Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayerful attention to Gospel according to Mark chapter 5 and verse 26. It is the words at the end of this verse, upon my spirit, but rather grew worse. The whole verse reads, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse. Mark 5 and verse 26, this woman had had an issue of blood and bleeding for 12 years, and had sought that help, and yet as our text says, was rather worse than any bettered.

In this chapter we have the record of our Lord working miraculously in the lives of three people. Each case was a case very different than the other, but each one the Lord was glorified in dealing with that case. not only healing in a natural, a physical way, but giving faith and blessing in a spiritual way, that those things that they went through, the tribulation that they were in, their case, was dealt with by the Lord to the honour and glory of God.

I often marvel that how many different cases are set forth in the Word. And it really should teach us not to compare one with another, but to remember that all God's children, though we are all fallen, though we are all sinners, yet we have a different path, a different path brought to faith, brought to the Lord, and blessed through him. And some, you might say, are more simple cases than others. Others are very, very difficult cases. I always notice in the Gospel according to John, in Chapter 3, the Lord is insistent on the new birth. But then in Chapter 4, he gives three examples of the new birth, and everyone is different. And here we have three examples of those who are brought to the Lord. We think of the mad Gadarene.

All of those round about must have thought that his case was an impossible case. No doubt himself thought it, doing himself harm, and no man could tame him. An impossible case, but not impossible for the Lord. What a reminder and encouragement for any here who may think your case, or your loved one, or the one that you pray for, or the situation that you're in, is an impossible case. How many times through the word when the Lord comes, he comes to Abraham, and with God nothing shall be impossible. and while our Lord was on earth.

He showed that in how he dealt and how he worked. With the mad Gadarene, what he'd done, the miracle, the difference in that man, what happened to the swine, the people of the area, they were frightened in the presence of such power, such glory, solemn thing. They desired him to depart from their coasts. That dear man, he wanted to be with them.

But in that case, again, you see differences. In that case, the Lord sent him to his friends, to those that knew him as he was, sent him so that they could see the difference and hear the testimony from his own lips. is contrasted with the other case, apart from the woman with the issue, which was the ruler of the synagogue's daughter. As we read it, my mind went to the case of Lazarus. When he was sick and Mary and Martha called for the Lord, he stayed still in that same place until Lazarus was dead. And then he came and he raised Lazarus to life. We have a similar case here.

But how the ruler must have felt when the Lord was willing to come, he was coming, but then got sidetracked. Others were blessed before and then it was to their feeling too late, but not too late for the Lord. And the Lord worked that miracle of raising her from the dead. And what a miracle, not just gradual healing, but straightway the damsel rose and walked, for she was of the age of 12 years.

Now, natural healing will instantly work in that way. And yet here, is a different work. He charges them straightly that no man should know it. Very different than the mad Gatorine. The Lord knew the situation here. He knew the situation with the mad Gatorine. And he judged him one time that there should be a proclaiming what he'd done, and the other time not. I was thinking of my late sister in faith in Australia. And two blessings that she had, one in the nursing home as I went to see her. She had this blessing in her soul.

She said, the Lord has said, hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. And she told no one but me. And then she went down low again. And the Lord came and blessed her again. And that time, she was so blessed, was affected physically. She cast away her two sticks. She could walk. She could walk the full length of the nursing home. And she told everybody, the doctors, the nurses, all the other residents, every visitor that came in. And they could see the difference. They could see the difference with her. A time to speak, a time to be silent. And we see this picture here. Some of us, we might know why. Why is this the case? And we'll come to a little bit of this in their case, the middle one here, with the woman with the issue of blood.

She'd had that issue the same length of time as a damsel had lived, 12 years. The length of time was the same. But she comes, and she's mindful of her illness. She tried many, many things. It not worked. Rather, she grew worse. And then she heard of Jesus and came to the Lord Jesus and was healed.

But it was not until she was found out and the Lord spoke to her that she had the full healing. and full blessing when it was made known, thy faith hath made thee whole. These physical healings have, of course, the parallel in a spiritual way. It's not just getting one into a right mind naturally, but spiritually blessed and blessed with faith in Christ. Not just healing of the bleeding, but being brought to faith in Christ, like the Syrophoenician woman with her sick daughter, not just the daughter made whole, but the Lord saying to her, great is thy faith.

And it is leading to Christ, the Lord using these tribulations, using these trials to bring to himself, we mentioned this morning, about the 10 lepers. Well, for nine, the Lord said, where are the nine? The same healing, the same blessing outwardly, but not the same in spiritually. It didn't return to return glory to God in nine cases. They just took their healing and went. But where the Lord is at work in a spiritual way for the good and the blessing of his people, it will be a returning to him. to give thanks, to have that blessing from the Lord.

We think of where the Lord broke the loaves and the fishes, and many partook of the loaves and fishes. But the other side of the lake, you read this in John 6, the people followed him. But the Lord said, you seek me not because you saw the miracles, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Labour not for the bread that perisheth, but for that which endureth to eternal life." And so he'd worked that miracle, instead of thinking this is God amongst us, this is Emmanuel God with us, these miracles declare who he is, we're going to seek eternal life, we're going to seek the forgiveness of our sins.

They just went after the brand. He was a cheap meal, an easy way of getting food. And the Lord knew that, and the Lord pointed that out to them. And of course later on, he dealt with the issue, except you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you.

May we always remember this, whatever the Lord gives is a way of a trial, an affliction, a difficulty, those things are used to bring God's people to the Lord their hard cases to bring them before him in prayer and that they might know not only healing but his salvation and the blessing in their souls because really every illness and every tribulation and trouble it stems from sin it comes because of sin in the world that is at the root of it that is the the curse and God has seen fit to use those very things, the very breaking forth of sin to be as what leads the people of God to Christ for eternal blessings.

I want to look at this case, firstly the realisation of the sickness of sin and thinking of this woman here in verse 25, a certain woman which had an issue of blood, 12 years. She realized her condition and for all that time she was seeking that relief for him. Secondly, the effect of seeking a remedy apart from Christ alone. That is, in the words of our text, had suffered many things and many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.

And then lastly, a perfect cure, which we read of in verses 27 to 29, and really the perfection of it in verse 34. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace, and behold of thy plane. But first, the realization of it.

If we think of things in a natural way, we might have something wrong with us, but not be aware of it. We might have a hidden illness, a hidden cancer, something that we don't know at all. We've heard sometimes of a person being maybe on television or something and someone that's been watching has looked and they've noticed perhaps a little lump on that person's neck and they've made contact with that person and said we've seen this You must get this investigated.

And that person had no idea anything was wrong. But a sharp-eyed person who knew of these things recognized it just looking at them. And so until it is actually known and realized, then we don't seek help, even in a natural way. We don't go to a doctor, even if we have something. If we don't realize the seriousness of it, And we don't have the urgency and we don't seek help like we should.

Also following that same analogy or thought is that when we do go, then it may we find out things are actually worse than what we realized. But I want to think in the first place here, With the realisation that we are sinners, or the sickness of sin, there are countless millions upon this earth and by nature with us, we have no idea. We are not troubled by it, we don't view ourselves as sinners, that we have transgressed the law of God, that we are under the curse, cursed is everyone, that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them.

Whoso offendeth in one point is guilty of all. We are already under the sentence of death. In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die, and is entered into the world, and death by sin. So death has passed upon all men, for that all have sinned and come short. of the glory of God.

But we need to be made aware of that, and it is God's work to make that known and bring a soul first into conviction of sin. Paul says that law is a schoolmaster unto Christ. By the law is the knowledge of sin, for sin is the transgression of the law of God. And the apostle Paul himself speaks in Romans 7 of how he was first convicted of sin. Thou shalt not cover.

And it's vital for us to have that laid to heart. No doubt all of us, we've been brought up under the sound of the truth. In the letter of it, we understand that we are sinners. We understand, perhaps be able to explain to others about it. But it's one thing to be able to speak of it. It's another thing to actually feel it as it really is.

You see, says the hymn writer, sin hurts but slightly, but ought to feel cuts deep beyond expression. And sin is very active, working. principle within us. It is not that which is dormant. We are sinners and sin breaks out upon us and you can think of the worst diseases that there are known to man but you can't find any that is so bad as sin which is eternal consequences. Whether we know it or feel it not This evening, we are sinners. Unless our sin is dealt with, unless our sin is pardoned and forgiven, then we are consigned to eternal death. There is no other sentence but the soul that sinneth, it shall die. And we are already under that condemnation. And Paul writes in Romans 8, there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. The implication is that outside there is condemnation.

Our Lord says that if you believe not that I am he, you shall perish in your sins. And without faith, it is impossible to please God. He that cometh to God must believe that he is, that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. And we need that realisation that we are sinners. Some of us can remember when the Lord first gave us that, when the Lord gives eternal life, when he blesses the word preached, or maybe some other means have been used to oppress upon us. that we are sinners. Paul says that I was alive without the commandment once, but sin revived and I died.

You think of the difference of the feeling of a person that maybe has had no symptoms, they felt healthy, they felt strong, and someone has seen and recognised that they're ill, told them to go to a doctor, the doctor has confirmed, yes, you have this disease, this serious illness, the difference in feeling in that person. Nothing has changed. They're still the same as they were. The only difference has changed. They now know that they have a disease, an illness.

And that will profoundly affect how they feel, how they make plans, how they view life, what they do in seeking for help. And so it's vital for us, and we may ask ourselves, have we ever been in that condition? Are we in that condition now? That we've been made aware of our condition by nature, how serious it is, and the need of healing, the need of being delivered from that condemnation, that sentence of death.

With this woman, She knew that she had this bleeding. She knew that she'd had this issue of blood. That was very real to her. We know it was real because she'd been seeking. She'd been seeking 12 years to get it stemmed, to get it healed. And of course, if you look back to the law, the law said if there's one that there's an issue of blood, they're counted as unclean. They can't go. It's the house of God, they're an outcast. And so there was a lot bound up with that, more than just bleeding in a ceremonial sense. She was unclean. But what happened? I want to look at this in our second point.

The effect of seeking a remedy apart from Christ alone. We're told here has suffered many things and many physicians had spent all that she had, was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse. Why is it that when one is convicted of being a sinner and they're seeking salvation, why is it that at first this happens? they rather grow worse. We sung of it in our first hymn. And there are several reasons for it. One reason is that God, in bringing us all to real conviction of sin, will use things that they pass through to show that that sin is actually deeper than the surface. It's worse.

We read in Ezekiel, turn again thou son of man, thou shalt see greater abominations than these. As soon as the Lord has shown us what sin is, then we'll start to see it in parts and areas of our life that we've never seen before. The Lord will bring us into situations that flare up that sin, that aggravate it, and we actually see it. Situations that maybe we've been in before, but have never noticed how our pride has risen up, how our anger has risen out, how we've replied against God, how we've fretted against His hand, how we have not been submissive to Him. or the motions of our hearts. We might have thought, well, I haven't physically walked in these ways of evil, but now that sin is known and what it is, it then extends to the thoughts and intents of the heart.

And the Lord searches as a candle of the Lord in all the recesses of the heart, the thoughts and affections. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. And the Lord is purposely doing this so that that sinner is truly convinced of the depth of their sin.

Sometimes it is with a criminal. where they're brought to court over one issue, then they'll find out there's other things. And it may be the criminal themselves will say, before you're sentenced, can you please take into account this and this and this?

And in a sense, in this way, when the Lord would pardon and heal his people, He makes it so they know the whole malady, so that when they get a healing, they haven't this thought, but this wasn't known. I didn't know this, or the Lord didn't know that when he pardoned, when he forgave me. And so the whole matter is made known. And we need to expect this, that where there is first the knowledge of sin, that God, before he brings a cure, and we wouldn't make, of course, a universal rule that this is always the case. The Lord deals deeply in some cases, not so deep in other cases. But in the context here, to not think it a strange thing. If the Lord, instead of bringing immediate peace and pardon, actually brings more and more sins to view. So the malady is really seen as being deep-rooted and of the heart, the heart deceitful above all things, desperately wicked. And so that is one reason why, for a while, that things rather grow worse.

Another reason is because we are under the law, we are under by nature, we are under the covenant of works. That is how we were created, that is where we are under with Adam. It is the Old Testament, the old covenant. That is contrasted with the covenant of grace. But a covenant of works, when we're under that, if we see that we have sinned, our natural reaction is to try and do better.

To turn and you say, well, shouldn't we repent? Yes, we should repent. We should turn. But again, we'll find that repentance and turning away from sin is not such an easy thing at all. And we might make rules for ourselves, regulate ourselves, Try to stem it, try to hold it in, and yet it makes it even worse because we just break those resolutions and we walk in the path that Paul did. The good that I would, I do not. The evil that I would not, that I do. A wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? And you can see that conflict. in Romans 7.

And so the Lord is bringing that soul so that they can see that by the law no man is justified. Bunyan with his Christian, he portrays him meeting Mr. Worldly Wise Man who directed him to the law. And there are some that come under a picture of being a minister, but they'll direct people to the law. Sadly, I believe there are some, even with saying that they are Calvinistic, that will also direct to a legalistic or law way, which only brings into bondage. By the deeds of the law, we cannot be justified. Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. It is impossible for us to turn our own heart, to cease from sin, to walk in a way that will make us acceptable to God and deliver us from the curse.

The Apostle Paul, really wanted his brethren of Israel to be saved. He says in Romans 10 verse 1, Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. And he even pictured them having a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. And what were they doing? They were going after the Lord. Ignorant of God's righteousness, going about to establish their own righteousness, they wanted to be good themselves, to feel that their goodness was acceptable to God. And he saw this was a block, a hindrance.

They would not find deliverance in that way. For when he went to the Galatians, they first believed the gospel, But then they had teachers that said, except they kept the law and were circumcised, they could not be saved. And the apostle wrote to them, and he said, this is not a gospel. This is not another gospel. There's no gospel. He says, if you be justified by the works of the law, then you're not under grace. You're not saved by mercy of God. You're looking to the law. But that is where we go automatically. We lean that way. It is the only way until the Lord shows us another way that we have known. It is the only thing that we know that we can do.

We might have heard the gospel all our days, but the natural reaction is to go back to trying to obtain salvation by our own ways. and hear this woman, perhaps in a spiritual way, go on to this minister, go on to that minister, go on to one to advise what to do, how should I study the word of God, how can I pray, how can I approach to God, how can I be just with God, asking for prescriptions of what to do and what to What steps to take so as to be saved. But we read here, rather, she grew worse. Seemed to be working the opposite to what we thought. I hope this may be an encouragement and help to some to explain what is happening and why is it.

When the Lord first gives a conviction and brings a soul to seek Him, that at first they don't have peace, they don't have pardon, they haven't the blessings that they seek, and they rather grow worse. Really, a people being prepared for the Lord. The preparations of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. When the Lord spoke of the parable of the sower, it was the seed that fell into good ground that brought forth fruit. And good ground is prepared ground. And this woman, if you look at it, was being prepared for the Lord Jesus Christ. and a soul that is going to the law.

And we can scripturally say this because Paul says, the law is a schoolmaster unto Christ. And he says in Romans 8, for what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh. God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemn sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. The law of God can convict. It has its role. It has its purpose. That all the world might be brought in guilty before God, but it cannot save.

Perhaps going back to a medical analogy, we might know or suspect we've got something wrong with us so you go you might have an MRI scan or a CT scan or a blood test or things like that and the results come back this is what is wrong but you don't say well now It's the MRI scanner that's told me what is wrong, so we're going to go back to that to heal it and to fix me. You say, no, no, no. The role of that scanner is only to find out what's wrong.

It can't heal you. You've got to go now to a surgeon. You've got to go now to a physician. You need to go to a different one. It's the same with the law. The law will condemn, it convicts, but we cannot go there for the remedy. We need a different covenant. whole different system, completely different system, and that is the covenant of grace.

Free, unmerited favour of God. I want to look at this under the perfect cure that she had when she came to the Lord Jesus Christ. He came and she touched his garment. And we read, for she said, if I may but touch his clothes, I shall be whole. Later on, when the Lord died, we have the picture of his coat as the righteousness. And of course, going back to Romans 10, what he wanted those that he desired to be saved to do was to look for righteousness in Christ, not them. Without a seam, his garments were that is the robe of righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so then in a spiritual way, it is brought to the covenant of God's grace.

So it's looking at a completely different, if we perhaps use the illustration of Melchizedek that is spoken of in Hebrews. Melchizedek was that character, the priest of the most high God that met Abraham after the slaughter of the kings and blessed him and Abraham gave the tenth part of all. This is described in Hebrews 7. The important thing in that picture of Melchizedek is that it's a priesthood that is changed. We read in verse 11 of Hebrews 7, if therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the law, what further need was there that another priest should arise after the order of Melchizedek and not be called after the order of Aaron?

So we have the picture, our Lord Jesus Christ is like Melchizedek, and he comes without father, without mother, without descent, the eternal God, he comes. But we read here, for the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. And he said, for he of whom these things are spoken attaineth to another tribe, which no man gave attendance at the altar."

And I love that chapter because it points to the Lord Jesus Christ as the mediator of another covenant, not the covenant that was administered by Levi. This does not mean that we live lawless, that we live as if there was no Ten Commandments, but we live under the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the law and made it honorable.

Remember at Mount Sinai, the broken tables were broken because of the people's sin. The completed tables were put into the ark. That is the type of Christ, the fulfilled law in Christ. And it is as we are given faith, to look to Christ. He fulfilled that law for us, instead of us. As our representative, he fulfilled it. He made it honourable. And that is why the apostle says in Romans that the law, the righteousness of the law, might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.

So it's not fulfilled in us when we keep the law, it's fulfilled in us when we see Christ who has filled the law and we follow after the spirit. This woman, she was given faith in the Lord Jesus, what he had done, what he could do, what he did do, and that is what we need. Pointing to Christ is a completely different covenant. You're not under the law, you're under grace. Law and tarot do but harden all that while they work alone, but a sense of blood-bought pardon soon dissolves a heart of stone. And this is the two covenants. One, it goes to Mount Sinai.

And Paul brings in, again, going right back to Isaac and Ishmael. Isaac was a child of promise. He was miraculously born. But Ishmael was after the flesh, a scheme that Hagar should bear him. And Paul says this is a type of these two covenants. One is in bondage and he says the Jews are in bondage to this day, bondage to the law, but with Isaac it is the promised seed, it is Christ, that in thee and in thy seed shall all nations be blessed.

But we find it very hard, we hate to let go of our own righteousness, we hate to think that we cannot add to our salvation, or we can't have a part in it, that we've got to receive it completely, freely, on mercy's ground, undeserving of anything from the Lord. And this woman, this beautiful time of coming to the Lord, and it is, as the Lord said, thy faith has saved thee. The Lord then gives faith to lay hold upon him, to trust in him, to lean upon him alone. That faith the Lord gives, the Lord gives it right at the beginning, that convicts of sin, but then he leads on, so that faith then will centre and trust in Christ alone.

This woman, There was, you might say, stages to her healing. The first one, when she touched him, she knew that she was healed of that plague. But Jesus knew also. And their disciples, they thought it a strange thing that he should ask who touched. Now the Lord knows everyone, that he is blessed, that he is given faith through He knows those blessings that He has given.

And the witness in the hearts and souls of the people of God, what a contrast this woman had. And what a contrast there is if you and I have sought peace and salvation through the law and have not found it, and seeking rest but finding none. And then the Lord gives peace and quietness and rest. That contrast will be really known.

But this woman, she would rather best be quiet and take it and go on her way and not say anything about it. Could that be so? Could that be so with you? Could that be so with me? The Lord has blessed us. We've had the pardon of our sin. We've had, we have faith in Christ. We know of Him. But we're keeping it secret. We don't want it known. We'd rather just quietly go on our way. We don't want to make profession. We don't want to be baptized. We don't want to be a church member. We don't want to go down that path.

Well, this woman tried to do that, but the Lord would not let her. And she had to come, and she comes fearing and trembling. Knowing what was done in her. How many of you here perhaps? You know what was done in you. The Lord won't have you. He won't have you to keep silent. Now, he kept on. He wouldn't be stopped by the disciples. He wanted to know, and she had to come. And it wasn't until she came, she really had the full blessing, the spiritual blessing, to have from the Lord's own lips. Up to that time, she touched His garment. He hadn't spoken to her. He hadn't pronounced blessing upon her. But when she owns up, when she comes fearing and tempered, while she tells what has been done, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole.

Go in peace. Be whole of thy praying. It is said with baptism that it is not the putting away of the sin of the flesh, but it is the answer of a good conscience before God. It is God's way, God's prescribed way of those who have been blessed like this woman. Give glory and honor to God and receive that further blessing and that seal in a, what this woman, we might say, had a public profession of her faith.

And may we be the same. We value what the Lord has done for us and blessed us. And maybe some of us who have walked this path to renew again, to think how the Lord brought us to that, and how the Lord did enable us to make profession and the peace the answer of good conscience we did have. And sometimes when we get into depths and troubles again, we're thankful of remembering that, of what the Lord has done, what we were moved to do at that time. But maybe there are some of you that still, at this point, need to be found out, maybe through the ministry, maybe this evening, to do what this woman did and to make profession in the Church of God. Come and hear all ye that fear God, I will tell what he hath done for my soul. May the Lord add his blessing. Amen.