Pressing your way!
Rev. Howard Lewis 2018
Today I would like to encourage you not to give up on God. I know you have suffer, I have suffer. Sometimes life throws us uncertainties and woes that we often don’t understand.
But I learned that it takes time to have a good aged wine, or a spiritual deliverance. I've learned that when you mashed the essences out of garlic or whatever fruit or vegetable you may have , that is when the pure flavor comes from your food.
I learned that with hope, faith and patients, there is a blessing. For there is a blessing in the pressing, when you press your way.
Mark 5:25-34 (25) And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
meaning of issue=the action of flowing or coming out.: "the point of issue" "an issue of blood". synonyms: discharge, emission, release, outflow, outflowing, secretion, emanation, exudation, effluence, efflux
and throng= throng a large, densely packed crowd of people or animals.: "he pushed his way through the throng" "a throng of birds".
Points
A certain woman? Nobody in particular but an example that it could be anyone of us. It may have been the Lady that day with the issue, but your day may be tomorrow. For there is one thing for certain and that is death comes for us all.
The bible says She suffered a long time with a unknown issue. That lets us know that your issues or problems don't have an expiration date. Another thing about issues are that they are confidential. (no one knows your problems but you and God) Even Dr.s don't know sometimes. That is why they always ask you, “where’s the problem?”
She was seen by many Doctors, and yet suffered many things. In other words when you try to fix the issue through anyone else but Jesus, it may cause even more problems. (Witness somebody)
She spent all she had ( She had to be rich. Because it took her 12 years to spend all she had.)
Her sickness got worse ( Often times in our walk with Christ we depend on others to fix our problems, only for things to become worse.)
But then she heard about another Doctor. Doctor Jesus! The bible says she began to press her way through the crowd with hopes of a healing.
Pressing= press·ing (of a problem, need, or situation) requiring quick or immediate action or attention."
:
urgent, critical, crucial, acute, desperate, serious, grave, life-and-death
Yes she began to seek restoration through the crowd.
This Dr. require no money just faith
She was heal straight away
Philippians 3:13-15
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Saints we ought to be pressing towards the mark like the woman with the issue. She had a made up mind to press on for her prize of healing. Forgetting all the pass failures from the other Doctors. Forgetting she had no money. Forgetting that an unclean woman with that type illness had no business in public in the first place. But yet she pressed on. I learn that when you press brothers and sisters, Christ will press for you and with you. The scripture reminds us that after the virtue had gone out of Him, He turned into the press. I wish I had a witness that knows what I'm talking about here today.
Here it was she wasn't supposed to be out in the crowd anyhow. In those days anyone with a blood problem or leprosy was either quarantine to their homes, or push out to a remote place from town. It was a shame for her to be there. Want people try make you feel ashamed sometime. Here it is you have an infirmity that needs God's touch. So you go to the spiritual hospital to get it fix, and the very people who are saying the prayers and taking up the money or trying to shame you into leaving their church and never coming back. Acting as they have done any wrong and you are beyond help, when the bible says all have sin and come short of the glory of God. But see what they don’t understand Brother Preacher is that some sins are beyond the what we know as the Ten Commandments. Some sins are habitable forming which are sins of infirmities. Meaning it’s something that you do over and over again and yes God is still a forgiving God. Stop leaning toward the understanding of man and press your way to lean on Christ.
See we got to learn to forgive And forget. Leave the pass and pass failures all behind And press towards the mark of the higher calling.
And we are to be like minded, having the same mind of perfection to reach our reward. But if we are are deterred in any way God will reveal the way for us. He will become a light at the end of the tunnel.
Each one of us has some type of issue. Rather it be a blood issue, a drug issue, a lust issue, domestic violence issue, money laundry issue, spiritual issue, homosexual issues, gospeling issue, or assumption issues.
Romans 3:23 says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Now I can’t make accusations about your issues, for no one really knows if a person has a issue that requires one touch of the hem of His garment. Only you know the sins you committed and the burdens you bear. Now we all can tell others what’s wrong with them, but what about us.
No one really knows that there’s a little girl or boy crying out for help because they are being molested on a daily basis. No one can see that wife hiding her scars from the beatings of a drunken husband. No one sees the issue of that brother who can’t find a job and is dying on the inside because he can’t feed his family. What about that son who only wants attention from his father, but never received any. What about that grandmother who suffer with alzheimer's and doesn't want anyone to know? Someone is saying i’m tired of suffering with lupus. I sick of going to chemo. Lord fix my issue.
I come to tell you today that there is a blessing in the pressing. The old saints use to say you got to press your way. In other words you can't give up on your blessing. Your blessing is right at your fingertips. All you have to do is touch the hem of his garments.
But one thing you must realize there will be a crowd in your way. People will try to stop you while on your way to get your issue fixed. A man name Bill with the nicknames water, lights, gas, food and clothing will often show up on your steps. But you gotta keep on pressing. Sometimes a killer will sneak up on you name cancer, aids, or lupus. But you gotta keep pressing. So often jealousy hate and shame will come a calling. But you gotta keep on pressing.
The lady had to crawl before touching Jesus. No matter what the situation, you must go down on your knees. Don't stop there, keep praying. ..if I could just touch. Keep on believing, keep on crawling until you reach your goal for there is a blessing in the pressing.
NOW the doors of the church is open and before the choir sings I want to appeal unto you for just a moment. The 2016 Book Of Discipline says that the UMC is a holy catholic apostolic background. UMC started when John Wesley didn’t make it with and anglican church and didn't want to follow many laws of the Pope.
But Wesley believes in the holy trinity and that He is presence with us.
The bible says in John 3:16 that God so Loved….
John 4:24 says god is a spirit
