And Mark 5, we're going to look
at verses 21 through 34. Specifically, verses 25 through
34, because we kind of got two things going on here, but we'll
we'll start where we left off last Wednesday. Christ had cast out the legion
of demons from the man that met him in the country
of the Gadarenes. So we're going to start off after
that miracle in verse 21 of Mark 5. And when Jesus was passed
over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto
him, and he was nigh unto the sea. Behold there cometh one
of the rulers of the synagogue Jarius by name and when he saw
him He fell at his feet and besought Christ greatly saying my little
daughter life at the point of death I pray thee come and lay
thy hands on her that she may be healed and she shall live
and Jesus went with him and much people followed him and thronged
him so he's He's completely surrounded, basically almost by a mob. They're
following and watching what he's doing. Everything he says and
everything he does, they're watching him tremendously. And Jesus,
right in the middle of this, as he's going with Jairus to
see about his daughter, who's very ill, Right in the middle
of this, we kind of have an interruption, and that's what we're going to
look at tonight. And Jesus went with Jairus. But then in verse
25, a certain woman, which had an issue of blood 12 years and
had suffered many things of many physicians and had spent all
that she had had and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse
when she had heard of Jesus. She 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. 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? And his disciples
said unto him, Thou seest a multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou,
Who touched me? And Christ looked round about
to see her that had done this thing. But the woman, fearing
and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down
before Christ and told him all the truth. And Jesus said unto
her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace
and be whole. of thy plague." Now, we're going
to stop there. It's interesting to note that
I will go one verse further, that while Christ yet spake peace
and comfort to this woman, because you remember he was going with
Jairus to his house and got interrupted, so as he was speaking, There
came from the ruler of the synagogue, Jairus' house, a certain one
that said, your daughter's dead, don't trouble the master any
further. We'll stop there. We won't actually look at that
verse, but it gives you the picture that Christ is going about doing
those things which he does, and then he gets stopped right in
the middle and then performs another miracle. I just got two
points, really. The woman and the Savior. The
woman and the Savior. Let's look at the woman. Let's
behold her first. We know her condition and her
plight, which is very remarkably similar to you and I by nature. Without the grace of God, we
are very similar. Like this woman, she had this
misery, this plague 12 years, 12 years. Verse 25, there's a certain woman
which had an issue of blood 12 years. She sought many remedies,
but the only true and correct remedy. She thought she could
go about getting, get cured by every other remedy other than
what we know to be the only true remedy. She suffered, verse 26,
many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had
had monetarily, everything, and was nothing bettered, but rather
grew worse. And this is exactly like what
you and I, from human nature, we, there's religion without
Christ at its worst. You go, and you sit, and the
gospel's not preached, and you think you're getting better,
and you're not getting better at all, and you're probably given
to the cause. You could be, you know, some
places, some fundamentalists, they'll want you to give them
everything, and there's many stories in this country about
those. who are promised healing, and help, and spiritual growth,
and how to keep their marriage together, and how to raise your
children, and all these things, they spend all that, and then
the preacher, whoever it is, the spiritual huckster, leaves
town, and they're not any better, and nothing's solved, and they're
actually worse. And actually, when a person who is religious
and doesn't know Christ, and goes where there's no gospel,
or goes where the gospel's not preached, be it whatever denomination
you want to title it, that is exactly what is going on with
these people is that they listen and they listen and they're ever
learning but never able to come to the knowledge of Christ because
he's not preached. And actually they're getting
worse. They got the scriptures wide open, but they're growing
worse. They're going farther and farther
and farther away from the gospel. But then look at her situation
again. She suffered many things of many physicians and had spent
all that she had and was nothing better, but rather grew worse.
And when she heard of Jesus, she came in the press behind
and touched his garment. When by grace we are made to
see our vile, helpless condition, we then are made to seek the
true cleansing or the true cleanser. And oftentimes the Lord will
let us do everything until we are bankrupt. and we've got nothing
else. We've tried all of our works,
we've tried to make all of our decisions, we've made all of
our promises, and we've broken all these things, we've made
all of our resolutions that we're not going to do this, we're not
going to do that, and we cannot control the old nature, we can't
control the tongue, we can't control the stony heart, we do
all these things, and then, when God's grace causes us to know
our condition, She said, if I can just touch his clothes, I'll
be made whole. And this is not, you know, this
is not free will. This is not all these different
things because she's free will. Actually, if you want to free
will, the beauty or not the beauty, but the explanation of free will
is seen in verse 26. She spends all she had. She did
all her thing and was nothing better, but rather grew worse.
But look at the verse 27. This is the way the scripture
is worded. This is not merely the writings
of men. This is the inspired word of
God with no air. Verse 27, when she heard. Heard. Here we go again. When she heard. Heard of Jesus. Faith cometh
by hearing. hearing the Word of God. Come
as you are, don't seek to hide your condition, because she touched
Christ and immediately she knew she was cleansed. Christ stops,
turns about, says, somebody's touched me. They say, what are
you talking about? There's people touching you all over. And Christ
looked around about to see her, what was done. But the woman,
fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and
fell down before Him and told Him all the truth. When God begins
to deal with you and deal with me, this is what we're going
to do. We're going to hear the Gospel, we're
going to hear of Christ, and by His super Abounding grace
makes us whole. You don't have to tell that person
how vile they are. She knew, you knew, you know,
and I know. But we're going to confess him.
He's going to see to it. There's no secret Christians.
OK, there's no Nicodemus is where they come at night and don't
want to be seen. And I don't want to I don't want to be seen
with this small group of fellowship, this small group here at Sovereign
Grace Church. No, we drive in with the lights
on. Park the car, it doesn't matter. Bruce used to, you know, when
he was with Frito-Lay, oftentimes, you know, he'd drive, he'd go
right after work, there's that Frito-Lay truck. He never parked
it behind the building so nobody could see who that was. Hey,
I saw your truck. What's there? Let me tell you.
So, we're going to confess. Come as you are. Don't seek to
hide your condition. You will, once for all, confess
Christ before all. And the woman's fearing and trembling
and knew what was done in her, in verse 33, she fell down before
Him and told Him all the truth. Now, remember, He's being thronged
by people. So, this wasn't done in a corner.
We're going to confess Him. We will confess Him. And I'm
going to jump ahead, but you're here tonight, if you're here
tonight for the right reason, what you're saying when you come
here Sunday and Wednesday for the right reason, if God has
opened your eyes, you're saying, there's no other place in this
town, there's no other place in this county where the gospel
is preached. If there is, tell me and let's
join with them instead of, you see what I'm saying? But what
you're saying, you're confessing, if God has opened your heart
to the truth, you're here individually. I can't believe for Melinda,
Melinda can't believe for me, etc., etc. You're here by God's grace. If
it's by God's grace, The reason is to glorify and honor him.
And you're saying to this community, this is where the gospel is preached.
And by saying that you're saying, well, we don't have fellowship
with this. We don't have fellowship with that right here. Healing and faith will produce
fear and trembling or all. Then that we will bless him in
public confession, There's no free will here. There's
no free will. As I said, free will is found
in verse 26 where she spends everything she has. And it grows
worse. Why do we ascribe... I was listening
to a message the other day and I thought this was really good.
Some old preacher in Louisville, Kentucky, he's since passed away. He made this comment about people
who believe in free will. He said, why do we ascribe the
absolute weakest part of our humanity as the contributing
factor to our salvation? And that is our will. Because
your will and my will is so weak. Say, I'm going to come Wednesday
night and something happens and you can't make it. Well, if your
will is so all-powerful, how come you... You see what I'm
saying? I'm not going to do this, I'm not going to eat that, I'm
not going to be tempted by this, and you just fall. That's your
will. But now wait a second, if your
will is free and is so powerful that you can choose or reject,
and we can't, but it's amazing, those who understand the gospel
of God's grace, we're absolutely amazed that those who believe
in free will, what they're saying is they ascribe the absolute
weakest part of our humanity to contribute to their salvation.
And the message that I was listening to, the gentleman made the comment
that years ago there was that Lays commercial that says you
can't just eat one. You remember that British candy
one? And it had it sitting there. My dad tried that and he ate
three. Well, that's the will. Wait a second. Our will is influenced
by a little money, a little lust, a little smell, a little hunger,
whatever it might be, and it just crumbles. She fell down and worshipped,
told all the truth. I love how that's worded there.
Verse 33, because we're just looking at this at this particular
point, the woman, her condition and her plight and her situation,
a sinner being brought to the grace of God by the grace of
God to the Redeemer. She feared and she trembled.
She knew what was done in here. You don't you can't tell me that.
Well, I just I just believe I just I've always believed. No, you
haven't. No, we don't. He crosses our path and we know
what was done in us. We might not have a full understanding,
but we know that we were lost and now we're saved. We were
blind and now we see. She knew what was in her and
she knew why. That's why she fell down and
worshiped Christ. She didn't say, well, you know,
I decided, I decided I'd go. No. He, we'll see here in a minute,
when we look at the Savior, she was one chosen from before the
foundation of the world. But she, knowing what was done
in her, came and fell down before Christ and told Him all truth.
That's what prayer is, that's what confession is. That's why,
you don't need to tell me. If you want to, I suppose that's
okay, but I can't forgive your sins. A priest in a little booth
can't forgive your sins. No man can forgive sins but the
Lord Jesus Christ, but that, this is true worship and true
prayer, is telling back to God what he already knows, all the
truth. She told him all the truth. She told about herself, and she
told how Christ's virtue made me whole this very instant. Anything
that she said about herself was negative, was I'm this and I'm
that, not I'm without me. This world doesn't turn without
me, this job can't continue without me. No, she says I'm nothing
and I spent everything I had and I was worse and I know that
and I confess my sins. It's just such a beautiful picture.
So that's the woman. Now let's look at the Savior.
First of all, he's in a mob. He's thronged on every side.
That's the pictures. He's going with Jairus. He's
going to perform a miracle for Jairus, and only Christ can do
so good and so great while He is going to do good and great
things. You know, you and I, we get sidetracked, and we can't
remember what, but Christ was going to do good and great things,
and He can still do good and great things in between, interruption.
What do I mean by this? I mean His grace is more than
sufficient for a thousand of your woes and my woes. It's more
than sufficient for a thousand heartaches. More than sufficient
to atone for a lifetime of sins. You cannot exhaust the grace
and mercy in our Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that good? You fell today. You sinned today. And I did too. And we went on to talk about
it, but it was a lot. You cannot deplete the reservoir
of grace in this man, Christ Jesus. Confess, confess your
sins. He's faithful and just to forgive
us. We fall, he raises us back up. But look at what he says. He's going, she touches him,
he stops. Verse 30. Immediately, knowing
in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about
in the press and said, who? Who? Singular. Particular. Distinguishing. One person, one chosen elect,
all others pass by. Because God's grace is totally
sovereign and particularly distinguishing. His grace and mercy is for the
sin sick and weary soul. He stopped and He says, Who?
One particular sinner is going to be made whole. And they saw the multitude thronging
and they said, What do you mean, who's done this? The disciples
just said, there's all these people and you're saying, who?
Oh, I'm so thankful. It's not a universal general,
just a universal... anybody that wants to be saved,
or he died for everybody, or he loves everybody. Incidentally,
I've listened to a CD. I would highly recommend it.
Don Fortner preached a message on, if Christ died for everybody,
then what? And he basically has got 14 reasons
why that is so preposterous and utterly contemptible and blasphemous
to even think that God loved everybody and Christ died for
everybody. And, who? Now, there was many people touching
him. Nothing happened. But when an
awakened sinner comes to Christ by his drawing and his enabling
and his grace. We're going to get what we need,
and that's his righteousness, virtue from him. You see that
we've got no virtue. That's what that's saying. He
has all, virtue and righteousness. And everything that God requires
of us is in Him and found only in Him. Is not this why you and I are
here tonight? Because we must hear of Him,
of His free electing grace. Look at what He says here. There's
four things and I'll close. In his conversation with this
woman, four things, I think it's beautiful. The last one I got
is just, I was telling Linda about it, I was having a hard
time sleeping the last couple nights because of some situations. I'd wake up 2 o'clock, 3 o'clock,
and worry about this and worry about that. It wasn't the elections.
I probably should have been, but it's what it is. But it was things at work and
letters I'd gotten and things like that. Then these four points, and then
I would just smile and I'd go back to sleep. And then I'd think
about what I've got to do at work and the problems and then
I'd wake up and then look at the clock and I'd think, he says
go in peace and then I'd sleep. I told Linda I woke up that morning
And I said, when I think of this world and the things of this
world, it's trouble. But when I look to Him in this
book, there's peace. It's really that simple, isn't
it? You know, Bruce read the scriptures the other day. Seek
ye first the kingdom of God or know that the fact that, you
know, He takes care of all the things and you're greater than
the birds and the flower of the field. Don't worry about tomorrow,
this and that. Just read the scriptures. He
made no comment. He just read it. And both of
us were like, that's all we need, let's go home. I probably didn't
even need to preach. That was it. You can't find that
anywhere. You can't find that in a classroom.
You can't find that at work. You can't find that punching
a clock. You can't find that anywhere. And the believer knows
that. We just have to be reminded. Four things. Look at what his
conversation with her. The first thing he says, verse
30, we're gonna be 34. And Christ said to her, daughter.
Daughter. Now. Everybody in this room knows
what that word means. Now. Nathan and Sarah didn't
know what that meant several months ago. And Matt and Tara
didn't. Bruce knows and Linda and I know.
Daughter. We just got one. Apple of our eye. The apple of your eye. I can't
remember. It was the first time I went
into the hospital at St. Francis. I couldn't go in to
see the babies. Nathan met me out there is all.
And he goes, she's got you right here. I said, well, that was
quick. Daughter. No more an orphan. Issue of blood. Nobody wanted to talk to her.
They take her money. Can't, couldn't help her. He calls her daughter. She's no more an orphan. She's
no more a fatherless, diseased spectacle. Right? In the law, get away from us. You're unclean. But so the fourth,
these terms, these endearing terms, daughter, that's beautiful. Secondly, thy faith, so called
because Christ has given it to her, and this faith will return unto
Christ in full exercise of trust. I've given it to you, your faith. She's not boasting, well, yeah,
I did it. No, no, no, no, no. This endearing term, daughter,
thy faith. He's given, He gives, He's given
it to her. Thirdly, hath made thee whole. Whole. Complete. We serve not a partial Redeemer.
He reclaims and renews the whole sinner. The law is completely
honored. Don't go back to it. He's satisfied
at all. His decree is totally established
in the person of Christ. The sinner is fully pardoned. What an endearing word. Daughter,
thy faith is whole. The last, and to me, is what
caused me to sleep well. Go in peace. Go in peace. What a closing message. We are born in sin, which means
we're born in war against God and against him, yet he says
through me and through his grace and by his words and by his actions
and by his person and his worth, go in peace. You're not we're
not war anymore. Oh, the economy is still a mess.
But what really matters is your relationship with Christ. Go
in peace. Agitation on every side with
this woman, and so with you and I, within and without, yet he
says, go in peace. From shame, this woman went to
open identification with the Redeemer. No more to be shunned,
daughter. from misery to comfort, from
vile corruption to the cleansing fountain, that is Christ himself,
from fatherless to a family that no man can number. I got a phone call, like I said,
this morning, Rocky Mountain, Virginia. Got an email the other
day from Donnie Bell. He appreciates stuff. Got an email from New Jersey,
a new group out there, a pastor out there, Clay Curtis, just
thinking about you. Got a call from Marvin Stoniker.
Who are these people? They're our family. They're our
family. From sorrow to joy. Sinner, go in peace. What wonderful words. I need
to hear that every day. Rejection from rejection to complete
and total acceptance. Internal war, this woman must
have had to a glorious peace. I tell you, and I try to comfort
myself with these words, if you know Christ and you're in Christ,
no matter what happens, he says to you, go in peace. Nothing
can touch you now. Nothing can harm you really and
truly. You are absolutely safe in the
master's arms. I'm not saying we're not going
to be tried. I'm not going to say we're not going to see death
and sorrow and sickness and cancers. And I'm not saying that, but
I'm saying in it. Go in peace. All is well. And well, is very,
very peaceful. Isn't it? Somebody says it's
well. And when the kids, they're little
and they're upset. You care to come home from school,
something would happen, you'd be upset. Outside, stumble, nick the finger,
cut the foot, come in, you know, came right in, come right in.
Daughter, come in. Came right in. And you, it's
alright. It's okay. Wrap it up, kiss it,
go in peace. And boy, they came in just, you
thought somebody chopped an arm off. They come in, they're just
their faith, and you give all they can. And they're just, whew,
not a care in the world. And that's what the believer
is. When we see that we're his children, we have faith because
he's given it, we're made completely whole, there's not a partial
redemption, a full redemption, And He says to you and I as His
bride, you and I as His children, go in peace. May God give us
grace to simply trust and believe. Bruce, would you close us please?