June 11, 2017

The Touch of Jesus

Pastor: Shannon Ford Scripture: Mark 8:22–26

The Touch of Jesus: 

Mark 8:22-26: 

“Eyes that look are common. Eyes that see are rare.” (J. Oswald Sanders)

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Spiritual blindness is the inability to understand and believe spiritual truth.

Causes of spiritual blindness

  • Satan

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Cor. 4:4)

  • Pride

In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. (Psalm 10:4, NIV)

  • Habitual Sin

For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. (Romans 8:7)

  • Preoccupation with Worldly Matters

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24)

  • Spiritual Ignorance

They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. (Ephesians 4:18)

Mark 8:22-26

22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

  • A Personal Touch of Encouragement (8:22-23a)

“Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him”

  1. Compassionate Savior
  2. Caring Savior
  • A Peculiar Touch of Enlightenment (8:23b-25)

“Jesus spits on the blind man’s eyes and put His hands on his eyes two times”

  1. Confined with no sight

  2. Cloudy with little sight
  3. Clear with much insight
  • A Powerful Touch of Enablement (8:26)

“Jesus sent him home”

  1. Commissioned to go

  2. Commissioned to tell

Life-changing Touch of Jesus

  • Invaluable Grace of God

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8)

  • Indwelling Spirit of God

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. (1 Corinthians 2:12)

  • Imparted Righteousness of God

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Enlightenment Lessons

  • Friends can move us closer to or further from
  • What we expect God to do is not always what He does. But we can be assured that what He does will be precisely what we need.
  • We don’t get spiritually better at the same rate or in the same way. No one sees all of God’s truth all at once.
  • A test of how well we understand the things of God is in the answer to how we see
  • Jesus never messes up; but He does take messed up lives and touches them to make us more like Him.

Making it Personal

  • Have you personally experienced God’s saving grace through turning from sin and self and turning to Christ in trust and faith?
  • Where in your life do you need to experience the life-changing touch of Jesus?
  • How can I help bring those who are spiritually blind into the presence of Jesus?
  • Who is the person(s) I am begging for Jesus to touch?