Book of Luke - Ch. 8, Vs. 40-56 (06/22/2003)

Luke 8:40-56 and the Parallel Accounts in Matthew and Mark

Well, let's turn to Luke chapter 8 verse 40, and this one has two parallel passages Mark 9 18 I mean Matthew 9 18 and Mark 5 22. Sometimes it's interesting to read the three different accounts the different points of view.

But we're following the one in Luke today. So follow along with me and we'll just stop along the way and ask a few questions and See what we're thinking about this today. And it came to pass that when Jesus was returned the people gladly received him for For they were all waiting for him and behold There came a man named Jairus or maybe it's Jairus and He was a ruler of the synagogue and he fell down at Jesus feet and besought him that he would come to his house.

Do you think this ruler of the synagogue was already a saved person or was he a Pharisee or a Sadducee or a Just a you know a Jew at this point in his life. And why do you think why do you think he would come to Jesus if?

Let's assume for a moment. He's not saved. Let's assume. He's just a Jew the synagogue. Yeah, he must be so notice notice Why he came to Jesus is could we Conclude from this that sometimes in God's plan that God uses a child or Something in our lives to to cause us to In The earthly view come to our senses.

Can you think in your own life before you were saved certain events that took place with hindsight? That were part of what God used to lead you to the place of What you call your salvation experience the day when you in in earth planet earth time actually received Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Can you think of things? Before that. That may have led you to that place. But before it happened, did you know that those were things leading you to that place? You didn't know that Charlotte. She was an agnostic and she started reading the Bible to prove it was wrong.

Because she was angry. That her daughter had brain tumor and as she read the Bible she got saved. So I think we do have a case here where J. Russ was Not Interested in the Lord at all. He thought he was fine.

But when his daughter came to the place twelve-year-old daughter was dying. He thought well, I've heard this man's a prophet. He may have even heard he was a healer. And so this brings him to Jesus the circumstances God does bring circumstances into our lives As all a part of the salvation plan.

Faith, Healing, and the Woman Who Touched Jesus' Garment

So he falls down at his feet and asked him to come to his house. That's a beautiful picture of what every man should do that come to the Lord is he should pray the Lord come and clean my whole House, you know a whole family.

They may all take part in this life that you've given me Verse 42 for he had one one only daughter about 12 years of age and she lay dying but as he went The people the crowds came around Jesus and he was not able immediately to go with this man.

Because of the huge crowds of people and in the midst of this huge crowd a woman having an issue of blood for 12 years. Is there any significance to the fact that you have a 12 year old girl? Who is Alive but dying and you have this woman who for 12 years has been alive but dying.

Isn't that interesting? Which had spent all of her living upon physicians. Isn't it also interesting that in the different economies you take today if you had something very serious happen to you. Where you had to go into their hospitals with our modern medical facilities and be there for any length of time.

It would take every penny you've got. And even if you were healed you wouldn't have any money left when you got out. Well, the same was true 2 ,000 years ago, even though their money was different and their doctors were different.

No hospitals like we had a day. It still took your life savings if you're going to be treated for a serious disease. So it took her life's saves savings and still they didn't heal her first 44. She came behind him and touched the border of his garment and immediately her issue of blood.

Stopped and Jesus said who touched me. Jesus did not see her touching. He was in a crowd with some literally so many hundreds of people. They were pressing against him and many people were touching him.

Now think about that for a minute many people were bumping up against him and touching him and making contact and nothing happened, but this woman when she touched him something happened that he noticed that he perceived and Look what it says.

Jesus said somebody has touched me for I perceive that virtue is Gone out of me. This word virtue is not the Greek word. I rate a which means moral goodness. It's actually the Greek word dunamis. Which is used throughout the New Testament to speak of the power of God the same kind of power and resurrection.

The same kind of power when the gifts are given. The healing gifts and all the different kinds of gifts of the Holy Spirit dunamis. It's literally could be thought of as the power of God. So Jesus says here here his disciples in verse 45 even questioned him.

They say master the multitude throngs thee and they're pressing against you and you say who touched me? Now think about what this pictures. There are multitudes and masses of people That hear the gospel of Christ on the radio they may turn on the TV and see it.

They may have been in churches many times and heard it and no power came out of God into them. And yet you may have been somewheres at one point in your life wherever you were the moment you received him and it says if you touched his garment and Power came from him to you and you were saved.

And there may have been multitudes around you touching him, but not getting this. Why is that? That's right. It wasn't for them. So they questioned that they didn't make sense to them, but it made perfect sense to Jesus.

Somebody touched me and I perceived that dunamis has gone out of me power literally has flown out of me now Jesus the man. Think about this for a minute. Isn't that an odd thought? That Jesus the man could feel this power come out of himself.

He it was a feeling. It wasn't only a fact it was a fact, but it he felt it. He felt I don't know if it felt like a momentary power drain. Because the power went out of him and had in it was reimbursed instantly from the heavenlies.

But he felt something go through him and into this woman. Is that amazing or what that happened the day you got saved? Think about it. The day you got saved power literally came from God to you. Well when Jesus was in the form of a man, he felt that power it was his power and it came out from him and had come to him from the father and Went through him as a conduit to this woman.

Same way we get saved today. This physical healing is a picture of spiritual Salvation who touched me verse 46 and Jesus said somebody has touched me for I perceive that virtue power. It's gone out of me and when the woman saw that she was not hidden in other words She liked the fact that the crowd was around there.

She could sneak up there touch him and and not have anyone know it. She was not the type person. I'd like to be up front be in front of people or be noticed. Didn't want to be noticed at all. She didn't want any.

She didn't want any didn't want to get in the newspaper because she was one that got healed. She didn't want any of that. She just Wanted to touch the Savior. Well, she was discovered though. Because when the power flowed out of him, he knew it and he looked around tried and looked eye-to-eye probably at the different people.

And looked at each one of them and then he locked in on her and said it's you. He knew it was and She knew that he knew who it was and this disturbed her a little bit at first. She knew that she was discovered.

So she came trembling thinking perhaps she was in trouble and Falling down before him. She declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him and how she was healed. Immediately and he said unto her daughter Be of good comfort.

Thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace. Now that's not the last we're going to hear of faith in here. So let's keep reading. Think about faith a minute while he yet spake. There cometh one from the ruler of the synagogues house.

Now we forget we get caught up with this woman who touched the Lord and had this power of God. Come into her from him and we forget how the story started with this man named Jairus Who had made this request that my daughter is dying.

Would you come with me? And All of this seemingly is forgotten because of the crowd and the things going on and so by the time all this happens. There comes a person a servant. I assume from the ruler of the synagogues house saying to him My daughter is dead trouble not the master.

Now, don't you think that's a bit harsh? The way they said that I think that this incidence in verse 49 pictures negative influences in our lives all the negative voices all the negative Circumstances our voices in themselves and then the thoughts that the devil would try to have us think that are negative and then People as they come and create negative influences and the news if you ever pay attention to it is always negative all of these negative attacks on faith and what these attacks do is they would question the power of God or the goodness of God or both.

Because what this person says forget it. She's dead. So Jesus can't do anything. That means either number one. He's impotent or number two. He's not good. It doesn't care and That's what these negative voices Always want us to believe.

Either God has no power. In other words, he cannot help us or number two. He will not help us because he doesn't love us. So when those kind of voices come to us, we need to put them aside just like this man was about to do.

But Jesus helped him put it aside because Jesus overheard this negative person. And so he answered the man saying fear not in other words. Don't believe the voices in your head. You'll use that. Many times in your life if you'll think about this passage you young ladies in the room today you younger ones.

As you get out into that world where you have the problems and the cares of the world and all the things going on in Life that you have to take care of. You're gonna be laying there and in bed at night wide awake fury.

You're just gonna be afraid. Mom and dad may be miles away. And you're gonna be or they might be right across the street like mine are. Yeah, but they're not in bed with me so I'm alone there and I'm afraid.

And you're afraid and the fear comes and it comes from the negative voices. The voices are saying God's not gonna come through. You're on your own and you're gonna fail. God's not gonna have anything to do with this.

You're just gonna fail. Forget it. She's dead. God won't have anything to do with her. Now she's dead. This problem is gonna happen and you can't stop it and that voice comes to you late in the night.

You just tell it to shut up and be gone. Because Jesus would come to you and say fear not. Fear not. Only believe believe what believe. God is all-powerful and God is good. So you got to believe God is all-powerful.

He can do anything. He wants to do death. Physical death is nothing now. To us that's the big deal. That's the biggest deal. If you have a physical death, it's over forget that God can't do anything now.

I should have prayed yesterday that this person would be healed. But now it's too late. They're dead. You see to us. That's the limit on God. That's the big limit. And we don't think of it. In fact that Jesus said whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

The person you just saw died didn't really die. Their physical body which was merely a tent is laying there, but they are not dead and So even that has no limits as far as God is concerned. He is powerful over all things and Jesus would come to you and say fear not just believe that God is all-powerful.

God is all good. And she shall be made whole. He gave her that information as well. If God ever gives you that information about a person you can count on the fact they will raise up they will be healed and When he came into the house He allowed no man to go in except Peter James and John.

There's your three inner circle men. And he allowed the father and the mother of the little girl. They all wept. All the people would be wailing her and he said weep not. She is not dead but sleepeth and I want you to look at the response of the crowd now think of this.

This is not nor this is strange here. These people are crying and weeping and wailing and Gnashing of teeth over this little girl who has died and they begin to laugh. Can you even imagine that verse 53 they are laughing at God?

They are left. These are the negative same negative influences that came in verse 50 in verse 49 these negative Influences God says now wait a minute. I am all-powerful that includes death also and they laugh at him.

And they begin to weep. I Mean begin to laugh him to scorn knowing that she was dead. So what did he do? He put them all out. Why did he do that? Jesus put them out. Now. Let me let me pick get you to picture this you picture Jesus is a little skinny guy with long hair and thin little arms like the Catholics used to paint him in the Dark Ages.

Jesus put them out do you realize this is very similar to the time he came with whips into the Temple and drove them out. It's the same language. They began to laugh at him and he forcefully put them out of the room.

Now. This was a crowd this was a huge crowd perhaps of people that He had to put out of the room, why did he put him out of the room? They they had no faith. He did not want that element in the presence of this Occasion that was about to take place.

So he put he put lack of faith out of the room or unfaithful. He put that out of the room put them out and he took her by the hand and he called saying maid arrived in Mark chapter 5 verse 41, it's Talitha kumai.

Are the actual words that he said? Which means maiden arise I say unto you arise. And he commanded. Well, I'm sorry. He took her hand and he says this in verse 55 and her spirit came again. And she arose straightway.

And he commanded to give her meat and her parents were astonished. Well, they've been praying for her. But they were astonished. That's so much like we are when God answers prayers were astonished. But he charged them that they should tell no man.

What was done? What an interesting study on faith? Turn just quickly to Mark chapter 9 verse 17 Jesus said fear not only believe. Now he says that as If to say that you can do that as if he expects you to do that fear not only believe.

Now I'm going to ask you a question this may be a trick question so pretend I'm brother Otis, okay I'm gonna ask you a question. He told them fear not only believe. Can a Person do that? Can a person?

Believe at the request of another person. You don't believe and you're told now start believing. Can you do that? Well, that's unfair. You answered it. You're supposed to say yes or no, but anyway, that's okay.

You got it, right? There are two groups of people in the world. There's one group who can't do that and there's another group who can. But the only reason the group can who can is because God's given it to him, right.

But even though it's true that God has given us faith he expects us to exercise it and from time to time tells us to and that is a test and. So this person is a picture at this point of a person who had God-given faith.

Or he wouldn't have come to Jesus in the first place. Just like the woman that touched his robe had faith had this God-given faith. God placed within her the heart to know if I can just touch him. I'll be healed and This man God gave him the faith to know if I can ask him to just come to my home.

My daughter will be okay, and then all the negative voices of the world start to come and say I'll forget it. She's dead. Don't even bother. You give you get that these voices are real. They come to you today.

I forget it. God's dead. God can't do anything your your loved one is dead. God won't deal with that. This problem is bigger than anything God wants to handle. So just forget it. Don't even bother God with it boy.

If that's not out of hell if that voice isn't out of hell it, you know, nothing is and. So Jesus comes back and says don't pay attention to that voice. Fear not only believe now. He has just asked you or put it in real terms.

He has commanded you to believe now. He did not make that command of the throngs of people that were also touching him. Did he? He didn't make that command of that servant that came and said don't trouble the master she's dead.

Jesus didn't tell him you believed it. Who did he say it to the person who already had belief? But now he's holding them responsible to continue in that belief and that is very real in our lives. Just because God given us the gift of faith doesn't mean we have faith all the time In or that we exercise the faith.

I should say all the time now look at Mark chapter 9 verse 17. It clarifies this a little and one of the multitude answered and said master I have brought unto thee my son which hath a dumb spirit and Whosoever he take Wheresoever he taketh him he tears him and he foams and gnashes with his teeth and pines away Skinny, he can't hold any weight and I spake to your disciples that they should cast him out and they could not.

And he answered him and saith Oh faithless generation. Jesus says how long will I be with you? How long shall I suffer how long will I put up with you? Bring him unto me and they brought him unto him and when he saw him straightway the spirit ripped at this person and he fell on the ground and wallowed foaming at the mouth and Jesus asked his father how long is it ago since this came unto him and he said of a child.

It's been happening since he was a small child. And oftentimes he cast him into fire and into water to destroy this child. But if thou can't do anything have compassion on us and help us notice the if if you have the power or if you are good enough or If you have the power, please be good enough to help us.

Jesus said unto him if thou can't believe all things are possible to him that believes. And Straightway the father of the child cried out and said in tears Lord, I believe Help thou mine unbelief. That is the prayer of us.

God has already given us the belief we do believe we are not unbelievers but when we're faced with These kinds of circumstances that to us or beyond even what God can do just from our way of thinking.

Then we need to ask him to help us with that little bit of unbelief that we still have and interesting study in faith. The woman who touched Jesus the man who requested that he come to visit the daughter all of these were given faith by God and then they were expected to exercise the faith and told to by God and then there was a test as if God as If God were watching to see if they had faith now, isn't that interesting stop don't do that now I know that you have faith.

How could an all-knowing God say that I believe it's because when God comes into time He comes in the form of Jesus and It being in time. He observes things I think he does when he's with us in time in our bodies as the Holy Spirit.

He's in time with us He observes why else would God test us? When God made these Us and all this system He decided he wanted to play with it as well as if a boy Putting together a little battle scene with his play soldiers on the floor.

He wishes he could get down and become that size and fight with those soldiers and in his mind. He does it God when he put this together, he didn't put it together just to observe coldly from a distance.

He put this together to be a part of it. And so in time when God gives you a test because he's watching you to see what you'll do as if he doesn't already know. And I believe he does that in the form of Jesus or the Spirit of Christ who is the Holy Spirit.

So it becomes very important our responsibility becomes real then. So if he says if you will believe I will do this. It's a test. It's not that you can work up belief. God's given you belief. He's saying will you exercise it now?

Will you listen to the voices? Negatives. That's the lesson for today. Let's pray father. We thank you for your word. Thank you for these wonderful living examples true people of faith. And the way you show us how you've dealt already with people of faith and we get some idea how you deal with us moment by moment and So Lord, yes, we thank you that you've given us faith, but help us with our unbelief and we ask it in Jesus name.