So Close I Can Feel It
Notes
Transcript
Opening
Opening
Good Morning Point Harbor Students. I feel like it’s been a minute since we have been in here! Let’s open our bibles this morning and turn to our passage today. Mark 5:25-34. Mark is one of the Gospels, so it is found in the beginning of the NT.
Remind the students as to the importance of bringing scripture with them to church.
So, we had a bit of a break there didn’t we?! I missed you guys. But it was great to see all of you at Serve Saturday! Everyone turn to your neighbor, ask them “how was Serve Saturday”.
Who here talked to someone that was there? EXACTALLY
Guys, we have a sign-up at the back of the room, please sign up for serve Saturday. Serving the community with your youth group is a wonderful way to experience all the cool things that God has for you.
Intro
Intro
So for the past 3 weeks of PHS, we have been in a sermon series called LEVEL UP. We have talked about what it looks like to be a 0 or 1, a 2 a 3 and this week we are going to be discussing level 4. I am going to be walking through the story of the Woman that is afflicted with a bleed that has lasted 12 years. This woman is what I would call a 4/10 because you can see that she is clearly interacting with her issue. She, unlike the people we have discussed before is painfully aware of her need for Jesus, and she jumps at the opportunity to be with him as soon as she hears.
This morning, we are going to be discussing the difficulties of life that present themselves, we are going to be discussing the ultimate solution for the issues that we face as humans on this broken earth. We are also going to be discussing the pitfalls of chasing lesser cures that come from the world and not from Jesus himself, and finally we are going to be interacting with Jesus’ ultimate desire for us as we navigate life. I am really excited to walk through this passage with you, let’s pray for the service this morning and let’s tuck in.
And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” And he looked around to see who had done it. 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. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
Recap
Let’s just recap what we have going on here. We have Jesus, fresh off the Boat from delivering a man from a demon on the other side of the water walking through town. As soon as Jesus lands, he runs across a man named Jarius. Jarius begs Jesus to follow him home so that Jesus can heal his daughter. Jarius’ Daughter was sick and would die without Jesus’ intervention. So then we come to our passage, Jesus is walking towards the home of Jarius and There was a woman, who had a “discharge of blood for 12 years”, she knew she needed healing from that, she had no luck with doctors. She heard about Jesus being in town so she approached him, touched his robe and was healed. The woman knew that she needed healing, was trying for it everywhere and was unsuccessful. She turned to Jesus and finally found peace.
If you read this passage, one thing pops out instantly.
Life Presents Problems
Life Presents Problems
And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years,
That is a problem.
I used to work in a toy-store that was in an old building. Between that, and how cold the people I lived with kept the house, my nose was always dry and as a result, I used to have the most epic nose bleeds. I mean they were crazy. One time, I was driving to pick liz up from work and my nose just opened up. It was nuts! I was chilling, coolin’ driving down the road and suddenly a unit of blood is on my lap and my shirt and my seatbelt. Because of this condition, I had to live my life a little diffrentally. I had to make sure I had something that was ready to catch some blood near me at all times.
Our bodies are not designed to constantly bleed for years and years. This woman would have been constantly tired and worn thin. She probably would have gotten sick more often because her body didn't have the tools to fight infection, further, she would have been a social outcast. This woman’s life would have been ruled by this condition.
This woman, and her problems are a wonderful example of our sinful condition.
The text here is very concise in the information that it gives us...
Mark 5:25 (ESV)
And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years,
It does not say that she did anything to earn that status, it did not tell us how it happened. Just that her reality was that she was afflicted with a haemorrhage for 12 years.
Here is the worst part too, if we keep reading
and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.
This woman, needed a solution to her clear issue and did the logical thing. She went to the doctors she had access to and spent all her money trying to find a solution for her issue. T
Just like the woman, we all have problems. We are all born with the problem of Sin, and if we are honest with ourselves. We all are searching for the solution for our sinful and broken condition.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
To make matters worse, sin isn’t really a problem. It’s an affliction. It’s something that ruins lives. Everything bad in the world is because of sin. Sin is a destroyer and a ruiner and a killer and the reason everything in the world is as terrible as it is. We recognize too that we need a treatment, we need an antidote for the misery that sin perpetuates. We have been seeking treatment for this misery for as long as humans have been alive. We think that relationships and money and good deeds will alleviate the pain we have inside that is simply there because of sin and its effect on us and the world.
The woman’s affliction was unable to be healed by the world’s doctors and treatments of the time, she continued to suffer despite all the effort she put into the treatments that the world had to offer. Similarly, we are unable to achieve freedom from sin and the afflictions it causes by anything that this world offers. Sure, we might be able to forget, or feel good for a moment. But nothing that this world offers will ultimately satisfy the needs of our heart.
Chasing the World is a Waste
Chasing the World is a Waste
Let’s read v26 again...
had endured much under many doctors. She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse.
The Woman in question had this major life changing problem that she needed handled. In her desperation, she sacrificed the 3 most valuable things she had in pursuit of normalcy.
The Woman Sacrificed
Her time
It’s often been said that we only get so much time. Well, seeing every doctor she could get to “many doctors” would have been very time consuming.
Her Money
The doctor is expensive. I just had to pay $450 for the 3 of us to all go to the doctor. This woman likely spent all she had! She likely had no money left. and she was no better and infact WORSE off.
She sacrificed her health and comfort.
The scripture here says that she “suffered”. The language of the text here leads us to the knowledge that the treatments she was receiving were no walk in the park. Every time she went to the doctor, she had to endure 2 pains. The pain of the treatment and the emotional pain of knowing that it was all for nothing.
What the world had to offer her was useless. What the world has to offer us is useless. Our anxiety, our hurt, our lack of direction or motivation. Our broken hearts, cannot be solved by the things that the world promises will bring us relief.
“The World”
It’s common for pastors and speakers to refer to “bad things” as “The World”. I am not talking about everything around us. We are not blaming our problems on iPhones and weird cartoons. When we are referring to “The World”, we are referring specifically to the things around us that are “Anti God”, or are not compatible with God and his Character. The systems in place all around us that would not point us to God, but point us to something less than God.
So, This Woman has a problem, much like we all have the problem of Sin and we all can recognize via v26 that going to anything “less than God” is a waste of time and will only make the problem worse.
This can feel a little hopeless if I am honest. However -
Faith in Jesus is the Solution
Faith in Jesus is the Solution
This woman had faith in Jesus and all he was! She had faith in all he had done and all he had said and she had faith that he had a solution for her! Here is the best bit, Jesus did have a solution for this woman. Jesus healed her. Let’s re read the text.
Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothing. For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.”
Let’s camp out on the first two words in the text here. “Having heard”. This woman was obviously aware of who Jesus was. Remember, Jesus just off the boat from a massive healing situation where he delivered a man from demon possession and word had been spreading around all the region that when Jesus showed up, people were healed from pain, rescued from adversity and pointed towards the life more abundant that Jesus said in John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
So. Having heard, this woman with a great affliction fought the crowds that were surrounding Jesus and reached for his clothing. Because she knew that she would be made well. She knew that all she had to do to end the 12 years of suffering was to reach out to Jesus.
Let’s interact with how powerful that is for a moment. Because I don’t want us to miss this.
This woman, who is suffering from an obviously painful and embarrassing affliction went out into public. She didn’t just go out in public, she fought through a crowd just to touch the robe of Jesus.
The woman needed something and she knew the solution was not man but God. She recognized that Jesus was God because of what she had heard and what she had seen.
I think that we can be a lot like the woman if we just pay attention to what it is that is going on around us. We as a human race are hurting and struggling through life at times are we are throwing up out hands and saying that there is no hope. But there is.
Christian in the room. You already have all the tools you need to rely on Jesus. You have his word, you have his promises and the bible says that the Holy Spirit in living inside of you. You have access to the creator of the universe. Are you taking advantage of that? Are you in your bible daily? Are you praying without ceasing? Are you in fellowship with other believers? Jesus is the antidote, are we taking it? Just to be clear… I am not promising anything special. I am not saying that more prayer or more bible reading or more church attendance will bring you your desires, I’m not even promising anything regarding special healing or wealth. But what I am promising, in the name of Jesus is a peace and direction through life’s difficulties. A peace that passes understanding and a life that is more abundant than the one that we are destined to live because of sin.
Person in the room that maybe isn’t a christian yet. The same holds true for you. All the tools you need to rely on Jesus are before you. The bible says that we have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. God is perfect and holy and we simply are not. We know that sin is the reason the world is terrible and sin is the reason we hurt emotionally and physically and ultimately, sin is the cause of death, both physical here on earth and spiritual, with us going to hell if we do not accept the gift of eternal life. The bible says that we must be Born again John 3:3
Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
When we have a spiritual birth, we are regenerated and given new life and all the things I said before come true. The Holy Spirit dwells in you and you have access to the wisdom and grace of God. When you have access to the Holy Spirit and you follow his commands for your life, you also begin to experience life more abundant. Not riches, or magical healing all the time, although those things do take place, but you experience the joy of relationship with your creator.
You see
Life Change is the Result of Simple Faith
Life Change is the Result of Simple Faith
Verse 29 says this
And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
You see? Her act of simple faith was a life changer for her. She went from being sickly societal outcast to being a healed woman with a sense of normalcy in her body. She could immediately tell that she was healed. All it took for her to come to this point was her act of simple faith “all I need to do is touch Jesus’ clothes.”
Again, speaking to the non christian in the room, or even the person who remembers accepting christ but has drifted. Coming to Jesus has instant results. Jesus removes the guilt of our sin from us immediately. Im not saying that if life is hard and you accept christ it’s suddenly going to be peachy, because that’s not even what happened here. The bleeding woman likely still had blood on her when she was healed, she still had a journey of healing from the hurts of being an outcast for 12 years. She likely had trauma from the botched treatments she recieved for the last 12 years. If she was in financial ruin because of the doctor payments, scripture does not say that she also recieved a bag of gold coins. But it’s very clear that her problem was solved. Her life was changed for the better. She was able to go in peace. She was healed.
Jesus wants more than just to heal us, he wants to commune with us.
Jesus wants more than just to heal us, he wants to commune with us.
After the healing of the woman, a flurry of activity takes place lets re read.
Immediately Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?”
His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
But he was looking around to see who had done this. The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”
Jesus immediately notices that he had healed someone. He knows that someone came to him in a massive display of faith and that they were healed. Jesus wanted to know what had just happened.
Here is the difference between Jesus and the disciples, God and man. Jesus wanted to know who touched him so that he could minister to that person and love them well. The disciples were frustrated at the interruption and overwhelmed by Jesus being in the crowd.
Honestly, up to verse 29, you could look at the situation as a success. You could say “hey the lady was healed!” but that was not enough for Jesus. Jesus wanted to interact with this person.
And he looked around to see who had done it. 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. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
Jesus loved this woman enough to want to interact with her to show her he loved her. Jesus’ goal is not to just fix us and send us on our way. Jesus wants us to have a relationship with him. to interact. God cares enough about this woman and you to stop everything that’s happening and focus on you. To comfort you, to love you, to guide you to rejoice with you and morn with you, to weep with you. Jesus cares about you.
Something that I find interesting as well is that this woman was obviously dealing with something embarrassing. Something shameful even for a woman of that time. She was able to access Jesus not by yelling in the street and exposing her worst secret she was not brought into a shameful experience by everyone in the crowd knowing what was happening. She was able to humbly come before the Lord. Only her and God knew what was taking place. It was just an interaction between the two of them and she was healed.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The afflicted woman is a great example of someone at a level 4. She has a problem, a deep and easy to understand need for healing. She needs a solution for the issue at hand. She has attempted to solve this issue multiple times by herself by going from physician to physician and spending all she had to just be subjected to more suffering until she heard about jesus and humbly went to him.
Do you identify with a 4? Do you identify with the afflicted woman? Are you suffering this morning and you just need answers? I want to encourage you don’t leave this building this morning without talking to your small group leader. Just like the woman it doesn’t have to be a massive calling out. You don’t need to air your dirty laundry. You just need to humbly approach Jesus with a desire to accept his gift of eternal life so that you can be born again and experience not only life more abundantly here on earth but also eternal life in heaven.
Let’s all stand
Close in prayer
Dismiss to Small Groups