Gtcotr/ss020721
Mark 5 KJV
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of
blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many
physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but
rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of
Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may
touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was
dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, immediately
knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the
press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest
the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had
done this thing.
33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing
what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the
truth.
34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
This woman heard about Jesus and used her faith to draw what she needed from Jesus. It appeared Jesus was unaware until she touched Him by faith. One touch was all it took, and her greatest needs were met. Pain; discomfort; embarrassment; fear; threat of being arrested or stoned; worry about finances; loneliness; isolation; stress; tortuous diagnosis; concern for her future; all the problems that come with anemic ill health … all gone! Now that was a good move on her part. She received some powerful virtue right there, and she knew it changed her life drastically and immediately.
The Greek word translated “virtue” in the 1611 King James Version of the Bible is also translated “power” in many other versions. It is the Greek word, “dunamis.” To best describe this word in a phrase would be to call this virtue the miracle working ability, strength, might, force, and power of God.
This morning we are going to discuss:
The Seven Virtues of Christ
1. Salvation
Acts 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (NKJV)
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. (NKJV)
2. Restoration
Psalms 23:3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. (NKJV)
Not only to save a soul from hell but to restore a soul from the hell they have experienced in this life … that is a virtue of Christ!
3. Revelation
1 Corinthians 2 (NKJV)
9 But as it is written: "Eye
has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things
which God has prepared for those who love Him."
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. (NKJV)
Ephesians 1:17 That … the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him … (NKJV)
We can know about God without knowing God. We cannot know God without the revelation which only comes through Christ. For the natural man does not know, cannot comprehend, nor can he receive spiritual things. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned.
4. Healing
1 Peter 2:24 Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (NKJV)
James 5 (NKJV)
14 Is any sick among you? let him
call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
5. Provision
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (NKJV)
Provision, like salvation, restoration, healing,
and revelation, is a virtue of Christ and found only in Christ.
·
The fields
will not yield their harvest without Christ …
·
Cattle will
not give their milk but for Christ …
·
Trees won’t
furnish their fruit if not for Christ …
·
Provision
comes from the Lord! It’s a gift from God …
· And God blesses the just and the unjust with life, food, and a chance to personally experience the virtues which are found in Jesus.
6. Empowerment
Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (KJV)
Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (NKJV)
7. Regeneration
Matthew 19:28 So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (NKJV)
1 Corinthians 15:51 ¶ Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed —
Salvation; Restoration; Revelation; Healing;
Provision; Empowerment; and Regeneration … these are the virtues; these are the
powers of Jesus. Only Jesus has:
·
The Power to Save Your
Soul
·
The Power to Restore You
·
The Power to Heal You and
Make You Whole
·
The Power to Provide Whatever
You Need
·
The Power to Fill You
with the Power of the Holy Spirit
· The Power to Make You Immortal
All through the Gospel of Mark we see Jesus going from city to city teaching the goodness of God, blessing the poor, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and rescuing those who were lost.
The woman in Mark 5 who was healed in Capernaum that day heard about Jesus and exercised her faith to believe He could change her life too. She reached out to Him in faith and virtue flowed to meet her needs.
Jesus was and still is filled with the virtue you need today. Perhaps you need peace in your life, joy in your heart, help for a friend, an open door for your future … Jesus wants to be your Savior.
Jesus will not only save you from an eternity in hell, but He will also save you from the hell this life has brought you. Today you have heard about Jesus, just like the woman in Mark’s Gospel.
What
will you say to yourself, what will you do about what you have heard? Might I
suggest you stand against the crowds and against the customs of the day if
needed, and press in to touch Jesus by faith today.
