KEEP THE FOCUS

Sermon Notes, March 6, 2016

Rick Hoosier

Rick Hoosier filled our pulpit this week, as Pastor Garry & Beccy attended the District Pastors’ Retreat in Charlottesville.  Rick’s sermon was titled “Keep the Focus,” and was based on Mark 10:46-52, the story of blind Bartimaeus.  Lent is a growing time for the church and individuals as we look forward to a deeper level of commitment, obedience, sharing in Jesus’ suffering, sacrifice, humiliation and the shedding of His blood and death on the cross in the period leading up to Easter.  Going back to Mark 8:34 Jesus told the crowd that “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross, and follow me.” 

The passage in Mark 10:46-52 is part of Jesus’ journey to the Passover in Jerusalem and His death on the cross, ministering to people along the way.  He talks about blindness twice.  We are spiritually blind.  We need to focus, to prepare ourselves.  We get to moving so fast in our daily lives that things get out of focus.  Jesus throws out things about the future, but the crowd and the disciples missed it because they weren’t focused.  Do we have blurred vision?  The disciples followed Jesus, but their vision was blurry.

They are heading to Jerusalem, and outside Jericho, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, calls out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  He wasn’t completely blind—he knew who Jesus was.  He asked for mercy.  Jesus asked him “What do you want me to do for you?”  Bartimaeus answered “Rabbi, I want to see.”  Jesus would change his spiritual eyes, as well as his physical eyes.  Then Bartimaeus followed Jesus.  Do we have just enough spiritual sight to get by?  Our vision is still blurred if we’re not focused on Him.

Focus on Jesus.  Read His Word.  Pray.  Obey.  Lent should be a time of spiritual growth, God doing for us what we can’t do for ourselves.  Are we heading the same way as Jesus?  Follow Him.  Open our eyes.  We are to take up our cross.  Listen.  Get focused on preparing ourselves for eternity.