Sunday Sermon: We Cannot Win a Battle We Do Not Fight, September 20, 2020

Sunday Sermon at Grateful Church in Phoenix

We cannot win a battle we do not fight

The struggle to believe is a good fight because the cost of doing nothing can be awfully expensive. Sometimes we are faced with embarrassing painful experiences that we may not be able to share with the best of friends but can confide and find comfort in the word of the Lord. After failing many times, it often takes a lot of courage to believe that things will be better again. The story of the woman with the issues of blood is the story of courage and faith to overcome difficult life challenges.

Mark 5:25-34

25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Jesus said her faith made her whole from her plague. Her inspiration came from:

1. Counting the cost of doing nothing. We cannot build if we do not count the cost to build and the significant cost of not building

   1. The hope of getting healed inspired her faith and courage to fight harder, step over her fears, negative sentiments, and dissenting voices to gain her healing.

   2. The alternative was death, which was too high a price for her. Her decided to place her faith on the word of God and pressed to get hold of the hem, ribbon, fringe, or tassel of Jesus’ garment

Matt 9:21 - For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole

Num 15:38-40

38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:

39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:

1. hat ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.

Application:

1. Faith, courage, and perseverance are the attributes of a good soldier of Christ in spiritual warfare.

Mal 4:2

2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.

1. What we do when we are down can make a huge difference to shape the outcome.

   1. Peter toiled all night and catch nothing, but had the courage to try again at Jesus’ word that made him the greatest apostle fishers of men

   2. Peter discovered Jesus in his failures, Moses, and Joshua in their struggles to deliver Jews and defeat their enemies

2. Like the Bird Phoenix, we rise from our ashes. Our failures could be powerful sources of inspiration to lead a successful change. They can be part of our success story