Steven Furtick - Restoring Your Ability To Feel
This is an excerpt from: Danger In The Distance
And you know what happens in life? We go numb, especially in this age of information, where we are expected to process all of the events all at once. The good ones, the bad ones, we can't feel it anymore. When you go numb, you can get hurt and not feel it, and you can die of a small cut that becomes infected because you do not feel it, and you don't know it needs healing, because you do not feel it. Has the enemy made you go numb to the point that you no longer feel "splanitsomai"? Jesus felt for the man.
The religious system had gone numb. The religious system, when Jesus healed a man with a shriveled hand one chapter later in Mark, they were worried about which day He did it on. They had gone so numb that the only thing they could think about was He broke the rules. But Jesus, who is the righteousness of God, looked at this man with compassion, and He looked at the shame that the man carried with anger — "splanitsomai". And Jesus, looking at the man's condition, breaks the rules, makes a move. He feels for the man. He touches the man. He touches him, because He feels for him.
I want to feel again, God! I want my heart to break over the state of my family! I want my heart to break over the state of race relations in my nation! I want my heart to break over what is not yet perfect in me! I want to feel again, God! I want to feel the joy of Your presence! Cast me not away from Your presence! Renew a right spirit in me! I want to feel again. I don't want to go through life hiding behind screens and numb on the inside! I want to feel again! I want some presence more than I want approval! I want feel again!
Why was He angry? He wasn't angry at the man. It wasn't the man's fault he had leprosy. Maybe He was mad because He knew that the man was gonna do exactly what He told him not to do. Did you catch that part? In Verse 43, "Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning". Again, the English is weak. It's weak. It's not wrong, it's just weak. It means Jesus charged the man with a flared nostril. That's the picture. Look this up on Google. You will see it. One scholar said Jesus snorted. Now, I know you don't like snorting Jesus, you like snugging Jesus, but Jesus snorted and told the man, don't tell anyone what I did to you, because if you tell people, it will prohibit Me, because they will just want Me to do for them this kind of miracle, but I've got to do what I came to do, which is die for their sin.
And Jesus had that Marty McFly thing goin' on, you know, that "Back to the Future". He knew that the man was gonna do exactly what he told him to do, but He healed him anyway. He knew you would still struggle with sin, but He saved you anyway. This is so powerful. I need to hurry up. Touch somebody and say, He did it anyway. He knew that even though my chains would be broken, I would still struggle with the remnant of my sin, but He did it anyway. And Jesus told the man, don't tell anyone, and the man went and told them anyway.
Now, I could preach that a couple ways. One way would be, when God has touched you and healed you in ways that no one can, you can't keep it to yourself. No one will have to train you to evangelize, you will just naturally tell somebody — He changed me. In fact, your life will be like product placement. People will start asking you, what happened to you? And you'll be like, come see a Man, who told me, come see a Man, who wasn't ashamed to touch me! Don't just come to church with me. He went and told everybody what he wasn't supposed to tell, and the Bible said because he did — this is so beautiful. That "Jesus", Verse 45, "could no longer enter a place openly". You see it? Did you see it? "But stayed outside in lonely places".
When this story started, the leper was in a lonely place. But by the time it was over, Jesus was where the leper belonged. Here is the gospel. He did not just heal the man's skin, He took his place. And that's why I praise Him, not just because He gave me a good parking spot, not just because my family always went to church, not just because I feel guilty, but because He took my place! Somebody shout, He took my place! See, the Bible says the leper came to Jesus. I beg to differ, because in the fullness of time, God sent His Son to be born of a virgin. The leper didn't come to Jesus, Jesus came to the leper! I want you to know He sees where you are! He knows what you struggle with! He is not ashamed to come to you! Somebody give Him praise!
He didn't just heal my issue! He took my place! Now the leper can go in, and Jesus must stay out. "And He became sin who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God". This gospel I preach has the power to take away your guilt and your shame, but you've got to get in position, my brother, my sister. You can't get this grace until you're willing to bring yourself into submission. If you will, you can. You see, I'm weak. I heard You were strong. Will you do it for me, God? On the inside? I don't just want my screen to be shinier, I want you to touch me on the inside. I want to feel again. I want to feel again. I want to return to my first love. I want my lamp to burn again with holy oil. Will You touch me, Lord? And Jesus reached out, touched the man, and the shame was gone.