"And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds are surrounding and pressing in on You." But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, for I knew that power had gone out of Me." And when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling. And falling down before Him, she declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him and how she had been immediately healed. And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Good Morning beloved,
We are so pleased to welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, it is both an honor and a privilege to have you here with us today this Lord's Day. It's such a tremendous blessing to witness the Lord's grace and mercy at work, not only in my own life, but in the lives of others, reminding me of both the blessing and importance of community. Your commitment to share God's Word with others is continuing to produce amazing results.
I also humbly ask that you would please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are facing extremely high levels of persecution, facing imprisonment, experiencing violence, and even death, simply for their faith in Jesus Christ, in countries where intolerance of Christianity is running rampant. Many continue to find themselves targeted, harassed as they go to their places of worship, while others are being attacked and their places of worship destroyed. They have assured me that our continued prayers are vital, in providing spiritual support and strength to endure these horrendous conditions in their most challenging hour of need.
I would again like to remind you stop by and visit Go Ye Kids children's ministry, Vanessa Taylor and her husband Daniel, who has assisted us in helping to provide wonderful printable biblical resources for children, many of them free.
Those who have known me personally know that I was raised in the church, in fact, I very fondly remember spending a significant amount of my time growing up in the church and around the family of God. If you have been around me for any length of time, you can likely see the remarkable transformation that my life has undergone. A transformation I could not have achieved through my own efforts. It has been an incredible journey has filled with challenges and blessings, countless moments of grace and mercy, which have strengthened my faith, as I continually discovered the Lord's faithfulness throughout, as I witnessed His unwavering hand on me, guiding me every step of the way, which has led me to a place of genuine salvation, a precious gift for which I am so profoundly grateful. By the way, it is because of this profound change in my life that I’m passionate about pleading with you, week after week, proclaiming the Gospel that has the power to transform lives. The urgency to warn those who remain in darkness, cannot be overstated; today is the day of salvation, so please do not delay any longer, this moment could be the beginning of a new and fulfilling chapter in your life.
Once again, God has impressed something upon my heart, both fortunately, and unfortunately for you, something I am compelled to share with all of you. I am grateful that week after week, you continue to indulge me, as you graciously lend me your attention, because I firmly believe it is of utmost importance.
I recently had the privilege of engaging in a conversation with some Christians from overseas, from a different variety of countries who have expressed an urgent need for assistance on this subject of sound Biblical doctrine and traditional teaching, ensuring that their churches remains anchored in authentic Christianity because they have watched the decline in our nation, when the churches abandon the Word of God as the ultimate Authority and the only source of Truth. This group of individuals were deeply concerned, fearing they might soon face a similar fate of decline, and wanted to know what they can do to divert it, because the churches in their own nation's are essentially following the same patterns, beginning with an increase emphasis on secular ideologies and a diminishing emphasis on Scripture.
The Bible is under assault on so many different fronts, coming from all different directions, however, it is particularly disheartening when you realize that the most formidable assaults are coming within the church, the very institution meant to uphold it. Any assault on the church is an assault on God. This internal attack is coming from those who think you can basically formulate their own doctrines based on emotionalism, personal feelings and subjective interpretations of the truth, thereby creating a version God and Jesus, tailored to fit their own personalized preferences and desires, and that is exactly what happens when you have theological liberalism, which prioritizes individual experiences and modern cultural interpretation over traditional biblical teachings. This "Me-ology," approach is devoid of true worship, in which churchgoers worshippers are edified and God is glorified. To be clear, a God-given emotional experience in the church can be good as it is not in inherently negative, if in fact you have the right emotions, at the right time, for the right reasons. To illustrate my point, consider the emotional reaction we experience when we begin to understand God’s love towards us demonstrated by Christ's sacrifice on the cross based on what Scripture teaches rather than an manipulated emotional reaction based on a well-crafted moment, worship leaders intentionally designed to get an emotional reaction from you.
In 1 Corinthians 3:16, Paul reminds us, "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" God is with us at all times, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, even though we may not always feel His presence, because His job is not to make us feel, but to teach us and remind us of what Christ has done, and convict us when we stray. However, charismatics will say that speaking in tongues and prophesying visions are sure signs of the Spirit’s power in us. I believe we're only asking for trouble when we begin to focus on the gifts rather than the Giver.
In a world that often encourages individualism, even celebrates self, the Word of God reminds us of the importance and necessity of fellowship. However, the fellowship I see occurring in many churches today falls short of the authentic fellowship God intended, is a cheap imitation, a knock-off, an unhealthy counterfeit focused more on the desires of people rather than what God wants for our lives. This superficial connection where God is missing, is often driven by our human desires for social interaction, centered on personal stories, feeling good about myself and a desire to know and be known, longing to love and be loved, instead of being rooted in a desire to connect with fellow believers, based on a common unity, and a genuine love for Christ that manifests itself in spiritual growth and fosters the genuine demonstration of God's love toward one another, spurring one another to good deeds. Biblical fellowship is the Greek word, "koinōnia," which is essentially characterized by a shared love, shared life, shared ministry, shared responsibility, shared compassion; all of those resources fit together to make up what we understand as fellowship. However, like many other biblical meanings, the modern church has redefined Scriptures true intended meaning, which is the work of Satan who, disguised as an angel of light, wants to confuse us as much is as possible. The church cannot afford to fall prey to Satan, who is the spirit of this age.
Isn't that why Scripture commands us to test the spirits, to examine everything, to distinguish between what is true and what is false? The word examine is the Greek word "dokimaz." Dokimaz, is a familiar word to New Testament students because it is often used to refer to something being tested and approved to reveal its genuineness. The Truth divides because it's objective, it's absolute, it's not subjective or experiential, based upon one's feelings, and doing whatever feels good. We are commanded to avoid error, to be abstain from every form of evil like we would a deadly communicable disease, because that's what error is, deadly and damning. If the truth divides, if it offends, then we must allow it to offend, to do it's job, which is to confront, convict and provoke introspection. Our responsibility is not to modify or dilute the Truth of God to make it less offensive. After all, humanity has literally been offending God for thousands of years, right? Liberal theologians, attempting to reconfigure traditional Christian teaching, have been unable to sell us on their corrupt theology, so they sold us their hermeneutics, a corrupt methodology of interpreting the Scripture, a kind of quasi-Christian psychology, which merges theological beliefs with modern secular psychological practices. You simply cannot interpret the Word of God that way, and get an accurate interpretation. True biblical Christianity has no changing ethical or moral values, no changing doctrines, it is deeply rooted in the firm belief that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, He is immutable without exception, therefore, He cannot arbitrarily change His mind. The pervasive view in the church today is we can't be dogmatic because the greatest commandment is love, and to confront someone who is in error, is unloving, it's just a differing opinion. Jesus was never unloving when He confronted the damning error of the scribes and Pharisees. I believe the most loving thing you could ever do is to tell someone who is in error the Truth. In fact, the author of Hebrews 13:8, even emphasizes the unchanging nature of God. I love how he then says "Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings," that is a tremendous statement.
True Christian fellowship is something that seems to be increasingly elusive these days, I'm not speaking about fellowship in a superficial sense but a genuine heartfelt connection, in deep and profound way. I am amazed at what is often being labeled as fellowship today, it's disturbing that some churches are actually proud of what is loosely being interpreted as fellowship, and when you stand back and look at these practices, you sort of ask yourself, "Where in the world did they get the idea that gathering together for social activities, where playing cards and board games constitute Christian fellowship?" I'm quite confident the biblical view of fellowship is vastly different from what we're often seeing today, it's nothing to be proud of. The church has embraced many Trojan horses throughout her two thousand year history, many of which are in violation of Scripture, where true fellowship is described as believers sharing not just physical presence but also spiritual growth, encouragement, and accountability, through breaking bread together, and devotion to prayer, where Christ is the center. While I do believe that games and entertainment can be enjoyable and serve a purpose in building personal relationships, they can often overshadow the deeper aspects of Christian fellowship that involve sharing one’s faith journey and growing together in Christ.
Hebrews 10:24-25, says "And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." We are not only to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, we are to hold each other accountable to a standard of personal godliness.
I am convinced the essence of true fellowship is about nurturing an environment where believers can openly discuss their faith, their struggles, and their victories, thereby strengthening one another in their walk with Christ. I believe the choices we make in our daily lives speaks volumes about the authenticity of our relationship with God. When we consciously choose actions that lead us further away from Christ, we are not only disregarding the consequence of our choices but also the profound sacrifice that made grace possible. While the allure of sin can quite tempting, as followers of Christ, we must remember that our actions directly reflect our faith. Therefore, it is imperative for us to surround ourselves with fellow believers who encourage us to stay on the narrow path, engage in prayer and immerse ourselves in the Word of God, allowing it to renew our minds and transform our hearts.
Did not Moses consciously choose to reject the fleeting pleasures of sin that were abundant in Egypt, opting to endure being mistreated alongside the people of God, fully convinced the He would deliver them by His mighty Hand? Satan cunningly seeks to lure undiscerning believers to eternal damnation by enticing them with seemingly harmless entertainments and ephemeral pleasures, though innocent enough in the moment, can lead one astray. In contrast, Christ offers a pathway to eternal glory that is paved with temporary suffering and self-denial, a reward that far surpasses the fleeting joys of worldly self-indulgence. I believe this underscores the importance of making choices that align with one's profession of faith, choices that will inevitably require short-term sacrifices in order to achieve long-term spiritual gains, not perishing with those who are disobedient. Departing from the faith is nothing new, there has always people who will understand the Gospel intellectually, who will behave externally, ritualistically according to the revelation of God, but they have no real heart for it. Such individuals are particularly vulnerable, lacking discernment, they are easily lured away by seducing spirits, the voices of demons disguised as angels of light, they're distracted by a myriad of idols, believing there is nothing inherently wrong with such distractions, because the heart's susceptibility to external influences has been increased. Whatever a man worships that is not of God is of Satan.
The heart is the issue that's why Hebrews 3:13 says "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
Let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Amen.
Today's Message: Jesus: Our Compassionate Redeemer Part 2
Open your Bibles with me, if you would and turn them to the Gospel of Luke chapter 8, Luke 8:43-48. I'd like to encourage you to follow along with me as I read, so that we can set the text in our minds, and allow it to settle deeply within our hearts, creating an opportunity for us to discern what the Holy Spirit has to personally say to each of us today through the Word and allow it to transform our lives.
"And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds are surrounding and pressing in on You." But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, for I knew that power had gone out of Me." And when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling. And falling down before Him, she declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him and how she had been immediately healed. And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Let's look at verse 43, "And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone." Though we are given quite a bit of information about this woman who has suffered from a severe medical condition for twelve years, we're not told the origin or cause of her condition, however, we do know that such an due to ongoing blood loss would undoubtedly be dire, and potentially pose a significant threat to her life. Not only were the physical effects severe, even life threatening, she would have carried the shame of being defiled, ceremonially unclean, according to the book of Leviticus, meaning she would not have been able to touch her family, or go to the synagogue to hear the Word of God or even request prayer. Socially speaking, she was in an unbelievable situation. Luke, being a physician has to protect his profession, so he says she "could not be healed by anyone," implying whatever medical condition she had was incurable. In chapter 5, verse 26, Mark tells us she had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse. This poor woman, suffering from an unfortunate chronic bleeding condition, found herself in a medical crisis, completely broke, having spent everything she had over the years, and to make matters even worse, she was isolated and alone. The Talmud
suggests that such issues, referred to as hemorrhaging, was fairly common ailment for a woman. Keep in mind, the science of pathology, which is crucial for diagnosing and understanding illnesses and diseases didn't even exist until the last few years of the nineteenth century. In fact, you would probably be very surprised at some of the ridiculous concoctions that were being offered to a woman in her condition; none of which were helpful, one such "cure" was to carry a barley corn found in donkey dung. We can only imagine what she may have been desperate enough to have tried.
Verse 44, After hearing about Jesus, she "came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped." The Greek verb used for touch is "haptó," meaning she grabbed hold of the tassel on the bottom of His robe and was clinging to it, with a sense of desperation, expressing her profound faith in His divine power and authority. In fact, her faith was so strong that as soon as she touched His tassel, her condition, a hemorrhage that had persisted for twelve long years, was instantly healed. According to Numbers 15, the tassel was not just decorative, it was a significant symbol of religious devotion the Jews would put tassels on the bottom of their robes to identity they belonged to God, as well as served as a constant reminder of their commitment to Him. In contrast, according to Matthew 23, the Pharisees broadened their phylacteries and lengthened the tassels of their garments, not out of devotion, but to showcase their supposed righteousness before men, seeking admiration. This unknown woman's story continues to inspire countless numbers of Christians, serving as a powerful reminder of the grace often shown to those who truly believe. She's knows the required boundaries for social etiquette, but it's obvious that she's reached the point of desperation where she no longer cares, she's wiling to breach all of them just to made well. I don't know if you've ever been there, but this is what desperation and immense faith looks like.
Verse 45, "And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds are surrounding and pressing in on You." Mark adds His disciples said to Him, "You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?" They were asking Him with a crowd this size how do You expect us to know who touched You? It seems as though His question was met with denial from everyone present.
Verse 46, "But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I knew that power had gone out of Me." When God touches a life, He feels it. No one receives the power of God, without His personal involvement. Yet, despite the apparent impossibility of discovering who it was, it wasn't a mystery to Him, He knew exactly she was, He is all knowing. He has complete and perfect knowledge of everything. He could have let this woman go, and allowed her slip back into the crowd, she had already been healed physically of her affliction, but He's not finished, He knew that she needed to be restored socially, she needed to be restored spiritually and He called her out for her own benefit, He needed publicly affirm them both, so she could be accepted back into society. God is not a distant deity, detached from our lives, He is personally and intimately involved, acquainted with all aspects of our daily lives. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you've done in life, Jesus has a deep, personal concern for your soul but you must come to Him in humility and reverence. He is always accessible to all who sincerely seek His presence.
Verse 47, "And when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling. And falling down before Him, she declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him and how she had been immediately healed." This is not fear of rejection, knowing that she should not have been in the crowd. This is not fear of hostility or fear of embarrassment associated with the shame of her impurity. She was already long past that when her desperation that drove her to push her way through the massive crowds to get to Him. This holy fear and trembling is because she recognized she is standing in the divine presence of God Himself, Who had brought about her healing. Her reaction mirrored that of Jairus, who also fell at Jesus' feet, recognizing he was in the presence of someone far greater than himself. Her public confession before everyone present was a true testament to her faith that she would be healed and her acknowledgment of His mercy, demonstrating her profound humility.
That brings us to verse 48, "And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace." With the social restoration taken care of, don't miss what happens next. "And He said to her, "Daughter," this the only time in the entire New Testament He ever called a woman daughter. With just one touch she went from living twelve horrible years of living in shame because of her illness to being in the family of God because of her faith. The Greek verb for well is "sṓzō," it literally means to be saved, to be delivered both physical and spiritually. She has been physically delivered from her illness and spiritually delivered from sin through faith in Jesus Christ.
By the way, interruptions do not keep God from being on time. Every unexpected delay, every interruption often seen as obstacles in our daily lives, are all part of God’s divine design, orchestrated for a beneficial outcome. That's why Paul beautifully assures in Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." We only need to look at the story of Joseph, who despite being sold into slavery by his brothers and experiencing years of imprisonment, these painful interruptions were pivotal in leading him to a position of influence in Egypt, where he eventually helped to save many lives during a time of famine. When we choose to view life's interruptions and delays as part of God's divine blueprint, it can transform our entire perspective, fostering patience, endurance and trust, increasing our faith in our Great God Who controls every detail of our lives, encouraging us to trust in God's timing and wisdom, so that we may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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