Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. to be touched and changed. By the Lord Jesus is to know that all is well. An unknown woman touches the master, she's instantly healed. In faith, this woman touches the fringe of his garment and is forever changed.
Welcome to The Verdict, the daily radio program featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe.
Nowadays, our world seems to be filled with fear. Fear of disease and natural disasters, fear of economic crises and political conflicts. But today, we'll learn that our Lord Jesus is victorious over all the things we fear. Choose the freedom of faith over the bondage of fear.
Now, let's join Pastor John Monroe for his message, Touched and Changed. There's a lot of fear out there, isn't there?
Some of the most common fears are fear of getting ill, Fear of getting dementia. Fear of failure and certainly. Fear of death. What are you afraid of? repeatedly throughout Scripture, we're told to fear not.
Rather than being afraid, we are to be characterized by faith, By trust in God, After all, if God is all-powerful, And God is in control. And God can do all things. Why should we be afraid of anything or anyone? As long as our faith is in God, Today we see our Lord Jesus in action. I want to encourage you to look to Jesus.
Grow in your faith. and so dispel the fear in your life.
Well, every day we get a tally. of the numbers of people infected by COVID-19. And also get the numbers of those who have died. It's kind of depressing, isn't it? Are you afraid?
of COVID-19. Are you fearful of the future? Are you afraid of dying? Are you afraid of contracting some disease or illness? Let me give you an example.
It's estimated. that at the age of eighty five between a third and a half of people are going to suffer from dementia. Dementia is a very cruel condition, robbing the person of their deepest hopes. and the joys. It may begin as a mild cognitive problem.
Some forgetfulness, some senior moments, as it were. But as it progresses, dementia attacks our mental agility and, of course, eats away. Add our memory. And when severe, People are then incapable of looking after themselves. People may become delusional, others become frightened, some become angry, belligerent.
Some retreat. Into an apathetic slum.
Some require care during all of their waking hours, and in some cases, people require. Care?
someone watching over them even when they are Asleep. And many people I speak to are afraid. of a disease like dementia. Cancer. A heart attack.
In a world where there's a lot of fear. Uh we read A discouraging figure that more and more of our children at elementary school and students at middle school and high school are fearful and anxious. When I went through school, Uh we suffered from many things, but I can't remember. One person saying to me, I feel stressed, I feel anxious, I feel afraid. I'm sure there were some, but if so, they were in a tiny minority day, not now.
All of the figures show That our children, can you believe this? It's true. Our children, middle schoolers, high schoolers, students at colleges are becoming more and more fearful and anxious. People are anxious about life. Why are so many people?
Children? Students older people Seniors, why are so many people now anxious And afraid. African Americans and immigrants are afraid of the police. Caucasians and Asians, many of them, are afraid of protests turning to violence in their own communities.
So a lot of fear out there, isn't there? Not only out there, but in our hearts. Can I say to you very strongly from the Word of God? As authentic followers of Jesus Christ. We are not to live in fear.
Do you hear me? Repeatedly in Scripture, we are told over and over and over again, Old Testament, New Testament, and we're going to see it this morning. Fear not. Do you hear it? The just Shall live By faith, not by fear.
Now that faith Is certainly essential as we initially place our trust, our faith, in our Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. But our faith doesn't stop there. Followers of Jesus are to live every day by faith. The just shall live by faith. For without faith it's impossible to please God.
If you're not living by faith, you're not pleasing God. If your life is characterized more by fear than by faith, you're not pleasing God. Do not be afraid. Don't put your trust in yourself. Certainly don't put your trust in a politician.
whoever he or she is. Don't put your trust in who's going to become the next supreme Court judge. Don't put your trust in some theory of social or Economic justice, put your trust, your faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. I'm not saying we're not to be interested in what's going on around us, we are. But we are called in this world to be different and not to live in fear, but to live in faith.
Faith in God. This spells Fear. Do you get that? Faith in God dispels fear, whatever your particular fear is. Put your faith in God.
Trust God. Can I remind you? brothers and sisters. That nothing happens in our world. Nothing happens in your life Nothing happens in my life apart from the sovereign hand of God.
I find that tremendously reassuring. As I look to my personal future, as I look to the future of the United States of America, as I look to the future of the United Kingdom, that everything is under the sovereign hand of God. And wouldn't you rather have God in control of your life than yourself? Do you think you're in control of your life? You're living in cloud cuckoo land.
John Bolton. Who was President George W. Bush's former chief of staff? Said in the presidency, There is an illusion of being in charge. But all presidents must accept that in many realms they are not in charge.
Thought this interesting. If the President of the United States of America, the most powerful person in the world, If the president is not in charge, Do you really think that you're in charge of your life? Do you really think that you're in charge of your circumstances? How foolish But if our trust is in the Lord Jesus, as we're going to see this morning. If your trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no need to fear.
Faith, dispelling. Fear. And today we're going to see Jesus in all kinds of situations, fearful, frightening circumstances. A disease, a terrible disease. Death.
Blindness. Demonic attacks. And we will learn. that to be touched and changed by King Jesus. It's to know Please hear this.
To be touched and changed by the Lord Jesus is to know that all is well. All is well now, today. All will be well tomorrow. All will be well a hundred years from now. And if your trust is in Jesus Christ, all is well forever, for all of eternity.
Therefore, do not fear. What are you afraid of? Let's open God's word, Matthew chapter 9. We're going to read first of all verses 18 through 26. This is a wonderful passage.
Matthew 9:18, while he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, My daughter has just died. But come and lay your hand on her. And she will live. And Jesus rose. and followed him with his disciples.
And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind them. and touched the fringe of his garment. For she said to herself, If I only touch his garment. I will be made well. Jesus turned and seeing her he said Take heart, daughter.
Your faith has made you well. or your faith has saved you. And instantly The woman was made well. And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, Go away. For the girl is not dead, but sleeping.
And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put aside, He went in. and took her by the hands. And the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district.
We want to see, first of all, that Jesus is victorious over disease. The enemy of disease.
So many people are afraid of disease, of illness. And we didn't reduce here. in Matthew chapter 9 to a woman who has an incurable disease.
Some kind of blood disease, a hemorrhage, and she has it for 12 years. That's a long time. Isn't it?
Some of you know what it is to have an illness for many, many years. This woman is what we would call a private sufferer. We're also introduced to the ruler of the synagogue. He's well known in the community.
So, no doubt, as his daughter is ill, everyone knows of the daughter's illness, but I suspect few knew of this woman's painful. embarrassing illness. She'd gone to many doctors. She had spent a lot of money, we know, from the accounts of Mark and Luke as we read them together. But rather than getting better, her condition.
grew worse. And worse. Luke, the physician, when he gives his account in Luke chapter 8, he gives his professional opinion regarding this woman. She said she could not be healed by anyone. The woman has a disease, she has it for 12 years, and the disease is incurable.
Do you get the picture? This is a particularly humiliating disease. She's in constant pain. She is also furthermore ceremonially unclean. It's a blood disease according to Leviticus 15 verse 25.
She's regarded as unclean, ceremonially unclean. She is an outcast. we might think consigned to the shadows of life. Not part of the mainstream. Do you get the picture?
An illustration, by the way. of how sin defiles us. Yeah, sin makes us un Clean you ever you ever feel unclean? by your sin. You feel you need a spiritual Shower.
You've involved, been involved in something, and you just feel dirty. This is an illustration of it. And sin also isolates us. Notice what happens. Isn't this beautiful?
The touch. of the Master dispels. But this is. Unknown to the crowd. This woman simply touches the fringe.
of the garments of Jesus. That's tremendous faith, isn't it? I marvel at this woman's faith. We can understand someone coming as they do to Jesus, as it were, face to face, but not this woman. She doesn't look Jesus in the face.
She's not used to that. She's a woman who's in the shadows. And she just stoops down and touches the fringe. of his garment. And look, as he gives his account, as Jesus is on the way to the ruler's house, he asks this question.
Who is it that touched me?
Well, many in the crowd are touching him, they're pressing against him as he's traveling. But our Lord Jesus realizes this touch is different. It's a touch of faith. What incredible faith. The disciples, I think, they're totally unaware of this woman.
The disciples are following Jesus. They're on the way. This young woman has died. A girl has died. They've got this very important business.
And if they saw the woman, Who would have initially been on the fringes of the crowd, they ignore her. They are unconcerned. Ah, but Jesus knows. But his power had dispelled The disease. That's power, isn't it?
Yes, touch. the hem, the fringe of his garment, and she's healed. We don't know the woman's name, but notice in verse 22 how Jesus. refers to her. Jesus turned and seeing her, Looks right out there.
I'm sure he looked her right in the eye.
Something she would not be used to. And he says. Take heart. Daughter. Your faith.
has made you well, your faith has I saved you. He calls her. Todder. An unknown woman, one of life's, we might say, little people, she touches the master, she's instantly healed.
Furthermore, she is adopted into the family of God daughter. Imagine Jesus calling you daughter.
Son? Miracle, isn't it? of God's grace. This woman Ceremonially unclean, rejected. Twelve years with this terrible disease is now The daughter.
of God incarnate. Do you notice, by the way, those of us who are In spiritual leadership, but something for all of us. Do you know this? that Jesus is not detached. from the people.
There are those who call themselves pastors and shepherds, but they seem to be so busy they don't want to deal with people. If you're a pastor, an elder, a deacon, Teaching. a life group teaching a Bible study. Don't be detached. from the people you're preaching to or teaching.
Jesus is a personal Christ. He has the good. Shepherd. And a good shepherd loves the sheep. And we see this in Jesus.
Anyone here like this woman? You may be someone who has Few friends today. You may be the person who very few people know. You, as it were, crept into Calvary Church and you're You feel, well, I'm not part of the inner circle. I I come, but I'm not sure if I belong here.
You may be listening. By live stream or online or or on a radio program and You feel, yes, you're one of these people living life. on the fringes as it were. You may come from another country, another culture. You may come from a very poor home.
You may have few friends. But listen to this. Every single one of us, whoever you are. Every single one who is touched and changed by God's grace become his sons and daughters. In faith, this woman touches the fringe of his garment and is forever changed.
I found in my life that many people. Have private hurts. I dare say, every single one of us has a private hurt. This woman represents those for whom life is hard. A constant struggle.
attracting little sympathy, little notice. But whoever you are, reach out in faith to Jesus. Will you do that? Yeah. Bring your situation.
And have faith. in Christ. First, Jesus is victorious over disease. Secondly, Jesus is victorious over death. That probably is our greatest fear.
People say, Well, I'm not afraid to die. That was the joke by Woody Allen. It's an old joke you've heard it before, but I'm going to say it again. Woody Allen says, I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to be around when it happens.
And many people have said, you know, I'm not afraid to die, but it's the act of dying.
Well, however we rationalize it Most of us are afraid of death when they tell you Jesus. If your trust is in Jesus, Jesus is victorious over death. Here we have the enemy of death. The enemy of death strikes all kinds of homes. including homes of influential people like the ruler of the synagogue.
Cheris, we know his name from the other Gospels. And yes. Children. as well as old people. Die.
John Maynard Keyes said, in the long run, we all die. We're all dead. In the long run, we're all dead. We fear death. Because death, although it is inevitable, is not natural.
God created us not to die, God created us to live. And many of us, I would suspect, Almost all of us here have experienced. that horrible enemy of death when it strikes our homes. It's horrible, isn't it? Death.
It is ugly.
However, people die.
However it is, it is utterly Horrible, isn't it? Death. Does this 12-year-old girl, she comes from a good home. Her father is a well-known ruler. He's a ruler of the synagogue.
What does that mean? He's a kind of administrator, overseer of the synagogue. But as we meet him, he's in a desperate situation. Although he's very influential in his community, he can do nothing about this situation. And he comes and does a very, very Smart thing, he comes and he kneels before Jesus.
and explains his situation to Jesus. His daughter had just died.
Now look at verse 18. Don't you find this incredible as well? While he was saying these things, a ruler came in and knelt before him. There's the humility. Saying, My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.
That's tremendous faith, isn't it? To believe that Jesus is so powerful. That if he lays his hand on a dead little girl, that girl can be raised from the dead. Tremendous faith of this man. Hopeless situation.
Death. But the father believes. It's just remarkable, isn't it? The father believes. that Jesus Can raise a girl from the dead.
That is incredible faith. And that's what happens. The touch. of the Master. Defeats.
Def. Jesus comes, there's no question she's dead. The mourners are there, as was the culture of the day, and Jesus puts an end to the loud mourning. This is not a time for mourning. What's Matthew doing?
Remember what Matthew is doing. Matthew is presenting. Jesus as the king. And King Jesus, we have seen, has authority over the storm. Remember, we saw that?
Peace be still. His authority over a man who's been paralyzed. He has authority over The disease, the twelve Year-old disease of this unnamed woman, and now. Matthew is telling us something astonishing. That this man, Jesus, yes, this man that he's now following, this man Jesus has authority over death itself.
This is the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World.
Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry. Whether it's $5, $50, or more, your gift today helps cover the cost of sharing these gospel messages to listeners around the world. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the Verdict Podcast, featuring John's weekly podcast exclusive called Avizandam.
It's available wherever you get your podcasts, or simply go to our website. Again, that's theverdict.org. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte. We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road. If you've been looking for a church home or a community to help you grow in your walk with Christ.
We invite you to join us for our Sunday services. For more details about Calvary and our service times, visit theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? I began by asking if you were afraid of anything. What is your answer? I'm pointing you to the Lord Jesus, who who is victorious over every circumstance of life. If your trust is in Christ.
Does that mean there are no hardships or difficulties or disappointments? No, it doesn't mean that, but it does mean that all is well with your soul. Death and disease and the demons have been conquered. Jesus says, because I live, you also shall live. Reaffirm your faith in the living Christ.
Do not fear. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
