1132-Looking to Jesus#
1132-Looking to Jesus
(JP Text Group - Organized Life Like an Eagle)
Today we share the topic of looking to Jesus.
Let’s first read the scripture from Mark 5:25-34.
25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet, and trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
This passage records how this woman had spent everything she had and was in a very miserable state, but what was worse was that she was still suffering from her illness.
This year, many people caught a cold during the New Year, and it was quite severe. During this time, I kept thinking about something: in the land of Israel, there is a year of Jubilee, where no matter how much debt you owe, when the year of Jubilee comes, all your debts are forgiven.
But there is no year of Jubilee for sickness in this world. If there were a year where God declared that no matter what illness you had during that year, all your diseases would disappear, what a great gospel that would be for the world! But then I thought, I don’t need to seek a year of Jubilee for sickness in the world, because when we receive Jesus into our hearts, we are in a year of Jubilee every year. Hallelujah! Because God is our healer, we don’t need to wait for that year to come; we just need to look to Jesus every day, and your situation will turn around. Hallelujah!
So I don’t know if you who are listening today have been thinking during this time about why your situation is getting worse? What do you really need to do? Is it to forget all this and continue on, letting it develop? Or to escape reality, giving yourself hope, saying it will definitely get better? Facing the New Year, many people are filled with expectations...
But many people have been complaining about reality, perhaps complaining about those around them, complaining about society, perhaps seeing others who are as unfortunate as themselves, and finally saying: “Sigh, there’s really no meaning in living.” If you also have such negative thoughts today, I hope you can be like this woman, even though she was already in a miserable state, her illness not only did not get better but worsened. Yet her life underwent a miraculous change in this turning point.
How did she turn around? When she looked to Jesus, her life changed, her body changed. So today, whether you are hearing about Jesus for the first time or you have believed in Him for many years, what I tell you is: Jesus is your eternal hope. Today, let’s see how this woman turned around.
Let’s share the first point, hearing about Jesus.
This woman had suffered greatly under many doctors, spent all her money, but saw no improvement; for twelve years, her illness had only worsened. But when she heard about Jesus, a miracle happened.
Before this woman received healing, she had already heard people discussing the things about Jesus. In some places, you might not hear about Jesus; you can only hear about knowledge, gossip about the Zhangs and Lis. During the New Year, you will hear many blessings. Many people will greet each other, saying: “May you make a fortune this year! May you be healthy! May you have this day every year, and peace every year!” Although these words sound pleasant and comfortable, they cannot change your reality. Brothers and sisters, what people say is mostly such blessings, but sickness will not disappear just because the New Year has come, allowing you to start over.
In the New Year, what people need more is to hear the news about Jesus; other things cannot bring you satisfaction. So when this almost hopeless woman heard about Jesus, a miracle occurred. If this woman’s healing came from hearing, where do human diseases come from? Perhaps you have heard too much bad news, such as: eating certain foods will raise your cholesterol, or if you don’t exercise regularly, you will... and so on. But the news about Jesus is the good news we should hear, because all who seek Jesus for healing ultimately receive it; they are healthy, healed, joyful, and at peace.
What did this woman hear about Jesus? Let’s look at a passage of scripture.
Matthew 9:35 says, Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
This is the threefold ministry of Jesus. This woman also heard the words Jesus brought to John the Baptist: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.
From this information, we see that what Jesus brings to people is not the law, but grace and truth. The law makes people distant, but grace draws people near. When Moses came down from the mountain with the law, the people were afraid. When Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration in the New Testament, the people were willing to draw near to Him because what emanated from Jesus was grace and truth.
Everything we have today comes from God’s grace, not from the law. Thank the Lord! So today, when you hear that you need to have good behavior, to make such changes, etc., we know this is under the law. But what Jesus brings us is grace; He loves us, it is His complete grace; He heals us, it is His complete grace; He blesses us, it is His complete grace.
The law is not the fundamental reason this woman received healing. If that were the case, she should not have been in that place at all. Why? Because the Old Testament law tells us she was unclean and could not touch anyone. She was sick, and according to the law, she was to shout from a hundred meters away: “Don’t come near me, I am unclean.” Of course, she did not have the qualification to enter the crowd, so we can imagine that the law really cannot make a person feel joy or peace, because it clearly remembers your real situation and your real sins.
But this woman did not hear the law; she heard about Jesus. This woman only thought of Jesus because she heard about Him. What did she hear? She heard that Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in the synagogues. She heard that Jesus taught not using the law but proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. Jesus tells us that God loves the world and gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
She heard that Jesus healed every disease and sickness, so when she realized she was also a sick person, she was willing to receive the healing that Jesus offered. Thank and praise the Lord! She heard that Jesus had made the blind see, the lame walk, that those with terminal leprosy were healed, the deaf could hear, and the dead were raised, so this woman believed that the Jesus she heard about was exactly what she needed.
So whenever you encounter trouble, you hear about Jesus, just like today when you hear someone talking about Jesus. Whenever you feel inadequate, what do you need to do? You need to hear about Jesus.
If you have sermon recordings, take them out and listen repeatedly, listen to the shepherd’s words about Jesus, not some theory, not some theological thought, not some religious doctrine; Jesus is the key. Jesus is the solution to all our problems. When you hear about Jesus, that is the beginning of seeing miracles, so do not focus on people. Because human ability is always limited.
Psalm 118 tells us, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans; it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”
Princes can solve many of your problems, but our God can accomplish all things. Hallelujah! You look to people; they can solve what they can solve. When you look to Jesus, He can do all things. Hallelujah!
The best message for the New Year is that someone is talking about Jesus. The most blessed message for the New Year is that you hear someone talking about Jesus, someone has heard about Jesus. God left the Bible for us because He wants us to hear about Jesus in this world. If you have heard Him, start looking to Him.
Today many people focus on healing. For example, when someone is sick, they often hope: “Lord, when will you heal me, heal me, heal me?” They focus on whether their illness has improved, but we should first let our hearts prosper, first let our hearts be filled with spiritual food. Therefore, the first thing you should do is not to keep thinking about your illness, but to meditate on Jesus, to hear about Jesus. Look in the Bible at how Jesus treated those who were sick. That way, when you believe in Jesus correctly, you will find that everything can be obtained effortlessly. You can receive healing, you can receive health, you can receive His joy. So let Jesus fill your heart first, and healing will fill your body; let Jesus fill your heart, and peace will fill your heart. Hallelujah!
Today, when you preach Jesus to others, you are preaching, because the Word is God, and the Word became flesh, and His name is Jesus. Amen, Hallelujah!
So you need to hear the message of Jesus. In the New Year, let people hear the message of Jesus from your mouth, because Jesus can bring hope to people, can bring healing to people, can bring light to people. Hallelujah!
If you are a businessman, you can mention how Jesus has blessed your business, boldly speak of the Jesus you believe in. You will see miracles happening in your business. If you talk about the weather, talk to others about clothes, there won’t be much result. We are not saying we cannot mention these things. What we mean is, if you really want to help others, let them hear about Jesus from your mouth! Just like this woman we shared about today, her change, her healing came because she heard others talking about Jesus, so she must have wanted to find that Jesus because she believed: as long as I find Him, I will surely receive healing. Because that person spoke so well, portraying Jesus so vividly that He became the last hope for this desperate woman.
So in the New Year, let us mention Jesus more. I hope brothers and sisters can look to Jesus Christ in everything, meditate on His grace, meditate on how Jesus treats those who follow Him, and let us look to Jesus for the supply He gives us every day. This will make you prosper in everything in the New Year. Hallelujah! Just as your soul prospers. Thank and praise the Lord!
So in your mouth, I hope that in the New Year when you bless others, you use the name of Jesus to bless them! Don’t just say “Congratulations and make a fortune” like others; although these words are good, they won’t have any effect. If that were the case, we would say it every day. It’s not that having a blessing posted at home will make your home blessed. If that were the case, you wouldn’t need to just post one; you could post five and cover all your walls with blessings, wouldn’t you be living in a pile of blessings every day? No. The source of blessing is meeting Jesus. Hallelujah!
So especially when many people are sick, you need to hear about Jesus. I hear about Jesus’ healing, and then you need to seek Him. Hallelujah! You need to mention Jesus Christ more, let Him come forth from your mouth, for you will unknowingly bring hope to many people, and you will cause many lives to turn around, their lives will undergo miraculous changes, just like this woman today. It was the voice that conveyed Jesus to her that brought about the transformation of her life. Twelve years, what a painful time that was. When she heard about Jesus, everything changed, and when she encountered Jesus, her entire life changed. Hallelujah!
We must believe that those who meet Jesus will surely change. Wherever Jesus has been, there has been change; the cross was originally a place of curse, a place for the most heinous criminals, but after Jesus went to the cross, the cross today has become a symbol of salvation. If you have heard about Jesus and placed Him in your heart, your entire life will change. Perhaps you have various family curses, various diseases in your body, but today you must know that with Jesus entering, everything will no longer be the same. When Jesus enters your body, He becomes a symbol of salvation, saving your entire life. Your life begins to turn around completely from meeting Jesus. Hallelujah!
In the New Year, I hope the first message you hear is about Jesus. Hallelujah, thank and praise the Lord!
The second point we share is looking to Jesus.
When you hear about Jesus, you are already blessed. Today, to receive such blessings and to remain in such blessings, you must learn to look to Jesus in everything, make a firm decision, and do not doubt.
We see this woman; she clearly knew that under the law, she could not go to public places, could not squeeze into the crowd, and certainly could not touch such a person. But this woman received grace from Jesus, so she squeezed into the crowded crowd and finally touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. Clearly, for this woman, the hem of the garment represented something else and had great power. It is not that the blue thread had any special function, but that this thread is a promise from the Old Testament. The Pharisees made the thread very wide, but no matter how wide you make it, even if you make it like a bedsheet, it is useless, because you must understand what it represents for it to have effect.
Just like today when we receive the Holy Communion, if you do not know what it represents, receiving it will have no effect on you. If you know it represents the body of Jesus, it represents the precious blood that Jesus shed for you, then what you take in is the body of Jesus, and His life inherently carries healing. Everything will be different; it can exert healing power.
Of course, today we are not sharing about the Holy Communion; we want to talk about this thread. This thread also represents Jesus Christ; only Jesus has the power. Hallelujah! This power comes from Jesus, not from the thread itself. Thank the Lord!
Numbers 15:38-39 tells us,
38 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments with a blue cord in each tassel. 39 You will have these tassels to look at so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes.’”
This passage in Numbers is very interesting. God told the Israelites that throughout the generations, they should make tassels on the corners of their garments and put a blue cord on the tassels. Why? He said, “You will wear these tassels so that you will remember to obey all the commands of the Lord.” But here, the original meaning is a bit different. Let me translate the original Hebrew meaning for the brothers and sisters: the latter part means that when you wear this tassel, it will become a tassel that reveals, and you will remember Him; He will become your tassel, and you will see Him.
Originally, God tells us that when you see this blue thread, you should remember God; He will become your tassel, you will remember Him, and you will see Him. This tassel does not refer to a thread but to our Lord Jesus Christ. Today, all these promises have been fulfilled in Jesus. What we need to do is remember Jesus Christ and look to what Jesus has done. When you remember Jesus Christ, you will find that your life undergoes a wonderful change.
When a doctor tells you that you have no hope, at that moment, you need to remember Jesus, because Jesus never said you are doomed; Hallelujah! When others say you cannot make it, you need to remember Jesus, because Jesus never said you cannot. Because I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. When you have no money, you need to remember Jesus; He is your provider. When people use their mouths to bless each other during the New Year, you should remember to bless others in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ; do not be stingy with your blessings.
Bless your family, your children, your relatives, and your friends in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank and praise the Lord!
So when this tassel is revealed, it refers to one person—Jesus. Today, when we focus all our attention and all our gaze on Jesus on the cross, He has already paid the price for our sins. So today, you can come boldly to receive God’s healing, to receive God’s blessing. You must know that God is pleased with you today; our Jesus on the cross has completely paid the price for your sins. Everything has been settled. Thank the Lord!
So whenever you see this tassel, remember Jesus Christ. In the past, God told the Israelites to see Him, but today we have seen Him! Hallelujah! The Old Testament and we in the New Testament believe in the same Lord. In the Old Testament, the promises God gave them were to be fulfilled in the future; a Savior would come to save people from all sins. A Messiah would come to save people from death, and Jesus came to accomplish this work.
Today we are more blessed than they were. Because we have seen these things become reality. Hallelujah! We have seen Jesus on the cross, accomplishing this work; we have seen our sins paid in full; we have seen God give His one and only Son to us; we have seen Him resurrected from the dead; we have seen Him conquer all the powers of the devil; we have seen that everything in heaven and on earth is in His hands. And we have seen that He has completed all this work and sits at the right hand of the Father. We see that He has completely triumphed.
And today, God has placed this power within you, so use your mouth to bless others, let the words of Jesus come forth from your mouth, and let others also look to the resurrected Jesus, thank and praise the Lord! So this woman deeply understood that this tassel represented Jesus, so she must touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, because she thought, as long as I touch it, I will be healed. Hallelujah! It is this hope, this faith that made her resolutely squeeze into the crowd, and she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. Then the miracle appeared immediately; her bleeding stopped at once, and the Bible says she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
Brothers and sisters, today do not say that this sister did this, and I will go home and buy one to try touching it. No, what truly healed her today was her looking to the power of Jesus, not that the thread had any power; she understood that today, as long as I touch it, I am touching God’s promise, I am touching God’s blessing for me. Brothers and sisters, today when you are listening to God’s words, you are looking to Him. Thank and praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
God has many ways to heal people. This woman understood one of them, that this tassel gave her a promise, which was her promise of healing, so she understood that when she touched it, her illness would be healed. That is the effect of faith. Hallelujah! At that moment, Jesus also felt power go out from Him. Thank the Lord.
When a person draws from Jesus by faith, Jesus is willing to release His energy. But as we read in that passage, many people were touching Jesus; why was no power released? Because they did not understand how the effect of faith comes out. Today, when you come before Jesus, you need to look to His power, you need to look to His healing, you need to urgently hope to receive something from Jesus.
If you only treat Him as an ordinary person, just touching Him; if you treat Him as a teacher, just touching Him, no power will be released from Him. You must treat Him as your Savior, as all your help in life; at that moment, He will become your help. Thank and praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
Later, Jesus already knew she had received healing and wanted to give her assurance, so He said, “Who touched me?” When the woman saw what had happened to her, she was very afraid. The reason she was afraid was that she was still under the law; she knew she should not have done such a thing. So she fell at Jesus’ feet and told Him why she touched His garment. Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.”
What did Jesus prove? Today your faith is correct; do not be afraid, go in peace; you have been healed. You have a correct gaze, so you have received correct faith. You have seen the effect of your faith. Hallelujah!
Today, when we look to Jesus, we must believe correctly in Him. He is not a condemner, not a judge; He is willing to pay the price for your life, willing to heal you. So today, you must have a correct faith before God. With your correct faith, look to this Lord, and what you receive from Jesus is: your faith has healed you; go in peace! Thank the Lord!
This woman was not looking to her own faith; she was looking to God’s faith. Thank and praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Today, do not look to your own faith; how much faith do we have? Very little, not even the size of a mustard seed. How can we possibly have faith to live? So every day we look to the faith of Jesus.
We have no ability; we need to look to the ability of Jesus. We have no healing ability; today when you see your loved ones sick, you wish you had healing ability, but we need to look to Jesus’ healing. Because we do not have it, but the Lord Jesus has it. Our Lord Jesus has the answers to all problems; He is the solution to all problems. Hallelujah! Thank and praise the Lord! Glory be to God!
During the New Year, bless those around you in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah!
Finally, let’s look at a passage of scripture. After Jesus resurrected, two disciples were on the road to Emmaus and encountered Jesus. The Bible says that their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. Jesus did not stretch out His hands with nail marks and say, “Look at me, who am I? Take a good look at me.” Jesus did not say that; instead, He began to teach them about the Old Testament scriptures, explaining the true meaning of the law. So they began to understand the Old Testament scriptures. Jesus did not only preach grace; He also preached the Old Testament scriptures.
Today, we do not only preach grace; we also preach the Old Testament scriptures. The Old Testament tells us that many things ultimately point to Jesus. Many types ultimately point to Jesus Christ, and many prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus also taught these two disciples how to read the scriptures. So we need to learn from Jesus how to interpret the Old Testament scriptures.
Luke 24:27 says, And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Brothers and sisters, this is how Jesus interprets the scriptures.
The Old Testament is not meant to point out others’ mistakes, to make them confess their sins, or to change their behavior. No, the Old Testament tells us that man cannot, but God has a provision. Just like we talked about the tassel earlier, in the Old Testament, God gave the Israelites a promise, the promise of healing, which is Jesus Christ.
So when you talk about the Old Testament, you must explain the words that point to Jesus clearly. Hallelujah. Jesus is the only one in this world who will not teach the scriptures incorrectly. He uses this method to teach the Old Testament, so when Jesus spoke these things, the hearts of the two disciples burned within them. Hallelujah!
Brothers and sisters, have we discovered that when we explain the Old Testament in this way, people’s hearts will become fervent? Because you bring out the things about Jesus in the Old Testament, today you must tell people that this passage of scripture is fulfilled in Jesus, this passage refers to Jesus Christ. He bore your “stripes, and by His wounds, you have been healed,” that He is Jesus Christ. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, that is the cross.
Today, are you also explaining the scriptures in this way? Are you letting people know Jesus through the scriptures? How do we look to this Lord? Through the words of the scriptures. Thank and praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
Matthew 8:17 tells us, “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”
Who is He? He is Jesus Christ. So you need to see Jesus in the words of the scriptures and believe that Jesus has fulfilled the promises in this passage for you; He has borne your infirmities, so do not often say you are weak; you should say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Hallelujah! So when sickness is upon you, do not say, “Oh, it’s over; this illness will not be healed; this illness will get worse.” Do not say such words; you should say, “He has borne my diseases; His name is Jesus Christ.” Hallelujah!
Today, God no longer lets lambs bear our infirmities; He does not let angels bear our infirmities; it is Jesus Christ, the one and only Son whom God loves, who does all this personally. He personally bore your infirmities; He personally bore your diseases. Although the devil constantly tells you: “You are sick; this illness will get worse,” you should tell it: “Jesus has borne my infirmities; Jesus has borne my diseases; I believe I am healthy!”
Thank and praise the Lord! When people say that this year’s economic situation is not good, you should say, “He has borne my infirmities; Jesus is my blessing this year. I will be blessed because of Jesus. Through Him, I can do all things. Jesus has prepared all the blessings for me this year.” Hallelujah! Thank and praise the Lord.
Finally, let’s look at a passage in Zechariah 12:10, which tells us,
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”
This tells us that grace is not just a thing; He is a spirit; He is our triune God—the Holy Spirit. He is the hand of the Spirit of grace. When the Spirit of grace is poured out on Jerusalem, the Bible tells us that they will look to Jesus. The original text says that when such a spirit is poured out on the house of David and upon Jerusalem, the people there will undergo change; they will look to Him. They will look to the one they have pierced, referring to whom? Jesus Christ. Thank and praise the Lord! So they will look to Jesus Christ, whom they have pierced.
Today, the suffering of the Jews is not because they have not heard God’s blessings; it is because they do not look to Jesus Christ.
You must learn to look to Jesus Christ. Today you have heard, you are already blessed, but I hope you look to Jesus, and you will be freed from suffering.
The Jews do not look to Jesus; although grace and truth are right beside them, they do not know how to cherish it and instead reject Jesus. So this is an important reason for the suffering of the Israelites. The blessing is right beside them, but they are unwilling to seize it. The Lord of life is right beside them, but they do not look to Him. However, God loves the Jews, and His love is unconditional.
After the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost, wonderful things happened; many of them began to look to Jesus and underwent change. They were filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to look to the Jesus they had pierced, they began to look to the resurrected Savior, and they began to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Many experienced God’s healing and power through the resurrected Jesus. They saw the shadow of Jesus in the apostles, so they were called Christians. Today you are also a disciple of Christ, so let the Holy Spirit walk with you, and you will cause those around you to change because of you.
So you must first learn to look to Jesus, let your own life change first. Hallelujah. Beloved of God, when you begin to look to Jesus, what kind of change will happen? Your current suffering will end, and your current situation will turn around.
Today, have you looked to Jesus? I hope you look to Him in everything.
In the morning when you wake up, pray for yourself: “Today I am blessed in Jesus Christ; today I set my eyes on Jesus; although I may encounter some problems, I know He is my ever-present help.” Hallelujah!
You need to meditate on the grace of Jesus in everything. When you begin to meditate on the work Jesus has accomplished for you, miracles will happen, just like we see with this woman today. She began to look to Jesus, and miracles happened in her life. I hope that in the New Year, each of you can learn to look to Jesus Christ and let more people hear about Jesus from your mouth.
We believe that the more people hear about Jesus, the more people will change; their lives will be saved because of this. Their lives will change because of this; their lives will be blessed because of this, and you are the channel of that blessing. Hallelujah! So let us look to our Lord Jesus Christ every day. Thank and praise the Lord.
Now, let’s pray together:
Loving Heavenly Father, we truly thank and praise You. Lord, we are willing to learn to rely on You in everything. May You grant us wisdom, and may You pour out the spirit of grace and supplication upon us. Let us learn to look to You in everything, just as You poured out the Holy Spirit on those disciples back then; today, You also fill our hearts with the Holy Spirit, leading us on the path ahead!
Lord, we know that God is willing to heal us; You have the power to heal us. You are willing to help us, and You have the ability to help us. You will surely allow all of us to live by Your words in the New Year, and we will surely bear more fruit. Thank and praise the Lord; glory be to You! In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!