Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

There are many "hills of the Lord," both in the Old and New Testaments. Even in the very beginning, the Garden of Eden was atop a hill. Jacob met God at Mt. Bethel, Moses met him at Mt. Sinai; even Joshua was only allowed in its lower parts. David had Mt. Zion, a foreshadowing of the New Jerusalem, where God's people will live with him for all eternity. In Matthew, Jesus spoke from the Mount of Beatitudes.

We intuitively know God is "above" us, and when he meets with one of us, it's usually on a mountaintop.

Heaven is like a mountaintop, high above, but the veil of the temple has been torn, the city is filled with the light of the Lamb, and access to God is free for all who follow him! There we will be more blessed than even the Old Testament priests, living forever atop the hill of the Lord, with full access to our creator for all eternity!

Jesus is the conquering King of Glory, mighty in battle, who has defeated sin, death, and Satan! As the ark was returned to Mount Zion in victory, Christ ascended into heaven in victory! He's the conquering warrior we need in spiritual warfare, and our key to heaven. If you don't yet believe, seek him now, while you still can!

Who can approach the living God? One with clean hands, who neither plans nor does evil, whose soul isn't lifted up to the pursuit of false things or idols, and who is transparent, without deceit. David is describing the character of the godly!

The reverential awe of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Once we've come to Jesus, we are called to follow his ways, to live in holiness. In our humanity we do so imperfectly, and are certainly not worthy on our own to ascend the mountain. But as we come to him and seek his face, we can ascend the hill based on his righteousness!

As we're not worthy of climbing the mountain ourselves, we should be the most grateful people in the world for the gift of righteousness and purity that allows us to come near to him. 

We achieve this purity only through the Spirit of God, by seeking his face as we read his Word, pray, and preoccupy ourselves with him! As we seek his face, he begins to transform us.

We are called to be righteous and holy, and we can only do it because of his grace!

The four miracles in Mark 4-5 all have this in common: God brings hope to hopeless situations. Jesus reveals himself as God, as creator. He is our refuge in times of trouble. In all the miracles, death was threatening, and Jesus brings life. He is the atoner!

Structurally, the center of today's passage is the woman being healed, and power going out from Jesus. Jesus gives out, and we receive.

Many thronged about Jesus, but few touched him. The woman must have believed him to be more than just a healer; she somehow knows that even in her impure state, she will not defile him, but rather he will purify her! We too must come to him as more than healer, as the Lord of glory.

The first of these four miracles asked the question, "Who is Jesus?" Through these passages we can see he had authority over creation (disciples on the boat in the storm), has power over the demonic (demoniac), power over disease and uncleanliness (woman with the issue of blood), and authority over death itself (Jairus's daughter). He is the Lord God! Only God has resurrection power.

The woman with the issue of blood is a picture of us-- she was once sick and without hope. We all needed the touch of Jesus! He is our only hope, our only path to purity, to overcoming sin and death.

Jesus is one with the Father, so the Old Testament laws of uncleanliness do not apply to him. The woman with the issue of blood simply put her faith in him to heal her, and Jesus not only healed her, but made her pure! Our Lord is the ultimate purifier; the unclean doesn't render him unclean, but is rather purified by his sheer holiness.

As followers of Christ, we too were once in a terrible state and had to be purified. Just as the woman demonstrated her faith publicly, we're called to share with the world that Jesus is the solution to our impurity!

The stories of Jairus's daughter and the woman with the issue of blood are told together, and intertwined. The girl was 12 years old, and the woman's issue of blood had lasted 12 years. The girl experienced death, and due to Levitical laws, the woman was associated with death for 12 years. Both the woman and Jairus were desperate for healing, and Jesus's touch healed them both!

Jairus may have been an acquaintance of Peter's, or was simply well-known due to his status as a leader in the synagogue. The woman with the issue of blood, however, would have been an outcast. Jesus cares for them both!

Jesus tells Jairus, "Do not fear, only believe!" The little girl was blessed to have a father who believed in Jesus.

When Jesus said the little girl was not dead but only sleeping, the mourners turned to laughing, scoffing. After he brings her back to life, he tells everyone not to share that he has this power over death, because that news would hasten his crucifixion, and his time has not yet come.

When Jesus resurrects Jairus's daughter, he shows he is Lord even over death. He says she wasn't dead, "only sleeping"... Does that mean when we die, we go into soul sleep until the resurrection of the dead? The Bible says no in multiple places. Jesus says "sleeping" as a way of describing our eternity; it's more accurate than saying "dead". Because after death, we wake up! Fall asleep in the world, wake up in heaven. O death, where is your sting?

After the girl wakes up, Jesus instructs them to give her some food, paralleling our banquet meal in heaven! He gives us eternal life so he may share a meal with us. This is his plan for us!

Although Jesus could instantly heal people without even being in the room, he often takes us on a journey to be healed, so the power of God can be displayed. We love him more after the journey! Jairus wanted a simple healing, but he got a glorious resurrection! 

Life is hard, but God is good! There are dark times, but the journey God puts us on is the path of righteousness. He's teaching us, strengthening us, maturing us. Danger in this world is real, but Jesus says, "Do not fear, only believe!"

God's love for his lost bride (humanity) is profound. We can trace it through history: creation, the fall, Abraham and Isaac, the tabernacle and priestly garments, the Song of Solomon, and our redemption through Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection.

God is committed to rescuing and restoring his people despite their unfaithfulness. His ultimate plan is to glorify us as he is glorified, bringing his bride back to himself!

Following Jesus is challenging. The world may hate us, just as it hated him, but this persecution is essential for our spiritual growth. We're called to be the salt of the earth, preserving a decaying world even when it hurts. Our response to trials and persecution can be a powerful witness to others.

Are we living for our own false glory or the true glory of God, who chose to humble Himself for our sake? Glory through humility is at the core of our faith, and calls us to a deeper relationship with God.

Jesus' resurrection is centrally important to the Christian faith. The four Gospels offer distinct, non-chronological accounts of the resurrection, each highlighting particular theological themes. Mark ends with fear and confusion. Luke focuses on women's perspectives and eyewitness accounts. John emphasizes the garden setting, drawing parallels to the Garden of Eden and Jesus as the new Adam. Matthew presents the resurrection as a new beginning and a reversal, mirroring the themes in the book of Esther.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul addresses those in Corinth who deny the resurrection of the dead. He reminds them of the core gospel message: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and was raised on the third day.

He highlights the numerous eyewitnesses to the resurrected Christ (over 500, mostly men, with even more including women and children). These eyewitnesses, many still alive, provided verifiable evidence. Paul argues logically that if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised, our preaching and faith are in vain, we are misrepresenting God, our sins are not forgiven, and those who have died in Christ have perished. If our only hope is in this life, it all amounts to nothing, and we are to be pitied!

The resurrection is essential for our hope, assurance, and zeal. It validates Christ's sacrifice on the cross, proving it was accepted. Without the resurrection, faith is futile, sins remain, and there is no hope for the future.

Paul, despite his past persecution of the church, feels the weight of his sins, recognizes God's grace in his life and works diligently in his ministry. He emphasizes the importance for leaders to understand the weight of their sin and to honor God's calling with hard work.

The resurrection is the very foundation upon which Christian faith and hope stand. It is a historical reality, offering forgiveness, new life, and the promise of future resurrection!