Thy faith hath made the whole (Quality: Good)

[0:00] As the Lord may be pleased to help me, we would direct you prayerfully to the gospel according to Mark chapter 5, reading verse 34.

[0:14] Mark 5 and verse 34, and he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

[0:30] We would be very mindful of the Lord here speaking to this woman who, it would appear, had touched the hem of his garment.

[0:48] She had faith. Faith, you know, which some of us feel to be, gets to a very low heaven. And your hymn has summed it up.

[1:01] Our faith is feeble. We confess. We faintly. We faintly trust thy word. William Cowper knew it. And so does the child of God.

[1:11] Our faith is feeble. We have to confess it. We get diminished and brought low. We're low numerically tonight, but that doesn't hinder, mercifully, the work of grace, the work of faith in your souls and mine that have gathered.

[1:30] There is so little to encourage the Lord's servants in your day, not only here, but throughout this earthly world. But what a mercy if we have the author of faith.

[1:45] That faith of yours and mine has been authorized, has been begun by the Lord himself. Now, as we touched on in prayer, you know, there's a temptation within you and me when the Lord has given you a promise, and it may be a longstanding one.

[2:07] That you might feel in your mind to love, the promise to school. And we're mocking God in it, really, aren't we?

[2:18] But you see, we need the Lord to confirm these things because we're so helpless. We're so prone, aren't we, to wander.

[2:31] Our minds wander hither and thither. We have our own interpretation sometimes of God's word. We get so carnally minded with carnal things which are a lot here below.

[2:47] And have little faith that we believe, have to believe that Jesus is able to perform these miracles. And every chosen vessel, every child of God, every son and daughter that hath received the spirit of adoption and shall be saved with an everlasting salvation, will know what it is to be truly tried.

[3:12] And there one confirming evidence is because, for the most part, we're very much of the earth, earthy. But what a mercy that this, there is this case here, as we, not only this case, these characters that Jesus was dealing with and had, from all eternity determined to deal with them, and was it not the purpose of it, in manifesting his power.

[3:44] And this great mighty work, then, of faith that begins in your soul. And this woman's faith was doubtless feeble, but it was strong enough.

[3:56] It was strong enough for her to say within herself that, if I may but touch, if I may touch. And this is something that the child of God in our day, when Jesus is not manifested in the flesh now, but revealed by the spirit, that this is that that we long for today, a touch.

[4:21] The Lord to warm your cold heart and mind, cold as it is to these things. And our lack of faith, and we need the Lord to strengthen, don't we, if he's begun that good work of faith in your soul.

[4:38] And it is by reason of regenerating grace that he quickens your soul and mine, and makes it alive unto God. So it would be coming to him.

[4:48] She had a pain.

[5:18] And so the Lord will so reveal this, I believe, to each and every child of God. They'll have this malady of sin. To see sin smarts, but slightly to own with lip confession is easier still.

[5:36] But all to feel. All to feel it. And don't you have to pray sometimes, if only you could feel it. The reality of conviction.

[5:48] We confess our sins daily, don't we, before God in our private devotions. We confess that we are sinners and we pray for pardon.

[5:59] Do we really know what it is to have that broken heart and contrition of spirit? Now the Lord in his sovereign mercy will bring a poor sinner there at times.

[6:14] To remember. Bring to remembrance your sins and mine. Past offenses. Whereby we have offended God.

[6:26] We have broken this or that commandment. And therefore guilty of breaking off. And we blush and ashamed. When the Lord so pricks a sinner in the conscience, he blushes or she blushes.

[6:42] And they are ashamed of those past offenses that can never be erased from their life.

[6:55] They've done it. They've sinned against God. They've sinned against his holy word. And when they're brought to feel this, their lost condition.

[7:09] Oh, what an oppressed state there will be in when they realize the solemnity of those sins and those transgressions that God hates.

[7:22] And that they must be blotted out. They must be pardoned. If this or that sinner is to be restored. And to be healed from this dreadful malady.

[7:36] Now this woman then. Blessed character really. And yet a most tried character. Having spent all that she had and was nothing better.

[7:48] But rather grew worse. You see the set time when she had heard of Jesus. Maybe some of us may look back.

[7:58] We trust when we were pricked in the conscience. When we heard of Jesus. We might have not had a promise. Might not have had a word. But we were pricked in the conscience.

[8:10] We had heard of Jesus. We had been trained up under it perhaps. And it had had no effect upon us. But then like the prodigal.

[8:21] We began to be in one. There was an inquiring mind. There was an exercise. Within our hearts. That we might receive that touch.

[8:36] We coveted perhaps the obituaries that we read. Coveted the perhaps the good works of perhaps dead saints.

[8:46] Who though being dead yet speaketh. Or were spoken of. As recorded in some autobiography.

[8:59] Or in some biographical portion. That had afterwards been published. Of their experiences. The exercise was this.

[9:11] Be that religion mine. You see a little. A little that a righteous man hath. Is better than the many riches of the wicked. We cannot always see that in our natural pathway.

[9:25] Can we? When we are brought in. Brought in need. Into being in need of something. But when she had heard of Jesus. She came.

[9:38] She came. In the press behind. Touched his garment. All that living faith and exercise. For you and me.

[9:49] To touch his garment. And. The Lord immediately knew. Where that touch went. That touch with the effects of that touch.

[10:01] And when you and I. By the grace of God. Feel that touch. When we feel a little softening. When we feel a little union. A little communion with Jesus.

[10:14] He's not there as I say. In his bodily presence. As we are one with another. And as he was in these days. Because he's now risen. But he still has a human heart.

[10:29] He still carries with him. That scarred body in heaven. Those hands. Those feet. And that side.

[10:39] That were wounded. On Calvary's tree. That same Jesus. Is going to come again. In so like manner. In all his glory.

[10:50] To judge the world. In righteousness. And so here we see. This. This very. Humble pathway. Of the Lord Jesus. While here upon the earth.

[11:02] This humble woman. All her efforts. Would have been in vain. And she grew worse. And all the efforts.

[11:12] Of the free willers. Will grow worse. And they will perish. In their sins. Except for free. And sovereign grace. arresting them you know we often think don't we perhaps when we look back in our perhaps early days when those things that we heard of they seemed to be acceptable in our schooling take us to the church and we have a service and we thought it was right had no idea of the doctrines of free will and free grace what has made you and me to differ only the teaching of the spirit we pity them don't we that know nothing of this dependence holy upon the Lord to quicken our souls and to make us cry for mercy this woman you know she was one of many one of a great crowd that was surrounding him many came to seek him for the loaves and the fishes that he'd given them this woman had a different case she had a burden of this plague and you know we should know the plague of our own heart our trying circumstances our afflictions those things that weigh heavily upon us and there seems to be no escape or deliverance from them they're burdens to you the Lord will have them to be so and you'll bring them to the Lord as you're enforced there by the blessed drawing influence of the spirit we often quote that hymn could the creature help her is or seldom should we think of prayer few if any come to Jesus till reduced to self despair and so she came she said if I may touch now there's not a word in our mouth but what the Lord knows it all together what a mercy if the Lord put that word in our mouth that desire in our soul having heard of Jesus the fame of Jesus and all this is the name that you and I will plead

[13:38] I believe in this day when the Lord has promised to send his comforter the blessed Holy Spirit of truth to reveal that that self to you and me himself and so you see the Lord said who touched me there was a proving to those disciples around him you see Jesus knowing that this virtue had gone out of him who touched my thumbs this wasn't just the jostling of the people was it this was that deliberate touch of that woman she reached for why did she reach for I believe this because the Lord drew her to himself this is the marvel isn't it Jesus draws the chosen race there's the secret and has he not drawn you sinner drawn you to come if I may touch

[14:43] Lord permit me there's no presumption about it I'm going to touch if I may all that blessed humble way of approaching unto God it's not rushing into his presence it's not presuming that God is going to heal you Lord if thou wilt if thou wilt thou canst make me clean if thou wilt thou canst pardon my sins if thou wilt thou canst cause me to go in peace and be whole of the plague all you know do you know the plague of your own heart you will be shown it I believe one of these greatest sins that a sinner can have is the sin of unbelief harm we're painfully learning it dear friends I believe I painfully learned the burden of unbelief the carnality of my heart the very earthiness of my spirit but we have to come here don't we that without him we can do nothing what a mercy you know to be brought there dear friend that was on the telephone this morning from

[16:12] Australia God fearing man in much affliction and yet says he can look at others and how he feels in a low place but how he wants the Lord to touch to touch him in effect that's what his words were what a mercy to be brought there waiting watching pleading and asking that the Lord in his sovereign mercy will grab that healing touch now do to thy faith and may be whole you see without faith it is impossible to please God and there won't be any profit will there unless faith is mixed with your hearing and I thought in prayer even my own hearing of the words that God gives me to speak in the hour we each need that faith don't we that trusting in the living

[17:16] God that believing that God reigns that he's ever mindful even to our smallest and minutest circumstances he knows all your sins past present and yet to come and yet those sins the plague of your sinful heart and mind all this wretched sin all their hideous monster sin nor how we have to painfully learn that sin is the cause of all our woe not any circumstance that befalls you for good or for evil is unknown to God Lord you say give me that grain of faith of a mustard seed to believe and trust that everything in my life small or great circumstance does not happen by chance or by my foolishness or ignorance but by reason of sin he causeth it to come for correction or needful is thy correcting rod we say needful thy correcting rod or how we tremble at it now this woman had a rod to correct her she had this issue and it had been an issue of 12 years oh how sometimes how long sometimes will our trials be seems no end to them no deliverance year after year maybe for you and me to have that touch but in the end it came didn't it in the end the Lord delivered her and drew her and he knew who it was had touched and she came you know with repentance didn't she she came fearing and trembling knowing what was done in her there was that change there was that healing touch and she felt the effects of it what a mercy when the

[19:28] Lord grants you that that felt effectual cleansing that healing that restoring that delivering mercy there's a sign and a wonder revealed to you in your time after 12 years you see that set time to favor and then he says who touched me to prove it the Lord knew who touched her because as I said he'd appointed that time for her to touch and for you to in your souls and in your circumstances a time we sing it sometimes don't we a time you set to heal up your woes a season most fit his love to disclose oh you know you want to hasten his time don't you I do when things beset you beset with snares on every hand all the snares the gins the snares and the trap that so seem to ensnare you take your attention and your time leave your affection beset with snares in every hand in life's uncertain path

[20:49] I stand your prayer will be saviour divine diffuse thy light and guide my doubtful footsteps right and he said unto her she came and fell down before him and told him what all the truth you know you won't hide anything from your God will you as you plead Jesus as the one mediator standing in between you tell him all the truth Samuel told Eli every wit he didn't hide anything that the spirit had revealed to him and the Lord will bring you and me there you tell him all the truth oh what a mercy this is sir came down and fell down before him you see the humility of this woman humbled in the dust unworthy of his notice yet comes and tells him all the truth and he said unto her daughter thy faith hath made thee hard binds up the broken heart in doesn't he he killeth that he might make alive or he brings low that he might lift up sets beggars among the princes or such is the goodness of the

[22:18] Lord that we read of in his word these many characters that we that we read of especially in these gospels they didn't come with great boldness of flesh but with fear and trembling and Jesus said unto her daughter thy faith hath made thee whole all that blessed mercy to hear daughter or son thy faith hath made thee whole or son thy sins have been given them or daughter thy faith hath made thee whole go in peace now all this seemingly was in the midst of the Jesus coming from in request to Jairus who was who besought him greatly saying my little daughter light at the point of death I pray thee come and lay thy hands on her that she may be healed and she shall live and

[23:20] Jesus went with him and much people followed him and thronged him and then you see in his coming there was this seeming hindrance to go on at Jairus' request and in the meantime there came those of the synagogue have certain which said thy daughter is dead why trouble is there the master and he father and as soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken he said unto the ruler of the synagogue be not afraid only believe nor when he came to the house of course the child was dead in there as they thought but only sleep it and they laughed in the school so you see in the connection between these things there was this woman that comes and you see the connection the faith in exercise which is vital to you and me and if the

[24:23] Lord is the author of your faith you'll believe in Jesus he that cometh to God must believe that he is how many come and worship an unknown God evening and day sometimes we wonder whether we know God or whether we want to know God such is the tempter's power within our soul but then when we're in our right minds we are persuaded that we have this plague of our own heart wretched man that I am vile sinner not worthy they should come under my roof but speak the word only Lord and my servant shall be healed so said the centurion and so the Lord you know has promised that his dear people that believe in him shall be saved whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life daughter daughter son thy faith hath made the whole faith as a substance of those things hope for the evidence of those things that are not seen just looking unto

[25:45] Jesus that thou art the son of God that thou art the saviour that thou didst come and seek out and to save lost sinners such as me all that I might then go in peace Jesus has said my peace I leave with you not as the world giveth give I unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid but our hearts are troubled often they are afraid the hymn writer says why art thou afraid to come why afraid to tell thy case he will not pronounce thy do smiles are seated on his face for when the Lord then draws upon us in it he comes and faith is an exercise to seek to touch receive that touch to receive those restoring mercies a desire for the

[27:15] Lord to say unto our souls I am thy salvation go in peace go in peace all this is that peace of God that passeth all knowledge of understanding when the Lord so blesses his dear people with that peace that passeth all knowledge of understanding my peace I leave with you he says not as the world giveth give I to you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid the peace of God everlasting peace and righteousness now he says be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ

[28:20] Jesus oh what a mercy that this peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus it's that everlasting love isn't it that's being fulfilled and manifested to a poor sinner when he says my peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you it's a free and sovereign gift of God through his grace grace is free and it's all through the merits of Jesus the lamb slain before the foundation of the world for the sins of his people and the foundation of God stand is sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that he is he knew this woman from all eternity and he knows you from all eternity and me from all eternity and we trust we shall be saved at last saved from our wretched sinful vile deeds and acts and thoughts and words that have come out of this body that's that that's what defileth a man isn't it our sins is that that cometh out of a man that defileth a man not that what's going out goes into a man or talking about weren't they wash eating with unwashed hands it's that that goeth out of a man or every thought and act impure but the blood of

[29:58] Christ thy soul can cure here's that precious blood that that woman that had this issue of blood she needed the blood of Christ it's truly as we sung heal us Emmanuel here we are waiting to feel thy touch deep wounded souls that they repair saviour we are such we sing the language we are familiar of it do we feel it in ourselves Lord you say then do grant that I might have the religion of this woman she said within herself she said if I may but touch his gun I think elsewhere in one of the gospels it said she said within herself if I may but touch if I may touch but his clothes I shall behold and she touched because it was the appointed time for her to touch and to receive that token of his everlasting love he wouldn't tell those of the devil to go in peace would he he sent didn't he the devil out of this man legion into those swine that went down into the into the violently into the sea into the sea place into the sea there were two thousand choked in the sea they the devils perished but that man was saved and here we see then this peace this everlasting peace this righteousness imputed to a poor sinner this salvation of their souls because

[31:52] Jesus has redeemed them from the curse of the broken Lord so go in peace and be whole of thy blade you see the Lord's characters that he is determined to say are from the war walks of life but he have not chosen me he says but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go forth and bring forth real fruit fruits me for repentance godly sorrow for your sins making you a mourner in Zion and all to hear that blessed voice saying the son thy sins are forgiven thee daughter thy faith hath made thee whole go in peace blessed then daughter of the Lord you see then therefore he says come ye out from among them and be separate and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive and be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the

[33:02] Lord almighty see the Lord himself has chosen Zion he has desired it for his habitation and he will form himself in the hearts of his chosen people and he'll there be he'll be their hope for glory and for eternal salvation delivered from eternal wrath made wise unto salvation through living faith which lives and labors under load though damp it will never die our faith is often feeble isn't it often damp but will never die and our hopes are ever built upon the merits of the dear son of God door to thy faith and may be heart are you looking there are you looking to the Lord Jesus to favor you with this blessing that shall enrich your soul you want that blessed assurance you want the

[34:09] Lord to draw you by that sweet resistless grace you want him to draw you and to favor you to feel that union and communion with him for him to visit you with his mighty love because it's out of love to this woman that he should bless her with that touch bless her with that healing virtue and favor her to know Jesus Christ as that wise physician or they that are whole need not another physician they that are sick or this is then for sin sick souls for burdened sinners for afflicted saints those that have much to cause them anxiety of soul and mind he says come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and

[35:12] I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my yoke is easy and my burden is light he is one that carries a poor sinner through the wilderness world in all their afflictions and many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all go in peace be whole of thy plague or what rejoicing did that woman have she went on her way rejoicing believing that thou art the son of God blessed savior or that he in his sovereign mercy then might encourage you and me to come come all ye that fear God and I will declare unto you what he has done for myself and like this man that was legion he when he was coming to the ship he prayed that he might be with him how be it

[36:18] Jesus suffered him not suffered him not but said unto him go home to thy friends and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee and hath had compassion on thee and that remark applies to the child of God it applies to these characters here in these trying scenes that they had to pass through but they were chosen vessels he had compassion upon them what a mercy does have compassion upon his dear chosen people as he draws them they may come but finding feeling their only hope is in the merits of Jesus what a mercy to be brought there no hope in these physicians as you tried them all though we use the earthly physicians it is only as the means are blessed by God that they will be profitable to us that is in restoring or healing or alleviating suffering but you see this you see the the

[37:30] Lord had compassion upon them he compassion the cases of his dear people he answers their prayers but as we said earlier this woman had to wait 12 years what a long wait what a trial and yet through mercy she was brought to the knowledge of Jesus Christ though her exercise will be this if her trials are sanctified that they might bring us closer to him that we might know him and the power of his resurrection the fellowship of his sufferings and be made conformable unto his death crucified of the world and the world unto us Lord do give me grace then you say and do grant me that peace all you're anxious to know your sins forgiven Lord tell me thou hast pardoned all my sins that thou hast blessed me with the forgiveness of my sins for blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven whose iniquities are covered transgressions are covered

[38:46] Lord you say cover them with the mantle of my forgiving love I shall sin to my dying day but Lord may I have that blessed assurance that I might go in peace that thy peace through thy precious blood has blotted out my sins as a thick cloud and that I shall find through mercy that I should get to heaven at last oh what a mercy then that Jesus Christ is found to you and me as this it was to this woman the one thing needful for I without him perish must and he said unto her daughter thy faith hath made thee whole go in peace and be whole of thy plague restoring unto a poor sinner the joy of his salvation or covering even the shadow of a spot with that glorious robe of his righteousness or if sin be pardoned

[39:53] I am secure death and no sting beside the Lord gave sin its damning power but Christ my ransom died but we will leave it there friends may the Lord add his blessing and forgive all amiss amen we conclude in singing hymn 377 to the tune 293 my soul take courage from the Lord believe and plead his holy word to him alone do they complain nor shall they seek his face in vain upon him call in humble prayer there still art his peculiar care here surely turn and small again nor shall they seek his face in vain hymn 377 their name lead

[41:44] Holy world to they alone to their complaint nor shall they see his human sing read the covenant Tam Hussein Rapport Tum Now still this母's ownken

[42:57] Him shall return and slow again.

[43:11] Nor shall the sea be His place in the rain.

[43:27] The weather, sea, we can pour.

[43:45] Still white, the camera sees dawn.

[44:01] May God give up our love's dream.

[44:14] Nor shall the sea be His place in the rain.

[44:32] The watered, hellish ground.

[44:50] Will with His doves soul engage.

[45:06] God through the heart shall be sustained.

[45:21] Nor shall the sea be His place in the rain.

[45:39] Amen. Amen. Amen. God through the sea. God through the sea.

[45:58] May the new course of grieving call Pray that my heart may all be saved O shall not see the mis adçaíников The sharply bleak shall still amount

[46:59] And comes the darkness they sorrow Still pray your love Where all the exclaims Your child can see It's my singing In the plain plain The dark gone blood

[48:04] Still at the clouds O bright sun The eternal rain The greater shall die Nor shall the sea His praise be.

[48:48] May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each. Amen.