Please take your bobbles and turn with me to Matthew 9 and we shall begin reading at verse 18. While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, my daughter has just died, but come and put your hand on her, and she will live. Jesus got up and went with him and so did his disciples. Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, if I only touch his cloak, I will be healed. Jesus turned and saw her, take heart, daughter. He said, your faith has healed you, and the woman was healed from that moment. When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, go away. The girl is not dead, but asleep, but they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand and she got up. News of this spread through all that region. This is God's infallible word. Let's return to Matthew 9. As we continue our study in the gospel according to Matthew, I have been out of town for a couple of weeks and was out of the pulpit last Sunday morning. And I want to tell you, it is good to be back. I was in a Ligonier conference in Toronto, Canada, and spoken in another conference in a smaller town before that. Janet and I both came back with the same impression that last Sunday morning I spoke in a Canadian Presbyterian church in Toronto. And the church that would be considered larger in that area, not near as large as the churches are here. On Sunday morning, it was unusual, it was unique to see someone going to church. Unlike Memphis, even though the majority of the folks in Memphis are in church this morning, you're not surprised, it's a usual sort of thing. And you can see the difference in the culture. Toronto is a beautiful city, and there's much there to be enjoyed. It's also very sad because like some of our northern cities, there's absolutely, or there's very little, I should say, impact of the gospel in that place. The culture is entirely different. We often speak of how much Christ makes a difference, our own individual lives. And how much he makes a difference in the lives of our families. I'm afraid we're going to learn a very costly lesson in the next three or four generations of what it's like to live in a culture without Christ, where the church does not have a strong, vibrant testimony in witness. It's a restraining salt and light. I pray it's not so. Most of the folks in this church travel to a lot of different places. We need to be reminded. Not because this is a south and we have wonderful southern hospitality. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the difference that a church makes. The difference that the word makes in a culture. The difference that a gospel makes, it's good to be back home. I pray that God does not send me as a missionary to that place. By the way, I was with a friend of this congregation, Dr. R.C. Sproul and R.C. Investor said to say hello to you to this congregation. They love this church and have had an impact on this church, from the ministry of this church. We look forward and they made a commitment to come in the next year, year and a half and spend some more time with us. Now, before we look at Matthew 9, 18 through 26, let's pray and ask the Lord to teach us. Our Father Jesus was there that day with a ruler of the synagogue and He was there with that woman who had such a debilitating disease. Our Father, I know what happened and we can read what happened. But I cannot teach it so that it will make a difference in our lives, in our families, in the life of this church. But Jesus is able to teach that way and He's here. And we pray in these next few minutes that we would hear His voice in our hearts. The name of Jesus Christ, for His honor and His glory. Amen. Why do you need Jesus? As I read this passage over and over and over again in the past month, what impressed me more each time that I read it was the desperate need that these two people had. There was Jerry as we know His name from this account in Mark and Luke. There was Jerry as his daughter had died, a sum of years. Know what that means. Some of you have experienced a daughter or a son die. And it's ripped your heart apart and when we read this this morning, you said, I'm now the desperation that he felt some of us can only imagine. And we think there would be no greater pain than that. Then there was this woman who was bleeding and it was chronic in Levitical law. Because of this disease, she was unclean. Her life was very restricted. She was the one of means and it's been all of her money. Mark and Luke tell us seeking to be cured. But even 12 years and her money was gone and there's this desperation. There's this new profit in the blind are being made to see. And the lepers are being healed and the paralyzed are being made to walk. She'd never seen anyone admit publicly that they had just bleeding chronic bleeding problem. It was not the thing you talked about her said publicly. I just touched this garment. She was desperate, the desperate man whose child had died, the desperate woman. This was her last hope. Why do you need Jesus? Jerry's would have told you this is why I need Jesus. That woman was that this is why I need Jesus. Why do you need Jesus? Now, if we're honest and we don't sugarcoat this, we're going to say that most of the world is going to answer this by saying, well, I don't need it. Most people, especially in our culture aren't just going to come right out and say that. But the fact is that most people in Memphis aren't in church this morning. And we either say most of the world either says outwardly or says in a more subtle covert way. I don't need him. Most of the world doesn't need Jesus. Why do you need Jesus? Whether you're sitting on the back of the balcony or the front row? Would you ask that question? Why do you need it this morning? Is there need in your life for Jesus? Let's think about that as we look at this story. First, I want to say that it's hard for some folks to admit that they are needing. Look at verse 18. While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt beforehand. And we learned from Luke and from Mark that this man was a ruler of a synagogue. By virtue of that office, this man was very wealthy and very powerful. It's, in fact, he had never kneeled before any man before. Such men do not like to admit that they are needy. They like to think of themselves as being self-sufficient. This is why Jesus said in the gospels that it's harder for a wealthy man to come into the kingdom than for any other. Now some of us have the idea that Jesus taught that wealth was inherently evil. That somehow the poorer you were, the more virtuous you were. Jesus didn't say anything like that. Some of the great heroes of Scripture, some of Jesus' disciples were very wealthy men. Abraham was extremely wealthy. David was wealthy. Just we can aim us was wealthy. We can go down the list. Matthew we saw last week was wealthy. It wasn't the wealth. That was evil. What did Jesus mean? Jesus said because the wealthy man will take his means and because the man of power will take the resources that are available to him and he'll insulate himself from the world and he'll rise above. He'll say, I don't need like other people need. I'm self-sufficient. I'm autonomous. And therefore Jesus said the wealthy man very hard for him to come into the kingdom because it's hard for him to admit that he has any kind of need. Henry Ford is a good example of such a man. Many people will not remember or have read his biography to remember that Ford was a failure. He failed over and over and over again. But he finally succeeded in his effort to produce automobiles and he became wealthy beyond imagination and as you read his biography you begin to see in his success his desire building to be an autonomous, self-reliant, self-made man. He built a house on the Rouge River. Some of you remember the Fairlane Ford. Well he named it was named after his estate. He named his house his estate, Fairlane. And he wanted to be self-sufficient. He wanted to be lived out there on his estate and have need of nothing. All the food was grown there. But he still had to depend on the world around him for electricity. And so he had Thomas Edison, his friend Thomas Edison, come in and build a power plant on the Rouge River that would produce electricity. And so here was this power plant next to his house that provided his whole estate with electricity. Being the businessman that he was, he had a lot of excess electricity. And he sold back to a nearby town. He was self-sufficient, self-restained. I can live out here on my estate. I have supplied everything I need. I am dependent upon no one. I don't need anyone. Some fights will look at Christianity and they'll say religion. Christianity is a crutch for weak people. Jesus is a crutch for weak people. You know, the irony about that is that Jesus himself would say, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings would say, yes, it is. Yes, it is. Years ago, a couple of teenagers became involved with our youth for about a year. It was when I was working with young people. They were not raised in church and they were fascinated by what they saw and what they heard and what they experienced. Now, I thought their parents would be glad that they were interested in church. I never did know their mother very well, but I knew their father a little bit and he made it plain to me that neither he nor his wife nor his children needed the church. He intimated that with their culture and their travel and their knowledge and their prestige and their education and their position, they had risen above such needs. If Jarius had not been wealthy and powerful, it would have still been hard for him to come because he was in the synagogue. He was an official of the synagogue. He was a Pharisee and the people in the synagogue and the officials in the synagogue and the scribes and the Pharisees already were at odds with Jesus. They thought he was blasphemous. They thought his claims to be Messiah were ridiculous. It was going to him for help. He was going to kneel in front of that blasphemer. It was very hard for this man to come. Recently, I was speaking to a young man from East Memphis and he comes to independent. And he said, you know John, he said, I like what I hear, but I can't become a Christian. He said, why? I appreciate in his honesty. He said he was a hedonist. He loved pleasure, lived for pleasure. And he said, I like my life. I'm satisfied with his. I like my friends and I really don't feel any need. I enjoy coming but I don't feel any need. Is that like you this morning? Is that like us? We come, it's kind of neat to be here, kind of make a nod in God's direction. I'm quite satisfied with my life. Like the pleasures, like the sexual encounters, I like the parties. Like living my life for wealth and material things. I don't really feel any need. It's hard for some of us that are Christians to admit, even though we've said we're sinners, even though we've confessed our sins, it's been a while since we've come back and done that. It's easy to become a little self-righteous or it's easy in our wealth or in our prestige or power to have a need. Maybe we as Christians have a need in our business and we know that we need to seek some counseling but we wouldn't do it. No, couldn't admit that. Some of us, maybe we need counseling in our marriage. No, I would never seek it. Go see a marriage counseling. People, that's not biblical to think like that. That's not Christian, that's pagan is the pride of the pagan. This is not a needy, I don't need help in my business, I don't need help in my marriage. At a minister, tell me recently, an evangelical minister talking about it and saying, I would never go to a marriage counselor. He wasn't putting down marriage counselors. I would never go. He was very obvious, his pride, and he was admitting that. It's hard for some folks to admit that they are needy. Secondly, I want us to see in his passion that no life can be insulated from experiencing desperate need. No life can be insulated from experiencing desperate need. Look at verse 18. My daughter has just died but come and put your hand on her and she will live. Jerry's did not come because he thought Jesus was Messiah. He did not come to find salvation from sin. What drove this man who seemed so self-sufficient to Jesus? What caused this man to be who was opposed to the claims and teachings of Jesus? There's what drove this man to Jesus. His 12-year-old daughter had just died. No life can be insulated. No life can be insulated. Have had husbands and fathers, wives, and mothers knock on wood. Say, you know we've never experienced anything like that in our family. Now we think we're insulated. Do you realize, and this is not being sensational? Certainly not in a crowd like this. Do you realize that before the end of this day, you may be at Baptist or Methodist or Saint Francis, Saint Joseph, you may be in the hospital. And I see you with a cardiac arrest. Do you realize that? Do you realize that before the end of this day, your child may be at Le Bonner. Do you know how often we as ministers here at Independent go to Le Bonner to visit children of this congregation? Do you know that by the end of this day, or the end of this week, you may receive that dreadful telephone call. This says your son or your daughter has just been involved in automobile accident and they're seriously injured. No life can be insulated from experiencing desperate need. Steve Brown talks about the time in his life when he was a minister and was not a Christian. Now, I'm not calling him not a Christian. He said in his own life, he wasn't a Christian. He was a minister. A graduate from seminary was a pastor on Cape Cod and a Presbyterian church. He said, you know, he liked his life. He said, you know, liberal ministers don't work very hard. Don't believe anything. Don't have to teach anything on Sunday. Preach a five minute message and play golf the rest of the week. Says, kind of neat. He said he knew some evangelical Christians that prayed. His wife sort of liked him, but he didn't. He stayed away from him. Said, then my daughter was born and the doctor said she wouldn't let us. What did he do? He fled to that prayer group because he had seen prayers answered from that prayer group. And he pled with him. Pray for me, pray for my daughter. They say she's going to die. And he learned no life can be insulated from experiencing desperate needs. Remember Henry Ford? Let me tell you the rest of the story. Henry Ford was born in a log cabin for a cold log cabin lit only by candlelight. And his estate was a statement about that. I have accomplished. I have attained. But you know what happened? He became sick and he died in 1947 at night. On his estate at Fairland. It's interesting what happened that night for the first time in the history of Fairland. There was a huge storm, great thunderstorm in a flood. And for the first time in history of the history of Fairland, the dam, the power plant was shut down. And that night before he died, there was no electricity. And he died the same way he came into the world in a cold, dark house lit only by candlelight. It's Henry Ford. There's no life that can be insulated from tragedy. Just a small storm. It's a small storm brings an end to your insane delusion that yourself sufficient. Someone said that until a man discovers that he is needy and dependent, he does not know who he is. Very wise statement. It's hard for some folks to admit they are needy. No life can be insulated from experiencing desperate need. Thirdly, sometimes people come to Jesus and receive less than they could have. Look at verse 19. And Jesus got up and went with him and so did his disciples. Now look at verse 25. After the crowd had been put outside. He went in and took the girl by the hand and she got up. Now no you don't see it. But the longer you read that, the more that you will contrast it with what he said to the lady that had the chronic image. He really never said anything to this man. He never said anything about this man's faith. He just went with it. And when they got to the house, he went in and he took the mother and father in it and he said something to the girl and she lived. And then he turned to the parents and he said don't tell anyone what happened to your daughter. And he left and he never said anything about this man's faith. Now look at the difference. What does he say to the woman in that passage? He says in verse 22, your faith has healed you. Now stick with me. I want to show you something. The common Greek word for physical healing was Iomai. And when Mark comments and says the woman was instantly healed, he uses the word Iomai. Another word for physical healing in scripture was therapy. It was the word from where it's the word from which we get our word therapeutic. And when Luke comments, the doctor comments that she was instantly healed. He says that she uses the word therapeutic. But in all three gospels in Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus turns and says your faith has healed you. And the word for healed there is usually not translated healed. It's usually translated saved. It is the Greek word Zozo for salvation from sin. Jesus gave this woman and this woman received from Jesus much more than being physically healed. I believe she received something. Jerryus didn't receive. If you understand the gospels, you understand that many people came to Jesus for healing. And they felt this desperation of Jerryus. Heal my son or my daughter. Heal my leprosy. Take this away or take that away. And Jesus did and they walked away and they received less than they could have. Let me show you about this. Turn to Luke chapter 7 from a moment. Luke chapter 7. It's where the prostitute came into the house and saw him in the Pharisee. He'd never had a prostitute in his house before. And she was washing the feet of Jesus. And Jesus forgives her sins. And then in the 50th verse of Luke 7, we read Jesus said to the woman, your faith has saved him. Now, was she sick physically? No. But he uses the word Zozo and it's exactly the same phrase that Matthew, that he uses in Matthew when he tells this woman with the chronic blood flow. The chronic hemorrhage, he tells her, your faith has saved you. It's the same phrase, same word, your faith has saved you. What was he saying? He was saying sister, daughter, you have received much more than a physical healing. Turn to Luke 17, one more passage. And I'll show you again. Remember the lepers that came to Jesus? He saw 10 lepers. And he simply said by fiat, go and show yourselves to the priest. And as they turned and went to the priest, suddenly they were healed from their leprosy and they were astounded and none of them kept on going. But one looked at his skin, looked at his body and saw he didn't have leprosy and he ran back to Jesus and he kneeled down. And what did Jesus say to him? Look at first, look at first, look at verse 14. When he saw them, he said go, go, show yourselves to the priest and as they went, they were cleansed. The word for cleansed there is calf and red side. And it means healing. It's a cleansing healing. But now look at verse 19, then he said this young man comes back. The one man comes back and he said to him, rise and go, your faith has made you well. That's a bad translation. Do you know what the word is there? It's so sad. Your faith has sacked you. He received something that the other nine didn't receive. It is possible for folks to feel a desperate need. It's happened to some people in this congregation this morning. It's happened to people I know across the city of Memphis. There's a need in their lives. Will you pray for my son or daughter? Will you pray for me? Will you pray for my marriage? Will you help us in our marriage? And they come and we do. But they get less than they could have because they walk away without Jesus saying, your faith has saved you. You see this man thought the very worst thing on earth is your daughter dying. There couldn't be anything worse than that. There couldn't be a greater need than that. Now that's a terrible need. I can't imagine it when my brother was killed. It was awful. I can only imagine a son or daughter. It would rip my life apart. But I want to tell you that there's something much much much worse than that. Jesus didn't come and down across the heal us from cancer. He didn't come and down across to keep our children from being injured in automobile accidents. He came and down across that we and our children and our grandchildren might be saved from something much much worse than cancer. That we might be saved from our sin. Look at what sin does to a culture. We began this morning before the prayer. We're talking about what sin does to a culture and how it eats away and eats away until it destroys a culture. That's what it does to life. That's what it does to the soul. And it's under the judgment of God. Do you know why Jesus came? It wasn't so that we could hear the sermon on the Mount. It wasn't so that we could see such a wonderful example. He came to die by his own words. That's what he said. I came to die and to be a ransom. You should call his name Jesus. Why? Because he shall save his people from their sin. Oh, Jerry's, Jerry's. As bad as it is that your daughter's died. There's something worse. There's something worse. A man came to me and a friend of mine had known for years. We debated back and forth about the gospel. And I talked to him and talked to him and talked to him about the gospel. And he just didn't need it. And then one day he ran into my office and he had cancer. And the doctor told him he was going to die. He said, John, you've got to pray for me. I know you're religious as we call me. He said, you're a religious man. Pray for me. Maybe God won't give me. I said, Jack, all my life, I've been praying that you would walk into my office and say, John, I'm really hurting. I've got a horrible need. Did you been wanting me to say that? And I said, yes, but not about cancer. And then I said, I've got to tell you, Jack. I'll pray that you'll be here from cancer, but cancer's not your worst disease. If you God used you from cancer, you're still going to die one day. And you're going to die as a sinner who's lost. Who's not put his faith in Christ? Sometimes people come to Jesus and receive less than they could have. Some of you are going to walk out of here and you're going to stay in the eternity. One day and you say, you're going to say, you know, we're such a blessing. And you will say today, you say, you know, it's such a blessing to attend. Independent breaks your shirt. And I've enjoyed it. But as you sit here today, you know that you've never confessed your sins. You know that you've never laid your way upon the cross and upon Christ. If I asked you right now, if you died today, could you stand before the judgment of God? All your sins, everything you've ever sung, said and done, thought, all of it exposed to the world. Why would God let you into your seven? And you would say it all honest to John, I don't know. And all honesty, I'd rather don't know Christ. You've been here, you've enjoyed it. But you didn't get what you could have. It's hard for some folks to admit their needing. No life can be insolated from experiencing desperate needs. Sometimes people come to Jesus and receive less than they could have. Finally, but no one, but no one receives anything unless they understand that they're needed. You don't receive anything. At least the ruler said, I have a need. At least the woman said, I have a need. You know, in preparation for this message, I read all through the gospel. And I couldn't find anywhere where someone came to Jesus without a need. In fact, I can't find it in scripture. Everyone that comes says, I am needed. That's the hallmark of the gospel. That's the hallmark of Christianity. That's why Jesus said, it's impossible, but for wealthy, independent, self-sufficient, power, broker, not going to God. No one can, that's the gospel. Turn with me to one passage and word through. Revelation chapter three, verse 17. Revelation chapter three, verse 17. You say, I am rich and have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realize that you are wretched and pitiful and poor and blind and naked. That's worth reading again. Revelation 3 17. You say, I'm rich. I have acquired wealth and I do not need a thing. But you do not realize that you are wretched and pitiful and poor and blind and naked. I cause you to, I counsel you to buy from the gold refined in the fire that you may become rich and white clothes to wear so you can cover your shameful nakedness and salt, put on your eyes so you can say, what was he saying? You have a need. Your greatest need is your sin to be cleansed from your sin. Have your life changed. You know, you never know who's sitting at independent. A few weeks ago, a few months ago, there were four people sitting on the back of my left. There were four cadets who just graduated from West Point. One of them was a young lady. And she lives in Mississippi and while she was home, she came to church here. The reason they were in this church is that there's another young man from Mississippi who knew the ministry of this church. He had been here several times in the tapes. He got the tapes on a regular basis from independent. And they played them for a cadet Bible study there at West Point. And this is what this young lady wrote. Her name is Jen. This is only one about three sentences. I'm going to read a portion of it. This time last year, I didn't even believe in God. So set was I, only living for myself, and seeking hedonistic happens. I had no desire for God. I was not seeking Him, but through His grace and mercy He sought me. He began to visibly work in the circumstances surrounding me to draw me to Him, late in October last year, broken and convinced by God of His reality. I yielded to Him. What's the operative word? There were two operative words in that sentence. One was, I didn't have a need. I was quite self-satisfied in my hedonistic life. Second operative word, He broke me. Maybe the greatest thing that God can do in your life today is to break you and prove to you, prove to me that we're needed. I love the story of the philosopher, the guru, seated by a lake. Thinking, one of his disciples, very flippantly, very young came down, plopped down beside him and said, what is true? The old philosopher was agitated and he snatched the young man by his head and pushed his head into the water and watched, and the bubbles came to the top. And when there weren't any more bubbles, he jerked the young man's head out of the water. And the young man was gasping for breath. And the philosopher said, when the young man said, what is true? And the philosopher said, when you want truth, as badly as you want air right now, you're fact, folks, you won't know Jesus until there's a desperate, desperate need for him to be broken by the dreadful disease that all of us have on the inside.