Topic: Violent Faith
Text: Matthew 9:20-22

As we pointed out last week, a champion is not necessarily a man who has never been knocked down. A champion is the one who wins at the end of a bout. When a boxer goes into the ring against an opponent, it will have been determined how many rounds the bout will go. Many times, champions get knocked down in the first round only to beat the count and continue the fight. As the fight progresses, the judges record the scores for each fighter. Eleven out of twelve rounds may be won by one boxer who looks certain to carry the day. However, in the twelfth round, the expected winner may get knocked out of the contest. The woman in our Bible passage had twelve rounds with Satan, who continued winning towards the end of the twelfth round. This woman must have visited many doctors. Every year, she must have taken a little more from her financial reserve. Satan kept on laughing. This woman was almost losing twelve when she heard about Jesus Christ. She decided to make contact with Him at all cost and win the final round. Satan had gathered a huge crowd, ready to celebrate the final victory, but somehow, this woman pressed on. She got to where Jesus was and manager to touch Him. The moment she touched the One called the Christ, she became victorious. She became a champion. A champion may lose many rounds but his determination never to let go gives him victory. In Mark 2:1-11, we find another set of champions who had a paralytic friend. They heard about Jesus and decided that day was the day of victory. As they carried the man to Jesus Christ the devil laughed at them. Whey they got to where Jesus was, people had surrounded the whole place. All doors and winders were also blocked. They went to the roof and tore it open. Champions know when to be violent. Divine champions know that the kingdom of God suffer violence and the violent take it by force. These people tore off the roof and laid their friends in front of Jesus Christ. What lesson can you learn from their action?

Memory Verse: Luke 18:1 - “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that man ought always to pray, and not to faint.