1. Matthew 14:34-36 (NKJV)
 34 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, 36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

2. An Encounter With Jesus
Matthew 14:34-36

3. An Encounter With Jesus
The question “Do you know Jesus?” can be thought of as a casual question or a very intimate question
We may ask someone if they know Jesus, meaning have they heard of Him and do they know anything at all about Him
We may ask it to a person meaning do they know Him in a personal way

4. An Encounter With Jesus
The question might should be, how well do we know this Jesus
Do we know Him like we should?
Is our knowing Him just a casual acquaintance or is it more of an intimate one?
We can only answer that question for ourselves

5. An Encounter With Jesus
There were those in the 1st century who knew Jesus
Knowing Christ always brought about a certain reaction from those who were able to see and interact with Him
There is one particular instance that reveals so much about what it means to know Jesus (Matt. 14:34-36)…

6. An Encounter With Jesus
1. They Recognized Him (v.35)
The Bible here says that when Jesus showed up in Gennesaret, the men of that place recognized Him
The question for us is, would we recognize the Lord today?
Some today might see one rebuking another and say, “that’s not Christ-like”

7. An Encounter With Jesus
1. They Recognized Him (v.35)
However we often times see Jesus rebuking those who thought they were “religious”
Matt. 23 – He calls the Pharisees and scribes hypocrites, brood of vipers, and whitewashed tombs
Do they know the Jesus that overturned the tables in the temple in John 2:13-16?

8. An Encounter With Jesus
1. They Recognized Him (v.35)
Heb. 12:5-6 – Loves means discipline
Some cannot fathom a God that actually dishes out discipline
Some cannot fathom a God who will stand up for what is right and stand against what is wrong

9. An Encounter With Jesus
2. They Spread The Word (v.35)
When they recognized Him, their immediate and first reaction was to tell others!
Those who truly know Jesus are those who will go and tell others about Him
Think about those who Jesus told not to go and say anything about Him or what He had done…

10. An Encounter With Jesus
2. They Spread The Word (v.35)
Mark 1:40-45
“he went out and began to proclaim it freely”
He simply could not hold it inside what the Lord had done for him
Jer. 20:9

11. An Encounter With Jesus
3. They Brought Him The Sick (v.35)
They knew that Jesus was compassionate and powerful
They knew He had a reputation for caring and for healing those who are sick
They therefore brought to Him all who were sick (and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment)

12. An Encounter With Jesus
3. They Brought Him The Sick (v.35)
In a very similar way we come to God with our sick and our cares through Jesus, our compassionate mediator
I Jn. 5:14-15
Js. 5:15-16 – Our Lord has compassion and continues to care for the sick
Heb. 4:14-16

13. An Encounter With Jesus
4. They Desired To Be Close To Him (v.36)
They obviously recognized the power of Christ
They also recognized the fact that you won’t get any better if you are separated from Christ
They knew that any true healing would come from being close to Jesus

14. An Encounter With Jesus
4. They Desired To Be Close To Him (v.36)
In much the same way we should desire to be close to Christ
How close?
In Christ – Eph. 1:3,7
Walk with Jesus – Eph. 5
Many have walked with God

15. An Encounter With Jesus
4. They Desired To Be Close To Him (v.36)
Noah walked with God – Gen. 6:9
Think about the kind of man Noah was and the fact that he found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen. 6:8)
He also was called righteous before God (Gen. 7:1)
He is listed in Faith’s Hall of Fame (Heb. 11:7)