Making Contact With the Word

These are notes on the first 45 minutes of the sermon, Making Contact With the Word.

And Jesus went with him. And many people followed Him and thronged Him. And a certain woman who had had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and had not been bettered any, but rather came to worse, having heard about Jesus, she came in the press behind and touched His garment. For she said, If I may but touch only His clothes, I will be cured. And instantly the fountain of her blood dried up. And she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And knowing instantly within Himself that power had gone out of Him, Jesus turned Himself around in the press and said, Who touched My clothes? And His disciples said to Him, You see the crowd pressing on You, and do You say, Who touched Me? And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done in her, came and fell down before Him and told Him all the truth. And He said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be whole from your plague.
(Mark 5:24-34)

This woman’s life was dominated by her disease. She had suffered. (More on this woman and what she did later in life here.) We all have some life-defining issue – physical ailments, overwork, addictions, emotional pain from a bad childhood – that is bleeding the strength out of our lives and ministries.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(John 1:1)

This woman touched the Word and the power of the Word was released into her life and changed her life.

And for this cause we thank God without ceasing, that when you received the Word of hearing, of God, you welcomed it as the Word of God, not as a word of men, but as it is, truly the Word of God, which also effectually works in you who believe.
(1 Thessalonians 2:13)

Not the incarnate word of God, but still the Word of God. It works. In those who believe. We need to bring our lives in contact with the Word.

John Owens says, “Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.” No matter what issues you have overcome, new issues will arise. Just saying “I bind you, Satan” is ineffectual. Too many Christians try to use that as some kind of magic incantation. If your life doesn’t have power, your words don’t either. Most people are aware of how to make chocolate milk. Think about the difference of knowing how to make chocolate milk, and the cool sensation of sweet, creamy chocolate milk sliding over your taste buds and down your throat. That’s the difference between knowing the facts about God and saying some rote prayers, and actually coming into contact with the living God. It’s not enough to hear a sermon, or even to read your bible. It has to be applied. How do you apply it?

Observation – what does the passage say? Why did the woman leave home and fight through the crowd to get to Jesus? She had heard about Jesus and what He did.

Interpret – what did this passage mean to the original writer and hearers? What is the context?

Application – what does this passage mean for me, in my life right now?

• Intentionality: this doesn’t happen by accident. We have to intentionally seek Him out, in faith.The woman reached out in faith, and brought her life in contact with the incarnate Word. Of all the people in the crowd, she was the only one who received the life changing power of Jesus.
• Study and understanding: application requires it. This doesn’t happen by accident. You have to be motivated.
• Contemplation and meditation: “an activity of skillful reflection and review” – engaging who you are with this passage. Taking the flashlight of insight that I’ve gained from intentionality, study and understanding, and crawling into the dark cave of my past motives, actions, and attitudes. Discovering what fell short and why I did what I did. Asking how does this truth convict me?
• Strategy: charting a course for new thoughts and actions. Actually using what you’ve learned, making actual changes in your life, identifying sin and rejecting it.