Mark 5 Lesson

SIX WORDS WE HOPE TO HEAR FROM JESUS 

Mark Chapter 5 contains a powerful story about faith and the power of God! 

As we read the text below, we need to look for the phrase, “Your faith has made you well.”  Then we need to ask ourselves these three questions:

1. “What are we currently struggling with?”
2. “How confident are we that God can help us with our problems?”
3. “Have we asked God for help?”

We will look at these questions one at a time after we read today's text.

• “A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of 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.” – Mark 5:25-34.

WHAT AM I CURRENTLY STRUGGLING WITH?

The story we just read is a story about two things:

1. Suffering,
2. Faith.

Suffering is a part of life. 

God allows it for three reasons:

1. To teach us,
2. To discipline us,
3. To help shape us into the people He created us to be.

So, what do we do when we are suffering? 

Do we reach out to God, or do we try to go it alone? 

This story is a reminder to us that God wants us to turn to Him, and to put our faith in Jesus.  That is why this story is in the Bible.

In the story that we just read; the woman had been suffering for more than twelve years! 

She had seen many physicians and had spent all that she had to try and get well.  But her ailment remained! 

Then she heard about Jesus and that He was going to be nearby.  So she made her way through the crowd to see Jesus.  Her faith was strong, and she believed that if she could just touch His clothing, He could heal her.    

This is the type of faith that God wants us to have, and there is no better place to put our trust than to put it in the Lord!

There is one more point for us to consider from today's text (Mark 5:25-34).

It was not simply because the woman touched Jesus’ robe that she was healed; It was because she believed and acted on her faith. 

So should we!  

HOW CONFIDENT ARE WE THAT GOD CAN HELP US WITH OUR PROBLEMS?

If we do not believe that God can help us with our problems, what does that say about our faith? 

The definition of the word faith is:

• “Confidence or trust in a person or thing.” (Source: dictionary.com)

Lacking faith should concern us because it means that our souls are at risk. 

The good news is that if we lack faith, we can increase it by studying the Bible.

Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans:

• “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” - Romans 10:17.

HAVE WE ASKED GOD FOR HELP?

The Bible says:

• “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” - James 5:16.

Prayer works! 

There is, however, an important caveat. 

We need to make sure that when we ask God for something, we are asking with pure motives.

As Christians, we were put on earth to do two things:

1. Glorify God,
2. Serve others.

If something is preventing us from doing either of those two things, we can reach out to God for help and like the woman in the story trust that He can help us.    

CONCLUSION

There are six words that all of us want to hear from Jesus:

• “Your faith has made you well.” - Mark 5:34.

Our faith is important to God!

He wants us to reach out to Him when we are struggling and to believe that He can help. 

If we want to increase our faith, we need to spend more time in the Bible and then act on what we have learned.

We will end today’s lesson with the following words spoken by Jesus during His Sermon on the Mount:

• “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” – Mathew 6:25-33.