When Men Touch God

When Men Touch God

By W. L. Vincent (Preached at Bethel Community Church, Huntsville AL.)

Luke 8:42-48 As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

45 "Who touched me ?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you."

46 But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."

47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."

Mankind seems to be predisposed to worship. It seems to be inherent in his nature. Whether they make their homes in the dark jungles of South America, or some high rise apartment in New York, where we find men – we find worshipers.

Men worship all kinds of Gods. They worship nature – the sun, moon and stars. They worship Idols, things they have formed from their own hands and from the recesses of their depraved imaginations. Isaiah the Prophet of God brings this indictment against such idolatry (Isa 44:9-20) “A man cuts a tree from the forest, with part he cooks his food and warms himself. But he takes the remainder and fashions a god – bows to it and cries ‘save me you are my god!’” But they cannot hear, they cannot see neither can they be moved with compassion!

The Prophet then raises his voice in the Name of the God of Israel: “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols!” “Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed — I, and not some false god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God.” (Isa 43:10-12; Isa 42:8)

What kind of God do we serve? Is he the impersonal god of spiritualism; just some force that mysteriously surrounds everything? Is he the self-made god of humanism and their intellectual idolatry? Who is the God of the Bible? The word teaches us that the God of Israel, that revealed Himself in Christ Jesus, is a God that can be touched. He is a God that can be moved. He is not an empty concept or some mysterious notion. He is not a well told story – an allegory simply to be passed on. He is a loving compassionate Father – that has moved heaven and earth to be involved in the lives of His creation!

Heb 4:15-16 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

I. God is seeking those who are seeking Him.

In our text we read of woman who was in desperate need. She had tried everything and everybody. Nothing had worked. She was out of options and running out of time. With what little strength she had left in her body, she crawled through the crowd of people that had gathered around Jesus. She wasn’t supposed to be the focus of the story. But she pressed her way toward the what was her last hope. You see she realized a very important spiritual principle – she said: “If I can just touch Him…” The miracle begins with a touch.

In the 10th chapter of Acts we find a gentile soldier named Cornelius. The Bible says that he was an Italian soldier. We can sort of read between the lines as this story unfolds in Acts 10. You can almost feel the hunger in this man. He seems to be doing everything that he knows to do. He prays, he gives. He wants to get as close to God as he can.

It is during one of those times when he is praying that an Angel appears to Cornelius. The Angle informs him that his prayers had come up as a memorial before God. The Angel tells Cornelius that he is to call for Peter, and that Peter will tell him what he needs to do.