This morning, we continue our series, “The Miracles of Jesus.”
Before we get into the miracle, let’s look at the foundational scripture I will share be sharing with you all year.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us. I pray you get refreshed and restored as we study each miracle.
(Mark 10: 46-52 NKJV)
46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.
Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”
50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
51 So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”
52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things:
1. When you need a breakthrough, you cannot allow anyone or anything to get in the way between you and God!
As Blind Bartimaeus called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” many in the crowd told him to be quiet. They basically told him to “Shut up!” But this caused Bartimaeus to shout even louder!
— Do not allow someone who has not been through what you have been through to keep you from getting your breakthrough. It was easy for the people around Bartimaeus to tell him to be quiet because their eyes were working. They had sight. He did not, and he saw this as his ONE opportunity to get his breakthrough.
— People around you may have no idea what you’ve been through, so when you see your opportunity to connect with God in a way that can truly change your life, they may think you were doing too much. They may say, “It does not take all that!” But let them think whatever they think. You cannot be moved by what people think. You can only be moved by your heart towards God.
— To walk with God in earnest, there will be moments when you realize that you must be okay with being misunderstood.
— Bartimaeus felt in his heart that Jesus was his ONE SHOT at changing his life, so he did not allow anyone to get in the way. Sometimes that’s how we have to be. Sometimes your walk of faith requires bulldog tenacity.
2. To receive from God, you must see Him as He is!
— Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was blind.
— He had no way of seeing who was coming or what was happening. So he had to rely heavily on what others were saying around him.
— His inability to see meant that his other senses were heightened. Most blind people can hear very well. So Bartimaeus listened carefully as people passed by. On this particular day, he heard something that would change his life forever.
— He heard of the miracle worker, so he built up his faith to receive his healing.
— When the miracle worker was getting close, he heard those around him call Jesus “Jesus of Nazareth.” I told you yesterday that this was an insult. No one who ever called Him “Jesus of Nazareth” ever received anything from Him. Those who received from Jesus were men and women who honored Jesus. The honorable thing to call Him was “Jesus, the Son of David,” as a reference to Him being the Messiah.
Verse 47 says,
And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Did you catch that?
— Bartimaeus HEARD, “Jesus of Nazareth was walking by.” But what He SAID was, “Jesus, Son of David, please help me!”
— As a result, Jesus healed Bartimaeus, and He did not minister to those who called Him “Jesus of Nazareth.”
3. God draws people to Him by His Spirit.
— The Bible tells us that no one can actually call Jesus “Lord” without the Holy Spirit prompting them to do so (1 Cor 12:3).
— It took a divine revelation for Blind Bartimaeus to hear “Jesus of Nazareth” but to say, “Jesus, son of David.” The Holy Spirit told him what to say, and his heart was open enough to hear and obey.
— God is drawing people to Him daily, through His Son, by His Spirit. Some are open and obedient; others are closed and disobedient.
— When people reject the gospel, they are not rejecting you; they are rejecting God.
4. Your breakthrough requires your petition of faith.
— I told you yesterday that if you want something from God and you believe it is His will, you still need to ask. If you don’t ask, you run the risk of missing out on God’s best.
— Jesus heard Bartimaeus’ cry, and that is exactly my point. Jesus would not have heard it if Bartimaeus did not say it! Bartimaeus cried out, and Jesus responded. Bartimaeus released faith, and Jesus released power!
— You must make your request known to God (Phil 4:6). You have not because you ask not (James 4:2).
— What are you complaining about that you should be praying about?
— Don’t speak words of frustration. Speak words of faith!
5. Be ready when God is ready.
As Bartimaeus shouted, he finally got the attention of Jesus. Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they approached Bartimaeus and said, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” I am sure that all sorts of energy, anticipation, adrenaline, and excitement were running through his body. The King of Glory had just called for him. He jumped to his feet and prepared to approach Jesus, but he did something before he went. The Bible says that he threw his cloak aside. This is a critical tidbit in the story.
The cloak Bartimaeus was wearing was commonly associated with beggars. This coat helped people properly identify him as someone who needed financial support. When Bartimaeus got up, he already knew in his heart that he would never need that cloak again. So he left it behind as he was taken to Jesus. He did this in faith. When he got to Jesus, our Lord asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” This is the question we all want to hear from God. Bartimaeus answered with his only true desire. He said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” Jesus replied, “Go! You are healed because you had faith.” Immediately Bartimaeus was able to see!
— Bartimaeus was ready when Jesus was ready. He was ready when Jesus responded.
— He cast off his beggar’s garment because he believed his life was about to change forever.
— This was risky because if he did not receive his sight, he was going to need that cloak again. But Bartimaeus did not think that way.
— When you walk and live by faith, if you truly believe what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do, you have NO PLAN B.
— If you have a backup plan, thinking to yourself, “Well, let me just keep this around, just in case this thing does not work out,” then you are NOT in faith. You are going into the situation with doubt in your heart. James taught us that if we ask but waver in our belief, we will not receive ANYTHING from God.
Read it for yourself: (James 1:6-8 ERV)
But when you ask God, you must believe. Don’t doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind.
People like that are thinking two different things at the same time. They can never decide what to do. So they should not think they will receive anything from the Lord.
Bartimaeus had NO PLAN B. He was ready when Jesus was ready. My question for you this morning is: When God calls you out of your situation, will you be ready? Or will you setup a PLAN B before you step forward?
6. We are all in the space between our history and destiny!
In the gospels, some people called Jesus “Jesus of Nazareth,” connecting Him to His history, and others called Him “Jesus, son of David,” connecting Him to His destiny. In either case, Jesus was not moved by people’s opinion of Him. He received His identity from the Father, and people’s perceptions did not impact Him.
— The devil will always be fixated on your past and your flaws. God is not holding your past or your flaws against you.
— Some people are so caught up in your history that they can’t see your destiny. These people don’t honor you. So acknowledge their lack of honor and “keep stepping.” Don’t get frustrated because people cannot see who you really are. Jesus was standing right in front of the people He was called to, the Jews, and they rejected Him. If they did it to Jesus, they will do it to you.
— Some people will never accept where you are going because of where you are from. They will judge you by your skin color, socio-economic status, where you grew up, where you went to school, etc. Love them. Pray for them. But never allow their opinion of you to cause you to doubt yourself. Believe what God believes about you.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me!
As I study the miracles of Jesus, my faith is increased!
You speak to me by Your Spirit, You reveal things to me concerning this season, and I am open and obedient to Your revelation.
As You speak, I say. As You lead, I go. When you are ready, I am ready.
I am not moved by what people say about You or about me. I am not moved by people’s opinions or perceptions. I know who I am. I believe what You believe about me. And when You tell me to move, I move, in faith, without a doubt, without wavering, WITH NO PLAN B!
I am the just, and I live by faith. Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
