S1: Today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe.
S2: When you reach out in shame and in guilt and condemnation,
S2: feeling unworthy and you touch the holy, you always feel
S2: like I'm not worthy to touch the Holy. But Jesus
S2: knew that something more needed to happen. And I love
S2: what happened here. The Bible says she told them the
S2: whole truth. And he said to her daughter.
S1: Welcome to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe. Mark is
S1: president of Moody Bible Institute and senior pastor of New
S1: Life Community Church in Chicago. My name is Wayne Shepherd.
S1: Yesterday we began an incredibly powerful message titled pain that
S1: Is Wrapped in Shame or Mark shared about the deep
S1: wounds we often try to hide, whether from divorce, addiction, incarceration,
S1: or other painful chapters of life. Today, As we continue
S1: part two of this message, we'll see how encountering Jesus
S1: can break the chains of shame and give us a
S1: new identity. If you miss the first part of this
S1: compelling lesson, you'll find it at bird-stamps.org. But right now,
S1: let's join Mark Jobe with today's bold steps.
S2: In fact, some of you are in this auditorium right now.
S2: You don't look like it because you don't wear it
S2: on your face. You don't carry a sign that says,
S2: this is my pain. It's a place that drives you.
S2: And anytime there's pain, we are driven towards relief. And
S2: in our relief. Sometimes we overeat. We overindulge. Some of
S2: us have tried to camouflage that pain or deal with
S2: that pain by, um, you have tried. You have gone
S2: down the road of workaholism to try to forget about
S2: the pain. Some of you have tried to drink the
S2: pain away. Some of you have tried to smoke the
S2: pain away. Some of you have tried to sex the
S2: pain away. Some of you have tried to, uh, Achieve
S2: the pain away. Some of you have tried to, uh,
S2: just have fun. Fun? The pain away. You've tried a
S2: lot of ways to get away from that pain, but
S2: you know it's still there. The Bible tells us in
S2: verse 27 when she heard about Jesus. If you're taking notes,
S2: write this down. Faith is birthed by hearing and fueled
S2: by our thinking. When she heard about Jesus. She came
S2: up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak
S2: because she thought, if I just touch his clothes, I
S2: will be healed. There's something about the name of Jesus.
S2: When she heard about Jesus. She never met Jesus. She
S2: didn't know Jesus. She'd never seen Jesus, but she heard
S2: about him. There's something about Jesus that when you hear
S2: about him. It bursts. Something inside of you. The hope,
S2: the healer, the Savior. When you hear about Jesus, there's
S2: something you're wired spiritually to react and respond to. The
S2: name of Jesus. You're created by your divine creator to
S2: have a longing for relationship with him. You don't always
S2: know it. You can't explain it. But there's something inside
S2: every single one of us that desires a relationship with
S2: our creator. And when she heard about Jesus, something was
S2: awakened inside of her. In fact, I believe that there's
S2: some people here in this auditorium today that you can't
S2: even believe you're in a church today. You're like, what
S2: am I doing in a church today? This is kind
S2: of crazy that me in a church, people are waving
S2: their hands like that. I'm like, this is so weird.
S2: I don't even know what I'm doing. What am I
S2: doing in a church? Some of you have wanted to run,
S2: but you know why you're here? Because you've heard about Jesus.
S2: You don't know what it is, but there's something about
S2: the longing in your heart that desires to connect with
S2: the divine, that desires to connect with that which has
S2: made you. And you're you're you're afraid, but yet you're drawn.
S2: You want it, but yet you're afraid. You're not sure
S2: exactly what it is. When she heard about Jesus. It
S2: motivated her. And in her mind, she started to think,
S2: maybe if I just reach out and touch the hem
S2: of his garment, maybe if I just touch him, then
S2: maybe I will be healed. Maybe he's the solution that
S2: I've been wanting, asking for, praying for, longing for in
S2: my life. In Matthew chapter nine, verse 21, when it
S2: tells this story, it uses the verbiage that she repeated
S2: to herself. So she kept repeating to herself, how many
S2: of you talk to yourself? Some of you say it's
S2: the only intelligent conversation I've had just talking to myself.
S2: Come on, you can admit it. Your spouse says, were
S2: you talking to me? No, I'm just talking to myself.
S2: And sometimes we have this conversation with ourselves. And in
S2: her mind, she was saying, if I just touch Jesus,
S2: faith has been birthed in her. Faith that was undeveloped.
S2: Faith that was not really theologically grounded, but faith that
S2: had risen within her. This dream of if I just
S2: touch him, maybe I believe maybe he is the Messiah.
S2: Maybe he's the one who he says he is. And
S2: so she thought to herself, if I can just touch
S2: it now, it doesn't tell us in Mark, but in
S2: Luke and in Matthew it tells us that she reached
S2: out and she touched the tassels on his garment. Now
S2: you say, well, what's that? Well, the tassel, if you
S2: know what a tassel is like a curtain or a blanket.
S2: We don't walk around with tassels typically now. But the
S2: tassel was something that religious Jewish men wore. It was
S2: a like a blanket that they wore that had tassels
S2: on every on the four corners. Now, it was important
S2: to the Jewish man because these tassels had 613 knots
S2: in them. Those 613 knots represented the 613 laws of
S2: Moses found in the Old Testament. So when a Jewish
S2: man went to pray, he would put this. He would
S2: put this sort of outer garment over his head. The
S2: prayer garment and these tassels would hang there. It represented
S2: the holiness of God, the law of God. And so
S2: when this woman reached out to touch the tassel on
S2: Jesus garment, these tassels represented the law, the holiness of God.
S2: So listen, this woman, full of shame and pain, is
S2: reaching out to touch something that represents the holiness of God.
S2: You see it there. When we reach out to touch
S2: that which is holy, immediately do we feel like I'm
S2: unworthy to touch that which is holy? And this is
S2: significant because Luke and Matthew indicate that it's the tassel
S2: that she's reaching out to touch. It's an act of faith,
S2: and she's reaching out to touch, believing that, hey, Jesus,
S2: if I just touch you, maybe just the hem of
S2: your garment that something will be released and I will
S2: be changed. Then the Bible goes on and tells us.
S2: I love this. It says immediately when she touched the tassel,
S2: her bleeding stopped. Now I want you to picture what's happening.
S2: She's in a crowd. They're pressing up against each other.
S2: She's not supposed to be in a crowd. Anybody that
S2: touches her is unclean. They don't know it, but she
S2: knows it. She feels like I'm making all these people
S2: unclean that touch me. But she's pressing through the crowd.
S2: They're bumping up against her. She's pressing and pushing, and
S2: she sees Jesus right over there. And in her mind
S2: she says, if I can just touch the hem of
S2: his garment. Have you ever been in a crowd that's
S2: really crowded and you're pressing up against each other and
S2: you feel like you're going to be smashed. Anybody felt
S2: that way before? It's a scary thing, right? My son,
S2: when he was 16, he took me to a. A
S2: concert at the Metro. A bunch of screamo music. He
S2: said they were Christian. I couldn't understand a word that
S2: they were saying. It just sounded like this. And I said, son,
S2: are they Christian? Yeah, dad. They were packed out. Crowded.
S2: I was watching from the balcony and a girl next
S2: to her says, I was last year. I went down
S2: there in a mosh pit and they broke my jaw.
S2: I said, wow. And so Josiah, my son, he looks
S2: at me and he says, dad, I bet you won't
S2: go down there. Don't dare your dad when you're 16.
S2: So next thing, I'm in the crowd like this, looking
S2: at my son up there going. And then a mosh
S2: pit breaks out right beside me. I look up at
S2: my son and I jump right into it, just all over,
S2: you know, acting crazy. And then no other one breaks
S2: out and I'm jumping, acting crazy. And then I get
S2: up there, I said, I hope no one saw me.
S2: I walk out in front and someone comes up and says, hey,
S2: pastor Mark, um, great to see you at the concert. Yeah,
S2: I'm just here with my 16 year old son. They said,
S2: you know, we saw you in the mosh pit. It
S2: was really cool. In fact, we we tweeted it out.
S2: It's like, okay, thanks a lot. Yeah, but the crowd
S2: was pressing, pressing, pressing. And this woman is reaching out.
S2: She sees Jesus, the tassel. If I could just touch it.
S2: The Bible says that she's reaching out in shame, knowing
S2: that everybody that she's touching is making them unclean. But
S2: she thinks in her mind. If I could just touch
S2: the hem of his garment. And so she reaches through
S2: the crowd and she touches the hem of his garment
S2: and suddenly she knows. The Bible says immediately, because faith
S2: works that way. Every good thing that comes from God
S2: comes via the faith. Faith is the conduit by which
S2: all the good of God travels. Grace comes through faith.
S2: Salvation comes through faith. Healing comes through faith. She reaches
S2: out and she knows something has happened.
S1: You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, and we'll
S1: continue this powerful message about breaking free from shame in
S1: just a moment. But first, I want to remind you
S1: of one of our most encouraging resources you can receive.
S1: Each week, it's absolutely free. It's Mark's email devotional called
S1: Bold Stepper Weekly. We love getting this. Mark, thanks for
S1: doing it.
S2: Yeah. Each Monday morning, Wayne, a bold Stepper weekly is
S2: sent out via email early in the morning so that
S2: you can start your week the right way. Typically there's
S2: a devotional thought, but I also give updates on the ministry,
S2: what's happening here. And, uh, you know, as you're listening
S2: to this message, you may be dealing with shame and pain,
S2: and you need that regular reminder to look to God,
S2: understanding his grace and his acceptance. So it's in English,
S2: but we also have a Spanish version. Uh, the English
S2: version has an audio link, so if you're driving, you
S2: can just listen to it so that you're not, uh,
S2: in an accident. Um, and, uh, whether you're working out
S2: or driving, you can also just listen to that audio link.
S2: And we want to encourage people, Wayne, how could they
S2: access this?
S1: Just sign up at Bold Steps org. Again, it's absolutely free.
S1: There is no obligation of any kind. We just want
S1: to encourage you every Monday morning with Mark's Bold Stepper weekly.
S1: Sign up at Bold steps.org. Look for the devotional tab
S1: at the website. Thank you. Mark. Let's return to today's
S1: message now about finding freedom from shame through Christ.
S2: She feels it in her body. The Bible says her
S2: bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she
S2: was freed from suffering. And at once. So she's feeling it.
S2: The crowd still. Jesus is still walking. And she's there
S2: feeling it like something's happened. I feel it. I'm different.
S2: Jesus is walking. And then he stops and he says,
S2: who touched me? His disciples, who are trying to keep
S2: the crowd away, saying, what do you mean, who touched you?
S2: Everybody's touching you. This is crazy. Get out of here! Jesus! No!
S2: Who touched me? You see, there's a difference between bumping
S2: in to the sacred and reaching out in desperate faith
S2: to touch the sacred. Augustine long ago said flesh presses,
S2: but faith touches. He can always distinguish between the jostle
S2: of a curious mob and the agonized touch of a
S2: needy soul. There's a difference. You know, there's a lot
S2: of people in a crowd like this here on a
S2: Sunday morning, and you can bump up against the sacred,
S2: but it doesn't mean that everybody's reaching out in faith
S2: to touch the sacred. Oh, we're all around it. The sound,
S2: the music, the word, the Bible, the presence of Jesus.
S2: But not everybody receives the same. Because not everybody here
S2: is reaching out in desperate, faith filled focus to say,
S2: I need a touch of the Savior. You can be
S2: in a crowd, listen like this. And someone right beside you.
S2: You may not even know, but God has touched them,
S2: dealt with them. Something is happening in their soul. And
S2: you may be sitting two rows back saying, hey, what's
S2: going on with that person? You know what? Because in
S2: their faith, they've reached out their invisible hand of faith.
S2: They've reached out to the God that they so desperately
S2: need and say, God, I need you. And something has
S2: happened within their soul. O that maybe hasn't happened to
S2: everybody around them, because they've reached out in desperation and
S2: faith to touch the sacred. And as they had the
S2: supernatural power of God is released into their spirit and
S2: something divine is happening within their soul. Number four, our
S2: wholeness and healing is not complete until he touches the
S2: core of our being. The Bible says in verse 32
S2: two But Jesus I kept looking around to see who
S2: had done it, and then the woman, knowing what had
S2: happened to her, came and fell at his feet, trembling
S2: with fear, and told him the whole truth. I asked
S2: myself Jesus was in a hurry. There was a little
S2: girl that was dying. Why did he insist on calling
S2: out a woman who didn't want to be called out?
S2: He stops and says, where is she? Who touched me?
S2: The disciples of Jesus were in a hurry. Jerry is
S2: his daughter's dying. This is important, man. Keep going. There's
S2: a lot of people around. Why are you stopping? He
S2: could have walked away, but he stopped. I think there
S2: was an important. There was an important reason that he stopped.
S2: He wanted this woman to have more than Healing. He
S2: wanted this woman to have wholeness. Can I tell you something?
S2: She could have walked away a healed woman, but never
S2: experienced the wholeness that she needed in her life. Because
S2: her problem was more than just bleeding. Her problem was
S2: shame and condemnation. And I want you to notice that
S2: when Jesus says, who touched me? Who touched me? He's
S2: the Son of Man. He knows. He knows who touched him.
S2: He needed her to come out. He needed her to
S2: speak out. He needed her to acknowledge I am the
S2: one who you have touched. I am the one that
S2: God has worked in. Listen. The Bible says that she
S2: fell down in fear and trembling. Why was she fearful?
S2: And why was she trembling? Because when you reach out
S2: in shame and in guilt and condemnation, nation feeling unworthy,
S2: and you touch the holy. You always feel like I'm
S2: not worthy to touch the Holy. It was her shame
S2: and guilt and condemnation that caused her to fall in trembling.
S2: But Jesus knew that something more needed to happen. And
S2: I love how Jesus. What happened here? The Bible says
S2: she told them the whole truth. And he said to her. Daughter,
S2: you know, it's the only place in the Bible where
S2: Jesus speaks to a woman and calls her daughter. I
S2: don't know how old she was. But she needed to
S2: hear the sacred, the holy, the Messiah say to her,
S2: you're not rejected. You're not condemned. You're not unclean. You're
S2: not unwanted. Your daughter. She needed to hear him call
S2: her daughter. Because this was more than just healing. This
S2: was about a relationship with the Messiah. You see, I
S2: believe that sometimes our shame and guilt makes us feel
S2: unworthy and unwanted as we approach the presence of Jesus.
S2: And God wants us to admit the truth about our story.
S2: Sometimes we have to come out with our truth. The
S2: truth about our story. We have to tell the whole
S2: truth about our story, because that's where the enemy keeps
S2: us in shame and guilt and condemnation. And then we
S2: need to accept the truth of God over our story.
S2: When he says, daughter, you are healed. I believe today
S2: that if that doesn't happen, our voice stays silent. You know,
S2: some of us God is working in our life, but
S2: because we feel so much shame and guilt, we refuse
S2: to acknowledge publicly what God has done. Privately, she was healed.
S2: She should have been jumping and shouting, I'm healed after
S2: 12 years. But even though God had done a miracle
S2: in his life, in her life, she was silenced by
S2: guilt and shame. Shame had stolen her voice of celebration.
S2: Jesus calls it out. Woman. Speak it woman. Don't be afraid.
S2: I've worked in your life. Now you need to say
S2: what I've done. You need to declare what's happened. You
S2: need to speak the truth over it. Other people need
S2: to hear it. And I call you daughter. I speak
S2: into your life as someone that's loved family, not as
S2: someone that's rejected. So as we close our service together.
S2: I believe that some of you need to find your
S2: voice of celebration. In fact, I believe that God is
S2: doing some work already. We? I can't tell you in
S2: the last few months how many people I've run into
S2: that were so far from God, hadn't visited a church
S2: in a long time, but are being drawn to God.
S2: You know why? I believe the Spirit of God is
S2: calling people to himself these days. I'm not sure why,
S2: but God is calling people to himself. Drawing. People say come,
S2: come and you feel the tug. You sense it in
S2: your spirit, but you feel unworthy, guilty, condemned. But yet
S2: God calls you to himself.
S3: So if the Spirit of God has spoken to your
S3: heart through this message, maybe you're a believer that has
S3: allowed himself or herself to go down a path that
S3: you know is contrary to God, and you're full of
S3: shame and guilt over it. And God is drawing you back.
S3: And maybe you're someone that you've never come to God,
S3: you've never surrendered, never repented. But there's a vacuum inside
S3: of your soul that's saying, I know I need God.
S3: Either way, I want to pray for you. If you've
S3: never surrendered your life to Christ, this is the moment.
S3: I don't have to convince you. I don't have to
S3: twist your arm. You know that God is calling you
S3: because there's been signs in your life. You've. Your heart
S3: has been awakened to him. And so, father, we pause
S3: right now. I pray for that person that feels you're
S3: calling upon their life. I pray that today they would
S3: stop fighting you. They would surrender. They would believe that
S3: Jesus Christ, you are all God and that you died
S3: on a cross to pay a price that we could
S3: not pay. I pray today that they would confess you
S3: as Lord and Savior and say, Lord, I surrender my
S3: life to you. I pray for that person that's a
S3: believer that's allowed themselves to slip and slide into dark
S3: grey areas, and now the enemy condemns them with shame
S3: and guilt. I pray, father, today, that they will know
S3: that they are seen by you, and that you're calling
S3: them out of that with love, grace, and acceptance to
S3: forgive and change them. Father, so today I pray that
S3: the voice of the spirit would be heard loudly and
S3: that some would be responding even now as I pray.
S3: I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
S1: Yes, Amen. Thank you Mark. We've been listening and taking
S1: bold steps together today through the message pane that's wrapped
S1: in shame. And if you'd like to revisit any part
S1: of today's lesson or share it with a friend, visit
S1: our website at Bold Steps. Org. And while you're there,
S1: don't miss our current Bold Step gift, a transformative book
S1: called The Six Conversations by Doctor Heather Holloman. You know,
S1: it's ironic in our hyper connected world of texts and
S1: social media and video calls, genuine relationships seem harder to
S1: find than ever. Research even shows that a lack of
S1: real social connection can be as harmful to our health
S1: as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. That's why we're so
S1: excited about Doctor Holloman's practical guide to Building Authentic Relationships.
S1: Whether you're looking to deepen family bonds or create meaningful friendships,
S1: the six Conversations provides clear biblical strategies for moving beyond
S1: surface level small talk to connections that truly matter. We'll
S1: send you a copy of this book, The Six Conversations
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S1: our website. And again, that's bold steps. And that's our
S1: time today. Tomorrow we'll hear a message where Mark will
S1: be challenging us to look where our treasure, heart, and
S1: value in life really is. It's called the Treasure Principles.
S1: So be sure to tune in for this important lesson
S1: Wednesday here on Bold Steps with Mark John. Bold steps
S1: is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody
S1: Bible Institute.