From Fear to Freedom
Mark 5:24-34
* Someone very close to me made a serious mistake one time which landed them in jail. It was only about 8 hours behind bars, but that experience served as motivation for their lives. I submit to you that they learned, the hard way, about this thing called FREEDOM and what it means to be free!
* Of all the things God wants for you, freedom heads the list. He wants all of us to be free from sin, bondage, and fear. For this reason, I believe, He has illustrative stories in His word that we may learn what real freedom is all about. Our story tonight is one of many which demonstrate His desires.
* God doesn’t simply want us to be free physically, as sometimes He gives us physical problem to teach us. He wants to move us from the fear we may possess about sin, death, hell, and live, to the freedom we can find in Him.
1. The Bondage She Experienced – Bondage can take several forms, either physical, emotional, spiritual or a combination of all three. Make no mistake about it, all three are like being incarcerated is and that is never a welcomed status. And with this bondage, fear is prevalent.
a. She Was Physically Sick – The Bible tells us only that she had been suffering from “bleeding” (KJV an ‘issue of blood’) for 12 years. This is hardly enough information for us to make a diagnosis so we do not know the exact disease she had developed. Obviously, it was some kind of female problem which caused her to bleed in a menstrual way. Chances are, this because of the length of this sickness (bleeding) she had become anemic which would have left her highly susceptible to contracting other life-threatening diseases. Quite likely, since medicine was so primitive we have little idea about ‘all’ that she would have went through with this illness.
b. She Was Personally Suffering – To read verse 26 is to have great empathy for this lady. “She had suffered or endured many things under many doctors.” We can all identify with this. Either you or a family member has consulted a doctor who tried his best and couldn’t do anything, so what did he do? He referred you. So the process starts all over again with a new doctor, who repeats the same steps and then what does he do? There you go. This woman had endured a decade of doctors, diagnosis, and disappointments. Additionally, she was quite likely ostracized from most public events, people, and even worship. Everything she touched, every place she sat, and almost all that she did was considered unclean. Her relationship, her marriage, and he worship were all affected by this illness.
c. She Was Presently Searching – With all she had been through, it would have been easy to give up. Yet here she is, having spent all her money, tried all these doctors, and submitted to all they knew to do; she is in the crowd gathered around Jesus. Why is she there? Because she is searching for an answer to this life of bondage.
* Every one of us can have our own very personal, “bleeding”. It can be our finances, our marriage, our family, other relationships, habits, and job, just to name a few. It can make us unhappy, unhealthy, and most of all, unholy, just like this woman. Sadly, some of us have lived like this for so long that we believe it to be normal, but for those who want better; we can find release from our bondage. It begins with what we believe.
2. The Belief She Expressed – As she searched, there were several things which motivated her to seek out Jesus. Be reminded that we “do what we believe, the rest is just talk.” She expressed a belief by getting up, out, and in. Why?
a. Her Desperation – It is obvious to see that she was at the end of her rope, she was desperate. After 12 years of trying everything she knew and probably a few things she wasn’t sure of, she wanted find the answer, live like a free woman, and reverse the course of her life. The result was that she was so desperate that she came to Jesus. Don’t miss the fact that the Spirit of God was working in her life to bring her to this point. The 12 years of suffering were God’s instrument to bring her to seek Him.
* Consider this; most of us will never seek out the Lord until we are desperate. For some reason, we must be coerced to do business with God. I submit this is the reason: We know we cannot deal with God on our terms, & we will not submit to HIS terms until we become desperate.
* But look just exactly how desperate this woman has become.
b. Her Declaration – Scripture records her thoughts, what she told someone or what Peter ascertained she was thinking. But this is her declaration, “If I can just touch His robes (KJV the hem of his garment), I can be made well.” Her statement of belief gave her the impetus to act. She may or may not have verbally expressed this belief but visually she gave evidence of believing Jesus had the power to heal her and ultimately save her life.
* At the risk of sounding mean, for now it is relatively easy to make big statements of faith in America, but what would happen if we were called on to stand by those statements. We say, “I believe in Jesus.” The law says, “Keep it to yourself or be prosecuted.” What would you do? We say, “I love my church.” The law says, “If you attend, you will be locked up.” How would you respond? You say, “I give my tithes to the Lord because I love Him.” The law says, “It is no longer tax deductable.”
c. Her Determination – The only thing speaking louder than this woman’s desperation and declaration was her determination. She came up behind Jesus, slipping through the crowd, inching her way closer, and finally there he was. I suggest this may have taken all the strength she had. To draw a parallel would be like a drowning person attempting to get one last breath of life. She would not let Him get away. Here’s why: She was desperate and had made a decision HE was the answer, so nothing would stop her.
* A case can easily be made that she thought of Jesus as her last resort. She had tried all else, so now she came to Jesus. Are we any different today? Do we tend to think of Jesus as our “last resort” or “first option?” It’s like the tension-filled church business meeting where the Pastor had made a strong suggestion that they make their problems a matter of PRAYER. One woman said, “O my goodness has it come to that?” We should resolve in our hearts, that never “comes” to that, it always IS that! If we are to ever find freedom, we will find HIM (the giver of freedom) first. “You shall know the truth (I am the truth), & the truth shall make you free.
3. The Blessing She Enjoyed – Would you say that our Lord rewarded her faith and persistence? Her entire life was turned around.
a. She Found Hope – When “exactly” did she find this hope? She found it when she heard about this man Jesus and the Holy Spirit began to work in her soul creating in her a new way of thinking. As the Spirit affirmed the work about which she way hearing, she could begin to sense that there was indeed something different about this man. The same process happens when a lost person hears about the things Jesus can do to free them from their addictions. Addicted to drugs, pornography, alcohol, TV, or something else? Jesus not only has the answer, but HE is the answer! If you listen with the ears of your heart to these words, then the Holy Spirit will be turned loose to begin the process of giving you hope. This is Step #1.
b. She Found Him – Based on her belief and the hope she had discovered as she heard about Jesus, she came to Him. She heard where he was working and put herself in a position to receive what He had to offer. Without apology I will suggest that the reason many people never find Jesus, is because they stay out of position. We may not like this but Jesus birth the church, He died for the church, He empowered the church, and one day He’s coming back for the church. Candidly, the “Local Church is the Hope of the World” because the church (His building, body, & bride) is the choice of Jesus to change lives. If you want to be in position to find Jesus, you need to be in the church. People today don’t like this word because it steps on their play time. It is untrue that God will speak to you on the creek bank in the same way He will speak to you in the corporate meeting of His church. If he does speak out there and it time for the church to assemble, His words may be, “why are you here?”
* Finding Jesus makes a difference in any life. Know what I wonder about this woman? I wonder how many people told her about Jesus. How many did it take before she believed the word? Did she meet the leper, paralytic man, the man with the withered up hand, or even the demoniac; wonder how many it took to get her to Jesus? Maybe the reason people are finding Jesus today is because no one is telling. Step #2. Here is what all can know;
c. She Found Healing – When she acted in total faith, Jesus responded. Think about this; He responded involuntarily. Now, He immediately KNEW He had responded, but it was her faith in HIM which released the healing power. Did you get that? It was not faith in faith, it was not name it claim it, rather it was complete faith in the complete Lord which resulted in complete healing, an “It is finished” type of healing. For 12 years, she had been in bondage to this disease, she had lost sleep about her condition, and she had endured unimaginable hurts, and with one touch, Jesus made her whole. Not only was she made whole but she received the promise that she was and would be “FREE” from this affliction.
* Whatever may have you in bondage, one touch from Jesus can grants you freedom. Most of us want to be free from the wrong things. Whatever is keeping you from Jesus is what has you in bondage. In Him, you can find hope, help and healing.
