Matt Hagee - Desperate Enough To Believe
Mark 5, we've got two desperate people. We've got Jairus, a leader in the synagogue. He's an esteemed member of the community. He's probably an individual who has debated whether or not he agrees or disagrees with this disruptive rabbi from Nazareth that they call Jesus. I mean, obviously, there's things that are happening that are different. But suddenly, Jairus gets into a situation where he doesn't really care what the neighbors think. He's desperate enough to believe that Jesus is the one who can heal his daughter. We also have this woman with an issue of blood. According to the law of Moses, she's unclean. Remember we went to the other side of the lake to deal with an unclean man. He had an unclean spirit. He's in an unclean land. He's in an unclean graveyard, standing around a bunch of unclean pigs. You can't get any more unclean than that.
But now Jesus is back on other side of the lake, and guess what he finds here? Unclean. You need to understand what the Bible says when it tells us very clearly, "There is none righteous among you, no, not one". Because we often like to compare our cleanliness or uncleanliness predicated on who's sitting next to us, in front of us or behind us. But the real comparison comes when you put us up against Jesus. And when you go against him, you and I are unclean. You know desperate people do desperate things. And it's easy to judge somebody whenever you haven't been through what they've been through when you have no context for their understanding or their experience. You watch a desperate person behave out of the ordinary, and you go, "Why would they do that? What were they thinking"? The ultimate indictment for those of us who are judgmental is, "I would never".
Let me give you a free warning. Be careful with your nevers until you've been there. Because they may all be well and true. But what happens when you're the one in desperate need? What happens when you're the one who's willing to do just about anything to get relief from the burden and the affliction that you're facing? Wait until the phone rings and disrupts your life, and everything that was peaceful and perfect suddenly gets turned upside down. Wait until it was all smooth sailing. But now it's just a big-stormy sea, and you desperately want to know: God, what are you going to do about it? How do you respond in life's major reversals whenever the unexpected and the undeserved and the unfair seem to be all you're going to get?
Now, you're desperate. And this is exactly where this woman with an issue of blood is found in Mark 5:25. She's desperate. And she's willing to risk everything that she has and everything that she could ever be if she could just reach out in faith to see what God can do. Mark 5 introduces her as "A certain woman". She wasn't just anybody. People knew who she was. She didn't just show up on the scene all of a sudden. I mean, first and foremost, let's be clear: she was a woman. I know that that might not be politically correct in the world we live in, but if the Bible says you're a woman, chances are that's who you are. The Bible says, "This certain woman had an issue of blood". She's not even called by name. She's not identified by her race, her ethnicity. When we meet her, she's defined by her condition. Why? Because this certain woman has been in this situation for so long, it's all she's known for anymore.
It really doesn't matter what you suffer with. Sooner or later, suffering can be a part of your life for so long that it replaces who you were created to be and it becomes your identity. Not only is this woman in a desperate situation, the Bible tells us she's destitute. For verse 26 says that she suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but grew worse. Now before we talk about getting worse, I want to point out some things that I like about this gal. She's got grit. When you've been fighting something for 12 years, you've stayed in the fight. She might have a condition, but the condition don't have her, because she's still looking for an answer. Not only that, but if you've been paying for treatment for 12 years, you weren't broke when you started. She's been at this for over a decade, and now the Bible says she's out of all of her resources. Twelve years of trying this and that.
Based on this woman's story, I would recommend that you respond in faith. Why? Because the Bible says that faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Read the first words of verse 27. And let me tell you with great assurance that whenever you hear these words, it's the greatest news that this lady has ever heard, because everything in her life, all of the despair, all of the destitution, all of the disgrace, it's about to change. Why? Because verse 27 says, "She heard about Jesus". You need to know that nothing in your life is ever going to change for the better until you hear about Jesus. Twelve years, she's only been getting worse. But suddenly, she hears the name that is above every name. And when she hears that name, everything is about to change. The Bible says, "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God". This woman heard about Jesus and it stirred up faith inside of her. Throughout the gospels, we read these words that "Word about him spread". When Jesus did something, word about him spread. She heard about Jesus. And when she did, it engaged the physics of faith.
Now I know that there's a lot of people who don't want to pay attention when the word "Physics" shows up. But it's important that you understand this principle, because you've heard about it in nature. And now I want to show it to you in the supernatural. You see, in physics, natural physics, the science of physics, it's the study of matter and motion, and the behavior of what they do through space and time. Well, matter is substance. And when you read the Bible, it says that faith is matter. It's substance. "Faith is the substance," right? So if there's natural laws of physics, then there must be supernatural laws of faith just like physics that cannot be ignored. For example, sir Isaac Newton's third law of physics says, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite". Well, this is naturally true and it's also supernaturally true.
Consider what James 4:8 says. It says, "Draw near to God". That's action. And then it says, "And he (God) will draw near to you". That's reaction. So you, in faith, take action, and then you get a supernatural reaction, because just like there's physics down here in nature, there's physics in the supernatural. Now people want to know, they say, "How do I draw near to God"? Well first, you begin by reading and obeying his word. Now something that you need to know, this might come as a revelation to you, is the Bible will not jump out of the coffee table and onto your lap. You actually have to pick it up. It takes action. But when you engage in that action, you suddenly begin to have supernatural reactions that you didn't expect. For example, the Bible says, "Thy word have I hidden in my heart", that's action, "That I might not sin against you".
That's supernatural reaction, as the voice of the Holy Spirit tells you, "We're not doing that and we're not doing that and we're not doing that". Why? Because if you want to be blessed, be obedient. The word is a lamp unto my feet and it's a light unto my path. When you take the action of drawing near to God with his word, suddenly he illuminates the direction that your life should go. And instead of taking missteps, you walk in his divine path. You draw near to God through fasting and prayer. Prayer is something that you have to do. You can't think prayer. You have to say prayer. Here's what the Bible says: "The prayer of faith". That's action. "It'll save the sick and the Lord will raise him up". That's reaction. Jesus said it this way: "Ask," that's action. "You shall receive," reaction. "Seek," action. "You shall find," reaction. "Knock," action. "And the door will be opened unto you," that's reaction.
So often, we want a God that's going to do everything for us. We want a butler God. We want a God that's like Uber. Pick me up here, drop me off there, and don't charge me too much. But we'll give you a 5-star rating when he does what we want. You have to understand that God is not going to take any action on your behalf until you take action in faith towards him. She heard about him. And she put her faith in him because she said to herself. Read what the Bible says. "For she said".
Now, based upon her condition, nobody can be around her. This issue of blood means everything she touches is unclean. Everything she goes into has to be cleansed. Every person that comes near her has to take seven days off, because she's unclean. She's contaminated. She said, "If I get there". "If I can just touch his garment, I'll be made well". You see, she believed for healing and she received healing. Faith is not a feeling. A lot of people, when they talk about faith, they errantly start to say things like, "Well, I don't feel". Well, guess what? Feelings the wrong thing when it comes to faith. Faith is a reality. Faith is a substance. Faith is a fact. And your feelings have nothing to do with the facts. According to Hebrews 11:1, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". This woman was hoping for healing. She put her faith in a healer. And before she received the healing, she believed that the healer was going to heal.
Now here's how we do it. We hope for healing. We hear about a healer, and we believe for anything. Oh, Jesus, if thou wouldest and couldest and shouldest and mightest and flightest and kitest. And we fly around like a butterfly in a spiritual flower garden just hoping that the Holy Spirit lands on something and jumps over to this, instead of saying specifically, "This is what I need. This is what you can do. This is what the promise of your word says, so therefore I believe that before I even get there, this is what's coming". Because faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not yet seen. I don't have to have it yet in order for me to believe it's already there. And feelings have nothing to do with it. Jesus said it this way: he said, "Whatever things you ask for in prayer, believe", say that with me, "Believe and you will receive them". He didn't say, "Whatever you ask for in prayer, hope". He said, "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe".
If you pray for healing, believe for healing. Don't pray for healing and hope for anything. People pray for finances and they hope that it rains so we get out of water restrictions. Well, I didn't get that promotion, but wow, a rain cloud. You still can't pay your bills, dude. You pray for finances: you believe that God is going to open the windows of heaven and that's he's going to pour out blessings that you cannot contain. You pray for blessings, don't ask for just general blessings. Get down on your knees and say, "God, based on your word, I am putting my faith in your promises. And it says, I'm going to be blessed, and my children are going to be blessed, and my grandchildren are going to be blessed. I'm going to be blessed in the my going in and my coming out. I'm going to be blessed in the city. I'm going to be blessed in the field. I'm going to be blessed in my basket. I'm going to be blessed in my bowl. It says, if they come at me one direction, you'll defend me, and they'll flee seven directions. It says, I'm blessed to be the head and not the tail. I'm blessed to be above only and not beneath. I'm blessed to be the lender and not the borrower. I'm blessed to live a victorious life, because that's what I have through Jesus Christ"!
How did she get a miracle? Yes, she put faith into action. But there's something you're going miss if you don't understand what's happening in this Jewish town with this Jewish woman and this royal king from heaven. Notice I didn't say, "This Jewish town with this Jewish woman and this Jewish rabbi," because this was fully God and this was fully man. So in this case, you need to understand that this woman was not petitioning a rabbi. She was reaching out to royalty. Because rabbis were in charge of defending the law. They didn't write the law. She wasn't asking the rabbi for his opinion about her condition. She was asking royalty to overturn the rules so that she could be restored.
You say, "How do you know this"? Keep reading the story. It says, "She came from behind him in the crowd and she touched his garment". When Jesus starts for Jairus' house, a crowd forms, and there's people who are seeing him coming, and they're going, "Alright: let's go heal somebody. Come on, man. You're doing awesome". Trust me. Encouragement is always nice, but when it's over, what good did it do? There were people that were proud to be a part of that miracle parade. But where were they on the day that Christ was crucified? This woman is not a part of that crowd. This woman is coming to him, because she believes that there's something he can do to change everything. Luke 8, it says, "She came from behind him and she touched the border of his garment".
Now the word "Garment" is tzitzit in Hebrew, which means that it's a special and particular type of garment. Trail, bring me my prayer shawl, if you don't mind. If you've been in this church any length of time, you've heard pastor teach on the prayer shawl. But this is not your shawl that you use on cold Sundays. This is a prayer shawl. And it has a purpose. When the Bible talks about the prayer closet, this was your prayer closet. When the Bible, in the Old Testament, says, "How beautiful are your tents," these were the tents. Come here, trail. You're going to be Jesus today. Jesus, as a Jewish man, would have worn a prayer shawl. The border of this prayer shawl symbolizes the Shema, "Behold, o Israel, the Lord our God is one".
The knots in this prayer shawl, 613 of them. Why such a specific number? Because there are 613 laws that God gave to his children. We fuss about the top ten called the commandments. But there's laws in these knots about what to wear and what not to wear, and where to go and where not to go, and who to be and who not to be, and what to eat and what not to eat. And everywhere that Jesus went, do you know what the scribes and the pharisees did? They approached him as a rabbi, and they came up to these knots, and they said, "Oh rabbi, what does the law say about what is the most important of the commandments? What does Leviticus say about one of the most, things that you should do? What does Deuteronomy say"? And everywhere he went, all he wound up doing was debating about the knots of the law. But the Bible doesn't say that she reached out and touched the knots. It says she touched the border. These knots are different than all of these other knots, because this knot says, "Thou shall have no other Gods before me. Thou shall not take my name in vain".
You've got to make it to church. I'll give you a break on Sunday night, but you need to at least make one out of three. That's my translation. When you get to the corners, these knots spell out the name Jehovah. These knots spell out king Jesus. These knots overrule all of these knots. The Bible says that as he was walking through the town, she came from behind him. She humbled herself. She bowed down. And she said, "If I can just reach out and get a hold of the name, the name that is above every name. If I could just talk to king Jesus. Jesus, I know who I am. And I know what I've been through. And I'm not asking you to tell me what the law says. I'm asking you to pardon me from the prison that the law put me in. I didn't want to be unclean, but I'm unclean. I didn't want to be defiled, but I'm defiled. I didn't want to be destitute, but I'm destitute. I didn't want to be desperate, but I'm desperate! And I know that you are the king above kings. So if you could rule on my behalf, as I reach out and I touch your word, as I touch your name, I'll stand on the promise that says, 'you sent your word and you healed them'. I'll stand on the promise that says, 'he was wounded for our transgressions and he was bruised for our iniquities. And the chastisement of his peace was upon us. And by his stripes, we are healed'".
It wasn't just some pant leg that she reached out and grabbed. It wasn't some towel that he wiped his forehead with during the sermon. She reached for a name that is above every name. And in faith believing, the Bible says as soon as she made contact, she was healed. As soon as she touched him, she was set free. And as soon as she did, give me back my robe, man. Y'all give trail a hand. As soon as she did, Jesus stopped. This crowd that's been pushing and shoving him all the way to Jairus' house, as soon as she reached out and she grabbed the hem of his garment, he said, "Who touched my clothes"? Jesus didn't say, "Who touched me"? He said, "Who touched my clothes"? He said, you've got all these people pushing and shoving you, and you want us to identify one individual that touched your clothes? He said, "I felt power go out of me".
He didn't give her power: she took it. Think about that. Everywhere else, Jesus said, "Be healed," "Be whole," "Rise up and walk". Not with this girl. She came humbly behind him, as the king above kings. And when in faith she touched him, she took from him what she needed. And when he felt it go, he wanted to know who did that. You see, how you touch him determines what you get from him. You can touch him in hype and you'll receive nothing. You touch him in holiness and you'll receive everything. And Jesus does something for this woman that she never imagined would ever happen.
The Bible says, whenever he turned and he saw her and he heard what she had been through, suddenly he says to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you whole. Go and be free from your affliction". Just a few verses ago, she was nobody. She had an issue of blood. And now, just a few moments later, with one touch from the hem of his garment, this is the only woman that Christ ever calls, "Daughter". He says, you're not nobody: you're somebody. You belong to me. If you believe in me, you belong to me. And from this point forward, you're free. You're no longer under the burden of that curse. You're no longer carrying that condition. You're healed and you're whole. What a mighty God we serve.