FBCWest 672 | What Do You Want
Recorded On: 08/10/2025
Bulletin
Hymn # 159 “Power in the Blood”
SCRIPTURE READING – 1 Peter 10:17 - 19
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate
Praise and Worship
“In the House”
“How Great Is Your Love”
“Resurrecting”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“What Do You Want?”
“This Is Amazing Grace”
Sermon Notes
Mark 10:46 Jesus, disciples and a large crowd leave Jerico and a blind man is sitting on the road
Mark 10:47 That man cries out to Jesus
Mark 10:48 Many tell him sternly to be quiet, but he keeps crying out
Mark 10:49 & 50 Jesus stops and says bring the man to Him and he comes to Jesus
Mark 10:51 Jesus asks the man what do you want Hime to do and the man responds he wants his sight restored
Mark 10:58 Jesus says that the man’s faith has made him well. He immediately receives his sight and follows Jesus
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
If you were called to be in Jesus presence, what would you ask him for today? We're going to take a look at a man who had that opportunity to ask Jesus for something. The answer was even more than he asked for. Let's take a look at what he asked for and what Jesus gave. Usually when she would teach me wouldn't actually say do this to do that or stop like to do this or do that a lot of times, she. Would tell me stories. And she would tell me stories. Of truths. That we're using the story was usually true, but it would, but you wouldn't necessarily tell me. The moral of the story? I guess she thought I was smart enough to figure it out. At least I hope that's what she thought. And sometimes they were a little more obvious, like the the one I'll tell you is to give you an example. But again, in her teaching she didn't teach like this particular one. 10 minutes before I needed it, she taught me when I was very young, long before this teaching would be necessary. So the teaching was this is that she was with her mother.
On vacation, having already been married. And they were cleaning the house and my grandmother's house. And and my mom started to complain about my dad, whose name was Joe as well. And so after a few minutes of her complaining about my dad, my grandmother started really criticizing my dad. Just unmercifully criticizing him. And my mom stopped and said, well, wait a minute, mom. Joe's not that bad. And she goes, I don't know. You live with him, and you were talking about. So I got the message you don't criticize your spouse. To other people. You got lots of time to criticize your spouse with your spouse, but so I learned that she didn't teach that to me, you know, 15 minutes before I got married. She taught that to me when I was 789. What we're going to take a look at today. Is that there is a teaching here. That goes beyond the story. The events that is true. And a lot of times we take a look at the scriptures and say this happened. Jesus did this. Oh, this didn't he? A miracle worker? Isn't he this and that? And we take a look at the event. And yet there is a teaching in the story. So I want to discuss significantly the teaching within the story. So if you have your Bibles and you should turn to gospel of Mark Chapter 10 and we're going to start with verse 46. And it says.
This and then they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd. And I'm going to stop there. I could ignore this. But I'm not going to. Two of the three gospels talk about Jesus and the disciples leaving Jericho. One of the Gospels talks about him entering Jericho. So people could say well, see the scriptures are inconsistent, you can't trust them. So let me give you a perhaps a logical and correct reason for what appears to be the. Inconsistency. There were two Jericho S. The one which you probably are very much aware of was the one that the children of Israel. First attacked and destroyed. And defeated that city and the walls came tumbling down. That Jericho was uninhabited after that. But it was still. Jericho. And that Jericho was a few miles. Probably 4 or less away from the occupied Jericho. So it is entirely possible that what they're talking about is that he's in between the two, Jericho's leaving 1 Jericho and close to the other Jericho. So just because somebody tells you that the Scriptures are inconsistent, they may not necessarily be so they're just taking it from a different perspective and so. I wanted to address that for those who might know all three. Of the gospels. And so they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and allowed a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. The son of Timaeus. Was sitting by the road. Now we tend to think, and you look that everybody says, well, his name is bartimaeus. No, it's not. Bar is the sun. Bartimaeus means he's the son of Timaeus and to make sure Mark, because not all of us are Hebrew, to make it understand that Bartimaeus was the son of Timaeus. So for instance in in my situation, my father's name Joseph. So I would be Joseph bar Joseph.
So what we're told here is the son of Timaeus was a blind beggar. Now I also think that this is interesting when rarely does the scriptures tell us the name of the people that Jesus touches. We know about the daughter of. Cyrus. But we don't know. We know about the people who he raised from the dead, but we don't know their names. We know about the lady who was hemorrhaging for 12 years. We don't know her. It's it's very interesting that when that the Scriptures never tell us the name because mostly it doesn't matter. Because it's about Jesus. So when we hear a name, my. Curiosity pops up. And remember another name. That has talked about during Jesus trial before his crucifixion. There was a criminal name Barabbas. Bar, son of the father. The son of the father escaped. His rightful punishment so that the son of God might suffer for us. Kind of so. And so why is it? Why are we now telling, well Timaeus. Is a Greek name. Doesn't mean that he's Greek. For instance, many of the almost all of the. Original deacons had Greek names. Pluto. I'm sorry Plato talked about a man named Timaeus. Timaeus means honored. Are highly valued. So we have the son of a highly valued person. That's the name. Why am I bringing this up? Because while he's sitting on the road, not, apparently all that highly valued because he's a beggar. And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out saying Jesus, son of David.
The son of a highly honored person is crying out to the son of David. There is a contrast here. The one who is a beggar who is supposedly highly valued is crying out. To the son of David. Which is a title for the Messiah. So what, bartimaeus? The son of Timaeus is saying is, I reckon, even though I am blind, I see that this is the Christ, the Messiah, the son of God, and so he cries out son of David and then he says have mercy on me. If you will. This is the beginning of a prayer. He acknowledges he has the need. He acknowledges who it is that he's going to. The Messiah, the son of God, the son of David. And he's crying out and his request is have mercy on me. And many were sternly telling him. To be quiet. They kept crying out all the more son of David. Have mercy on me. Will the teaching here is what's been consistent with what Jesus teaches about prayer? To keep knocking and keep seeking and not be discouraged when you don't get the answer immediately. And in this situation, not only is he not discouraged, people are telling us shut up. Now they may be telling to shut up for several, maybe good.
Maybe they're thinking Jesus needs to get to Jerusalem because it's passed over soon and and you don't need to interrupt him. He needs to get there. Or maybe he's tired, or maybe he's been dealing with people and he just doesn't need you. Leave him alone. But their opposition doesn't prevent him from saying I have a need. I need mercy. In the same way, our prayer life should be God. I need mercy. I need you. And I acknowledge you are the one who can answer the request. You have the power and you have the authority. And even if you don't answer my prayer right away, I will continue to knock and I will continue to seek until you either tell me stop knocking and stop seeking or you give me to what I. It is I'm asking for and so he doesn't stop knocking. Then he keeps saying have mercy on me and I don't care. What these people say? And Jesus stopped. So now he's going to listen. And he said call him here. So they called the blind man saying to him take courage. In essence, you've been heard. You're going to have an opportunity to find out what mercy it is you want. Take one stand up. He is calling for you. Jesus.
May not be walking by our lives. The weekend anytime call out to him. And and we should say we're going. To take courage. Because he's listening. So I said he's calling for you. So throwing aside his cloak. He jumped up and came to Jesus. Notice now there's this expectation. He's excited. It's like he heard me and he's called me. And now I have an opportunity to speak to him. What it is that I desire, what it is that I need. So he throws. He's like I don't need. Which I find interesting. Because he's blind. How does it get there? He doesn't wait to see. Well, somebody help me. He just gets to Jesus however he can. And answering him, Bart Tomas, the son of Tomaas, Jesus said. What do you want me to do for you? Now initially I have to find that to be a very strange question. Because it's pretty obvious the man's mind. So I would have thought Jesus said OK, I'm going to heal your blindness, but instead Jesus says what it is that you want me to do for you.
Now the man could have answered. I need money. I'm a poor beggar. And so I need money. So I can live and maybe get some and I don't have to be on this road begging. Or maybe you said I'm hungry. I like some food. There's a lot of things he could have asked for and a lot of times we don't ask Jesus for the essential thing that we need. We ask for something lesser. And again. The problem with our peril life is that instead of understanding exactly who God is. We ask for the cheap things. May I make? The Bills today, may I do this? But I'm not saying that those things aren't important, but sometimes we. Let the cares of this world. Overshadow. Our real needs. And so the blind man said to him. I want to regain my sight. So apparently he had seen before, and something may have happened either some disease or some accident or something that happened that caused him to be blind. But apparently this blindness had lasted long enough that he no longer did he have property to support himself because he was a beggar on the road.
Somewhere outside of. Jericho. Those raboni rabbi. Teacher. I want to regain my sight and that is his prayer request. This is what I'm seeking. This is what I said. Have mercy on me. The mercy is I wanted you to have me regain my sight. And a lot of times we think in our prayer request, this is what we need. And so we make the request of God. And Jesus said to him, go. Your faith has made you well. I want to come back to that and immediately he regained his sight and began following him on the road, so there was not this. Temporary pause between Jesus speaking and his healing. Before he had. Make clay spit and put it on the the blind man's eye and said go wash and do those type of things. Another blind man he dealt with he. Spit and did some things and the guy said, well, I kind of see people as trees and then Jesus touched them some more and he became in this instance. Because each of those others. Didn't limit what Jesus can do, he just did it for a reason. And here he immediately causes the man to regain not only his sight, but I want you to notice it. And he became he was made well. Which I believe means not only was he healed physically. He was forgiven spiritually. Just like when their friends wanted their paraplegic friend to be healed by Jesus, couldn't get to him, so they. Took the roof. Off. Put him down and you said your sins are forgiven you. Because Jesus saw the correct need in that man's. Life. And he goes well, which is it easier to say, get up and walk or your sins are forgiven and the guy got up and walked, proving that the sins were forgiven. Jesus says I'm giving you more than you ask for you.
Ask for mercy in your call and my mercy is not only am I giving you your sight back. I'm healing your soul. Again, the scriptures tell us. That God is able to do far more abundantly than we can ask or think. Were conceived of. This man simply wanted his sight back. And instead he got his sight. And forgiveness. And he was so excited. That he decided to follow Jesus. Now, there were others that Jesus healed that they wanted to follow, and he goes, Jesus said no, go back home. Do whatever. Spread the word there or don't spread the word. This one, he permits him to ohh because he acknowledged. That he's the Messiah. And that his following Jesus was because not what Jesus did for him in the healing of the eyesight. Of what God did for him and for giving of his sins and made will. All too often, when we have a present need, you'll hear about the foxhole confection confessions that that somebody's you know in the war or in danger, and they'll say God, I'll follow you and I'll go to and I'll do all these things and you make all kinds of promises. And then when you get out of danger. The vast majority. Seemed to forget. Their commitments to God. Not so with him. Because he acknowledged before God ever did anything for him that he was the son of David. That he was the Messiah, that he was the son of God. And the one. Who is the son of honor? Honored the son of David. And so. This story to me, while true and talks about the power of Jesus to heal not only the body but the soul. Also tells me.
But it's about you and me. That there are times that we need mercy from God. And there are sometimes that it seems a little while for him to respond. Instead of giving up. We should do what Jesus teaches. Verbally. Keep on knocking. Keep on seeking. Keep on desiring. But don't limit God. To what you think you need. Say God, your will be done. Maybe this problem isn't taken away because I can glorify you more greatly being blind than seen. But if it is your will. May I see? And that's why we so like that song. Amazing Grace. Once I was lost. And now I'm found. Was blind. But now I see. And even for those of us who see. We need to remember what Paul says. Even today. We kind of see. Darkly. We don't see it clearly, so maybe we should be continuing to say, Lord, I see.
Like men walking as trees. Clear my eyesight that I might see you more and more clear. Have mercy on me. And I'm not going to stop. Until I see you face to face.
And all God's people said.