The Touch....

Date: January 26, 2012

Scripture: Matthew 8:1-4

from the series Deliverance Festival

THE POWER OF HIS TOUCH

Scripture:

Let us read together Matthew 8

Matthew 8

 ¹When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
 ²And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
 ³And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
 ⁴And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Introduction

Humans, at least when things are working as they should, possess 5 senses. These are sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. All of them are important to our existence in and understanding of the world around us. While they are all important, and I wouldn't want to be without any, the sense of touch is one that places us into direct contact with our world. When we touch something, we are becoming intimately involved with that thing. While I have heard of people losing some, or all of the other senses, I have never heard of a person losing their sense of touch. Can you imagine not being able to touch your world? Can you imagine not being able to touch those you love? To not to be able to touch them might be worse that to not be able to see them!
We all touch thousands of things every day of our lives. Most, we do not even think about. But, there are times when we reach out and deliberately touch objects because we want to connect with that object. Our touch might be that of love, of passion, of tenderness, of compassion, of help, of deliverance or of curiosity. Our touch could involve many other emotions and processes that I didn't mention. Often, our touch can effect change in the objects we touch. Today, I want to talk about a touch that is far superior to any other human touch. I want to talk about the touch of Christ, and remind you that His touch is the touch of God! When He extends His hand into your life and purposely touches you, He will produces changes that no other touch can duplicate.
There are several aspects of His touch that I would like to point out by way of introduction.
1. His Touch Is An Intimate Touch - When Jesus touched this leper, it demonstrated a desire on His part to become intimately involved in this man's life!
2. His Touch Is A Powerful Touch - He touches a Simon and he becomes Peter. He touches a Jacob and the old trickster becomes Israel, the Prince of God. His touch transforms Abram into Abraham. His touch transformed the defeated Elijah into Elijah, The Man of Good. His touch changed Moses the murderer into Moses the leader of the people of God. His touch transformed a nobody named Jeremiah in the Weeping Prophet of God. His touch changed James and John, the Sons of Thunder, into and early martyr and the Apostle of love, respectively. His touch is a powerful touch.
3. His Touch Is A Transforming Touch - Humanity is mere clay, biding its time between the birth and the grave with no hope and purpose, until He touches us. When He does, everything changes!
Sermon This morning, I want to spend some time looking at a few events from the life of Christ that showcase the power of His touch. I want to show you what He can do for you if you do not know Him. I want to show you that there is power in the touch of the Lord Jesus Christ. Go with me for just a few minutes as we explore that thought: The Power Of His Touch.
I.  IT TRANSFORMS THE DISEASED

(Matt. 8:15)

(Ill. The context. Jesus touches and heals Peter's mother-in-law.) (In her condition, she represents those afflicted by the blight of sin. She was in a useless, hopeless condition, until she experienced the touch of Jesus upon her life.) (Ill. Rom. 3:23; Isa. 59:2) (Ill. His touch cleanses sin and transforms the sinner from a wasted to life! Psa. 103:12; 2 Cor. 5:17.)
II.  IT TRANSFORMS THE DEAF

(Mark 7:33)

(Ill. The context. Here was a man who could not communicate with anyone. He could not hear nor speak. But, when Jesus touched him, all that changed!) (Ill. He does the same for lost sinners as well! Those who saved by God are given the ability to hear Him clearly and the privilege to speak to Him openly, 1 Cor. 2:14; Heb. 4:16.)
III.  IT TRANSFORMS THE DARKENED

(Matt. 9:29; John 9:6)

(Ill. Here is a man born blind at birth. He is miraculously touched and healed by the touch of the Lord Jesus. Now, he can see, John 9:25.) (Ill. He opens the spiritual eyes when He touches our lives, Isa. 42:5-7; 1 Pet. 2:9-10.) (Ill. His children see things they had never thought about before.)
IV.  IT TRANSFORMS THE DOOMED

(Matt. 8:3)

(Ill. The context. Jesus touched this leper and delivered him from a life that was doomed. He was doomed to be ravaged by his disease and he was doomed to spending a life separated from other men. Jesus changed all that!) (Ill. In his condition, he pictures the situation of every lost soul today. Separated from God now by a gulf of sin and doomed to an eternity in Hell, 2 Thes. 1:8-9. The lost person also lives each day enjoying the Lord's blessings, but with no relationship with God at all. All the while, the wages of sin work themselves out in the life of the lost person, Rom. 6:23; Pro. 13:15; Gal. 6:7.)

V. IT TRANSFORMS THE DEAD

(Luke 8:54)

(Ill. The Context. Jesus merely touched the hand of this dead girl and she lived again! That is the power of His touch!) (Ill. There is nothing worse than death! It takes with it everything we have. In the spiritual realm, there is nothing worse than spiritual death! Yet, it is the condition of every person who is lost, Eph. 2:1-3. Thank God for the touch of Jesus Christ, Eph. 2:4-10. Ill. "But", v. 4!
VI.  IT TRANSFORMS THE DECEIVED

(Luke 22:51)

(Ill. The context. Malchus was running with the wrong crowd. He lost his ear and Jesus ministered to Him and healed him for the glory of God. Ill. There is no indication that Malchus ever got saved.) (Ill. The compassion of Christ for the need of Malchus broke down all the barriers that stood between them and Jesus touched him with a touch of pure, life-changing grace!) (Ill. That is what He does for all those who are trapped and deceived in sin. He comes to them and offers them life within Himself! Matt. 11:28-30; Isa. 55:1-3; John 7:37; Rev. 22:17.)
VII.  IT TRANSFORMS THE DISMAYED

(Matt. 17:7)

(Ill. The Context. The disciples were cowering in fear, but Jesus touched them and brought courage to them in their distress!) (Ill. He excels in lifting the fallen and encouraging the downcast, Ill. 3 Hebrews, Dan. 3; Ill. Daniel in the lion's den - Dan. 6; Ill. The disciples in the storm, Mark 6:45-51.) (Ill. He will do the same for you too! - Heb. 13:15; Matt. 28:20!) (Ill. He knows how to meet your need and bring you out of your distress, Rom. 8:37; 2 Cor. 2:14; 1 Cor. 15:57.)
Invitation
Can you testify today that you have felt the power of His touch firsthand in your life? Do you know what He can do? Or, would you have to say, "Preacher, I really Jesus to touch me today! I need His powerful touch in my life right now."? I don't know the kind fo touch you need in your life today, but I know Who can give it to you! Jesus is His name and touching lives is His fame. Whether you are lost, backslidden, burdened, discouraged, or just want to learn to love Him more, you need His touch. Come get it!

-- 
The Rev. Lenin Kumar

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