The Power of Faith

This morning we are going to look at a familiar passage of scripture.

The woman with the issue of Blood. That sure is a mouthful isn’t it?

We often don’t really know how much we need faith until we face opposition, obstacle, or tough times.

These past number of months I feel like all I have had left to hold onto is my faith. I am thankful for my faith. I am thankful that even when there is no end in sight, no hope forseeable by my eyes you and I get to tap into faith.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.

Luke 8:43–48 (NLT)

A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure. Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped.

“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.”

But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Pray let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you and used for your kingdom. Let your anointing be our guide and let your spirit speak to us each one individually so that we would be obedient to your agenda today.

Introduction:

Earlier this week I was speaking with someone about the difference between men and women. Now bare with me I am not trying to overgeneralize here, but I have truly seen this in action when I have observed people. Anyone else like to people watch?

A guy goes past a mirror - he will take a stance, turn, size himself up and be like yup! I still got it! Or looking good today!

A lady sees a mirror - she may go up close looking at her make up, maybe the mascara is smeared under the eyes, hair is windblown and crazy looking, ah man a new pimple may be evident. Some women just don’t even look, cause she doesn’t want to go there. She runs past that mirror as fast as her legs can go so she does not have to bare witness to how she is looking at that moment.

A woman when looking for a job has to make sure that she fits that job description to the T.

A man may have one or two items listed but he is going for it.

I have to give the guys their credit here they have confidence and they are living it! Way to go guys!

Today, the lady in the text she knew without a doubt that she needed to reach Jesus, She followed that crowd and reached out and tried with all her might to grab an arm, an elbow, perhaps an ankle even. She didn’t get there but she did catch the hem of his garment.

Some may say well that’s not enough to make a difference, that’s only his clothing that’s not really Him.

She needed to touch Jesus, better yet He needed to touch her to make a difference. This lady was so sure that even just touching the hem, being in the presence of Jesus was going to make a difference to her illness. She had unwavering faith. Unwavering confidence that God was going to take care of her.

This morning may we tap into that confidence that God gives us.

God gives confidence

Being a person of faith means not only believing His Word but standing on it when you can’t see the finish line. When there is not even a glimpse of the possiblility of it working out. Having that sureity that it will happen.

There have been times in my life when I just don’t see it. I can’t be alone in that for sure?

Then I share it with someone I trust, that person will stand with us and agree that it will happen. There is agreement. There are times when we need to lean on that friend, when we need to lean on the promises in God’s Word because we know His Word is truth and we can stand on that truth even when we don’t see how it is going to work.

We do not need to see it work. We need to have faith!

I believe Faith requires risk.

Where we have to trust that God knows best and have the confidence in Him and His time.

The woman with the issue of blood took a huge risk.

To understand this we need to take a look in the Old Testament.

We have to look at what the Bible has to say about a woman bleeding.

Leviticus 15:25–27 NIV

“ ‘When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. Anyone who touches them will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.

Now we are going to break it down a little, in Jewish culture, this woman’s bleeding made her unclean. The Jews had strict rules about this as we see in the scriptures we looked at. Because of the fact that she was bleeding for 12 years everything and anyone she touched was also unclean.

According to levitical law, this lady was not allowed to handle money, food, or attend services at church or in this case synagogue. She really should not be close physically to anyone and certainly not pushing into a crowd.

What she did, by pushing into the crowd, exposing others to her uncleanness was a crime, and this was punishable by law. This is why she could not ask Jesus to heal her openly. Instead she risked her life in order to access this healing power secretly.

She was willing to go out on a limb, to risk it all. Her illness was common among women and quite difficult to cure. But she persisted so much so that she was ready to risk everything .

The only thing this lady had left to loose was her life. Think for a minute how miserable things were for her? She was sick and miserable, alone and lonely. There was not much quailty left to her life because of this illness.

Being sick for a few days is no fun, even a week or a month, but can you imagine 12 years?

She was desperate for a cure.

Her desperation caused her to think what do I have to loose. My safety doesn’t mean anything to me anymore. I have to risk it!

So she took the risk and stepped out in faith.

God is constant

I am really thankful that God is constant. What I mean by constant is He is truth, reliable, dependable, always there, unchanging, never boring. God does not change.

He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Hebrews 13:8 NLT

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Where God is constant we need to keep that in our minds and hearts. When things make our lives difficult and hard to navigate don’t shrink back from the scary, the uncomfortable, and inconvienent:

Step out and serve!

Remember who’s you are and who you serve. Allow your heart to be filled with Hope!

You know the first thing that we seem to loose when life doesn’t go our way, is our joy?

I truly believe that is where Satan attacks us first. Because when you loose your joy, hope isn’t there, faith shrivels up like a raisin. You never seem to look at the positive side. You look at how horrific and bleak things are.

The enemy wants us to believe that because no joy means no hope, no faith, no confidence in God being at work.

We sing:

Even when I don’t see that you’re working

Even when I don’t think that you’re working

You never stop, you never stop working!

Do not for one minute believe that no one cares and that you are alone.

You Are Not Alone!

God’s word is full of promises! It is imperative to stay connected to reading and memorizing God’s word daily. So that you are able to overcome when the enemy tries to steal your joy. You have a plan of attack.

God promised His presence

God promised his unconditional love

God works for good

God has good plans

God will lead us and guide us

God will conform us to His likeness

God promises us eternity and blessings

You see:

FAITH + HOPE = JOY

The joy of the Lord is STRENGTH

Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT)

And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

We may not see the end game clearly, the finish line may be way too far off but it is still there!

We may not see what or how through the mess and chaos we are facing, I get it, it is blinding and hard but we have to BELIEVE in God’s truth!

True faith arrests God’s attention

Remember the part where the woman touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and Jesus then asks who touched me?

The disciples had a good chuckle at that, like seriously we are here in a crowd of people and you are the center of the crowd and you ask that question. Ok come on Jesus, how can we figure that one out?

They were in a crowd and that meant everyone was touching Jesus. The word that is used here to describe crowd really means that Jesus was being suffocated.

As He walked, He could hardly breathe because there were so many pressing so close to Him. How did Jesus clue into what particular touch?

The word touch comes from the root word hapto which means to fasten or to cling to.

When Jesus asked “who touched me?” he wasn’t referring to the act of someone putting their hand on him.

In fact the text did not even say she touched Jesus. She only touched His clothes. Yet Jesus asked “Who touched me?”

This lady’s touch was different. She stood out in the crowd.

Jesus was really asking here “Who clung to me with their whole being in unwavering faith?”

This woman was desperate and this act was the last option she had. So of course she clung to Jesus. She did so with all her might.

Jesus did say He knew that someone touched Him because power had gone out from Him. The faith in her connected with that Heavenly power that honors authentic faith.

This woman taught us that when God gives us His attention He truly gives it to us!

God’s attention to our faith is not divided. We have his full attention.

Faith that is deep and unwavering as this woman’s not only earns God’s attention but His undivided attention. After the woman spoke up and identified herself after Jesus asked who touched me Jesus zoomed in on her.

It was as if there was no one else there only the two of them. There is no details as to how much time it took for her to tell Jesus all that she had experienced. But that did not matter.

Jesus did not hurry her through the details. There were other things going on and were very serious. But what I love looking at here is yeah as we read on in the text we see there were other big things on the go. But time stopped with this woman, she was valuable, it’s His daughter and she needed Him. Jesus was fully present for her.

That means something to me.

There are so many disctractions, trying to take away our focus, but when we really get uninhibited, distraction free, quality time with someone but more importantly Jesus that means the world!

God is the cure

Jesus heard her out. Jesus did not rush her. He let her offload the burden.

The woman with the issue of blood had faith but it was mingled with fear. It may not state that but read between the lines here.

This lady was risking it all, desperate, needy, breaking the law and willingly breaking it, knowing the consequences were not going to be good.

It was scary.

Things in life are scary and hard.

We hate getting hurt.

We hate having to do hard stuff.

The world we live in is unpredictable and chaotic.

There are accidents, sickness, crime, abuse, betrayal, bombings and heartache.

But evil and hardship in this world cannot destroy us!

Proverbs 29:25 (NLT)

Fearing people is a dangerous trap,

but trusting the Lord means safety.

Don’t shrink away because of the scary stuff.

That woman touched the outer edge, the hem of Jesus’ garment.

At that time, people who were significant and chosen wore special clothes which reminds them daily of whom they belonged to. This woman knew that and she wanted to touch one of the tassels on his garment.

But notice what Jesus says to her?

“Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Your faith has healed you!

Faith is powerful because it is connected to the powerhouse! Our God is a consuming fire!

He is more than able to exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever ask or think.

Although Jesus knew her faith was mixed with her superstition of wanting to touch a tassel on his garment, Jesus met her where she was.

Her faith was accepted, even in its imperfection!

That speaks volumes alone!

Conclusion:

We don’t have to have it all right and put together in a nice, neat, acceptable package. He sees us in our mess and still does the miracle!

God works with imperfect faith.

Isn’t it amazing that this lady was healed, she received her healing even without Jesus consciously interacting with her.

It just demonstrates God’s nature. Even imperfect faith moves Him.

Are you a person of faith?

Are you seeking God?

Are you stuck in a mess, muck, hard spot and you just don’t know how to break out of it?

This morning I invite you to take a moment, take a step of faith and reach out and ask God to heal you, help you, lift you out of where you are

and He will!

Do you want to touch the hem of His garment?

Know that it is not about who you are, what you are or what you aren’t doing right in your life. It is about where your heart is in your interactions with God.

The most important thing is make sure you heart is right before Him.

If you are here today and you don’t know for certain where you stand with God come and ask Him to be Lord of your life.

He wants to have relationship with you. He draws us by using His Holy spirit. That pounding in your chest that is the prompting of the holy spirit helping you realize you need God.

Step out in faith.

Jesus values authenticity. Jesus valued the true, real faith and the way the woman portrayed it. It redirected her away from superstition. God will do the same for us.

You don’t have to be perfect in your faith to access the blessings of heaven.

But you do need to have faith. That deep abiding faith that God will do what He says He will do .

Faith is a spiritual discipline that spreads through all aspects of life.

The bleeding woman was experiencing untold anguish across all the areas of her life.

Her culture had a stigma and that isolated her from her community from a source of help that she needed to get her through. People actually thought that due to her illness God was punishing her and because of this there’s a good chance she was shunned by her family and disowned by her father. In that time, in that society that was a very vulnerable place to be. She had no one to care for her, protect her or advocate for her.

Look at how Jesus speaks to her:

He uses the word daughter this brings comfort, and care to her. It shows her love and protection. He showed her by using that word that she is restored. For so long she was an ousider, defined by her disease. Her self worth was trampled on. Isolated had made her feel invisible and worthless.

She was unwanted but Jesus claimed her openly.

Jesus assured her that she belonged to Him.

She at one time had no one but that was over and now she had someone.

She had no one to defend her but now she did.

Her physical healing and her new identity in Christ would allow her to interact socially, participate in worship services, get a job, get married and even have children.

Her whole life was transformed.

And there is more.

Jesus says “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace”.

These words meant that not only did she receive physical healing but she also received salvation.

That day, her soul was saved.

That peace that comes with the assurance of salvation was now hers from now on.

She was given the rest promised to those who trust Him with their whole hearts. When God heals, He heals the entire life because that’s how faith works, it spans into all aspects of our being.

Trust Him.

He has a plan.

He has a way.

He is in control.