Pastor Pusch

Our family spent the 4th of July weekend in Gatlinburg, TN. We had a beautiful cabin in the Smokies and scene was magnificent. Scenes like this always take me to two passages in the Psalms: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and all that dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods” (Psalm 24:1) and “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Ps 19:1). Gatlinburg has become one of my favorite places on earth. There is a bit of humor in that because when I was younger, still living in Michigan, I used to ”poke fun” at people who would vacation there as it always seemed to be the “older” folk that made the journey. I know now that it was mistake as Gatlinburg is my number one choice for retreat. Needless to say, we had a great time. I even managed to pick up a couple pairs of cowboy boots for me and a pair for my two-year-old daughter, Jovie.

“Yes! I Love that Sin”
On Saturday, my wife and I ventured downtown to walk the strip and do some “window shopping” (we actually did pick up a couple items). About midway down the strip, we heard someone yelling rather profusely. As we approached the scence, his words became clearer and we noticed he was thrusting a Bible in the air rather intently. (The Bible was nearly the size of the old family Bible we used to have in our living room growing up). It was obvious. This man was preaching on the street corners in Gatlinburg. He was extremely forthright and poignant. His message was clear; yet abrupt. The man was passionate and through his words and demeanor, I believe he thought everyone within the sound of his voice was on a one-way path to eternal damnation. I listened in as we walked along the way.

Two points he made extremely clear:
1. Sinners go to Hell.
2. You are all sinners.

After making these statements, two men walking behind us began to mock and ridicule the preacher quite harshly. Without skipping a beat, one man responded to the preachers second point by blurting out, “Yes! I love that sin.” He said it in such a way in that his “practicing of sin” wasn’t worth giving up, let alone, trading in for this preacher’s message. My heart sank as I listened to the disparaging words of these men as they continued to mock the street corner preacher.

Having been in church all my life and a fellow minister, I understood what this man was saying. His message was true. It wasn’t difficult to understand or put together. A life without Christ is destined to hell. Scripture is clear, “there is none righteous”, “all have sinned”, and “the wages of sin is death.” While I disagreed with some of this man’s methods, primarily his approach, his message was right though in my opinion incomplete. My heart sank because the two men behind me were completely blind to it. I remember looking at my wife and saying, “if these guys only knew.” The street corner preacher was all over the place. He was loud. He was condemning. He was blunt. These two men had a field day with him and I began thinking, while these guys are mocking the man’s method, they are completely missing the truth of his message.

Last week I delivered a message on the subject of Spiritual Blindness. I took my text from Mark 10:46-52, where Jesus gave sight to blind Bartimaeus (a familiar story to you no doubt.) Though a blind beggar, Bartimaeus was no dummy. He knew who Jesus was prior to His arrival. This is evident in the fact that when Bartimaeus called out to Him, he used a messianic titled, “Son of David“, that title caught Jesus attention. This is an amazing story of the faith of Bartimaeus and the grace of our Lord. 

For the sake of this blog post, I want to focus on the one particular interaction within this passage. I have always been intrigued by the question presented to Bartimaeus from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. When Bartimaeus was brought to Jesus, Jesus asked a truly invaluable question, “What do you want me to do for you?” The question, though great, was simple and Bartimaeus responded in like manner, “I want to see.” The rest of the passage tells us that Bartimaeus, because of his faith, “immediately” received his sight and followed after Jesus. 

What Do You Want Me To Do For You?
What a question! What would be your answer? If the Lord Jesus Christ were standing right before you in the flesh and ask you the same question He asked of Bartimaeus, what would be your response (knowing that you would still have to live out the remainder of your life here on earth)? What would be your answer in view of eternity? 

I asked a close friend of mine what his response would be and he said that he would like to see all of his grandchildren serving the Lord. Obviously, that was a good answer. What made it a great answer is that this friend of mine lives every day with a debilitating disease and has struggled with it for several years. In conversations past, he would tell about days when MS gets the best of him and when it takes away from his daily activities. What makes this answer great is that had nothing to do with the temporal and all do to with the eternal. 

Perhaps your answer would be different. I once posed this question to a congregation of believers, and some of the responses were simply amazing. Some answered with health, others, money, and some with other “stuff”. The real questions involved are: What is sickness or disease in view of eternity? What is the value of money in view of eternity? What are houses and lands worth in view of eternity? Better yet, James wrote in his epistle, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). 

Personally, I hope my answer would be same as Bartimaeus, “Rabbi, I want to see.” Bartimaeus was a changed man that day. Mark records that Bartimaeus left his beggars clothes behind. He not only knew that Jesus could help him, he knew this encounter would change his life for all eternity. He would no longer need his beggar’s clothes. Bartimaeus did not just become a “sighted” beggar, he was changed. He left his former way, picked himself up, and he followed after Jesus. 

While I may have the ability to see physically, I want a vision that seeks to know Christ more and the ability to view this life in light of eternity and to see the world as He sees it.

Lord, I am an open book in your sight and yet I try to hide from you as though you could never find me; as if I had privacy while consumed in your presence. When I consider the reality that you truly see all and know all, it’s humiliating, and places me in a most vulnerable position. In your presence, Lord, I am undone and yet you love me and fill me full of your grace and mercy. Lord, you are my only ray of hope in this world. Help me to live and grow in your grace that sustains. You are all I need.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me; and lead me in the way of every lasting” ps 139:23-24.

Overwhelmed.