It's Never Too Late for a Miracle - Part 2
Did You Know Storms Put Us In The Path For Miracles?
Pastor Richie
Nov 8, 2020 1hr 12m
Like the woman with the issue of blood, when we find ourselves in a storm, we exhaust all avenues in our search for a resolution. But have you tried Jesus? Through faith, what is impossible with man is possible with God. Video recorded at Pineville, Louisiana.
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storms put us in the path for miracles hope love miracles storm difficult times tough times healing prayer jesus godTranscriptionmessageRegarding Grammar:
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
Pastor Richie (00:01):
Amen. How are y'all doing? Man, welcome to Journey church. Y'all excited? Amen, Amen. Man, Look, on behalf of pastor James, welcome to journey church. Man, we're just so excited to have each and every one of you here this morning. And I want to give Pastor James and Mrs. Debbie a big shout out. Would y'all give them some love real quick? Man, y'all get some much needed rest and enjoy yourselves. And we can't wait to see y'all back rested and energized and ready to run. And so man, my wife is not in here. She was the last service but I always want to give her a big shout out. She puts up with me and that says a lot. She's got a lot of grace. And amen. And she makes me better.
Pastor Richie (00:55):
So my small group as well. Also, I've got some family here. My sister Abby and just a lot of you. I love all of you. And many of you support me in a lot of ways. So thank y'all so much. And man, I'm just excited to continue our series this month entitled Miracle Month. Somebody say miracle month. Miracle month. What's on your miracle list? The whole month of November, we're going to be talking about how you can receive your miracle. And while I was preparing for this sermon, there seemed to be just one passage in particular that just kind of was in my heart, in my mind from the very get go. And it comes out of Mark 5:24 through 34. It's the story of the woman with the issue of blood. Maybe many of you know it. And this story is actually, it's in the gospel of Mark.
Pastor Richie (01:50):
It's also in the gospel of Matthew and in the gospel of Luke. But I personally just really enjoy the Mark account because it's so rich in details and insight. And it really gives us more what was really happening in this moment that we can gaze into. And I believe that we can really see, you know, what really brought this miracle about. What was really going on in the thinking? What was really going on in the heart? And so that's why I love the Mark account. And in just a moment, what we're going to do is we're going to read through this passage and then we're going to take the rest of the service just to break it down and see the richness that is in this text. And so I'm just believing, God, that as we go through this message this morning, I pray that you'll believe with me, come on, that faith would be increased, that doubt and unbelief would be decreased, that the devil is defeated, that Jesus is on the throne, that He would show up this morning, begin to do the miraculous for His people, that what's impossible with man would be possible with God. He would perform the miracles for on behalf of his people. And we'll give Him the praise and honor and glory for it. In Jesus' name. If you believe, say amen.
Pastor Richie (03:03):
And so I know the students are up there in the balcony. So I need y'all to give me some love too this morning. Can y'all do that? All right. Amen. So I'm excited about this message. Let's read the text this morning and then we're going to unpack it. Mark 5:21 through 34. When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around Him while He was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders named Gerasenes came. And when he saw Jesus, He fell at His feet. He pleaded earnestly with Him. He said, my little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and alive. So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around Him. Was it a small crowd? A large crowd followed Him and pressed around Him.
Pastor Richie (03:57):
And a woman who was there who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years, she had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had. Yet, instead of getting better, she actually grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak because she thought if I can touch His clothes, I will be healed. The version that I love is if I can just touch the hem of His garment, I'll be healed. Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once, Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked which one of y'all just touched my clothes? Was that Chris Rock? Which one of y'all just kicked me? Which one of y'all just touched my clothes?
Pastor Richie (04:52):
You see people were crowding against you, His disciples answered. Look at all these people, Jesus. Look at this crowd. Look at everybody brushing into you. What do you mean who touched you? Yet you ask who touched me, but Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her came and fell at His feet, trembling with fear, told Him the whole truth. He said to her, daughter, your faith has healed. You go in peace and be freed from your suffering. And so let's start to unpack this this morning. Let's look at some of the points, the principles and insights that I believe if we can get, if we can begin to practice, if God will open our hearts and increase our faith, I believe we can begin to see God do the miraculous this morning. Will y'all believe that with me?
Pastor Richie (05:40):
So the first point or insight that I see this morning, number one, the perfect storm can prime you for a miracle. The perfect storm primed this woman for a miracle. You see the woman we just read about, she struggled with issue of blood for 12 years. How many of you know that 12 years is an awful long time to struggle with anything? And yet this woman struggled for 12 years. You see, the number 12 has a significant meaning in the Bible. The number 12 typically means perfection or authority. And it's often, the number 12 is often associated in the context of government. For instance, we see the 12 disciples. We see the 12 tribes of Israel. We see that Moses sent 12 spies to scout out the promised land and bring back the report. In Revelation, we read about the new Jerusalem where we see the number 12 repeatedly: 12 gates, 12 angels, 12 foundations.
Pastor Richie (06:41):
What is all this saying? All of this is pointing to perfection, ultimately coming under God's authority and under God's government. Typically when we see the number 12 in Scripture, it's associated in a positive context. Okay? But not so much when we read about the woman with the issue of blood. Am I right? She had this issue of blood for 12 years and it wasn't a good thing. But we still see that this thing had authority and full government over her life. It dictated everything that she did in her life. Why do I say that? Because under the culture, under Jewish law, she would have been considered unclean. No one would have wanted to come into contact with her. She would have been ostracized. She would have been pushed to the side. She would have been looked down on. Here's the thing. This 12 certainly didn't mean perfection in her life in the sense that we think it should.
Pastor Richie (07:40):
But it did represent a perfect storm because absolutely everything, this issue governed and had authority over her life. It was the perfect storm. Maybe you're in here this morning, you can relate to this woman. Maybe you're coming up against something that seems to be governing your life. Maybe you're coming up against something that seems to be controlling your life. Maybe like this woman, you feel like you're in the perfect storm. How many of you know that God has ultimate authority and God has ultimate control? How many of you know that God is Lord over the storm and he can speak one word and he can still and silence the wind and waves in your life and bring peace and silence? Do y'all believe that? Come on, He is Lord over the storm.
Pastor Richie (08:26):
This woman, she was in a perfect storm for 12 years that governed her life. I believe she was sick and tired of being sick and tired. And so guess what? It primed her for a miracle from God. Number two, we learn this, that what's impossible with man is possible with God. What's impossible with man is possible with God. This woman had an issue of blood for 12 years. That's a long time. It controlled her life. And we read that she literally spent everything she had on doctors. And instead of getting better, we read that it actually got worse. How many of you have said that well, it can't get any worse
Pastor Richie (09:08):
And then egg on your face because you realize, oh, it can get much worse. How many of you maybe that's your 2020? You know? It's like you run out of gas and you're outside. You're pushing the car. Well, it couldn't get any worse. And then it starts raining, right? I mean like it can always get worse. But let me tell you something. It can always get better too. How many of you have ever found yourself in the position, you're like life is so hard? And I'm not making fun but you're like it couldn't get any worse. And then you live a little bit more life, like five or 10 years and you're like I wish I could go back to when I thought it was so bad because now I've got it so bad. I wish I could go back to then when I thought it was bad because it was so good. Am I right?
Pastor Richie (10:04):
It can always get worse, but it can get better too. Verse 26, the text said this woman suffered a great deal under the hand of many doctors. She spent all she had. And yet, instead of getting better, she grew worse. But this is where everything changed. Verse 27, when she heard about Jesus. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and she touched His cloak. You know, sometimes our situations never get any better. And in fact, sometimes our situations get worse because we refuse to bring our problems to the feet of Jesus. I mean, we'll exhaust every other resource. We'll go down every other avenue. We'll do this. We'll exhaust everything else. But we refuse to bring our problem to the feet of Jesus. And many times, I think that's why our problems are not resolving. In fact, they end up getting worse.
Pastor Richie (10:59):
I just want to challenge you this morning, if you've tried going to the doctor for something health-related and nothing's changing and in fact, it's got worse, I've got advice for you. Why not go to Jesus? Come on. If you've gone to some marriage counseling, you find man, my marriage hadn't gotten any better. It's gotten worse. Hey, go to Jesus. If you've gone to rehab and that addiction hadn't gotten any better, it's actually gotten worse. Hey, go to Jesus. If you've tried infertility treatment and nothing's working, that seems like the finish line is even farther down the road, don't just go to that but go to Jesus as well. So let me explain and clear the water this morning.
Pastor Richie (11:39):
What I am not saying is that we shouldn't use these things. Amen? I'm not saying. I believe doctors are gifts from God. I believe counselors are gifts from God. I believe rehabs are gifts for God. But it would be a crying shame to go down these other avenues and exhaust them and never go to the one who said, hey, cast your cares upon me because I care for you. We should go to these things. And God sometimes may even say, hey, I want you to go to rehab so I can work a miracle in your life or I want you to go to the doctor so I can work a miracle in your life. Don't leave God out of the picture. Amen? Come on, bring it to His feet and allow Him to work a miracle.
Pastor Richie (12:23):
This woman tried everything she could. She spent everything she had on doctors. And instead of getting better, she actually grew worse. Here's the thing. Man had ultimately failed this woman. Through the eyes of man, it seemed like an impossible situation. But when she heard that Jesus was coming, how many of you know what is impossible with man is possible with God? When this woman heard about Jesus, she said, I'm going to bring my problems to him. Verse 27, when she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and she touched His cloak. Because she thought if I can just touch His clothes, if I can just touch the hem of His garment, I will be healed.
Pastor Richie (13:07):
That leads us to part number three, point number three, insight number three. Faith takes hold of God's promises. Faith tastes hold to the eternal truth of God's promises. Here's Jesus passing by. In fact, when we read the text, right at the beginning, we read that Jesus wasn't even actually on His way to heal her. Do y'all recognize that? He was on His way to heal somebody else's little girl. How many of you have ever felt like Jesus, everybody else is getting their miracle and yet Jesus is passing you by? Jesus was actually passing this woman by on His way to perform another miracle. Isn't that a sad place to be in? It's like God, I see this person getting their miracle. This person's getting there. The person right beside me just fell on the ground. Why aren't you touching me?
Pastor Richie (13:57):
You like people don't fall on the ground around me. It happens. Okay? Jesus, it seemed like He was passing her by. But this woman said not today. Not today. I've tried everything else. I've exhausted every other resource. I've went down every other avenue. I don't have a choice. I'm going to touch Jesus today and I'm going to be healed and made whole. Come on. Is that your declaration today? She said, if I can just touch the hem of His garment. There's so much richness to this thought right here. If I can just touch the him of His garment. You see, in the Mosaic Law, God instructed His people regarding the corners or the fringes of their garments. Jews were to actually make tassels on the corner of their garments throughout their generations. They were to actually put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. If you want to go and study this, look in Numbers 15:37 through 41.
Pastor Richie (15:02):
Why did God call them and command them to do this? Why put the tassels, why put the fringes, why put the chords on the corners of their garments? This was to stand out as a reminder that they were God's chosen people and that they were called to keep God's commands. You could say that the corner of their garments symbolized who they were and what they stood for. These corners were a representation of their identity. Wrapped up in the corners of their clothes was their identity. They said, this is who I am. This is what I stand for. This is my lineage. This is who I'm living for in the corner, in the fringes of their clothes.
Pastor Richie (15:44):
Many scholars believe this, that Jesus being a devout Jew, most likely was wearing a garment that could have had these fringes on it in accordance with the law. Here's the thing we have to recognize. When this woman said, if I can just touch the hem of His garment, I'll be healed. You know what she could have been saying, what she could have been thinking? If I can just touch the fringe of His garment, I'll be healed. What was she saying? If I can just align by faith with who this man says He is, I'll be healed. If I can just come into alignment with what this man stands for, I'll be healed. If I can just bring myself into alignment with this man who may have been prophesied about in Malachi 4:2, the one who will arise with healing in His wings.
Pastor Richie (16:31):
If I can just align myself with this man, hey, maybe I'll be healed. She could have been thinking, man, this is Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals. This is Jehovah-Jireh, the one who provides all my needs. This is Jehovah-Shalom, the God of my peace. This is Jehovah-Nissi, God is my banner and my victory. And you may not see a way through it. But come on, God is victorious. This could be El Shaddai, God almighty, the more than enough God. This could be Jehovah-M'Kaddish, the God who sanctifies me and will equip me to walk through this situation victoriously.
Pastor Richie (17:08):
She could've been thinking these things. This is the one who was prophesied about. She reached through in faith. She grabbed His garment and Jesus said, which one of y'all touched me? Healing just left my body. And she got her healing right there. She hooked up. She touched Him. Verse 27, ooh, when she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak because she thought if I can touch His clothes, I will be healed. Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. I love this story.
Pastor Richie (17:52):
And it reminds me of a testimony that's very personal to me. My in-laws, Jeff and Danielle, if y'all throw that picture up there, they had Lydia. They had their little girl. And when she was about three years old, she started asking for a little brother. And every night before she went to bed, she would say her prayers with Jeff and Danielle. And she would always pray, God, give me a little brother. Lord, let mommy and daddy make a baby so that I can have a little brother. I don't know if she said that but she asked for a little brother. As that came out of my mouth, I was like she probably didn't say that. She did ask for a little brother though. Unbeknownst to her, I don't know that she knew that her parents were really struggling to conceive and have a baby.
Pastor Richie (18:58):
And actually, for something like six years, they tried to have a baby and they actually had two miscarriages. And like they tried to conceive. They conceive twice and had miscarriages. And so after about three years of that, they finally gave up because by all intents and purposes, they believed that they could not get pregnant anymore. But guess what? This little baby, this three year old, this four year old, she doesn't know what's going on. God, give me a little brother. Let momma and daddy give me a little brother. She keeps praying every night and her parents, even knowing what's going on, what are you going to tell your kid? Baby, we can't - no, you pray with your baby. God give us a. What I love about this story is here's this baby carrying the faith. The baby is carrying the faith. God give me a brother.
Pastor Richie (19:53):
And the miraculous takes place. They conceive. They go to the doctor because Danielle starts bleeding so badly. After all this, they finally conceive and Danielle shared with me again, she started bleeding so bad, she thought she was hemorrhaging. And that's never good news. And so they go to the doctor. They take an ultrasound and they come back with this picture. Okay? And the doctors gave them the report. They said, you are pregnant. They said, but you've got this blood clot. And they said, this thing could be detrimental to the baby. It could hurt you. It could hurt the baby. How many of you know that this looks like a perfect storm? Looks like a perfect storm. And so talk about, take the wind out of your sails.
Pastor Richie (20:48):
And so they come back to the truck. Lydia is like six years old at this point. They take this ultrasound picture and they give it to Lydia. And they say, Lydia, mommy and daddy are pregnant. We're going to have a baby. They said, but do you see this dark blob right here? They said, we need to pray that that goes away so that it doesn't hurt the baby. And they said they gave her the picture. And a few moments later, they looked back in the back seat and Lydia's holding this sonogram picture right here like this. Believe in God. For what? For her little brother. Did it matter how bad it looked? Did it matter that they had had two miscarriages? Did it matter that the perfect storm was blowing in?
Pastor Richie (21:39):
Come on, about to take that baby out? No, the six-year-old baby didn't see any of that. All she saw was I know that I serve a God who has healing in His ways. Come on. And what is impossible with man shall not be impossible with God. She believed God for the miracle. And this is the difficulty. This is the mystery. This is what we don't understand. When did the miracle actually happen? I don't know when the miracle actually happened. I believe that it was activated at the very beginning through the prayers of a three year old, four year old, five year old and a six year old. And the faith was activated in that truck. I don't know when it ultimately took place. But guess what I do know? Come on. What's impossible with man is possible with God.
Pastor Richie (22:36):
You know, sometimes what I love so much about this testimony is I think as adults, sometimes we make it more complicated than it has to be. You know, sometimes we're like, oh, we speak in King James Version of God. Thoust has the power to heal me. We get so formal with God. That's what I'm trying to say. We get so formal. But do you know Jesus said this. He said, unless you become like one of these little children, you can inherit the Kingdom of God. I think we make it more complicated than it needs to be. She didn't have to come to God with her formality. She didn't have to know the Scripture. All she had to believe that, guess what? Jesus is a healer and He's big enough. And I believe that He can touch my mom. And whatever He needs to do, I believe that He can accomplish it for this miracle.
Pastor Richie (23:30):
Are you there today? Are you there today? Do you believe that He's big enough that He can accomplish it? At once, Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd. Who touched my clothes? Seeing the people crowding against you. Do you see the people crowding against you, His disciples asked him. And yet you asked, who touched me? But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Let me say this real quick. There were a lot of people that were touching Jesus or there were a lot of people crowding Jesus I should say. There were people bumping up against Him. There were people maybe trying to get around Him.
Pastor Richie (24:19):
There were, I bet you anything, they all touch the same clothes, guys. They were all bumping into Him. I think the difference is they had no idea who was in their midst. I don't think any one of them said, you know what? I know who this man is and I'm about to hook up with Him. You see, here's the thing that we have to be so careful of. We can come in this room, we can sing the same songs, we can sit under the message. But guess what? I believe we miss it if we don't have the expectation that says, guess what? I'm about to touch the one who's coming through today, Jesus with healing in His wings. I think we've got to have that expectation. I think we've got to be able to say, I'm not letting Him pass me by. I'm going to touch Him and I'm going to hook up with Him.
Pastor Richie (25:12):
The woman knowing what had happened to her came and fell at His feet and trembling with fear told Him the truth. He said to her, daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering. That brings us to point number four and the final point. Faith doesn't free us from the fight. Faith doesn't free us from the fight. I love this scene. Jesus literally being crushed by people. Everybody's bumping into Jesus. I wonder how hard it was for this woman to get to Jesus. I wonder if she had to claw, tooth and nail. I wonder if she had to push through people. I mean it was worse than Black Friday trying to get a TV. Okay? At half price. Like she was having a fight her way through the crowds. And remember, she's the woman with the issue of blood.
Pastor Richie (26:04):
Everyone knows that she's uncleaned. So was she wearing a cloak? Did she have to get down on the ground on her hands and knees? Was she getting stepped on? Was she getting pummeled? I wonder if at any point during this scenario, if she ever said to herself, man, maybe it's just not worth the pain? Man, maybe it's just not worth it to try to push through this crowd. But guess what? She pushed through it all. She got to Jesus. She made contact and boom, a healing came. I want to tell you this morning that when you begin to believe and have faith for your miracle, that doesn't mean that the fight is over. That just means the fight of faith may just be beginning.
Pastor Richie (26:44):
When you believe for the impossible and believe for your miracle and you have faith for the miracle, that doesn't mean the fight's over. It means the fight of faith is just beginning. You'll have to fight doubt and unbelief. You'll have to fight the naysayers. Maybe God drops a word in your heart to believe for that miracle, to believe for the impossible. But those around you say, well... Are you going to listen to the naysayers or are you going to listen to God's Word? Your situation may get worse before it gets better. You'll fight the lies of the enemy. But I've got news for you this morning. The fight of faith says, I may not see it, but I know my God's at work. The fight of faith says, I may not understand it, but I know His ways are higher than my ways. The fight of faith says, I may have exhausted all my resources, but I know this. My God is able.
Pastor Richie (27:38):
The fight of faith says, what is impossible with man is possible with God. The fight of faith says, I believe God is who He says He is and I believe He'll do what He says he can do. The fight of faith says Romans 8: 28, all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I may not see any good in this situation, but I know that God is at work to bring good out of it. The fight of faith, trust in God and in His Word. And get this, the fight of faith says, come on. The fight of faith says, I believe that God is about to perform a miracle and remove this problem from my life. And if He doesn't, God's going to perform a miracle and give me the grace to go through this problem.
Pastor Richie (28:26):
Can we believe for miracles this morning? Can we keep pressing on? Can we press in through the doubt? Can we press in through the naysayers? Can we press in through the unbelief? Can we press in through the bad reports? Can we press in through the storm, through what it may look like? Can we press in, that despite the fact that we've exhausted every other resource, can we press in and believe that God is able? Come on, I want to challenge you and encourage you this morning to keep pressing into Jesus. Let's experience His power this morning. Let's experience what He has for us. Can we do that?
Pastor Richie (29:10):
This morning, as we get ready to close, maybe you've come in today with an impossible situation. It looks impossible on all accounts. Maybe you've gone down every avenue and you've tried everything that you know to try and your situation hasn't gotten any better. It could've even gotten worse. Can we press in to go to Jesus this morning to do what He says, to cast our upon Him? Why? Because He cares for us. Can we press into Him and bring those issues, those problems? Can we fight through the impossibility and say, I believe that this is possible with God? Let me ask you something today. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Is there anything too hard for the Lord? Maybe some of you are in here this morning, you've dealt with this problem for so long that it's just become a regular part of life. You've said, well, this is who I am. Guess what? Twelve years, it's never too late. Twelve years, it's never too late.
Pastor Richie (30:22):
I believe, I asked for the Spirit of God to come and shake some things and say, this is not what I have for you. It's time to believe. Maybe you feel like you're in the perfect storm. You felt like man, there was no way that it could get any worse. And guess what? Something proved you wrong. It got much worse. Guess what? I believe you're primed for a miracle this morning. When it looks bad, when it looks bleak, that's just a bigger opportunity for God to shine in your life. This morning, let's take hold of the promises of God. Let's take hold to the promises in His Word. Let's push past the doubt. Let's push past the naysayers, the unbelief and lay hold of what Jesus has in store for us this morning. Can you all stand with me?
Pastor Richie (31:18):
I believe that something I've said this morning has resonated in your heart this morning. If that happened to you say, amen. Let me tell you something. There's nothing too big or too little for God. He sees it all and He's able. Right now, I want to give you the opportunity to activate your faith. Come on. I believe in the call to action. I don't believe in just hearing the message and walking out. I believe in doing something with the Word that you've heard. And so right now, I want to give you the opportunity to respond in faith. Every person that came in this morning, you should have this card on your chair. It says miracle month. I know that there's somebody in here coming up against an impossible situation. Let's take it to the Lord this morning and believe for Him to work.
Pastor Richie (32:05):
Right now, I challenge you, put pen to paper and activate the faith and let's get ready to celebrate what God's going to do. Amen? Let me pray over us this morning. Lord. I thank you for your goodness. Thank you for your faithfulness. Lord, I thank you for your Word that's gone forth. Lord, I thank you that what's impossible with man is possible with you. Lord, I ask you to have your will, have your way. Lord, let faith increase, let doubt decrease. Lord, and as people begin to believe and they write down their miracle, I thank you that faith is activated and their faith will make them whole. Lord, have your way. Help us to believe. Thank you for grace. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Darrell Ingram (32:48):
On behalf of Pastor James, we're so glad you joined us this morning. If you still want someone to pray with you, we have people on standby right now. Pastor James will be here next week and he'll be continuing the message series, Miracle Month. But what you need to look forward in the future to is what's going to be happening at Christmas here at Journey. Tune in and see. We'll see you next week.
Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.
Amen. How are y'all doing? Man, welcome to Journey church. Y'all excited? Amen, Amen. Man, Look, on behalf of pastor James, welcome to journey church. Man, we're just so excited to have each and every one of you here this morning. And I want to give Pastor James and Mrs. Debbie a big shout out. Would y'all give them some love real quick? Man, y'all get some much needed rest and enjoy yourselves. And we can't wait to see y'all back rested and energized and ready to run. And so man, my wife is not in here. She was the last service but I always want to give her a big shout out. She puts up with me and that says a lot. She's got a lot of grace. And amen. And she makes me better.
Pastor Richie (00:55):
So my small group as well. Also, I've got some family here. My sister Abby and just a lot of you. I love all of you. And many of you support me in a lot of ways. So thank y'all so much. And man, I'm just excited to continue our series this month entitled Miracle Month. Somebody say miracle month. Miracle month. What's on your miracle list? The whole month of November, we're going to be talking about how you can receive your miracle. And while I was preparing for this sermon, there seemed to be just one passage in particular that just kind of was in my heart, in my mind from the very get go. And it comes out of Mark 5:24 through 34. It's the story of the woman with the issue of blood. Maybe many of you know it. And this story is actually, it's in the gospel of Mark.
Pastor Richie (01:50):
It's also in the gospel of Matthew and in the gospel of Luke. But I personally just really enjoy the Mark account because it's so rich in details and insight. And it really gives us more what was really happening in this moment that we can gaze into. And I believe that we can really see, you know, what really brought this miracle about. What was really going on in the thinking? What was really going on in the heart? And so that's why I love the Mark account. And in just a moment, what we're going to do is we're going to read through this passage and then we're going to take the rest of the service just to break it down and see the richness that is in this text. And so I'm just believing, God, that as we go through this message this morning, I pray that you'll believe with me, come on, that faith would be increased, that doubt and unbelief would be decreased, that the devil is defeated, that Jesus is on the throne, that He would show up this morning, begin to do the miraculous for His people, that what's impossible with man would be possible with God. He would perform the miracles for on behalf of his people. And we'll give Him the praise and honor and glory for it. In Jesus' name. If you believe, say amen.
Pastor Richie (03:03):
And so I know the students are up there in the balcony. So I need y'all to give me some love too this morning. Can y'all do that? All right. Amen. So I'm excited about this message. Let's read the text this morning and then we're going to unpack it. Mark 5:21 through 34. When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around Him while He was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders named Gerasenes came. And when he saw Jesus, He fell at His feet. He pleaded earnestly with Him. He said, my little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and alive. So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around Him. Was it a small crowd? A large crowd followed Him and pressed around Him.
Pastor Richie (03:57):
And a woman who was there who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years, she had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had. Yet, instead of getting better, she actually grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak because she thought if I can touch His clothes, I will be healed. The version that I love is if I can just touch the hem of His garment, I'll be healed. Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once, Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked which one of y'all just touched my clothes? Was that Chris Rock? Which one of y'all just kicked me? Which one of y'all just touched my clothes?
Pastor Richie (04:52):
You see people were crowding against you, His disciples answered. Look at all these people, Jesus. Look at this crowd. Look at everybody brushing into you. What do you mean who touched you? Yet you ask who touched me, but Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her came and fell at His feet, trembling with fear, told Him the whole truth. He said to her, daughter, your faith has healed. You go in peace and be freed from your suffering. And so let's start to unpack this this morning. Let's look at some of the points, the principles and insights that I believe if we can get, if we can begin to practice, if God will open our hearts and increase our faith, I believe we can begin to see God do the miraculous this morning. Will y'all believe that with me?
Pastor Richie (05:40):
So the first point or insight that I see this morning, number one, the perfect storm can prime you for a miracle. The perfect storm primed this woman for a miracle. You see the woman we just read about, she struggled with issue of blood for 12 years. How many of you know that 12 years is an awful long time to struggle with anything? And yet this woman struggled for 12 years. You see, the number 12 has a significant meaning in the Bible. The number 12 typically means perfection or authority. And it's often, the number 12 is often associated in the context of government. For instance, we see the 12 disciples. We see the 12 tribes of Israel. We see that Moses sent 12 spies to scout out the promised land and bring back the report. In Revelation, we read about the new Jerusalem where we see the number 12 repeatedly: 12 gates, 12 angels, 12 foundations.
Pastor Richie (06:41):
What is all this saying? All of this is pointing to perfection, ultimately coming under God's authority and under God's government. Typically when we see the number 12 in Scripture, it's associated in a positive context. Okay? But not so much when we read about the woman with the issue of blood. Am I right? She had this issue of blood for 12 years and it wasn't a good thing. But we still see that this thing had authority and full government over her life. It dictated everything that she did in her life. Why do I say that? Because under the culture, under Jewish law, she would have been considered unclean. No one would have wanted to come into contact with her. She would have been ostracized. She would have been pushed to the side. She would have been looked down on. Here's the thing. This 12 certainly didn't mean perfection in her life in the sense that we think it should.
Pastor Richie (07:40):
But it did represent a perfect storm because absolutely everything, this issue governed and had authority over her life. It was the perfect storm. Maybe you're in here this morning, you can relate to this woman. Maybe you're coming up against something that seems to be governing your life. Maybe you're coming up against something that seems to be controlling your life. Maybe like this woman, you feel like you're in the perfect storm. How many of you know that God has ultimate authority and God has ultimate control? How many of you know that God is Lord over the storm and he can speak one word and he can still and silence the wind and waves in your life and bring peace and silence? Do y'all believe that? Come on, He is Lord over the storm.
Pastor Richie (08:26):
This woman, she was in a perfect storm for 12 years that governed her life. I believe she was sick and tired of being sick and tired. And so guess what? It primed her for a miracle from God. Number two, we learn this, that what's impossible with man is possible with God. What's impossible with man is possible with God. This woman had an issue of blood for 12 years. That's a long time. It controlled her life. And we read that she literally spent everything she had on doctors. And instead of getting better, we read that it actually got worse. How many of you have said that well, it can't get any worse
Pastor Richie (09:08):
And then egg on your face because you realize, oh, it can get much worse. How many of you maybe that's your 2020? You know? It's like you run out of gas and you're outside. You're pushing the car. Well, it couldn't get any worse. And then it starts raining, right? I mean like it can always get worse. But let me tell you something. It can always get better too. How many of you have ever found yourself in the position, you're like life is so hard? And I'm not making fun but you're like it couldn't get any worse. And then you live a little bit more life, like five or 10 years and you're like I wish I could go back to when I thought it was so bad because now I've got it so bad. I wish I could go back to then when I thought it was bad because it was so good. Am I right?
Pastor Richie (10:04):
It can always get worse, but it can get better too. Verse 26, the text said this woman suffered a great deal under the hand of many doctors. She spent all she had. And yet, instead of getting better, she grew worse. But this is where everything changed. Verse 27, when she heard about Jesus. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and she touched His cloak. You know, sometimes our situations never get any better. And in fact, sometimes our situations get worse because we refuse to bring our problems to the feet of Jesus. I mean, we'll exhaust every other resource. We'll go down every other avenue. We'll do this. We'll exhaust everything else. But we refuse to bring our problem to the feet of Jesus. And many times, I think that's why our problems are not resolving. In fact, they end up getting worse.
Pastor Richie (10:59):
I just want to challenge you this morning, if you've tried going to the doctor for something health-related and nothing's changing and in fact, it's got worse, I've got advice for you. Why not go to Jesus? Come on. If you've gone to some marriage counseling, you find man, my marriage hadn't gotten any better. It's gotten worse. Hey, go to Jesus. If you've gone to rehab and that addiction hadn't gotten any better, it's actually gotten worse. Hey, go to Jesus. If you've tried infertility treatment and nothing's working, that seems like the finish line is even farther down the road, don't just go to that but go to Jesus as well. So let me explain and clear the water this morning.
Pastor Richie (11:39):
What I am not saying is that we shouldn't use these things. Amen? I'm not saying. I believe doctors are gifts from God. I believe counselors are gifts from God. I believe rehabs are gifts for God. But it would be a crying shame to go down these other avenues and exhaust them and never go to the one who said, hey, cast your cares upon me because I care for you. We should go to these things. And God sometimes may even say, hey, I want you to go to rehab so I can work a miracle in your life or I want you to go to the doctor so I can work a miracle in your life. Don't leave God out of the picture. Amen? Come on, bring it to His feet and allow Him to work a miracle.
Pastor Richie (12:23):
This woman tried everything she could. She spent everything she had on doctors. And instead of getting better, she actually grew worse. Here's the thing. Man had ultimately failed this woman. Through the eyes of man, it seemed like an impossible situation. But when she heard that Jesus was coming, how many of you know what is impossible with man is possible with God? When this woman heard about Jesus, she said, I'm going to bring my problems to him. Verse 27, when she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and she touched His cloak. Because she thought if I can just touch His clothes, if I can just touch the hem of His garment, I will be healed.
Pastor Richie (13:07):
That leads us to part number three, point number three, insight number three. Faith takes hold of God's promises. Faith tastes hold to the eternal truth of God's promises. Here's Jesus passing by. In fact, when we read the text, right at the beginning, we read that Jesus wasn't even actually on His way to heal her. Do y'all recognize that? He was on His way to heal somebody else's little girl. How many of you have ever felt like Jesus, everybody else is getting their miracle and yet Jesus is passing you by? Jesus was actually passing this woman by on His way to perform another miracle. Isn't that a sad place to be in? It's like God, I see this person getting their miracle. This person's getting there. The person right beside me just fell on the ground. Why aren't you touching me?
Pastor Richie (13:57):
You like people don't fall on the ground around me. It happens. Okay? Jesus, it seemed like He was passing her by. But this woman said not today. Not today. I've tried everything else. I've exhausted every other resource. I've went down every other avenue. I don't have a choice. I'm going to touch Jesus today and I'm going to be healed and made whole. Come on. Is that your declaration today? She said, if I can just touch the hem of His garment. There's so much richness to this thought right here. If I can just touch the him of His garment. You see, in the Mosaic Law, God instructed His people regarding the corners or the fringes of their garments. Jews were to actually make tassels on the corner of their garments throughout their generations. They were to actually put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. If you want to go and study this, look in Numbers 15:37 through 41.
Pastor Richie (15:02):
Why did God call them and command them to do this? Why put the tassels, why put the fringes, why put the chords on the corners of their garments? This was to stand out as a reminder that they were God's chosen people and that they were called to keep God's commands. You could say that the corner of their garments symbolized who they were and what they stood for. These corners were a representation of their identity. Wrapped up in the corners of their clothes was their identity. They said, this is who I am. This is what I stand for. This is my lineage. This is who I'm living for in the corner, in the fringes of their clothes.
Pastor Richie (15:44):
Many scholars believe this, that Jesus being a devout Jew, most likely was wearing a garment that could have had these fringes on it in accordance with the law. Here's the thing we have to recognize. When this woman said, if I can just touch the hem of His garment, I'll be healed. You know what she could have been saying, what she could have been thinking? If I can just touch the fringe of His garment, I'll be healed. What was she saying? If I can just align by faith with who this man says He is, I'll be healed. If I can just come into alignment with what this man stands for, I'll be healed. If I can just bring myself into alignment with this man who may have been prophesied about in Malachi 4:2, the one who will arise with healing in His wings.
Pastor Richie (16:31):
If I can just align myself with this man, hey, maybe I'll be healed. She could have been thinking, man, this is Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals. This is Jehovah-Jireh, the one who provides all my needs. This is Jehovah-Shalom, the God of my peace. This is Jehovah-Nissi, God is my banner and my victory. And you may not see a way through it. But come on, God is victorious. This could be El Shaddai, God almighty, the more than enough God. This could be Jehovah-M'Kaddish, the God who sanctifies me and will equip me to walk through this situation victoriously.
Pastor Richie (17:08):
She could've been thinking these things. This is the one who was prophesied about. She reached through in faith. She grabbed His garment and Jesus said, which one of y'all touched me? Healing just left my body. And she got her healing right there. She hooked up. She touched Him. Verse 27, ooh, when she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak because she thought if I can touch His clothes, I will be healed. Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. I love this story.
Pastor Richie (17:52):
And it reminds me of a testimony that's very personal to me. My in-laws, Jeff and Danielle, if y'all throw that picture up there, they had Lydia. They had their little girl. And when she was about three years old, she started asking for a little brother. And every night before she went to bed, she would say her prayers with Jeff and Danielle. And she would always pray, God, give me a little brother. Lord, let mommy and daddy make a baby so that I can have a little brother. I don't know if she said that but she asked for a little brother. As that came out of my mouth, I was like she probably didn't say that. She did ask for a little brother though. Unbeknownst to her, I don't know that she knew that her parents were really struggling to conceive and have a baby.
Pastor Richie (18:58):
And actually, for something like six years, they tried to have a baby and they actually had two miscarriages. And like they tried to conceive. They conceive twice and had miscarriages. And so after about three years of that, they finally gave up because by all intents and purposes, they believed that they could not get pregnant anymore. But guess what? This little baby, this three year old, this four year old, she doesn't know what's going on. God, give me a little brother. Let momma and daddy give me a little brother. She keeps praying every night and her parents, even knowing what's going on, what are you going to tell your kid? Baby, we can't - no, you pray with your baby. God give us a. What I love about this story is here's this baby carrying the faith. The baby is carrying the faith. God give me a brother.
Pastor Richie (19:53):
And the miraculous takes place. They conceive. They go to the doctor because Danielle starts bleeding so badly. After all this, they finally conceive and Danielle shared with me again, she started bleeding so bad, she thought she was hemorrhaging. And that's never good news. And so they go to the doctor. They take an ultrasound and they come back with this picture. Okay? And the doctors gave them the report. They said, you are pregnant. They said, but you've got this blood clot. And they said, this thing could be detrimental to the baby. It could hurt you. It could hurt the baby. How many of you know that this looks like a perfect storm? Looks like a perfect storm. And so talk about, take the wind out of your sails.
Pastor Richie (20:48):
And so they come back to the truck. Lydia is like six years old at this point. They take this ultrasound picture and they give it to Lydia. And they say, Lydia, mommy and daddy are pregnant. We're going to have a baby. They said, but do you see this dark blob right here? They said, we need to pray that that goes away so that it doesn't hurt the baby. And they said they gave her the picture. And a few moments later, they looked back in the back seat and Lydia's holding this sonogram picture right here like this. Believe in God. For what? For her little brother. Did it matter how bad it looked? Did it matter that they had had two miscarriages? Did it matter that the perfect storm was blowing in?
Pastor Richie (21:39):
Come on, about to take that baby out? No, the six-year-old baby didn't see any of that. All she saw was I know that I serve a God who has healing in His ways. Come on. And what is impossible with man shall not be impossible with God. She believed God for the miracle. And this is the difficulty. This is the mystery. This is what we don't understand. When did the miracle actually happen? I don't know when the miracle actually happened. I believe that it was activated at the very beginning through the prayers of a three year old, four year old, five year old and a six year old. And the faith was activated in that truck. I don't know when it ultimately took place. But guess what I do know? Come on. What's impossible with man is possible with God.
Pastor Richie (22:36):
You know, sometimes what I love so much about this testimony is I think as adults, sometimes we make it more complicated than it has to be. You know, sometimes we're like, oh, we speak in King James Version of God. Thoust has the power to heal me. We get so formal with God. That's what I'm trying to say. We get so formal. But do you know Jesus said this. He said, unless you become like one of these little children, you can inherit the Kingdom of God. I think we make it more complicated than it needs to be. She didn't have to come to God with her formality. She didn't have to know the Scripture. All she had to believe that, guess what? Jesus is a healer and He's big enough. And I believe that He can touch my mom. And whatever He needs to do, I believe that He can accomplish it for this miracle.
Pastor Richie (23:30):
Are you there today? Are you there today? Do you believe that He's big enough that He can accomplish it? At once, Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd. Who touched my clothes? Seeing the people crowding against you. Do you see the people crowding against you, His disciples asked him. And yet you asked, who touched me? But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Let me say this real quick. There were a lot of people that were touching Jesus or there were a lot of people crowding Jesus I should say. There were people bumping up against Him. There were people maybe trying to get around Him.
Pastor Richie (24:19):
There were, I bet you anything, they all touch the same clothes, guys. They were all bumping into Him. I think the difference is they had no idea who was in their midst. I don't think any one of them said, you know what? I know who this man is and I'm about to hook up with Him. You see, here's the thing that we have to be so careful of. We can come in this room, we can sing the same songs, we can sit under the message. But guess what? I believe we miss it if we don't have the expectation that says, guess what? I'm about to touch the one who's coming through today, Jesus with healing in His wings. I think we've got to have that expectation. I think we've got to be able to say, I'm not letting Him pass me by. I'm going to touch Him and I'm going to hook up with Him.
Pastor Richie (25:12):
The woman knowing what had happened to her came and fell at His feet and trembling with fear told Him the truth. He said to her, daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering. That brings us to point number four and the final point. Faith doesn't free us from the fight. Faith doesn't free us from the fight. I love this scene. Jesus literally being crushed by people. Everybody's bumping into Jesus. I wonder how hard it was for this woman to get to Jesus. I wonder if she had to claw, tooth and nail. I wonder if she had to push through people. I mean it was worse than Black Friday trying to get a TV. Okay? At half price. Like she was having a fight her way through the crowds. And remember, she's the woman with the issue of blood.
Pastor Richie (26:04):
Everyone knows that she's uncleaned. So was she wearing a cloak? Did she have to get down on the ground on her hands and knees? Was she getting stepped on? Was she getting pummeled? I wonder if at any point during this scenario, if she ever said to herself, man, maybe it's just not worth the pain? Man, maybe it's just not worth it to try to push through this crowd. But guess what? She pushed through it all. She got to Jesus. She made contact and boom, a healing came. I want to tell you this morning that when you begin to believe and have faith for your miracle, that doesn't mean that the fight is over. That just means the fight of faith may just be beginning.
Pastor Richie (26:44):
When you believe for the impossible and believe for your miracle and you have faith for the miracle, that doesn't mean the fight's over. It means the fight of faith is just beginning. You'll have to fight doubt and unbelief. You'll have to fight the naysayers. Maybe God drops a word in your heart to believe for that miracle, to believe for the impossible. But those around you say, well... Are you going to listen to the naysayers or are you going to listen to God's Word? Your situation may get worse before it gets better. You'll fight the lies of the enemy. But I've got news for you this morning. The fight of faith says, I may not see it, but I know my God's at work. The fight of faith says, I may not understand it, but I know His ways are higher than my ways. The fight of faith says, I may have exhausted all my resources, but I know this. My God is able.
Pastor Richie (27:38):
The fight of faith says, what is impossible with man is possible with God. The fight of faith says, I believe God is who He says He is and I believe He'll do what He says he can do. The fight of faith says Romans 8: 28, all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I may not see any good in this situation, but I know that God is at work to bring good out of it. The fight of faith, trust in God and in His Word. And get this, the fight of faith says, come on. The fight of faith says, I believe that God is about to perform a miracle and remove this problem from my life. And if He doesn't, God's going to perform a miracle and give me the grace to go through this problem.
Pastor Richie (28:26):
Can we believe for miracles this morning? Can we keep pressing on? Can we press in through the doubt? Can we press in through the naysayers? Can we press in through the unbelief? Can we press in through the bad reports? Can we press in through the storm, through what it may look like? Can we press in, that despite the fact that we've exhausted every other resource, can we press in and believe that God is able? Come on, I want to challenge you and encourage you this morning to keep pressing into Jesus. Let's experience His power this morning. Let's experience what He has for us. Can we do that?
Pastor Richie (29:10):
This morning, as we get ready to close, maybe you've come in today with an impossible situation. It looks impossible on all accounts. Maybe you've gone down every avenue and you've tried everything that you know to try and your situation hasn't gotten any better. It could've even gotten worse. Can we press in to go to Jesus this morning to do what He says, to cast our upon Him? Why? Because He cares for us. Can we press into Him and bring those issues, those problems? Can we fight through the impossibility and say, I believe that this is possible with God? Let me ask you something today. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Is there anything too hard for the Lord? Maybe some of you are in here this morning, you've dealt with this problem for so long that it's just become a regular part of life. You've said, well, this is who I am. Guess what? Twelve years, it's never too late. Twelve years, it's never too late.
Pastor Richie (30:22):
I believe, I asked for the Spirit of God to come and shake some things and say, this is not what I have for you. It's time to believe. Maybe you feel like you're in the perfect storm. You felt like man, there was no way that it could get any worse. And guess what? Something proved you wrong. It got much worse. Guess what? I believe you're primed for a miracle this morning. When it looks bad, when it looks bleak, that's just a bigger opportunity for God to shine in your life. This morning, let's take hold of the promises of God. Let's take hold to the promises in His Word. Let's push past the doubt. Let's push past the naysayers, the unbelief and lay hold of what Jesus has in store for us this morning. Can you all stand with me?
Pastor Richie (31:18):
I believe that something I've said this morning has resonated in your heart this morning. If that happened to you say, amen. Let me tell you something. There's nothing too big or too little for God. He sees it all and He's able. Right now, I want to give you the opportunity to activate your faith. Come on. I believe in the call to action. I don't believe in just hearing the message and walking out. I believe in doing something with the Word that you've heard. And so right now, I want to give you the opportunity to respond in faith. Every person that came in this morning, you should have this card on your chair. It says miracle month. I know that there's somebody in here coming up against an impossible situation. Let's take it to the Lord this morning and believe for Him to work.
Pastor Richie (32:05):
Right now, I challenge you, put pen to paper and activate the faith and let's get ready to celebrate what God's going to do. Amen? Let me pray over us this morning. Lord. I thank you for your goodness. Thank you for your faithfulness. Lord, I thank you for your Word that's gone forth. Lord, I thank you that what's impossible with man is possible with you. Lord, I ask you to have your will, have your way. Lord, let faith increase, let doubt decrease. Lord, and as people begin to believe and they write down their miracle, I thank you that faith is activated and their faith will make them whole. Lord, have your way. Help us to believe. Thank you for grace. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Darrell Ingram (32:48):
On behalf of Pastor James, we're so glad you joined us this morning. If you still want someone to pray with you, we have people on standby right now. Pastor James will be here next week and he'll be continuing the message series, Miracle Month. But what you need to look forward in the future to is what's going to be happening at Christmas here at Journey. Tune in and see. We'll see you next week.
Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.
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