BEING AN EXAMPLE

I want to share with you a record regarding love. When we talk of love we often quote John 3:16 or I
Corinthians 13. But, those scriptures, as much as they teach us, do not give us an example. We as
people, also, need examples.
Sermons We See
I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I’d rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.
The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear;
And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds.
For to see good out in action is what everybody needs.
I soon can learn how to do it if you’ll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lecture you deliver may be very wise and true,
But I’d rather get my lessons by observing what you do.
For I might misunderstand you and the high advice you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.
Edgar A. Guest
The record that I am thinking of is in Luke chapter eight. And, the preacher and teacher was the greatest
of all, Jesus Christ.
Luke 8:43-48 (KJV)
43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians,
neither could be healed of any,
44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood
stanched.
This poor woman had been bleeding from the vagina for twelve years! She wanted deliverance so bad
that she spent all of her money trying to be healed. She was considered unclean by the Jewish
community. She was so desperate to get her healing she did what was socially and culturally wrong. She
pushed through the MEN to get to Jesus, women just didn’t do that, and all that she could reach through
the pushing and shoving was the hem of his garment. JUST A TOUCH! But that is all that was needed.
SHE WAS HEALED! Now this could have been all to the story, but, no. It wasn’t enough. Jesus knew it
wasn’t enough. She was healed, but, she needed more and that more is love.45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master,
the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
I told you it was tight quarters. The crowd thronged him. They were so tightly squeezed together God
calls it a press. I was in a line once that was so tightly pressed together that my feet came off the ground
and I was hovering above the ground by over a foot. That’s about the press that they had.
Peter and the disciples thought Jesus had a screw loose. In all this pushing and shoving and turmoil
everybody was touching him. They didn’t understand.
46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
The word “virtue” is the word power. Let me interject here that as a Christian you have the same power
latent within you. All you have to do is learn how to use it.
1 John 4:4 (KJV)
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he
that is in the world.
Colossians 1:27 (KJV)
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles;
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Luke 8:47 (KJV)
47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she
declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed
immediately.
She came trembling! A person will tremble when they are afraid. This woman broke all of the social rules
of the day and now she is being called in front of all of the men AND in front of the Master himself.
This woman had all kinds of thoughts running through her head. She had to have. Breaking all the rules
and yet getting her deliverance. Was it real? Was she supposed to be healed? Did she somehow steal
her healing? What would the people think? What was the Master going to do?
48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
He said unto her DAUGHTER! Jesus Christ couldn’t have loved her any more if he had put his arms
around her! You see, in that culture a person wouldn’t say “daughter” unless they meant it. The
daughter that Jesus was talking about was a daughter of Abraham, a daughter of believing. Just this one
word told her that she deserved her healing! It put all of her doubts and fears aside and comforted her
heart. Jesus did this with all the pathos of one who truly loved.Then he ads “be of good comfort.” For twelve years this woman did everything she could to get her
healing and now she finally had it. No one could take it away. All that stood around must have wondered
at this woman who only touched the hem of the Masters garment and had him stop in his tracks. They
didn’t get their deliverance. They didn’t stop Jesus in his tracks. Why? Verse 48 has the answer “ thy
faith, the word “faith” is the word believing, hath made thee whole.
The very last thing Jesus said to this wonderful daughter of Abraham is “go in peace.” I bet that woman’s
heart soared within her. I bet she walked on cloud nine for weeks. What a tender loving record of one
woman’s deliverance.
Have you looked at the situation that Jesus was in when he stopped? He was headed to a house to raise
a girl from the dead. I don’t know about you, but, if I was headed to a house to raise a girl from the dead
I don’t know if I would have stopped to give this one woman the thing she needed to bless her life and
cement the reality of her deliverance in her heart and life.
The one thing that she needed was Love.
We can get enough criticism and negatives in less than a minute to last us a life time, but, we can never
get enough of love.
Criticism and negatives are like a saw on a tree. Enough of it will take down the mightiest oak. Love is
like the sun and spring rains which builds and heals the heart.
If we are to have an example to walk by let it be Jesus Christ. Let us walk the Christ walk and show the
world the love that only Christians can manifest.