"Held" 7-30-23
Overview
Held
There's an old phrase—"hanging by a thread"—that traces back to the legend of Damocles, who sat at the king's banquet beneath a sword suspended by a single hair. Scripture is full of saints who knew that feeling. Elijah collapsed under a broom tree and asked the Lord to take his life 1 Kings 19:4. Moses cried out that the burden of the people was too heavy Numbers 11:14. Paul confessed that in Asia he and his companions were "so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself" 2 Corinthians 1:8. Whatever puts you there today—a diagnosis, a stack of bills, a fractured relationship, a crushing inbox—you stand in good company.
The woman in Luke 8:42–48 was hanging by a thread too. Twelve years of hemorrhaging had emptied her purse, exhausted the physicians, and—because of the purity laws of Leviticus 15—made her a social outcast, unable to touch or be touched. She pressed through the crowd and seized the fringe of Jesus' garment, the very fringe Israelites wore as a reminder of God's commands Numbers 15:38–39. The Greek verb is stronger than "touched"—she clutched, she grabbed hold. Instantly she was healed. But Jesus, who already knew, drew her out of the crowd so her story could be told. She was restored physically, restored socially as He named her "daughter," and restored spiritually: "your faith has made you well; go in peace." That word translated "made you well" is sōzō—saved.
There is a popular saying: "When you're hanging by a thread, make sure it's the hem of His garment." True enough—but the gospel goes further. The One wearing the fringed garment was stripped of it at the cross, where He bore the sin of the world and declared, "It is finished" John 19:30. The tomb is empty. By grace through faith—itself the gift of God Ephesians 2:8–9—you have been clothed in His righteousness. You are not frantically clutching Him, hoping the thread will hold. He holds you.
So hear the pastoral word plainly: the physician does not have the last word—the Great Physician does. The accountant does not have the last word—the sovereign God who owns all things does. A broken relationship does not define you; the One who has brought you into relationship with Himself does. Your work does not define you; your baptism does. "Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you" 1 Peter 5:7. We have a better word than "hang on." The word is this: He holds you. Fear not.
Transcript
Let us pray together, please. 2s
Love divine, all love, exhaling. 5s
Gracious Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for such incredible love that you are poor. 8s
Chiefly, in the Lord Jesus Christ, the cross and the empty tomb. 15s
As we open up now the pages of Scripture, O Lord, we see clearly your love send 22s
us forth as people that proclaim this excelling love in Jesus' name. 29s
Would you open your Bibles, please, with me, to the gospel of Luke the 8th chapter for our 41s
study this morning. 46s
If you're using a few edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that on page 59 47s
in the New Testament. 52s
Luke the 8th chapter. 53s
King Dionysus, he was an ancient Greek king and he had an advisor in his court by the name 56s
of Democles. 67s
Democles was fond of flattering the king. 70s
In fact, he flattered him so much that the king became annoyed with it. 77s
He just couldn't stand it anymore. 85s
So he invited Democles to a banquet. 89s
Democles thought to himself, I'm sure this is another opportunity for him to flutter the 94s
king, but he was surprised. 98s
For at the banquet the king placed him in a chair where over his head was hanging 100s
a sword that was being suspended by a hair. 109s
It was the king's way of communicating that his position as an advisor was on the tenuous 118s
side of things. 126s
That birthed the phrase, just hanging on by a thread. 131s
The Roman poet of it wrote all things in life, hang by a thread. 142s
What it feels like, if you ever use that phrase, it's those times when you feel like 158s
you're just overwhelmed. 164s
Those times when the circumstances crush in on you and you feel like, I don't know if 165s
I'm going to make it through this. 172s
This time when you feel absolutely overwhelmed where problems seem to multiply on top of 174s
the problems and you find yourself feeling and saying, it just seems like I'm hanging on by a 179s
thread. 192s
That's why that bumper sticker is interesting, isn't it? 196s
When you feel like you're hanging on by a thread, make sure it's the hem of his garment. 201s
We see in Scripture example after example of people that seem to be hanging on by a thread. 227s
I think for example of Elijah in first Kings the 19th chapter. 238s
The Scripture says, but he himself went to day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down 246s
under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die. 252s
It is enough now, O Lord, take away my life for I'm no better than my ancestors. 258s
Elijah was hanging on by a thread, wasn't he? 266s
Or Moses, numbers the 11th chapter. 273s
I'm not able to carry all this people alone for their two heavy from me. Moses, 278s
hanging on by a thread, how about Paul? 288s
Second Corinthians the first chapter he writes, we do not want you to be unaware 294s
brothers and sisters of the affliction we experienced in Asia for we were so utterly 300s
unbearably crushed that we disappeared of life itself. 308s
Elijah Moses, Paul just a partialist in Scripture of people that felt like they were hanging on 318s
by a thread and so also the woman in our text for today. 333s
Look on your place. Luke the 8th chapter, the second part of verse 42. 344s
As you went the crowds pressed in on him. 352s
Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for 12 years and though she had 357s
spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure. 12 years. 364s
Dr. after doctor after doctor after doctor and no relief. 377s
The medical care in ancient day was not the best. 392s
One of the supposed medical remedies for such a situation was to take the ashes of an 398s
15 tells us that the condition of the woman would have meant that she was ceremonially 425s
unclean that would mean that she could not touch anyone nor should could she be touched by anyone. 432s
If she touched someone they would become ceremonially unclean. 443s
If someone touched her then the person touching her would become ceremonially. 448s
Unclean. She was, you see, then, a social outcast, a social outcast. 455s
She was hanging on by a thread. 471s
How do you define it in your own life? 484s
How is it that you define hanging on by a thread? 489s
Is it waiting for the doctor to come with the diagnosis? 497s
Is it wondering what the scan will show? Is it waiting for a loved one while they're in surgery? 504s
What is it where you say? 515s
I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread here. 519s
Is it the area of finances where you just can't seem to end the month with more money than when you 525s
started? Where it seems like the outflows are now overwhelming? 535s
Is it that struggle in the area of finances where you say I keep kidding? One more piece of 544s
ad news after one more piece of bad news and I feel like I'm just hanging on by a thread. 549s
Is it the broken relationship? Is it the relationship that you look at and you say how 565s
did this happen? How does it happen? We were so close, so close. 572s
Now, no matter what ever seems to be done, the relationship can't just be brought back together again 578s
and you feel defined by the brokenness of the relationship and you wake up in the middle of the 588s
night and you're wondering about what happened with the relationship and you come to the point 596s
and you just feel like saying I just feel like I'm hanging on by a thread. 602s
Is it the area of work? The shrinkage there in the division? 614s
Well, cost saving and your job was retained. It just meant more winds up on your desk. 623s
And the outflow box never seems to catch up with what continues to be piled on on the inbox. 631s
So what is it for you? What is it for you as you assess your life? What is it for you that you say? 641s
I just feel like I'm hanging on by a thread. 650s
He would have had fringe on his garment. The scriptures tell us in numbers the 15th chapter 664s
that fringe on the garment was to be worn because it was a reminder as you would wear it 677s
of the commands of God. Scripture tells us in verse 44 she came up behind him and touched the 685s
fringe of his clothes and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. That word touched there in English 697s
to kind of a translation. In the Greek it's grabbed. It's clutched. It wasn't a light touch. 710s
This was a I got it. I got it. And what happened at that moment she was restored 719s
physically. Scripture goes on. Verse 45. Then Jesus asked who touched me? 731s
When all the night at Peter said, Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you. 740s
The Jesus said, someone touched me. For I noticed the power had gone out from me. 746s
When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling and falling down before 752s
him. She declared in the presence of all the people. Why she had touched him and how she had been 757s
immediately healed. Jesus didn't need anybody to inform him of who touched him. Jesus is omniscient. 764s
So why does he do this? He's calling her out of the crowd so that the story can be told by her 775s
and in the process what happens. But this one who was a social outcast because of her condition has now been restored socially. 787s
She's restored physically. She's restored socially and she is restored spiritually. 800s
Look at the very next verse. Verse 48, He said to her, daughter, your faith has made you well 814s
go in peace. Let's get more literal there. That phrase translated here made you well. It's 824s
an saving relationship with a very Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, with a faith that we know in 843s
Scripture is a gift of God. We are saved by grace through faith and this is not your own doing. 852s
It is the gift of God. Scripture tells us. She is restored then physically. She is restored then 859s
socially. She is restored spiritually. When you're hanging on by a thread, make sure it's the 868s
end of his garment. A good word, but we have a better one, a better one than that. 884s
The very one wearing the fringe went to the cross. The very one wearing the garment with the fringe hangs 904s
on the cross without a garment. And he takes upon him the sin of the world. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ 917s
shed and we are reconciled unto God. Forgiveness to tell the story Jesus says on the cross, 931s
paid in full. The beautiful, forgiving act of God that love excelling the forgiveness of God 941s
that is ours through Christ. The tomb empty, the Lord lives. God placing His claim on us in the 957s
way. We're not trying to clutch it, wondering if he's going to run away and forget us. 987s
We're not trying to hold on to him so he won't leave us. No, the one in the fringe, the royal 999s
robes has robed us in the beauty of His righteousness. We're not praying here that the 1007s
spool won't run out because God has wrapped us and continues to wrap us in His promises. We're 1022s
not hoping here that He just won't slip through our fingers because He hangs on to us. 1032s
If you like your hanging on by a thread beloved, the physician does not have the last word, 1050s
the last word belongs to the one who holds your days and that is the great physician. 1058s
If you like your hanging on by the thread the accountant does not have the last word, 1068s
the last word belongs to the one who is still very much and sovereign and sits on his throne 1075s
and owns all. Feel like you are hanging on by a thread because the broken relationship 1082s
seems to define you, beloved, the broken relationship does not define you, but you are defined 1092s
by the one who has brought you into relationship with him. Feel like you're hanging on by a thread 1101s
because the pressures of work seem to be crushing in, beloved cast all your anxieties on 1111s
him for He cares about you, cast all the anxieties on him. You are not defined by what you do, 1120s
you are defined by who you are in the waters of baptism. Your purpose is not your work, 1130s
your purpose comes from the purpose you bring to your work. You are not defined and all powerful. 1139s
You are the servant of God Almighty and our rest is found in Him. 1151s
When you are hanging on by a thread make sure it is the Him of His garment, 1165s
we have gotten even better word for you have been restored spiritually in the waters of baptism 1176s
and the one who went to the cross and rose for you if it is His will will restore you physically 1188s
and socially also and you can rest in His will. We have gotten even better word 1201s
than hang on we have got a better word than hang on. It is He holds you fear 1225s
not 1250s