Desperate

Bible Passage: Lk 8:40-48

o “Beyond just the physical pain that this would have caused, and the inconvenience, is that in the Jewish faith, someone with this condition is unclean. And let me note that does not mean sinful at all. It just means that there are certain restrictions that are placed on you until the condition is remediated. In her case, she would not be able to go into the temple space. She was unclean. She also would not be able to have marital relations with her husband. Her experience of this disease, for 12 years, it tells us. And she spent all of her money. Very disheartening, I would think - painful. Maybe she's anaemic. This loss of blood over that length of time. So she's exhausted. She's in pain. Nobody's been able to fix things. I think most people in that state would begin to wonder what's going on. God, are you here for me? God. I don't know. I hope maybe she has a neighbour or a family member that stays with her in all of this. But after a while, someone with a chronic illness. I mean, it's just you wear out your friends, you wear out your family.”

· Bible reading where a lady suffering from bleeding encounters Jesus from Lynn Cohick in Encounter Episode 7 (show Enc Ep 7 Clip 1)

o Desperate times call for desperate measures

· This woman was desperate for her breakthrough

o And whilst we remember that in week 4 on the calming of the storm that sometimes we pray, and we have to just hold on to the fact that Jesus is still in my boat, even though the storm we face hasn’t seemed to change at this point

§ There are times in Scripture where people were just desperate enough to reach out to Jesus

· And in doing so, they found a breakthrough for themselves or their friends

· Today, we want to consider that the desperate heart disregards certain things in reaching out for a breakthrough.

o This woman had a desperate heart that disregarded much in her reaching out to Jesus

Today, we are looking at how a desperate heart for Jesus disregards:

our past attempts

the fear of man

just what we can see

Now, desperate is defined as feeling or showing a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with.

But we will talk about how we all fit this definition and the need for humility, and like this woman, reach out for Jesus. Our week of prayer and fasting is an oportunity to reach out to jesus in different types of prayers.

The desperate heart disregards our past attempts

o Have you ever had to search for a job for a long period of time?

§ At first, you keep your spirits up

· You keep applying

· You tell yourself it is their loss for not employing you

§ But after a while, it starts to wear you down

· You can start to become demoralised

· You doubt that anybody will ever employ you

· You fear that you will run out of money

· The point is that when you ‘suffer’ with something for a short time, it is difficult, sometimes deeply and painfully difficult, but you can often still, in some way, keep your head up

o But after a longer period of suffering, you can start to struggle

§ You give up

§ You feel that God has abandoned you

§ You think that your situation is never going to change

· The woman we read about this morning has been suffering for 12 years

Luke 8:43 NIV

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.

o Suffering for 12 years

o No one could heal her

o She had spent all that she had on doctors (Mark 5:26)

· I could understand her just giving up

o I’ve tried

o Nobody can help me

o I can’t go through the disappointment again

· But here the desperate heart disregards our past attempts

o Here she is stepping out in faith again

§ And this time, as she reaches out and touches Jesus rob her bleeding stops

The desperate heart disregards the fear of people

o In life and faith generally, we are called not to fear others

Matthew 10:28 NIV

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

now can I go on a little side track here because I don’t think this woman was thinking she was trying to escape hell by touching Jesus?

But I do think we can have a fear of man, I know I can, because we fear this question of Hell might come up and having to answer it.

Last week, we looked at what we must do to inherit eternal life, and we know that this is a question on people's minds.

You may have seen the video on YouTube of Wes Huff on Steven Bartlett's podcast diary of a Ceo, or I encourage you to, as he was asked about Hell.

In summary, he said

🧩 1. “Everybody is going to hell… unless they accept Jesus.”

Huff stated plainly that Scripture teaches universal lostness — that every person is headed for hell without Jesus. This was the line that went viral, especially when Bartlett asked, “Am I going to hell?” and Huff answered directly.

🧩 2. Hell is the natural consequence of rejecting God

He explained that hell isn’t about God delighting in punishment but about the reality of human separation from God. Humanity isn’t divided into “good people” and “bad people”; rather, “no one is good but God alone,” so salvation can’t be earned. This was what the rich man last wanted.

🧩 3. Heaven is for those who acknowledge their need for Jesus

Huff clarified that while the Bible says “all good people go to heaven,” the deeper point is that no one meets that standard, which is why Jesus’ sacrifice is essential. It is why Good Friday is Good.

🧩 4. The conversation was direct but gracious

Despite the viral “Yes, you’re going to hell” clip, the full interview was described as thoughtful, respectful, and deeply probing, with Huff presenting the gospel rather than simply condemning. So I encourage you to watch it. I might even put a link on our Facebook page or next week's emailed newsletter.

· Here, this woman's heart is so desperate that she disregards the fear of people

o We are told there is a pressing crowd, for 12 years she would have been told that, being unclean, she should not go near groups of people, and society would remind her.

· Lynn Cohick reminded us earlier about this lady being ‘unclean’

o “In the Jewish faith, someone with this condition is unclean. And let me note that does not mean sinful at all. It just means that there are certain restrictions that are placed on you until the condition is remediated. In her case, she would not be able to go into the temple space. She was unclean. She also would not be able to have marital relations with her husband.”

·  Which means that people don’t normally want to be near her

o She had to push past their ‘dislike’ of her being around

o She had to push past her fear of being ‘outed’ in public

·  Sometimes, to find a breakthrough

o You have to be desperate enough to push past your fear of what others may think, say or do

3. Testimony time

o We are going to watch one small part from the coming weeks episode about how one of the guests, Andrew Browning, explains how a patient gave thanks for her healing (show Enc Ep 7 Clip 2)

§ “We had a patient just here the other day. She was living with a fistula not far from here, only 20km from here. And she'd been living in isolation in a little hut, rarely venturing away from a hut. And she was living like that for 30 years. 30 years, 30 years. She'd never heard that a fistula could be treated. Actually, an ex-patient that was treated here was living in the village next door. Heard about this lady that had a similar condition to her. Went to her and said, oh, you must come. So she came here. She's now cured and back. So only 20km away. And so even just close by, it's hard to get the message…(Karl) that cure must be life changing…It is. And she was so overjoyed. She, she had actually been praying for 30 years saying, God, please send someone to help me. And so she was actually rejoicing in this hostel saying, oh, God answered my prayers. And she was actually cured and sent home dry and full of joy.”

The desperate heart disregards just what we can see

o Have you ever watched those shows like ‘Antiques Roadshow’ or an equivalent

§ People bring in an item that they have

· And they are told whether it is ‘trash’ or ‘treasure’

§ The reality is that to most of us, most of the things bought in look like trash

· They are old, sometimes not that beautiful to look at, and really not that useful in modern life

§ But when they ask for the valuation and hand it over to somebody who sees beyond the surface, they sometimes get a very pleasant surprise

· Here, a desperate heart disregards just what we can see

o Here is ‘just this guy Jesus’ walking around with some others following Him

§ The Old Testament Scriptures point to Jesus and tell us…

Isaiah 53:2 NIV

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

· But the desperate see more in Jesus than just what the natural eyes see, and as they reach out, they receive a miracle

o Read or mention again Lk 8:48

Luke 8:48 NIV

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

· All that we can see is not all that is available to us

o All that we can see is not all that is available to us

o All that we can see is not all that is available to us (repeated for effect)

· The writer of the book of Hebrews says something similar when they remind us…

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

· There is an Old Testament account that also points to this idea of relying on what we don’t see rather than on what we do

2 Kings 6:15–17 NIV

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

When I read that story, I think of our current technology in gaming, as you can put on a headset and can now see a whole different world

· The desperate heart disregards just what we can see…

o Because it trusts that God is always at work

John 5:17 NIV

In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”

Romans 8:28 NIV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

To finish, an example of someone, by definition, would be desperate.

· I want to share part of the testimony of Horatio Gates Spafford

o He was a prominent American lawyer and Presbyterian church elder who had significant tragedies in his life

o It started when his son died at the age of 2 years old

o And then (from the same year) there was the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which ruined him financially

o He had been a successful lawyer and had invested significantly in property in the area of Chicago that was extensively damaged by the Great Fire

o His business interests were further hit by the economic downturn of 1873, at which time he had planned to travel to Europe with his family.

o In a late change of plan, he sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire

o While crossing the Atlantic, the ship his family was on sank rapidly after a collision with another sea vessel, and all four of Spafford's daughters died

§ His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram…

· "Saved alone"

· So how did Horatio Gates Spafford respond to the times of hardship?

o Shortly after these tragedies as Spafford travelled by ship to meet his grieving wife, he passed by the spot where his daughters died in their shipwreck, and he was inspired to write the words to the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul”

o A hymn with lines like…

§ When sorrows like sea billows roll,

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say

It is well, it is well, with my soul

o This is not…it is well with everything that is happening

§ Because some things are difficult…and evil

§ And in the middle of those difficulties, we reach out with desperation to Jesus’ garment and pray for a breakthrough

§ But then, whatever happens, we sing “It is well with my soul”

· In those very difficult times in life, we try to remember and hold onto the truths that…

o I am His…and He is mine…adopted…justified…forgiven

o And this world is not the end

o My eternity is secure…will make this life look very short

· For us to hold ground like Habakkuk, who said

Habakkuk 3:17–18 NIV

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

· To remind ourselves that even if we feel like the disciples in the boat with Jesus and being buffeted by the waves (Mk 4:35-41)

o That Jesus is still in the boat with us!

· And there is a day coming (that we see glimpses of now) where we will find…       

o Reward for our labour and eternal life with God

§ Without the weeds of this life

This weeks prayer guide is an oportunity to humble ourselves, prorities our love for God over lesser loves as he has for us.

· Time of reflection/response

§ What is at least one thing that God seemed to say to me today?

§ What will I do with what I have heard?