Gleans from Monday Bible Study with Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
DLBC Old Alimosho
7th October 2019
Study 31 – THE NECESSITY OF THE SECOND TOUCH
Text – Mark 8:22-33
What we read here from verses 22-26 is unique because it was only Mark that recorded this miracle. You have the opening of the eyes of the blind in all the Gospels, but this particular incident that the Lord had to touch the blind man the second time is unique and symbolic as recorded in Mark’s Gospel only. In our spirit and soul, this is what God does, He touches us and we are saved, and there is evidence that the Lord has saved us, but things can be better, that is why we go back to Him for the second touch of sanctification. Likewise, in our revelation and understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord asks us the first time who Jesus is to us, and we tell Him what we know. We go to Him a second time for a second touch and illumination, then we see very clearly. This happened to the disciples as well as they had the understanding of Christ as the Son of the living God, were illuminated after many teachings and knew better than the Pharisees. Yet Jesus said they did not know all yet, He would send them The Comforter who would teach them all things and a new touch would come. As you look at your life as a Christian, He touched you before but you want to go back the second time for the divine touch so as to see clearly and know deeper. The Lord opened the eyes of the blind man and the minds of His disciples when He was here on earth; He taught them and they had illumination. After His death and resurrection, He opened the eyes of their mind to understand the scriptures better and gave them a second touch. This is why you are here tonight; He has touched you before, He will touch you again; He has saved before, He will sanctify you; He has healed you before, He will heal you again; He has done the first touch and transformation, and a second one is coming today. You will not go back home the same way you came in Jesus’ name.
3 points:
Point 1. COMPLETE RECOVERY AFTER THE SECOND TOUCH
Mark 8:22-25; Psalms 146:8; 138:8; Isaiah 42:18-20; Luke 24:31-32,45; Ephesians 1:18-19; Psalms 119:18; Galatians 4:19; 2 Peter 1:9
“And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him” (Mark 8:22). If you, your neighbour or your loved ones need a miracle, you have to bring them to Christ. Whatever the challenge or situation, God is able: but you must wait in His presence to receive your miracle. “And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town” (Mark 8:23a). Christ moved him from the midst of the people with spiritual blindness, unbelief, doubts, so He can be with him alone, away from those who can cause confusion in the mind of the man. When you come in contact with Christ let nothing come between you and Him; block out your past life, old religion, unbelief of other people. When you are alone with Christ, something will happen! There will be a transmission, communication, and transfusion of God’s power into your life. “…..and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought” (Mark 8:23b). You know that saliva of the natural man has a soothing effect. Jesus’ touch, word, saliva or garment, has divine power. So, whatever He decides to use, a miracle must happen in your life. After the first touch, the man – “And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking” (Mark 8:24). The man saw what He did not see before but not clearly. The lesson here is, after God has done a great miracle in your life, do not run away, but wait on Him, for more is coming, something new and great will happen in your life and family. “After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly” (Mark 8:25). Here is a repetition, renewal of the miracle, with a second touch; it will happen in your life. The second touch brought a clearer and greater vision to this man. “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands” (Psalms 138:8). If you allow a second touch and do not run away after the first, the Lord will perfect your miracle. If He has provided for you, and that is not enough, He will provide for you again; if He has raised you up and you still feel weak and down, He will raise you up again; if He has done something the first time and that is not enough, you only see dimly, then a new transformation with the second touch is coming your way. He will perfect that which concerns you and will not forsake you in Jesus’ name. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). I am confident of His second touch and transformation; better, greater and brighter things await you and God will perfect it.
“Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD’S servant? Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not.” (Isaiah 42:18-20). The story of the blind that Jesus touched the second time is symbolic for the child and minister of God and the time has come to receive the second touch. He will open our eyes again, and give us a new vision; whatever we got before, He will give us more, and things are going to be clearer and better in your sight, vision, understanding and focus on the Lord. “And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:31-32). He had opened the Scriptures to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, and their hearts burned within them; they had a great experience, a second touch came to them. While observing your quiet time, the Holy Ghost illuminates the scripture and you say you never saw it this way, and you worship and pray on what you have learnt. Then another day, the Holy Ghost comes to breathe on the same passage, and your understanding and insight are deepened. That is your second touch. He touched you before, and He is now about to give you the second touch, and it is coming. “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures” (Luke 24:45). These were the disciples to whom He had opened the scriptures before. In your life tonight you will move up higher with a second touch, transformation, illumination, miracle and turning around, in Jesus’ name. “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18). Our hearts and minds have eyes, and these can be are dim, blind and darkened. But the Lord will touch your eyes and open your understanding; mighty power will work in you tonight. “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Psalms 119:18). Every time you pray this prayer the Lord will touch, and give you new and higher understanding of the word of God. “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The Galatian Christians had received the first touch of salvation, but had not gone back to for the second touch and their vision of Christ as the only and sufficient Saviour was getting dim, that they were now deceived by some Judaizers and religionists that came to them. So, Paul the Apostle travailed in prayers for them that they would have the second touch. You will have your own as well in Jesus’ name. Some Christians become stale and superficial because the one touch the Lord gave them many years ago is what they are still talking about. They are too busy to learn and search for more, until the effect of the first touch wears off. They do not understand that there is still the second touch (2 Peter 1:9-12). In order not to fall, have another touch of abundant strength. You will not sneak into Heaven, but the doors will be abundantly opened to you because you will go with abundant joy, knowledge, understanding, confidence and you will know. I pray that the second touch will not miss you but the love of God will get deeper and higher in your life in Jesus’ name.
“And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town” (Mark 8:26). This may surprise you, but you need to understand that this was a man that had been blind throughout his life, not seeing any good or bad thing. So, Jesus did not want him to mix with the people just then that might lead and introduce him to all those evil places, but he was to go back to his home, and meditate on the what he had seen and heard. When he became strong, he could then relate with the people. This is the same thing with somebody who just got born again or got his spiritual/physical sight restored. You don’t go back to the old religion and teaching of tradition and be confused. but be in communion with Christ to be strong in the faith, that you cannot be confused by men. No confusion in your life anymore, for the Lord will preserve you in that bright and new light, with new illumination in your soul in Jesus’ name.
Point 2. A CONVINCING REVELATION OF SPIRITUAL TRUTH
Mark 8:27-30; Matthew 16:13-17; Psalms 2:6-7; John 1:45-49; Matthew 11:25-27; Acts 9:17-20; 1 John 4:15; 5:20
After asking His disciples what the people of the world said about who He was, Jesus then asked them who they thought He was, and Peter on behalf of the other disciples confessed Him as Christ the Son of the Living God. It was revelation from Heaven. Yet when Jesus talked of His death on the Cross, Peter took Him up and said that would never happen to Him. Though He knew and gave a convincing revelation of spiritual truth, yet when something new was revealed, he opposed. He did not understand; He needed a second touch so that his will and understanding will be like Christ’s.
“And he charged them that they should tell no man of him” (Mark 8:30). Why? The Pharisees had had a conference and conspired together that if anybody should confess that Jesus is the Christ, they would deal with such, just as they planned to get rid of Lazarus that Christ raised from the dead. He wanted to preserve the lives of those disciples because they were the ones to carry on with the work of the gospel after His death. “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:16-17). That convincing revelation and confession of Christ that Peter and all the disciples gave about Christ was a spiritual truth that was given by the Almighty God Himself concerning Christ. “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee” (Psalms 2:7). The Jews knew that someone was coming as the Son of God but did not understand and could not agree that with Jesus of Nazareth could be that fulfilment; just as Nathaniel wondered if any good thing can come out of Nazareth. “And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see” (John 1:46). Eventually he came and he saw, and “Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel” (John 1:49). He had the revelation and you too must have the revelation of the spiritual truth. If people do not have this revelation they will be arguing even though they accept that Jesus lived a good and righteous life here on earth, but the problem is for them to accept He is the Only Saviour. “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Matthew 11:25). It is revelation from God when we know that Jesus is the Son of God, the Only Saviour and Redeemer. The Lord will open the eyes of your mind and touch you in Jesus’ name. “And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized” (Acts 9:17-18). Ananias’ eyes had been opened that that injurious man’s eyes had been opened. And converted, Saul of Tarsus who later became Paul the Apostle proclaimed Jesus Christ as the Son of God. His eyes had been opened and ignorance was gone. You will have this touch too and all the dimness of your vision, the darkness of ignorance and religion will be taken away in Jesus’ name. As you have come to the Bible Study, what you did not know before, now you know, and the eyes of your mind and understanding are now opened, as you believe and confess Him as your Lord and Saviour, that work of salvation will be done in your heart and life in Jesus’ name. (1 John 5:20). For saints, a second touch will come upon your life as well. “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15).