Today we learn about a Bold Faith…

Our time at Kit Carson Park has been Fantastic!

Meeting in the park requires a bold faith. If you have been out to visit us, you will see it.

If you haven’t seen the message, take a look at it here. 

Our YouTube archive can be found here.

We studied a bold faith by looking at Mark 5 in the Bible.

The Bible is full of truth. It is God’s truth and from it we learn to see ourselves and God more from God’s perspective. Mark 5 is a spectacular portion of scripture with much to learn. We see in Mark 5 the story of Jesus healing a man who had a legion of demons in him. We also see the story of Jairus and his daughter as well as the story we focused on regarding a woman who reached out and touched Jesus.

From this story, there were four major observations.

First: Jesus Journeys into difficulty. (vv. 21-24a)

Jesus does not shy away from difficult scenarios. In fact Jesus heads into them.

Jesus models a bold faith.

As you consider whatever it is you are facing in this life, I want you to ask yourself this question “Do I believe Jesus has the power to help me through this?”

Do you believe Jesus can help you through whatever it is you are going through? That is a question of faith.

Second: Faith releases God’s power. (vv 24b-29)

This woman had been bleeding for twelve years. She saw doctors and the suffered under their care. That means there was no earthly solution for this woman. She was bleeding. Bleeding would have put her in a position of social outcast.

So not only is this woman suffering an extreme physical ailment but she was additionally most likely socially outcast. She was suffering. She had no idea what was going on with her body. She just knew it wasn’t good and she probably thought she was going to die. What would you think if you suffered bleeding for 12 years?

She heard about Jesus. She believed by just touching the cloak of Jesus she would be healed. This is faith.

She took a step of faith in action and touched the cloak and then immediately her bleeding stopped and the Bible tells us she was freed from her suffering.

This woman exercises a bold faith.

Faith releases God’s power. You need to have faith and you need to step out trust Jesus with whatever it is that you are needing to let go of and let God have.

Third: Jesus invites us from anonymity to identity. (vv. 30-31)

What Jesus is doing is being very public about a very private matter and he is doing it for a very specific reason.

What is happening here is that Jesus is addressing the emotional and spiritual suffering of this woman beyond what had physically already happened.

He challenges her to step out again in faith. He says to the crowd “who touched me?” and she doesn’t have to answer.

We need to look at this and ask the question “Why is Jesus asking this?”

Jesus invites a bold faith.

The answer is that the power of Jesus goes beyond the physical world. Jesus invites us from anonymity to identity.

Fourth: Public faith is powerful. (vv. 30-31)

Jesus says “who touched me?” and this woman fearfully says “me!” I touched you. She was probably thinking that Jesus was going to take back her blessing since she didn’t ask for it in the first place. I don’t know… but if it was me… I’d be thinking that.

What I do know is this….

This woman shows faith in touching Jesus’ cloak and then shows faith again but coming forward and confessing it was her.

A public faith is a bold faith.

Here is a question to ask yourself… “how many people do you think were touching Jesus clothes?” A lot.

Why is she the only one that is notably healed and then called out to identify herself?

This was done to demonstrate that touching Jesus alone was not enough to heal. It was her faith.

This is also done so that this woman who had been living with public shame for 12 years of bleeding and living as a social outcast would now but publicly seen as healed.