Auburn SDA Church
The Girl is Not Dead
  • Holy, Holy, Holy

      • Matthew 9:24ESV

  • There are videos used to help train life guards on what it looks like when someone is drowning.
    We often think that a person who is drowning will thrash about in the water and yell, “HELP! HELP! I'm drowning!” In reality, they become almost paralyzed by fear and incapable of calling for help. The video illustrated how this works. It showed a young girl of about ten sitting on an inner tube float in the deep end of a wave pool, surrounded by children and a few adults. When the girl adjusted herself on the tube, she fell off and slipped to the bottom of the pool where the water was right at the top of her head. There was no thrashing about and she couldn't yell for help. Instead, subtly, her hands came just above the surface as if she were reaching for something. Thankfully, a lifeguard spotted her and within a few seconds had a flotation device under her. The most remarkable thing was that the people around her were oblivious to the fact that she was drowning!
    We pick up our story today
    with a father who is
    drowning in hopelessness.
    Mark 5:22–23 ESV
    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.”
    Mark 5:24 ESV
    And he went with him...
    Jesus was not popular
    among rulers of the synagogue.
    Jesus and his disciples
    end up getting kicked out
    of multiple places of worship.
    Suddenly,
    the enmity that most
    spiritual leaders in Israel
    have toward Jesus
    had disappeared...
    Why?
    His daughter is:
    “At the point of death.”
    Nothing else matters
    at this point.
    Theological arguments,
    claims of messiahship
    accusations of blasphemy
    competition for authority
    all fade to the back.
    His precious girl
    is dying!
    Mark 5:22–23 ESV
    ... he fell at his feet and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death...
    Pride
    Arrogance
    Antagonism
    All is suddenly gone.
    There seems to be
    but one hope left
    in the world for
    the life of his girl
    if Jesus can heal her!
    His entreaty is
    humble
    sincere
    emphatic.
    Please
    Mark 5:22–23 ESV
    ... Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.”
    You can hear
    the tears in his voice.
    He know there is
    no time to spare.
    In fact,
    the news comes
    it’s actually already
    too late:
    Mark 5:35 ESV
    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?”
    As a parent,
    I dare you to place
    yourself in his shoes.
    The words he feared most
    had been spoke.
    Mark 5:35 ESV
    … “Your daughter is dead...
    It was too late...
    Could you imagine
    hearing those words.
    Your child is dead.
    I have nightmares
    of hearing those words.
    Perhaps the hardest words
    any parent could ever hear.
    You Child is Dead...
    Thankfully,
    the story doesn’t end there.
    Mark 5:36 ESV
    But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”
    The thoughts swirling
    in the mind of dad
    in those moments.
    First,
    utter despair
    pain
    shock.
    Then,
    confusion
    surprise
    hope.
    What else could
    he think,
    other than what
    Jesus told him:
    Mark 5:36 ESV
    ... “Do not fear, only believe.”
    Could Jesus do
    the unthinkable???
    Was it really possible
    to still restore
    his little girl?
    Again and again
    the words echo and
    re-echo in his mind.
    Mark 5:36 ESV
    ... “Do not fear, only believe.”
    Perhaps you are facing
    complex life circumstances.
    Maybe you have
    big problems
    similar to Jairus.
    Life issues like
    financial crisis
    work conflict
    unemployment
    family argument
    marital issues
    parenting issues
    health issues
    care-taking issues.
    There is no shortage of problems!
    But today I repeat
    words of Jesus:
    Mark 5:36 ESV
    ... “Do not fear, only believe.”
    Let me be clear.
    I’m not here to preach
    a prosperity gospel.
    You problems will not always
    suddenly disappear because
    you have faith.
    But I assure you,
    God will be with you
    through the fire
    of affliction.
    Jesus is beside you
    just like Jairus
    in the worst of times!
    In the city of Hanover is a graveyard which has been closed for a number of years—the Garden Churchyard. Owing to its antiquated monuments and the fact of its being the resting place of a number of celebrated characters, it awakens the liveliest curiosity. A few paces east of the unassuming little church in the graveyard is a monument tottering from its foundation. It is built in the form of steps, and the massive stones are secured by heavy iron clasps. The monument was erected in the year 1782.
    Beside the usual family inscriptions, at the base of the monument are engraved these arrogant lines: “The sepulchre, purchased for all eternity, is not permitted to be opened.” Opposed to this determination of man, a beech seed, perhaps carried by the wind, found its way into a crevice of the foundation.
    In the course of years this little seed grew to be a strong, luxuriant tree, mocked the proud inscription of the monument, raised the massive stones from their foundation, and rent the strong iron clasp asunder.
    This open grave reminds the visitor of the mutability of earthly scenes, and the fallacy of man’s resolution to project plans to last for “all eternity.”
    Dictionary of Anecdote, Incident, Illustrative Fact, Selected and Arranged for the Pulpit and the Platform, Walter Baxendale
    Matthew 9:23 ESV
    ... Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion...
    Oriental custom of
    funeralizing the dead.
    “Even the poorest man in Israel [for his wife’s funeral] must provide no less than two flutes and one lamenting woman”
    (Mishnah Kethuboth 4. 4, Soncino ed. of the Talmud, p. 266).
    The process of burial
    in these times was
    very accelerated.
    Today we have,
    sophisticated embalming
    freezing the bodies
    etc.
    Now,
    People postpone burials
    for days
    weeks
    months.
    Then,
    funerals must
    happened very fast.
    By the time dad
    had gotten home
    funeral already started.
    The scene is
    somewhat chaotic.
    Flutists
    Mourners
    Family
    Neighbors.
    Jesus needs to
    send them all away.
    But he does so,
    with the most
    striking words:
    Matthew 9:24 ESV
    he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” ...
    I need to ask
    a serious
    and important
    question.
    Can Jesus lie?
    Is this the truth?
    How can this
    be the truth?
    So...
    Is Jesus lying?
    It certainly is not
    literal
    physical
    empirical
    truth
    at that moment.
    In what way
    is it the truth?
    PROPHETICALLY.
    God does this repeatedly
    throughout scripture.
    ****************skip **************
    ****************skip **************
    Eutychus
    fell asleep during sermon
    was “taken up dead”
    They know he is dead.
    but Paul says:
    Acts 20:10 ESV
    ... “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.”
    He was very much dead!
    Paul speaks prophetically.
    Jericho
    God promised to Joshua
    that Jericho would fall:
    Joshua 6:2 ESV
    ... “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.
    The promise,
    once again,
    is stated in
    perfect tense.
    (a completed action).
    Gideon
    God calls him not by
    what he is but by
    what he will be.
    Judges 6:12 ESV
    And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
    Gideon was currently
    hiding out for fear
    threshing grain in
    the wine press.
    His current state
    fear
    poverty
    anxiety.
    God calls him
    courageous warrior.
    Offspring of Abraham
    in the promise to Abram
    God speaks the future
    into existence:
    Genesis 17:5 ESV
    ... I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
    The perfect tense
    A completed action.
    To God,
    it was as good as done.
    Paul speaks of this
    promise:
    Romans 4:17 ESV
    as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
    Abraham,
    was not a father.
    Sarah,
    was not a mother.
    Bother were wayyy
    past that age.
    Abraham believed
    the insane words of God.
    Romans 4:19 NKJV
    And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
    Reproductively speaking...
    Abraham was dead.
    Sarah was dead.
    ****************skip **************
    But god said,
    Romans 4:17 ESV
    ... gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
    By speaking it,
    God made it true...
    In our key passage
    Jesus speaks life
    into a dead girl:
    Matthew 9:24 ESV
    he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him.
    The funeral had already begun,
    everyone knew that
    she was dead.
    There was not question
    whether she was
    in a coma
    unconscious but alive
    etc.
    The process of hiring
    mourners at the house
    had already begun.
    These mourners
    were hired grievers.
    Their job was to show
    how sad the community is
    to have lost this child.
    The hired mourners
    ridiculed Him.
    Jesus spoke
    prophetically
    through eyes of faith.
    The mourners
    saw physically
    only temporal.
    Lesson:
    If you choose to
    see with eyes of faith
    you will be ridiculed.
    Christian in evolution class...
    We must be willing
    to receive ridicule if
    see with eyes of faith.
    In order to proceed
    Jesus has to
    quell the chaos.
    Matthew 9:25 ESV
    But when the crowd had been put outside...
    Who was the crowd?
    Mark makes it more clear:
    Mark 5:40 ESV
    And they laughed at him. 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.
    Who was the crowd?
    everyone that
    didn’t normally live there
    who had come
    to mourn for child.
    The crowd is
    those who ridicule
    those who distract
    those to hinder
    our spiritual lives.
    The crowd is not
    only people
    it is things...
    job that take all our time
    too much time on secular hobbies
    our emotions
    doubts
    fear
    shame
    selfishness.
    Like Jesus,
    we have to put
    the crowed outside.
    How?
    How can we silence the voices...
    Friends and Family that
    ridicule spiritual things...
    spend less time with them...
    People with unspiritual feedback
    thank them
    discard it.
    We must stop
    seeking approval
    in the wrong places.
    Find our
    acceptance
    affirmation
    community
    love
    God.
    church.
    healthy relationships.
    Matthew 9:25 ESV
    But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.
    How did she rise up?
    Jesus took her hand.
    The only way up
    is in companionship with Jesus.
    We often seek
    companionship
    with the crowd.
    I assure you,
    there is no
    power
    hope
    future
    with the crowd.
    Jesus hand is
    reaching out today.
    Hold it!
    Spend time with Jesus
    Seek a spiritual resurrection.
    Matthew 9:26 ESV
    And the report of this went through all that district.
    How did they report
    go to everyone else?
    In Mark it says:
    Mark 5:43 ESV
    And he strictly charged them that no one should know this...
    How did everyone find out?
    Mom and Dad
    told everyone!
    Fear to share...
    We must overcome
    fear to share
    our story
    with others.

    Appeal

    Don’t Fear
    Only Believe.
    Believe the Unseen.
    Don’t seek the crowd.
    Share the story.
    (outreach today).

      • Mark 5:22–23ESV

      • Mark 5:24ESV

      • Mark 5:22–23ESV

      • Mark 5:22–23ESV

      • Mark 5:35ESV

      • Mark 5:35ESV

      • Mark 5:36ESV

      • Mark 5:36ESV

      • Mark 5:36ESV

      • Mark 5:36ESV

      • Matthew 9:23ESV

      • Matthew 9:24ESV

      • Acts 20:10ESV

      • Joshua 6:2ESV

      • Judges 6:12ESV

      • Genesis 17:5ESV

      • Romans 4:17ESV

      • Romans 4:19ESV

      • Romans 4:17ESV

      • Matthew 9:24ESV

      • Matthew 9:25ESV

      • Mark 5:40ESV

      • Matthew 9:25ESV

      • Matthew 9:26ESV

      • Mark 5:43ESV

  • I Love to Tell the Story
  • It Took A Miracle
  • Fairest Lord Jesus
  • The Savior Is Waiting
  • Holy, Holy, Holy

      • Matthew 9:24ESV

  • There are videos used to help train life guards on what it looks like when someone is drowning.
    We often think that a person who is drowning will thrash about in the water and yell, “HELP! HELP! I'm drowning!” In reality, they become almost paralyzed by fear and incapable of calling for help. The video illustrated how this works. It showed a young girl of about ten sitting on an inner tube float in the deep end of a wave pool, surrounded by children and a few adults. When the girl adjusted herself on the tube, she fell off and slipped to the bottom of the pool where the water was right at the top of her head. There was no thrashing about and she couldn't yell for help. Instead, subtly, her hands came just above the surface as if she were reaching for something. Thankfully, a lifeguard spotted her and within a few seconds had a flotation device under her. The most remarkable thing was that the people around her were oblivious to the fact that she was drowning!
    We pick up our story today
    with a father who is
    drowning in hopelessness.
    Mark 5:22–23 ESV
    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.”
    Mark 5:24 ESV
    And he went with him...
    Jesus was not popular
    among rulers of the synagogue.
    Jesus and his disciples
    end up getting kicked out
    of multiple places of worship.
    Suddenly,
    the enmity that most
    spiritual leaders in Israel
    have toward Jesus
    had disappeared...
    Why?
    His daughter is:
    “At the point of death.”
    Nothing else matters
    at this point.
    Theological arguments,
    claims of messiahship
    accusations of blasphemy
    competition for authority
    all fade to the back.
    His precious girl
    is dying!
    Mark 5:22–23 ESV
    ... he fell at his feet and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death...
    Pride
    Arrogance
    Antagonism
    All is suddenly gone.
    There seems to be
    but one hope left
    in the world for
    the life of his girl
    if Jesus can heal her!
    His entreaty is
    humble
    sincere
    emphatic.
    Please
    Mark 5:22–23 ESV
    ... Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.”
    You can hear
    the tears in his voice.
    He know there is
    no time to spare.
    In fact,
    the news comes
    it’s actually already
    too late:
    Mark 5:35 ESV
    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?”
    As a parent,
    I dare you to place
    yourself in his shoes.
    The words he feared most
    had been spoke.
    Mark 5:35 ESV
    … “Your daughter is dead...
    It was too late...
    Could you imagine
    hearing those words.
    Your child is dead.
    I have nightmares
    of hearing those words.
    Perhaps the hardest words
    any parent could ever hear.
    You Child is Dead...
    Thankfully,
    the story doesn’t end there.
    Mark 5:36 ESV
    But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”
    The thoughts swirling
    in the mind of dad
    in those moments.
    First,
    utter despair
    pain
    shock.
    Then,
    confusion
    surprise
    hope.
    What else could
    he think,
    other than what
    Jesus told him:
    Mark 5:36 ESV
    ... “Do not fear, only believe.”
    Could Jesus do
    the unthinkable???
    Was it really possible
    to still restore
    his little girl?
    Again and again
    the words echo and
    re-echo in his mind.
    Mark 5:36 ESV
    ... “Do not fear, only believe.”
    Perhaps you are facing
    complex life circumstances.
    Maybe you have
    big problems
    similar to Jairus.
    Life issues like
    financial crisis
    work conflict
    unemployment
    family argument
    marital issues
    parenting issues
    health issues
    care-taking issues.
    There is no shortage of problems!
    But today I repeat
    words of Jesus:
    Mark 5:36 ESV
    ... “Do not fear, only believe.”
    Let me be clear.
    I’m not here to preach
    a prosperity gospel.
    You problems will not always
    suddenly disappear because
    you have faith.
    But I assure you,
    God will be with you
    through the fire
    of affliction.
    Jesus is beside you
    just like Jairus
    in the worst of times!
    In the city of Hanover is a graveyard which has been closed for a number of years—the Garden Churchyard. Owing to its antiquated monuments and the fact of its being the resting place of a number of celebrated characters, it awakens the liveliest curiosity. A few paces east of the unassuming little church in the graveyard is a monument tottering from its foundation. It is built in the form of steps, and the massive stones are secured by heavy iron clasps. The monument was erected in the year 1782.
    Beside the usual family inscriptions, at the base of the monument are engraved these arrogant lines: “The sepulchre, purchased for all eternity, is not permitted to be opened.” Opposed to this determination of man, a beech seed, perhaps carried by the wind, found its way into a crevice of the foundation.
    In the course of years this little seed grew to be a strong, luxuriant tree, mocked the proud inscription of the monument, raised the massive stones from their foundation, and rent the strong iron clasp asunder.
    This open grave reminds the visitor of the mutability of earthly scenes, and the fallacy of man’s resolution to project plans to last for “all eternity.”
    Dictionary of Anecdote, Incident, Illustrative Fact, Selected and Arranged for the Pulpit and the Platform, Walter Baxendale
    Matthew 9:23 ESV
    ... Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion...
    Oriental custom of
    funeralizing the dead.
    “Even the poorest man in Israel [for his wife’s funeral] must provide no less than two flutes and one lamenting woman”
    (Mishnah Kethuboth 4. 4, Soncino ed. of the Talmud, p. 266).
    The process of burial
    in these times was
    very accelerated.
    Today we have,
    sophisticated embalming
    freezing the bodies
    etc.
    Now,
    People postpone burials
    for days
    weeks
    months.
    Then,
    funerals must
    happened very fast.
    By the time dad
    had gotten home
    funeral already started.
    The scene is
    somewhat chaotic.
    Flutists
    Mourners
    Family
    Neighbors.
    Jesus needs to
    send them all away.
    But he does so,
    with the most
    striking words:
    Matthew 9:24 ESV
    he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” ...
    I need to ask
    a serious
    and important
    question.
    Can Jesus lie?
    Is this the truth?
    How can this
    be the truth?
    So...
    Is Jesus lying?
    It certainly is not
    literal
    physical
    empirical
    truth
    at that moment.
    In what way
    is it the truth?
    PROPHETICALLY.
    God does this repeatedly
    throughout scripture.
    ****************skip **************
    ****************skip **************
    Eutychus
    fell asleep during sermon
    was “taken up dead”
    They know he is dead.
    but Paul says:
    Acts 20:10 ESV
    ... “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.”
    He was very much dead!
    Paul speaks prophetically.
    Jericho
    God promised to Joshua
    that Jericho would fall:
    Joshua 6:2 ESV
    ... “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.
    The promise,
    once again,
    is stated in
    perfect tense.
    (a completed action).
    Gideon
    God calls him not by
    what he is but by
    what he will be.
    Judges 6:12 ESV
    And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
    Gideon was currently
    hiding out for fear
    threshing grain in
    the wine press.
    His current state
    fear
    poverty
    anxiety.
    God calls him
    courageous warrior.
    Offspring of Abraham
    in the promise to Abram
    God speaks the future
    into existence:
    Genesis 17:5 ESV
    ... I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
    The perfect tense
    A completed action.
    To God,
    it was as good as done.
    Paul speaks of this
    promise:
    Romans 4:17 ESV
    as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
    Abraham,
    was not a father.
    Sarah,
    was not a mother.
    Bother were wayyy
    past that age.
    Abraham believed
    the insane words of God.
    Romans 4:19 NKJV
    And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
    Reproductively speaking...
    Abraham was dead.
    Sarah was dead.
    ****************skip **************
    But god said,
    Romans 4:17 ESV
    ... gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
    By speaking it,
    God made it true...
    In our key passage
    Jesus speaks life
    into a dead girl:
    Matthew 9:24 ESV
    he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him.
    The funeral had already begun,
    everyone knew that
    she was dead.
    There was not question
    whether she was
    in a coma
    unconscious but alive
    etc.
    The process of hiring
    mourners at the house
    had already begun.
    These mourners
    were hired grievers.
    Their job was to show
    how sad the community is
    to have lost this child.
    The hired mourners
    ridiculed Him.
    Jesus spoke
    prophetically
    through eyes of faith.
    The mourners
    saw physically
    only temporal.
    Lesson:
    If you choose to
    see with eyes of faith
    you will be ridiculed.
    Christian in evolution class...
    We must be willing
    to receive ridicule if
    see with eyes of faith.
    In order to proceed
    Jesus has to
    quell the chaos.
    Matthew 9:25 ESV
    But when the crowd had been put outside...
    Who was the crowd?
    Mark makes it more clear:
    Mark 5:40 ESV
    And they laughed at him. 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.
    Who was the crowd?
    everyone that
    didn’t normally live there
    who had come
    to mourn for child.
    The crowd is
    those who ridicule
    those who distract
    those to hinder
    our spiritual lives.
    The crowd is not
    only people
    it is things...
    job that take all our time
    too much time on secular hobbies
    our emotions
    doubts
    fear
    shame
    selfishness.
    Like Jesus,
    we have to put
    the crowed outside.
    How?
    How can we silence the voices...
    Friends and Family that
    ridicule spiritual things...
    spend less time with them...
    People with unspiritual feedback
    thank them
    discard it.
    We must stop
    seeking approval
    in the wrong places.
    Find our
    acceptance
    affirmation
    community
    love
    God.
    church.
    healthy relationships.
    Matthew 9:25 ESV
    But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.
    How did she rise up?
    Jesus took her hand.
    The only way up
    is in companionship with Jesus.
    We often seek
    companionship
    with the crowd.
    I assure you,
    there is no
    power
    hope
    future
    with the crowd.
    Jesus hand is
    reaching out today.
    Hold it!
    Spend time with Jesus
    Seek a spiritual resurrection.
    Matthew 9:26 ESV
    And the report of this went through all that district.
    How did they report
    go to everyone else?
    In Mark it says:
    Mark 5:43 ESV
    And he strictly charged them that no one should know this...
    How did everyone find out?
    Mom and Dad
    told everyone!
    Fear to share...
    We must overcome
    fear to share
    our story
    with others.

    Appeal

    Don’t Fear
    Only Believe.
    Believe the Unseen.
    Don’t seek the crowd.
    Share the story.
    (outreach today).

      • Mark 5:22–23ESV

      • Mark 5:24ESV

      • Mark 5:22–23ESV

      • Mark 5:22–23ESV

      • Mark 5:35ESV

      • Mark 5:35ESV

      • Mark 5:36ESV

      • Mark 5:36ESV

      • Mark 5:36ESV

      • Mark 5:36ESV

      • Matthew 9:23ESV

      • Matthew 9:24ESV

      • Acts 20:10ESV

      • Joshua 6:2ESV

      • Judges 6:12ESV

      • Genesis 17:5ESV

      • Romans 4:17ESV

      • Romans 4:19ESV

      • Romans 4:17ESV

      • Matthew 9:24ESV

      • Matthew 9:25ESV

      • Mark 5:40ESV

      • Matthew 9:25ESV

      • Matthew 9:26ESV

      • Mark 5:43ESV

  • I Love to Tell the Story
Auburn SDA Church
31 members • 12 followers