Touched by Jesus

Touched by Jesus

Thursday, June 21, 2018

3:58 PM

Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 5

One of perhaps the greatest books ever written on prayer and remarkable answers to them is J. W. Harney's Praying Clear Through. Harney was a preacher and evangelist from Wilmore, Kentucky. It was printed by God's Revivalist press in 1916 (A division of God's Bible School)

In this book he weaves stories of amazing answers to prayer, with tremendous helps to prayer.

But I have often thought about the title of that book: "Praying Clear Through."

I have heard that term all of my life. I heard it used in reference to someone being born again.

They confess and repent of their sins. Thy "Call on the Name of the Lord" as the Bible directs and there is a moment in time where they go from an enemy of God to a friend of God. From a sinner to a saint. From dead to life. They would always refer to that as "Praying clear through."

Brother C. C. Hamm used to say: "This experience is snow white, sky blue, blood red, heartfelt, God sent and worth a hundred pennies on any man's dollar."

Read The Hillbilly Preacher 12-15 where marked

Sometimes "Praying clear through" is a term that is used to express getting your prayer answered

Harney tells

A good woman who was tied to her bed by a malady, prayed three years, once every day, for one hour, for a great revival to break out in her home church, in her home town. Sunday after Sunday she would ask her sister, who was taking care of her, when she came from church, whether anything had happened. Had anything new taken place? God kept burdening her. The spirit of prayer kept leading her out. She became more anxious. She would weep and cry, but every Sunday when her sister came in from church, she told her that the same old, dry folks prayed those long, dry prayers, and the choir sang so but few in the audience could understand anything they said, and the preacher discussed science, and there was nothing being done. The devil teased this honest heart. He said, "You prayed and cried and fasted for three years, and there isn't a single sign of a revival." But one Sunday morning the sister came in and went right to the bed of her sick sister, saying, "A new preacher preached this morning, and I tell you he was a warm member. He woke things up." That night the sister came home about 10:30, and said the altar was crowded, and there were between two hundred and fifty and five hundred souls blessedly saved in that meeting.

The old time Pilgrim Holiness crowd used to sing, "He will answer, He will answer, Dare to trust Him anywhere God still hears and answers prayer, He will answer, He will answer. God still hears and answers prayer.

Sometimes the term getting through is referred to a special blessing, I've heard it expressed in ways such as:

"Boy they preached clear through"

"OH you should have heard them sing clear through"

"My they testified clear through"

While I know different places look at these terms differently within our churches -

One thing all of them have in common - There is no doubt someone touched Jesus - Someone was touched by Jesus - Someone got their prayer through - their request was made known.

Some things I want us to see in this passage tonight

A recognized need - 'Have you ever met someone who didn't know what they wanted?In our passage tonight there are 2 people from very different walks of life with two very different problems - but both of them knew exactly what they needed from GodI sometimes go back to one of the first books I read on prayer by E.M. Bounds where he encouraged us to "Pray Specifically"Sometimes we pray in such generalities - Lord we need a fresh move of your SpiritWhy do we need a fresh move of God?What would the fresh move of God do?Who needs a fresh move of God?Is God not working and moving now?Please don't think we shouldn't pray this way - I just sometimes wonder if the reason these prayers are not met is there is no expectation or a misplaced expectation. There is no purpose just a desire to see something phenomenalA desperate plea- Notice that both of these prayed in their own wayCome heal my daughterIf I can but touch his clothes An undeniable AnswerI love when God does things that are undeniable - no question - no humhawing around - YOU KNOW THE WORK IS DONE.

Tonight I want you to know that Jesus is still touchable -

You may not see him walking down the street and be able to reach out your hand and touch the hem of his garment -

But He is here - He is hear right now - you can reach out with your hand of faith - and by faith touch not His hem - but TOUCH HIM

You may not be able to look Him in the eyes and say, "Master my daughter lies at the point of death"

But you can still look to Him and by faith See Him and say "MASTER whatever you need is"

YOU CAN STILL TOUCH JESUS TODAY

YOU CAN STILL PRAY CLEAR THOUGH TODAY

YOU CAN STILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN TODAY

I DARE YOU TO TRY HIM - OH TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD