Sermon Central
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Grasping The Invisible
Contributed by John Gaston on Jan 12, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: Some were content just to see Jesus, others just to hear His voice, but for one woman, the only thing that would satisfy her need within was to actually make physical contact with Him -- she MUST TOUCH HIM! Are you content with less?
GRASPING THE INVISIBLE
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR – Loyalty Tested
1. The instructor from a dog training workshop in Salt Lake City noted that a dog’s loyalty can be tested by the owner.
2. If the owner will fall down and pretend to be hurt, a dog with a bad temper will tend to bite him. A good dog will show concern, and may lick the fallen owner’s face.
3. Susan Matice attended the class and then decided to test her two dogs. While eating pizza in her living room, she stood up, clutched her heart, screamed and fell to the floor.
4. Her two dogs looked at her, and then they looked at each other, and then they raced to the coffee table for her pizza. — Associated Press, 1-17-91.
B. THE TEXT
Mark 5:24 A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
C. THESIS
1. Is it good enough to be near Christ? Why is it that this woman was the only one who touched Jesus?
2. We’re looking at the 4 types of people around Jesus, the secret of this woman’s faith, and why Jesus called her out.
3. The title of this message is “Grasping The Invisible.”
I. THE CROWD AROUND JESUS
The crowd that around Jesus (and every church crowd) had a least 4 different types of people in it:
A. THE CRITICS
1. These are religious people, but they have a bone to pick with those in charge.
2. They come with a negative spirit and have the potential of becoming hostile to Jesus/ the church.
B. THE CURIOUS
1. Those who want to see “the show” or to see something they don’t understand. They have no intent on joining the cause they’ve come to see. It’s the Sunday A.M. crowd.
2. As a matter of fact, they DON’T want involvement, they just want information (or entertainment).
3. These people come with either a neutral or skeptical spirit.
C. THE COMMITTED
1. These are people who’ve become convinced of the cause and are committed to helping others learn about it. They’re actively involved in reaching out to others with the good news.
2. They’re servants who want to help, even if they don’t know how to help.
3. They come with a positive spirit; they’re in favor of Jesus, in favor of the church and its mission.
D. THE COMPANIONS
1. A “companion” is defined as “a person with whom one spends a lot of time or with whom one travels.”
2. These are the friends of Jesus. They have a unique relationship with Him because they walk with Him every day. He’s more than a cause; He’s somebody they love.
3. Most church members are part of the committed group. That’s good. But God wants YOU to take a deeper step & become a personal friend to Jesus!
4. This is the challenge to us today: to stop being just a person committed to the cause of Christ and to become a personal friend of Jesus, who walks and talks with Him every day! Who accompany Him in mission every day!
5. Jesus promised special blessings and a special place in His Kingdom for those follow Him personally (Mt. 19:28).
II. THE FOCUS OF THE WOMAN
A. SHE IGNORED THE CROWD
1. Around Jesus was a “large crowd” – hundreds or possibly thousands of people. The sick woman, as she approached the crowd, saw the crowd – BUT SHE DIDN’T SEE THE CROWD; SHE SAW JESUS!
2. This woman had such a desperate and long term need that she could see nothing except the answer to her troubles. The crowd meant nothing to her.
