Why Can't I Touch God: Lesson 9

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).