Imperative Life Lessons

Can't Touch This

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

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Series Code: ILL

Program Code: ILL230004S


00:14 Praise the Lord, everyone. Welcome to Imperative Life
00:18 Lessons. I'm Pastor Ryan Johnson.
00:20 Imagine with me if you will, you're walking,
00:24 you're staggering really, down the road of life
00:28 along the broken path you've chosen.
00:30 It's dark and not quite raining sort of a dreary bone chilling
00:37 drizzle. The Down blue jacket that you started off with
00:41 went to tatters long ago and so your bare, bruised, and dirty
00:46 arms are freezing in the wind prickling with goose flesh,
00:49 scratched from brambles, and other less mentionable things.
00:55 You haven't showered in weeks, you reek, you smell as if
00:59 you were born smelling. But who cares?
01:01 Not now, you are utterly filthy, unlovable, untouchable,
01:08 just walking, walking, walking to the red glow of ruin
01:14 just over the horizon.
01:16 To your left are the tall twisted hopes of broken and abandoned
01:22 carnival rides, pie wedges of Ferris wheels,
01:25 looping shoestrings of condemned roller coasters,
01:30 the screaming statues of carousel horses long forgotten
01:34 candy stands with cobwebs for cotton candy, spider webs
01:39 for waffle cones.
01:40 These disheveled relics of your past used to bring you happiness
01:45 or at least entertainment, fun, a good trip, distraction,
01:51 way back when you had friends. Back when you had shoes.
01:57 Back when you had self-esteem, can you remember back that far?
02:01 to when you first started down this ugly path
02:05 before the clouds had permanently gathered overhead
02:09 when the road was not just for walking but for kicks.
02:12 It seems like a lifetime ago doesn't it?
02:15 The preacher warned you, your dad warned you,
02:20 your mama, but you had to experience it for yourself, huh?
02:24 It was your life after all, so you and your friends,
02:28 y'all started down the wrong path together, didn't you?
02:33 You just struck out in rebellion, what did those old
02:37 Bible thumpers know, anyway?
02:39 You had to do it your way. My way.
02:41 Rather than God's way and one by one, the friends left
02:47 some turned back, good for them. And some friends didn't make it
02:55 did they? And no matter how far you walk in life,
02:58 you can't put it behind you, it hurts you,
03:01 it breaks your heart because you can't take any of it back.
03:05 Friends and family fade, you can't do anything about that now
03:10 so you just move forward, one foot in front of the other
03:13 left foot up, left foot down, right foot up, right foot down.
03:21 Ahh, directly onto a piece of broken glass, Umm!
03:26 And by the feel of it, you have really cut yourself.
03:29 Carefully looking under your right foot, you appreciate
03:34 the deep laceration from the toes to the arch
03:37 and it looks serious.
03:39 Great! That's just great! On top of everything else
03:43 you've ruined your foot, now you can't even walk.
03:46 Tears mixed with the drizzle leaving clean tracks
03:51 on your dirty cheeks, you're hungry, you're tired,
03:54 you're lonely, and now you're hurting and bleeding.
03:57 You're standing one legged like a sleeping flamingo,
04:01 you try to find a way to lower yourself to the crusty pavement,
04:06 where you're just going to sit and cry until the end.
04:12 You're probably not the first person to give up on the road.
04:17 You most likely won't be the last untouchable sinner
04:21 to fade away even before making it all the way to ruin.
04:27 And then, the goose flesh, the little bumps on your arms
04:33 are back, your hair is standing on end, a split second before
04:37 you hear the sputter of an approaching engine
04:40 an automobile is coming, and definitely not the usual Ferrari
04:46 or Mercedes Benz by the sound of it.
04:48 Half stooped on one foot, you stick your thumb out
04:53 into the drizzle and eventually a little beat-up baby-blue
04:58 Volkswagen Beetle squeals to a stop beside you.
05:01 Water is pattering on the roof, lightning flashes
05:04 in the distance, and the driver hidden in shadow leans over
05:10 opens the passenger door, you want to go where I'm going?
05:15 says a man's voice.
05:17 Do I have a choice? He harrumphs. (laughter)
05:21 May not have much in this world but you always got a choice.
05:25 Oh, great, a philosopher. Yeah, whatever you say.
05:30 You hobble over, and you get in, and the cars smells like
05:34 cinnamon chewing gum. Pleasant. And you're filthy, stinky,
05:40 and bleeding all over the worn upholstery.
05:42 The man peers at you carefully from under the shadow
05:46 of his old tan baseball cap. Been There, Done That,
05:50 it says in faded blue letters.
05:52 You can't see his eyes, but you know he's taking
05:54 your appearance in, you just hope you haven't made a huge
05:59 mistake, if you know what I mean.
06:01 You got a problem, you say, hey, no judgement here, he replies
06:07 wiggling the gear shift, hands in the air.
06:09 And then he asks you a dumb question, where are you heading?
06:13 Gesturing toward the windshield and to the red glow beyond,
06:18 and you say, isn't it obvious where we're heading?
06:21 Just get to it, the sooner the better.
06:25 The man hangs his head a bit his silhouette is the perfect
06:30 image of a thinking human being.
06:32 The rain tick off the roof, your foot is killing you,
06:35 he says, what if I told you that there's another way?
06:40 What, like a short cut to the carnival?
06:44 Cause I've already done that man.
06:47 He goes, nah, you can go to ruin if you want...
06:49 but he taps the gear shift and I'm not going that way,
06:53 I'm going this way. He jerks a thumb behind himself
06:57 and I'm kind of hoping you will come with me.
07:00 You take a good look at the post-apocalyptic wasteland,
07:06 the twisted carnival, the low clouds and then the car
07:10 your dirty skin, your busted foot, and you realize
07:14 this man is patronizing you, he's belittling you,
07:17 no, no, he's running some kind of game,
07:20 trying to con you. But you've been on the road for years
07:23 you've seen every scam there is and this guy isn't even
07:27 that good at it, just not, not flashy enough,
07:29 a little too earnest. Foot or no foot, you silently reach
07:33 for the door handle...Hey, hey before you get out, he says,
07:37 I can see you're hurt there, ahhh, I'm sort of a healer
07:42 why don't you let me take a look at that?
07:44 No! you recoil, fumbling frantically with the door handle
07:49 don't touch me! Nobody can touch me! Get away from me.
07:53 The man lifts his hands higher in the air in submission, hey,
07:57 hey, it's okay. I won't touch you if you don't want me to.
08:01 But you should let me have a look. But instead,
08:06 you take a look. There's a scar in his hand,
08:11 there are scars in both hands, and the goose bumps are back.
08:15 You know who this is, you've heard rumor of him
08:19 and with a light sense of dejavu you realize
08:23 you might even have met him somewhere before.
08:28 A great man, a good man, the best man,
08:30 and now he's looking at you asking to touch you,
08:34 how filthy you must look to him, how ugly, how grimy,
08:38 and hopeless, and pitiful, and worthless, and untouchable.
08:43 Well, he says, what do you say?
08:47 And you can hear his smile in the dark.
08:50 He points ahead, get out, and wait on ruin,
08:55 he jerks the thumb behind or shall I put this little chariot
09:00 in reverse? You look at the red glow ahead, it calls to you,
09:06 it owns you, it's unfortunate but you're going to have to
09:10 turn him down, you've been walking the road too long,
09:13 you've done so much on the road you've lost too much
09:17 to the road and healer or not, you're pretty sure nobody
09:21 really wants to touch you.
09:22 And that's when something ironic occurs to you,
09:26 you lick your lips, um, hey.
09:30 Yes, his hands are still in the air, what is a nice guy
09:34 like you doing in a dump like this?
09:38 And the man lifts the lid from his brow
09:41 and this time your eyes meet his, oh, he says,
09:46 almost embarrassed, but not quite.
09:50 I came all the way down here for you!
09:56 Father in Heaven, bless us as we study in Thy name. Amen!
10:04 Let's look at Leviticus chapter 13 and verse 43.
10:09 This is what the Word says.
10:46 The laws of Moses concerning leprosy are outlined
10:50 in this chapter, beginning with the qualifying statement
10:53 in verse one, that God spoke to Moses.
10:56 Now, of interest to me and maybe you is that as you
11:00 read this chapter, it appears that there are several different
11:04 diseases being described here from melanomas to boils or
11:09 furuncles or carbuncles to leprosy and some commentators
11:13 have seen up to seven disorders described here.
11:17 So, the priest had to serve as both a spiritual guide
11:20 and a diagnostician, A doctor/pastor who would
11:25 examine a patient to protect the community and the family
11:29 while trying to avoid being infected himself.
11:32 And what is clear in the scripture is that the priest
11:37 is screening from one dreaded disorder, and that's leprosy.
11:42 Is it leprosy? Leprosy is an ugly but slow moving infection
11:49 of the skin and nerves, the upper respiratory tract
11:53 and the eyes. You've no doubt heard the horror stories
11:56 of people with leprosy rotting away, a disfiguration,
12:00 the stench, and this can happen yes.
12:03 But I want to explore some deeper things here.
12:06 Firstly, lets identify with the ancient Hebrew community
12:11 shall we? Let's find ourselves in the Bible.
12:15 Because leprosy could be spread through droplets in the air
12:19 so, to prevent the spread of leprosy a mask or covering
12:24 had to be worn. If you were around a leper,
12:28 you would wear a mask.
12:29 If you were suspected of having leprosy, you were quarantined
12:34 and a mask for weeks, and if you were diagnosed, and you were
12:39 quarantined forever.
12:41 Forever untouchable, am I striking home yet?
12:44 Can you imagine what would happen in the ancient Hebrew
12:48 market checkout line, if some- body came through wearing a
12:51 leper's mask, and they coughed. Oh, no, they didn't.
12:55 Pandemonium in the store. Regarding leprosy,
13:00 there was a range of people, there were the overly concerned
13:04 who would call you cursed by God, just because you had
13:07 a mosquito bite, leprosy! It's mosquito leprosy
13:11 and then there were the deniers who would have a symptom
13:15 of leprosy, but they wouldn't tell anybody or they wouldn't
13:19 take the precautions. They'd infect the whole community.
13:22 You don't believe me, you can look at Leviticus chapter 14
13:26 and verse 11. There are some that had old leprosy sores
13:30 that they had not reported. So, it's no surprise
13:33 that the disease was thought to be a curse upon whomever
13:38 fell victim to it. An indication of God's wrath.
13:41 And since we are discussing it, why else was leprosy considered
13:46 to not just being an affliction, but also a curse?
13:50 Well, we have Miriam in Numbers chapter 12, and Gehazi
13:54 II Kings, chapter five, they were cursed with it.
13:57 So maybe that is how Israel came to associate the disease
14:01 with Divine Retribution.
14:03 But there is another possible reason buried in the
14:06 history of the disease.
14:08 Did you know that leprosy was a very common affliction of the
14:12 Egyptians? That's right, in fact scholars believed that the
14:17 earliest record of leprosy can be found on an ancient
14:21 Egyptian papyrus from about 1550 BC.
14:25 Leprosy was an Egyptian disease which means Israel was probably
14:31 exposed to leprosy while there was slaves in Egypt.
14:35 Now hang onto that. Now listen to this text
14:38 Exodus, chapter 15, and verse 26, listen.
15:09 Do you see that, there's our answer right there.
15:13 Well, address it. But firstly let's gain a little context.
15:16 In the previous chapter which is Exodus chapter 14,
15:20 the children of Israel passed through an unlikely
15:24 path in the Red Sea and freshen their memory are the 10 plagues
15:28 which have completely destroyed the confidence and theology
15:32 of the Egyptians. The bloody Nile, the frogs, lice, flies,
15:35 his livestock, the pestilence, the boils, the hail, the locusts,
15:39 darkness, death, Israel's taskmasters have been broken.
15:44 The gods of the desert have proven powerless
15:48 and our God has delivered His people from ruin, just as He
15:53 delivers us from ruin, delivered them from the world,
15:57 referencing Revelation chapter 11 folks just as he delivered
16:01 us from the world, spiritual Egypt and in a pillar of cloud
16:06 by day and fire by night, God is before His people
16:12 and then chapter 15 breaks upon the sandy shore
16:18 with Moses, Miriam, and the Israelites singing and dancing,
16:23 and praising God. God the almighty, God the deliverer,
16:27 and then God speaks to His people right in the midst
16:31 of their triumph through His servant Moses,
16:34 He addresses the Hebrews in the context of the enemy from
16:38 whom they have escaped. God draws an extinction
16:42 between His will and that of the Godless.
16:45 If you will hearken, and do and give ear and keep
16:52 then none of the Egyptians diseases will plague you
16:57 and remember, leprosy was first documented in Egypt.
17:02 So maybe the Israelites equated a leper with one who failed
17:08 to hearken, to do, to give ear, and to keep.
17:12 So then it was an indicator of disobedience that reminded them
17:18 of their idolatrous practices.
17:20 So, in the book of Leviticus God is cleansing His people
17:25 of half a millennium of Egyptian lore and hygiene
17:28 and He gives clear instructions on how to deal with this disease.
17:33 He says to remove it from the community, to cover yourself,
17:37 Do Not Touch, don't touch it, no way. Then what is going on
17:47 in Matthew chapter eight, yes, in the gospel of Matthew
17:53 something strange happens, somebody need to call the p...
17:57 Hey, call the police, because Jesus is breaking the law
18:02 of Moses. (Laughter) Well, that's how it seems,
18:05 you know what, let's read about it. Matthew chapter 8,
18:08 we're going to look a verse one...
18:11 When He, Jesus was come down from the mountain,
18:14 great multitudes follow Him and behold, there came a leper
18:18 a leper, a filthy, nasty, leper, and worshipped Jesus, saying,
18:23 Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
18:27 First, the leper should have known better, he knew the rules,
18:31 he knew the law, how dare he come to Jesus, what's more
18:36 it says Jesus came down the mountain, Jesus came all the way
18:41 down to meet him. Can you believe this?
18:44 Let's keep looking. Verse three.
18:54 No! Look at him! Look at his festering wounds.
19:00 The glistening raw skin, when he moves, it sounds all moist
19:05 and squishy, he walks like the hunchback of Notre Dame.
19:08 He smells like a sewage plant, he's infected, Jesus,
19:12 you can't touch this, you can't touch, this!
19:18 Not this, oh now listen friends, it is so typical of you and me
19:27 to get caught up in the physical nature of things carried away
19:30 by what we can see, the rot, the ugly, we cast blame
19:35 that is so short-sighted because in this dying world
19:38 not every physically hurting person deserves to be hurting.
19:42 Physical suffering does not necessarily reflect moral decay
19:47 okay, then let's look at the spiritual meanings here.
19:51 For here is where we find ourselves, or I find myself
19:55 in the gospel, the condition of a spiritual late-stage leper,
20:02 hopeless, bleeding, malformed, dying,
20:06 it's a perfect description of our righteousness isn't it?
20:10 Of our spiritual lives right now and spiritual disease.
20:16 Well, that is our fault, we are infected with sin,
20:21 we are untouchable, unclean, but Jesus Christ will touch us
20:26 heal us, and Christ does not break the law,
20:30 He fulfills the law in verse three when it says
20:34 Jesus put forth His hand and touched him saying
20:38 I will be thou clean and immediately his leprosy
20:42 was cleansed. No Jesus, you can't touch this
20:47 but He could, He would, He does...
20:53 But let's examine something else together,
20:56 a story from the very same chapter, in fact, it immediately
21:03 follows the account of the leper.
21:04 Look right there, Matthew eight, verse five...
21:24 Come over, per se...
21:47 So Jesus is approached by a Roman, who being a soldier
21:52 recognizes the word of authority, he recognizes the
21:55 authority of the word and who's beloved servant is sick.
21:59 Jesus offers to go and heal him, go to the centurion's
22:05 home and save the man with palsy, but the centurion
22:09 halts, Jesus, speak the word only.
22:11 The word is the law, the word is enough.
22:15 And though he may not have realized it,
22:17 the word according to John chapter one is God,
22:20 speak Jesus, and Jesus speaks.
22:23 And the word of the Lord accepted via the centurion's
22:28 fate that heals the servant that very hour.
22:32 Alright, let's put these two stories together,
22:36 in verse eight, Jesus only needs to speak the word
22:41 and the word is enough. but if Jesus could speak the word
22:45 why did He touch the leper?
22:47 This is important because I believe that these two stories
22:52 that of the leper, and then that of the centurion is put together
22:56 just to make this point, the point that Jesus, whose words
23:01 knitted together the very fabric of space and time
23:04 that doesn't have to touch us yet He does, He wants to.
23:09 Oh, to be touched by the Master, to have Him contact us
23:15 in our sin, even though He doesn't have to, that is Love.
23:20 It's power, but it's love.
23:23 Now, there you are on the road to ruin, filthy, naked, damaged,
23:31 stinking, and Jesus has come all the way down to save you...
23:38 You think you are unsavable, worthless, who would touch you
23:43 after all you have done, after the very hell you have endured.
23:48 Oh my Jesus, after all I have done you can't touch this,
23:57 you can't, nobody can, but Jesus says hey, I came all the way
24:07 down here for you now I'm going this way, you want to go?
24:18 Be a desire of healing and hey son, daughter, let me have
24:26 a look, let me see and you think He can't touch you,
24:32 bet He can't touch this, and then He does, you are made whole.
24:44 The pandemic was just rearing its ugly head and everybody
24:52 in the church was completely afraid, we had on our spacesuits
24:56 our parka's, we had on our masks, the Conference
24:59 had told us that we had to close the church down
25:01 from regular service and we were trying to be creative
25:04 in ways to feed the people in the community to do
25:08 God's work, yet not make a mistake so foolish as to
25:11 cause injury. And to be honest with you, we lost some people
25:15 in our church and in the midst of that fear,
25:18 it was a Wednesday afternoon and we were going to gather
25:20 just a few of us in the church to try to film and broadcast
25:24 some form of prayer meeting.
25:28 But everybody came in walking like this in spacesuits,
25:31 I'm teasing, we were afraid and they went into the church
25:36 and I was the last one to go into the church
25:39 and as I was walking towards the doors, a woman came
25:43 right off the street, no mask, nothing, and she said,
25:47 Sir, help me. I turned and I looked at her,
25:53 I wonder if she knew I was a Preacher, I wonder if she knew?
25:59 She said, I think I am having a heart attack. Help me.
26:07 I looked up at the building and there plastered to the glass
26:14 Inside the church, was everybody afraid to come out.
26:17 And this lady said I need you to touch me.
26:21 There's a young lady in our church, her name is
26:26 Dr. Lillian YanYow she is a nurse she saw the exchange
26:32 and she hastily opened the door and bolted out of the church,
26:37 came down beside me and the two of us are standing
26:40 together and before I could even think of the
26:43 proper response, she had knelt down and touched the woman,
26:47 are you okay? Oh, have mercy, can't let the sister do that
26:53 I had to kneel down to have mercy and to see the
26:57 look on her face, that right then at a time when nobody
27:02 wanted to touch anybody, a member of the church came
27:05 out and touched her.
27:07 And did we pray? You know a preacher got to pray
27:12 and we called an ambulance and we never saw that lady again.
27:17 When I will never forget the power of the untouchable
27:22 being touched and that is what God does for us.
27:28 I learned a lesson that day, that is how God is.
27:32 Father in heaven, Despite us, because of us,
27:37 touch us Lord, heal us. In Thy name we pray.
27:44 Amen!
27:46 You know God has plans for you, you walk with your hand
27:48 in His hand and He will lead you into His destination.
27:51 May He bless you. And as always friends,
27:55 Be Encouraged.


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Revised 2025-05-15