“WHEN DESPERATION TOUCHES DIVINITY”

Introduction

Church, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1) “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Heb 11:6)

Good morning. Today’s message is titled when Desperation Touches Divinity!

This is the second sermon in our series titled, Faith. Last Sunday, I preached on Mark 9, about the father of a boy possessed by a demon who tried to have the disciples of Jesus cast this evil spirit out. From infancy, the boy suffered violent convulsions and demonic attacks, forcing his body into positions that would crack and break anyone else. He shriveled from lack of sustenance to the point of desiccation. He was unable to speak because of this mute spirit. And we see the phrase “I believe but help me with my unbelief!” This is a plea from a broken father who watched his child be tormented by something truly evil. I said last Sunday that this is every father’s nightmare, knowing that a child is being exposed to evil and unable to do anything to stop it.

But the father had faith. Even through his unbelief. The father cried out to Jesus in faith!

Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

For by grace, we are saved through faith.

Faith is the bridge that touches divinity across chasms, from that natural to the supernatural. The celestial to terrestial.

Our faith allows us to touch Jesus, and recieve His unmerited favor. It is by Grace through Faith that our lives are changed, and Jesus comes into heart, and the Holy Spirit abides inside of us.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him! Praise be the name of Jesus!

In today's message, we see Christ rewarding the faith of the woman who came to Him with an issue of blood and pressed her way through the crowd to touch the hem of His garment. To this woman, He said, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” (Mark 5:34).

Church, I am here to you this morning; it is your faith that will bring you into contact with Jesus Christ! Can I get an amen?

Open Your Bibles to Mark 5:25-34

Point One

I. THE WOMAN’S CONDITION — A LONG NIGHT WITH NO MORNING (vv. 25–26)

Mark 5:25–26 “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians [IOW, she had gone to many places and suffered all types of treatments], and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,”

I think about that, how many of us know from personal experience or from knowledge of friends and family that the medical system does not always work. Amen, because it is a man-made system. Now, I want to be clear, I am so thankful for how medical science saves lives and bettered lives, but we all know or have experienced the horrors of the medical system in our lives.

Here is a woman, who for all intents suffered at the hands of physcians. That means she tried all different kinds of experiments, all kinds snake oil, all kinds of voodoo, and hoodoo. And man-made medicine, and the Word of God says, nothing was bettered but rather grew worse.

She had an issue with bleeding for 12 years! Twelve years of frailty. Twelve years of weakness. Twelve years of uncleanness. Twelve years of isolation. Twelve years of disappointment.

How many of us have experienced isolation, disappointment, a perceived weakness, or frailty?

Her body was bleeding.

Her money was gone.

Her hope was thin.

Her future was dark.

And she suffered many things of many physicians… She is the picture of a human after solutions-exhausted. She is the portrait of religion without power. She is the testimony of what happens when life keeps draining you, and nothing is being poured back in.

Pentecostal Insight: Church, sometimes before faith rises, God often allows every other source to fail. Not to destroy us — but to drive us to the only One who can make us whole.

Refrain: When man fails, Jesus is still enough. Can I get an Amen?

II. THE TURNING POINT — SHE HEARD OF JESUS (v. 27)

Mark 5:27 “When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.”

“When she had heard of Jesus…” Faith is born in the ear before it moves in the feet. I preached on Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

She did not see Him first. She did not touch Him first. She heard Him first.

What did she hear?

That He opened blind eyes.

That He cleansed lepers.

That He cast out devils.

That He healed the sick.

That He spoke like no man ever spoke.

Faith comes alive when the testimony of Jesus breaks into your darkness.

Refrain:

One word about Jesus can turn twelve years of sorrow into one moment of breakthrough.

Hallelujah, one word about Jesus can shatter the darkness in your life.

One word about Jesus can lift the demonic oppression around you.

One word about Jesus can break the terror of nightmares.

The name of Jesus can chase away devils, and at the name of Jesus every knee bow and every tongue confess that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Halluljuah!

III. THE PRESS — FAITH THAT PUSHES THROUGH (v. 27)

“She came in the press behind…”

The crowd was thick. The obstacles were real. Her body was weak. Her condition made her ceremonially unclean, IOW, she was not supposed to be there.

But faith does not ask permission. Faith does not wait for ideal conditions. Faith does not bow down to barriers.

Faith presses. Church, I am here to tell you that a casual Christian does not press into their faith.

When you are pressing in, it is not spectator religion. It is not about performance. It is a desperate pursuit that says: “I MUST get to Jesus.” I MUST GET TO JESUS! Above anything and above all else, I MUST GET TO JESUS!

Pentecostal Insight: When you are walking in Real faith, faith demands that you refuse to be where you are comfortable! Frankly, having faith is not for the faint of heart. Amen!?

IV. THE TOUCH — THE MOMENT FAITH MAKES CONTACT (vv. 27–29)

Mark 5:27–29 “When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.”

“If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” She did not need His hand. She did not need His attention. She did not need His audience. She just needed contact.

This is the truth of our faith: One touch is enough.

I heard a song that says

If the highest place I reach is at Your feet Then I've done it all If the best thing that I've seen is Your glory Then I've seen it all

If one word is the only thing You speak (then I've heard it all) Then I've heard it all (if I) If I feel Your heart and never see Your hand I still have it all (there is no treasure) No treasure of this life (could ever satisfy)

Jesus, you are my everything!

“And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up…”

Straightway — immediately — instantly. The issue that lasted twelve years ended in one second.

V. THE VIRTUE — POWER THAT RESPONDS TO FAITH (v. 30)

Mark 5:30 “And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?”

That word in Greek for virtue means doo-nam-is which means miracle-working power, miraculous power.

Notice:

The crowd thronged Him.

Many touched Him.

But only one drew virtue.

There is a difference between bumping into Jesus and touching Him with faith.

The disciples saw the crowd. Jesus felt the faith.

Heaven responds to faith, not proximity. Faith pulls what flesh cannot.

VI. THE CONFESSION — SHE TOLD HIM ALL THE TRUTH (v. 33)

Mark 5:33 “But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.”

She came “fearing and trembling.” Not because Jesus was angry — but because she knew she had stepped into holy power.

She fell down. She confessed. She told Him everything.

This is the posture of true encounter: Broken honesty before a healing Christ.

Her confession did not earn her healing — her confession revealed her healing.

VII. THE PRONOUNCEMENT — DAUGHTER, THY FAITH HATH MADE THEE WHOLE (v. 34)

Mark 5:34 “And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”

She was unknown, no name, no family connections, just a woman operating on faith, and Jesus calls her Daughter.

Hi gives a name to the unknown woman, He restores her identity. He says thy faith hath made thee whole —He affirms her faith.

He says go in peace... be whole of thy plague — that is total restoration.

Not just healed — whole. Not just physically restored — socially, emotionally, spiritually restored.

Faith does not just fix symptoms — it restores the person.

Faith makes whole what life has broken. This woman demonstrates a faith that is not performative, but genuine. Not religious but authentic. Not for show, but demonstrates substance to her faith. She gives us a picture of Faith that presses through barriers.

Preaching angle:

Twelve years of suffering would destroy most people, but faith moves even when strength is gone. Faith reaches out regardless of circumstances, labels, or perceived inadequacies in our lives. Faith can move mountains.

Point Two:

My Bible gives me a glimpse of two worlds with which we have to reckon: the physical and the spiritual. The physical world is the environment in which our bodies exist, and of which our five senses – seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing, and touching helps us interact in the natural.

As long as we follow these natural senses, we can never fully understand spiritual things. Or even the spiritual senses.

The realm of the physical is one in which we walk by sight and not by faith. It is where we walk by faith and not by sight. Faith is the avenue into the unseen. Faith deals directly with the spiritual realm.

By Faith, we are not blinded, we walk with intentionality, not knowing the outcome, but trusting in the promise of God.

So many people picture a blindfolded man, as faith. I am here to tell you that Faith is much simpler to picture, but because of flesh, so much harder to implement.

Imagine holding a glass of water. I want to take a moment and think about how much the cup of water weighs, [8 ounces, 12 ounces, 16 ounces...] and now realize that it does not matter how much the cup of water weighs. What matters is the length of time you devote to holding the glass. Holding the glass represents your will, your control, your perception. And might weigh nothing, but after a few hours, it becomes difficult to hold. After a day, becomes unbearable. But we, in our flesh, choose to hold the cup rather than set it down. That is what faith is: it is setting down the cup, setting down the struggles, setting down the complications, setting down the obstacles, setting down the labels, setting down the systems of the world, and choosing to trust in the Lord.

Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.”

Jesus says in Matthew 11:30 “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

I want to touch on faith a little more:

By faith, you can move mountains! Mark 11:23 “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”

By faith, ask with nothing wavering! James 1:6 “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

By faith you can conquer kingdoms! Hebrews 11:33–34 “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

Church, some people cannot exercise faith because they try to reason everything out. And faith is the opposite of human reasoning. Faith acknowledges what is unseen and acts as though it were visible. Remember, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Man receives God’s blessings by acting upon the Word, and this action is called faith. The Word of God is final and authoritative; it is the foundation for all of our faith.

My bible says, Not “one jot or tittle” of His Word has ever failed (Matt 5:18).

Faith actually allows you to align with what the Word of God says.

Think about that! By faith, we come into the very alignment of God!

The psalmist said, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Psa 199:89.

Isaiah declared, “The word of our God shall stand for ever” (40:8).

Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away” (Luk 21:33).

God promised in Psalm 89, “ Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. (Psa 89:33-34).

God also said, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isa 55:11)

Faith in His word is all that you need. Everything that His Word contains becomes yours, but you must realize that He is speaking to you from His Word, to you, today. Now!

Think about the Centurion in Mat 8:5-13 came to the Lord Jesus Christ and said, “Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.” Jesus said to Him, “I will come and heal him.” The Centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” This man believed in the authority of the Word of God.

Matthew 8:10 “When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

There is power in the Word, if you believe.

If you want to receive anything that God has, there must not be any reservation in your life. If you want to be saved, remember that you are saved by the grace of God “through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Eph 2:8). If you desire to be healed, the Word of God says, “He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psa 107:20)

Point Three:

I remember being asked, can anyone be saved? The simple answer is yes: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) We cannot approach Jesus except by faith. The Word of God declares that faith is invaluable and indispensable, for “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Heb 11:6)

To blind Bartimaeus by the roadside, He said, “Go thy way: thy faith hath made the whole” (Mark 10:52). To the two blind men in Mat 9, he asked the question, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. Now he did not say, “According to My power or ability,” for there was no question about His power or ability. For the Word says, “All power is given unto Him in heaven and on earth.”

Church, The Just Shall Live By Faith

 Have you ever heard someone say that they struggle with faith or that they do not have faith? The Word actually confirms this in 2 Thessalonians 3:2 “And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.” Paul is not speaking of Christians, he is speaking of unreasonable and wicked men. There is something you must understand: all Christians have faith. As a matter of fact, it is impossible to be a Christian without faith. It was through faith that you came to Jesus Christ. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph 2:8-9)

“Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Rom 5:1-2)

We are justified by faith.

We have access to grace because of faith.

We rejoice in hope by faith in the glory of God!

There are four times in the bible, where you will find the phrase: The Just Shall Live By Faith.

· Hab 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

· Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

· Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

· Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Think about that, if the Word of God says in James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you..” And, “the just shall live by faith”, then “but if any man draw back, my soul shall have NO pleasure in him”This should give you pause. This could be a wake-up call.

PREACHING RIFF

Church… I want to read it again. Hebrews 10:38–39 “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”

Hallelujah!

Church, we are not of them who draw back! We are not of them who retreat! We are not of them who fold under pressure! We are not of them who let the enemy steal our faith! We are not of them who let doubt choke out the Word! We are of them who BELIEVE to the saving of the soul!

We are the blood-bought. We are the Spirit-filled. We are the faith-walking. We are the mountain-moving. We are the devil-defying. We are the followers of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!

I am exhorting you — HAVE FAITH! Act on the Word of God and behold the marvelous results in your life.

Church, faith is not theory. I am preaching testimony. I have seen healing. I have experienced deliverance. I have seen God move against witchcraft and demonic oppression. I have seen God make a way where there was no way.

Jesus is the Waymaker! Jesus is the Stronghold Shatterer! Jesus is Mighty God! Jesus is the Captain of our Salvation! Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith!

And church — when Jesus speaks, faith responds.

ALTAR MUSIC

Just like Peter… He had toiled all night. He had caught nothing. He was exhausted, frustrated, empty-handed. But Jesus said, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” And Peter said, “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net.”

And God honored his faith — and filled the net with a great multitude of fishes.

Church, I’m telling you — if you will act on His Word, God will fill your net.

Believe with me now for any need that you might have: Whether it is physical, whether it is financial, whether it is spiritual — whatever it might be — God is able to supply your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus!

You can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth you. You can rise. You can overcome. You can break free. You can be healed. You can be restored. You can be delivered.

Because the Spirit of God is calling you — right now.

Revelation 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

The Spirit says Come — that is the Holy Ghost. The Bride says Come — that is the Church. And the Word says Come — that is your invitation.

There is living water here. There is bread of life here. There is virtue here. There is healing here. There is deliverance here. There is a breakthrough here.

Church… this is your moment. This is your hour. This is your call. This is your faith. This is your altar.

ALTAR CALL — COME NOW

If you are thirsty — come. If you are weary — come. If you are broken — come. If you are bound — come. If you are hungry — come. If you need healing — come. If you need deliverance — come. If you need restoration — come. If you need faith — come.

The Spirit says come. The Bride says come. Jesus says come.

Church… COME.