When There’s Faith, There’s a Way.

Scripture

Mark 5:34 KJV 1900

34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Mark 2:5 KJV 1900

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

Intro

There’s an old saying that goes, “When there’s a will, there’s a way.”

I kind of want to change that to “When There’s Faith, There’s a Way.”

How the Two Stories Connect.

I’ve always heard these two stories but I never really connected them together.

Both stories follow two people who are desperate for a healing.

Both stories follow two people who felt so stuck in their situation.

Both stories show us people who had run out of normal options.

Both stories involve a obstacle - both situations had something between them and Jesus.

Both stories required effort - one was carried and lowered down, the other pushed and reached through.

Both stories show us people who refused to stay where they were.

Both stories reveal that faith requires movement.

Both stories remind us that desperation will always find a way to Jesus.

Both stories end the same way - an encounter with Jesus changed everything.

The Woman with the Issue of Blood

Had continuous bleeding for twelve years.

So this woman had been dealing with this issue for years.

Spent all her money on physicians.

She was so desperate to get this issue fixed that she has spent all her money on doctors and physicians trying different treatments and medicines

It only grew worse.

The Bible says the issue even got worse.

She was an outcast.

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 5

Since people of this time generally believed that this

Rendered ritually unclean.

She wasn’t even considered suitable to be in God’s presence. She wasn’t even allowed to be participate in religious ceremonies.

Forbidden from physical contact.

It was to the point where she couldn’t even have physical contact with anyone.

The Woman’s Faith

She pushed through the crowd.

One thing I found really inspiring is that the woman knew that she wasn’t supposed to be near people but that didn’t stop her.

She had to get to Jesus.

She didn’t care who was around. She was determined, she was desperate to get to Jesus. She knew she just wanted to touch the hem of His garment.

She was healed.

She fought through the crowd and literally just touched the hem of His garment and was healed. And like Jesus said, her faith made her whole.

The Faith of the Friends

The paralyzed mans story is different but similar in many ways.

He dealt with for many years.

The Bible doesn’t go into any detail of how this man became paralyzed or how long he was paralyzed but I would like to think that this was something he dealt with for a very long time or even from birth

No way of getting to Jesus on his own.

Unlike the woman, he had no way of getting to Jesus on his own.

There was no way he could push through the crowd himself and the friends couldn’t either because there was no room.

Took the harder route.

One thing I had found interesting is that he could’ve sat at the pool of Bethesda and waited for his healing like the other paralyzed people.

But he decided to take the route of befriending some people that could get him to Jesus.

The Main Point

Do it on your own.

Sometimes in life you got to do things on your own. Just like the woman, you have to make up in your mind that you’re gonna get close to Jesus. No one else is going to do it for you.

Just like the woman pushed through the crowd, you have to push through some things in life that the enemy may have put in your way or you have allowed to get between you and Jesus.

There comes a point where you get so desperate that you’ll do anything just to touch Jesus.

There has been times when I’ve came to church and I got close to Jesus, but there has been times where I came determined and I was able to touch God. And every time I have came with that attitude, I have gotten a good touch from God.

Have the right friends.

You know it’s truly only up to you whether or not you’re gonna get to Jesus but like the paralyze man, it’s good to have some friends who can help you get there.

Sometimes in life you face situations and it’s hard to get through it alone.

Surround yourself with friends who will pray for you.

Surround yourself with friends who will be there for you.

Surround yourself with friends who will do whatever they can to get you closer to Jesus.

Ending.

I don’t know who this was for tonight, but maybe you’ve been trying everything and nothing has worked.

Maybe you feel like that woman, drained, exhausted, and out of options. Or maybe you feel like that man, stuck, unable to move forward on your own.

But both stories teach us something simple, Faith doesn’t wait… faith moves.

Faith pushes. Faith reaches. Faith finds a way.

So whatever you’re facing right now, don’t give up. Don’t settle. Don’t stay where you are.

Because when there’s faith… there’s always a way to Jesus.

And when you get to Him… everything can change.