The Touch of The King | Pastor Jentenzen Franklin

Sunday, May 4

Introduction

Pastor Jentezen illustrated in this week’s message the importance of physical touch but used it to emphasis how much more critical it is that we maintain access to spiritual touch from God. He highlighted the need for a transformative encounter with God and not just another church service.

In the message, Pastor Jentezen spoke about the dangers of the absence of spiritual touch. The longer we go without a spiritual touch from God the more ‘mechanical’ we become in our worship life, prayer life, and time with the Lord. Without God’s touch we lose the sparkle of life that comes from an active connection with the Holy Spirit and a Spirit-filled life. The result often is reflected by people who become lulled into “going through the motions” of church, mindless prayer and worship.

A Study on the Deficit of Touch

He started the message with a fascinating story about a study on South American orphanages conducted by Psychoanalyst René Spitz in 1946. His research highlighted the profound impact of social and emotional deprivation on infant development. The babies had food, clothes, clean cribs—but no touch. The results – even with adequate physical care, infants could experience significant developmental delays and increased death rate due to a lack of nurturing and emotional connection. Not only did these children fail to thrive despite having all physical needs met, but 37% died as the result of the lack of touch.

What does this tell you about the importance of touch?

How does this apply to our relationship to God?

What stood out to you from Sunday’s message?

In the sermon's opening Scripture, we see God's promise that we have a High Priest who is approachable and relatable. He’s touchable!

Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV) “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

The Hebrews passage shows us that Jesus experienced everything that we would face, not only so that His sacrifice would be effective to cover all our sins, but also so that He would understand our trials and struggles. Jesus not only made Himself approachable, but He also invites us to come to the Throne of Grace boldly and with confidence.

What element of church/worship are you most susceptible to becoming complacent in due to a lack of an active touch from the Spirit?

What does it mean to you to “…approach the Throne of Grace boldly and with confidence?

What steps can you take to personally reach out to God for that personal touch?

Ask Yourself: Why might we stop experiencing the "touch of the King"? Certainly, if we stop reaching for it or start running from it, we lose that connection. Are there other reasons? We must recognize that it is critical to intentionally seek the Lord’s touch and pray daily for the Holy Spirit’s fire to fall upon us.

Today we will dig into:

Biblical Foundation: God’s Design for Touch

The Danger of Busyness

Cry Out for a Fresh Touch

God’s Design for Touch | The Antidote to Cold Hearts

Jesus warned that as evil increases, genuine love would fade. False teaching and lax morals lead to a devastating condition: the erosion of genuine love for God and others. When sin shifts our focus to ourselves and our desires, love grows cold.

"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold." Matthew 24:12 (NIV)

This verse is a reminder of the world we live in—a place where sin, pain, and selfishness can slowly numb our hearts. We see this around us: people isolating, growing indifferent, even becoming guarded against connection.

But God’s design for us is different. He created us not just to exist, but to be fully alive—to give and receive love, compassion, and care. And that happens most powerfully through presence and closeness with Him.

When our love and passion for God grows cold, it doesn’t usually happen all at once. It happens gradually, when we stop reaching out, stop feeling, stop letting ourselves be moved. The antidote is God's touch—His Spirit warming what’s grown cold, softening what’s grown hard, reviving what’s grown distant.

Where in your life do you sense love growing cold—toward God, yourself, or others?

How might you invite God's touch to rekindle warmth and connection in those areas?

Some might say that a cooling of emotional passion is part of God maturing us to rely less on feelings. Do you think there’s any validity to this perspective? What’s the difference between spiritual maturity and a heart growing cold?

God's design is not just about a moment of creation—it’s about ongoing connection. His touch is available daily, through His Word, His Spirit, and His people. As we seek God intentionally, we experience His healing and restoration, becoming vessels of His touch to others.

The Danger of Busyness

We as believers must stay open to God's spiritual touch, not allowing life's busyness or activities to hinder it. Our focus needs not to be on our deeds but on the heart of God who wishes to minister to us! Those that serve the church must not get so busy serving the ministry that they forget the God of the ministry

Unbelievers have become numb, feeling neither shame for their depravity nor hope for redemption before God. Having lost all conscience, they plunge into sensuality (lewd, immoral behavior), pursue every kind of impurity as a way of life, and become greedy and selfishness and disregard for others.

Ephesians 4:18-19 (NIV) “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.”

spiritual touch depravation

Let’s examine some differences between unbelievers and believers according to Ephesians 4:18-19.

Unbelievers	Believers
are darkened in their understanding	have embraced the light of Christ and received His wisdom
separated from the life of God	united with Him through Christ
remain in ignorance	have access to the complete truth
hardened their hearts and rejected faith	have opened their hearts to welcome Christ

God’s divine touch can restore us giving us purpose and inspiration again.

Are you so busy working in the kingdom that you can’t remember the last time when the King touched you?

In a rut? Seeking a fresh touch? Let’s talk practically in this next section.

Application | Cry Out For A Fresh Touch

Let’s be honest, how many could raise their hand and say “I know it all too well when I need a fresh touch from the Lord. I feel spiritually parched, distant from God and unsettled in my soul?” Those are certainly uncomfortable times. The risk we run however is getting stuck there. It is dangerous to think it is normal to be disconnected from God and it will “work itself out.”

What mindset or belief has kept you distant from God or has had you on the run?

If you have been in a spiritual ‘slump,’ how much time would you say ‘slipped by’ as you wrestled in mind, body and soul making no real progress?

Were you aware that you have not had a touch of the King in a long time and the inherent risk of that deficit?

The danger of distance. The more distant we get from God, the more we become lukewarm. Jesus warns against a lukewarm or half-hearted commitment to faith or to Him. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Revelation 3:15-16 (NIV). This passage warns against half-hearted commitment to faith.

Time is of the essence. “Seek the Lord while He may be found” (Isaiah 55:6) There is a sense of urgency in this verse. It isn’t that God is hidden and can only be found now. It is that He can only be found when our hearts are inclined to look for Him. Call upon Him while He is near!

Are you looking for His touch? What does that mean to you?

Crying out requires action. A touch from the Lord is mysterious and glorious. When you cry out for a touch, He is listening:

“Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.” (Jeremiah 33:3 AMP)

Elijah cried out, and God revived a dead child (1 Kings 17:20-22)

Jehoshaphat cried out, and God delivered him from death. (2 Chronicles 18:31)

Hezekiah cried out, and God gave him victory. (2 Chronicles 32:20–21).

Jesus’ disciples cried out to Him in a storm, and Jesus calmed the sea. (Luke 8:23–24).

Blind Bartimaeus called to Jesus, and He restored his sight. (Mark 10:46–52).

Crying out for a fresh touch is a fervent expression of faith in God and trust in His goodness and power to act on your behalf. There is, however, a practical aspect to this expression of faith.

What attitude or traits do you think you must exhibit when you cry out to God?

If genuine humility, personal surrender, a heartfelt plea for mercy, personal helplessness was on your list, what are the opposite traits and how might they keep you running, hiding, and withdrawing from God?

Near enough to touch. To get touched, we need to be in proximity to the One who is touching us. Draw near to Him with a true heart. (Hebrews 10:19-23).

What can you do daily, practically, to draw near to Him and be touched by Him?

He will answer. When we cry out, He will answer.

“I cried out to him with my mouth; His praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! (Psalm 66:17-20)

Do you remember crying out to the Lord to come into your life? Did He come?

What did He breakthrough in order to get to you? (i.e., pain, desperation)?

Where do you need a fresh touch today?

Do you believe He will do it again? Why?

He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and if He touched your heart before, He can again. He can pour out His Spirit on you, a fresh wind. God wants to touch areas others avoid breaking through everything that steals peace, every lie that exalts itself above His word, every dullness that blocks you from hearing Him, every heaviness that weighs down your heart, every blindness that blocks your view of His love. He is ready and able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think about, according to the power that works in us. (Ephesians 3:20)

“Fresh anointing fall. Let it overflow on every heart and soul. Holy Spirit comes. Come and make us new. All we want is You, only You. Fresh anointing fall. Throw away the old. We are on our knees. Let the new unfold God, we want to see Your fresh anointing fall. ("Fresh Anointing" by Sarah Reeves)

Thinking Outside the Box

Research has indicated that human beings need at least 10 positive touches a day; for example, when someone shakes your hand and at the same time pats your arm or wrist. If you are in a group that meets in person, have the group leader bring a volunteer to come to the front of the group and give him/her a warm handshake or pat on the back. Ask him/her how it made him/her feel. Discuss his/her answer as a class.
Talk about the last time you were emotionally moved by the Holy Spirit. Emotions frequently are evidence of a touch by God. What were the circumstances? (at church, during prayer time, alone, in a group setting, etc.) What were the feelings? What was the result of that touch?

Conclusion

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 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. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Mark 5:25-34 (NIV)

The story of the woman with the issue of blood illustrates two key truths. First, touching or being touched by Jesus releases His power, bringing healing, peace, answers, direction, hope, and forgiveness through the Holy Spirit. Second, seeking God’s touch requires active faith, not passivity. The woman, in desperation, reached out to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, believing it would heal her. Jesus declared her faith led to the touch that healed her.

We must recognize the vital importance of spiritual touch and the signs of its absence, such as mindless spiritual activities or forgetting sermons and songs after church. To find true success in life and eternity, we cannot rely on merely attending church but must pursue God’s life-changing touch. Don’t wait—reach for the hem of His garment!

Call To Action

List some areas where you can open yourself to the touch of the Holy Spirit or reach out to "touch the hem of Jesus" (e.g., praise and worship music during your commute to or from work, dedicated prayer time, journaling, etc.).

Look for ways to be the hands and feet of God by blessing others He places in your path with appropriate physical touch, such as a handshake or hug.

Concluding Prayer

“Father, we need a touch from You, we don’t ever want to wander off from Your Presence. Fall fresh on us, Holy Spirit, we cry out to You. Search us and find anything in our hearts that would cause us to stumble or cause our hearts to be so hardened that we don’t feel Your nearness. Bring to mind anything that stands in the way of us receiving from You so that we can repent. Open our eyes to see a clear path where You intend for us to walk, our ears to hear Your voice, and our hearts to run to and remain in Your Presence. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

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