A Touch of Faith

Happy Sabbath to everyone. I thank Bastor Mike for giving me the pulpit this

morning or this afternoon, and it's my prayer that the Holy Spirit will empower

me to do the task that has been given to me uh this Sabbath day.

This week has been an eventful week for me. I lost a dear

friend who was like a sister, and a day or so after that,

I lost a relative, a young mother of a five year old boy.

But I'm glad that we have the assurance of the resurrection. They shall we

pray our Father and our God in heaven. You have said, my word

will not return unto me void without having fulfilled its purposes, and that is

what we pray for today. As your message is being presented, may a

word fall on good soil. This is our prayer to you in Jesus name.

Amen. Jesus was returned learning to the northwestern shore of the Sea of

Galilee, and as he landed on the shore, he was met by a

large multitude who welcomed him with joy and eagerness. Jesus remained by the seaside

for a time, teaching and healing the people who had come to him,

and as he continued teaching and healing. Jyrus, the ruler of the synagogue

in Capernaum, came to him, and he was in great distress. He

came to Jesus and fell at his feet and pleaded, my daughter, my

little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on

her, so that she might be healed and be made well. And according

to the story Jesus. According to the account, Jesus went with Gyrus toward

his house, and as they did so, a great multitude, a great

crowd followed him and thronged about him. This is recorded in Matthew chapter nine,

Mark chapter five, and Luke chapter eight. On the way to Gyrus's

house, Jesus had a very knee unique encounter. He met a woman who

had suffered for twelve long years with constant bleeding. Twelve long years. I

think women can understand her problem better than the men. Her sickness intruded every

aspect of her life. Her sickness controlled her life so much so that it

had become her identity. The Bible does not give us her name. She's

nameless. She's faceless because her sickness had become her identity. Her body was

weak and emaciated. She was suffering not just from She was suffering not just

physically, but also socially, spiritually, emotionally, and financially. According to

the Mosaic law, according to the according to the levitical law, she was

ceremonially unclean due to her bleeding issue. This meant she could not go to

the temple for ceremonies, she could not go to the synagogue for worship services,

she could not enjoy fellowshiping with fellow believers, so to speak. And

since because she was unclean, everything she dutch became unclean. Every utensil she

used became unclean, every furniture, bed chair she used became unclean, and

anyone who touched the furniture that she touched became unclean. And anyone she touched

became unclean. She could have no relation of of She could not be a

wife to her husband, she could not care for her children, she could

not have a family life, and her family could not care for her or

touch her. She was unclean as social outcasts like leopards, and her life

was marked by suffering shame, fear, loneliness, and helplessness. We read

that she suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she

had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better.

In fact, she had gotten worse. She did everything possible seeking a

cure for her sickness. She had spent every penny, she had been to

every doctor, but no one could help her. Instead of getting better,

she became worse and worse. She had tried every possible cure. The Talmud

mentions at least eleven possible cures for her sickness, including caring the ashes of

an ostrich egg in a linen bag, or caring barley corn found in the

dung of a white female donkey. She had tried them all. She had

left no stone unturned, but nothing worked, and in addition to that,

she had become penniless. Humanly speaking, her situation seemed hopeless. Her future

looked bleak and dark, and there seemed to be no ray of hope,

and life living became burdensome to her. As I reflected on her story on

her life, I wonder if she would have cursed the day that she was

born, as Joe did. In job Chatter Tree, we read Joe cursing

the day on which he was born, He said, may the day of

my birth perish? Why did I not perish at birth and die as I

came from the womb? Why were there knees to receive me and breast that

I might be nursed? For now I would be lying down in peace,

I would be asleep and rest. I wonder if she would have longed for

death instead of being alife. Have you ever been in a sili in a

similar situation where hopelessness and helplessness have overwhelmed you. I had been. I

remember calling on to God. As I look in the future, I saw

only darkness. It seemed to me that no light could penetrate the darkness.

And I looked up to God and I said, Lord, living is too

painful. Death is a better option for me. Could you please take my

life? But I want to tell you today, if you ever come to

a situation like this, there is hope, hope in Jesus Christ. If

we read the story of this woman, her situation took a turning point from

hopelessness to hopefulness. And how did that come about? The Bible says she

heard about Jesus. She heard beautiful reports about Christ. The blind receiving their

sight the lame walked again. Those with leprosy we are cured the death received

hearing the dead were raised back to life, and demon possessed men were free

from demon possession. And it was rumored he might be the Messiah the prophets

had foretold about. The Bible says faith comes from hearing the word of God,

and in the Book of Desire of Ages we read. But her hope

revived when she heard of the cures that Jesus performed. She felt assured that

if she could only go to him, she would be healed. After hearing

about Jesus Christ, after hearing that he might be the promise Messiah, hope

revived in her, faith renewed in her, and she put her faith into

action. According to one of the church fathers, Eusebius, he records of

a tradition that this woman was a native of Cesarea Philippi, and this was

a long distance from Capernium, more than forty kilometers away. But what did

this woman do after hearing about Jesus Christ, who might be the Messiah?

She put her faith into action. In weakness and suffering, she came to

the seaside where Jesus was teaching She tried to press through the crowd, but

there was so many people saw her effort was in vain. Again, she

followed him from the house of Levi Matthew to the house of Jyrus, but

was still unable to reach him. You might wonder why didn't she shout out

to Jesus Christ like some of those people did in the New Testament, like

the blind Bartimeus. She could not because of the nature of her illness.

She could not kneel before Jesus Christ and make her sickness known to him.

And if ever the crowd came to know about her sickness, they would chase

her away. So her situation was very complicated. But we know one thing.

She was desperate for healing, and her faith was intense. She believed

that if only she could touch the hem of his garment, she would be

healed. We read in the Spirit of Prophecy. As he Jesus was passing,

she reached forward and succeeded in barely touching the border of his garment,

And in that one touch was concentrated the faith of her life, and instantly

her pain and feebleness gave place to the vigor of perfect faith. I want

to repeat this statement again. In that one touch was concentrated the faith of

her life. It was not a simple touch, It was a touch of

faith. It was faith that compelled her to touch Jesus Christ. And in

that touch was concentrated all the faith of her life. And what happened as

she touched Jesus. Twelve years of suffering came to an end with that one

touch of Jesus Christ. How much one touch of Jesus Christ can do for

you and for me in our lives. This woman had been suffering and struggling

for twelve long years, going from pillar to pillar, from doctor to doctor,

spending all her means, yet she could not get a cure. But

one touch of Jesus made all the difference. And the question comes why did

she touched? Why did she touch the hem of the garment? Why not

the other part of the garment, maybe the sleeve, maybe the collar.

Why did she have to touch the border or the hem of the garment of

Jesus Christ. It is very interesting. In the three accounts given by Matthew,

Mark and Luke, Luke tells us that she touched the border of the

fringe of the garment of Jesus Christ, So why did she touch the border

of the garment of Jesus Christ. In ancient times, the hem of the

garment had great significance. In one of the articles I read, it says

documents from the city of Mari on the Euphritus revealed that the hem of the

garment represented the person who owned it, and to cut off the hem implied

an injury or denial of the person's value. In the Old Babylonian period,

the bride price paid by the father of the bride was sown into the hem

of his daughter's garment as part of the marriage agreement. In some cases,

if a divorce occurred, the husband would cut off the hem of his wife's

robe. And what do you see in the Bible the significance of the hem

of the garments? In numbers Chapter fifteen, verse thirty eight to forty one,

we see God instructing the Israelights. It says God saying, speak to

the Istrae lights, and say to them throughout the generations to come, you

are to make tassels on the borders. The word use is conn off.

You are to make tassels on the borders of your garments with blue cord on

each tassel. The color blue is Pastor's favorite color, and you know the

significance of it. You will have these tassels to look at so you will

remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them. I

am the Lord. So God explicitly indicated that the purpose of this a tassel

was to remind the Israelites of who they were. They were God's people,

and also a reminder of the commandments that they were to obey. In the

Eutronomy chapter twenty two, verse twelve, we read, you must put four

tassels on the hem borders. The word kan off is being used there again

of the clock with which you cover yourself on the front, back and sights,

and it's very interesting read. In Malachi chapter four, verse two,

which is a Messianic prophecy, we read, but for you who fear my

name, the Son of Righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. So

here is a prophecy made about the coming of Messiah. He would be called

the Son of Righteousness, and he will rise with healing in his wings or

in his knaf. And it says it will go forth and frolic like coughs

from the stall. And so here the woman in touching the hem of the

garment of Jesus Christ. What's signifying that, what's expressing her faith in Jesus

Christ as the coming Messiah, And she was claiming her healing that would come

through her. We continue reading. Immediately the bleeding stopped. She could feel

in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. Jesus realized

at once that healing power dunamis had gone out from him. So he turned

around in the crowd and asked, who touched my robe? His disciples said

to him, look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask

who touched me? Luke says that the crowds almost crushed him. The spirit

of Prophecy says the Savior could distinguish the touch of faith from the casual contact

of the careless, and that's what made the difference. But he kept on

looking around to see who had done it. Then the frightened woman, trembling

at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her

knees in front of him and told him what she had done. And he

said to her, daughter, your faith had made has made you well.

Go in peace, Your suffering is over. Why did Christ made the miracle

none? Why didn't he allow the woman just to up, just to pass

by in obscurity. Why did he call attention to the miracle that had just

happened. Why did he want to know and show the of the woman to

the crowd. I want to bring few points as to why Christ had to

make this miracle. Non Christ wanted to publicly commend her faith. The Bible

tells us, as we have read in the Scripture reading, that God delights

in and rewards extreme faith. God is touched by extreme faith. He's not

so much moved by our accomplishments or by our wealth, by our position.

He's moved by our faith. If we read in March chapter two, verse

five, it says, when Jesus saw the faith of the friends of the

paralytic, he was moved to action. And what did he say? He

told the paralytic, your sins are forgiven. When the centurion came to Jesus

Christ and said, just say the word, and my servant will be healed,

the Bible says Jesus Christ was amazed at the faith of the centurion when

the sire Phoenician woman came pleading Jesus Christ to heal her daughter from demon possession.

The woman would not give up. She kept pleading and begging Jesus Christ,

and the Bible says Jesus said to her, great is your faith.

Jesus is always impressed. Jesus always delights and rewards extreme faith. The Spirit

of Prophecy says the Savior could distinguish the touch of Savior, could distinguish the

touch of faith from the casual contact of the careless throng. Such trusts should

not be passed without comment. And another reason as to why Jesus made known

the miracle was to point out that this miracle was not a magic or superstition.

He gave no opportunity for superstition to claim healing virtue for the mere act

of touching his garments. It was not through the outward contact with him,

but true faith which took hold of his divine power, that the cure was

wroth. The woman's faith is the instrument, not the cause, of healing.

The Spirit of Prophecy, he tells us, it is true faith we

receive the grace of God. But faith is not our savior. It earns

nothing. It is the hand by which we lay hold upon Christ and appropriate

his merits, the remedy of sin. And another reason to encourage her and

declare spiritual healing. What did Jesus say to her daughter, your faith has

healed you. Go in peace. This is the only place in the Bible

where God called a woman daughter. Just imagine, from being an outcast,

from being nameless, from being faithless, here Jesus calls her daughter. She

had no one to champion her cause. Like Gyrus's daughter. The father came

pleading for Jesus to go with him to his house and touch and lay his

hands on his daughter. But we see that this woman had nobody to champion

for her. But we see Jesus calling her daughter, the king of kings,

the lord of lords, calling her daughter, accepting her into the family

of God. And we see he says to her. He says to her,

your faith has healed you. And the word healed here is souzo,

which is salvation. So this is not just physical healing that has been given

to her. Spiritual healing was given to her as well. So he when

Jesus heals, it is not just physical healing. The whole person. The

spiritual the emotional aspects are also included. And lastly, to give her opportunity

to share her testimony. When Jesus healed the demonic, the man wanted to

follow Jesus Christ. And what did Jesus say to him? He said,

go home and tell others the great things that God has done for you.

The most effective way to share Christ is to share the testimony of our own

experiences. So we read in Hebrews chapter eleven, and without faith, it

is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that

He exists, and He rewards those who earnestly seek him. The Bible tells

us that faith is not something that we produce. It's not something that comes

from us. It is a gift from God. In Ephesians chapter two,

verse eight, we read that it is by grace through faith, and it

is not of ourselves, but it is the gift of God. In Romans

chapter twelve, we read that God gives grace to everybody. In the Book

Education, we read faith that enables us to receive God's gifts is itself a

gift of it. Some measure is imparted to every human being. It grows

as exercise appropriating the word of God. In order to strengthen faith, we

must bring it in contact with the Word of God. And the Bible reminds

us that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. So inclosing,

what makes the difference? It is faith that makes the difference. The book

The Desire of Ages says, the wondering crowd that pressed close about Christ realize

no accession of vital power. But when the suffering woman put forth her hand

to touch him, believing that she would be made whole, she felt the

healing virtue. How many touched Jesus Christ, how many press against him that

day? Thousands pressed against him, touched him that day, None of them

experience the healing power coming out of Jesus Christ. Only the woman with the

issue of blood. What made the difference. It was the woman's faith.

She touched by faith the hem of the garment of Jesus Christ, and she

experienced healing, not just physically, but spiritually as well. And the spirit

of prophecy makes a conclusion. So in spiritual things, to talk of religion

in a casual way, to pray without so hunger and living faith avails nothing.

How many times have we prayed? Many times have we come to church

for church services, and we go home empty, emptier than before. Here,

it says in spiritual things to talk of religion in a casual way,

to pray without soul, hunger and living and living faith avails nothing. Without

faith, our Christianity is meaningless, Our prayers are powerless, our service to

God is meaningless. Faith is what we need in our Christian life. She

continues to say, a nominal faith in Christ, which accept se merely as

a savor of the world, can never bring healing to the soul. And

Lastly, the greatest victories to the Church of Christ or to the individual Christian

are not those that are gained by talent or education, by wealth or favor

of men. They are those victories that are gained in the audience chamber with

God, when ernest, agonizing faith lays hold upon the mighty arm of power.

It is my prayer that we will realize the importance of faith and we

will ask God to increase our faith. Our Father, we thank you for

reminding us of the importance of the role of faith in our Christian walk.

Lord, faith is what we need in our personal journeys. Faith is what

we need as we agonize and pray for our family members. Faith is what

we need in our churches Today, Lord, we realize that our faith is

imperfect. It is immature, and like the father who brought his son who

was demon possess, we pray to you, Lord, increase our faith in

you because you are the author and perfector of our faith. Thank you,

Jesus and Jesus saying we pray Amen, Amen,