Dharius Daniels - Do It Again

Something on my heart I want to share from the Gospel of Mark, the good news about Jesus from Mark’s perspective. Mark chapter 8, and I want to begin reading at verse 22. This is what it says: they came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, «Do you see anything?» He looked up and said, «I see people; they look like trees walking around.» Once more, Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Verse 25 contains the clause of concern: once more, Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. I want to talk from this subject: «Do It Again.»

I want to ease into this introduction tonight by informing some and reminding others that your God, the one Paul Tillich calls the uncaused cause, among all that He is, is a finisher. I’m going to say that one more time: the God that has revealed Himself through Scripture is a God that is a finisher. In other words, He does not irresponsibly leave anything undone. When He commits and covenants to something, He commits to completion. He’s not a pseudo, quasi, partial, halfway doing something kind of God; He’s a finisher. So when He helps, He doesn’t half-help; when He fixes, He doesn’t half-fix; when He heals, He doesn’t half-heal; when He delivers, He doesn’t half-deliver; when He opens a door, He doesn’t half-open the door. The God that has revealed Himself in Scripture is a finisher, and if you believe He’s not finished with you, even in the introduction, give Him a praise that’s reflective of your expectation.

Yeah, why did I ask you to do that? Because if God is a finisher, that means if it’s not finished in your life, God isn’t done. Did you hear what I just said? I said if it’s not finished, then God isn’t done. I came to tell you that God never works incompletely, but He does work incrementally. Sometimes, God’s incremental working can cause some anxiety for us because sometimes you will look at all that He has done and incorrectly conclude that’s all He will do. I came to Atlanta tonight to tell somebody He’s not finished with you yet. That side didn’t get it; let me try this side over here. I said I came to Atlanta tonight to tell somebody He’s not finished yet; He’s a finisher.

I want to tell you it may look like God has stopped; He hasn’t stopped. He’s just working in steps, and sometimes He puts space between the steps. It’s the space that makes us uncomfortable; it’s the space that conjures up anxiety and discomfort. But do you know what space is? All space is is the room between one door and another. I don’t know if you know this, but all the hallway is is space, and some of you are wondering, «Where am I right now?» You’re just in a hallway. What does that mean? You’re just in between doors. When somebody asks what’s going on with your life, just tell them, «I’m in a hallway.» Yeah, when you’re coming out of a relationship, just say, «I’m in a hallway.»

See, some people can only praise Him when they get to the door. I believe I’ve got some people in here tonight that will say, «I’m gonna praise Him in the hallway.» Somebody give Him a hallway praise tonight! I don’t know what’s next, but I say something is next. I don’t know what’s about to happen, but I believe something is about to happen, and I’m not going to wait until I get to it to thank Him. I’m gonna thank Him all the way! God is a finisher, and the text we just read here in Mark is an example of what I’m trying to articulate. Don’t take my word for it; the Bible confirms it. It corroborates that God is a finisher. We saw it right here in Mark chapter 8.

The text opens by letting us know that Jesus and His disciples go to a specific place called Bethsaida, and the text says some people bring a blind man to Jesus and beg Jesus to touch him. Now, I want you to be able to identify with what’s going on here. Charles Spurgeon says that the physical ailments in the Bible are metaphors for spiritual or emotional ailments. See, if you don’t know that, then you’ll look at a blind man and say, «I can’t relate to that.» But you’re in the text; I’m in the text; all of us are in the text. I say to you, you are in the text; I’m in the text; all of us are in the text. You might see a paralyzed man in the Bible and say, «I can’t relate to that.» Oh yes, you can! You’re in the text; I’m in the text; all of us are in the text, because if you’ve ever been in a season where you felt immobile, stuck, and stagnant, that text is for you. Did you hear what I just said?

Yeah, and so blindness here is a metaphor for a loss of vision. You may say, «I’ve never been blind, ” but if you’re honest, you’ve hit some seasons where you lost your vision or something stole your vision. I’m glad you came to Change Night tonight! I’m gonna say that one more time: I’m glad you came to Change Night tonight because you are…