The Touch of Faith

I'm speaking to you today on
the subject, the touch of faith. And I'm reading a passage of
scripture from the fifth chapter of the book of Mark. I'd like
you to take your Bibles and follow along with me, if you will. I'll
be referring back to this passage of scripture again and again
in speaking on the touch of faith. In Mark chapter 5, verse 28 and
29, Our Lord said, For she said,
If I may touch but his clothes, I shall behold. And straightway
the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her
body that she was healed of that plague. Now this is not a parable. This is a true story. The Savior
said, A certain woman. In his word he calls her a certain
woman. In other words, this actually
happened. This is a true story. This certain woman had been ill
for twelve years. She had an issue of blood, hemorrhaging,
all of these years. And she had spent all that she
had, all of her money, all of her savings, on false physicians,
on home remedies, on quack healers, and the word says she wasn't
any better, but she was worse. And she heard reports of the
power of the Lord Jesus Christ, how he had healed many, given
sight to the blind, and caused the lame to walk, and yea, even
raised the dead. And so she said in her heart,
if I can but get to him and touch his clothes, I shall be healed. So she came through the crowd,
behind the Lord, reached out her trembling hand and touched
his clothes. And the scripture says immediately
she was made whole, she was healed. And the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing
that the word in your King James Bible is virtue, which is power,
the Lord Jesus, knowing that power had gone out from him through
the touch of a needy sinner, through the touch of one who
believed, he said, Who touched me? And this confused the disciples. They said, why, Lord, the people
press against you and push you, all of this huge crowd of people,
and you ask, who touched me? The Master said, someone touched
me. Someone touched me. And he began
to look around, and he looked at this woman. And the scripture
says, the woman, knowing that something had taken place within
her, that she had been healed, knowing what was done in her,
She fell down before him and told him all the truth. Now,
if you're only interested in the healing of the body, if you're
only interested in miracles involving the flesh, then you won't be
interested in what I'll have to say about this story about
this certain woman. And you can just take your place
with Nicodemus, who was amazed by miracles, but who did not
know the Lord. For Nicodemus said, Master, we
know that your teacher come from God. No man could do the miracles
which you do except God be with him. If you're only interested
in miracles, only interested in the healing of the body, then
you can stand aside with that group in John chapter 2, who
believed on him because of the miracles which he did, but the
scripture said he did not commit himself unto them because he
knew all men. Or you can stand aside with Simon
Magus, who saw the disciples lay their hands on other believers,
and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spake in other
languages. But if you're interested in the
greater glory of Christ, if you're interested in what our Lord is
teaching here about salvation, redemption, and justification,
for there's something greater here than the healing of a body.
Because this woman later got sick and died. It's appointed
unto men, wants to die. All men are going to die. And
this woman, even though the Lord healed her, later got sick and
died. But she had something greater
performed. And our Lord is revealing to
us something greater. His greater glory. And that's
not the healing of the body, it's the healing of the soul.
And this is a picture here of how Christ saves sinners. There's a picture here of how
Christ gives living water. He said if you drink thereof
you'll never thirst again. This giving the woman healing
of the body is a picture of how Christ heals the soul and gives
us a life that shall never die. And this is the greater glory
of our Lord, to give life to dead sinners. Now let's take
the story and go from the beginning all the way to the end And let
me show you how God deals in mercy with needy sinners. First
of all, this woman, if you look at verse 25, it tells us this
woman had been sick a long time. She had had this issue of blood
for 12 years. That's a long time to be sick.
But you and I have had the disease of sin a lot longer than 12 years. Our disease of sin dates back
to Adam's fall. Before we got liberal and modern
in our theology, it was called original sin. If you read the
fifth chapter of the book of Romans, you'll find the word
of God saying this, in Adam all died. By one man's disobedience,
sin entered the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon
all men for all sin. And that 18th and 19th verse
of Romans 5 tells us By one man's disobedience, judgment came upon
all. Condemnation came upon all. And by the disobedience of one,
the many were made sinners. So this disease of sin with which
we are afflicted dates back to Adam's fall in the Garden of
Eden. That's when it all started. That's when darkness and death
and disease and departure from God came upon mankind. That's
when we lost the way to God. That's when we lost the truth.
That's when we lost our lives in the Garden of Eden, when Adam
fell. Adam represented the whole human
race. He was our federal head. When
he stood, we stood. When he fell, we fell. And when
Adam sinned against God, this disease of sin, this nature of
sin, this body of sin, this death by sin came upon all flesh. Our disease of sin dates back
to Adam's fall. Now, this woman had been sick
a long time. Twelve years is a long time,
but we've been sick longer than that. Our disease of sin dates
back to our birth. David writes about that in Psalms
51, verse 5. He said, In sin my mother conceived
me. I was shapen in iniquity. I was
conceived in sin. I was brought forth speaking
lies. The wicked are strained from
the womb. Read Psalm 58.3. The wicked are
strained from the womb. They go astray as soon as they're
born, speaking lies. This woman somehow picked up
this infection, this disease, and it was with her for twelve
years. If you want to know where we got this heart of evil, if
you want to know where we got this nature of sin, If you want
to know where we got this body of rebellion and this body of
death, we got it from Adam. It came from our father Adam.
It was imputed unto us by his fall. It was imparted unto us
by our birth. We were born in sin. And we've
had it a long time. Dead in trespasses and sin. And
this disease not only affects our blood. This woman had a blood
disease. She had a blood disorder. But
this disease of sin affects every faculty of our being. Isaiah
said it affects us from the sole of our feet to the top of our
heads. Our hearts are affected by this
fall. The heart is deceitful. Jeremiah
says it's desperately wicked. Who can know it? And our minds
have been affected by this disease of sin. The natural mind is enmity
against God. It is not subject to the law
of God. Neither indeed can it be. Our affections without natural
affections. And men love darkness rather
than light because their deeds are evil. Our thoughts. The scripture
says God looked down from heaven back in Genesis chapter 6 and
he says, every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart is
evil continually. Every imagination. Every thought. My thoughts are not your thoughts.
My ways are not your ways. Our throats, Paul said, are open
graves, open sepulchers. Our tongues, James said, are
set on fire with hail. Our mouths, Paul said, are full
of cursing and bitterness. Our feet are swift in running
to mischief. This woman had a disease, and
she had had it a long time. But you and I also have the disease
of sin, and we've had it a long time. We've had it since Adam
fell. It is ours through his fall,
and it is ours through our birth. We were born in sin. We were
conceived in sin. We were brought forth with an
evil heart and an evil nature and an evil mind and evil affections
and a fallen will. As Isaiah said, your whole head
is sick. The whole heart is faint. From
the sole of your feet to the top of your head, You have nothing
but open, running sores that have not been bound up, neither
mollified with ointment." Paul said, "...in my flesh dwelleth
no good thing." I know that's not popular, and I know that
most men don't like to hear it, but it's the truth of God's Word.
God looked down from heaven, Psalm 14, verse 1 through 3,
says, to see if there were any that did do good. He found there
altogether become unprofitable, there's none that doeth good,
no, not one. In the flesh, no man can please
God. So we've had this disease of
sin for a long, long time. Just like this woman, we've been
sick a long time. Now notice the second thing.
Look at verse 26. She had suffered many things
of many positions. This is sad. This is so sad. It says she suffered at the hands
of many physicians. She had tried all their remedies. If you'll go back to 300 years
and read some of the so-called remedies, think what they were
like 2,000 years ago. This woman had tried everything
they told her to try. She'd taken their terrible tasting
medicine. She had gone through their bleedings,
and through their blisterings, and through all of their quack
remedies, and she spent all of her money, everything she had.
She'd tried this physician, and that one, and the other, and
she'd spent everything that she had. She was not only sick, but
now she was completely broke, and she was not one bit better,
but she was worse. You know what I see here? I see
a picture of what's happening today. Men and women are sick
in sin. They have the disease of sin,
and they're being deceived, and they're being butchered, and
they're being robbed by false prophets and false preachers
today, who offer all of these different remedies for salvation,
all of these different cures for the curse of sin, all of
these different remedies for redemption, and the people are
no better. They're not saved, they're not
justified, they don't know God, and they're being robbed of all
that they have, and instead of getting better, their condition
is worse. Now, why couldn't these physicians
help this dear woman? Here she was, she had the disease,
and she went to all of these different physicians, and none
of them could help her. None of them could help her.
She spent everything she had for twelve years. She had tried
to find a cure. And instead of being better after
spending everything that she had, she was only worse. Now,
why couldn't they help her? You know the first reason? It's
because they didn't understand her disease. They didn't understand
her disease at all. Her disease was an inward affection
that they knew nothing about. Her disease was an inward failure
that they knew nothing about. And they prescribed for her outward
remedies for an inward disease. Now, if our disease of sin is
only a matter of our outward acts, which are wrong, granted,
our outward acts are sinful, our outward acts are wrong, our
outward thoughts, or our outward words are wrong, if that's all
that's wrong with us, Perhaps moral reformation could help
us. Perhaps someone comes and says, quit this and quit that
and quit the other and do better and serve God. Then that could
help us. But our disease, like this woman, goes deeper than
outward acts. If our problem, our disease of
sin, is only a matter of outward dirt and outward filth, perhaps
the waters of baptism could wash us and make us whole. If our
disease of sin is only a matter of outward rebellion, Perhaps
good works and the law could help us, but the disease of sin
is of the heart. The disease of sin is of the
nature. The fountain is polluted. We
need a new birth. We need a new heart. We need
a new nature, and this only God can give. And so many preachers
and religious teachers and leaders today cannot help people because,
first of all, they don't understand what's wrong with them. It's
not just my outward acts that need adjustment. It's not just
my outward conduct that needs to be changed. My heart needs
to be changed. I need a new birth. I need a
new nature. I need a new heart. I need something
done within. The fountain needs to be changed.
The root needs to be dug up and a new one planted. And all of
these remedies that they prescribed for this dear woman didn't touch
her disease. They only touched her outward
flesh. They only touched her tongue or her outward body. All of the balms that they had
her rub on and all of the different remedies did not touch her inward
infection. It only made her miserable. It
only gave her false hope. Drops of water on my head will
not change my heart. Counting beads and mumbling prayers
will not give me a new nature. It will only give me a false
refuge. Shaking a preacher's hand will not put away my guilt. I need a divine operation. I need something within, something
in my heart, something only the Spirit of the living God can
perform in the power and in the merit of Jesus Christ, my Redeemer. So this woman had suffered many
things of many positions, just like the public today is suffering
under false remedies and false recipes and false plans of salvation
that do not reach the heart. And the reason these efforts
are exerted and put forth is because the so-called physician
of souls do not understand the disease. And if you don't understand
the disease, you can't know the remedy. Now, the third thing,
verse 27. When she heard of the Lord Jesus
Christ, she came to Him. Now, here was a woman who was
sick a long time. She had suffered many things
of many physicians. She spent everything she had.
She was no better when she heard of Christ. This was the most
blessed day of her life, when she heard about Christ. Someone
told her about the Master. Someone told her about the compassion
of Christ. Someone told her about the power
of Christ. Someone told her about the willingness
of Christ to make men whole. Someone told her about Christ
Jesus, the Savior, and His power to heal, and that was the most
blessed day of her entire life, when she heard of Christ. Now,
let me tell you something. The most blessed day of your
life will be the day when you hear of Him who came from glory
to give life to dead sinners. He said, I am come that they
might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
He came to Bethlehem's manger to take our nature. He took on
Himself the form of sinful flesh. He came from heaven's glory to
Bethlehem's manger to take on Himself human flesh. He came
to Gethsemane's garden to take our sin. Yes, He who knew no
sin was made sin for us. He was actually numbered with
the transgressors. He who had no disease of sin
who was not identified with Adam in his fall, but was identified
with Adam's race in redemption, he actually took our sins. He
went to Calvary's cross and took our place. Under the wrath of
God, under the judgment of God, under the penalty of the broken
law, he took our place. And he was wounded for our transgressions,
and he was bruised for our iniquities. And the chastisement of our guilt
was oppressed upon him by his stripes we are healed. And he
came to glory. And at the right hand of the
Heavenly Father, he takes our case and pleads our cause and
intercedes for those who believe." She heard about this Christ.
The most blessed day of her life was that day when someone told
her about the Redeemer, the great physician, the one who is able
to heal all manner of diseases, the one who is able to make you
hold." She heard of Christ. I want you to look at her humility.
It says, when she heard. When she heard. That's what first
must take place. You've got to hear. Faith cometh
by hearing. Hearing by the word of God. He
that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting
life. He that heareth my word, his
soul shall live. But you've got to hear. You've
got to hear. And then it says, I want you to look at her humility.
She came in the crowd behind him. Now, she was an unclean
woman, according to the law. According to the law of Moses,
she was unclean, and she was aware of her uncleanness. She
was aware of his holiness. She viewed Christ as holy and
herself as unholy. She viewed Christ Jesus as powerful,
herself as weak. She viewed Christ Jesus as pure,
herself as impure, and she wouldn't face Him. She wouldn't come around
in the pride and arrogance and haughtiness that we observe today
in sinners who feel that they'll let God save them, they'll patronize
the Son of God. The church ought to be glad to
have them, you know. They're somebody, and God ought
to be glad to have them, and Christ ought to be glad to have
them, but this woman slipped up behind them. in her uncleanness,
and in her humility, and in her unworthiness. And she slipped
up behind him. Listen to her faith. For she
said, If I can but touch his clothes. She's not talking about
what she could do. She's talking about what he could
do for her. If I can but touch his clothes. Not what I do, but
what he is able to do. Here's the key. Here's the key.
You come to him. You reach out and touch the Lord.
The power doesn't flow from you to Christ. The power flows from
Christ to you. If you can get to Christ, it
flows not from you, not from the church, not from the preacher,
from Him. If I can but touch His clothes,
here this woman heard of Christ and His power to heal, His power
to save, His power to redeem, and she came in humility and
contrition with a broken heart. I wish we could get a hold of
a little bit of this. I wish we could understand what
it all means. I wish we could see the humility
of the broken sinner at the feet of his Lord. The Lord said, He
is now unto them of a broken heart. He saved us such as be
of a contrite spirit. And she reached out in humility.
But her faith was in what He could do for her if she could
get in contact with Him. And she reached out and touched
Him. You ever heard that old song, I'll Go to Jesus? Though
my sin hath like a mountain rose, I know his courts I'll enter
in whatever may oppose. Prostrate I'll lie before his
throne, and there my sin confess. I'll tell him I'm a wretch undone
without his sovereign grace. I can but perish if I go, I am
resolved to try. For if I stay away, I know I
shall forever die. When this woman touched the Lord
immediately. She was made whole. She came
in contact. She came in a living, vital union
with the Son of God, and she was made whole. She came empty-handed. She had nothing to bring. She
had spent all she had. She had nothing to give. She
had nothing to exchange. She had nothing to offer. She's
like Augustus Toplady, who said, In my hands no price I bring,
simply to the cross of Christ I cling. Now I want you to notice
this. Here was a woman sick for so
long, and no one could help her, as no one can help you, no human
being, no human organization, no human power, no human laws,
no human standards, no human recipes, no human plans. But
she heard of Christ, and she said, if I can get to Him, if
I can touch His clothes, if I can make some contact with Him, I'll
be made whole. And that's exactly what she did.
in a broken contrite fashion, and reached out and touched him,
and she was made whole. And now it's confession time.
The Lord turned, and he said, Who touched me? And the disciples
said, Well, Lord, all these people have touched you and brushed
against you, and here you say, Who touched me? He said, I perceive
that power has gone out of me. Somebody touched me. Someone
touched me. Now, the work was done. The power
had gone out of Christ to the woman. She was made whole, she
knew it. It says distinctly, now listen,
knowing what was done in her. Knowing what was done, now we
get this backwards. We call for a confession first. Before the work of regeneration,
before the work of redemption, before the work of the new birth.
The woman, now watch this, this woman heard The gospel of Christ. She heard about Christ. This
woman knew her problem. She knew her needs. She knew
nobody else could meet that need. She came to Christ. And she said
in her heart, this is where faith is born, in the heart. Faith
is a heart work. Faith is not a walking an aisle,
or shaking a hand, or doing a lot of talking. Faith is a heart
work. And she said in her heart, if I can but touch His clothes,
I'll be made whole. And that's exactly what she did.
It was between her and the Lord. There was nobody between her
and Christ. There was no soul winner there, a preacher there,
a fast-talking evangelist there. It was between the sinner and
the Savior. It was between the needy, guilty, unclean sinner
and the Redeemer of sinners. And she touched Him. And she
was made whole. Power went out of Him into her.
And she was made whole. She was healed. And then Christ
called on her to confess it. You don't have anything to confess
until it's done. You can't tell on the outside
what's been done on the inside until what's been done on the
inside has been done, until Christ has done the work. And he said,
Who touched me? Who touched me? Now, plenty of
people were touching him. Plenty of people were pushing
against him. Plenty of people were pressing around him. But
this woman, now, what's the difference? She had a need. And not only
did she have a need, but she had faith. And not only did she
have faith, But she touched him. She reached out. Why don't you
reach out and touch the Lord while he passes by? Passing by
in his word, in his gospel, in his message, reach out and touch
him. And then he called for her to confess him. And she came
and fell at his feet in humility. And she told everybody what he
had done for her. And then he gave her double assurance.
He turned to her and said, Woman, thy faith hath made thee whole. Thou art free from the plague.
she confessed him. Now this message is on cassette
tape. If you'd like to have this message
and the one that will be preached next week, write to me. The cost
is three dollars. We'll be happy to send it to
you. The touch of faith. Until next week, Henry Mahan,
bidding you a very pleasant good day.

The Touch of Faith

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The Touch of Faith

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