ONE TOUCH

Sunday, April 21, 2024 – Pastor George Dupree

Matthew 9:20-21 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his garment.
She said within herself, If I only touch his garment, I will be healed.

After 12 years of suffering with this condition, trying everything to be cured, spending all her money, she only grew worse. How exhausting it must have been for her.

Maybe she felt like the prophet Jeremiah when he said…
I tell myself, “I am finished! I can’t count on the LORD to do anything for me.”
Just thinking of my troubles and my lonely wandering makes me miserable. That’s all I ever think about, and I am depressed. Then I remember something that fills me with hope. The LORD’s kindness never fails! If he had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed. The LORD can always be trusted to show mercy each morning. Deep in my heart I say, “The LORD is all I need; I can depend on him!” The LORD is kind to everyone who trusts and obeys him 26 It is good to wait patiently for the LORD to save us. — Lamentations 3:18 - 25

But she heard about Jesus and she decided to try and believe again, just like Jeeremiah, she said “The LORD is all I need; I can depend on him!”

A powerful thing happens when we SAY within ourselves, when we put words to our faith. There were a lot of thoughts flying around in her head but she SAID “If I only touch his garment, I will be healed”.
She was saying just ONE TOUCH, just ONE TOUCH.

According to the law she couldn’t touch Him. But Jesus came to set us free from the law, knowing that we could never keep it.

The part of His garment that she touched was the tassel where there was a significance for a Jewish man. There were various threads and knots which had significance.
There were five knots representing the five books of the law or the Torah. There were 4 spaces between the knots representing the name of God, YHWH. The Hebrew word for this fringe was TzitTzit. It was a reminder to keep God’s laws. The numeric value of the word TzitTzit is 600 and when you add the eight threads and the five knots you come up with 613 which was the number of laws for the Jewish people.

The Jewish people would have believed what Malachi said… Malachi 4:2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.

Wings refers to the corners of the garment where the tassels were – this passage is a reference to the Messiah; He would have healing within Him.

So, she said within herself “ONE TOUCH”

Can we say the same? But how can we “touch” Jesus? Here are a few ways.
1 – Prayer, that’s talking to God.
2 – Praise, that’s complimenting God.
3 – Worship, that’s honoring Him in everything we say and do. Psalms 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you,O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

4 – Hearing the Word, that builds our faith.

5 – Taking communion with one and other, that’s remembering Him and thanking Him for salvation.

Maybe you’ve been in a bad place for a long time, ONE TOUCH could be your story today.