A Lesson From Bartimaeus

A Lesson From Bartimaeus

by Patricia Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

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Mark 10:46-48
And they came to Jericho: and as He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

When Blind Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus, Have mercy on me, the crowd tried to stop him. They didn't care whether he found help or not. And today, the crowd still tries to shut the mouths of those who cry out to the Lord for mercy.

But Bartimaeus merely cried out the more so! He needed help: and he found the only One who could help him. He wasn't going to be satisfied until he found that help — so he cried out until he was able to get Jesus' attention.

Keep Crying Out to God

Don't let the crowd stop you from crying out to Jesus. Realize there is no one else to turn to when you're in desperate need of help.

Mark 10:49,50
And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; He calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.

Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus would meet his need. He wore a garment to let people know he was blind: but as soon as he found that Jesus was calling for him, he cast it off.

Running Helter-Skelter

So many run helter-skelter for help, looking every place except to the Lord. They have their faith in the prayers of others, without praying themselves or having any faith in Jesus. But if they would put their faith in Jesus, crying out to Him for help, they would find the answer they needed.

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.

Get your eyes on the Lord and your need will be met, for it is the power of God that heals and delivers. God works through others many times — but it isn't that person who heals or sets us free; it is the Lord. His power is manifest when we exercise our faith in Him and in His Word.

Mark 10:51,52
And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto Him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

Faith in God Makes You Whole

When you cry out to Jesus Christ for help, ask in faith, nothing wavering — see James 1:5,6.

It was Bartimaeus' faith in Jesus Christ that made him whole. He wasn't looking to those about him. And he didn't let anything discourage his faith in Jesus. He cried unto the Lord in faith believing — and he received his sight.

When you cry out to the Lord, instead of looking to man, you will receive just what you need. Don't look to man. Don't tell others your troubles. Cry out to the Lord and place your trust in Him.

Matthew 14:22-24
And straightway Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship, and to go before Him unto the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

Jesus told His disciples to go over across the sea ahead of Him and then sent the multitudes away. Why? Because He wanted to be alone to pray. And while He was up on the mountain praying, the disciples were caught in a storm at sea:

Matthew 14:25-30
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water. And he said, Come.

And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

When Peter took his eyes off of Jesus he began to sink. He looked around at the storm and began to cry out in fear, Lord, save me!

Standing in Storms

As we cross the sea of life, our ship faces many storms: the winds grow strong, the waves beat hard — and sometimes it appears that our ship will fall apart!

Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock

And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

If we are rooted and grounded on the Rock Christ Jesus, the storms of life will not cause us to fall. But those who hear the Word of God and pay no heed to it are overcome by the storms and trials of life. They are unable to stand against the pressures which come their way.

Receive Jesus, the Solid Rock

If you're not founded on the Rock, know this: you can be! Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your personal Lord and Saviour. Cry out to Him, Lord, save me! Then begin to build your life upon that solid foundation.

John 6:37
All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.

It doesn't matter how far down the road of sin you have gone: the Lord is no respecter of persons. He said that all have sinned (Romans 3:23). He also said that whosoever calls upon Him shall be saved (Romans 10:13). And He meant what He said!

The devil comes along to tell you that you're too sinful to be saved, that there is no hope, that there is no use. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it (John 8:44b).

Yes, the devil is an expert at lying — after all, he originated lies. It may look like there's no hope. But know that there is hope. The devil wants you to avoid finding the source of that hope — and that source is Jesus Christ.

You think you have troubles now! You think you have heartaches and sorrows in this life! If you reject Jesus Christ and die in your sins, instead of getting away from your problems you'll find eternal suffering and sorrow — with no escape, no hope, endless throughout eternity.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That's what God's Word says: whosoever! That means you're included. Don't let the devil convince you that there is no use. There is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun.

When Jesus Christ offers you eternal life, why reject it? If you'll only believe in Him, He offers you an eternal life of joy and peace. You can be free from all that torment and fear. Your mind can be at rest.

God is Right There for You

When Peter cried out, Lord, save me, he was about to drown. Maybe you feel like you're drowning today, just about ready to go under. Well, cry out for the Lord to save you, before it's too late.

Matthew 14:31,32
And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him . . .

Know that there is no place you can go to hide from God. No matter where you go, God is there. Wherever you go, He'll already be there.

Psalm 139:7-12
Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.

Are you doubting today? Do you wonder if God is really able to take you through? Let Jesus come into your ship. He stands at the door knocking, waiting for you to open the door. Yes, Jesus stands at your heart's door today. Open your heart to Him. Cry out, Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner! Save me!

Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.

A Lesson From Jonah

If you are trusting in yourself, finding no need to cry out to the Lord, you may find out the hard way, like Jonah did, how much you really do need the Lord.

We want to look into the book of Jonah, and see what we can learn from his example:

Jonah 1:4,5a
But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them.

Here was a man with the call of God upon his life. God had commissioned him to go to the wicked city of Nineveh: but Jonah wasn't about to go there. In fact, he set out in a ship to go the opposite direction because he thought he could run from the presence of God.

Jonah 1:5b
But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

He tried to hide from God, but soon found how impossible that really is. God sees as clearly in the dark as He does in the light. He sees where we are and what we are doing all the time.

Jonah had disobeyed God, and there are those who are being disobedient today. Sometimes, one's disobedience brings afflictions.

Jonah woke and let them know that he was the cause of the great storm. He persuaded them to throw him into the sea that the storm might stop.

Jonah 1:12,17
And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of that fish three days and three nights.

Imagine being inside the belly of a whale! The Bible tells us that Jonah had seaweed wrapped around his head.

Jonah 2:1,2
Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and He heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and Thou heardest my voice.

Now, I'm not going to say one can be assured of having a second chance like Jonah did. I'm not going to guarantee that they'll have another chance should they backslide. Listen, there is no promise of tomorrow.

It pays to obey God, following His instructions to the letter. We will spare ourselves many severe trials if we do. We may not spend time inside the belly of a whale, but we may feel like it. The heavens will seem like brass. It will be dark all around us. We'll feel like we're out in a desert without any water. Our soul will be thirsty and we won't find anything to satisfy our thirst.

Look to the Lord
Not Yourself

John 15:5
I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.

People who trust in themselves and in their own abilities find no cause to cry out to the Lord. They feel capable enough in themselves to handle every situation that they may find themselves in — their god is self. But God knows how to get their attention. One day, they'll find themselves in the place where their god of self has failed.

Our sufficiency is in the Lord — not in self. We can't keep the victory if we don't take time each day crying out to the Lord and seeking His face.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

We must ever realize that it is through Christ — not through our own abilities.

Psalm 18:1
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

This Psalm was spoken to the Lord after David was delivered from the hand of King Saul — after Saul had thrown a javelin at him several times in an attempt to kill him. As David fled for his life, Saul and his army sought to find him. One time, David had the opportunity to kill Saul but wouldn't touch God's anointed nor do him any harm.

Psalm 18:2
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

David had a firm foundation. His life was builded on the solid Rock. This is why the enemy wasn't able to get him to turn against the Lord. This is what the devil is ever striving to do to God's people. But when we're built on the Rock Christ Jesus we'll stand firm — no matter how hard the winds may blow against us.

The Solid Rock cannot be moved, and neither can those who are born again, because the Rock dwells within.

Psalm 120:1
In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me.

Let us follow Bartimaeus' example when we're in need and lift our voice unto the Lord. He will hear our cry and come to our aid.

Psalm 61:1-4
Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of Thy wings. Selah