The Bleeding Woman

Introduction.

Pray and read the passage. Turn to Luke 8:41

Illustration

Let’s turn to . Pray. Read the passage.

Our topic for this weekend is “Lives Changed by Jesus”. And certainly there is no shortage of lives changed by Jesus in the Bible but when

The Woman is unclean

The Woman is unclean

The law says that she is unclean. It also says that everything she touches is unclean. She cannot go to the temple. She cannot go before God

To be completely honest, I hate public speaking. Even in front of just a few people I am terrified.

She sees how God is Holy and she is unholy

The Woman has spent everything she has to clean herself up

1.) We are all unclean before God

And it is tempting for me to tell myself that I just need more confidence, more encouragement, practice etc. But the reality is that this is not what God says my problem is. That is not what God says is our problem. God says I have a pride problem. God says that the same problem I have when I fear others is the same problem that keeps me from the throne of Grace. We don’t need to be proud of who we are but we need to forget who we are and fall at the feet of Christ.

Yet she remained unclean

She is hopeless

This passage is a beautiful picture of what our problem is and an amazing story of someone who has seen the end of the problem, repented and believed the truth about Christ.

The only hope that she has is that Jesus could cleanse her.

She touches Jesus

This is supposed to defile him and make him unclean. Instead she is made clean.

Jesus outs her

So as we work through this passage I have four points.

She confesses what she has done

1. We are unclean before God, 2. We cannot clean ourselves, 3. Jesus is the one who cleanses and finally Jesus Cleanses through Faith.

Jesus lifts her up

First point

1.) We are all unclean before God

1.) We are all unclean before God

The first thing that we see in this passage is that the womanShe clearly sees her uncleanliness before God

He is holy

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English Standard Version Chapter 8

And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years

English Standard Version Chapter 5

25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years,

The woman is unclean

The first thing that we see in this passage is that the woman is unclean and knows it.

Before we get too into the passage we have to understand a little bit of the context. Because if we just jump in without any knowledge of the Bible we can be pretty confused.

This woman doesn’t just have a problem of pain or discomfort. Her problem is that she is unclean. How do we know this? Well, when God gave the law to the Jews at Sinai he gave some commands on the topic of “ceremonial cleanliness”. We call it the ceremonial law. This law of cleanliness dictated when someone was able and unable to worship God. In the specific issue that the woman is facing is described. These commands said that the woman was not to enter the temple, to worship, to offer sacrifices or to enjoy God in any manner. She is separated from God. In fact even the things that she touches would be declared unclean.

We have a pride problem. We need to see clearly our disobedience

According to the law , this woman is “unclean”. According to the Mosaic law This woman is not able to go to the temple, to worship God, offer sacrifices or enjoy God in any manner. In fact, even the things that she touches becomes unclean.

So you can imagine the situation. Here she is 12 years after first being unclean unable to worship God and unable to even touch anyone else.

this woman is “unclean”, because of her bleeding, is not able to go to the temple, to worship God, offer sacrifices or enjoy God in any manner. In fact, even the things that she touches becomes unclean.

The law shows her this

This is not just true of her but meant to be an image of our uncleanliness before God.

The Woman knows that she must be cleaned before she can be in the presence of God. The woman is humbled by the law.

To be honest I was tempted to not talk about this passage because of the grossness of what the woman is dealing with. However that discomfort that we have when we read about her “discharge of blood” is meant to convey something. God is disgusted with our sin. He is repulsed by it. This woman is not unique, but she is like each and everyone of us. And the reason why God is disgusted with our sin and even us in many respects is that He is Holy. That was the purpose of the Law given to the Israelites and that is the affect that the law has on this woman. She recognizes His holiness and her unholiness. His righteousness and her unrighteousness.

The grossness of her problem is reflective of how God views or sin

We all need to recognize this. We all need to be humbled by this. It is our pride that says we are okay, we can earn our way to God. We aren’t That Bad. But the Bible says otherwise.

The law shows her this

God calls us to see our sin. To see his Holiness and to recognize our need for cleansing.

Ultimately the woman is humbled by the Holiness of God and the great chasm between him and her.

2.) We cannot clean ourselves

She has tried to clean herself up.

English Standard Version Chapter 8

And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.

The woman has tried to clean herself up.

We are always trying to clean ourselves up. As the law shows us our sin we are constantly telling ourselves that we can in fact obey all that God has commanded apart from faith. Again that we aren’t that bad.

In case you are unfamiliar with the Bible, Has and does command things of us. As we have discussed regarding the ceremonial law, God has revealed himself in His law. This is how we know what he asks of us.

Our problem though is our response to those commands.

We read the law and we see what God commands us to do and we think we can obey it. We read commands like “You shall not commit adultery. in () and we think, “sure I can do that. I mean that isn’t totally impossible”. But we fail to realize that God commands not just our actions but our Hearts. This is what Jesus says on the sermon on the mount when He says that while you may not commit the physical act of adultery when you lust after a woman you are “Guilty of adultery In your heart” . We need to see that what Jesus commands of us is impossible without faith. This is what Paul is talking about in

English Standard Version Chapter 7

8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness.

“You shall not commit adultery. “()

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The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ex 20:14). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The point of this is that we CANNOT cleanse ourselves. We cannot obey God.

Spent money of Physicians

God has humbled this woman by bringing an end to her efforts.

She’s tried to heal herself and has seen that she cannot.

she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

This is a fruitless endeavor. God calls us to see this.

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Jesus has brought her to this point of hopelessness that she would have no where else to turn but to him and He calls us to the same.

3.) Jesus is the one who cleanses

English Standard Version Chapter 8

She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease

Her last hope is Christ

She finds him and touches him

The Woman is cleansed.

Now think back to what I mentioned about the law. The law says that because of her uncleanliness whatever she touches is unclean. But she touches Jesus. And instead of Jesus being made unclean what happens? She is made clean!

In fact, the price for knowingly making someone unclean was Death. But because Jesus is the messiah, intermediary and perfectly righteous when the woman comes into contact with Him she is cleansed. Jesus is not made unclean but she is clean.

This should make him unclean but instead she is made clean

This is who Jesus is. Paul says in 1st Timothy

English Standard Version Chapter 2

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

And John says

English Standard Version Chapter 1

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Jesus is the way to Justification, Perfection, righteousness or Cleanliness.

4.) Jesus Cleanses through Faith

4.) Jesus Cleanses through Faith

English Standard Version Chapter 5

And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

English Standard Version Chapter 8

47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

What was different about the woman’s touch than anyone else’s? Other people touched Him? Was she the only one with a problem? Certainly not. It was her Faith.

Look at the last verse. What does Jesus say?

“your Faith has made you well”

What does this mean? Was it because she Really believed that she could be healed and cleansed that she was healed? Did she just have the right amount of faith to be healed?

Well no, It’s not our faith that cleanses us but who our faith is in. It is the object of our faith. Christ is our hope our intermediary and the one who cleanses us of unrighteousness. It is He who saves us and we touch him by faith. We are united to Him by Faith.

John Says in his Gospel...

English Standard Version Chapter 1

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

It is through belief in the truth of Christ that we can be cleansed.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.”

This is the Truth about Jesus and in her action her faith is proven and she is restored.

This is true of all of us. If we see our sin, our uncleanliness and turn to Jesu in Faith he promises us that we can be healed.

Gospel Share

Finally this passage leaves us with two different responses.

For the Christians I think this passage calls us to Rid yourself of your pride. See in the law that you cannot obey God apart from faith. Recognize again and again that you cannot save yourself. It is Christ who saves and cleanses us of our sin. Remind yourself by looking at the law, see your disobedience and then turn to Christ and thank Him for His forgiveness. So be like the woman, continue to see your need for Christ and having been healed fall back at the feet of Jesus.

For the Non-Christians: Do we really think so highly of ourselves that we can clean ourselves up? Do we really think so lowly of God that we can earn our way to Him?

God is too Holy for that, and we are too wicked for that.

God is too Holy for that, and we are too wicked for that.

I ask you to see clearly your position before God, turn from your ways and put your Hope in Jesus. God promises us that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

21  And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Let’s pray.

Turn in your groups

Question: 1) How can we grow in seeing our need to be cleansed of our unrighteousness.