We have just prayed for the reading and preaching of God's word and so we turn to that ministry at this point. And it's happened way too often that someone will come to the church and become a part of the church making a profession of faith, maybe having come out of deep sin even, and confessing that there has been sin and claiming repentance. And it's wonderful when that happens. But then very often, or I should say sometimes, we find that those same people fall into those same sins. There's such an addiction that they have to the sins that they have been committing in the past. not just drunkenness, but other kinds of sins, whether lying or being kleptomaniacs who would steal from even family members. And they'll come back and say, I'm sorry I've done that. And the elders may eventually have to excommunicate such a person, or at least to bring them under some sort of discipline. There's a great need that we as God's people have to be united to Jesus Christ, belonging to him, and he indeed is our need. We're going to look at a passage today that has a couple of people who have this same need, though they don't recognize it. Perhaps you've heard of some of these people who will say to you, okay, I'm not gonna do that anymore. As a pastor, I've heard that a number of times. Sadly, the people continue to turn back to their old ways. But you, you have the same need to be drawn to Christ and to be with him, to be united to him so that as God's people, you are united to the person, Jesus Christ. How do you relate to him? I trust you've given some thought to that and considered how you need to be relating to the Lord Jesus Christ and recognizing him as your Lord and Savior. We're going to read here from Mark chapter five. Now I understand you've been going through Matthew and I think you may very well have gone through this same passage recently. There are some markers here that can easily be missed. I wonder if you'll pick up on them. I didn't pick up on them right away, but had some help in learning what was going on. Mark chapter five, beginning with verse 21. Now, when Jesus had crossed over again by boat, I should note that there are three events here that are right together, and this is the third one, where Jesus, first of all, takes the disciples across the sea, only there's a huge storm that comes up, and Jesus is asleep. Lord, don't you care that we're perishing? They wake him up. A strange question to ask the one who was sent into the world that we might not perish but have everlasting life. And so Jesus said, why are you afraid? Have you still no faith? And all three of these events deal with faith, fear and faith. The second one is when they arrive on the Eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee and a madman comes rushing down at Jesus. a man in whom there are many demons. And the demons are cast out by Jesus into a herd of pigs. And those pigs go rushing down the hillside and off the cliff into the Sea of Galilee. And the herdsmen run into town and tell them, no, here's what happened. And they come back and they are afraid of Jesus. Get out of here. We don't want you here. While there is that man in whom those demons had been, sitting with Jesus, fully clothed and in his right mind, having a true faith in Jesus. Now here we come to another one where there is fear and they're called to faith. Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to him and he was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name, and when he saw him, he fell at his feet and begged him earnestly saying, my little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her that she may be healed and she will live. So Jesus went with him. and a great multitude followed him and thronged him. Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for 12 years and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, if only I may touch his garment, touch his clothes, I shall be made well. Immediately, the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that power had gone out of him, turned around in the crowd and said, Who touched me? But his disciples said to him, You see the multitude thronging you, and you say, Who touched me? And he looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction. While he was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, who said, your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he said to the ruler of the synagogue, do not be afraid, only believe. And he permitted no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, Then he came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue and saw a tomalt. And those who wept and wailed loudly, when he came in, he said to them, why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping. And they ridiculed him. But when he had put them all outside, he took the father and the mother of the child and those who were with him and entered there. They entered where the child was lying, and he took the child by the hand and said to her, Talitha Kume, which is translated, little girl, I say to you, arise. Immediately, the girl arose and walked, for she was 12 years of age, and they were overcome with great amazement. But he commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat. May the Lord indeed teach us from this his word and grant us the understanding that we ought to have in it. There's a crowd, a couple of crowds. One that meets Jesus at the sea as he returns from over dealing with the demoniac. And another crowd that is at the home of the ruler of the synagogue. Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, comes out, and he is one of the main characters in our account here, but we have a split-screen account because there's Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, and there is this woman who also has a need who comes to Jesus. Now their needs are very different. One wants to be healed and the other wants to have his daughter raised up to life because it seems that she's about to die. These are the two main characters along with Jesus and yet they are very different. Did you notice any of the differences between the two? First of all, one is a woman and one is a man. Now I know in our society that doesn't qualify as difference. But it is, according to the scriptures. Women are not just child bearers. They're more than that. So here is this man and this woman, and who is the man? Well, it's Jairus. Who is the woman? What's her name? There's no name there. What does Jairus do? Well, he's a ruler of the synagogue. That means he is an important person in the community. He is one who is recognized not only by the people of his synagogue as being one who is a spiritual man, but one that has great responsibility and takes his responsibility seriously. He will be honored as a ruler of the synagogue. And she? All we know about her is that she's had this flow of blood for 12 years, and she's been spending money trying to get that flow of blood dealt with by the physicians, and they've done nothing more than take her money. Oh, they've given her suggestions on what to do, trying to get rid of this flow of blood, but there's no help. These are two people who are pretty much at opposite ends of the spectrum of society. Here's a man of great importance in the community, and here is an anonymous woman. The Bible doesn't even give us her name. They're very different. And as we think of ourselves gathered here in these pews, in this building, We find that we ourselves fall within that spectrum, having the same need that these two people have, the need to know Jesus and to know him and him alone. Our great need is to live in union with Jesus Christ. But I want you to notice how these two people come to Jesus. What does the woman say? She wants to be healed. How can I be healed? Well, if I only touch the garment that Jesus is wearing, I will be healed. Now that might sound to you like great faith. And Jesus does commend her for her faith. But there's a bit of a problem with that. And in a similar way, here comes Jairus to Jesus and says, come and lay your hands on my little girl, and she will be healed. Now, I know that many of you, most of you, have read about many miracles that Jesus did, healing the sick, casting out demons, How many of those miracles that Jesus did, do you remember the needy person coming to him and saying, this is how you are to heal me. This is how you are to deal with my need. Jesus dealt with those needs in a variety of ways. As we read through the scriptures, the gospel accounts in particular, we find a number of ways that Jesus dealt with their diseases. Blindness. You remember there was one time where he spat on the ground and made some clay or mud and put it on the man's eyes and then told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. In fact, there was another one, he just spit right in his eyes. Another one who couldn't speak well, who was mute, and he also spat, and that came and touched his tongue, perhaps, with the spit. Now, I'm not gonna ask you to raise your hand, but how many of you just went, eww? I wouldn't want him to do that to me. How unsanitary. But does not the Son of God know what he's doing? And let me ask you, if you actually said silently in your own heart, ew, I wouldn't want him to do that to me, are you really going to be picky about how he meets your need? Or are you gonna be willing to have him deal with your need in whatever way he chooses? There was a man in the Old Covenant, in the Old Testament, who said, I don't like the way that you've told me to be healed. He was an important man, a general in the Syrian army, and he ends up at the door of Elisha, Elisha's house. And he comes to him to be healed because there's a little girl that has told his wife that the prophet in Israel would be able to heal him of his leprosy. And who meets him at the door? Not Elisha, but his servant. And the servant says to him, the prophet says, go wash in the Jordan River seven times and you'll be healed. And we read that he went away angry. I thought he was going to come out and wave his hand over the spot and I would be healed. And so he's ready to go back to Syria. But his servants talk some sense into him and say, what if he'd asked you to do some great thing? Maybe swim all the way across the Sea of Galilee. Climb some high mountain. All he told you to do was go and watch and you'll be clean. We have an old saying that you have used, no doubt, beggars can't be choosers. We do not tell God how he is to heal us or how he is to deal with us, but we recognize that he is God and that he has the privilege of doing whatever he chooses to do in order to deal with whatever need we have. You see, in these two, this woman and Jairus, there was a bit of a magical aspect of what they were requesting. There's magic in the clothing of Jesus. Now, we read Malachi chapter four because when it says there that the son of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings, Another word to be used instead of wings would be fringes because it has to do with the outer parts of that person or his clothing. But it's not something that is to be looked on magically. And then we read from Acts chapter 19 where Paul has these handkerchiefs and aprons that are taken from him to those who are sick and they're healed. And so it looks to us like it might be a magical sort of thing, but it isn't. In fact, they recognize it's not a magical thing and they burn their magic books that they've been involved in for such a time. There is nothing magical about the clothing of Jesus. And yet throughout the history of the church, people have been looking for relics. If we could get all the splinters of the cross together, we would have a huge cross for Jesus to be on. Or someone might say, perhaps this is his toenail and so I've got a piece of Jesus with me. It's not the laying of the human hands on the girl or using the clothing that covered his human body, but it is Jesus that they need. He himself is the one that we need. And so Jesus brings these two to a personal relationship with himself. And he does it in different ways. After all, one is an outcast or I shouldn't say outcast, but an anonymous person for the society. And the other is a very prominent person, but he deals with both of them to bring them to a purified faith, if you will. that their faith would not be in the relics of the church. A few years ago, there was a lot of talk about the shroud of Turin. So what? So what if you had the shroud that covered Jesus' body? That doesn't do anything for you. Jesus is the one whom we need, not the things surrounding him, not the accoutrements, if you will. And so Jesus has turned to this woman after he has been, as he has felt the power go out of him, said, who touched me? and she wants to be, she has been anonymous and she wants to continue to be anonymous, I would call her a hit and run disciple of Jesus. Let me get what I want from Jesus and go on and be off by myself and enjoy myself with all the goodness that I have gotten from Jesus. And sometimes our prayers are that way, aren't they? Instead of desiring Jesus, we desire what he can give to us, what he might do for us, how he might fulfill what I want. And so Jesus does not allow her to be a hit and run disciple of his that calls her out so that she can confess what she has done. and can confess her need and come to this relationship, this personal relationship, a person-to-person relationship with Jesus Christ. Because that's what she needs. She needs Jesus. And then there's Jairus. He's just the opposite, isn't he? Instead of trying to be as anonymous as possible, he, in true Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fashion, prostrates himself before Jesus. So everybody can see, because after all, he's a man of importance. Jesus, come and lay your hands on my daughter, and she will be made well. And Jesus calls him to faith. It's not the hands that are the important thing, but it's Jesus himself. And so Jesus comes into the house and he asked him to get people out of there. And let me just point out that there has been a delay all along here. Put yourself in Jairus' place. Jesus, the crowd is finally moving to his house, Jesus with him, and he stops to ask this stupid question, who touched me when people are compressing him? That's really what the word means. He was being compressed by the crowd. And I don't think any of the rest of them who were touching his garment were healed of anything. And so, Jesus, she's dying, come on. And just getting through a crowd like that would be difficult because, after all, they're not quite as polite as Americans tend to be, even in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Now, they're elbowing each other, trying to get out there in front, trying to get closer to Jesus. Forget about Eugearis and your daughter. I want to be next to Jesus. But he finally arrives at the place and there's all this wailing. And if you've ever been to a Mideastern funeral, you will understand what that wailing is. Now, there's always grief at a funeral. That's typically, that's what we expect. I even heard of one woman who tried to jump into the grave with her relative that was being buried. The wailing that goes on is incredible and Jesus had to get them out of the house. So that in itself would take time. And instead of doing this in front of everybody as he did with the woman, He says, everybody out, all I'm taking in with me are three of my disciples who can witness this, and they'll tell about this to the people there in Burtonsville, Maryland, because they're gonna write it down. And then they're gonna have father and mother, because their faith needs to be purified. And instead of placing his hands on the little girl in order to raise her up He takes her by the hand and says, little girl, arise. And she does. He is the one we need. And he's taught us something in the meantime, because as he's come into this crowd where there are the professional whalers, he said, she's not dead, she's sleeping. they laugh at him. These people who had just been crying now laugh at him. Jesus is teaching us what it means, what death is for us. When you go back to Genesis chapter 5, you have the patriarchs listed, and for each one it says, so and so lived so many years and had a son, and then lived so many years, and he died. And there is a drumbeat that goes through that chapter, and he died, and he died, and he died, with one exception, Enoch. walked with God and was not, for God took him. You see, Enoch saw that personal relationship that was needed. He came to God and walked with him. The way I heard one little girl put it was, they were walking with God one day and God said, you know, we're closer to my place, so let's just go over there now. And I think she has it about right. Certainly that's not the way it happened, but you see the closeness that Enoch had with God. It was a great closeness, a fellowship with the Lord. When we come into the New Testament, we not only have this situation where Jesus said, she's not dead, she's sleeping, but he says to the disciples on another occasion, Lazarus is sleeping, and I go to awake him out of his sleep. Oh, no, no, no, Lord, that wouldn't be good, because if he's ill and he's sleeping, he'll get better. So, well, let me explain to you what I mean by his sleep. And then when we read about the stoning of Stephen, he said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And having said this, he fell asleep. You see it also in 1 Corinthians 15, the great resurrection chapter. You see it in 1 Thessalonians 4, how we fall asleep in Jesus. You see, it's that kind of relationship. So that even in death, we are in Jesus. We are not separated from him. Jesus calls you into this same personal relationship with himself, not with his garments, not with his hands or his physical body, not with a body stretched out on a cross, but rather with Jesus himself. He is our hope. But we have our own kinds of superstitions and magical ways of dealing. Oh, if I only pray a little harder or a little more. Perhaps if I had more faith. Well, Jesus blew that one out of the water, didn't he? If you have faith as a mustard seed, you'll say to this mountain, be cast into the sea and it'll happen. You see, it's not the amount of faith that you have, but that faith in the person of Jesus Christ, confidence in him. You don't need a relic. In fact, a relic would only turn you away from Jesus. What you need is Jesus himself. He's the one who has conquered your sin. You haven't. Perhaps you're like that person, those people that I mentioned at the outset of this message, where there's a particular sin that has hounded you. An addiction, if you will. And you can't get away from it. And you commit that sin and you come back to Jesus and say, I'm sorry, I'm not gonna do it again. Only to do it again. You cannot do it yourself. Only Jesus can. He is the one who has died for our sins. He is the one who has dealt with our sin at the cross. He has conquered sin and death and the devil. You haven't done that. And so you need to know Jesus himself, who is the giver of life, the healer of our diseases, the one who is the resurrection of life, as he said to the sisters of Lazarus. And so he is the one you need to know. Don't be grabbing for his clothing. Don't be grabbing for any relic. But recognize, as the apostle said, My grace is sufficient for you. That's what God had told him when he dealt with a particular thing that he referred to as a thorn in the flesh. God said, my grace is sufficient for you. Are you drawing near to Jesus? Because you see, he is the one in whom, he is to be everything for you, everything. You live in union with him. You need to know him intellectually, yes, but you need to know him especially intimately. In becoming communicant members of this church, you declared that you know that Jesus is your savior. You believe in him. Was that merely an intellectual exercise or is it something that brings you to an intimate relationship with Jesus because that's what you're to have. And as we look to the sacrament in a few moments, we're going to see that it's the same thing there, that we partake of Jesus. Don't think of this in any way as a fetish that you can use to be closer to God. But you need to see Jesus there. His body and his blood. This is something that is really incredible. That you and I have the opportunity, have direct contact with the person of Jesus Christ. If you tried to get in touch with the President of the United States, I remember a time when I was five years old. My dad had gone to a college with a fellow by the name of Richard Milhouse Nixon. And when I was five years old, my parents took me with them. We were on a trip, and he happened to be speaking at the steps of the state house in Topeka for Kansas. And so we went there. And when he had finished speaking, Dad goes rushing up, Dick, Dick, Dick! And Phil, Phil! Can you imagine if Dad tried to do that today? He would be arrested. But you have this direct contact with Jesus. you come directly to him, not just to his physical body, not just to the clothes that covered him, but gaze on him, gaze on him in whom there is the beauty of the Lord our God. Let's pray.