Luke 8:41-48

Luke chapter 8, reading from verse 41 through verse 48. And behold, there came a man named Jarus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue, and he fell down at Jesus’ feet besought him that he would come into his house. For he had only one, excuse me, he had one only daughter, about 12 years of age. she lay a dying. But as he went, the people thronged him, and a woman having an issue of blood 12 years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind him and touched the border of his garment, and immediately her issue of blood staunched. And Jesus said, who touched me? When all denied, Peter, and they that were with him, said, Master, the multitude thronged thee, and pressed thee, and sayest thou who touched me? And Jesus said, somebody hath touched me, for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people, for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said under her daughter, be of good comfort. Thy faith hath made thee whole go in peace. May God blessed to us, His sacred and His holy word this morning. Early in Napoleon’s career, he decided upon a sneak attack, upon the country of Italy. And he planned to catch the Italians off guard by going through the Elps with his army, even taking the cannon with him. And it was an unexpected approach. And as the army made its way, a drummer boy lost his footing and fell into one of the deep chasms of the Elps. He was not seriously hurt, but he was unable to climb out without some type of help. He began to beat on his drums to attract attention. His comrades heard him, but they dared not break ranks without the permission of the commander. Such orders never came. And then the drummer boy began to beat out his own death march while he was down the bottom of the chasm. Napoleon was too. preoccupied with his invasion of Italy to pay attention to a mere drummer boy who had fallen down into the chasm of the Elps. Thankfully, our Lord Jesus Christ is not like that. Jaris, the ruler of the synagogue, we think at Copernium, has pleaded for Christ’s hell. His daughter, a 12-year-old girl, lay dying, as verse 42 indicates to us. And Jesus hurriedly was accompanying Joris to Joris’ home to deal with this issue. But as he’s juring, a woman with an issue of blood, touched his garment, and as we said last week, stole of healing from Christ, because she never asked for it. Now, Jesus could have ignored her and focused on Joris’ daughter, but he did not. In fact, he stops. He inquires about who touches him. Who received this healing, as verse 45 indicates to us. He took the time to speak some words of comfort to this woman. Before he resumes his journey, to Jerus’ house. Since her healing was not simply of the body, but also of the soul, as verse 48 indicates to us, it provides a message with regard to all those who are saved by Christ. I want to talk about words of comfort from Christ. I didn’t quite finish what I wanted to do last week, so we have to finish. it this morning. But let me begin by saying this. There’s comfort in the fact that Christ has cured you. Despite your timidness, Christ granted you a cure, as verses 43 and 44 indicate to us about this woman. She came behind him. She touched the border of his garment and immediately her issue of blood staunched. Now we said last week she believed she would be healed if she just touched the garment of Christ. That’s what she said to herself, according to Matthew’s Gospel. She knew that others had touched Christ in the past and had been healed. And Christ showed her her great favor by not suspending his healing power when she touched him without asking him. Without asking for healing. He allowed this bashful patient to steal a cure unknown to anybody else. Now, there’s comfort in knowing that she received the healing that she so desperately needed. And her faith in Christ saved her. Despite your fearfulness and your fearfulness and maybe your timidness in to Christ, if you reach out in faith and touch him, you will be healed of your uncleanness, as we talked about last week. Christ is willing to save all those who come to him in faith. Whether your faith is weak and small or whether it be great, that’s not the essential thing. In the removal, of your guilt, in the removal of your sinful corruptness, the source of your defalment is destroyed. At this point, we need not hide our face. We need not be timid like this woman not wanting to tell anybody, even when Jesus said, who touched me and they all denied it. Well, the scripture says we can come boldly before the throne of grace. knowing that he’s cured us, knowing that he’s already shown us favor, we can find grace and mercy in the time of need through our high priest Jesus Christ. So come the Christ, knowing you have the comfort of knowing he’s going to receive all who come in faith, he will cast none aside. You remember when Isaac was old. and his eyes were dim and he thought he was going to die. Now there’s some very ironic things in scripture. He thinks he’s going to die but he lives, you know, like 20 more years. According to if we count up the years that Jacob is gone and comes back and so forth. So he calls his firstborn to him and he sends Esau out into the fields to get some deer for him and to make the stew or whatever it is that he likes to eat. And then he says he’s going to give him the birthright blessing. This is a blessing from God upon his son. It was a high privilege to have the first, or the birthright blessing as the first born. That as you know, Jacob put on his brother’s clothes, took some of the hair from a goat, and put it around his neck, and on his arms because his brother Esau was a hairy man, and he felt if his dad touched him, he would discover he was deceiving him if he didn’t have some type of hairiness about him. Rebecca Isaac’s wife cooks the goat meat in such a way of it had tasted more like the deer meat or the wild game that he saw was hunting. And so Jacob comes in and he secretly steals the blessing, doesn’t he? It was a cunning ploy and he got away with it, at least until he saw it come back. When the fraud was found and one was discovered, what is interesting is that Isaac still ratified the fact that Jacob would receive the blessing. Where is he that have taken venison and brought it to me? And I have eaten of all before thou, Esau, cameest, and have blessed him, yea, and he shall be blessed him. Ye, and he shall be blessed. Genesis 2733. Jacob was blessed, even though he stole the blessing, he secretly obtained it in a cunning manner. But because that was the Lord’s blessing and it was pronounced upon him, Jacob says he shall be blessed. My friends, your faith may be weak. And when you come to Christ, you may come as secretly as possible an attempt to steal the cure, so to speak. But if Christ blesses you with a cure, you can realize that you are permanently cured if I’m your uncleanness. He’s not going to take it back. So despite your timidness, Christ granted you a cure. That is a word of comfort that you should take. That’s a blessing to you. Notice something else. There’s comfort in knowing Christ only demand you publicly acknowledge his healing. You’ll notice in verses 45 to 47, when Jesus said, who touched me. And they all deny. Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee and sayest thou who touched me. Jesus said, somebody have touched me, for I perceive that virtue has gone out from me. This woman, having obtained her end, just sort of melts back into the crowd. Disappears, if you would. Hidden. No one perceived what happened. But of course, Jesus. Jesus knew. Even though she touched the hem of his garment, not his arm, not his shoulder, but the hem of the garment, he knew, as he knows all things. Somebody has touched me. Her virtue is gone. I mean, this word virtue is normally translated power in other places. Some type of healing power went out from Christ, and he knew it. Peter is seeing the size of the crowd. finds Christ’s question impossible to answer. However, Jesus knew exactly who touched him. And his question here is not because he didn’t know, but to draw her out, to admit what had happened. Though timid souls resolved to quietly creep into heaven, unknown to others perhaps, Christ will have none of it. He will have his words. brought to light for his own glory. And thus the Westwoman must confess publicly before the multitude that Jesus Christ has completely healed her. Christ isn’t angry with her, but he does demand that she publicly acknowledge that she has been saved or healed here by Christ and made whole. Confession of Christ is a matter of great importance, and it should not be over. overlooked by true believers. Christ demand your public confession of him. He doesn’t want you to be a secret disciple. This world needs to hear what Jesus Christ has done for your soul. Do this boldly. Don’t be ashamed. Don’t be afraid. Let people know what Jesus as Christ has done for your soul. Glorify your Savior. Luke 926 says, Whosoever shall be afraid? be ashamed of me and my words of him shall the son of man be ashamed. Let the world know that though you were defiled by your sin, though you were unclean, you came into contact with the Savior, simply, humbling, believing upon him. And by this simple means, you have been saved. There’s comfort in the fact that Christ has cured you. There’s also comfort in the loving way Christ addresses you. Did you notice in verse 48 he says, daughter be of good cheer or good comfort? Christ shows you here the tenderness of a father, calling her a daughter. Now Jesus didn’t call her daughter because she was young. In fact, she was probably as older, maybe older than Christ in human age. But he expressed his tender consideration of her. Because the scripture says in Psalm 10313, like a father piteeth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. The reason I read Isaiah chapter 9 this morning for our scripture reading is from all the titles that were given to Christ. Do you remember that one of them was the everlasting Father? You might think, why is he called the everlasting Father? Because he has children. In the book of Isaiah 5310, we see that Christ has a seed. Christ is the everlasting father of all the elect that have been given to Him. He’s a father in respect to them. Remember in Hebrews 213 when we read Christ saying, according to the New Testament interpretation of the old, the children which God hath given me. He has children. Now and forever, Christ watches over his elect children to provide for them to meet their needs, to preserve them from all harm. We’re preserved in Christ Jesus. And as such, he’s our father. We have a heavenly father, but Christ is also a father to us. A father also is used in Scripture for the role of a king who has people, citizens in his kingdom. And so he’s a father to his people. And so we could say this is true also. Because Christ is the king of the city. saints as we read in the book of Revelation 153. He rolls over all for the benefit of his people. Christ is our shield and our defender. Christ is not a cold, unfeeling Savior, but a compassionate, devoted father to his people. What comfort there is in seeing Christ acting as the everlasting Father toward you as a believer. You remember Christ did the same thing for the man he healed of the palsy in the book of Matthew 9-2. Son, he says, be of good cheer. Thy sins be forgiven thee. Here’s a daughter and the man with the palsy was called a son. So Christ shows you the tenderness of a father here. Notice also that Christ bid you to be of good comfort in your adoption. Notice verse 48. He says, daughter be of good comfort. Behold what manner of love the father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God, scripture says. Your rights and privileges are boundless as a son or daughter of Jesus Christ. You can be of good comfort. It’s the will. of Christ that his people should be comforted and it is right and his privilege to command that we be comforted as we see here. There are favors beyond what we even ask or think that are ours in Jesus Christ. Wonderful things that Christ has reserved for us as his people. To those who believe in Jesus Christ, he gives them the right and the privilege to be called the sons of God. So all questioned about your right to this blessing or that blessing is settled if you believe on Christ. It’s guaranteed to you. You recall as you read the book of Esther that Esther was an orphan, whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took to be his own daughter. And Esther was Mordecai’s uncle’s daughter, but she was treated as one of Mordecai’s own children. This is what God does for us, as his elect people. We are adopted. And he watches over us and he were placed under his watch care. You remember Maphethibov? in the book of Samuel. He was the only surviving son of Jonathan, who was the son of Saul. He was an outcast. He was a cripple, lame on his feet. His name means a shameful thing. And yet we find King David took an interest in him and adopts him. In 2nd Samuel 9-11, we read, Maphibbeth says, shall eat at my table as one of the king’s sons. He’ll be just like one of the king’s sons. He can hardly believe it. You know, who am I? I? I’m like a dead dog. Why do you even take an interest in me? And David says here, fear not, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan, thy father’s sake. He obtained kindness in favor, not because he, anything he had done or because of any personal worth that he possessed. He was blessed solely on account of a covenant that was made before he was even born. That David and Jonathan had made. Now, if we can apply this to the believer this morning, as a fallen creature, you were a shameful thing, corrupt and vile. You were spiritually lame, unable to walk in God. God’s commandments, but you obtained favor and kindness because of a covenant that was made before you were even born. Before you were even called into existence. You were given to Christ an election, and you were adopted from eternity to be his son or his daughter. So there’s comfort in the loving way Christ addresses you. Thirdly, there’s comfort in Christ granting you a spiritual cure. In faith, or excuse me, thy faith hath made the whole go in peace. Verse 48. You are saved by faith in Christ. We pointed out on a previous study that the words made the whole are almost always translated elsewhere as has saved you. couple that with Christ’s declaration here to go in peace. And you have something here greater than just a bodily cure. For the scripture says being justified by faith, we have peace with God. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Or have peace. We have to be justified. We have to know the Lord. And we’re justified by faith. And so this woman is justified by faith. Has peace? with God. Salvation is always associated with faith in Christ. You go to him believing he can grant you a spiritual cure. He can take away all your guilt, grant you forgiveness of sins, and make it possible for you to have peace with God. Have you reached out to touch the Savior? Have you been made spiritually whole by Him? You’ve been saved out to touch the Savior? saved by faith in Christ. You’re saved by faith alone. Now, this woman was saved without cost. She didn’t need to pay Christ. She did all those worthless positions that couldn’t help her. She was saved without trying to earn salvation. She didn’t have to perform any great works or any so-called good actions of some sort to gain this salvation. She was saved without the use of a spiritual doctor to help her. She went directly to Christ and obtained this cure. Listen again to Christ’s words, Thy faith hath made thee whole. Thy faith alone have saved thee. Whosoever will, let him take of the water life freely. When the Spirit and the Church, say come. You’re bidden to take it without cost, without price. Revelation 2215. We have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Galatians 216. The promise of Scripture is simple. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. and thou shalt be saved. If salvation required your works, then you would have ground the boast. Your salvation would then be some type of cooperative effort between you and God. God does his part. You did your part, and without your part, you wouldn’t be saved. So that faith would not be the sole means of your salvation. It would be faith plus your works. Something you did. But my friends, the Bible tells us that Christ’s sacrificial death and is an imputed righteousness is without cost. There is no works that we have to earn it. And there’s no comfort in a salvation when you never know how many good works you have to do in order to assure your salvation. How can you be of good comfort in that? You need no one else but Christ to be said. You notice you don’t need a priest. You don’t need a pope. all you need is the Savior. That’s it. You don’t even need some kind of religious teacher of some sort. Just reach out. Touch Christ by faith on your own. Jesus says, come to me. I will give you rest. Sadly, many waste their efforts on worthless physicians seeking a cure. Why not go directly to Christ? Spurgeon used to have a, think what they called these anxious rooms after the service that people that wanted to, you know, counseling about their, you know, trusting in Christ and so forth, could meet with somebody and talk with someone. And he canceled them out because he said too many people are relying on them and not going directly to Christ. He said, you believe in Christ right there in the pew. And that’s what I’m telling you this morning. Trust in Christ. go to him directly. Not that we can’t have help when we need questions answered from someone. But the point is, you have to go to Christ. He’s the one who can heal you. No human being can give you salvation. So Christ is the prince of peace. And he is our peace. Go to the one who can give you that peace. You’re saved by faith in Christ. You’re saved by faith alone. So there’s comfort in knowing that Christ can grant you a spiritual cure. Now we see the great unconcern of the Emperor of France, the Polian, when one of his drummer boys goes down into the chasm and the Elps doesn’t pay attention. Didn’t want to delay the army going through the Elps. Thankfully, the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ, is not like that. He isn’t so. preoccupied with dealing with Jaris’ daughter’s situation that he can’t stop, that he can’t give a word of comfort to this woman who has snuck a cure from him. Let us learn to find help in the words of comfort that Christ gave this woman for ourselves. These things are written for our benefit. Let us close with the word of prayer.