Jesus is Hope for the Hopeless

Desperate faith moves heaven. In Mark 5, a woman suffering for 12 years reached out to Jesus—and her life changed instantly. Her bold act of faith not only brought healing but also restored her identity. This episode reminds us that breakthrough often comes when we stop coping and start reaching. If you're facing the impossible, don't wait—reach out in faith. Your miracle is closer than you think.

PRAYER
We are here to pray for you - with you. Please share your prayer request or praise report here - https://hopeucindia.churchcenter.com/people/forms/3009, and someone from our team will pray for your need through the week.

NEXT STEPS
If you would like to give your heart to Jesus, it's the best decision you could ever make. We want to celebrate with you, provide you with resources and get you the support you need on this journey. Please fill the form - https://hopeucindia.churchcenter.com/people/forms/297739, and someone from our team will contact you soon.

ABOUT HOPEUC INDIA
Hope Unlimited Church is an independent, Spirit-filled church with multiple campuses in India, serving young professionals and families from all parts of India in a modern, dynamic metropolitan church setting.
More about us - https://hopeuc.in/

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeucsecunderabad

Transcript

Reflection on Shine Women's Conference

Speaker 1 0:13

so we had a wonderful weekend with shine and there was so much of information and such beautiful word was shared, and it was a word which was very, very apt for the season. How many of you were there at Shine? For all of you who were there, you all can vouch for it right. The word was so powerful, the presence of God was so beautiful and, more than anything, the word ministered to us in very unique ways. Each one of us is going through different season in our life, but the word of God came across in such a powerful manner. So, for the ones who missed out, you really missed out but make sure next year you block your dates. Even if it is missing one day you know of wages, it is all right, because this is an investment into your soul, my friends, and it will help you leap into the next season of your life. So it is an investment. So I encourage all the women who missed out this year to not miss out on next year. Amen, okay.

Speaker 1 1:21

So today my sermon is we are starting off the series on the miracles of jesus. So I was like, okay, we are starting off this series, we need to encourage the congregation about it. But at the same time, I wanted to talk something which relates to women as well, because we are celebrating women's day, so I've chosen this passage from mark, chapter 5, where jesus heals the bleeding woman. This is not a new story. We have been hearing this story for many years and it is a very favorite topic among the preachers, especially the ones who want to talk about faith. They talk about the faith of the woman who reached out to Jesus and grabbed her miracle. Yes, okay, so let's read mark, chapter 5. I've chosen mark. All the gospels record this story, but mark is the one which gives a more elaborate picture about nine verses in total, where it talks about the experience that woman had. Okay, so I'm reading mark, chapter 5 it's displayed on your screens verses 25 to 30 from the nlt version.

The Woman's 12-Year Suffering

Speaker 1 2:35

It says a woman in the crowd had suffered for 12 years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. Then she heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe, for she thought to herself, if I can just touch his robe, I will be healed. Immediately the bleeding stopped and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of a terrible condition. Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him. So he turned around in the crowd and asked who touched my robe? Okay, verse 31 it says his disciples said to him look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask who touched me? But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. And he said to her daughter your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.

Speaker 1 4:09

If we can just visualize what this lady must have gone through, for many of us women who just have a regular menstrual cycle, you can imagine those couple of days are very difficult. Okay, I don't want the men in the house to feel awkward. I want the men in the house to know how women feel during those days. What are the common symptoms that one experiences? Pain, cramps, yes, backache. More than anything, you're very moody. You're moody, right, right. Nobody should touch you during that, otherwise you will blast because your hormones are all going haywire.

Speaker 1 4:52

Can you imagine this lady having this condition for 12 long years and there was nothing in her own strength that she could do in order to stop that? She went to the doctors, spent all the money that she could do in order to stop that. She went to the doctors, spent all the money that she had. And the Bible is saying it didn't get any better, but it just got worse. So she did everything possible in her own strength to relieve the problem, but there was no solution. Relieved the problem, but there was no solution. All of you women can relate. How can the men relate to this instant? Anything you feel is not in your power. You're trying your best to get out of that situation, but you feel there's nothing that I can do that can help me get out of this situation. Nothing in my power.

Reaching for Jesus's Garment

Speaker 1 5:55

I remember a couple of years ago I was quite anemic. I think my hemoglobin had dropped around seven or eight, and then my doctor looked at me and he said Varsha, this doesn't look very good. And he said tablets will take a long time for your hemoglobin to recover. So he prescribed injection. I said okay, fine, what it is. It's just an injection, just one shot. But when I actually went to get that injection, the hemoglobin injection is infused into iv saline and that will take about one, two hours for it to infuse it into the body. And let me tell you it was so painful. When that saline was going in I was just tears were just rolling down my eyes because it was burning, my nerves were burning and my husband sat there he's just rubbing my hand because it was so painful, just rubbing my hand because it was so painful. And can you imagine technology and medicine has advanced so much that we are able to address the issue now, but back in the day there was no treatment.

Speaker 1 6:55

What this lady must have gone through, how weak she must have been. And the Bible says she lost all her resources in trying to address this problem. And the Bible never records her husband was with her or her mother was with her or brother was with her. Probably she didn't have anybody or, because of the problem, nobody was willing to stand with her. She was all alone, facing this most terrible situation in her life. How many times, my friends, do we find ourselves in such situations when everything is going well, we're all happy. There are a lot of people around you to celebrate life with, but when we are going through the most difficult and most challenging times of our lives, we oftentimes find ourselves alone, fighting those battles all alone. Sometimes you do not even have the courage to go and share with somebody what you are doing, going through. So this is a battle that you are fighting All alone in your heart, and you are Lord. Lord, I need a breakthrough. Is there anybody in this room who feels that way? I am fighting this battle All on my own and I need a breakthrough. God, I need a breakthrough. Yes, let's look what happens ahead in the story.

Speaker 1 8:21

So she had to deal with a lot that was going on and, according to the traditions of those days and ages, she was classified as unclean. As unclean according to the Levitical law. On top of her illness, difficulties, the continual bleeding would have rendered this woman in a state of ceremonial uncleanliness. If you look at Leviticus, chapter 15, it talks about how a woman with a issue of blood as classified as unclean. Okay, so in those days, if anybody had this issue, when they would go out in public, they have to announce saying I'm unclean. I'm unclean Most of the times. Do any one of the ladies here would like to tell anybody this? That's the last thing that you want to say, but that was the law, because anybody else touching that woman would become unclean as well.

Compassion vs. Coping Mechanisms

Speaker 1 9:32

But what did this lady do? She purposed in her heart that she's going to just touch the hem of Jesus's garment. Because what is that fear in her heart? If I touch Jesus, even Jesus will become unclean, because that is what is fed into her brain right that anybody I touch will become unclean. So she convinced herself that only if I touch the hem of Jesus's garment because she heard. She heard that people were getting healed when Jesus was touching their eyes, when he was praying for their years, that there was healing that was happening. So she knew that this man had healing power. But at the same time she was scared of of society too, and this was all out in the public. If anybody who knew that she had this issue was coming out into the public, she could even be stoned to death. So there was fear. But at the same time there was faith and she reached out to Jesus the hem of his garment. Can I have my picture? I just want everybody to look at this picture where she reached out to the hem of Jesus garment.

Speaker 1 10:52

And what does the Bible record? That healing power flowed out from Jesus into this woman immediately, that very second she touched him, jesus felt healing power go out of his body and he stops there and he said who touched me? And the disciples are probably very mad at Jesus. Now he's like oh Jesus, you're the celebrity, you're going around healing people. Everybody wants to touch you, everybody wants to get your attention and you're asking us who touched me? But Jesus was asking a very specific question. He was saying somebody touched me with faith. Therefore, power has left my body. Therefore, he's asking that specific question who touched me? And this lady was probably so petrified in her spirit but she came forward and probably she was expecting to hear the worst from Jesus. How could you touch me, you unclean woman? You have made me unclean too. Probably that's the response she was expecting. But what did Jesus say, daughter? He said daughter, your faith has made you well.

Speaker 1 12:07

Many times, my friends, when we are going through issues in life, we often have this picture in our mind where we feel God doesn't want to give me this breakthrough. Or why is God making me wait? Why am I going through this God? Why only me? Why everybody around me is happy, but I feel I'm the target. Sometimes we have this picture in our mind, even though we hear so much of God being such a loving God, but still we have this somehow when we go through situations. Why me? Is there a reason as to why this lady and why no treatment could help her?

Speaker 1 12:55

Every time Jesus was on this earth and when he saw people in need, the number one thing that was exhibited through the ministry of Jesus was compassion, my friends. He had compassion, and can I tell you that compassion still exists today too. Regarding your problem and my problem, he looks at you with compassion and he doesn't want you to stay in that same state and just suffer there. If you think God wants you to suffer, I'm here to tell you, my friends, that God doesn't want you to suffer, and many times we develop what are called as coping mechanisms. How many of you know what I'm talking about? Coping mechanism? You know the body is very smart. If you have a hurt in your left leg, what will the body do? It will put all the weight on the right leg and it will help this part to heal Right. If something is happening in your left hand, your right hand will take more burden. That is coping mechanism. So what we have done, we all have developed these beautiful coping mechanisms in our circumstances and we have adjusted, compromised and we try to cope with life and we try to show everybody that there's nothing happening, everything is okay in my life.

The Speaker's Personal Testimony

Speaker 1 14:13

Can I tell you, my friends, this coping mechanism will not help you get close to your miracle. You have to throw those crutches away this morning. If you want your miracle, if you want your miracle, you have to get to that place of desperateness. She was desperate, probably, she was so weak, but she pressed through the crowds and she said today is my day. I am going to get my miracle, no matter what.

Speaker 1 14:40

And can you imagine how overjoyed she must have been when she instantly received the miracle? An instantaneous miracle. Is that even possible? You must be thinking. Probably it happened only with Jesus. Do we still have the power, romans says. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in your bodies and my bodies, and he is more than able to bring that healing, can I tell you, doctors are great, science is great, technology is great, but nothing is more greater than the power of God. My friends, nothing is more greater than the power of God and he's more than willing. The Bible says if you ask for an egg to a father, will he give the son a scorpion? No, he's a father, so he will give you much more than what you are asking.

Speaker 1 15:34

And today, whatever may be the situation, these impossible situations in your life, can I encourage you, my friends, a touch of faith, a touch of faith. She purposed in her heart. She knew when I touch, I'm going to receive my miracle. You have to purpose in your heart if you want to receive that miracle. The purpose, the miracle, the touch should start here and it should meet Jesus. Your faith should become so strong.

Speaker 1 16:07

Many times we do not know how to grow our faith. The Bible is very clear Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. Why do you see, every week we put up a testimony. Sometimes testimonies are repeated. How many of you can catch that? The testimony that we saw today was repeated also. But why do we keep showing these testimonies? Because if it happened in someone else's life, god can do the same thing for you. That's what we want to show you and that will add to your faith. Yes, god is more than willing to meet you at your point of need.

Speaker 1 16:47

Impossible situations can turn possible when your faith reaches the hand of God and you are here in God's presence. My friend, what is your need? What is your need? What is that you have been praying for? What is that prayer request that has been in your Bible for many, many years? Sometimes you are like, should I just take it out? Looks like it won't happen and I just put it out. Looks like it won't happen and I just put it on the shelf. Okay, I don't know if it's really God's will for me. All those situations come with them into God's hands, my friend, because God is more than able to meet you at the point of your need. Just look at the eyes of this lady, the picture, the eyes of that woman, so expectant, she knew in her heart that once she reaches the hem of Jesus' garment, she will be healed. Amen.

Faith for Your Breakthrough

Speaker 1 17:49

What does this miracle reveal? Jesus also, this miracle, this whole chapter is of miracles and it reveals that Jesus is the son of God and he has authority over sickness. He has authority over every evil plan of the enemy, and God can nullify all those things and he can bring about the healing that you and me are looking for. Even as I stand here, I myself am a testimony. I've had so many health issues the last couple of years, but if I'm able to stand here and talk, I can just testify. It's just goodness.

Speaker 1 18:27

I was infected with chikungunya. Even that chikungunya was not even detected on the blood test. So I don't know whatever gunya that was. I couldn't move an inch. Couldn't move an inch. My joints were all frozen. I cried, I cried, I cried, I cried till my pillow was soaked and I said, god, I don't want to be in this situation.

Speaker 1 18:52

I missed church for four weeks that's the longest I've ever missed church and I was like I am going to go up there and I'm going to do what God has called me to do. And pastor rostered me for communion. And that day you must have seen many of you have seen me. I was just holding onto that podium so tightly because I felt I'm just going to faint there. There's no strength in my body. But I reached out to God and I said, god, I'm not going to sit there just accepting the lies that the enemy is putting over my life. I'm going to reach out in faith and I'm going to receive that miracle that you have for me. Was it an instantaneous miracle? No, but over the period of time God has touched me. And for me, was it an instantaneous miracle? No, but over the period of time God has touched me and healed me. If God can do that in my life, my friends, he is more than willing, more than able To do it in your life. Amen, you.