Opener:
Good morning everyone, we are so thrilled that you have joined us here this morning for our worship service. It is just a blessing to see everyone here. We had a wonderful week last week celebrating the mothers in our life. Once again, thank you mothers for all that you do for the kingdom of God.
This morning we are going to begin a new sermon series entitled “Encountering Jesus”. In this series, we will be looking at different people that encountered Jesus in their lives and what lessons we can take away from those encounters. It really excites me to hear other people’s story and their encounters with Jesus. In fact, one of my favorite radio programs is entitled “Unshackled”. Unshackled is a radio program that shares real people’s life stories in a radio dramatic fashion.
I have noticed that people who encounter Jesus respond in either two ways. They either receive the forgiveness and new life that He has for them or they simply reject Him. There really is no middle ground. You are either in or out.
This morning we are looking at two people that had an encounter with Jesus. As a result of this encounter, these people lives were completely changed. It is when they encountered Jesus that their lives were forever changed. They had a renewed hope, they had a purpose in their lives. Their faith increased, their love for people grew exponentially.
I. Women with a Incurable disease
A. Just a touch
a. Our first encounter we are looking at here this morning, is a women that was struggling with a blood issue.
b. This anonymous women had been hemorrhaging for 12 years as a result of this hemorrhage she was deemed unclean.
c. To be unclean during this time, meant that person had to avoid others, along with things that were holy.
d. With her unclean status, it would be near impossible to get close to Jesus. People were all around Jesus on every side.
B. The story
a. Let’s go ahead and pick up the story which is found in Mark 5:24-34(NKJV) 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. 25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” 29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” 31 But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” 32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
C. Failed attempts
a. This poor women and endured so much at the hands of medical men at the time.
b. Not only did these medical professionals not heal her, they actually made things worse.
c. Think about that, you go into the doctor thinking that they are going to heal you when in reality, they exasperated the problem.
d. I am sure these medical professionals had the best intent and wanted the best for their patient. Yet, they were limited in what they could do for her.
e. Thank the Lord, He is not limited to helping people!
D. Cured
a. After bending down and somehow breaking through the crowd, this women was able to touch the hem of Jesus garment.
b. This is an amazing feat. There were loads of people around, making it almost impossible to get through.
c. Many theologians have surmised that this women got down on her hands and knees and crawled her way to Jesus.
d. She must have heard about Jesus, she must heard about the miracles that He performed. She made it up in her mind that I am going to get to Jesus no Matter what!
e. I would venture to say that she was desperate for Jesus. She was determined that nothing was going to stop her from encountering Jesus. Nothing!
E. Healed quickly
a. It did not take twelve more years for this women to receive healing in her body. In fact, as we read earlier that this healing took place immediately.
b. Somebody Praise the Lord! The God that we serve is an On Time God! This women had suffered way to long and was instantaneously healed.
c. The moment that this women was healed she knew it.
d. She did not have to wonder about it, it was something that she felt right away.
e. I was talking with a gentlemen a couple weeks ago and he experienced a healing in his body. He was struggle for a while and went up for prayer and felt the hand of God touch his body and was he was instantaneously healed. In fact, he saw his chiropractor at a store a couple weeks later and they were amazed that he could move his neck around.
F. Jesus felt
a. After this women touched Jesus and was healed, Jesus turned about and asked the disciples “Who touched me?”
b. At that moment, people were all around Jesus and bumping into Him and touching Him. The disciples were perplexed.
c. Yet, Jesus could sense that someone with the faith the size of Mount Everest touch Him. Someone that pressed and pushed and would not take NO for an answer touched Him!
d. The women acknowledged that it was her that touched Jesus. She may have been thinking that she was in some sort of trouble or something.
G. Commendation
a. Instead of Jesus rebuking this unclean women for touching Him. He commends her for her faith.
b. You and I are called also to walk by faith and not by sight.
c. When you and I operate in faith, we too will be commended, we will be rewarded.
d. The bible says in Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
e. God rewards those that walk by faith, those that seek Him!
H. Takeaways
a. So what can we take away from this encounter? Here are some things we can learn from:
i. First, we need to have a desperation for God in our lives! Never being satisfied with where we are at.
ii. Secondly, persistence pays off. While we may not get the answers we are looking for right away, we need to be persistent.
iii. Do worry about what others may think. If you are more concerned with what others think versus what God thinks then you will be in trouble. Because God uses the foolish things in this world to confound the wise.
iv. Faith is a powerful force. Faith has the ability to make some wrongs in our lives right. Faith gives us the ability to look at the problem solver versus always looking at the problem.
II. Jesus Heals Lepers
A. Second encounter
a. The second encounter that we are looking at here this morning is when Jesus encountered some men with leprosy.
b. These ten men were forsaken and disheartened. They were in a position of hopelessness.
c. Leprosy was virtually a death sentence that was carried out over a long period of time.
d. During this time period, leprosy was thought to be contagious and so these men were driven from their homes, from their families and were cast aside to fend for themselves.
B. The story
a. Without getting into it any further, let’s read our text, which is found in the book of Luke 17:11-19 (NKJV) 11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
C. They heard
a. These lepers one day heard about Jesus and when they did, their hopes arose.
b. They reached a boiling point in their lives where they were desperate for something to change. Like the woman with the issue of blood, these men had an incurable disease.
c. In spite of this hopeless disease, they decided to seek out Jesus.
d. In seeing Jesus, they shouted out “ Jesus, Master, Have mercy on us!”
e. Everybody around them may have tried to quite them down. They may have told them they were going to die and that it is useless to ask for help.
f. They shouted anyway! Sometimes you just need to let it out! Jesus, Have mercy! Jesus, Help me! There is a power in that name. The name of Jesus!!!
D. Not to be denied
a. Notice in our encounter this morning that Jesus did not deny them an audience.
b. He did not say “Well, you are too far gone! I cannot help you!”
c. No, He did not say that at all. Jesus gave them some instruction to go and see a priest.
d. At that point, these lepers had a choice to either listen to Jesus or to just stay where they were at.
e. Jesus wants to move us from our comfort zone into trusting in Him zone.
f. These men all went to the priest and then were declared healed.
g. They experienced this healing because they obeyed the voice of Jesus.
E. Thankful
a. While all ten of these lepers were healed in their body, there was only one that went back to thank Jesus.
b. This to me is amazing, on so many different levels. My first thought is, “Why did not all ten go back and thank Jesus?”
c. After all, they were miraculously healed. Yet, nine of them just went on their merry way. This one man that did go back. He was elated, he was thankful.
d. He took the time to show his gratitude to Jesus and was rewarded as a result.
F. Takeaways/lesson
a. Here are some of the takeaways or lessons that we can learn from this encounter.
i. Do not be afraid to ask Jesus for help even when things seem impossible.
ii. It took an act of obedience for healing to take place in their lives. Maybe you are watching today and you need a healing. Be obedient to Jesus in what He is saying to you!
iii. It pays to be thankful in our lives. Showing others gratitude for what they do for us is a big deal!
iv. A lifestyle of humility and thankfulness will lead to wellness in our lives.
Closing:
As we close here this morning, there are many lessons from these encounters that these people had with Jesus. I want you to think back in your own life when you first encountered Jesus. How you were muddling through life and then Jesus touched your life. It is a wonderful thing to know Jesus. We need to never forgot what Jesus has done for us. Therefore, we need to maintain a thankful heart. That leper that came back to thank Jesus, he was made whole. Sure the others received the blessing of being healed. That was a tremendous thing, no doubt. But they could have been made whole as well. Yet, they did not take the time to thank Jesus for what He has done. Let me say this: Do not take for granted all the blessings in your life. Be thankful for everything that the Lord has done. Take time this week to thank God for all the good things in your life.
