A. INTRODUCTION
1. The 5 windows of the soul: sight, speech, hearing, touch and smell.
2. People ask to experience God by seeing, talking, hearing His voice and touching Him.
WHAT TOUCH DOES
• A touch satisfies curiosity
• Touching gives greater information
• Touching verifies what you instinctively feel
• Touching establishes a relationship
• Touching reflects inner desire
3. Importance of touching in Scripture.
a. Eve added to God’s command. “Neither shall ye touch it (fruit)” (Gen. 3:3, KJV).
b. Death. “Go not up into the mount, or touch it . . . be put to death” (Gen. 3:3).
c. Multitudes. “As many as touched Him (Jesus) were made whole” (Mark 6:56).
d. Desire. “The whole multitude sought to touched him” (Luke 6:19).
e. Blessing. “Infants, that he would touch them” (Luke 18:15).
f. Healing. “He touched her hand, and the fever left” (Matt. 8:15).
g. Sight. “Touch he their eyes” (Matt. 9:29).
h. Cleansing. “He (Jesus) put forth his hand, and touch him” (Mark 1:41).
B. AN UNNAMED WOMAN BARELY TOUCHED JESUS - Mark 5:25-34
1. Long desire. “She kept saying to herself, ‘If I can barely touch his clothes, I will be healed’” (Matt. 5:28, ELT).
2. Magical touch. “Touched the hem of his garment” (Matt. 9:20).
3. Jesus made her public. “Jesus immediately knowing . . . said, ‘Who touched me?’” (Mark 5:30).
4. Jesus corrected her. Not the touch, but, “thy faith hath made thee whole” (Mark 5:34, KJV).
5. News of the woman’s touch encouraged Jairus who “besought him greatly . . . ‘Come and lay thy hands on her (my daughter), that she may be healed’” (Mark 5:23).
D. MARY MAGDALENE - John 20:11-18
1. Emotionally upset. “Mary stood . . . weeping” (John 20:11).
2. Not recognize Jesus. “Saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus” (John 20:14).
3. “She supposing him to be the gardener” (John 20:15).
4. Spiritual blindness removed. “Jesus saith unto her, ‘Mary.’ She turned . . . and saith unto him, ‘Rabboni’” (John 20:16).
5. Their spiritual relationship changed. “Jesus saith unto her, ‘Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father’” (John 20:18).
• Some teach Jesus had to finish the atonement, “The patterns of things in the heavens should be purified” (Heb. 9:23).
• Others teach it means we no longer will have a physical relationship with Christ, “Stop clinging to me” (John 20:17, ELT).
WHY JESUS DOESN’T APPEAR PHYSICALLY TODAY
• He’s permanently at the right hand of the Father. “After he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:12, KJV).
• Jesus appeared physically to one person, all lost people could rightly ask, “Why didn’t He appear to me?”
• He can’t touch Jesus physically, but spiritually in prayer. “We have a high priest who has passed into heaven for us—Jesus the Son of God. He can be touched with our feelings of weakness . . . Let us come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy” (Heb. 4:14-16, ELT).
• We have a new spiritual relationship. “Stop clinging to me” (John 20:17).
E. THOMAS’ TOUCH - John 20:24-29
1. Some disciples in upper room probably touched Jesus, “Why are you troubled . . . Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones” (Luke 24:38, 39, KJV).
2. Thomas’ unbelief drove him farther into hiding. “Thomas . . . was not with them when Jesus came” (John 20:24).
3. Thomas’ skepticism. “Except I shall see in his hands . . . and put my fingers into the print of the nails . . . I will not believe” (John 20:25).
4. Thomas was offered verification. “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands . . . be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:28).
5. Greatest statement of belief. “Thomas answered . . . ‘My Lord and my God’” (John 20:28).
• Lord, He controls your life.
• God, He is the Creator of the universe.
6. Unbelief is an issue of the heart, not lack of supporting evidence. “Jesus said . . . ‘Thomas because thou hast seen me thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen and yet, believed’” (John 20:29).
F. WHY WE CAN’T TOUCH JESUS TODAY
1. Physical verification (by a touch) wouldn’t satisfy a skeptical heart that’s controlled by sin.
2. The human heart still struggles against pride, and lust; it controls our belief system.
3. The Holy Spirit speaks directly to the heart in conviction, enlightenment and verification. “The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit” (Rom. 8:16).
4. The witness of the Holy Spirit through Scriptures is greater than physical verification. “You heard the word of truth . . . ye believed . . . ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13).
5. Jesus won’t return in this dispensation to be touched physically.
6. Jesus will live spiritually in our hearts, “Christ in you” (Col. 1:27).
7. Can Jesus appear in our dreams? Recessive memory.
8. Can Jesus appear in a vision?
9. Don’t seek an appearance of Jesus in your experiences; seek Him in Scripture.
10. You cannot know more of Jesus than through the Bible. You cannot have your faith verified more than through the Bible.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord,
I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
For more information on the TRBC Pastor’s Bible Class, log on to the Internet www.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-elmer-towns.
Dr. Towns' email: eltowns@liberty.edu; web address: www.elmertowns.com
