The Power And Privilege Of "Another Touch” Series

The Power And Privilege Of “Another Touch”

Mark 8:22–26

(Antioch Baptist Church: Sunday, August 31st, 2025)

Shackled by a heavy burden

'Neath a load of guilt and shame

Then the hand of Jesus touched me

And now I am no longer the same.

He touched me, oh, He touched me

And oh, the joy that floods my soul

Something happened, and now I know

He touched me, and made me whole.

Songwriters: William J. Gaither (1963). He Touched Me lyrics ©

On December 7th, 1997, Jesus Christ “touched me” and I was instantly and eternally changed. At that same moment I was completely filled with the Holy Spirit. Since that time my Savior has had His hand on me! In fact, He assures me in His Word that I am so firmly in the grip of His hand that no man can pluck me out of it!

With that being said, there have been many times when I have received “another touch” metaphorically speaking. I was saved at fifteen years old but there came a time when I strayed for a season; at the age of twenty I received a “touch of restoration”. Then, when I was twenty-three Jesus reached out and touched me again and it was at that point that I surrendered to the call to preach. The Lord touched me again some three years later and led me into pastoral ministry. This time a year ago God unexpectedly provided “another touch” that led me here to Antioch.

I am confident that there are many who are in this assembly today who would testify that they have received numerous touches from the Savior. At the same time, there are many others in this place who are in need of “another touch”.

It is important for you to understand that when I speak of “another touch”, I am not implying that you need to get “saved again”, nor am I saying that you are in need of a “second work of grace” where you are “baptized in the Holy Spirit”. Instead, I am referring to the reality that all who belong to Christ are involved in a process called sanctification.

Sanctification is the process by which Christians are made holy and grow into the image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This lifelong spiritual journey is empowered by the Holy Spirit and involves a gradual transformation of a believer's character, thoughts, and actions to become more like Christ, marked by increasing righteousness and the fruit of the Spirit.

Among the numerous miracles that Jesus performed, the one in our selected text is unique because it occurred in two stages. Jesus spit on the eyes of the blind man and he received the ability to see, but his vision was blurry. He could see men, but they looked like trees walking. Then Jesus touched him again and he could see clearly. I would like to examine this amazing transformation and consider “The Power & Privilege Of Another Touch”.

Jesus and the Disciples entered Bethsaida. Upon their arrival they were met by some people who brought a blind man to the Savior and begged Him to touch him. We are not told who these people are, but they must have heard about or seen the miracle working power of the Lord Jesus. Perhaps one of them had even been a recipient of their own personal miracle at the hand of the Savior. Regardless, these people were CONVINCED of the miracle working power of Jesus Christ.

They were not only convinced, they were COMPASSIONATE! This blind man was a close friend or even a family member. They knew that his condition was something that affected every area of his life. His blindness prevented him from working and providing for his family. He was unable to see the beauty of his wife’s face, or to see his children smile. He couldn’t see the danger in front of him or the beauty around him. (It seems that this man was not born blind because the text speaks of his sight being “restored” and he knew what trees looked like).

Though there were many physical and emotional struggles associated with his condition, it must have been a tremendous encouragement to know that there were people who genuinely cared for him. Those people were convinced of Jesus’ power, they possessed compassion for their friend, and they were COMMITTED to the task of getting Him to Jesus. They went to where Jesus was, possibly even fighting through a crowd to get to Him. Their determination shines through and it appears that they were willing to overcome any obstacle in their way in an effort to see their friend received a miracle from the Master.

This unnamed group of faithful friends were convinced, they were compassionate, they were committed, and they were COMMENDED. You may be looking at the passage and asking, “where do you see that, preacher?” While it is not recorded that Jesus praised them for bringing their friend to Him, their efforts were so important that the Holy Spirit saw fit to record them in scripture and use them as an example throughout Church history.