Introduction:
There is great power in the touch of Jesus. There is power in the touch of Jesus to heal all manner of physical infirmities, and the spiritual infirmities caused by human depravity and the affects of sin. There is power in Jesus’ touch to make alive; that is, to raise from the dead, both physically and spiritually. The only real and lasting hope for any person is to be touched by Jesus.
What
does it mean to “touch”?
To touch means to make contact with:
-To touch physically by bodily contact, as we will see in the Scriptures.
-Also, in a broader sense, it could be applied to the spiritual touch through communication.
-Through audible communication, such as preaching…
-Through the communication of visual perception, as by reading the printed page…
-Or it could be through the supernatural communication of the Spirit of God…
These are all means of communication whereby people are touched spiritually.
Jesus, during His earthly ministry, touched many people physically, as we will see in the Scriptures this morning. Today, Jesus touches people through divine communication. In salvation He touches lost sinners with the divine call of the Spirit and the Gospel message. After we are saved, He touches His people through the preaching and teaching of His Word as it is anointed by the Holy Spirit; and through the reading and meditating on the Word of God.
1. Whosoever is touched by Jesus is made perfectly whole
(Luke 6:17-19).
-Everyone who touched Jesus was healed completely of all their infirmities.
-The touch of Jesus never failed to give life and health where it was needed.
-As we will see from the Scriptures, there was no disease or infirmity that was too
difficult for the touch of Jesus to cure. From the spiritual perspective, there is no spiritual infirmity that the touch of Jesus is not able to cure. Jesus can cure even the chiefest of sinners of all their sins and the spiritual infirmities that were caused by their sins.
We want to notice this morning just a few of the people that Jesus touched during His earthly ministry:
1.
First the touch of Jesus healed a leper (Matthew 8:1-4).
-Leprosy is a type of sin and the condition of the sinner (Miriam, Gehazi).
-Leprosy destroys the flesh and eventually causes death- Likewise so does sin!
-Lepers were unclean, and could not enter the camp- Likewise so are sinners!
-Leprosy is contagious, and touching a leper could be deadly- So Likewise is
sin! One man caught it back in the garden of Eden, and all men from that time forward have been plagued with it. And the more men touch sin and play around with it, the more infected and wretched they become.
-The touch of Jesus healed the leper- Likewise the touch of Jesus heals the
leprosy of sin. As the divine touch of Jesus was the only cure for leprosy back then, so is the divine touch of Jesus the only cure for sin today.
2. Secondly the touch of Jesus healed a woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:20-22).
-The doctors could not help her,
she was beyond human help (Mark 5:26) 26 And had suffered many things of many
physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but
rather grew worse,
-This woman’s disease was internal and caused her great suffering; she no
doubt would have eventually been consumed and destroyed by this disease had she not touched Jesus.
- Sin, likewise is an internal disease, and is the root of all suffering, both in this life, and in the life to come- both physically and spiritually. All sinners are beyond human hope and human help. The doctor of the law cannot help. The good works doctor strives in vain to help the lost sinner. The lost sinner is shut up, as was this woman, to the grace of God. Without the touch of Jesus all sinners will eventually be consumed and destroyed by the disease of sin in the eternal destruction of hell fire.
3. Thirdly, the touch of Jesus gave site to the blind (Matthew 20:29-34).
-All men are spiritually blind by nature and by birth. None can see the kingdom of God. None can understand spiritual things. All are blinded by Satan to the glorious Gospel of Jesus. All men are spiritually blind beggars, groping in the noon day as in the night. All men are helplessly blind to their need for Jesus and the salvation that He alone can give. All men need the touch of Jesus to give them spiritual sight.
4. Fourthly, the touch of Jesus healed the ear of the high priest’s servant (Luke 22:50-51).
-Spiritually all men’s ears and hearing are cut-off, as if were, by sin.
-We all by nature are spiritually deaf to the spiritual communication of the gospel.
-We all need for Jesus to touch our ears so that we can hear the voice of the Spirit of God and the message of the Gospel of Jesus.
5. Fifthly, the touch of Jesus gave life to the dead (Matthew 9:23-26).
-All men are spiritual dead by nature.
-None can respond to the outward call of Gospel.
-None can arouse themselves, or stir themselves up to receive God’s offer of grace, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
-All men need the touch of Jesus to give them spiritual life.
2.
Secondly, all people need to be touched by Jesus.
Universally, mankind is totally depraved, and by nature is plagued and devastated with the infirmity of sin. All lost sinners are spiritual lepers, and are infected with the internal, incurable disease of sin. All men are by nature born spiritually blind and deaf to spiritual truth, and to their need of Salvation. All men are subject to the dreadful consequence of sin, which is the second death in the lake of fire.
Yes, all men need to be touched by Jesus. Without His touch, they will die in their sins. The only hope that any lost sinner has is for Jesus to touch them. When Jesus touches the lost sinner’s soul, they are completely healed of all their spiritual infirmities. They are spiritually raised from the dead, and given eternal life in Jesus.
3.
Thirdly and finally, how are people touched by Jesus today?
In salvation, people are touched by Jesus through the Holy Spirit and the life giving power of the Gospel. Through the preaching of the gospel the Holy Spirit communicates God’s grace, through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. The call of the Holy Spirit is to repent of your sinful deeds and your unbelief, and believe with all your heart that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, that He was buried in the tomb, and in three days He rose again from the dead for your sins.
Has Jesus touched you by His Holy Spirit and the Gospel. Have you felt and known His sweet presence and power in your life. Has your soul sensed the virtue that flowed from Jesus into your soul when you touched the hem of His garment. Have you touched Jesus by faith, believing that what He did on the cross of Calvary He did for you?
Oh, may each one in our presence this morning be touched by Jesus, and also touch Jesus by faith in the Gospel. May God bless this message to each heart here this morning.