He Touched Me

But if there is one thing that I want you to take out of this chapel this morning it is this: We are all like that man in the gutter. Stripped of our dignity, laying in our shame and sin and guilt, we’re untouchable. But Jesus, was our good Samaritan, he came down from Heaven into the muck and the mess of our world, and he got down and picked us up and cared for us and saved us. He served us.

It’s just like the old song says,

Shackled by a heavy burden, beneath a load of guilt and shame; Then the hand of Jesus touched me, and now I am no longer the same. He touched me, O He touched me. And O the joy that floods my soul; Something happened, and now I know, He touched me and made me whole. Since I met this blessed Savior, Since He cleansed and made me whole; I will never cease to praise Him, I’ll shout it while eternity rolls. He touched me, O He touched me. And O the joy that floods my soul; Something happened, and now I know, He touched me and made me whole

Many thought that the messiah would come as a military leader, he would ride in on a white horse and slay all the evil nations and would rule over his kingdom with his mighty sword and his shiny armor and his royal robes, but instead he came as a baby, born in a barn, raised as a carpenter, and was a servant to all.

No matter how unlovable or untouchable a person may seem, that person is significant to God. Everyone matters to God! No matter how much better you may believe you are than another, you’re wrong. Christ came and pulled you out of the muck when you were untouchable.

So how can we make our lives count for Christ? How can anything that I do, or anything that you do be significant in the eyes of the creator of the universe? How can this puny, sinful life make any difference in the Kingdom of God? How can it count for Christ? Jesus tells us Himself in Matthew 22. He says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

How do you make your life count for Christ? First you love God with every inch of your being. You have to be crazy for God. I heard the story of a Christian in the second century that was brought before a pagan ruler and told to renounce his faith. "If you don’t do it, I will banish you," threatened the king. The man smiled and answered, "You can’t banish me from Christ, for He says, ’I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ " To this the king angrily replied, "Then I will confiscate your property and take all your possessions." Again the man smiled and said, "My treasures are all laid up on high; you cannot get them." The king became furious and shouted, "I will kill you!" The man answered, "I have been dead forty years; I have been dead with Christ, dead to the world, and my life is hidden with Christ in God, and you cannot touch it." In desperation the king turned to his advisers and asked, "What can you do with a fanatic like that?"