on the way to Jerusalem

            -- when he passed people going the other way, they wouldn’t turn their gaze or cross to the other side of the road -- no, they might smile and wave or even brush his sleeve as they passed

            -- his life had changed -- and it takes time to learn to walk in newness of life -- he was no longer a leper -- he was no longer a man with leprosy -- he was healed -- he was whole -- he was made new -- and he needed to learn to walk in this new life

            -- it’s just like us -- when we become a Christian and put our faith and trust in Jesus for the first time, we are new creations -- we are no longer sinners -- we are no longer people with sin -- we are healed -- clean -- whole -- forgiven

            -- and it takes time for us to learn how to walk and live in our new lives -- to live differently than we have in the past -- to put aside our old habits and our old sins and to live with our eyes focused on God

            -- I think that’s part of why Jesus told the man who used to have leprosy to not tell anyone

            -- the other reason has to do with the destination -- under the Law, he would not have been officially cleansed until the priests verified the healing -- and, here’s the thing about leprosy -- no one got better -- there was no cure -- there wasn’t a line of people outside the temple who had just gotten better and were now waiting to be declared clean -- no, it took a touch from God to be made whole and to be healed of leprosy, just as it takes a touch from God to be healed of our sin

            -- and so Jesus sent this man to Jerusalem to the priests as a witness to them -- to show them that the Messiah had come to touch hearts and lives and bring healing, forgiveness, and restoration -- not only of diseases like leprosy -- but of the more insidious disease of the heart within us all -- our sin nature

           

IV.  CLOSING

            -- touch -- it’s part of what makes us human -- when someone touches us, it lets us know they see us -- they know us -- they are reaching out in relationship to us -- it’s the same with God

            -- God touched a man with leprosy and set him free forever -- and God touches us daily to let us know that He loves us and that He forgives us and that He wants to set us free forever so that we might live with Him in eternity

            -- I want to close this morning by sharing with you the lyrics from the Gaither’s song, “He Touched Me:”

“Shackled by a heavy burden

'Neath a load of guilt and shame

Then the hand of Jesus touched me

And now I am no longer the same.

“He touched, oh, he touched me

And oh the joy that floods my soul!

Something happened, and now I know

He touched me, and made me whole.”

            -- we may be living in a time where we cannot touch or be touched by another because of this coronavirus -- but there is One who can still touch us, wherever we are

            -- God’s hand is reaching out for you today -- He wants to touch you -- to touch your heart -- to touch your soul -- to touch your spirit -- to healing and wholeness to your life

            -- as we close in prayer, receive His touch -- feel His hands on your head -- and hear the same words of healing He spoke to the man with leprosy, “I am willing -- be clean”

            -- let us pray

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1 “Why is leprosy talked about so much in the Bible?” https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-leprosy.html

SERMON: EXPERIENCING GOD: HEAR

I.  Introduction

            -- if you have your Bibles, turn to 1 Samuel 3:1-11

1The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.

      -- it's hard to believe now -- with our cell phones and the internet and 24-hour television -- but years ago, the telegraph was the newest and fastest method of communication invented -- and just like today, when a new technology like that comes along, the younger generations are the first to adopt it and use it

      -- well, this one young man saw a newspaper ad for a job as a Morse Code operator -- as you know, that's how the telegraph worked -- it would send out clicks over the wire -- dots and dashes in Morse Code -- that the telegraph operator would then translate into letters and words

            -- this young man had just graduated from a school that taught him how to do just that, so he went down to the office to apply for the job

      -- When he got there, the office was just bustling with activity -- there was all kinds of noise and clatter, including the sound of a telegraph in the background -- There was a sign on the receptionist's desk that told job applicants to fill out a form and wait until somebody called them for an interview

      -- The young man filled out his form and sat down -- there were several other applicants who were already sitting there waiting for an interview -- After a few minutes, the young man stood up, went across the room to the door of the inner office where the interviews were being held, and walked right in.

      -- Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on -- they began to murmur among themselves and said that they hadn't heard anyone call them into the office for an interview yet

      -- They assumed that the young man who got up and went into the office made a mistake and would probably be disqualified.

      -- just a few minutes later, though, the employer escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants, "Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been filled."

      -- you can imagine what the other men did -- they got upset and started complaining and one spoke up to the boss saying, "Wait a minute, I don't understand. He was the last one to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet you gave him the job. That's not fair!"

      -- The employer said, "I'm sorry, but the whole time you've been sitting out here waiting, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse Code: 'If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.' -- Apparently, none of you heard it or understood it -- but this young man did, so the job is his."        

II.  Hearing from God

            -- last week we started a new series on experiencing God -- about the different ways we can experience and relate to God in our lives

            -- last week, we focused on how to see God -- on using our sight to see God around us and to see where He is working in our lives and in this world, that we might join Him in His work -- this week, we are going to focus on how to hear God

            -- you see, God is always speaking -- He is always calling out to us -- the problem is that we just don't know how to hear Him with everything else that is going on around us

            -- we live in a world filled with noise -- it is almost impossible to go somewhere and find silence and solitude -- to escape from the many voices clamoring for our attention -- and a lot of that is our fault, because we’ve become so used to the noise that we can’t stand silence, so we find ways to avoid it

            -- we’re constantly on our phones -- or we’ve got the radio on -- or the TV -- or the internet -- or all of it at the same time -- and we go through our days overwhelmed with noise -- unable to hear our own voice or our own thoughts -- much less the voice of God

            -- God is not going to compete with the world -- He isn't going to try to outshout all of the noise and chaos around us just so we hear Him -- despite what we see in the movies, God doesn't typically thunder down from heaven in a big voice when we're in the Walmart parking lot and say "Greg, this is God -- listen to Me"

            -- in fact, the Bible tells us that when God speaks to us, He speaks in a still, small voice -- He speaks in a whisper -- He speaks to our hearts in ways that may not be audible -- and only those who are listening for Him can hear Him when He calls

            -- I actually know people who have heard God in an audible voice -- I know others who have had experiences with angels who brought God's message to them directly -- but these are extraordinary experiences and not the normal means by which God chooses to communicate with us today

            -- when God speaks to us, He speaks to our hearts -- He speaks to our spirits -- and, unless we learn to listen with ears of faith, we are not going to hear Him when He calls

            -- so, this morning, I want us to look at a story about hearing the voice of God -- the story of the calling of the prophet Samuel from 1 Samuel 3:1-11

III.  Scripture Lesson (1 Samuel 3:1-11)

            -- look back at verse 1-3

1The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

            -- in this verse we are introduced to Samuel -- a very young boy who was ministering in the temple or tabernacle under the priest Eli so that he could learn how to serve God and follow in Eli's footsteps as a priest

            -- just to give you the background of Samuel -- Samuel's mother Hannah had been barren -- she had been unable to bear children, and in that day, this was a shameful event -- it was taken to mean that you were out of favor with God -- and, as a result, Hannah was bullied by her husband's other wife who did have children -- the pain became so bad that when her family would go to the feasts at the tabernacle in Shiloh, she would pray to God to take away her shame and to let her bear a child

            -- in exchange, she told God that if He would answer her prayer and give her a son, that she would dedicate her son to full-time service with the Lord

            -- well, God heard her prayer and Hannah became pregnant and bore Samuel -- and after he was weaned and while he was still very young -- probably no more than 5 or 6 year old -- Hannah brought him to the tabernacle and placed him under the guardianship and instruction of Eli -- which is where we find him here at the opening of this passage

            -- there’s a couple of things I want you to see in these verses which speaks to the spiritual condition of the nation of Israel and of the priests in this time

            -- first, notice that it says here in verse 1, "In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions"

            -- the way God speaks to us now is not the way that He spoke to the Israelites in the Old Testament -- Hebrews 1:1-2 says, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son"

            -- we have within us the Holy Spirit, who speaks to our hearts and souls and spirits and communicates directly with each of us -- but it wasn’t like that in Samuel’s day

            -- back then, God did not speak to individuals on a daily basis like He does now -- instead, He would speak to one person -- His prophet -- His representative -- who would then tell everyone what God had said

            -- think of the story of Jonah and the whale -- that book tells us that God spoke to Jonah and told him to carry a message to the people of Ninevah -- that's the normal way that God spoke to people in the Old Testament

            -- when God would speak to the prophets in the Old Testament, He would usually speak to them through dreams or through visions, although on rare occasions God would speak to a person in an audible voice or even appear to them as the angel of the Lord -- a preincarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ

            -- so, usually, God spoke to His people in dreams or visions -- the difference between a dream and a vision is that in a dream you usually asleep and not really an active participant -- a vision typically happens when you are awake and you actively speak with God

            -- here in this verse, we read that visions were rare at this time -- the word of God was rare at this time -- this can mean that God was not actively speaking to the people of Israel -- probably because of the sin and idolatry and disobedience on their part that had alienated them from God's presence -- in other words, the silence was because God was not speaking

            -- or, it can mean that God was still speaking, but there was no one listening -- no one who was faithful or righteous or who actively listened and sought God in their lives

            -- but “rare” doesn’t mean “never” -- and when it says there weren’t many visions, that tells us that God was still speaking to those who had the faith to listen

            -- that’s why it says here in verse 3 that the lamp of God had not yet gone out -- the lamp of God represented His presence among the people -- specifically, the oil in the lamp represented the Holy Spirit -- and so it’s important to note that the lamp of God had not yet gone out -- God had not left His people -- there was still a remnant of faith present in the nation of Israel -- a spark that still burned in the heart of the some of the people for their God, such as Samuel

            -- verse 4-8

4 Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.

      -- so, we read here that one night, after Eli and Samuel had gone to bed, Samuel heard the sound of a voice calling his name -- verse 4 says that “the Lord called Samuel” -- and that’s such an awesome verse to meditate on

      -- God didn’t just speak out in a general way -- He didn’t just issue a call out to the nation of Israel -- He didn’t just speak commands to His servants in the temple -- no, He called out to the boy Samuel by speaking his name -- it was personal -- it was intimate -- it was loving

      -- and when God speaks to us, He does the same -- He calls us by name and speaks to each of us personally -- He speaks to our hearts -- He speaks to our needs -- because He knows us by name

      -- when Samuel heard the voice calling in the night, he thought it was Eli -- obviously, Eli had called out to the boy in the night before -- Samuel was there to serve Eli and assist in the temple -- so, when he heard the voice, he got up and ran to Eli and asked him what he wanted -- but Eli said that he hadn't called and to go back to sleep

      -- so, Samuel went back to sleep and it happened again -- he heard his name being called and so he ran in to Eli once again -- once again, Eli sent him back to his bed -- but God spoke Samuel’s name for a third time -- and when Samuel ran to Eli for the third time, even Eli knew what was going on -- he realized that God was speaking to Samuel

      -- verse 9-11

9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.

      -- Eli sent Samuel back in to the temple with the instruction to listen for God’s voice and told him how to respond when he heard the voice calling again -- and Samuel went back and did just what Eli told him to do -- God spoke and Samuel responded and God told Samuel that the time had come for His voice to be heard in the land again -- that the ears of the people of Israel would tingle at the word of the Lord and at what He was about to do

            -- now I think there are a couple of important lessons that we can learn about hearing the voice of God from this story about Samuel

      -- first, you have to be in a place where you can hear God when He calls

      -- notice where Samuel was when he first heard God calling him -- notice what was going on around him -- Samuel wasn't out in the town square -- he wasn't down at the market -- he wasn't sitting in his room surfing the internet or watching TV or playing with his phone

      -- he was by himself in a still and quiet place -- he was in a place where he could hear the Lord if the Lord spoke -- in fact, we read here that he slept in the temple, near the ark of the covenant -- near the place where God was

      -- and that's something to remember -- if we're going to hear God when He speaks, then we're going to have to get in a place where we can hear His voice calling to us -- for most of us, that means that we're going to have to choose to isolate ourselves from the world

      -- that means that we're going to have to choose to set aside our phone and the TV and the internet -- to set aside all the noise and the chaos and the distractions and everything else that keeps us from hearing that still quiet voice of the Lord calling -- we’re going to have to find a place where we can hear God when He speaks

      -- that is the pattern of Jesus that we see in the New Testament -- throughout the gospels, we read about Jesus going off by Himself -- getting away from His disciples and from the crowds -- and going to a place of solitude to pray all night -- to talk to His Father and to listen as His Father spoke to Him

      -- we have to do the same if we are going to hear God when He calls

            -- second, you have to be actively listening for the voice of God

            -- the first three times God called out to Samuel, Samuel heard God’s voice, but didn’t recognize it -- he didn’t know it was God -- he thought it was just another voice calling in the world

            -- so, that’s why the last time, Eli sent Samuel back with instructions to respond to God when He spoke -- and this time, Samuel was ready -- he didn't go back to sleep -- he lay there listening -- he lay there waiting on God to call again -- and when God spoke He heard Him

            -- this is one of the biggest problems that we have as Christians today trying to hear when God speaks to us -- we're not actively listening -- we're listening to everything else around us and we're just not hearing God when He speaks

      --  in the last several years I have become aware of a hearing problem that I have -- not that I have any great hearing loss -- I've had that checked -- my problem is that I tend to hear background noise more than what I should be paying attention to

      -- we usually have our Bible study in someone’s home -- and, occasionally, they’ll have the TV on in the background -- and if that’s going on, I find myself focusing on the sound of the TV and not on the lesson -- I have to intentionally focus on what is important and tune out the rest -- or, even better, have someone shut the TV off so there’s nothing else competing

      -- I've had to practice active listening -- really paying attention and focusing on the other person so I don't miss what they are saying -- and that is key in hearing from God today

      -- and that's the big problem with hearing God -- we've got so much background noise going on around us that we might focus on all that noise and miss hearing God when He speaks

      -- in order to hear God, we have to be actively listening for His voice -- we have to be aware of His presence and focused on Him in order to know when He is talking to us

      -- once we learn to recognize His voice when He calls, then it will be easier to hear Him and focus on Him even in the midst of the noise and chaos of this world

      -- that's why it's a good idea to follow the examples in Scripture and get away to a quiet place when you are trying to hear from God -- over time, as you walk longer with God and get used to hearing Him on a regular basis, you might reach the point where you can hear Him at any time and in any place -- no matter what is going on -- but to do that you need to be practiced at actively listening for Him

            -- third, you need to respond when God speaks        

            -- when God spoke to Samuel that last time, Samuel responded to God by saying, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

            -- when God speaks, He does so for a reason -- God doesn't just call us up to chat -- He calls us because He wants to tell us something or He has something for us to do -- when God speaks, we need to respond -- when God speaks, He expects us to acknowledge His presence and to actively wait to do what He tells us to do

            -- it does no good to learn to listen to God's voice if you don't do what He tells you to do

            -- you can go to church and you can to Bible study all you want -- you can learn all about God and how to hear God -- but if you do nothing with what you learn -- if you don’t respond to God when He speaks -- you are just wasting your time

            -- let me borrow an illustration from Francis Chan -- let's say that this afternoon I get Brooke's attention and I call out to her and she stops everything she's doing -- she turns off the radio and TV and she comes out and actively listens to me and I tell her, "I want you to clean your room"

            -- then she goes into her room and comes out after half an hour and says, "I've been studying what you said about cleaning my room and it's awesome wisdom! In fact, I can now say "clean your room" in Greek'!” -- I don’t know if you knew this, but Brooke is multi-lingual

            -- anyway, so Brooke goes on to say, “Also, I watched some videos on YouTube and came up with a point-by-point plan on how I would go about cleaning my room if I actually did it and what it would look like.  Isn't that great?"

            -- What would your response as a parent be? -- if you told your child to go and clean their room and they come back and said they’ve been studying how to do just that, but haven’t done anything to actually do what you said, you’d tell them, “you haven’t done it -- you’re missing the point! -- I didn't just speak to you so you would go off and study what I said -- I spoke so you would respond and do what I said”

            -- that's the same way with God -- when we get in a place where we can hear God's voice and when we actively listen for Him to speak and we actually hear what He is saying, we need to DO what He tells us to do! -- we need to respond to His call -- not just through another Bible study or taking notes in a sermon but actively doing what He has told us to do

            -- When the God of all the universe takes the time to speak to us, we need to respond to His word

IV.  Closing

            -- as we close today, though, I want to issue a challenge to you

            -- in this passage that we looked at today, we saw three steps that Samuel went through to hear God when He spoke that are important for us to follow

            -- first, we have to be in a place where we can hear God over the noise of this world         

            -- second, we have to be actively listening for God to speak to us in whatever way He chooses

            -- and, finally, we have to be ready to respond to God and to do what He is telling us to do

            -- this week, I want you to do that first step -- we’ll start slow -- just take 10 minutes and sit by yourself in a quiet place -- 10 minutes away from your phone or the TV or whatever it is that occupies your background noise -- I want you to just get away for 10 minutes and just sit quietly

            -- don't read your Bible -- don't pray -- don't try to do this while you're driving -- don't actively do anything but get away for 10 minutes and be quiet and still

            -- I've done this before and it's hard -- we have been trained to have noise and distractions around us at all times -- but if we're going to start hearing from God as individual Christians and as a church, then we've got to learn how to intentionally set aside time for God daily

            -- God is speaking to us today -- we just need to learn how to hear His voice again -- in our lives -- in our churches -- and in our country

            -- so, take time this week to get alone with Him -- listen for His voice -- respond to His call -- and experience Him in your life

            -- let us pray

SERMON: EXPERIENCING GOD: SEE

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Mark 8:22-26

Mark 8:22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into[a] the village.”

            -- when we took our trip to Yellowstone National Park a couple of years ago, I went with visions of grandeur in mind -- I had seen the National Geographic specials about Yellowstone, with the landscape covered in bison -- with moose and elk at every turn -- with black bears and grizzlies and deer everywhere -- everyone who had been there told me this was all true -- Kim and Judie -- Mama and Daddy -- they had all been there and they said you’re just not going to believe what it’s like -- animals as far as the eye could see

            -- but when I got there, that’s not what happened -- we pulled into the park and we saw nothing -- no herds of elk covering the landscape -- no deer crossing the road -- no coyotes -- no moose -- no sheep -- sure, there were the ubiquitous bison -- but not much else

            -- turns out we went to Yellowstone during an unprecedented heat wave -- we got there in the middle of an extreme drought -- there were wildfires throughout the west -- the grass and the berries and the other food for the animals had dried up and were not as widespread as normal -- and the animals had retreated deeper into the wilderness to find areas with water and food

            -- the main thing I wanted to see in Yellowstone were the grizzly bears -- I’ve seen black bears before, but I had never seen a grizzly -- we just don’t have them here, and they are a federally endangered species -- there’s only a few places you can go and see them, and Yellowstone is one of them -- and we spent days looking for grizzlies -- for any kind of bear -- and couldn’t find one anywhere

            -- one day -- after we had spent several hours in the park trying to see something of interest other than bison -- we were headed back to our cabin and saw a whole bunch of vehicles pulled off the road -- people were just lining the road and in the woods and we knew that meant they had found something of interest -- so, we pulled off

            -- I jumped out and asked the first people I saw, “what is it?” -- “It’s a grizzly” -- and, I got excited -- finally, a grizzly -- “Where?” -- “it’s right there” -- and I looked and didn’t see anything -- and I asked again -- this time they pointed, “It’s right there -- it’s feeding on some berries” -- and I looked again -- nothing -- I couldn’t see it

            -- I stood there for a full five minutes, staring at a creek bottom with binoculars -- seeing absolutely nothing -- people around me ooing and aahing at the grizzly, while all I saw was bushes

            -- the people around me tried to help -- look right there -- no, next to the tree -- next to the tree that looks like a rocket -- do you see the rock? -- it’s right next to the rock -- and I tried and I tried, but I couldn’t see anything -- and I was getting really frustrated -- I looked and looked and looked, and then finally, I saw it -- clear as day -- it just popped into my field of vision and I finally saw my first grizzly

            -- I had been staring at the grizzly the whole time, but I didn’t see it -- it didn’t look like I expected -- it didn’t look like the pictures on the Animal Planet -- and, even though I was looking right at it, I couldn’t see it -- but when my eyes were opened -- when I changed my perspective and looked again -- this time I saw what I was looking for

            -- there is a mystery to sight -- most of us are born with the ability to see -- but not everybody can truly see what is there

            -- when I think about the mystery of seeing, I think about Michelangelo -- someone once asked him how he was able to carve his masterpiece, David, out of a block of marble -- he told them, “I just see David in the marble, and I chip away everything that is not him”

            -- everyone could see the block of marble -- but only Michelangelo was able to see what was truly there

            -- I’ve been reading a series of philosophical essays about nature and wildness by Annie Dillard -- in this book, Dillard wrote about her daily travels down Tinker’s Creek, a little creek that runs by her house in Virginia -- she went down there to see if she could find muskrats living along the creek, something that she had rarely seen

            -- when she first started to visit Tinker’s Creek, she saw what all of us would see if we went -- water rushing over the rocks as the stream fell from the mountains and made its way downstream -- the trees by the stream -- the cows in the field across the way

            -- but over time, she began to see more -- she looked past the rushing of the water to what lay within, and learned to pick out the trout and the fish in the stream -- she learned to slow the water with her mind, and to see the skimmers and the water bugs on the surface, making their way along the creek -- she was enraptured by the white petals of flowers that floated down the surface -- all things she had missed before because she hadn’t yet learned to see

            -- reflecting on her experience, she pointed out that we see what we expect to see -- that unless we call attention to what passes before our eyes, we simply won’t see it -- for us, it doesn’t exist -- just like I could not see the grizzly in that creek bottom at Yellowstone

            -- she says there is an art to learning how to see -- that you must learn to let go of your expectations in order to see with your heart what is truly there before you

            -- and, while Annie Dillard was speaking of learning to see the natural world in all its beauty, the same could be said about seeing spiritually -- Ruysbreck said, “For the Heavenly Father desires that we should see and that is why He is ever saying to our inmost spirit one deep unfathomable word and nothing else” -- that word? -- See…

            -- in Luke 4:18-19, when Jesus takes the scroll in the synagogue and reads from the prophet Isaiah, He announces to the people there that He has come to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, to release the oppressed -- and to recover sight for the blind -- Jesus came that the blind might see -- Jesus came so that we might see

II.  Scripture Lesson (Mark 8:22-26)

            -- this morning, we’re looking at a passage from Mark 8 where Jesus heals a man from his blindness -- and, while this is a story of a physical healing, it is more than that -- it is a message of healing for the spiritually blind, too -- for people who desire to see what is truly there -- and to know the God who calls to them to see

            -- so, if you’re following along in your Bibles, please look with me again here at Mark 8, starting at verse 22

Mark 8:22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.

            -- Jesus and His disciples have been traveling through Galilee -- preaching and teaching to the people in the villages and the countryside and doing miracles as signs of His coming -- as this passage opens, Mark tells us that Jesus and the disciples made their way to the small village of Bethsaida, there along the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee

            -- they were met by a group of people, bringing a blind man with them -- they came to Jesus and begged Jesus to touch this man -- to heal him, so that he might see

            -- there’s a word we use in the church -- often in our prayers -- intercession -- it means going before God on behalf of someone else -- this is what it looks like in practice

            -- these people cared enough about this blind man in their midst to carry him before Jesus -- to fall on their knees and beg for a miracle -- for Jesus to just reach out and touch him -- for Jesus to do something miraculous in his life

            -- this is our calling as the church of Christ on earth today -- we are here to intercede for others -- to minister to them and to bring them to Jesus -- every person you know -- every person you see -- needs a touch from Jesus -- for some, their need may be physical -- it may be food or clothing or healing from a sickness or other ailment

            -- for some, their true need may be spiritual -- it may be healing of the heart -- it may be salvation that they need -- it may be healing of spiritual blindness that they need -- the Bible tells us that Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers -- that he has put a veil over their eyes so that they cannot see -- we should pray that God would remove this veil so that they could see and be healed

            -- whatever it is that those around us need, we should be like the people in this verse and bring them to Jesus -- if not physically, at least in our prayers -- for Jesus hears the intercessions that we make for others, and He acts on them, as He does here in this passage

            -- verse 23-24

23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

            -- Jesus took the man by the hand and led him outside the village to a private place -- there’s a lesson there for us -- spiritual healing requires time alone with Jesus -- spiritual healing means you have to get away from the world and the things that distract and spend time alone with the Healer in private

            -- that’s why retreats like the Walk to Emmaus are so effective -- it’s because those weekends are times to get away from the world -- to retreat to a private place with Jesus -- where He can take you by the hand and lead you to where He wants you to go -- where He can touch your eyes and open your sight to see what He wants you to see

            -- you know, we’ve been in the midst of this stay-at-home order for the coronavirus pandemic for several weeks now -- people are getting anxious -- they’re getting stir-crazy -- they want to go back out into the world -- but this is a time that we can use to get away from the world -- not just physically -- not just to isolate ourselves so that we might not carry sickness to the most vulnerable -- but spiritually

            -- rather than binging Netflix or getting anxious by watching the news about the virus all day, how about spending time with God? -- listening for His voice? -- feeling for His hand? -- looking for His presence? -- use this time that God has given for the healing of your hearts and the healing of your souls

            -- now, blindness was very common in the middle east -- the glare of the light on the desert -- the dust and dryness of the air -- all this combined to make blindness a common malady -- it is still is, in many places in the middle east -- more so than here in America

            -- and we see several references in the gospels of Jesus meeting and healing blind people during His travels -- the interesting thing we should note is that Jesus never healed any of them the same way -- every time he brought sight to the blind, He did so in a different way

            -- blind Bartimaeus was healed with just a word -- in John’s gospel there was a blind man that Jesus put mud on his eyes and the wasn’t healed until he washed the mud off in the pool of Siloam -- others, He healed with just a touch -- here in this passage, Jesus used spit

            -- the reason Jesus didn’t heal the same way every time was to keep us from focusing on the method rather than the Healer -- if He had healed the same way every time, we would be copying His methods in our churches rather than turning to Him for healing -- it’s not about the how -- it’s about the Who

            -- remember that because the way Jesus touched you may not be the way He touches someone else -- don’t focus on the method -- focus on the Savior

            -- so, in this case, Jesus used spit to heal this blind man -- In Jesus’ day, spit was thought to have healing properties -- crazy, isn’t it?  that people would think that spit could heal you? -- but if you think about it, we still think spit has healing properties today, don’t we? -- we may not say that, but we believe it

            -- if you burn your finger or get a cut on your hand, what do you do? -- put it in your mouth -- if you got a boo-boo when you were a kid, what did you want your Mama to do? -- kiss your boo-boo and make it better -- we just instinctively know that saliva has some type of healing ability

            -- so, Jesus used spit here because that was what the people expected, even if this was just a private healing  -- He put spit on the man’s eyes and put His hands on him, and asked him, “Do you see anything?” -- the man could see, but he could not see clearly -- he saw people, looking like trees walking around

            -- which begs the question -- did Jesus’ miracle fail? -- no, of course not -- which means there is more to learn here than what is on the surface -- there are two things going on here: 

            1) no one sees God’s truth all at once -- God reveals His truth and He opens our eyes as we are able to see and experience and understand it -- when you are new in your faith -- when you are a baby Christian -- there are spiritual things you just can’t grasp yet -- you just can’t understand -- you just can’t see

            -- but as we grow in our faith -- as we become more mature in our understanding of God and His ways, then our eyes are able to see more than we could see before

            -- you can understand this easily if you think about how God reveals truths to us through the Bible -- the first time you read a passage as a new Christian, you may not fully understand it -- you may only understand part of it, because you are not ready for it -- you don’t have the background or the ability to understand the entire meaning

            -- but as you mature in Christ, the next time you read this passage, God reveals more than before -- a new truth pops out and comes into focus just like that grizzly just came into my field of view at Yellowstone

            -- or maybe you’re in a different place now than before -- you’re in a place where you need to hear the message from that particular passage -- and, so, when you read it, it speaks to your heart in ways it couldn’t before

            -- it’s the same way with seeing spiritually -- the ability to see is progressive -- we see more as we mature and grow in our faith -- we learn to see as God opens our eyes more and more and more

            2) our default is to see things as the world sees them, not as God would have us see them -- a good example is this coronavirus -- if we see with eyes of flesh -- if we see as the world -- then our default is to either fear or to deny

            -- we fear for our future -- we fear that we might not find food -- that we might lose our jobs -- that our homes would be taken away -- that we might run out of toilet paper -- that we or our loved ones might get sick -- but Jesus said to not worry about those things -- to seek first the Kingdom of God -- to look to Jesus and to trust Him in all things

            -- some people look at this pandemic and deny it’s reality -- it’s easier to just say it isn’t real than to look for the truth that is hidden before you -- I could easily have walked away from that creek bottom in Yellowstone and just said, “these people have lost their mind -- there’s no grizzly there” -- I could have denied the truth that was evident to those around me

            -- that’s what happens where we only see what the world tells us to see -- when we only see what we expect or what we think we know

            -- to see as the world is to see and know fear or to deny the truth of God’s word

            -- to see spiritually is to know that Jesus has overcome this world -- that this is all temporary -- that our future is secure -- we have eternal life with Him -- we are not of this world any longer -- our home is with Him -- even if we were to die, we have not lost -- there is nothing to fear -- because we are promised eternity

            -- the message here is that we must continually come to Jesus to have our eyes opened because the world seeks to close our eyes or keep us from seeing clearly -- we sometimes need another touch from Jesus to open our eyes again

            -- verse 25

Mark 8:25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

            -- Jesus touched the man again -- He put his hands on him and his eyes were opened and he could see everything clearly

            -- if we go through this world only looking with eyes of flesh -- with eyes opened to the world and to worldly wisdom -- we will miss the truth around us -- we will only see the world as through a veil -- we will not see clearly what is right before us

            -- we must always remember that there is an unseen spiritual world around us at all times -- we are surrounded by angels and demons -- we have the very Spirit of the Holy God within us -- but we can’t see this unless God touches us and opens our eyes and reveals this to us

            -- we must also remember that there is a different perspective on every situation -- to have our eyes opened is to look at life through the eyes of God -- through the wisdom of God -- rather than through the eyes of the world

            -- in Ephesians 6:12, we read that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms

            -- what this means is that we have to look past the surface to see the spiritual reality of a situation -- like Annie Dillard, we need to look past the rushing water to learn to see what is beneath the surface

            -- that person that irritates you so much -- it is not them -- but it’s the manifestation of their spiritual reality that is causing the conflict -- that is leading them to act the way they act -- that is leading you to react the way you are reacting

            -- that fear you feel about the coronavirus -- it’s only the surface -- it’s not the spiritual reality of what God is doing in the midst of this pandemic

            -- we need to learn to see with the eyes of our heart -- with spiritual eyes -- we need to pray that God would touch us -- again and again -- to open our eyes -- to heal our sight -- so that we might know the truth of that which we are seeing

            -- verse 26

Mark 8:26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into[a] the village.”

            -- after Jesus does this great miracle in the life of this man -- after He restores sight to the blind -- He tells the man to not go back into the village -- why?

            -- two reasons -- first, people were flocking to Jesus for the miracles, not because of who He was -- if the man was to go into the village and everyone was to see the miracle of sight, then they would come running and surround Jesus and demand more and more miracles

            -- Jesus did not come to do miracles -- the miracles were given as signs to reveal to the people who He was

            -- if you think about it, every miracle Jesus did was temporary -- every healing was only temporary -- every person Jesus healed or brought back to life eventually died

            -- the problem that Jesus is trying to head off by telling the man to not go back into the village was to keep the people from looking at the method -- from looking at the signs -- from looking at what they could get -- rather than the God who was walking among them

            -- Jesus came to bring permanent spiritual restoration and healing by defeating sin and death once and for all -- if the people surrounded Jesus demanding nothing more than miracles, this would hamper His ministry and keep Him from His ultimate purpose

            -- second, if the man went back into the village, his sight would be affected again -- not physically, but spiritually -- the more time you spend in the world, the more you start to look like the world -- the more you see like the world

            -- if this man went back into the village again, the miracle would fade -- the reality of what he had been given would become normal -- he’d start seeing things as his friends saw them -- he’d start seeing things as the world saw them -- the spiritual opening of his eyes would be negated by the persistent siren call of the world

            -- it’s the same way our feet get dirty from just walking through this world -- the more we walk and act and believe and see like the world sees, the more we act like them

            -- we need to be in the world, but not of the world -- we need to constantly seek healing of our sight -- for our eyes to be opened spiritually on a regular basis, in order to see clearly and without worldly prejudice -- our prayer each morning as we open our eyes to a new day should be, “Lord, let me see!”

            -- so, with that, let us close -- and let us join in prayer that God might touch our eyes today, so that we might truly see

            -- let us pray