Who Touched Me? (part one)

From the moment that we come into this world, we are being touched.  From that moment on, we will be touched and held by those whom we love and by those who love us.  The hugs of our mothers and fathers, the embraces of our siblings and friends.  The romantic hugs and squeezes of our spouses, and the none stop touches of our children.

Very few of us know that there is a touch beyond touch, the touch which does not require hands or arms in order to know that you have been touched.  There is a touch of the heart and of the spirit, which is a more deeper and a more meaningful touch, this touch is spiritual.

We can both touch Jesus and be touched by Jesus when we need to be touch and embraced by the Lord, our high priest and Saviour.  Have you touched Jesus, has he touched you back?  Trust me, when you touch him, he will know and when he touches you, you will know.

Transcript

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 0:03

Early this morning I was up reading studying the Word of God doing a lot of research on some things and uh this is the message that uh I received. Now this message I might as well tell you I'm pretty sure it's gonna be at least two parts. So it will be like a short little short series. I pretty much know from when I was studying it and put it together it's gonna take me at least two at least two uh services uh to uh complete. It may even it may even evolve to three. I don't know, but we'll see. However the Lord However the Lord leads. But I was up reading and studying and I was reading this story in the Bible in the gospel where Jesus He was in a crowd of people. I mean a big crowd of people, I mean the kind of crowd that you know you shoulder to shoulder, and everybody rubbing up against each other, and and you ain't really got a whole lot of turnaround room. That that type of crowd he was in that the word of God called it a multitude. It was a lot of people. And and in the midst of Jesus now being in this crowd, Jesus turns and says this these words that that is where the spirit began to speak to me. He turned and he said, Who touched me? Hallelujah. Who touched me? And and and then reading this and and and and and hearing the spirit I know I read this before many times, but in the midst of of hearing the spirit talk and what I'm reading, I know it lets me know that it's not it was not merely a physical touch, because the person uh in the story that actually touched him didn't really touch him physically. All they did was touch his clothes, but yet and still you will you find and you read what Jesus speaks out, where people can hear him and say, Who touched me? And the Holy Ghost began to just take me from that point on, from that place, that springboard and that foundation, who touched me? Why in the world is Jesus asking who touched him? But the Holy Ghost goes on to goes on to deal with me earlier this morning, ain't been back to bed. That we need to ask ourselves, hallelujah, hallelujah, not only ask ourselves if Jesus is touching us, but when was the last time that we touched him? Hallelujah, hallelujah, because if we say that we are in a relationship with God, if we say that we have a connection with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but if we have to ponder in our hearts and if we have to ponder in our minds and take a moment to really reflect back on our life or our lifestyle in Christ and try to figure out when was the last time we touched him, or when was the last time he touched us? So this morning we're gonna talk. I'm gonna talk, let the Holy Ghost lead, and we're gonna understand what it is and what does it mean? When Jesus, when we touch Jesus, or can we touch Jesus? Do we really know how to touch Jesus? Or is this just something that applied to back then because he was walking among them, or is it a fact that we can possibly touch him even now? The word of God is going to tell us, and I pray that we receive what the word of God will speak this day. First thing we need to understand is in order to know that you're able to touch him, you got to know and understand how it is that we go about touching him, because him being Jesus, we got to know how to approach him through the word of God and find those answers and find that avenue by which we need to go about in order to touch Jesus. Because I'm gonna tell you this morning, if you don't know if Jesus has touched you, you really need to hear this message. And if you don't know if you have touched him, you also need to hear this message. So let's begin. I'm gonna read some scriptures. Like I said, it's gonna turn into I know at least two parts because I want to take my time. I'm gonna read something to you, and I want you all to listen. This is something Paul wrote in the book of Hebrews. I know people say Paul didn't, they don't know if Paul wrote Hebrews or not, but I believe he did. From my understanding and my research and study, but that's not the point. The point is what the word says. It says, the word of God says, seeing then that we talking to us, seeing then that we have a great high priest. You before we begin can begin to touch Jesus, you got to understand who he is, what his positions are in our lives. Yes, he's Lord, yes, he's savior, yes, he's the only begotten Son of God, but he is also our great high priest. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. And the reason the word of God is is gonna take us in this this uh this avenue of his position as high priest, because it's gonna be comparable to how and the way in biblical times they had to deal with their the high priest, which was man. But Jesus, that's why the Bible is calling him a great high priest, because he is gonna be greater than any other high priest mankind has had. Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Whatever connection you got to Jesus, you need to make sure and be very sure that you hold on to that. Because it's gonna be some things you need to add to that. You we gotta start because we have accepted him as our Lord and Savior. But I'm gonna tell you this morning, it's so much more to Jesus that we are gonna have to grasp and step into the knowledge of who he is in every area of our lives. We need to know him in every area of our lives that he should be a part of. And the part of our lives where he should be our high priest, we got to add to that because the word of God's finna tell us something. Hold fast, that means hold tight, hold on to it with everything in you, hold on to it like you're holding on to it for dear life. Because your life consists, your eternal life consists of your holding on to what Jesus has done for us and what he can still yet do for us if we just believe. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, let me go back open, that it that is passed into the heavens. We know he where he is in heaven, on the right hand of the Father, interceding for us. Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. You got knowledge of this, hold on to that piece of knowledge because you're finna get some more knowledge. He said, For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched. Hallelujah. That's what message, that's what this series is gonna be about. Who touched me? And he's gonna also let us know we can touch him. And if you don't think you need to touch Jesus, there's something wrong with you. Because we all need to touch him, and God knows I need, I'm gonna speak for me, I need him to touch me. I need a daily touch. We for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched, and I'm gonna tell you what Jesus can touch us in. Because this position he has taken on when he came to earth, and this position of the high priest that he took on, it put in a position for him to be able to relate to us. The word for the teaching. Because now, whatever you go through, now whatever you you deal with, now whatever temptation, whatever persecution, whatever circumstance you may endure, there is somebody who can relate to it. And his name is Jesus. And when you take your problems or your situations to our great high priest, not only can he do something about it, he can he can understand because the Bible is gonna tell us no, he we can touch him with the feeling of our infirmity. See one thing, I and God gonna have to help me with this, and I believe he will in his own set time, but it's very hard for me to accept certain things from people when they can't relate to what I've gone through or what I've dealt with. It's very hard for a person to understand your situation when they ain't been through what you've been through. It's very hard for a person to talk on a subject. One thing they give me when you hear people talking about marriage, but they ain't never been married. Talking about a husband ain't never had a husband, talking about a white and the talking about what it is, how to raise children, but you ain't never had now, child. How can you relate or understand what a person who has experienced those situations is going through if you have not gone through it yourself? And this is what we have with Jesus. That's part of why he came down here, because before he came down to earth, taking on the body of a man, taking on the flesh, it put him also in a position for him to relate to us who was born in the flesh. But the Bible said now he did it without sin. But yet still he understood now what it feels like to live in the flesh, but without sin. We have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmity. Listen to what the word said, but was in all points tempted, like as we are. In other words, Jesus was tempted just like we were, y'all. Come on now. Understand that. But that's one ingredient that didn't apply to Jesus, but we fall into every time. Jesus was tempted, but he didn't yield to the sin. We get tempted and we sin all day. But what Jesus wants to teach us in the position of the great high priest, when it comes to us touching him, allowing him through us to express to us a level of knowledge where we can realize or come to the realization that we too, through him, can be tempted and not yield to the sin any longer. Because of him, because of what he overcame in the flesh. Now, by us connecting to the high priest who was tempted at all points, the Bible said at all points, whatever point you want to make out, Jesus was tempted. The Bible said, as we are, he did it so he can relate and be able to understand the feelings of our infirmity, the feelings of our struggle, the feeling of our up and down days, the feeling of what we go through when we deal with pain and suffering, so that he will be able to relate as a high priest. So would he have mercy upon us? He understands what we're going through, he understands how we feel. You don't try to express something to somebody and you just couldn't get an understanding how you was feeling. They just couldn't, they get they didn't get it. Because they can understand how you felt. They can only listen, they can only just wonder. Well, I I can I can imagine what you're going to do. You imagine, but you can't, you don't know. Well, I'm here to tell you, Jesus knows. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Whatever you take to him, he knows. We have not a high priest which cannot be touched. See, to have a high priest, let me let me, I'm gonna got the sideboard. I can't I can't wanna rest myself. I'm already excited. Well, let me slow down, let me calm myself down. The reason, another reason why the word of God is stating it like this, because in biblical times you couldn't walk up on the high priest and touch. The high priest of biblical times could never truly relate to the people. Because they couldn't be, they they couldn't be touched by them, whether physically or mentally. They didn't understand the problems of the people. Because a lot of priests was brought up in the temple, and a certain high priest, they tried to live in the temple all day life. They didn't understand the outside world, what families was going through, what was going on in households, because they lived a holy, separated life confined to the temple, and it was once a year that they had to totally be absent from the presence of people when they had to prepare themselves to go into the holy of holies. Now that's that's a lot of research, and I don't have time to go into all of it. But there was a once a year they go into the holy of holies that they had to totally be absent out of the eyesight of all men. But at the same time, they had to make sure they was right before they even went into the holy of holies, or they would be dropped dead and God would strike them dead, and they'd have tied a rope on them to drag them up out of there. But they couldn't have a relationship like Jesus can have with us. They couldn't have that with the people, they couldn't be touched. Hallelujah. So that left a great void between the people if they needed to go to their high priest for anything, because of the way the law was set up. But our great high priest has come and fulfilled the law, and him being the great high priest, he has hallelujah, he has fixed it. Well, we now and everyone who choose him as a high priest, they can be touched by him, and they can also touch him. Hallelujah. But we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of what you're feeling. Sometimes you feel this stuff you just can't express it to nobody. Because even if you did express your feeling to some people, they wouldn't get it. But you can go to Jesus with your feelings, with what's bothering you, with what's on your mind, with what's troubling you. And Jesus will understand with the feeling of our infirmity, but was at all points tempted, like as we are. Don't never think, and and I I I like this particular scripture, and I want to express this to more people because I come across people often who think that don't nobody understand, who think that they the only ones going through this, or they the only ones who have gone through anything like what they are going through. But they they wrongly misunderstand life and themselves, but at the same time, I understand it because when you don't have nobody to relate to, you will think that nobody will understand what I'm going through, because I ain't never heard nobody going through this what I done dealt with, but you'll be surprised how many people have gone through similar experiences. They just like you have not told anybody or feel like there's nobody they can tell it to. Hallelujah. But when you come into the knowledge of Jesus, hallelujah, when you come into the knowledge of our great high priest who can be touched, and in that touch, he can understand, and in that touch, he can relate, and you can just unload on him and just tell him all about it. And you don't have to worry about hearing it no more, you don't have to worry about uh somebody laughing at you, you don't have to worry about nobody uh making you feel inadequate or making you feel bad about having brought it up in the first place. Jesus will let you know you can touch me because I understand your feelings, I understand what you're going through because I was tempted just like you. I know what it is to be betrayed, I know what it is for somebody to turn their back on. I can relate to what you're going through. But the Bible says, yet without sin, he did it without sin it because he went through, we cannot let what we go through be an excuse for us to give up on God. Come on now, hallelujah, hallelujah. We cannot let what we experience be an excuse or a cause for us to stop having faith in God. We cannot afford to let some of the things that are gonna come to pass in our lives cause us to step back over into the sin that our Lord and Savior done brought us out of. You can't lie that. I don't care how bad it is, and it's gonna get bad, but you can't allow, you cannot suffer it to be so. You remember I just read the scripture? It said, hold fast to your profession. You got to hold on. Hallelujah. I mean, hold on to everything in you because there's gonna come things that's gonna try your faith. There's gonna come things that's gonna try the love that you have for Jesus, the love that you have for God. But you have got to hold on, and you have got to know that you can go in times like that, this you can go to your great high priest and touch him because he wants you to touch. And even if he turned around and say, Who touched me? All you gotta say, Lord, it was me. It was me. I touched it because I needed something. And all Jesus is gonna tell you, like he's gonna tell this woman after while he's gonna say, Well, I felt the virtue goes, hallelujah. I felt The power goes out of me. I felt the anointing go out of me. I know you touched me, but I just want to know see who it was. Because I'm here for you to touch me. I'm here for you to touch my power to give you strength in the time of need. That's what the word is going to tell us. There's gonna be times of love gonna come up, there are gonna be times called times of need. Not needing food, not needing something to drink, not needing no clothes on your back, gas in your face. There's gonna come a need for us to be touched. Hallelujah. By the Lord God Almighty. And we're gonna have to know, you're gonna have to have a knowledge to know where to go to touch him. You might not be close to the church when you need a touch. Come on, somebody. You might not be close to your prayer partner when you need a touch. You might not be close to your prayer group. But see, when you have a knowledge of Jesus, when you have a knowledge of the great high priest, whatsoever you in, wherever you may go, you will have the knowledge to know that I can touch it if I'm just riding down the highway by myself. I can touch him if I'm on my job, and nobody else knows what's going on. I can touch him, hallelujah. Hallelujah, late in the midnight hour. I can touch it. Because you cannot dictate or determine or predict when you're gonna need to touch. All you need know is this point now. If I need a touch, I can touch it right here and right now.

SPEAKER_01 23:48

Hallelujah.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 23:49

Hallelujah. Because he done made it, he done fixed it. Well, if we need to touch it, our great priest, he can be touched with the feeling of our infirmity. Because he's been tempted, he's been to, he can relate, but he did it without sin. And I refuse, I say I refuse to let what I have to go through for his name's sake to pull me back into sin. What I want to sin for when he done brought me out of it. Just because times and got hard, just because I'm burning down, just because I'm going through a trial or tribulation. I can't let my mind go to that way. I might well go back to sin. No, I will not. If anything, Lord, I want to get closer to you. Can my touching you pull me in a little closer to you? Can my touching you?

SPEAKER_01 24:52

Hallelujah.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 24:53

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Strengthen me for the next battle that is to come. Strengthen me for the next test that is to come. Without sinning. Test it, but remain holy. Test it, but remain saved. Test it, but keep living a righteous, holy life. Who touched it? I've been touched by Jesus. When Jesus touched it, hallelujah. I'm gonna tell you something. Just like Jesus. Hallelujah. No when you don't touch him. Just like just like Jesus know when you have touched him. If you ever get touched by Jesus, hollow. If you ever experience Hitler I'm talking about I'm talking about when you really need him to touch you. You ain't gonna never forget it. But if Jesus has a way of touching us. At the precise time we really need to be touched. And when he touches I'm telling you. If you ain't touching it, let me just give you when he touches, it gives you a feeling to everything.

SPEAKER_01 27:16

That everything.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 27:20

It's gonna be all right. She didn't get that feeling from man. This is what I'm talking about. This kind of touch you. Yeah. There's a physical side to us. We need to be touched by our loved one. We need to be held and hugged sometimes. But I'm telling you, there's something beyond that, just like Jesus, when he hollered out, Who touched me? You're gonna see the disciples get flip with all these people touching you, you got no, who touching you? But see what David understand is they is touching, and then they is touching. Hallelujah. There's one touch that people can get, hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. But there's a touch from the master. Hallelujah. There's a touch from the master. And I'm telling you, that touch about when he touches you, he just touch you a little bit, and that touch will linger for hours. I just touched you just a little bit. That's why if he touched you and left his hand on you, you couldn't stand that. Couldn't stand it. Oh, but he just touched me just a little bit. Hallelujah. When he touched you. But see, he wants us to learn how to touch him. Because there's something in him we need to draw from him. There's virtue, there's power, there's anointing that we need from our lives that you cannot get it from nowhere else except from the high priest. His name Jesus. What you need, you can only get from Jesus, but to get it, you got to touch it. Hallelujah. And you got to let him touch you back. He did it without sin. And if you continue to touch him, he's gonna teach you how to do it without sin. So you can get the full benefit from his touching and from you touching him. Listen at the word of God. He says, Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace. Now see, a lot of people get missed. That's why I thank God that He his spirit teaches me the truth. A lot of people put emphasis on that boldly, like we were supposed to come just. They think it's an act or attitude of the heart that this boldness that he's talking about, but that's not what he's talking about. The reason he had to say it like this is because back then, in biblical times, they were skittish about coming before the high priest. They were reluctant and they held back because they was in fear of their life. Because they couldn't have a relationship with man high priest, and that was instilled in them by the law. But what Jesus is telling you now, the kind of high priest that I am, you don't have to be skinny. And as a matter of fact, I want you to come that boldly carries with it an ingredient of come confidently, come assuredly, knowing that I wanted you to come to me. I didn't want you to hold back because you thought the title of high priest was something you couldn't approach. But because of what I done did and how I have fixed things, you can now come before me with the confidence, knowing that I can relate to you, knowing that I understand, knowing that if you come to me in faith, not only will I hear you, but I can reward you what you ask and what your petitions are. Now, with this knowledge, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, because at the throne of grace, that's what God is. In other words, this high priest. See, the biblical times, high priest, that man was the go-between between the people and God. But because he was still yet a man himself, he himself could only go in once a year. In the holy of holies. Now they they could go into the holy place, but the holy of holies was the most sacred place. You didn't go in there once a year, because that is where the Ark of the Covenant was, and all that signified, signified the presence of the Lord, the presence of God. And you just didn't come up in the presence of God on a regular basis because his presence is too holy. And man, we being mankind, even though the priest was being appointed by God, they were still yet nonetheless man in the flesh. But God did suffer it to be so for them to come before him once a year. But they had to come themselves, they had to come clean, and they sure wasn't nothing in their lives going on before that they could intercede on behalf of the people that God had placed them over. For so that we can understand. But see, now because of Jesus, the throne of grace, because of Jesus, you don't have to wait once a year. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Whatever you need. Because see, come and want come to God once a year. But what if I need him a time of the year that is not time to come before the Holy of Holies? And I need it now. Well, Jesus fixed that thing. Now, whatever you need it, just call me. Whatever you need, you can come before me because I can go into the Holy of Holies of my Father anytime on your behalf. I can go before God anytime on your behalf. Because I have put myself and made myself a sacrifice for all mankind, and have put myself in the position of the great high priest. Now you can come boldly, confidently, but humble any time of the year before the to the throne of grace. That we, this is going to see something we need, that we may obtain mercy. And see, we need mercy. I need mercy more than one time a year. I know I do. I need mercy all the time. He said that we may obtain mercy. See, coming from the throne of grace, coming from the presence of God is what we need to get what we need. But in that presence of the throne of grace, there is mercy. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. There is love. He said that we may obtain mercy and find grace that God's faithful. Find grace to help, because we need help. Yeah, we need help. But here's what got me. This is what stung me. That we may find and find grace to help in time of need. Come on now. What day go by that we are not in a time of need? What we go by that we are not in a time of need, that we don't need something from the master, that we don't need something from God. Brothers and sisters, I'm here to tell you this day that we are in a day, we're in a generation where we need to touch Jesus every day. I don't care if you touch him in your prayer, morning prayer, your evening prayer, but sometimes throughout the day, your mind and your heart need to touch the Lord. So that you can put yourself in a position that he can touch you back. And if we're not doing that, we are missing out. And I will go as far as to say we are cheating ourselves out of what the Lord wants us to have. Because we are not interested in being touched by Jesus, but we're interested in being touched by everything else and everybody else, but we don't want the Lord to touch us, and nor are we trying to touch Him. But we touch around with foolishness all day. We touch around with sinfulness all day, we touch around with lustfulness all day. Hallelujah. We touch around with ungodliness, but how many times a day do we touch the Lord? Or do we put ourselves in a position for Him to touch us back? Who touched? If anybody asked you, have you been touched by the Lord today? What could you say? If anybody asked you, if you've been touched by the Lord this this whole week, what would you say? And be honest and tell the truth. That we may obtain mercy. And hallelujah. And find grace to help in time of need. Know you got a need, but you don't want to go to him who can supply your need. Know you're in trouble. Know you got answers. I mean questions to certain things in your life, but don't want to go to him for the answer. No, you burdened out. No, you suffer. No, you worrying and frightened. Up all night, can't sleep. Thomson Turner. But but don't never come to you. Let me get on my knees. Let me talk to the Lord. Let me unload on him. Because he can be touched with the feeling of the infirmity I'm going through. He can be touched with what I've been burdened down with. He can ease my mind. Hallelujah. I mean my trouble mind. He can do away with my despair. He can help me with my feelings of feeling lonely. He can help me with these feelings I don't know what to call them. But he will understand. Another reason that is called the throne of grace is because from it flows the love of God. Hallelujah. From it flows God's help, his mercy, his forgiveness, his wisdom, his spiritual power and anointing, his spiritual gifts, the fruit of the Holy Ghost, and all that we need in any circumstance in times of need. Do we dare tell the Lord that ain't nothing we need? Do we dare to make do we dare go around here strutting and starting like we don't need nothing from the Lord? That's foolish for us to struttle around here and act like we are not in trouble. Knowing we in trouble. Knowing we have an attack for the enemy. But yet you still, we won't go to the Lord. We won't go to the high priest. We won't go and let him touch us. Well, see, like I'm about to tell you in a few minutes, hopefully I get to it. But like you're gonna find out about this woman. The only reason she sought our Jesus, well, two reasons. The first reason she sought Jesus is because she had got desperate in her situation. Her situation had grew desperate. And she needed something done quick. And see, some of us ain't gonna holler at Jesus until things really get hot on us, until we get in a desperate state. And then let the things got out of hand. That's when we're gonna feel like, oh, I should have called him a lot, but I really need to die. But now you want to call him. Why wait till things get desperate? But she got in a desperate situation because number one, she had put her faith in other things and other people. But when the situation got desperate, but thanks being to God, that second thing helped her. Don't give her, hey, and then they won't, some of us gonna have to get to the end of our rope. Some of us are gonna have to get flat on our back, and some of us gonna have to get the end to the end of our rope before we realize Jesus is what I needed all along. And that's fine. If that's what it takes for you to realize that you needed, all you needed was to have sought out his touch long ago, better late than them. Because the second thing that helped her, helped her is when I read this, I'm gonna read something to you. It's gonna say, the Bible is gonna say, she heard. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. She heard about Jesus. Come on now. What cometh by hearing? Faith cometh by hearing. Somewhere along the line in her desperate situation, when she done took her faith out of people, when she done taken her faith out of her money, when she done taken her faith out of other things, she decided to put her faith in somebody she had heard about that was healing the sick, healing the lame, making the blind see. She heard about Jesus. And here's the thing about it: what she heard about Jesus, it produced a level of faith in her. The Bible says for 12 years. And some of us have been wandering around here for 12, 20 years before we finally realize we need to put our faith in the Lord. But that's fine. Better late than never. But that's what it's gonna take for some of us. But see, some of us gonna have to be let down. I don't mean no harm. But I'm trying to help you. Some of us gonna have to be let down by other things and other people that we have put our trust in for us to let it go. Some of us gonna have to be let down by somebody we thought they wouldn't wouldn't turn us away. But that's gonna have to happen for you to release your faith from them and put all your faith in the Lord. And I hope somebody understands what I'm saying. You cannot put your faith, have your faith here and have your faith there. I mean the faith that belongs to the Lord. Comes to you being touched spiritually, nothing else can touch you spiritually but the Lord. But you're going to have to have your faith, your spiritual faith in Him. Because it's going to be your faith. That's what Jesus is going to tell us. He's going to tell her, your faith is what made you whole. And what he really is saying is, your faith in me is what made you whole. Because you heard about me. And when you heard about what I was doing and what I did for others, you believed. If thou canst believe. Oh, we can say, Oh, yes, I do think this, yes, I do. No, you don't. Stop lying to me. Because your actions, if we truly believed in the Lord, I mean, truly believed in it. Our actions would show that we believed in it. I'm not talking about putting on the show for other people to see that you got saved. I ain't studying that. I'm saying the Lord will know. Because your actions will show him that you believe in him. Because you will make an effort when trouble ride. When storms rage. Instead of getting fearful, instead of letting yourself be in trouble, you will automatically go to him that can touch you. And cause you to feel secure in him. Cause you to feel protected in him. Because you have experienced his touch enough to know that whenever something happens, I know automatically I can go to God. I can go to my Lord and Savior. I can go to my great high priest. And he will understand. He can help me. So that I can hold on to my faith, hold on to my profession, hold on to this life I've been living. Because I cannot do it without him. And if I have to touch him every day, several times a day, so be it. He don't mind. And in order for us to grasp this understanding of being touched by the Lord, and more importantly, for us to touch him, we're going to have to develop a level of understanding, which I call a level of knowledge. We're going to have to know who Jesus is. Come on now. Paul tried to help us. He said that I may know him. And in knowing him, you're going to learn him by all the crowns on his head that he carried. And this crown that he carries, and then this kind of crown that he wears as a high priest, you're going to know him in that area too. Just like you have grown to know him with the crown of the Savior on his head. But the high priest that is him is there for us. When you have a knowledge, when you know where to get your answers from, when you know where to get your help from, when you know where to get your love from, when you know where to go to get forgiveness, when you know where to go to get mad at, that knowledge in all those areas will stick with you for the rest of your life. There won't be no question, oh, what I should do, I don't know what to do. I got I don't know what to do. I don't know, I don't know where to turn. There won't be no confusion, that's confusion. But see, knowledge of Jesus causes the confusion to cease. Because now, when I get tempted, I automatically know. Because I have a knowledge of him who was tempted, just like I have been tempted. And that's where I'm going. I ain't got to second guess, I ain't got to figure it out. I automatically know. Because see, when I go to him, I'm going with my hands in the air because I'm going to touch him. Hallelujah! For him to give me the strength I need for the situation I'm going through, for the temptation that I'm dealing with. I'm going to touch him. Because I done messed around now and got some knowledge. And that knowledge telling me when I touch him, the strength I need is going to be given to me. The strength I need is going to be there to help me. Because I'm in a time of need right now. Hallelujah. And he got what I need. Let me tell you somebody. Let me read something to you. Let me get you some words. I get excited. I'm getting excited here. Well, let me get you some words. Maybe I'll calm down a little bit. Because then I'm going to tell you about some people that they develop a knowledge for Jesus. And if they can do it, we can do it. And they figured out how to touch him. And I'm going to tell you something else. Well, I'm finna reach you. These people here who developed this knowledge for Jesus as a high priest, they even went a step further. And they realized that they didn't even really have to touch his physical body. The level of faith that they had developed as a result of the knowledge that they had in Jesus, told them that all I got to do is I can just get close enough to touch the hem of his gum, the clothes he got on. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. See, you can let your faith go to whatever level you want it to go to. I know a man in the Bible, he didn't even, he didn't even touch Jesus, nor did he touch the him on his gum. He just told Jesus to speak the word. Hallelujah. It's whatever your whatever your faith is. There's no limit to that. But these people I'm finna read to your Bible, after Bible, they had in their mind, see, that one, the only one that said she wanted to touch the hymn of God. There's plenty of people in the Bible that won't just touch the hymn is gone. But we don't want to read about that because we don't read the Bible. They said they just want to, if we just touch, and you're going to find out that level of faith they had, the Bible gonna tell you that all of them that touch just the hymn of his garment, the word listen when I read that now. Listen what I say. The Bible gonna say that the Bible says that they were made perfectly whole. Or whatever they were dealing with, whatever sickness, disease they had, the book is gonna say they was made perfectly whole. That means perfectly well. And they ain't touched Jesus, they just touched his clothes. Let me read, let me read to you. Hallelujah. And when the men of that place, this is talking about a group of men, they call the names of the group of men, and when the men of that place had knowledge of him. Let me just let that soak in right there. See, some of us we don't have a knowledge of Jesus, but thanks being to God, if you just stay your course, stay focused. God and his spirit is going to get you to a place like he got these men to a place where they had knowledge of him. See, some of them I have all the knowledge we need right now, but just stay the course. Stay the course, stay with me. I'll get you there if you just stay with me. I'll get you to that knowledge. I don't give you the book. God has a way of getting us where we need to be in order for us to receive what he wants us to have. Remember that. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him when they knew, when they knew of him, when they knew what they needed to know about him. This is what happened to them. See, evidently they were seeking knowledge. See, some of us ain't seeking knowledge, some of us not seeking to know him. And if you ain't seeking to know him, you ain't seeking to be touched by him. Nor are you seeking to touch him. In the book of Hebrew, where the Bible says, That God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. But see, the first part of that scripture now, if you ever read it, it's gonna say, He that cometh to God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Must believe that he is. Now, when you read that, it's gonna be a comma after the word is. Hebrews 11 and 6. It's gonna say, He that cometh to God must believe that he is. Because you can believe him to be is, he is what you want to be. And that's but the Bible, he's gonna add he's gonna, and he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. God will reward you with if you seek in knowledge, God will reward you with knowledge. If you're seeking to be touched, God will reward you with being touched because you're seeking him. You want something. You seeking something. Not only are you seeking, you diligently seeking, meaning you ain't gonna stop seeking till you get what you're seeking for. You ain't let nothing distract you, you ain't nothing left to take away your focus from it, because you are diligently seeking. And you ain't gonna stop till you get. And I'm seeking it. And these men, when they had knowledge of him, this is what the Bible said, they sent out into all that country round about and brought unto him all that were diseased. See, there's a lot of diseases going on, and the folks they were tired of being sick, they were tired of being diseased, and they had a knowledge about Jesus that he was healing disease, that he was healing the sick, and they believed the knowledge that they heard about, they believed it. Listen what the word said, and besought him. They looked for him till they found him. They besought him that they might only, listen to this. They won't, they want to bother him too much, but the Bible said they besought besought him, meaning they looked for him, they sought him, they seeked him, but in their heart they were saying that they might only touch, hallelujah. See, here come to Jesus, a little dabble, do you? Oh just a little his virtue, just a little his power, just a little touch. The Bible said that they might only touch the hem of his gun. Look what the word says. And as many, I don't know how many words, the Bible says were many. And as many as touch, as many as touch just the hem of his gun. Look at the word were made perfectly whole. Now they ain't touched his skin, they just touched his clothes. Many of them. See, while we round here still playing jazz and shoot marvels, you got some people really out there want to see Jesus and they really want to touch him. And they're coming to Jesus with the faith they need to touch him. Because see, faith is what touched Jesus. If you want to know what touches Jesus, when you come to Jesus in faith, your faith in him is what touched him. And that faith in turn drove the virtue out of him to supply whatever it is you need for the need that you have in your life. These people wanted something. And those of us who have been walking with the Lord for so long, we acted, we done got so at ease. We don't start taking a lot for granted, don't realize you still need Jesus. I don't care if you've been saved, 20 years. It's not a day go by. I've been preaching since I was 17. That's when I got to meet. I was 17 years old. That's how long I've been in it. But I also know, and not gonna be a fool. I still tell I need him each and every day. Because I'm still in the flesh. And you can't trust the flesh. Until he gives us our glorified body, we can't trust it. You can't go up there and let your God, let your God die if you want to. Let it die if you want to. Straight around him like you don't need it. Do you? I need him every day, and I need more knowledge of him every day. These people, when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all the country round about. Go get everybody that's willing to believe. Go get everybody that wants to have a knowledge of him, that's tired of going through what they're going through. They sent out all, they didn't just get it for themselves. They wanted to see other people here. They brought until him all that were diseased. Everybody they could find that was in trouble. See how some of us get saved, we don't want to share with nobody? Got a testimony but won't tell nobody. And somebody sitting right next to you, somebody who comes across your path on a weekly basis could be helped by hearing what the Lord done did for you. But we humble back. My Bible says we overcome by our testimony and the blood of the Lamb. So why are you holding your testimony? Oh, because I don't want nobody to know I've I've been through that. I don't want nobody to know that I live like that. If you lived on the street, he just lived on the street. But thanks being to God, he delivered you. But somebody out there may be still on them. And they don't have no hope. They don't have no knowledge. But if they heard your testimony, what the high priest did for you, they can develop a knowledge for the high priest. We need to stop being stingy in what the grace of God has done for us. Help somebody. Because they know what it was like to be diseased they self. They know what it's like to be sick themselves, and they want to see somebody else help. And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment. And as many as tell, as many as God, Jesus didn't listen. The Bible said many, but you don't see nowhere with Jesus tearing any of that many away. Whatever that number of many was, he didn't turn none of them away. Because the book let me know this if you read 15 lines. Because the book said, as many as touched, touched Jesus was talking like. And that had to be a great number. But Jesus got enough power, he got enough virtue, he got enough anointing, he got enough everything in time of need for everybody. He ain't got to turn nobody away. As many as touched were made perfectly whole. Come on now. That had to be a beautiful day. Everybody that touched him, you see them walking away, fully healed, fully made whole, fully delivered. Oh, I would love to see that. Everybody that touched Jesus, deliver. Everybody that has a knowledge of him, given what they want, didn't touch by him. Because when you when they touched him, he touched them back with his anointing and his virtue. They touched him in faith. And he touched them back by delivering them for whatever was diseasing their lives. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. And if we must get off our high horses and get off our high-mindedness, the world right now is in need of somebody sharing the knowledge of who Jesus is. Because the world needs to be touched by Jesus. And they need to know and be taught how to touch him. Because if the world, if some of us don't hurry up and touch Jesus, we ain't gonna make it. If some of us don't hurry up and touch Jesus or come into the knowledge of how to touch Jesus, some of us ain't gonna make it. Because right now, our lives, some of our lives are at certain points or at a certain place, there's nothing else can be done if Jesus don't do it. And just like we were talking about on last week, and the enemy is sitting back waiting to kill, steal, and destroy you. Because you have not touched the Lord, and you have not put yourself in a position to be touched by him. What are we gonna do if Jesus don't touch us? Because the touch you need, man, can touch you all day. And I'm being I'm here to tell you, some people you don't want touching you. Some people you don't need to let touch you. But there will never ever be a time when you don't want the Lord to touch you. When you ever come into the knowledge of his touch, when you ever discover just how much you need his touch, you won't realize, Lord, I've been, this is what I've been needing all along. Why it just took me so long? Because you didn't have the knowledge of who Jesus was. And not having a knowledge of who Jesus is, you don't have a knowledge of what his touch can do for you. Or what your touching, touching him can do for your life. Because your touching him, you ain't gonna never be the same either. But see, we got to touch him with our heart, we gotta touch him with our faith, and we gotta get real with the Lord. We gotta stop shirking and we gotta stop jabbing. And come clean with the Lord so he can help us. We in time of need, y'all. We need someone's need. No, we're in great need. We in desperate need. Like the woman that we did surround for 12 years, she was in desperate need. And some of our situations are just as desperate. And like her, we don't come down to the wire. Lord, I got to have your touch now. Because I done dragged around too long. I've dragged around 12 years, and Lord, if you don't help me right now with my life, I don't want to imagine where it will be this time next year. Who touched me? Who are you touching? Brothers and sisters. I will finish this in part two.