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Bring It
Matthew 9:18-26
Nate Heitzig

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Matthew 9 (NKJV™)
18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."
19 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.
20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.
21 For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."
22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.
23 When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing,
24 He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him.
25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.
26 And the report of this went out into all that land.

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Topical - Nate Heitzig

We all carry heavy burdens in our life: burdens of pain, sorrow, and sin. In this message, Nate Heitzig teaches that we as Christians are not victims of chance, but rather we are God-led individuals who must bring our burdens to the Lord through prayer.

This collection of topical teachings from Nate Heitzig includes celebrations, messages about the vision of the church, special teachings, and more.

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Study Guide

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Connect Recap Notes: April 9, 2017
Speaker: Nate Heitizg
Teaching: "Bring It"
Text: Matthew 9:18-26

Path

Pastor Nate Heitzig addressed the fact that Christians are not victims of chance, but rather are God-led individuals who need to learn to bring our burdens to God through prayer. No matter what battles or burdens Christians face, Christ looks at us and tells us to bring them to Him in prayer. Looking at the biblical character of Jairus, Pastor Nate's path through the text was as follows:
  1. Jairus was a true seeker

  2. Jairus had faith and obedience

Points

Jairus was a true seeker
  • We know that Jairus was a seeker because Jesus responded to his request.
  • In Jesus' ministry, it was usually the attitude of the person that determined His response.
  • Our attitude determines the altitude and amplitude of our prayers.
  • When a person is desperate, aware of their own radical need, and comes humbly to Jesus, He responds with open arms.
  • Life's pain will always point to the Lord's promise. Proximity to the presence of the Lord brings perspective to the pain of life.
    • Probe: Share a time in your life when you experienced pain and prayed to the Lord for resolution. How did He answer? How did you respond to His answer?
Jairus had faith and obedience
  • Jairus believed Jesus could heal and save his daughter's life. This showed that he had faith in Jesus and placed himself without reservation in the Lord's hands.
  • God's delays are not necessarily His denials. Sometimes, God doesn't give us what we ask for because He wants to give us something far better at a later time.
  • Our objections are God's qualifications: He shows us what He can do, often at the moment we think He can't or won't.
    • Probe: How do you respond when God doesn't answer your prayers the way you think He should? Do you still trust Him?
Practice

Connect Up: Look up the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Make a list of the seven things Jesus encouraged Christians to pray for. Notice that it is divided into vertical elements (those directed towards God) and horizontal elements (those directed towards other people). What does this tell you about the nature of prayer?

Connect In: Nate reminded us that we need to know that in this life we aren't just pursuing Jesus—He is pursuing us. How are you pursuing Christ through prayer? Look up Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17. How does Christ pray for the church?

Connect Out: It is important that Christians pray not only for other Christians but also for non-believers. Take a moment to pray for some non-believers you know, and specifically pray for their salvation, that God would open doors for you to share the gospel with them, for grace to develop a good relationship with them, that you would represent Christ to them, and that God would use you in any circumstance in their life.

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to this message from Calvary Albuquerque. We're excited to hear from our special guest speaker, Nate Heitzig. Nate serves as the Executive Creative Administrator at Calvary Albuquerque. We pray that this message encourages you. If it does, we'd love to hear about it. Email us at mystory@calvaryabq.org. And if you'd like to support this ministry financially, you can give online securely at calvaryabq.org/give.
We all carry heavy burdens in our life. Burdens of pain, sorrow, and sin. In the message, Bring It, Nate reminds us that God is always with us, even in our darkest hour. And He wants us to bring our burdens before Him. Now, please open your Bible to Matthew chapter nine as Nate begins.
OK, turning your Bibles to Matthew, chapter 8, verse 18 through 26. We're going to keep this theme going. My message this weekend is titled Bring It. Turn to your neighbor and say, bring it.
Bring it.
Whoever just told you that, turn to them and say, don't come at me, bro.
[LAUGHTER]
Now, I believe God wants to do a breakthrough in your life this weekend. I think that here in our house, we're one house with many rooms across all of our campuses. God wants to bring breakthrough here in lives. God wants to transform your life. Those burdens that you wrote, those burdens that were on the screen, God wants to free you from those burdens this weekend if you'll let him. God wants to move here in this place.
Last night, we saw tons of people give their lives to Jesus Christ. Tears were shed. Burdens were released. God moved, and God wants to do it here again today. We just have to allow Him that opportunity.
God wants to bring a breakthrough to you. God wants to bring a breakthrough to me. Turn to your neighbor and say, God wants to bring a breakthrough. Now say it like you believe it.
[LAUGHTER]
Hey, any time I get the opportunity to teach, I always say it's OK to get a little Pentecostal. Now, what that doesn't mean is clucking like a chicken. What that does mean is if you hear something you agree with, let me know. It's OK to shout out an amen, OK to shout out a preach it. It's even OK to shout out a preach it, white boy. Whatever you got to do, there's no judgment here. I won't be offended.
For whatever reason, we think that church is the one place we can't give vocal approval to something profound in our lives. We go a concert, we go to a sports game, we even go to motivational speeches, and people respond in kind. I don't know why at church we think God's scared of loud noises, so we think we can't be vocal in our response. But I'm giving you permission to be vocal. Let me know if you agree with what I'm saying.
[CHEERING]
Even if you were born in the Church of the Frozen Chosen, today you're at Calvary's. So remind your face that you're happy, and let's have some fun.
Hey, do you ever feel like God has let you down? Anyone ever felt that way? God has let you down? I'm talking to the 9:30 service, apparently. You guys are super spiritual. No one's ever felt that way. I have
Has it ever seemed maybe like God was too busy for you? Have you ever felt like God is too busy for your needs? I mean, it's understandable. After all, he runs the world and everything. Who runs the world? God. God runs the world.
Have you ever wondered, like me, how do you approach God? You know, I've wondered that. Man, this great, incredible God who created the Heavens and the Earth, who knows every hair on my head, how do I possibly approach the magnitude of that God? How do I approach God? Here's another question. How can we have our prayers get answered? Anyone want to know that?
OK, fine. So next time you're complaining to me about your prayers not getting an answer, I'm going to say, hey, you didn't want your prayers answered. I asked you. Come on. Seriously, who wants to see their prayers get answered? Who wants to know how to have their prayers get answered? There we go.
Here's another question. Why does Jesus say yes to some people and no to others? I want to know this personally, because it seems like every single time I'm praying for something specifically, everyone around me gets it except for me.
Have you ever felt that way? You're praying for something. You've been praying for it for a long time, and you haven't gotten it, and then your neighbor gets it, and then your friend gets it, then the person you sit next to at church gets it. Then your enemies get it, and you're like what the heck, God? I mean, I've been praying for this for a long time. Why are you saying yes to them and no to me?
Let me ask you one more question. Does God still speak to us today? Yes? Good, I'm glad you agree with that. Now, let me ask you a follow up question. How can we hear His voice? Now, these are all important questions. And we, as Christians, are not victims of chance, hoping that our luck will be good, or that our luck won't run out.
As God led men and women in scripture, you need to know that God wants to lead you. In very much the same way, God wants to lead you. God wants to guide you. God wants you to bring your burdens to Him. And so I've titled this message Bring It, because I believe that learning how to bring our burdens to God through prayer is one of the most important lessons that we can learn.
This is our Acoustic and Prayer week. And I love that once a month we get the opportunity, as a body of Christ, to come and write down our burdens, write down our prayer requests. And as a body of Christ, we can bear one another's burdens and pray for one another.
Well, it's Palm Sunday week, and we decided to hijack that a little bit. So that's what this was all about. Because a lot of us know and believe that Christ carries the penalty for our sin, but we forget that he also carries the burdens of life. We know the cross carries the penalty, but it also carries the burdens. It carries the weight.
And so to have an opportunity to not just write down a prayer request, but to write down something you want to be freed from, that's a lot more profound, right? Because a prayer request could change week to week. What you want to be freed from has probably been true of your life for a long time. You have prayer requests, then you have a prayer request. That's what you want to be freed from, what you want God to relieve you from.
In the Bible, there's a guy named Jehoshaphat. And Jehoshaphat's the King of Judah. And I love Jehoshaphat, because Jehoshaphat had his head on straight. Jehoshaphat was a guy who knew what was going on. He lived a righteous life before the Lord. He did the right things to please God. And in the history of Israel, they had a lot of messed up kings. They had some really bad dudes who made really bad decisions.
Jehoshaphat was one of the good guys. He made the right decisions. And then suddenly, like often times in our life when we're making the right decisions, when we're doing the right things, when we're living righteous lives and trying to please God, the bottom drops out. And Jehoshaphat's left thinking, man, what happened? Jehoshaphat gets a warning, a report, that says an army is coming to kill him, to destroy his kingdom.
Hey, why is it that we think that this should only happen to bad people? Be honest, right? You We hear messages that bad things happen to good people, but every single time it happens, aren't we a little bit surprised? Like hey, that's only supposed to happen to bad people.
As a matter of fact, a lot of us might even be praying for some bad things to happen to some bad people. And you say, no, no, Nate. Again, that's 11:15 service. This is 9:30 service. But I'm guilty of it sometimes. But it's always in code, right? We never actually pray it.
And there's this Christian code. The word humble is code for hurt. And so we say, Lord, I just pray that you will humble them. Lord, just speak-- just humble them, Jesus. We're praying for God to hurt them.
Or another Christian code is bring them to their knees, which is bring them calamity. Lord Jesus, just bring them to their knees. Lord, just reveal yourself to them in a really scary way.
[LAUGHTER]
Right? It's always in code. And before you get all judgy, know that even David did it. But at least he was honest about it. People say to pray the psalms. What happens when you get to the psalm where David says, Lord, kick their teeth in and make them like stillborn children? David just wasn't shy to say what he actually thought.
But we're always surprised when bad things happen to good people. Be honest. When you're following God, you're honoring Him. When you're doing what is right, aren't you a little bit surprised when bad things happen?
He receives a frightening report. It says a vast army is coming against you. An alarmed Jehoshaphat stops what he is doing, and he comes up with a plan. No, it doesn't say that. He stops what he's doing, and he prepares. No. He stops what he is doing, and he prays. He prays. The most logical thing to do in a time of need.
Do you ever feel like an army is coming against you? Maybe it's an army at work. Maybe it's an army in your finances, an army in your relationships, an army in your health, an army in the sin that you're battling, or the temptation you're experiencing. Maybe as you saw those words on the screen, that is your army, and you don't know how you're going to get away from it. You've tried for a long time, but the army is coming against you.
It is pursuing you. It is getting closer. It is knocking at the doorstep of your life. And you say, if I can get away from it, it's done. The army is coming against you, Church. You need to know if there is an army against you today, I encourage you to stop what you're doing and pray. Pray.
Jehoshaphat prays, and it's a beautiful prayer. It's a prayer that our heart should echo. He says, "O our God, we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We don't know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." Church, can we give God a shout of praise today?
[CHEERING]
When the army is attacking you, when the army is facing you, when you have no power, you don't know what you're going to do, you don't know where you're going to go, you don't know how you're going to get away, stop fretting, stop fearing, and start praying. Put your eyes upon Jesus. Cast your cares upon Him for He cares for you.
The most clear instruction that we can have is to place our eyes upon Jesus. Because in the light of Jesus, in the light of what He's done for us, in the light of what He's going to do for us, it's incredible how the problems, how the pain, how the armies that are coming against us suddenly become really small. Because we realize the army, we realize the battle that is ahead-- it's a battle, it's a fight that we don't have to fight, because Jesus is going before us.
Jesus will fight that battle for us, and we know that no matter what the outcome of that battle is, we know the outcome of the war. And Christian, the war is over, and Christ has won. So instead of being scared of that battle, don't allow that battle to become the war. The war is won. The war is won. So the battle is inconsequential, because we know the war is won. Trust God in the war, and you will begin to trust God in the battles.
And through Christ's victory, we are made victors. And so we can look at life and say bring it, because no matter what battles or burdens we face, Christ looks at us and he says, bring it. We can look at life and say bring it, because Christ looks that us and says, bring it. Bring to me your burdens, bring to me your cares.
And so we can stare life in the face and say, whatever you've got, bring it. Come on, throw it at me, because I've got somebody behind me who's willing to take those burdens, who's willing to take that shame, who's willing to take that guilt for me. So whatever you've got, it's not enough for him, because he's behind me.
God responds powerfully to King Jehoshaphat. He answers the prayer of the King and of his people. And this isn't an isolated incident. It didn't stop happening when the disciples died.
The Bible is full of stories like this. A woman named Hannah is unable to have a child. She prays, and a baby she named Samuel is born, a baby who would one day become one of Israel's greatest prophets. Sampson prays, and in spite of his previous disobedience, God gives him his strength back.
Somebody needs to hear that this morning. That's for somebody. Even if you've been disobedient, in spite of your disobedience, if you bring your sin, if you bring your shame, if you come repentant, God can give you your strength back today. Somebody needed to hear that. If you needed to hear that, raise your hand. If God's speaking to you through that right now, you received that word. God can give you your strength back.
You feel like because of your sin, your strength has left you. You feel like because of your sin, you're on a downward spiral, and there's no way you're going be able to get back to what you once were. You feel like you've fallen, but you need to know you haven't fallen too far. God is still willing to pick you up.
Paul and Silas were in prison for their faith. They pray, and in a moment's notice, an earthquake comes, and they're freed. Peter is in prison. The Church prays, and in hours he is released. A man named Elijah prays. He prays again, and it returns for the rain. He prays the rain comes. He prays again. The rain stops. He prays yet again, and fire comes down from Heaven.
Man, that is a sprinkler system I can get behind in the summers of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Can somebody give me an amen? Man, the water bill's getting a little too high. Oh, thanks, God. That's good. Hey, I want to xeriscape the lawn, maybe some fire from Heaven. There we go. Problem solved.
One thing is clear in scripture, God speaks to his children. To some, like Moses, he spoke audibly. To others, like Elijah, he spoke quietly. And one reason I believe that oftentimes we can't hear God's voice is because we're not listening.
Let me ask you a question. When something bad happens in your life, what percentage of your prayer life includes talking and what percentage includes listening? Mic drop. Man, that was written down for me, because I'm the biggest culprit of this. I'm a great listener when times are good, but the second tragedy strikes I'm a really good talker. And I could spend all my time in prayer talking, talking, talking-- God, God, God, God, help, help, help, help-- and spending no time listening to what God wants to speak back into my life. And you're thinking, well, I didn't think we were supposed to feel uncomfortable in church.
So maybe instead of just saying God speaks to His children, what we should really say is God responds to His children when His children speak and listen to Him. If you're not listening, God can't respond. So maybe the problem for why your prayers aren't being answered is because you're spending all your time speaking, and you're not stopping and giving God a chance to respond. Maybe it's time to start listening instead of speaking, because maybe God wants to share something with you. You just haven't given Him the opportunity. You haven't given Him the room.
We think, well, Nate, these are the great men and women of faith in the Bible. They were super spiritual. They're like superheroes. But what does the scripture say about Elijah in James 5:17? "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. And he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again that Heaven would give rain, and the Earth produced its fruit." Elijah was like you. Elijah was like me.
So if the problem isn't us, if the problem is not our nature, then it must be what we're doing. So what are we doing that is wrong, that our prayers aren't being answered? What can we do that is right to have God give ear to our requests?
Let's look at our text and see the right way to bring our burdens to God. Matthew 9, verse 18 through 26. "Well, he spoke these things to them. Behold, a ruler came and worshiped him saying, 'My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.' So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did his disciples. And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for 12 years came from behind and touched the hem of his garment, for she said to herself, 'If I can only touch his garment, I'll be made well.' But Jesus turned around, and when he saw her, he said, 'Be of good cheer, daughter. Your faith has made you well.' And the woman has made well from that hour. When Jesus came into the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, he said to them, 'Make room for the girl is not dead, she's just sleeping.' But they ridiculed him. But when the crowd was put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all the land."
Now, this is the story of a dramatic miracle that Jesus did for a 12-year-old girl who had died. Now, I want to point out this is profound, because she is one of only three people that Jesus ever raised from the dead. But this isn't a story about just the healing of one person. This is the story about the healing of two people, because this is also the day for which Jesus dealt with the heartbroken father, Jairus. The girl might have died, but Jairus's heart had died. And God breathed life into Jairus's heart, gave him hope, gave him comfort, gave him joy, gave him faith that he thought he could probably never have again.
So Jesus healed two hearts on this day. And for anyone who's lost a loved one, you know that the pain of losing a loved one, the pain that you feel in your heart, can be greater than the thought of even losing your own life. And you need to know that if you've lost somebody, Christ can give you the hope that you thought you could never have again this side of eternity.
Jesus can breathe back in you a joy that you didn't think you could ever experience again. Jesus Christ can work in your life in a way you didn't think was possible any longer. Jesus can heal your heart today. He can raise your heart back from death, and He can give you hope.
You need to receive that, that Jesus Christ can do that here in this place. You need to believe that, because if you don't believe it, it's not going to happen. You can hear it, and you can say, I hear you, I've heard it before, but unless you believe it, it's not going to happen.
Jairus was received with open arms. And I wonder why. Why was he received with open arms? Well, number one, Jairus was a true seeker. He was a true seeker. And this is where we start with approaching God with bringing our burdens to God. If you want to know the real secret to getting your prayers answered, this is the first step. Be a true seeker of Jesus.
And you might ask me, well, Nate, how do you know this? The text doesn't say he was a true seeker. The text doesn't tell us anything about Jairus after this. We don't even know if he accepted Jesus into his heart, so how can you say he was a true seeker in just a few verses? My answer would be because Jesus responded.
And this is important. If you're taking notes, write this down. We have stories all through the Bible of those who approached Jesus, and Jesus did not receive them. Jesus did not respond to them. They brought their requests, and their requests were denied. Some were treated with kindness. Some people had their request granted, like Nicodemus or the woman at the well or the two people in this story, but others were repelled from the first moment they approached Jesus, their questions returned back to them in the form of questions. And they went away angry, determined to persecute and even kill Jesus.
The point is this-- it was the attitude of the people that determined Jesus's response to them. Church, it is your attitude towards Jesus when you approach him that will determine his response to you. Your attitude determines the response. So if you're mad at Jesus for not answering your prayer requests, stop focusing on why he's not answering and start focusing on your attitude and your posture to which you're bringing the request in the first place.
Psalm 18:25 says, "To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You have saved the humble, but bring low those whose eyes are haughty." John 2:23 says, "Now, while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs that he was doing. And they believed in His name, but Jesus would not entrust himself to them for He knew all men."
So how do I know Jairus was a true seeker? Because of Jesus's response, because Jesus received him and responded to him. For those that come to Jesus out of mere curiosity, He has nothing to say. To those who simply toy with the idea of following Him, nothing really happens. But when a person is desperate, aware of their own radical need, and comes humbly to Him, God will always respond with open arms.
Again, we found there's no difference between us and Elijah. The secret isn't in who you are, but in what you're doing. What's going on in your heart? What's your attitude like? What's your posture towards Jesus Christ? What's the basis for your request? Is it based in greedy self interest, or is it based in something greater?
Here it is. Here's the takeaway. Our attitude determines the altitude and the amplitude of our prayers. Our attitude determines the altitude, the degree to which it will rise, and the amplitude, the volume to which it will be heard by Jesus. Our attitude determines the altitude and the amplitude. So if you want to start anywhere with your prayer life, start with your attitude.
Man, this is basic guys. Attitude check, come on. Anybody who has kids knows. This is basic. This is what I tell my kids every single day. Check your attitude. It's not about what you're doing, it's about the attitude with which you're doing it. I tell my son every night, hey, Seth, go get ready for bed. 95% of the time, this is his response. [HUFFING]
Dude, just go to bed. He might eventually make his way to the bedroom. He might eventually brush his teeth. But the problem isn't with what he's doing, it's the attitude that he's doing it with. It's the attitude that he's going kicking and screaming instead of willingly and joyfully. It's the attitude that's the issue.
If he responds with joy, that changes everything. That changes the entire way to which I will respond to him. If he comes and says, hey, Dad, can I have a snack? And then I say, not right now. Seth, he goes, I never get snacks. I'm definitely not giving him a snack now.
But if he comes and brings his request in joy, with gladness, with faith, and he says, hey, Dad, can I have a snack? And I test him, and I say, well, not right now. And he says, OK, that's fine. Well, man, now I want to give it to him. Now I want to pour those blessings upon him.
Church, when you come to God, what attitude are you coming with him to? Are you coming and saying, Lord, I need this. And when he says, not right now, you go, [HUFFING] but he has it. Do you think God, as a good Father, wants to pour those blessings upon your life? No way.
It starts with your attitude. It's time for an attitude check. The Bible says God is our Heavenly Father, so why should it be any different? When we come to God with the right attitude, it changes everything.
Deuteronomy 4:29 says, "But if from there, you seek the Lord, your God, you will find Him. If you look for Him with all your heart and all your soul. David said to his son, Solomon, 'If you seek him, he will be found by you.'" The bottom line is this-- if someone is truly seeking God, He will be found. If they don't find their way to Jesus Christ, that plainly shows they're not true seekers.
Many people today say they're seeking God. They say they're on a journey of spirituality as they flow from aberration to aberration, from one weird religious sect the next. And that's like the common catch phrase today. I'm on a journey of spirituality. What does that mean? Like is Yoda your instructor, teaching you how to lift heavy rocks with your mind? Is he riding on your back like a backpack? Like what is that? What is a journey of spirituality? It sounds so vague.
Many people say that they are a good person, that they're seeking the truth. But Romans 3:10 says, "No one is good, not one in all the world. No one really understands. No one is seeking God. Everyone is turned away from God." And sadly, this sin is probably the most widespread that we find in the church today. What Jesus said of the Pharisees could describe many in the church today. "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."
Don't let this be true of us, Church. You come to church, good. You read your Bible, good. You have it memorized, good. You sing the songs, good. But don't let that be all there is. Lip service is not valuable. Life service is valuable.
Don't just talk about how great God is. Show it. Show it. Let it be part of your life, just like my kids. Don't say yes and then go kicking and screaming. Say yes joyfully, knowing that He's got your best interest in mind, knowing that when you respond with a joyful attitude, it makes His heart joyful. And His desire is to pour out blessings upon your life, but you've got to check your attitude first.
Again, it's the same with my kids. I was blessing my kids. There's days when I wake up, and I just want to bless my kids. Usually it's on Mondays, because it's my day off. And I wake up, and I'm like, man, hey, let's just go do something. Let's go to the zoo or the trampoline park. You guys want ice cream? Let's get ice cream. Let's go get a toy. And I have the desire to bless my kids.
But if I wake up, and my kids are in a bad attitude from the first moment, if I ask them to get ready, if I ask them to do this, and every single request they're just obstinate, they're just fighting me, they're just [GRUNTS IN FRUSTRATION]. That's all it is, [GRUNTS IN FRUSTRATION]. If they act like that, it takes away my desire to pour a blessing upon them. Why? Because I hope I'm a good father, and I hope that there's a realization that the worst thing I could give my kids when they have a bad attitude is blessing, because it teaches them they can have this attitude and just keep getting--
Christian, when you have a bad attitude, the blessings that Jesus wants to pour out upon your life are inhibited by your attitude, because the worst thing He can do as a Heavenly Father is to give you the things you want when you have a bad attitude about it. Because it spoils you. It ruins you. So if your prayer requests aren't getting answered, start with your attitude. Start with your attitude.
Dead devotion is a living mockery. Some people go to church, but their hearts, which are to be the temple of God, are cold and empty. Some people carry their Bibles, but they're about as familiar with it as they are with the manual for their refrigerator. Some people sing worship songs, and they'll say, 10,000 reasons for my heart to sing, but they can't really even find one.
It's very possible to appear Godly, and yet never have a real relationship with Him. To the world you might look like you've got it all together, but inside you might be just as lost as they are. But when a person is desperate, aware of their own radical need, and they come humbly to God, God will always receive them and respond to them with open arms. It starts with us.
Jairus realized that she's dying, that he's in a race against time. No doubt he had tried everything he could, and yet he thought his case was hopeless. Church, are you in what appears to be a hopeless situation right now? Are you in a hopeless place? Do you desperately need something, but it seems like you will never have it? Do you feel like there is no future for you, that it is just too late?
If so, then you need to bring it. Because even when there is no hope in the world, there is hope in Jesus. Even when there is no way, He is the way. He will fill the void that you can't fill. He will give you the life that you don't have. He will bring you the joy that you can't find, and that is good news. Somebody give me an amen.
Amen.
It's good news. So in realization of the ultimate work that God has done for you, let that adjust your attitude, so that you can focus on the small things that God continues to want to do for you. If you want an attitude check, the best place to start is with the cross. Because when you look at the cross, when you look at the sin, at the shame, at the guilt, at the burdens that it carries, when you realize the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for you, that can only give you a good attitude and make you grateful for what God has already done for you.
Life's pain will always point to the Lord's promise. You just have to find it. You've got to find it. Sometimes you've got to search for it. Look, sometimes it takes a wolf to come into the green pastures, to remind the sheep that the shepherd carries a big stick.
But we know that God's our protector. We know that God's protecting us, that he's guarding us. But sometimes we forget it if we spend all of our time in the green pastures, sipping on the still waters. We forget that there's a good shepherd. Sometimes a wolf has to come into our pastures to remind us that we need to stick closer to God, to point us back to the promise of God.
See, proximity to the presence of the Lord brings perspective to the pain of life. Maybe you can't feel or sense God's presence, but that doesn't mean that He isn't there. God is there, not because I feel Him or I see Him, but because He promised to be. So number one, be a true seeker after Jesus.
Number two, Jairus had a beautiful medley of faith and obedience. Faith and obedience. He believes that Jesus can heal and save his daughter's life. He begs him to immediately go and lay hands on her. He has faith in Jesus, and he places himself, without reservation, in the Lord's hands.
Now, this faith of Jairus is especially significant because-- I want to point out-- it continues even after his daughter is dead. We're told in Mark's gospel that Jairus came to Jesus not when she was dead, but when she was sick. Jairus came asking for a healing, not a resurrection. Jairus came asking Jesus to heal his sick daughter, not resurrect his dead daughter.
And why is this significant? Because at this point in Jesus' ministry, Jesus had not yet performed a resurrection miracle. I want you to put that in perspective. This was something they had never seen Jesus do. So he had nothing to compare it to. He couldn't say, hey, Lord, can you resurrect my daughter like you did for that guy? No, this was the first time. So realize the boldness and the faith of this kind of a request.
Asking God to do something that he didn't even know if God could do, asking Jesus to do something that had never been done, that is a big request. And so, you think your request is too big for God? You say, well, I've been praying for this, but I just don't know if God can do it. It's just, this is big. I don't know if it's possible. I don't know if it's attainable. I'm just not sure if God can do it.
I would say this. I don't think you can have a big enough request for God. I think too many of us have small requests for God. And the reason God isn't answering our requests is because they're too small, and God wants us to shoot a little higher, pray a little bigger, pray a little grander, believing God for that resurrection miracle. Jesus had healed many life-threatening diseases, but no one had been brought back from the grave.
You need to understand that God has been true to fulfill His promises generation after generation. And we aren't basing our faith in Him off of something that hasn't worked before. We now, on the opposite side of this, have the fullness of the glory. We know all that God is capable of, and so stop limiting your requests. You don't serve a small god, you serve a big god.
Without hesitation, Jairus asked Jesus to raise his daughter from the dead. He says, "Come. Lay your hand on her, and she will live." Notice he doesn't even ask her, hey, Jesus, resurrect her. He just says, lay your hand on her, and she'll live. She'll live. I know it. I believe it.
After his first request, what does Jairus do? Does he follow along with Jesus? Does he tug at his coattail and say, come on, Jesus. We got to go. Time's ticking. Come on, we got to go. Keep moving. Hey, you're God, you're fast. Would you like to put me on your back, and we'll fly there? I mean, let's do this. Come on, she's going to die. She's dead. This is bad.
And then this woman comes on the scene. This woman comes on the scene, monopolizing the time of Jesus, getting in the way of Jairus and his goal, coming with a request. Jesus turns from Jairus. He turns to her. He talks to her. He heals her.
Think about what Jairus must've been thinking, how he must have resented this intrusion. How he could have said, hey, I was here first. There's no cuts. You wait your turn. Are you dying? No. Scoot along. That would have been my response. His daughter is dying, is dead.
This is where a lot of people have trouble with God. They grow impatient. They say, when are you going to open that door of ministry for me? When are you going to provide me with a husband or wife? How long are you going to let that person get away with that sin? How long are you going to you let them walk all over me and defame my name? When are you going to judge the world and come back?
And in our impatience, we take things into our own hands, like Jacob, who actually made things worse. Or we just get tired of waiting for that right guy or that right girl, and so we jump from one relationship to the next. But Jesus doesn't ask us for our understanding of his ways and timing. He just asks us for our trust. From Jairus he got it. What about you?
God's delays are not always God's denials. He might just be waiting for an attitude adjustment before He gives you what you've been asking for. He might just wait for you to have enough faith to ask for what you really need instead of what you think you need. Sometimes He doesn't give us what we ask for, because he wants to give us something far better. The point is, even though we can't see how the situation will end or why it has come upon us, we can know that it flows from the love of God, and it is controlled by Him. Now that takes faith.
Let me ask you that. The situation you're in right now, that you feel is hopeless, can you trust that it flows from the love of God? Even after Jesus didn't do it the way it Jairus thought he should, Jairus maintains a faith that Jesus still has a plan. When God doesn't do it the way that you think He should, will you still trust Him?
Now, the reason Jesus did this in their life is because he wanted to do something greater than their expectations. He wanted resurrection. They wanted healing. They wanted healing. God wanted to do better than that. Solomon wanted wisdom, but God wanted to do better than that. The disciples wanted a lunch break. God wanted to do better than that. He wanted a feast. Moses wanted a way around the sea. God wanted to do better than that. He wanted to part the sea.
Church, maybe the problem is that your prayer is too small. Perhaps you want healing, but God wants resurrection. Maybe you want something good, but God wants something great in your life. Maybe the problem is that you don't have the faith to ask for what you really need.
See, the problem with us is a lot of times we ask for things that are too small. And what I mean by that is we ask for something that is so easily attainable that if one circumstance in our life were to change, we could accomplish it on our own. And so what happens is when those kind of prayers get answered, we can look at it, and say, oh yeah, I did that. Yeah, I prayed, but I was the one who really did it. And we look back on our lives, and we say, yeah, God's done some incredible things. I just forget what they are. I know He's answered prayers. I just can't remember any at this time.
But when we pray for something big, something so big there's no way we can accomplish it, when God does it, all we can point to is Him. When we pray big prayers, God does big things that reveals Himself in a big way to an unbelieving world. That's the purpose of answered prayer is for God to reveal Himself. So if you're praying for something so small that there's no possibility for God to reveal Himself in it, start praying some bigger prayers and having some bigger faith.
You need to come to the realization that your expectation is your limitation. You need to come to the realization that your expectation is your limitation. The point to which you have an expectation of God is the limitation to which God will move in your life. We need to blow out the walls of expectations, push up the ceilings of expectations. Your God is not small. He is bigger than your expectations, and it's time to blow out the walls and trust God, trust that he has something greater than the limitations that you've been placing on Him. Your objections are God's qualifications.
So what are the results of Jairus putting his trust in Jesus as we close? Look at verse 19. It says, "Jesus arose and followed him." Jesus arose and followed him, and that is what he'll do for you as well. In Mark's gospel, we're told that news of his daughter's death came after he found Jesus. Can you imagine for a second the shock that it must have been to hear someone say, Jairus, your daughter's dead. She's dead. You tried hard, but it didn't work out. It's too late, just come on home. There's not going to be any miracle today.
Jairus could have so easily accused Jesus of making a mistake of neglecting him in his hour of need, but he didn't. And then Jesus gave these words of comfort to the hurting father. He said, "Be not afraid, only believe." It was those words of Jesus that made the difference. He's saying, Jairus you've had a certain amount of faith that brought you here. And your faith was helped when you saw what I did for this woman, but don't quit. Keep believing, keep having faith, because if you have the faith, you're going to be amazed to see what I've got planned next.
What a perfect picture of the Christian life this is, isn't it? On one hand, you don't have the problems that you used to have, such as the guilt of sin, the loneliness, the fear, and the death, but you still have the burdens. And I love this picture of the cross. I love this picture of our burdens hanging on the cross, because I think it illustrates to us the reality of the Christian life. We believe that Christ carries the penalty of sin, but we have a hard time trusting that he can carry the burdens of life.
And sometimes in our excitement of all that God has done, we temporarily lower our guard. And the devil is waiting for such a moment. He is waiting for that opportunity to take those chains, to take those sins that have been forgiven by Jesus Christ. He wants to take those burdens, and he wants to put them back upon your shoulders.
He will do his best to make us give up in despair and hopelessness. He will come and suggest all sorts of things to which you're not going to have an answer for. He'll come and he'll say that the case is hopeless, that there's no way for you to get through it, and he'll put another chain on your shoulder. He'll come, and he'll suggest that you've sinned far too greatly. You've fallen way too low, you're way too deep in the pit to ever get out, and he'll put that burden back upon your shoulder.
But look at verse 19, because that's where the hope is, Church. It says Jesus arose and followed him. I love this verse, because we're used to hearing that we should follow Jesus. "Take up your cross and follow me." "Follow me." It's all about following Jesus and it is, but you need to know that in this life, you aren't just pursuing Jesus. Jesus is pursuing you.
Jesus is walking with you, and you've got to keep moving. You can't give up. You are just running the race, pursuing Christ. Christ is running the race with you, pursuing you, and he's got your back. You've got to keep moving.
Jesus, in essence, says, you've made it this far. Don't quit, keep on believing. Satan comes and he says, no, there's no way. You can make it. You can't get out of this. And he puts a chain on your shoulder, but Jesus says, it's only a little further. Keep moving, keep walking. I'll take the burden on myself.
Satan comes and Satan says, you're not strong enough. You could never make it. But Jesus comes and says, my strength is in you. I'll take the burden. Let's keep moving.
Satan comes, and he takes a chain, and he says there is no hope, and he puts it on your shoulder. But Jesus says, "I am the hope, the way, the truth, and the life." Let me take your burden. Let's keep on moving. For every chain that Satan wants to throw at you, Jesus is there to take it off. Every single time that Satan stares you in the face and throws it back on your shoulders, Jesus is there to take it off. Church, that is good news this morning, isn't it?
[CLAPPING]
He's got your back. He's following you. Now I want you to not miss something in verse 19. Look at verse 19 one more time. It says, "And Jesus followed him, and so did his disciples." Church, I don't want you to miss this, because this might be the breakthrough for you. Jairus didn't just have the support of Jesus. Jairus had the support of his disciples.
See, when you come to Christ, it's a package deal. Not only do you get the support of Jesus, you get the support of us. And guess what? We is far better than me. We are taught in the Bible that we should bear one another's burdens, so if you're struggling, find some accountability. Let someone grab that chain off of you and bear that burden for you. If you're dealing with doubt and depression, we can pray for you. Someone can take that chain, that burden, and hold it upon themselves. And when we gather around me, there is power in the name of Jesus. Do you believe that?
So you've got issues, bring it. You've got pain, bring it. You've got sin, bring it. You've got burdens, bring it. Whatever you've got, He'll take. The cross of Christ carries the penalty of our sin, but the person of Christ carries the weight of our burdens. So instead of collapsing under the weight, let's start rising under his strength. Let's rise under his strength.
[CLAPPING]
The devil tells me that I've sinned too deeply to ever be forgiven, but Christ tells me the story of the prodigal son, and I know that all is well. The devil tells me it's too late, but then I remember the words to the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise," and I realize I still have time.
Today, will you come to Him like Jairus? What problems are you facing right now? A troubled relationship? Bring it. Health problems Bring it. A need for provision? Bring it. Direction in your future? Bring it. The salvation of a loved one? Bring it.
Do you see your need for Jesus? Be a true seeker. Have faith and obedience. Will you stand with me?
Lord, we thank you. We believe that your word is true. We believe that your word is living, and sharper than any two-edged sword. And Lord, we need you to bear our burdens. But Lord, that hope is only found for those who have a relationship with you. The first place is to start with the cross, believing that you have died for the penalty of our sin. And then after that, you come alongside, and you can carry the weight of our burdens.
Lord, I pray for people here who need to be relieved from the weight of their sin and the weight of their burdens. And right now, as we're praying, and we're believing that God is doing something here in this place. I told you that God's going to do a breakthrough. I told you that God's going to do something here in this place. Right now is that moment.
If you're here, and you don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ, you're never going to get your burdens relieved. If you don't have a relationship with Jesus, you're going to have the same burdens as all of us, but there's no one to carry it for you. If here, in this place, you want to give your life to Jesus, and know that when you die you're going to go to Heaven, you want to be a true seeker of Jesus, then you want to come with faith and obedience and allow God to take your burdens. That right now, as we sing this song, I want you to get up from wherever you are, come down here to the front and say a prayer to accept Jesus Christ into your life. So that you know that when you die you're going to go to Heaven. You know that he will carry the burdens of life for you. We're going to sing this, and you come now. As you come, Church let's get loud. Let's cheer on those who are making this decision. If God is calling you right now, you come right now.
[SINGING] Yeah. I hear those chains falling. I hear those chains falling. I hear the chains. I hear those chains falling, yeah. I hear those chains falling, so break every chain. Break every chain. Break every chain. Break every chain. Oh, break every chain. Break every chain. Break every chain.
Hey, in just a second I'm going to pray. And if this is just for one person, it's worth it. But I believe that God is speaking to other people here in this place. I think that there's people, that God's tugging on your heart. You know you need to get your life right with Jesus, but you're scared. Something's holding you back.
You say, well, what about the person next to me? They think I'm a Christian. Well, But the person next to you didn't die for your sins, they can't get you into heaven. It's got to be your own decision. Jesus did that for you. You're getting your life right with him, so you come. You come.
Maybe you say, well, I want to do it, just not right now. I want to wait a little bit longer. I want to wait for the right time. I'll do it next time. Look, you don't know if there's going to be a next time. You could die in a car accident today on the way home. And if you were to stand before Jesus this afternoon, what's your response going to be to him? I almost did it? No.
What's more scary-- standing up for Jesus or standing before Jesus? And being told that apart from me, I never knew you. If Jesus is speaking to you right now, we're going to give you a second longer. You come. You get your life right. You know that he cares for you. You know that he will carry your burdens. We're going to sing this through one more time.
[SINGING] Oh. I hear those chains falling, yes, God. I hear those chains falling. I hear the chains. I hear those chains falling. I hear the chains, oh. I hear those chains falling, so break every chain. Break every chain. Break every chain. Break every chain. We'll break every chain. Break every chain. Break every chain.
Amen. Amen. Well, right now, I'm going to pray with those who have come forward. And we're not going to sing this through anymore. I'm already over time. We've got to get you to pick up your kids. And so I apologize for going over.
We're not going to sing it through, but I always throw that branch out one more time, because I believe there's people who wait for the last moment. They're late to school. They're late for work. They're late for their taxes. There's to be some penalties for that now. Don't be late for this opportunity. Don't go home saying, I wish I would have done that. Go home saying, I'm glad I did that. Go home realizing that everyone here has done the same thing that you're doing right now. And this is your moment of life. This is your moment of restoration.
So before I pray, no song, just you and Jesus, anyone else. Right now, you want to make this real in your life. Anyone else before we pray? Last call. All right.
Well, for those of you who have come forward, I'm going to say a prayer, and I want you to just repeat it loud after me and say it from your heart. Say, Lord, I know that I'm a sinner. I know that I've done many things that have hurt you. But Lord, I believe you died for those things, and I believe you rose from the dead. So Lord, I ask you to come into my life. Forgive me of my sin. I turn from my old life, and I turn to you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit, and help me to live for you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Let's give them a round of applause.
[CLAPPING]
We hope you enjoyed this special service from Calvary Albuquerque, featuring our guest speaker Nate Heitzig. How did this message impact you we'd? Love to know. Email us at mystory@calvaryabq.org. And just a reminder, you can give financially to this work at calvaryabq.org/give. Thank you for joining us for this teaching from Calvary Albuquerque.

Additional Messages in this Series

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11/20/2016
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A Lesson in Followship
Matthew 16:24
Nate Heitzig
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Jesus was a great leader because He was a great follower of His Father. In this message by Nate Heitzig, we learn to die to self so we can live for Jesus and go where He directs us.
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5/24/2017
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Let It Go
John 12:1-8
Nate Heitzig
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We were created to worship. Some people worship money, power, or themselves. But there is nothing in this world worthy of our worship except Christ. In this message, Nate Heitzig challenges us to let go of our doubt, fear, and faithlessness and give it to God.
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7/2/2017
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All About the Numbers
Matthew 9:35-38
Nate Heitzig
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A person's worth is determined by the image in which they were created: the image of God. In this message, Nate Heitzig gives us some principles about sharing our faith, reminding us that as Christians, we are called to tell others about Jesus.
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9/10/2017
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The Church Unleashed
Acts 2:42-47
Nate Heitzig
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Our society is becoming more disjointed and divided: rather than celebrating what we have in common, we emphasize what separates us. But in the midst of this, people are looking for a place to belong, a community where they feel safe, and a family they can trust and love. In this message, Nate Heitzig teaches that this is what the church is for: to be a home where people can find love and the Beloved—Jesus Christ.
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11/12/2017
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The Upside Down
Matthew 5:17-20
Nate Heitzig
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What is right and wrong? In today’s world, things seem upside down; moral relativism is the rule of the day. In this message, Nate Heitzig reminds us that God desires for our hearts and attitudes to be right, followed by proper actions, so we can make an impact for Christ in our culture.
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3/4/2018
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Vision Weekend 2018
Nate Heitzig
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7/1/2018
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Game of Thrones
Matthew 2:1-15
Nate Heitzig
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Drama and intrigue abound in Matthew 2. In this teaching, Nate Heitzig explores the various kings in the text, some of whom bowed to worship the one true King, Jesus Christ. As Nate shows us the contrast between true and false worship, he challenges us to be true worshipers by surrendering completely to Jesus.
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2/24/2019
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Love like Jesus
Nate Heitzig
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Behind every statistic, there is a story; behind every hand, a heart; behind every number, a name. As Christians, our goal should be nothing less than every heart, every hand, and every home won for Jesus. But there’s something that must resonate within each heart and home-love. In this teaching, Pastor Nate Heitzig expounds upon 1 Corinthians 13, encouraging us to love like Jesus.
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3/13/2019
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The Literate Church
Nate Heitzig
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Biblical illiteracy is continually rising from generation to generation. In today's culture of social media and instant gratification, our short attention spans can infringe upon our daily walk with God. In this message, Nate Heitzig reminds us that true spiritual growth is not instantaneous; it takes a lifetime.
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There are 9 additional messages in this series.
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