- Feb 20, 2020
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I began to think on that, dwell on that and there were a few things that came to mind. One of them is maybe the people in the World need more money. Isn't that what we are conditioned to think or believe, if I just had more money then the problems I am facing could be alleviated. I mean even I have thought that same thing, man I am so broke right now, if I just had more money then my life would be so much better, so much easier.
Then I look to Hollywood, a sect of people who have all the money in the World and I look at their lives, and when I examine them truly, it's very obvious that their lives are just as if not more screwed up than mine. Sure they may have a bigger house, better car, trips, but their lives all reflect a shallow existence, an existence that cries out for help. An existence that proves that they struggle as much if not more with the things those of us who are not millionaires deal with on a daily basis.
So money really isn't what the World needs more of, it doesn't actually help to address the problems we all face, problems like loneliness, unworthiness, sadness and depression. Problems like anger and bitterness, lust, addictions and violent reactions. Money may cover up these problems temporarily but inevitably they will rear their head once again, and we have to figure out how to confront them.
As I continued to think about this, suddenly it was as if God grabbed a bullhorn and just shouted to my heart, what the World needs more of is the Gospel. And for days that thought has been stirring on my heart, what does the World need more of, the Gospel!!! The Gospel is mentioned 98 times in the Word of God. Taking out the times it is repeated in the same verse, there are 93 verses that speak of the Gospel. That is a lot of verses that have the Gospel specifically named in them. If something is mentioned that many times in the New Testament, then I think we ought to pay attention to it!!!
Some may wonder, well what is the Gospel, and the quickest answer to that is that the Gospel is the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the absolute embodiment of what the Gospel is. The Gospel solely revolves around Jesus Christ, who He was, what He did, how He lived, why He died, and when He Resurrected!!!
A bit more in detail of the Gospel is that Sin entered the World, and this Sin which we all take part in at some point, has caused us to be Separated from God. If we were to die in this state of Separation of God, then we will forever remain in this state which is called Hell. However God loved us so much that He became Man in the Form of the Son of God, Jesus Christ and lived perfectly so that He could lay down His Life as a Sacrifice, taking up our Sins upon Himself and the Wrath we all are due for our Sins on the Cross.
After He died on the Cross, because of His Blood He made Atonement for us, reconciling us back to God and 3 days later He Resurrected, showing that the Sacrifice was Perfect and Accepted by God, and proving that He had conquered Sin, Death and Hell. He then Ascended to the Right Hand of the Father in Power and Glory and is now making intercession for us day and night.
That is the basics of the Gospel, however does that really answer the question what does the World need more of? What does it mean that the World needs more of the Gospel? As I asked God what does that look like, what does that mean, He laid this upon my heart, What the World needs is to find themselves in the Gospel!!!
That changed everything, it went from this abstract thought, this far away idea, to becoming a very personal answer. What does it look like when YOU find YOURSELF in the Gospel, and that is what I want to expand upon today. I want you to ask yourself that question, where do I find myself in the Gospel. I want the Gospel to be PERSONAL to you individually, I want you to identify yourself in the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As I go forward, these are just some of the things revealed to me about finding ourselves in the Gospel. Some of them may describe you perfectly, some of them may kind of hit home, or you may not see yourself in them at all. Regardless I know for a fact that if you come to God with an honest heart and you pray a sincere prayer asking Him, Lord how can I find myself in the Gospel, He will without a doubt show you exactly where you are in the Gospel.
Every person, regardless of Race, Culture or Creed, regardless of upbringing, regardless of Class, Wealth, Prestige or lack thereof, no matter what you have gone through or endured, absolutely every person in the World can be and is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!!
I believe there are certain aspects of Life that we all share in, certain things in which we all can relate to, and one of these things is physical sickness. I have been blessed so far in that I haven't had to go through or endure any major medical problems, but that doesn't mean sickness hasn't touched my life in redefining ways. Back in 2014 my Mother was diagnosed with Small Cell Lung Cancer, and I watched as that horrible disease took her bit by bit until she was a shell of her former self. I watched her fight the best fight, I watched her struggle and endure, I watched her put everything into overcoming that monster that was raging within her body.
Today as I write this I am watching my Father start a battle with Cancer as well, it's not as pervasive as my Mother's Cancer but I just went with him to surgery and watched as he had to have radiation treatment in his eye. I have never seen my Father like this before, he is a tough man, one who has been in control of everything, the one who has been there at all times for me and my Mother, to bail us out, to stand by us, to help us no matter what. And now he is in a position where he is in need, where he is having to look to others to help him out, he is facing something of which he has no real control over.
Can I ask, is that you today? Are you struggling right now in the midst of a battle with a Physical Disease? Are you watching someone you know, love and care about try and fight and endure a Major Sickness? Is this something that hits right on the head of the nail? Something that hits close to home? If it is I want to show you something, something you may have never noticed. Something you may have never heard. I want to show you yourself in the Gospel.
Mark 5:24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
What is it that we see in this woman's life? In the events that take place here? So here we see a woman who has an issue of blood, it doesn't describe the exact issue she has but we can see it was a serious issue, a serious Physical Ailment. We also see that it was something that utterly consumed her life for an extremely long time, 12 years in fact. I can't imagine enduring and fighting something that overtook my life for 12 entire years, and it was all to no avail whatsoever
Look at the toll this aliment took on this poor woman's life. She had given up 12 years of her life to this issue, and she clearly was frantic and had been looking everywhere for the help she needed. She went to doctor after doctor, day after day, week after week, month after month searching for something, anything that could help her get over this terrible disease. The Scriptures say she literally went broke, she spent her whole living on finding a cure for what she was dealing with.
She had come to the end of her rope, she had come to the end of the road, she had looked everywhere, high and low, in the valleys and mountains, behind every closed door. She has spent all her time, and every last penny looking and here we find her at the very end of all she had.
Let me ask is that you today? Have you been dealing with something, but can't find any help no matter where you turn? Is it consuming you and even when you pour all your time, and investments into it, nothing avails, it only gets worse and worse? I can relate, I have been there, I have watched love ones be there, but what did this woman do?
She heard of Jesus, that's the start of everything!!! Someone, somewhere declared to her something about this man named Jesus!!! I don't know how she came to hear of Him, I don't even know when she came to hear of Him, but it is clear that not only had she heard about Him, but she heard of what He could do for her!!!
That is what I am here today for, to declare to you this man named Jesus, to tell you all about what He has done for me, what He has done for others and what He can and will do for you today, if only you come to Him just as this woman did!!!
We see this woman come to the end of herself and have finally been in a position to give up on the World. If we really want to get to Jesus we too need to get to that place, a place where we give up on ourselves, give up on the World, where all we have left is only this man named Jesus. Not only had she finally came to the end of herself and her hope in the things of this world, she also had a purposeful determination.
She had already determined two things, one is that she WAS going to get to Jesus, the second was that she WAS going to be healed. How can we know she had this purposeful determination? Look at verse 24, it says much people followed him, and thronged him. There was a great crowd around Jesus and in my mind's eye I see a sickly older woman, can you see her, starting on the outside of this enormous crowd all surrounding Jesus. And when she heard of Jesus, she set it in her heart that no matter how big the crowd, no matter how strong the others may be, no matter how many times I may trip and fall, I AM going to get to Jesus.
I am telling you if we want help today, we too need to have that purposeful determination to get to Jesus. I don't know what specific things that crowd represents to you, but what I can tell you is that you have to purpose in your heart that you will be fighting through these obstacles no matter what and you will make it to Jesus. The second thing and the most important thing in her purposeful determination is that she had already proposed in her heart that if she can just TOUCH Him she WOULD be healed.
It wasn't if I get His attention I might be healed, if I could just touch Him then maybe He might help a little bit. If I can get Him to notice me, I can ask Him to please help and then maybe there could be a possibility that He might slow it down. I mean look at that purpose and that determination, she didn't even look to ASK Him to heal her, she straight up purposed that if she gets to just TOUCH Him she WILL be healed.
We need to come to Jesus in that same manner today, with that same purposeful determination, that when we get to Him, if we can just touch Him then He WILL heal us positively. Just imagine yourself on the outside of that Crowd, and I want you to think of whatever it is that you know has been keeping you from Jesus, from getting the help you need and I want you to see yourself moving through that crowd. See yourself going under arms, sliding around people, stepping over feet, getting closer and closer until you are right there by Jesus, can you see Him?
Now I want you to purpose it in your heart that when you reach out and touch Him, that you will get the healing you need, to cast away all the doubts you have and believe that if you touch Jesus He will heal you. Now see your hand reach out to Him, and touch Him, imagine the feel of His robe and the virtue coursing from Him into you.
If you can imagine this in your mind's eye, I want to tell you that there you are finding yourself in the Gospel today!!!
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