In this piece, we will be meditating together on a Scripture in the book of Acts, while we are examining ‘Maximizing His Presence’. It is important we know that God is everywhere, God is omnipresent and omniscient, and it is also good to know that in the omnipresent presence of God, people’s situations can still remain the same even though the manifest presence of God has the capacity to change things and change the situation of men. And that’s why in this piece, we will be focusing on “maximizing”; we know His Presence is everywhere at every time, but how do we maximize His Presence? So, I will love you to join me in the focus Scripture that we will be observing in the book of Mark chapter 10 and we will read 10 verses, i.e. from verse 42 and we will stop at verse 52.
It says; “But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man.” If Jesus had just stopped at verse 43 and said it shall not be so among you, whosoever desires to be great among you should be a servant, you would say Jesus is deflecting, that Jesus is asking the people to do what He Himself is not doing.
But verse 45 emphasized by pointing their attention to His person. He said; “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” It could have been the norm. In fact, many of you are used to the concept that God is to be served. The son of man, the son of God is to be served; in fact, we often go around with this mentality that God is that big deity that is resident in heaven that the whole world serves. As much as that is correct, it is not the absolute truth. Because, Jesus made us to understand it here, remember the Bible said Jesus is the express image of the invisible God. So, if you are confused about who God is, what He does and what is His demeanor or what His outlook or His attributes are like, He said look at me, I am the express image of God that you have never seen.
God that folk tales have been spoken about. From one generation to another, descriptions have been given about God. They say you don’t know God, let me describe God to you, God is the one that parted the red sea, parted the Jordan, the one that fell the wall of Jericho down. Those are pictures and images of God. As much as those are true, they are not the absolute. And that is why when Jesus came, He said I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, no one knows the Father, no one can see and describe the Father accurately except through me. So, this statement that Jesus is saying in verse 45 of Mark 10. We must take it in the context of who He is. It is not just one man talking and making us feel good; no!
He said for even the son of man that has come to express God did not come to be served. So, God is not in heaven, just waiting for us to serve Him. So, what is God doing? He said but to serve. Meaning God serves. This will shake the table of our religiosity, but this is the truth. God serves. So, if God serve, you that He has made in His image and likeness, He is telling you, be like Him. In what way? Serve! Bible says He gave His life as a ransom to many.
Now this revelation in Mark chapter 10 verse 45, is what we will carry with us as we read from verse 46 to verse 52. God serves and when His Presence is in the midst of a people, it is not only for the people to serve God, it is also for God to serve men. So, in maximizing the Presence of God, it’s a double edged sword, you serving God and God serving you. Now, let us read verse 46 to verse 52.
“Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. In this verse 46, a group of people were called multitude, there is a comma, then there is now a specific mention of a man, but he was described with a situation. “blind Bartimaeuss” the son of Timaeus. He sat by the road begging, 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say. Remember that he is blind, but he has a faculty that is working, His ears. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he moved into motion. He began to cry. The first thing I observed from the blind Bartimaeuss the son of Timaeus is that he recognized Jesus, even though he could not see Him, he heard and he knew Him.
So, every time Jesus shows up in a place, how do we maximize His Presence? Know Him for who He is. So, verse 47 says; when he heard that it was Jesus, he began to cry out and he said; Jesus! He didn’t call Peter. Jesus will always move with His disciples when He is in the midst of His disciples, Peter, Thomas, Matthew was there; To tell you how the operation of Jesus was, when it was even time for him to die, the Pharisees could not easily know who Jesus was among the disciples, except a disciple pointed to Him. So, when Jesus is moving, there lots of people that looks like Jesus especially Peter, because you will even think he is Jesus because he was the loudest.
He could have mistaken Jesus for Peter. But he knew Him, he cried out and said; “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many knew Him as Jesus of Nazareth, in fact, in the beginning of that particular verse, it said; “and when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, because that is a common description. Not many knew Him as son of David. Not many acknowledged Him as the son of David. Nazareth is His base, His location, that’s where He came from. But when he began to cry out, it was with an understanding, a knowledge of who Jesus is. He said Jesus son of David, have mercy on me. So, that’s our first point of consideration in this piece. How do you know Jesus?
#. To Maximize His Presence, you must know Him. When the seven sons of Skiver wanted to cast out a demon, they didn’t know Jesus. How do I know they didn’t know Jesus? They said in the name of Jesus that Paul preaches, there is no relationship, there is no knowledge beyond the fact that they had heard Jesus from the mouth of Paul. How do you know Jesus? Hope the Jesus that you know is not also the Jesus that your pastor is preaching. Hope the Jesus that you know and all that you know about Him is what your parents are saying? hope the knowledge that you have about Jesus is not all that you read in Bible stories? The only Jesus you know is the one they spoke about during Christmas. That a baby was born and was wrapped in swaddling clothes. Hope the Jesus you know is not the one in Christian Religious Studies. Do you know Jesus?
Blind Bartimaeus knew Jesus beyond Jesus of Nazareth. He knew Him as the son of David and he knew that he is the one that can have mercy on him and he cried out. Jesus son of David have mercy on me. How do you know Jesus? Do you know Him as the son of God that died? Do you know the resurrected Jesus? Do you know the glorified Jesus? Do you know there are some people, the Jesus they knew was the Jesus that hung on the tree? Do you know that was not all about Jesus? Do you know Jesus resurrected on the third day? Defiling death and hell and the grave. He went into the grave and stripped the devil of all authority and right over your life and my life. And He triumphed over the devil in all his manipulations and the legitimate hold that he has over us.
The angels said to His disciples, the same Jesus that was taken before you, He will return in like manner. Do you know that Jesus has ascended to heaven in the same body and now He is seated at the right hand of the Father? The Bible says; He is seated above principalities and power. Do you know Jesus is not that frail man that they hung on a tree that could not save Himself? The thief on the left side said they have spoken about you, if you are really the son of God, save yourself. If you cannot save yourself, how can you save me? But the other one recognized Him, He said remember me in the kingdom of your Father. Do you recognize Jesus as the glorified Jesus? The one that is at the right hand of the Father making intercession.
Because if you don’t know His person, you can’t maximize His Presence. Because, it takes knowing His person to maximize His Presence. If you are in the Presence of royalty and you don’t know it, you can’t maximize it. Assuming Ile-Ife is a great empire for example, controlling the whole world and I am the queen of Ile-Ife and I am in your Presence, now if all you are seeing is a woman in a green dress, tying turban, you don’t know who I am in the person that I am the queen of Ile-Ife can you ever maximize my Presence, coming into my Presence? You will just talk to me casually like a normal person.
That is why for us to maximize the Presence of God, we must know and recognize His person. That is why Apostle Paul spoke and He said that I may know Him. It is not enough that He is here, do you know Him? That’s why he said that I may know Him, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering, even to be conformed to His death. To maximize the Presence of Jesus is to know Him. Do you know His person? If you don’t know His person you can’t maximize His Presence. So, what worked for blind Bartimaeus is that he knew Him. He knew Him as Jesus of Nazareth, and as the son of David, and can have mercy on Him. He knew His abilities; He knew His capacities.
So, every time Jesus shows up or is present in a place, there is something His Presence commands that is tied to His person. Do you know the power of God? The Bible says; Jesus, the wisdom and the power of God. Do you know the power of God? Do you know the wisdom of God? To know the power and the wisdom of God is to know Christ Jesus. When Jesus shows up, He has something to serve you. And that’s why we started from that verse 32 down to verse 45. When you are in the Presence of Jesus, He has something to serve you. Don’t just think that you have come to serve Him, He also has something to serve you. He has something to give to you.
There is something called the triumphant entry, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, do you know there were people putting palm fronts, their garments on the floor for Jesus to ride on it, they were worshipping Him. In fact, at some point they wanted to make Him king. Do you know there were some people that were putting their wrapper on the floor, putting their garments on the floor for Jesus that had issues in their lives? Jesus can ride on those things and those issues will remain in their lives. Why? That’s the way they see Him as one to serve only. Do you know He has come to serve you?
And that’s what He was saying in that verse 45, for even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve. He came to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. If you know Him, you will know He is willing to serve you as the wisdom and the power of God. How much of the wisdom and the power of God is evident in your life? It is because you have not allowed Jesus to freely serve you. The service of Jesus is the example He gave us when it was recorded in the gospels about what happened between Martha and Mary. Jesus got into the house of these women, and Martha went around trying to serve Jesus, she was cooking, she was coming in and going out, but what did Mary do? She sat at the feet of Jesus, Jesus serving here. And when Martha came she said Jesus, are we not supposed to be about your service?
Why should you allow this woman sit down doing nothing when I am busy serving you? And that’s the mindset many of us carry, thinking we know Jesus, and Jesus expressed His heart to us, He said Martha, Martha, you have been encumbered with so much serving, your understanding of me is limited, He said look at Mary, she has chosen the right part and it will never be taken away from her. What Jesus serves you, whatever the Lord does, the Bible says its forever. When God serves you, it is a meal that you can never recover from. Let us see another example, the woman by the well; Jesus said give me to drink and the woman said we are Samaritans, we have no dealings with the Jews, why should I give you to drink? Why should I serve you? Why should I serve you?
And Jesus said to her, if you know. Because this knowledge we are talking about is not something you pick on the street. It is not knowledge in the flesh. If you know the one that ask you to give Him to drink, He said you would rather ask Him to give you to drink. So, Jesus was making us to understand, for God to serve you is a bigger deal than for you to serve Him. It’s a small matter. He said you would rather ask Him to give you to drink because the water that I give to you will become in you a spring of water, springing unto eternal life. But what was the missing point for that woman?
If you know. So, do you know? This woman was in the Presence of the Lord of lords, and the King of kings. I am sure many of us must have wondered, wishing if God could back track time, and let me be born in the time that Jesus was physically present, if I am walking around that time and I see Jesus, in fact, two of us will be ascended together into heaven. That’s the mindset we have. But now, we have the opportunity to know Him. That’s why Jesus said, blessed is that person, that does not see, yet believe. so, there is a blessing that comes to us knowing the one that we cannot see but believing in Him. If you know Him, you will maximize His Presence. If you know Him, His Presence will be real to you. If you know Him, His Presence will be of service to you. So, the first point in maximizing the Presence of God is knowing Him. You must know who He is.
So, let us go back to Mark chapter 10, but now we are reading from verse 48. It says; “Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” He was repeating the same thing; 49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. “Jesus stood still.” Remember from verse 46 a great multitude, not just a multitude, but a great multitude was following Him. But Jesus stood still and called a man. Out of the multitude, He called a man that knew Him, recognized Him, and maximized His Presence. So, what is the second thing that is required in maximizing His Presence?
#. It requires calling to Him. Don’t just know Him, as fantastic as knowing Him is, if you don’t call to Him, you cannot maximize His Presence. What did this man do? He cried out the more calling to Him. When He called to Jesus, Jesus called to Him. Did we see it in verse 49? It says; “And Jesus stood still and commanded Him to be called.” Meaning that in the midst of the multitude, there was a man that knew Him, but did not stop at knowing Him. He called to Jesus and as He called to Him, Jesus commanded Him to be called. He called Him out of the multitude. So, after knowing Him, comes calling unto Him. And the way we call to Him shows our faith.
They told him to keep quiet, it’s not you they are talking about see multitudes. Has that thought come to your mind? See the multitude, is it now me that Jesus will hear my prayer? See the millions and billions of people on the earth. But the more you call to God, you are demonstrating your faith. Out of others that were calling, you are saying do not pass me by, savior hear my humble cry, out of the millions and billions that are calling to you, don’t pass me, let my voice be heard in your ears and commanded Him to be called. So, when you are calling to Him, you are demonstrating your faith.
Sometimes we sit down and some thoughts fly to our hearts, is God not so busy? God might be busy maybe I should pray again next month. Let me give it time. Did this man give it time? He cried the more. The way we call on Him shows our faith in Him and our love for Him, our desperation. How desperate are you of God? Our call in the place of prayer shows our conviction of who He is. He didn’t stop. Jesus, son of David; have mercy on me. He kept saying the same thing. He didn’t say let me try it another way. Maybe He is not the son of David, he didn’t show any confusion about whom he was calling to, and He didn’t show any confusion about what he can do for Him.
He kept saying the same thing. So, when we call to Him in the place of prayer, we show our conviction of who He is and what His person and Presence can make happen for us. What do you believe Jesus can make happen for you? Call to Him and don’t stop until He commands you to be called. Until Jesus commanded Him to be called, this man did not stop. “Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” Finally, He heard you, don’t cry again it’s okay. These were people that told Him to shut up. To tell you how human beings are. He said to him; “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” 50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
#. The third way to maximizing His Presence requires you to come to Jesus. When you know Him, and you are calling to Him, you must also come to Him. What did he do? He threw away His garments. The garments represent your past. His former dealings, where He was known what He was known with, He threw it aside rose and came to Jesus. Your past burdens and anxieties once you are coming to Jesus, you must throw it aside. You don’t come to Jesus with your anxieties, your worries, and your care because you know who He is. He said come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. You know His ability; you know His capacity. How you come to Him shows your faith in Him. He rose and came to Jesus, he threw his past anxieties and burdens to receive the rest of Christ.
What Jesus has come to serve us with is rest. In every area of your life, Jesus is coming with the service of rest. He said in Revelations; behold I stand at the door of your heart and knock. Don’t think that scripture is for unbelievers. He didn’t say any sinner, He didn’t unbelievers, He didn’t say gentiles, He said whosoever will open the door and I will come in and I will dine with you. You will have rest, every area of your life that you open the door for Jesus, He comes in and offers you rest. I don’t know anything that you are dealing with in your life, and it looks as if it’s a battle, you have been going back and forth, Jesus said allow me to come in, come to me, allow me to come in and you will have rest.
So, He comes to serve us with rest. After knowing who He is, calling to Him, you must come to Him. Come to Jesus, don’t go to any man. Come to Jesus. Looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith. Don’t look at elsewhere, don’t look at your past. The wife of lot after God has rescued them from Sodom and Gomorrah, what was the instruction? Don’t look back. But what happened? The woman looked back, she looked back at her anxieties, looked back at her burden, and she became a pillar of salt. The reason many of us are not progressing, physically we are moving but spiritually we have become pillars of salt. Why? Because we are looking back. The Bible says concerning this blind Bartimaeus in verse 50, He threw aside His garment, never looking back.
Jesus has called me, I will never be blind again, I will never go back to begging, and he came to Jesus, haven called to Jesus, have you come to Him? Have you made your abode with Jesus? Apostle Paul said in Christ Jesus I live, I have come to Jesus, and I have come to live there. Those that dwell in the secret place of the most-high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty. He said in Christ I live, in Christ I move and have my being. I am not going elsewhere my home is Christ. I am not going elsewhere.
#. In maximizing His Presence, it calls for us to respond in faith. Let us go to verse 51. “So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” After he had come to Jesus, Jesus asked him, what do you want me to do for you? I want us to notice verse 51 very well, “Jesus answered and said to him” so, what question was Jesus answering? Look at that statement; Jesus answered. What question was Jesus answering? What did the man say? He said; Jesus son of David, have mercy on me. In the ears of Jesus, what He heard was will you have mercy on me? And He answered what do you want me to do for you? You have called me and I have answered, what was Jesus answering? He was answering to the call. When you call, He will answer. So, how are you calling Jesus?
It is impossible to call Jesus and He would not answer. He had been calling, so Jesus answered Him. And that’s how we must also call. When we call He will answer. That’s why Jesus said ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door shall be open for whosoever asks receives. So, whosoever calls, will be answered. And Jesus answered and said to him what do you want me to do for you? “The blind man said to Him, [f]“Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Was he thinking Jesus finally I am in your Presence it’s such a honor, it’s such a great privilege, I have heard so much about you, how you went to galilee, how you were able to do all that you do, how comes you are the son of the carpenter and the son of God at the same time? Can you explain to me? Was that what he was saying? Did he say that you might grant me an interview so that I can become a popular journalist in Israel? No! He went straight to the point. He said Rabboni that I may receive my sight. So, in maximizing His Presence, it calls for us to respond in faith.
You must respond in faith to His questions based on our knowledge of Him. When Jesus has answered us, what do we say to Him? Do we speak out of fear or do we speak in faith. Remember Jesus saw that the man was blind, he didn’t say now that I have answered you receive your sight. That’s not how it works. Even though you might be blind, you might not want to see. But what do you want me to do for you? In fact, you might not even believe that I can even heal you. That’s why the reason why many of us dillydally in the place of prayer, go back and forth. Some will say God can’t you see me? Is that what the man said? Did he say Jesus can’t you see me, I am a blind man? He said Rabboni, he was direct. That’s faith. He said that I may receive my sight.
See what Jesus said in verse 52; “Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; to tell you that the response of the man was faith; Jesus said go your way, your faith; Did He say your prayer is answered? He said your faith. Because, what you have faith for is what you will receive. Even though you have a condition, it does not mean you have faith for the condition. He said; your faith has [g]made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. The focus of your faith is that you might receive your sight, and that faith that you know I can give you your sight and you believe God for your sight, has made you well.
And immediately he became rich, is that what we saw? He received His sight and followed Jesus on the road. Because you know Him, does not mean you are responding in faith. Because you are calling to Him does not mean you responding in faith, because you have come to Him, does not mean you are responding in faith, all those things are foundational, they are the ones that build your faith. The Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, after faith is built, faith is communicated. This is something called the communication of faith, it must be effective. What was the communication of that man’s faith? Rabboni that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said go your way, your faith has made you well. You must respond and communicate your faith.
Your faith happens in two ways; it must be the belief of your heart and the confession of your mouth. The believe of your heart and the confession of your mouth is based the knowledge of Him, knowing Him. Because you have known Him, then you can come to Him, and because you can come to Him, you can respond to Him. And as you respond to Him, you must stay with Him. The Bible says and he followed Jesus on the road, he didn’t abandon Jesus.
#. The fifth way to maximize His Presence require you following Him on the road. In your journey of destiny, you still require Jesus. This man didn’t say Jesus I have received my sight, Jesus you can go, there are other parts of His life that require the Presence of Jesus. He did not abandon the Presence. The road of your life and your destiny requires Jesus, it’s not just for passing WAEC or common entrance, or for getting married. You require Jesus on the road, so you must follow Him. Maximizing the Presence of God requires us following Him. Follow Jesus, because when you want to call to Him again, He must be with you. Can you call somebody you cannot see? This man knew that even though he has received his sight, there are other matters in His life that requires Jesus so, he followed Jesus on the road. How are you maximizing the Presence of God? Which area have you fallen short? The things you have received from Jesus; do you think that is all? Jesus have come to serve us eternal life. You don’t just need Jesus here; you also need Him for eternity.
That’s why you must follow Him forever. You don’t just follow Him because the challenges of life are enormous, when the challenges are gone, you still need Him. Because you need Him for eternity. There is a song that says; I will follow Jesus forever, I will follow Him every day, I will follow Jesus forever, I will follow Him every day. That’s how to maximize His Presence. You can’t call to Him when He is far away. You call Him and He will hear you because He is close to you. That’s why we must keep following Him. What are you desperately in need of Jesus for? Jesus is available to hear you, you can open your mouth and pray? Cry out to Him and say Jesus I need you.
