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[0:00] Let's be seated. Well, tonight we are going to hear six testimonies.! They're all a little different, but behind each one is the same great and glorious and good, gracious God.

[0:18] ! A marvelous Savior is behind every one of these testimonies. And so, we want to see Jesus. We want you to see Jesus, and as you do, to praise Him for His grace in their lives.

[0:31] I've asked Kevin James to go first. Kevin. Hello. Many of you have read my testimony, and due to my less than exemplary past behavior and the sensitive ears present, my children included, and for time's sake, I will share with you what God has laid on my heart for this evening.

[0:58] Jesus said, The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again. And then, in his joy, went and sold all he had and bought that field.

[1:13] I walked by this field tens of times, hundreds of times, probably thousands of times. And all I saw was a field full of weeds.

[1:26] A field full of useless weeds, good for nothing. And then one day, I looked, and there in the midst of the field was the most amazing, beautiful treasure I have ever seen.

[1:38] I was in awe because of this treasure. And I wondered how it was that all these years, my world was running parallel with God's world. I wondered how many times I had someone crossed my path and pointed out the treasure that was in that field.

[1:58] But all I saw was a field full of weeds. Nevertheless, in God's perfect timing, predestined before the foundations of the world, he gave me eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart of flesh.

[2:14] He made me alive. Our Heavenly Father transported me from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.

[2:26] He gave me his Spirit so I could love the things that he loves and hate the things that he hates. And through his Spirit, God has poured his love into my heart.

[2:39] And through... And my Heavenly Father has revealed to me everlasting life in his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the only way, truth, and the life.

[2:51] And this is my purpose for sharing my testimony with you in vivid detail, the one that was handed out. The next time you see a person walking by that field, maybe somebody that uses the F-bomb in their conversation more times than we care to mention, such was I.

[3:13] Maybe this is a person that is saturating themselves in the evil things of this world. Such was I. No matter how appalling he or she is to you, will you remember my testimony?

[3:29] Remember how God redeemed me from a life enslaved to the world, the flesh, and the devil? Remember how he saved a wretched man like me from eternal condemnation and gave me new life in Jesus Christ, Jesus the lover of my soul, Jesus the treasure found in the field.

[3:55] Will you take the time to go and point out to this sinful, wretched, and blind creature, this creature created in the image of God, the treasure that is hidden in the field?

[4:07] The field that this blind and wretched person has walked by a thousand times, such as I. Thank you.

[4:28] Your pastors have been praying especially hard for our sister Renee. So, say a little prayer right now. And this is our sister Renee.

[4:39] She's ready to give her testimony. How am I supposed to follow that? Okay. In my testimony, and tonight, I have and will continue to spare you the vivid details of my days, lived in darkness apart from God.

[4:59] But he was never far from me. When Kevin and I were attending church for our children's sake, God placed me where his grace could impact me week after week without me knowing it.

[5:11] I spent so much time searching for the right religion that I never realized that God himself was leading me to the truth all along. Jesus Christ. The son, the only way, the truth, and the life.

[5:23] In God's perfect timing, an elder gave me a book called More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell. This book really impacted me. I saw who Jesus was and is, the God-man.

[5:36] The Bible came alive for me, and he rescued me from the dominion of darkness and brought me into the kingdom of his son. I can clearly see the line of separation from darkness to light when I'm around unconverted family members.

[5:52] They will often bring up my past sinful lifestyle when I begin talking about my new life in Christ. And instead of hurting me, these stories help remind me of my identity in Christ and that I'm not worthy of his grace and mercy shown me through him.

[6:10] And every day I'm in awe and overwhelmed by the realization that God would give his only son to save a wretch like me. Amen. God answers prayer.

[6:24] Amen. Diane. Well, I was doing good before I heard that. I'm just going to try to be really strong here. When I look back on my life before my salvation, what I see is a person walking in a maze of darkness, never seeing or hearing or feeling the Lord's direction.

[6:44] My life was empty without purpose. I was living a sinner's life with a hard heart. I attended church for over 25 years and never heard the gospel being taught. I thought I was a good person and therefore I was going to be okay.

[7:03] When the Holy Spirit came and changed my heart and gave me a new one, I was in my 60s. I could be the poster child for election. In a matter of seconds in my car going to work, my life changed forever.

[7:23] The hood of darkness was lifted and in its place was a light. I pulled my car over to the side of the road and started to pray and tears of gladness was rolling down my cheeks.

[7:37] A feeling of such joy and thankfulness, I still can't believe that the Lord loved me so much that now I am one of his sheep. I thank him daily for loving me, a sinner.

[7:51] I remember someone asking me how I knew I was reborn. I was at a women's luncheon. Did I hear a voice? Did a bell ring? And believe it or not, I had this asked me more than once.

[8:05] And I looked at her and I said no. No, none of those things happened. Jesus and the Holy Spirit changed my heart. And the look on her face was one of disbelief or not understanding.

[8:21] But I could relate to it because, you see, that was me. That was me before he changed my heart. My daughter Renee would witness to me time and time again.

[8:36] But I heard nothing. And I'm so sorry that I hurt her with my indifference, but so grateful that she loved me and didn't give up and kept trying to have me listen to the word.

[8:48] When you're reborn to Christ, you feel such a peace because now you know he is with you always. You must trust in someone that you know and he is that person.

[9:03] He is there every second of every day. And even with all your faults and your sins, he still loves you. This sounds so simple, but it's true.

[9:20] When you have Christ in your life, it's all about him. It's never about you. You want to share with everyone how wonderful your Lord is.

[9:31] You love to hear about him. You love to read his word and share with other brothers and sisters in Christ. You want to please him and give him all the glory.

[9:43] And one of the first things I did in a matter of days was to get baptized. And I asked my son in marriage, Kevin, to be with me during that ceremony. I did remind him that when he puts me under the water, he does need to bring me back up.

[10:00] But that is a ceremony and a moment in my life that is so precious, and I'll never, ever forget it for as long as I live because all the glory went to God.

[10:16] We at Grace Fellowship are blessed to have wonderful teachers of the word in Pastor John and Pastor Jason. And I personally want to thank them because I don't live my whole life without hearing it.

[10:29] And I'll close with this. I don't know what the future holds, but I do know who holds the future. Amen. Thank you, Sister.

[10:44] Ryan, you would come. I'm very blessed to have been raised by parents who put the Lord first in every endeavor of life.

[10:56] Since the day I was born, I was at church every time the doors were open and then some. With my father serving as the music director, my mother the church pianist, and my grandfather the senior pastor, I was constantly consumed with the things of God in church.

[11:09] Not only was I taught the difference between right and wrong, my parents and grandparents taught me the value of a relationship with Christ at an early age. I always knew what was written in the Bible from a mental standpoint and understood that without salvation I would spend an eternity in hell.

[11:26] Hearing Romans 6.23 in my second grade Sunday school class quoted by my teacher, I realized that I understood what that meant. I knew that if I were to die at that moment, I would have spent eternity in hell because I had not made Christ the Lord of my life.

[11:40] I knew how to do it in my mind because I had so many amazing mentors in my life that had taught me about the Christian walk. I doubt any Christian in the world will deny that the Christian life is an ongoing process.

[11:53] I am extremely grateful for what the Lord has done in my life, and I see evidence of his work every day. Going to a public high school, I jumped at the idea of going to a Christian college in which every other student is a believer.

[12:03] I could not imagine what would that have been like and thought it would be the best four years of my life. Having a huge interest in sports, I always wanted to play in college, and receiving a scholarship from Grace College to play basketball and baseball allowed me to live out my dream of college athletics and attending a Christian college.

[12:20] I quickly learned that life at a Christian college was much different than what I was used to. Going to class was not just about class. Nearly every teacher led a devotion to start class.

[12:31] We went to chapel three days a week. We had devotions at practice. We had devotions in the dorm. We had biblical studies classes that were required. Everywhere we went, we had some sort of Christian influence.

[12:43] After a while, instead of taking advantage of all these amazing men and women of God and sources of wealth and knowledge regarding God and biblical living, I became immune to Christian things. Since it became forced on me to read the Bible for class, to hear multiple devotions a day, I slowly began to lose those individual daily devotion and prayer times with the Lord.

[13:02] which are essential to the Christian walk. I never walked away from God completely. I simply quit working on my personal relationship with Him. My college basketball coach is a man I respect as much as any man on this earth.

[13:14] He is a godly man who lives what he teaches his players. He is a constant encouragement and someone I strive to mirror as a teacher, coach, and mentor. My first coaching job came under him as an assistant.

[13:26] As a player, you don't see the behind-the-scenes lives of coaches that you see when you are actually in those shoes. As an assistant, I constantly had conversations with him before and after practice, on the bus, and in hotel rooms.

[13:38] Conversations that players never have with coaches. I saw what he was like when he wasn't in a team setting and began to have even more respect for him. He gave me a book because he told me he knew I would be a head coach very soon and he wanted me to read John Wooden's book on leadership.

[13:54] I'll never forget what I read that Coach Wooden wrote in his book. I always tried to make clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live.

[14:05] There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere.

[14:17] I had always wanted to be a basketball coach, and Coach helped me realize that before I could be a coach, I had to have an ongoing personal relationship with Christ before he could use me. It made a difference in my daily walk.

[14:29] Over the past couple of years, the Lord has opened and closed many doors and relationships in my life. Through it all, the Lord has shown his presence in my life and his hand has been at work. He has constantly reminded me that he is in control, and no matter what circumstances arrive, he will sustain me because he is the great provider.

[14:46] He has provided me the opportunities at such an early age that I have dreamed about for so long, and my testimony forever will be of his abundant love and provisions for my life, and I am so blessed to call myself his child.

[15:06] Dana. Hello, everybody. My name is Dana Bala.

[15:17] I grew up in the countryside in northwestern Romania, and I was born into a Baptist family, for which I am thankful. We attended church regularly, prayed before meals, and read the Bible on a regular basis as individuals, but we never had a family time around the world.

[15:35] I grew up with the knowledge of the Bible from what I've read and from the Sunday sermons. In those early years, our congregation had many revival meetings, often lasting one week long.

[15:51] As a child, I thought I was a Christian because I believed the Bible was God's Word and that Jesus died for me. So, one time doing those revival meetings, I have dedicated my life to Christ.

[16:05] What I got out of that moment more than anything else was that I wanted to follow Jesus and I don't want to sin anymore. In my adolescence, I left my hometown to go and study at the Baptist High School across the country.

[16:21] I was surrounded by many privileges, such as a very well-known church in the country, godly preachers, and Christian friends. During this time, I remember on a Sunday sermon, God has brought conviction to my heart.

[16:36] He convicted me of my sin and my need of Jesus as my Lord and Savior, the God of Son, the Righteous One, the One who died for my sin, rose again over His enemies, so that now there is no condemnation for me, who I believe in Him, but everlasting joy.

[16:57] Soon after that, I followed Jesus' example and I was baptized. In 1998, the Lord has granted me the desire of my heart to come to the U.S.

[17:19] The Lord has blessed me here with Christian friends in a Romanian church where I was comfortable but not fed from the Word of God. In 1999, the Lord has brought into my life Colin, which I married a few months later.

[17:35] It wasn't very long until I realized that each of us came into this relationship with its own package of sinful habits. God has used my husband to expose and root out stubbornness, pride, idolatry, and many other self-impaners.

[17:55] I did struggle in many areas of my life and I didn't know and I did not have an understanding how are the doctrines of the Bible applied to my life and failed again and again because I relied on my own works.

[18:16] In 2005, we have moved to Plymouth, Indiana and attended a local church for several years. During this time, God has brought into our lives the Johnsons that had a tremendous impact in our life.

[18:33] Through one of the early home studies we did together called How People Change, the Lord has started to convict me about my sinful heart, especially my relationship with my husband.

[18:46] God has used that study to expose my heart and the kind of fruit my life was producing. I was professing Christ as my Lord, but my life was not honoring God.

[18:58] But God met me in my sin and struggles with his heart transforming grace, with the strength that God gives according to the gospel and he continues to change me and mold me in the likeness of his son.

[19:13] I am a grateful sinner who believes with all my heart that I am saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Why do I gain from his reward?

[19:24] I cannot give an answer, but this I know with all my heart. His wounds have paid my ransom. To God be the glory. Come on.

[19:47] Daniel, I was not supposed to cry. Well, I love testimonies. And I love to read them.

[19:59] I love to listen to them. I'm not very excited right now to give one, but I want to praise God. And I want to honor him with what he has done in my life.

[20:10] Well, my story, my testimony is not any different than yours because it's a story of grace. It's a story of grace that God has shown to you and he has shown to me.

[20:22] And what an amazing love that God has died for me. What an amazing love that I walked away from him. He walked with me. I grew up in a Christian family and I remember church being part of my life since I was a child.

[20:38] As a teenager, I rebelled against my parents and I definitely rebelled against God. My parents sent me to a Christian high school thinking that that's going to solve the problem.

[20:49] And that's how I'm going to change. The only thing that I got is a bunch of rules that I had to follow. Don't do this. Don't do that.

[21:00] Do this and do that. For whatever reason, my heart was callous. It was hard. And I just rebelled. And I rebelled against it. From that point of view of me being changed, the Christian high school didn't work.

[21:15] But I met my wife. While I hated going to church, I hated going to church. And I went to church because my parents made me to go. And more likely, more specific, it was because my dad said so.

[21:29] And I hated it. I didn't like the things of God. I just loved the things of what I did. And outside of church, I loved what the world had to offer.

[21:44] And I hated the things that God loved. And that's what was very preeminent in my life. Well, while I hated going to church and I did not like the things of God, God, through His Word, had put in my heart a sense of fear and conviction that grew stronger with time.

[22:03] I even accepted Jesus Christ a few times in my life on different occasions. But it made no difference in my life afterwards.

[22:15] I loved the camaraderie that I had with my friends outside of the church and body of believers. I loved and enjoyed the sinful desires that they had.

[22:27] I love that. That's what I love to do. And I just have a word for the young people here. And I want to warn you, because I've been there. The friends that you have, that's what you will become like.

[22:40] So be very careful. Because there's a dangerous ground in that area. Well, in 1998, in 96 I came to the United States.

[22:52] In 98 I dedicated my life to Jesus Christ again. And I was baptized. I strived to live a life marked by my own righteousness.

[23:04] Rules and regulations do this and I do this. God hates this. I have to do this. But very soon you find that it doesn't work. You just can't. It's just impossible.

[23:15] Realizing that Jesus had to come and live that perfect life, the one that I can't live. I did not understand the gospel.

[23:28] And I didn't know how it was relevant to my life. I didn't like reading the Bible because every time I read in the Bible, I would be convicted. Convicted of my sin. I thought it was just boring.

[23:40] I couldn't relate to it. It was always accusing me of what I did and what I didn't. It was like a mirror telling me, man, you are just ugly. This, and I had, it was an attitude of pride and an attitude of rejection.

[23:57] I just rejected it. And this attitude and pride infected my heart and affected everything around me. My relationship with my friends, relationship with my kids, my own wife.

[24:10] And she's a testimony because she knows who I was. She knows me since high school. And every aspect of my life was touched by the pride and by arrogance and by this self-sufficient reality that was in my own life.

[24:29] But praise, but praise God for his grace and for his mercy. As we have sang about God's grace that God, what a love that God has come to die for me.

[24:42] The Lord has prepared my heart over all these years until one night when I heard the message preached around Matthew 7, 21 through 27, I think.

[24:55] I'll read that. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

[25:11] Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform any miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you away from me, you evildoers.

[25:28] This was the warning from God that broke my prideful heart. And the gospel became relevant to me.

[25:39] This was my turning point. This is where God said enough. Till this time, I was just a tree planted in the desert with dry and dead branches.

[25:59] And then the spirit has blown. And I have heard about the living water. And he came bringing me that living water.

[26:12] And he gave me a new life. And like the psalmist, I can truly say that I'm like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season.

[26:22] Or like Job saying, my ears have heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Amen. Colin, if you could remain standing.

[26:35] Colin has not been baptized upon the profession of his faith. And so it's our joy this evening to baptize him.

[26:49] Baptism is a sign, a seal of the new covenant. So in baptism, we confess certain things about ourselves. And we say certain things about Jesus Christ.

[27:01] And in baptism, we promise certain things to God. So Colin, seeing as you want to be baptized, do you confess that you are a hell-deserving sinner whose only hope of mercy is found in Jesus Christ and what he has done for helpless sinners?

[27:23] I do. Do you trust only in his blood and righteousness to save you? And realize that the waters of baptism do nothing to wash away sin and merit favor with God?

[27:39] Yes, I do. Do you desire tonight to publicly identify yourself as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ and purpose by his grace to turn from your sins and follow him in faith and obedience for the rest of your life?

[27:57] Yes, I do.

[28:27] As it's expressed here. And so as you have committed in private, we ask you now to publicly and formally make your commitments to this body of Christ.

[28:42] Do you, by the grace of God, do you acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and commit to follow his word in every area of your life?

[28:54] I do. Do you agree to submit to the discipline of this church and the oversight of its elders and commit yourself to support the ministries of this church by your faithful attendance and by serving in it according to your talents, spiritual gifts, and God-given responsibilities?

[29:16] I do. I do. I do. I do. Do you agree to understand that the 1689 Confession of Faith is the doctrinal statement of this church and agree for the sake of unity not to spread among us doctrines contrary to this confession?

[29:34] I do. I do. Do you agree to cooperate in the outreach of this church to the world by bearing witness to Christ, praying for the spread of the gospel and giving of your financial resources?

[29:49] I do. I do. I do. I do. I do. Do you then commit yourself to this body of believers to love them and seek their good, to work and live with them in harmony, all to the end that Jesus Christ may receive glory in this church?

[30:08] I do. I'd like to ask the members of Grace Fellowship Church to please stand. They have committed themselves to you and now it is our turn to commit ourselves to them.

[30:33] Do you welcome these six into the membership of this church and thereby commit yourselves to them as you have to one another? To pray and labor for their building up and growing in grace, to encourage and watch over one another in the Lord and to esteem them in love as brothers and sisters in Christ, all that Jesus Christ might be glorified.

[31:01] If so, say, we do. We do. Please be seated. You may be seated. May God bless you.

[31:16] Bless you and give you the grace to do what you have promised. At this time, we're going to prepare for the baptism. No amount of starting over, no amount of self-effort could save you.

[31:32] But when God, in His grace, opened your eyes to see your sinfulness. In this grace, Christ saved you by His blood and righteousness.

[31:45] So, therefore, upon the profession of your faith, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

[32:00] Buried in the likeness of His death. Raised in the likeness of His resurrection. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[32:20] Well, testimonies of people who have met Christ are a joy to hear. And we thank you for letting us hear God's story of grace in your lives.

[32:30] The Bible is full of such stories. It's Bible doctrine in clothing, in real life persons and personalities.

[32:42] And I want us to consider one such testimony found in the Gospels. It was a day like many other days in the life of our Lord. People are coming from all over, bringing their sick and diseased to Jesus to be healed.

[32:57] And there's a synagogue ruler there who pleads for Jesus to come to his home and to heal his dying little daughter. And Jesus agrees to go. And they're on the way.

[33:09] And by now a huge crowd is traveling with Jesus. And everyone is pressing in to see Jesus. Such that we read that the crowd nearly crushed Him.

[33:20] Now in this crowd is a woman with a secret. Three Gospel accounts record this event. But no one tells us her name.

[33:33] It's her testimony that's left on record for us to learn from. You can find it in Luke 8, though we're not going to follow just Luke's account.

[33:44] But weave all three accounts together. And the first thing we're struck with about this woman is her pitiful condition. She has a hidden disease.

[33:58] The pressing crowd around her is unaware of her problem. Because if you looked at her, she looks sort of normal. She's not blind. She's not crippled. She's not lame. She's not lame.

[34:11] But beneath her flowing garments were bloody wrappings that ever reminded her that she was not well physically. Dr. Luke simply says she was subject to bleeding.

[34:26] And that bleeding was draining the strength of her life from her. She had a hidden disease. It was also a defiling disease. Because according to Leviticus 15, her discharge of blood made her ceremonially unclean.

[34:45] She was unfit to come and worship God in the temple. Her presence there would have defiled God's holy dwelling place. So she was not allowed in.

[34:57] Furthermore, she was to remain apart from people. Because anyone or anything that she touched was also made ceremonially unclean.

[35:10] Until they had bathed themselves and washed their clothes. And then would be fit to go to the temple. Yet here she is, right in the midst of this pressing crowd, shoulder to shoulder, constantly bumping into people and defiling them.

[35:28] If they only knew the nature of her disease, they would have recoiled in disgust at her. And then it was a lengthy disease.

[35:39] We're told it was 12 years that she'd had this disease. Can you remember what you were doing 12 years ago? That's a long time.

[35:50] And it was hard even for her to remember what it felt like to be healthy. It had been that long. Her whole life was disrupted by this disease.

[36:01] And then it was a costly and incurable disease. Mark says she had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors. And had spent all.

[36:15] Perhaps you've known some very sick people. And all their energies in life are consumed with one thing. Getting better. And they go from doctor to doctor.

[36:27] In and out of clinics. That was this woman. Trying this medicine. Now that. This treatment. Then another. And each time hopeful that this might be the one.

[36:38] That would bring the desired cure. Only to have those hopes dashed. Once more. In the end. And in this process.

[36:48] Spending all. The money. That she had. And for all this trouble and expense. She only grew worse. Not better. Such that.

[37:00] We find her this day. In a hopeless condition. Because even if there were other doctors. And new medicines to try. She was out of money. It was beyond her.

[37:11] She's at the end of a rope. At the end of the road. In her quest for help. For health. But then she hears about Jesus of Nazareth.

[37:23] Not only going around teaching. But also. Doing miracles. Supernatural things. All kinds of people. Had come to Jesus.

[37:34] The word was out. That all who just touched the edge of his cloak. Were healed. And so her hope was revived. So she's out. She set out to see him. We don't know how far she traveled.

[37:46] But she believes. That if she can just touch the edge of his clothing. She will be healed. And so she's in the crowd this day. Hoping to get close enough.

[37:56] To touch him. But everybody else is pushing in. On Jesus. Indeed Luke says the crowds. Almost crushed him.

[38:07] You ever been in that kind of a crushing crowd. Where it's shoulder to shoulder. Body to body. And you can't. Decide where you're going to go. You just move with. The rushing crowd around you.

[38:20] That's the way it was. That day. And she's being pushed along. When suddenly she sees him. He's just up ahead.

[38:30] A bit. And his back is toward her. And she pushes. And she leans in. And she reaches out. And she's able just to touch.

[38:41] The edge. Of his garment. And immediately. Her bleeding stopped. And she felt in her body. That she was freed. From her.

[38:52] Her suffering. And for the first time. In 12 years. She felt. Healthy. Strength. And it all happened in a moment.

[39:03] No drawn out treatment. No cost. But just as quickly. As she felt. The healing. Within her. Jesus felt. The power. Going out.

[39:13] Of him. And so he stopped. He stopped. And he turned around. And he asked. Who touched me? Now Jesus was a man.

[39:26] A real man. And as a man. He didn't know. If somebody came up. And touched him. Who it was. Any more than you.

[39:37] Would know. Who it was. If you didn't see them. But as God. He would know. Everything. And would know. Exactly. Who touched him.

[39:48] And why. In fact. He would know. That she had touched him. In faith. And that's why he healed her. But he gives her. The opportunity. To voluntarily. Testify. To her healing.

[40:00] So he says. Who touched me? Who touched me? Can you imagine. The woman's heart. Racing. Within her. Well.

[40:12] They all denied it. Nobody came forward. Wasn't me. Wasn't me. And so Peter. Is going to explain it all. To Jesus. And he says. Well.

[40:22] Master. It's. It's easy. All the people. Are crowding. And pressing around you. And yet. You ask. Who touched me? Well. We all touched you. We've all been bumping.

[40:33] Into you. And she no doubt. Hopes. That this answer. Will satisfy him. But it doesn't. Does it? No. I don't mean. The unintentional.

[40:43] Bumping. Of the crowd. Somebody. Touch me. On purpose. Jesus says. Touch me. With the touch. Of faith. I know. Because power. Has gone out.

[40:54] From me. And Jesus. Kept looking around. To see. Who it was. That had touched him. He's not moving on. Until it's acknowledged.

[41:05] The parade. Has stopped. Now. If this woman. Could only make herself. Invisible. This would be the time. To do it. What kept her. In hiding. Why does she not.

[41:17] Come right out. And say it was me. Well. It was fear. Wasn't it? What will all these people. Say. When they learn. That a. A woman. With a.

[41:28] Bloody issue. Has been defiling them. By touching them. And what will Jesus say. When he learns. That an unclean woman.

[41:39] Purposefully. Reached out. And touched him. We can understand. Her fear. Of being discovered. Can't we? Can't we? But. We ask another question.

[41:51] Why is Jesus. So persistent. About flushing her. Out of her cover. Why is he. Not moving on. Until he brings her. Out into the open.

[42:01] Well it wasn't. To embarrass her. It wasn't. To. To. To make her. Look. And feel. Uncomfortable. But to give her. To glorify him.

[42:13] In other words. This great work. Of Christ. Was not. To remain hidden. No. It was to be brought out. Into the open. And everyone. Was to know.

[42:24] What it was. That God. Had done. For her. In Jesus Christ. That he might. Receive. The honor. For his work. Of grace. And power. She had believed.

[42:35] In her heart. But she had not yet. Confessed him. With her mouth. So the woman. Seeing that she could not. Go unnoticed.

[42:46] Came trembling. And fell. At his feet. And in the presence. Of all the people. She told. Why she had touched him. And how she had been.

[42:56] Instantly healed. And rather than. The expected. Criticism. Or harsh word. She heard these gentle. Words from Jesus. Daughter.

[43:12] Your faith has healed you. Go in peace. Now that's Jesus. Isn't it? Dealing with. The bruised.

[43:23] Reed. Dealing with. The young. Believer. And so she went home. With her newfound health. And newfound gratitude.

[43:33] For the son of God. And he went on his way. With. The honor and glory. That was due. To him. For healing her. He means. For his works.

[43:44] To be acknowledged. Before men. That he might receive. The praise. For them. And so. The account of this. Unnamed woman. Holds some important. Lessons for us.

[43:55] Jesus miracles. Often are. Pictures. Outward pictures. Physical pictures. Of spiritual realities. So that.

[44:06] In John 9. When Jesus declares. I am the light of the world. He immediately follows it. By. Giving sight. To a blind man. Or when.

[44:16] He feeds. 5,000 men. From five loaves. And two fishes. It's. Immediately followed. With the teaching. I am the bread. Of life. And so here.

[44:27] This woman's healing. Has spiritual lessons. Portrayed in it. For us. Four lessons. Very briefly. We. First of all. We. We come to see.

[44:37] That we too. Have a dreaded disease. The disease of sin. For all of us. Have sinned. And come short. Of the glory of God. Amen. And we've had this disease. A long time. In sin.

[44:48] We were. In sin. We were conceived. From birth. We go astray. And. Sin is not only what we do. It's what we are. We are sinners.

[44:58] We have a sin nature. And that's why we sin. It's a deadly disease. For the wages of sin. Is death. And it's. A defiling disease.

[45:09] It's our sin. That makes us. Unfit for God. Unfit for his presence. Your sins. Have separated. Between you and God. Isaiah tells.

[45:20] The people. And those sins. Will separate us. From God forever. Even as this woman. Was defiled. And could not enter. Into worship. So we will be separated. From God forever.

[45:30] As long as we are. Under this defilement. Of sin. He's too holy. To look upon sin. He's too holy. To countenance it. In any way.

[45:42] Nothing unclean. Can enter his presence. And our sin. Defiles everything. That we touch. Even as it did. The woman. So that everything.

[45:53] We do. Is sinful. Even the plowing. Of the wicked. Is sinful. The Proverbs say. Because it's not done. Unto the Lord. It's not done. Unto Christ.

[46:04] Unto his glory. With love. For the Savior. It's done. For self. And sinful motives. And so. Like this woman. The disease. Of sin. That we have. Is incurable.

[46:15] The heart. Is deceitful. Above all things. And beyond cure. Who can. Understand it. Your wound. Is incurable. Your injury. Beyond healing. There's no remedy.

[46:26] For your soul. Your sore. No healing. For you. Jeremiah 30. And we've heard it. Tonight. In these testimonies. Haven't we.

[46:36] How their greatest problem. Was sin. Before God. And each one. Was afflicted. With this same. Disease of sin. In that. We have the same story. Don't we. But the second lesson.

[46:49] Is surely illustrated. In this woman. Because what we find. Is that before she came. To Jesus. She first made. All kinds of attempts. To be healed. Herself. Didn't she?

[47:00] She spent. All her living. On doctors. Who could not help her. And only when all else. Failed. Did she come to Jesus. I say. It at least illustrates. A truth. That is. That is real.

[47:11] In. The sinner's. Experience. And it's this. That our first response. To a sense of sin. Is not to come to Christ.

[47:22] But to make all kinds. Of attempts. To save ourselves. We heard that very clearly. Didn't we? Especially in Colin's. Testimony. We go to.

[47:33] To doctor religion. For healing. We go to church. For healing. We go to bible reading. Praying. And thinking all these. Exercises will save us. We go to. To doctor penance.

[47:44] If we could do enough. Good works. Maybe it could make up. For our bad ones. We go to mount sinai. And doctor legality. And think if we could just. Keep the ten commandments. That's the natural thing.

[47:55] To those with this disease. Of sin. To try to cure themselves. It's what all of us. Do by nature. Before we're born again. By the spirit of God.

[48:08] But what did these find? And what did you and I find? Well we found that. For all our effort. We were no better. But only worse. Just like this woman. All futile attempts. To treat the problem of sin.

[48:20] Because by the law. Comes the knowledge. Of sin. And the law. Only stirs up. The inward desire. For sin. It's when the.

[48:31] The little guy. Sees the sign. Don't walk on the grass. That he thinks. Oh. I think I'll walk on the grass. There's something about. The very prohibition. That stirs up. Sinful desire.

[48:42] No. There's nothing. In God's command. That gives us power. To keep them. So the more. We try to keep. God's law. Without a new heart. The more we see. We cannot.

[48:52] We need a new heart. We need a savior. From without. So having spent. All of her living. On doctors. And medicines. That could not cure her. She finally came.

[49:03] To Jesus. That too. Portrays. The sinner. Perfectly. For. The third lesson. Is that it's only. When all else fails.

[49:13] That we finally. Come to Jesus. For salvation. He's the end. Of the road. Often. Isn't he? We heard that.

[49:23] In Kevin's testimony. In the search. In religion. With Renee. And looking. In all the wrong places. And finally. When everything's.

[49:34] Come up dry. And a dead end road. Then we come to Jesus. Don't we? And though we come to him. As our last choice.

[49:44] What do we find. When we come. We find that he receives us. Don't we? He doesn't say. What? What have you been doing. Out there. Seeking. Salvation. And all. No.

[49:55] He says. Come. And he embraces us. So gracious. Is he. He says. I will heal. Their waywardness. And love them freely. Remember Hosea. How the people of God.

[50:07] Sought. Their blessing. And all. The different idols. And. And yet. When they finally. Came home. To Jehovah. And forsook. Their idols. Jehovah says. I will heal their waywardness.

[50:19] And love them freely. Undeservedly. When did the prodigal son. Get up and go to the father. Not while there was still money in the pocket. Not when there were still friends.

[50:31] To. To create his own. Joys. And his own. Happiness. It was when his money was spent. His resources gone. His friends forsaken him. And all other attempts failed.

[50:43] And he couldn't even make it. Feeding the pigs. But he finally. Without any other options. Then turns toward home. Blessed Jesus.

[50:55] To bring us to that point. To the end of ourselves. I dare say that's. Something that's happened in. Every one of our testimonies. In one way or another.

[51:06] We were brought to the end. Of ourselves. Blessed thing. To have Jesus. Bring us. To that end. Where we look away from self. To himself.

[51:18] For salvation. They came at last. To the great physician. And found him willing. And able. To save. By faith.

[51:28] We reached out. And touched him. We trusted in his blood. And righteousness. And we were cleansed. Of every sin. The blood of Jesus. God's son. Does indeed. Cleanse. From all sin.

[51:40] Oh. But it was. At great cost to him. Our healing came. Freely to us. But at great cost to him. He was wounded. For our transgressions. He was crushed. For our iniquities.

[51:51] The punishments. That brought us. Peace. Was upon him. And by his wounds. We are healed. Strange medicine.

[52:02] This. We are healed. By him. Being wounded. By him. Suffering. The disease.

[52:13] Of sin. Carrying. Our sin. To the place. Of judgment. That's how healing. Comes to us. By his death. On the cross. And then.

[52:23] Our last lesson. That is really. I think. The main. Lesson. In this. Account. That when Jesus. Saves us. He wants to be honored. For it. He doesn't let this woman.

[52:36] Walk away. Secretly healed. Does he? He says. We're not going anywhere. Until I have a testimony. Of my saving. Power.

[52:46] From this disease. And so. In the presence. Of all the people. She told. Why she had touched him. And how she had been. Instantly healed. These six.

[52:57] Have stretched out. The hand of faith. To the Lord Jesus. They've been healed. And they've. Given. Testimony.

[53:09] To that. They've not walked away. Secretly. But they've rather. Told out. To us tonight. What the Lord. Has done. For their souls.

[53:20] They. They've publicly. Identified with them. In the waters of baptism. All of them. Tonight. Colin. But all of them. Have done this. To confess him. Before men. That he might.

[53:31] Receive glory. For that. Inward work. Of salvation. Just as this woman's. Work. Was inward. And no one. Would have known. If she had walked away. Quietly. No one. Would have known.

[53:42] That. God had done anything. There that day. And the work. Of salvation. Is an inward work. It's a cleansing. Of the heart. Heart. And. It's a relationship. With God.

[53:52] But it's. It's invisible. In its initial. There's fruit. That come. But. People could. Pass you by. And never know it. But rather.

[54:03] We're called. To testify. To what God. Has done. For our soul. And that's what they've done. They've given glory. They've told. Why they came to Jesus. Because of their sin. And guilt. They told us.

[54:14] What Jesus. Has done. For them. Save them. Taken away. Their sins. Made them right. With God. Made them new creatures. And given them. Eternal life. And so God. Received the glory.

[54:25] They received. The healing. And. Christ. Receives. All the glory. Have you called. Upon the Lord. To save you.

[54:38] If not. Why not. Do you know. That tonight. You could go home. Cleanse. From your sin. Just as much. As this woman. Went home.

[54:48] That night. Cleansed. From her. Disease. It's the same. Savior. Willing. And able. To save. All who come.

[54:59] Unto God. By him. But if. You turn away. From him. You will reject.

[55:10] What could be yours. Tonight. And. If you die. In your sin. You'll be unfit. For God's presence. Forever. Forever. And ever. Oh. But come to him.

[55:20] Tonight. And. And. Begin that relationship. That will last. Forever. And ever. Some of you have. Some of you have. Called on the Lord. To save you.

[55:32] And he's heard you. He's cleansed you. He's done that. Inward work. But it's hidden. As this healing.

[55:42] Of the woman was. And. And Jesus means. For you to let others know. About what he's done. For you. And. The particular way. That he wants you. To let others know.

[55:53] Is by baptism. That's. The way. The first way. He wants you. To let others know. Obviously. You tell others. But. But the. The way that you tell. Everyone. I belong to Jesus.

[56:05] He has cleansed me. Of my sin. Is by baptism. And that's why. He commands. Every one of his disciples. Everyone who's been cleansed. To follow him.

[56:15] In believers. Baptism. He means. For. All of us. To be able. To enter into the joy. Of Christ. The joy. Of salvation.

[56:26] You declare. In baptism. That you have already. Been cleansed. In your heart. Just as water. Cleanses your body. So the blood of Jesus. Has cleansed. Your heart.

[56:36] And as you go down. Into the waters. And rise up again. Out of it. You declare. That you are united. With Jesus Christ. His death. Is yours. His resurrection. Is yours.

[56:48] As you've been raised. To newness of life. You see. Baptism. Goes public. With the mighty healing. That Jesus does. Inwardly. And so.

[56:58] I wonder. If Jesus is saying. To someone. Here. Tonight. Who has already. Reached out. The faith. The hand of faith. And touched him. Already been. Cleansed. Of sin. But you've not.

[57:10] Gone public. With it. And Jesus is saying. Who touched me. Who believed. On me. Will you. Bear witness. Will you. Give me.

[57:21] The glory. That. I deserve. For that. Glorious. Work. Of salvation. Saving. Power. Has gone out. For me. Will you. Now. Acknowledge it.

[57:33] It's not. That he doesn't. Know who you are. No. He. He had you. On his heart. When he died. For you. But he gives you. This. Call. He wants you. In the presence.

[57:43] Of his people. To tell. What he's done. For your soul. That all. Might rejoice. In the gracious. Works. Of God. They're not. To remain. Buried.

[57:53] The works. Of God. In salvation. Are the greatest. Works. That he does. And there to be. Brought out. Into the open. To his praise. I'd be glad.

[58:07] To talk. To anyone. Who says. I've. Trusted. In the Lord. Jesus. And I have an interest. In baptism. You see me. You talk. To Pastor Jason. To one of us.

[58:19] But even more so. If you've not yet. Trusted in Christ. I'd urge you tonight. To reach out. By faith. Cast yourself. Upon the.

[58:30] The cleansing. Blood. Of Christ. We too. Have been cleansed. By the master's hand. Haven't we? We. We've been. Cleansed. Of our sins. We've been.

[58:42] Saved. And that inward. Work has been done. And so we. Every one of us. Who've had that. Is to tell out. The praises. Of what he's done. In Luke's gospel. Just before.

[58:53] This account. Is given. The account. Just before. Is about that. Gerasene. Demoniac. Filled with demons. You remember. Jesus. Cast all those demons. Out of him. A tremendous.

[59:03] Mercy. Was shown. To this man. And. He's sitting there. At Jesus feet. Dressed. And in his right mind. And Jesus.

[59:13] Is getting into. A boat. To leave. And this man. Is so full. Of gratitude. In his heart. For what Jesus. Has done. He wants to go. With Jesus. In that.

[59:24] Account. There were three. Prayers. Made to Jesus. Three requests. The first one. Was made. By the demons. Themselves. Inside the man. Let us go. Into the pigs. And Jesus.

[59:35] Says. Yes. Go. The second. Prayer request. Was. From the people. Themselves. When they saw. This man. Cured. Of these demons.

[59:45] And they. They said. Please. Leave us. Leave this region. And Jesus. Says. Yes. I will. And he gets in the boat. To leave. And the third request.

[59:57] Is by this. Timoniac man. That's just had. Demons cast out of his. Body. And he's now. Wanting to follow Jesus.

[60:07] With him. Wherever he goes. And Jesus. Says. No. The first. No. In the. In the account. No. You. Go. Go. Back. Home. And tell. What.

[60:19] The Lord. Has done. For you. What a wonderful thing. So the man. Went away. And told all over town. How much Jesus. Had done. For him. And then it goes. Right on. Into the account.

[60:29] Of this woman. Isn't that something? And Jesus. Says. Stop. We're not going. A step further. Until someone. Tells. What the Lord. Has done. You see.

[60:40] How jealous. Jesus Christ. Is. For the glory. Of God. Let us. Then. Who've been. Saved. By his grace. Praise the Savior. Ye who know him. Who can tell.

[60:50] How much we owe him. Let us. Gladly. Render to him. All we are. And have. We'll sing that. From the overhead. Lord Jesus Christ.

[61:02] We have sung out. Our praises to you. We now. Acknowledge you. As our. Lord and Savior. And we. Give you thanks. For the great things. That you have done.

[61:12] We've heard of these. Great works. We ourselves. Are testaments. To your. Your praise. And would you. Please. Open our mouths.

[61:23] That we would be. Quick to tell. What the Lord Jesus. Has done. For our souls. And would you. Go on. Saving. Would you. Go on. Doing these. Great works.

[61:33] Of bringing people. To an end. Of themselves. And drawing them. To faith. In the Lord Jesus. And repentance. And. Adding to your church.

[61:44] Such as should be saved. And receiving glory. In your church. We'll give you. All the praise. We ask. That you go. With these. That have testified.

[61:55] Tonight. You keep them. From the fiery darts. Of the evil one. As they've testified. That they are following. Christ. Keep them. Protect them.

[62:06]  And go on. Blessing them. Out of your riches. In heaven. We ask in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.