I. Determined Bartimaeus

    Have you ever prayed for something, but did not receive an immediate answer from God?  There is a story about a blind beggar by the named of Bartimaeus who sat in the dust beside the road near the city of Jericho. He had heard about how Jesus had healed people and one day he heard the noise of a crowd of people coming his direction.  He listened closely and heard someone say that it was Jesus.  He couldn't see, so he began to cry out, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me."  "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!"

    People standing near Bartimaeus became irritated at his calling out.  Someone hollered, "Shut up, Jesus is speaking and I can't hear a word for you.

    Some Pharisee may have demanded, "Be quiet, Jesus doesn't care about some filthy sinner like you."

    Someone else probably said, "Shoo ...., you will interrupt the master."

    Again, someone else could have spoke down toward Bartimaeus, "Hey, you, be quiet, Jesus isn't going to give you a dime."

    Then a priest may have walked up within a safe distance and said, "Now, now my son, Jesus is more concerned about spiritual matters than your physical ones."

    Another beggar near by perhaps said, "Bartimaeus, you have prayed for years and God has not answered your prayer yet, why should He today?"

    In the face of many discouraging demands to be quiet, Bartimaeus just hollered louder and louder.   "JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME!!!" He continued to cry out until his voice stopped Jesus in his tracts.  Jesus called him and healed him.

    The Word says, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,   Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-2)

II. Laying Aside The Past

    You have heard the story of the blind beggar name Bartimaeus who sat in the dirt beside the road near Jericho.  In spite of many demands to stop calling out to Jesus when Jesus was passing in a crowd, Bartimaeus continue to call louder and louder until Jesus stopped and told the people to call Bartimaeus to come to him. The people told Bartimaeus, "It is O.K., Jesus is calling you to come to go to him.   Now the Scripture says that Bartimaeus threw aside is garment or wrap, stood up, and went to see Jesus.  Bartimaeus threw aside his dirty garment which he probably used to cover his head and shoulders and to protect him from the dusty road.

    By application, some people don't want to admit that are blind or that they are setting in the dirt beside the road of life.  Others, would want Jesus to come to them on their own terms.  Others want to hold on to that ragged, filthy garment that they have used for protection to cover their head, face, and shoulders from the dust stirred up by others that have walked or rode past.  It has been their security blanket of their defense mechanisms.  It has been their traditions, their self deceptions, and their false religious beliefs.  It may have been their family or friends that they have been holding on to.  It may have been the emotional wounds that others have inflicted upon them.  Bartimaeus had to lay aside the past to go to Jesus to receive his healing.

    Are you willing to lay aside your past to receive your healing?  Jesus said, "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33).

III. Getting Up And Leaving Our Spot

    In Scripture, there is the story of Bartimaeus who was a blind beggar who sat beside the road begging for a coin or food.  One day Jesus came by and Bartimaeus called out to him. Jesus stopped and told the people to tell Bartimaeus to come to him.  As soon as Bartimaeus got the message, he immediately stood up and made his way to Jesus.

    Have you ever stopped to wonder what may have when through his mind when the people said, "It is O.K. Bartimaeus, the master is calling you."

    I am sure that the devil threw some doubts at him.

"What if the people were lying to him about Jesus calling him?  Maybe the people are just making fun of him." "What if he got up out of his chosen spot to beg?  Maybe some other beggar would take his place."
"What if he stumbled and fell on his way to Jesus?  It would be embarrassing."
"What if he couldn't even find Jesus in the crowd ?  After all he couldn't see."
"What if when he found Jesus, Jesus rejected him?  He had been rejected all his life."
"What if Jesus was a fraud and couldn't or didn't heal him?"

    Are you willing to leave your comfort zone to follow Jesus?

IV. Asking rather than complaining

    There are many people that go to God with their complaints.  The Israelites often provoked God to anger with all their complaints.  They complained about their leaders, Moses and Aaron.  They complained about their food.  They complained about their water.  They complained about the fact they didn't have a king like other nations.  God often punished them for their murmuring.

    When the blind beggar name Bartimaeus went to Jesus, Jesus asked him a important question, "What can I do for you?"

    He could have said, "Well, I a poor, blind, and people make fun of me. Life isn't worth the living anymore.  Jesus do you just don't know how bad it is.  No one cares about me.  People go out of their way to walk past me with out helping me the least bit.  Some people even spit on me and hurriedly walk away.  Do you know how bad it is to sit on the side of the road and beg for a living?  I don't get but a few coins and the dust is terrible.  Jesus do know what it is like to walk around in darkness all the time?"

    However, Bartimaeus didn't complain or murmur, but just asked to receive his sight.  James put it this way, "Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not" (James 4:2).

    When you go to God in prayer, do you complain or do you ASK God to provide what you need according to His Word?

    "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

V. Receiving the Blessings.

    The Scripture says that Jesus said unto Bartimaeus, "Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way."   We see here that Jesus affirmed Bartimaeus' faith with just a short sentence. Bartimaeus was not healed by living up to a certain righteous standard.  There is no indication that he was a good Pharisee or even a Sadducee.  He was just a poor, blind begger. He was healed by his faith alone.  At another time Jesus said to his disciples, "Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you" (Matthew 17:20).  A mustard seed is about the size of a pencil dot on a page.  It is not even so much about the amount of our faith as it is what we do with it.  We must act upon it as Bartimaeus did.

    Again, the Word says that Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus.  If God were to heal you, what would you do?  Would you be grateful enough to follow Jesus or would you just go about your own business?

    When I was taking a art class in high school, I was given a blank, odd shaped, sheet of paper to create a drawing. It was the final exam for my art class.  The result was what you see.  I received and A+ for my grade. :-)  Whatever the shape of your life is, God wants to develop it into something of great value.