Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

For One Part 3 East Rock

Jesus sees the one seeking Him…

Welcome to our teaching series called “For One”.

Throughout this teaching series we are seeking to know and understand the power of Jesus’ one at a time pursuit of people. We believe that Jesus came to save the whole word, and that through his life, death, and resurrection, he has made the pathway to salvation and eternal life open to us.

Jesus is for everyone.

During his earthly ministry, many times we see Jesus fulfilling this worldwide redemption mission, one person at a time.

Jesus is for one.

So, what would it look like for you and I to adopt that same model for our lives? So many times, our focus is on our country or our community, and that’s not a bad thing. But what would it look like for us to be for one, like Jesus was?

That’s what Jesus did, and it transformed the lives of many people in the gospels.

Today as we continue in part 3 our teaching series, we are going to look at two people that really stood out from the crowd.

Luke 8:40-42

Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.

The first one to stand out from the crowd is a man named Jairus.

He’s a local synagogue leader. He was likely in charge of ordering worship and the business of the church. He would have been a man of reputation, of status, and means.

But Jairus doesn’t stand out because of any of those things- He stands out because he has fallen at the feet of Jesus. For a man of his status, this was a humbling scene, but he didn’t care- His daughter was dying, and he had faith that Jesus could do something about it.

As the crowd moves, they press in on Jesus. So close they bump and stumble together. Then, someone else emerges from the crowd.

Luke 8:43

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.

She shouldn’t have been there. She shouldn’t have been in the crowd, in contact with other people.

An issue of bleeding made you unclean according to the law of Moses.

Anything you touched would bear the same stigma and penalty as you did. Anyone who touched you, brought this on themselves.

This woman had been cut off from virtually all contact and community because of her health condition.

She had tried everything to be made well. Marks gospel records she spent all she had on doctors and treatments, but nothing worked. It seemed that nothing and no one could help her.

But she had heard about this Jesus. He could heal the blind, make the leaper clean. Surely, he could help her. If she could only touch the corner of his garment- that would be enough. That would do it, she had faith. And that’s what made her stand out from the crowd.

Luke 8:44-48

She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

She was the one. The one seeking Jesus in faith. She believed that a personal encounter with him could bring healing, if she could only touch him.

All those other people crowded around Jesus. They wanted to be near, maybe hear a teaching, see a miracle. They even bumped into Jesus, they touched him, he felt it. He probably even smelled them they were so close. Nothing happened to them

Something was different about her touch. She was seeking.

It was a reach out in faith to Jesus as the one who could save her. It was personal. And it changed everything.

This beautiful scene of peaceful commissioning is seemingly cut short.

Luke 8:49-53

While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.

The people bringing this news think that all hope his gone. No need to bother Jesus anymore, she’s gone. They didn’t have faith that he could do anything else.

People in the first century knew how to properly identify when someone was deceased.

Jesus dismisses the crowd, only Pete, Jim, and John and the parents are allowed to see what’s about to happen.

The crowd laughs at Jesus assessment that the girl was only sleeping. They knew she was dead. They weren’t stupid. Jesus knew that too. He was speaking to what he was about to do. He was inviting them to have faith.

Luke 8:54-56

But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

And with that, the story of two people standing out in the crowd comes to a close.

What made their story different? Of all the people who bumped into JEsus that day, of all the people walking along in the crowd- why did these two stand out? It was their faith.

Lots of people in the crowd believed that Jesus was a miracle worker, a teacher, a really nice guy. But these two stood out from that crowd because they believed Jesus was for THEM.

They had faith that a personal encounter, a personal relationship would change their lives. And friends, they were right.

Their faith drove them to throw themselves on Christ, one who could help, and he saw them. The ones reaching out, coming toward him in faith. And friends, he still sees those people in the crowd today. The one seeking. The one searching.

Will you reach out to him today in faith?

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THINGS WE LOSE 

• KEYS 

• PHONE 

• REMOTE 

• WALLET 

• GLASSES (DO YOU ALL ORDER THESE IN BULK LIKE US?) 

WHICH ONE IS MOST STRESSFUL TO YOU? 

AVERAGE TIME 

• WE SPEND 5:20 SECONDS SEARCHING FOR EACH ITEM 

THINGS WE SPEND MORE TIME ON?  

• KEYS 

• UMBRELLA 

• PASSPORT 

• WALLET 

• ID (WHICH SHOULD PROBABLY BE IN YOUR WALLAT) 

NO 1 MOST LOST ITEM 

• US- REMOTE 

• UK-KEYS 

SUNDAY  

• TOP DAY TO LOSE YOUR PHONE 

IMPORTANT DATE IN HISTORY 

• NOVEMBER 15^TH, 2022 

• FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER 

SLIDE 10: 8 BILLION 

• PLANET EARTH BROKE THE 8 BILLION POPULATION 

• THINK ABOUT THAT STAGGERING NUMBER 

• MORE PEOPLE ALIVE ON THE PLANET THAN EVER 

SCRIPTURE MARK 5:1-2 

1. They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. ²When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 

• IMPURE SPIRIT-TROUBLE 

• CAME FROM THE TOMBS (UNCLEAN- CAN’T DEAL) 

SCRIPTURE MARK 5:3-4 

   ³This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 

SCRIPTURE MARK 5:5-6 

    ⁵Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. ⁶When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.  

HULK 

• I DON’T KNOW WHAT/WHO ELSE TO IMAGINE 

• LOOKED LIKE THIS PROBABLY?  

SCRIPTURE MARK 5:7-8 

    ⁷He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” ⁸For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” 

SCRIPTURE MARK 5:9-10 

⁹Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” ¹⁰And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. 

• JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES CROSS LAKE 

• JESUS LEAVES THIS AREA 

• LANDS OVER HERE. 

• DECAPOLIS MENTIONED MULTIPLE TIMES 

VIDEO BOY FISHING 

• EXCITEMENT IN THE BOY 

• EXCITEMENT IN THE FAMILY AROUND HIM 

• COMMUNITY IS CRUCIAL IN KINGDOM 

• DAD SAYS “I CAN WANNA HELP YOU” 

SCRIPTURE LUKE 15:4 

   4. “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  

• WHO IS JESUS TALKING TO HERE? 

• JESUS IS TALKING TO RELIGIOUS LEADERS 

• NONE OF THEM WOULD HAVE SHEEP 

• THEY LOOKED DOWN ON SHEPHERDS 

• JESUS IS SAYING TO THEM-YOU MISSED IT 

• YOU ARE THE LEADERS/YOU ARE THE SHEPHERDS 

LAST WEEK THE MAIN QUESTION WAS THIS: WHO IS YOUR ONE?  

   THIS WEEKS QUESTION IS DIFFERENT.  

SCRIPTURE MARK 3:9 

   9. “BECAUSE OF THE CROWD HE TOLD HIS DISCIPLES TO HAVE A SMALL BOAT READY FOR HIM, TO KEEP THE PEOPLE FROM CROWDING HIM.” 

SCRIPTURE MARK 3:20 

  20. “THEN JESUS ENTERED A HOUSE, AND AGAIN A CROWD GATHERED, SO THAT HE AND HIS DISCIPLES WERE NOT EVEN ABLE TO EAT.” 

JMU FOOTBALL CELEBRATION 

• EVERYBODY LOVES A CROWD (MOST EVERYONE) 

• OH WE LOVE CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE (PACKED) 

• ENERGY-EXCITEMENT 

• PACKED ARENA FOR A PHILLIES GAME 

• CROWDS GATHER- DISCIPLES FOLLOW 

• JESUS IS SAYING TO HIS GUYS 

• YOU WILLING TO LEAVE THE CROWDS? 

• YOU WILLING TO WALK AWAY FROM THE  

• YOU WILLING TO LET GO SO WE CAN LET’S GO? 

THE REAL QUESTION THIS WEEK IS DIFFERENT–  

LAST WEEK WAS DO YOU HAVE A ONE?  

THIS WEEK IT’S- WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO GO THROUGH TO GET TO YOUR ONE?  

• JESUS IS IMMERSED/SWAMPED BY CROWDS 

• DISCIPLES ARE IN IT 

• JESUS “HEY GUYS GET A BOAT- WE GOING TO OTHER SIDE OF THE LAKE.” 

• HUH?  

• MUST BE A LOT OF PEOPLE WAITING 

• BIGGER CROWDS 

SCRIPTURE MARK 4:35-36 

•   34. “THAT DAY WHEN EVENING CAME, HE SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, “LET US GO OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE.” LEAVING THE CROWD BEHIND, THEY TOOK HIM ALONG, JUST AS HE WAS, IN THE BOAT. THERE WERE ALSO OTHER BOATS WITH HIM.” 

 ³⁷A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”³⁹He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.⁴⁰He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” ⁴¹They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him 

SCRIPTURE MARK 8:1-2 

1. During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ²“I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.  

• THIS IS JESUS 3^RD TRIP TO THE DECAPOLIS 

• HE LANDED TO MEET 1 

• IN CHAPTER 7 THERE IS A SMALL GATHERING 

• IN CHAPTER 8- WHATS THE HEADING?  

• 4000 NOT INCLUDING WOMEN/CHILDREN 

COULD BE AS MANY AS 7-10 THOUSAND? 

SCRIPTURE MARK 5:19 

  19. JESUS DID NOT LET HIM, BUT SAID “GO HOME TO YOUR OWN PEOPLE AND TELL THEM HOW MUCH THE LORD HAS DONE FOR YOU, AND HOW HE HAS HAD MERCY ON YOU.”  

3 times in this region of the Decapolis 

Mark 7 

³¹Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 

Mark 8 

This is a massive crowd 

Jesus has left a crowd and entered danger all for 1 

JESUS WAS SUPPOSED TO DROWN-INSTEAD PIGS DO 

STORY NEVER SAYS IF THE DISCIPLES GOT OUT OF BOAT 

THIS ISN’T A LIST OF PEOPLE YOU INVITE TO CHURCH 

YOU SHOULD HAVE THAT- GREAT 

THIS ISN’T A PRAYER LIST THAT YOU HAVE (YOU SHOULD HAVE THAT) 

A ONE (AND IT COULD BE MORE THAN ONE) IS DIFFERENT, IT’S IM REARRANGING MY LIFE FOR A ONE OR POSSIBLY A FEW- I CAN’T REARRANGE MY LIFE FOR 15-20 DIFFERENT PEOPLE, STILL BE MARRIED-BE A PAPI- WORK-  

THIS IDEA OF ONE IS SO INTENTIONAL AND ITS JUST- WALK THE JOURNEY AND … 

https://www.bible.com/events/49304128

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

For One -Part 2 East Rock

There is no such thing as too far gone…

Last week we began a new 4-part teaching series called “For One”.

Throughout this teaching series we are seeking to know and understand the power of Jesus’ one at a time pursuit of people. We believe that Jesus came to save the whole word, and that through his life, death, and resurrection, he has made the pathway to salvation and eternal life open to us.

Jesus is for everyone.

During his earthly ministry, many times we see Jesus fulfilling this worldwide redemption mission, one person at a time.

Jesus is for one.

So, what would it look like for you and I to adopt that same model for our lives? So many times, our focus is on our country or our community, and that’s not a bad thing. But what would it look like for us to be for one, like Jesus was?

That’s what Jesus did, and it transformed the lives of many people in the gospels. Even the ones who seemed too far gone.

Luke 8:26-27

They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.

Our teaching text begins with a note about some travel plans that establish the location for the story. Earlier in this voyage at sea, Jesus and his disciples had encountered a great storm.

Just before our text in chapter 8, we find the miracle of Jesus calming the wind and the waves with only a word. The disciples are in such a fierce storm they are afraid for their lives. They grab Jesus and beg that he would do something. Jesus speaks and immediately the sea and storm were calm, and the disciples wonder among themselves, “Who is this guy that can even control the wind and the waves?”

Our text at verse 26 continues that same trip, with an arrival on shore. There Jesus receives a shocking welcome from a demon possessed man.

For a long time, this man had lived in the graveyard naked, making his home among the graves. The gospel of Mark records that this man was heard screaming out day and night.

Luke 8:28-29

When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

All other attempts had failed at restraining this man had failed. The evil spirits that had possessed him had such control and power over him that he was able to break free from chains. Yet, at the very presence of Jesus, these evil spirits know they are outmatched, they are done.

What this passage illustrates is the immense power of Jesus over the most seemingly uncontrollable forces in this man’s life.

Luke 8:30-33

Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

Much study and attention has gone into the details of this demonic oppression.

How many demons? How did this happen? What does it mean today? And to be sure, there is a time a place for those questions.

But what I want us to focus on today is the ultimate power and authority of Jesus over every single evil spirit. The demons were so sure of their immanent judgement and destruction, they are literally begging Jesus over and over, not to cast them back to the Abyss.

Commentator Darrel Bock says: “Jesus may have been outnumbered, but he was certainly not outmatched.”

Luke 8:34-37

When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

When the people of the town came out to see this crazy story about the demon possessed man, what they found was a brand-new man, redeemed and restored, sitting at the feet of Jesus.

The word at the end of verse 36 that says “had been cured”. In the original language that literally means “saved” or to be made whole.

He wasn’t cured from a disease- He was rescued and re-made. Transformed.

That’s the miracle working power of Jesus.

iWhat is amazing to me is that the people don’t seem to have a category for this kind of power.

We don’t know if they were afraid of his supernatural power, if they were afraid he was there to shut down the pig industry- either way, they ask him to leave. And he does. Jesus heads back home.

But what about the man? What happened to him?

Luke 8:38-39

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

The man wanted to go with Jesus and his disciples, but Jesus had another plan. Jesus wanted this man to go home and tell everyone how much God had done for him.

The one who everyone would have said was too far gone, was no Jesus’ trusted messenger to tell everyone in his hometown about all that God had done.

There is no such thing as too far gone for Jesus.

Friends as this was true for the crazed and possessed man in the cemetery, it’s still true today. There is no evil force in the world today greater than the power of Jesus Christ. Not an evil spirit, not an addiction, not an illness, nothing.

Those stories in the lives of our loved ones can be extremely painful. This story does not make light of the power and pain of sin.

But as we begin this journey together asking the Lord to give us one person, we might have a reaction or response to the name he gives us.

You might have been praying for and working with that person for a long time and you honestly have just given up hope.

Time and time again, nothing’s changed. Because of lies, addictions, poor choices, broken relationships. They just seem too far.

Friend, those feelings are real. And the truth is, someone can be to far for us to reach. But there is no such thing as too far for Jesus. He is greater!

Will you trust him today with the one he is placing on your heart?

Establish COTN as Your Church on the App

In this YouVersion Bible app, we encourage you to set up COTN as your church. It’s a simple process and will open up opportunities to stay connected to us!

https://help.youversion.com/l/en/article/y03uerubo8-mychurch

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving