WEBVTT 00:00:00.330 --> 00:00:02.870 Well, we are in our series in Matthew, and while 00:00:02.870 --> 00:00:05.269 we've been in the greatest sermon, which is our 00:00:05.269 --> 00:00:08.269 look at the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest 00:00:08.269 --> 00:00:10.669 sermon ever preached, we concluded that last 00:00:10.669 --> 00:00:14.230 week. And so now we're moving into a short series, 00:00:14.269 --> 00:00:17.550 three weeks, still in the book of Matthew, called 00:00:17.550 --> 00:00:21.449 Who Is He? Who Is He? And today we'll be looking 00:00:21.449 --> 00:00:25.010 at Matthew chapter 8 and verse 1 through 17. 00:00:26.670 --> 00:00:29.070 But before we get there, at some point, every 00:00:29.070 --> 00:00:31.829 one of us have to answer this crucial question. 00:00:32.109 --> 00:00:38.250 Who is Jesus? Who is Jesus? And how you answer 00:00:38.250 --> 00:00:40.850 that question will determine whether you accept 00:00:40.850 --> 00:00:45.130 him only as a good moral teacher, or whether 00:00:45.130 --> 00:00:49.950 you reject him as a liar or a lunatic, or whether 00:00:49.950 --> 00:00:52.880 you treat him only like a genie. who is available, 00:00:52.939 --> 00:00:56.899 you rub the lamp and the genie is there to what? 00:00:58.340 --> 00:01:03.179 Grant you a wish. What do you wish for your life? 00:01:03.380 --> 00:01:06.060 And the genie is there to serve you. Or whether 00:01:06.060 --> 00:01:09.840 you surrender your entire will and life to his 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:14.379 absolute lordship. How you answer the question, 00:01:14.459 --> 00:01:17.680 who is Jesus, will determine a whole lot about 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:21.640 how you respond to Jesus' words. And Matthew, 00:01:21.739 --> 00:01:23.799 who authored the gospel according to Matthew, 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:28.280 he structured his gospel account to help answer 00:01:28.280 --> 00:01:32.620 that very question. He began his account by highlighting 00:01:32.620 --> 00:01:35.200 that the birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of 00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:37.959 promises that God had made throughout the Old 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:42.099 Testament to send an anointed one. One who was 00:01:42.099 --> 00:01:45.359 chosen and sent by God to rescue his people. 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:48.620 A Messiah who would bring salvation and hope 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:51.560 and renewal to all who would trust in him by 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:56.859 faith. Jesus was more than a mere Messiah who 00:01:56.859 --> 00:02:00.260 would rescue humanity. He was a Messiah King 00:02:00.260 --> 00:02:04.200 who ushered in the kingdom of God and called 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:07.659 his followers to live in that kingdom here and 00:02:07.659 --> 00:02:13.300 now. The term Messiah, it points to God's chosen 00:02:13.300 --> 00:02:17.819 savior. And we see in Jesus, Jesus filled that 00:02:17.819 --> 00:02:22.199 word up with all kinds of meaning. And part of 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:24.740 that meaning that Jesus filled it up with is 00:02:24.740 --> 00:02:28.379 that Jesus is here and his words are the asserting 00:02:28.379 --> 00:02:32.969 of his royal authority. That he is a savior like 00:02:32.969 --> 00:02:36.189 none other because he is a king over a realm 00:02:36.189 --> 00:02:39.210 that transcends all political powers and earthly 00:02:39.210 --> 00:02:45.050 structures. The kingdom of God is where God's 00:02:45.050 --> 00:02:48.610 rule and reign fill every corner of life with 00:02:48.610 --> 00:02:53.180 love and justice and peace. And Jesus made it 00:02:53.180 --> 00:02:56.419 clear that this kingdom isn't just a future hope. 00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:59.080 It's not about, hey, when we all get to heaven, 00:02:59.180 --> 00:03:02.979 that's when it begins. But it's a kingdom here 00:03:02.979 --> 00:03:07.319 and now, available and present. That the veil 00:03:07.319 --> 00:03:10.740 between what we see and what we know and the 00:03:10.740 --> 00:03:16.400 spiritual reality is paper thin. And sometimes 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:23.530 it breaks into our reality. And he's inviting 00:03:23.530 --> 00:03:26.889 us, his disciples, to experience that eternal 00:03:26.889 --> 00:03:31.729 life right now by embracing his new way to be 00:03:31.729 --> 00:03:36.310 human or his resetting of humanity back to the 00:03:36.310 --> 00:03:40.449 way it was intended to be. So what was the Sermon 00:03:40.449 --> 00:03:42.169 on the Mount? Well, the Sermon on the Mount was 00:03:42.169 --> 00:03:45.090 Jesus revealing to his disciples the kingdom 00:03:45.090 --> 00:03:48.169 life, the kingdom ethic, the life that his people 00:03:48.169 --> 00:03:50.889 would live when the Holy Spirit is having its 00:03:50.889 --> 00:03:55.120 way in them. And when we are led by the Spirit 00:03:55.120 --> 00:03:57.460 or we walk in step with the Spirit, that was 00:03:57.460 --> 00:04:00.620 Kingdom Citizenship 101. We just got our Kingdom 00:04:00.620 --> 00:04:04.280 Citizenship class the last few weeks in the Sermon 00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:06.979 on the Mount. And as we concluded that, Jesus 00:04:06.979 --> 00:04:09.379 ended with this parable where he said there are 00:04:09.379 --> 00:04:12.759 two men. One is wise and one is foolish. And 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:14.919 the wise one is the one who hears Jesus' words 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:17.300 and puts them into practice. And the foolish 00:04:17.300 --> 00:04:19.959 one is the one who hears Jesus' words and does 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:22.420 not put them into practice. And one is like building 00:04:22.420 --> 00:04:25.300 a house upon a rock that is unshakable in this 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:27.480 world. And the other one is like building a house 00:04:27.480 --> 00:04:30.040 upon the sand that will fall and collapse at 00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:34.660 the smallest of wind and water. And the choice 00:04:34.660 --> 00:04:37.139 is yours. He put the choice in the hands of the 00:04:37.139 --> 00:04:39.740 disciples. Who will you be? Will you be the one 00:04:39.740 --> 00:04:42.839 who hears and obeys or the one who merely hears? 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:49.899 Which are you? Do you acknowledge the authority 00:04:49.899 --> 00:04:53.279 of Jesus to demand that his words be obeyed? 00:04:53.279 --> 00:04:55.800 Because I don't know about you, we've been going 00:04:55.800 --> 00:04:57.800 places in the Sermon on the Mount and we've been 00:04:57.800 --> 00:05:00.319 places and sometimes the things he says to obey 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:04.839 are difficult to hear, amen? Some of you have 00:05:04.839 --> 00:05:07.420 gone through experiences in your life that the 00:05:07.420 --> 00:05:10.240 word of God in the Sermon on the Mount has judged. 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:14.160 And you and I, we're not supposed to judge in 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:15.939 a certain way, a judgmental way, right? We're 00:05:15.939 --> 00:05:18.240 not supposed to cast judgment upon each other 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:19.879 or write each other off. But do you know who 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:22.560 can judge? The perfect judge, the holy judge, 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:25.680 the righteous judge. And when he, in his word, 00:05:25.740 --> 00:05:28.100 writes that something is right or something is 00:05:28.100 --> 00:05:31.860 wrong, it is absolute and true. And it judges 00:05:31.860 --> 00:05:35.519 our lives. Our lives are held up against that 00:05:35.519 --> 00:05:40.180 standard. And we either fall short or we meet 00:05:40.180 --> 00:05:42.560 his righteous standard. And we either need to 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:45.920 cry out mercy or we thank God for his grace to 00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:51.699 sustain us. But either way, it's all God. Are 00:05:51.699 --> 00:05:53.300 we going to hear his words and put them into 00:05:53.300 --> 00:05:55.860 action? Are we gonna hear his words and look 00:05:55.860 --> 00:05:58.259 back over our life and some of the events that 00:05:58.259 --> 00:06:00.680 have happened in our life and redefine them around 00:06:00.680 --> 00:06:04.180 his word instead of making excuses for what they 00:06:04.180 --> 00:06:07.160 were, making excuses for our behavior, making 00:06:07.160 --> 00:06:09.759 excuses for the life that we lived? Are we gonna 00:06:09.759 --> 00:06:12.000 acknowledge and agree with God that yes, your 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:14.579 word says that and that was sinful, that was 00:06:14.579 --> 00:06:17.199 wrong, that fell short of your glory? Or are 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:20.160 we gonna make excuses and create little pet names 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:25.040 for our sins so we can forget them? And not hold 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:30.459 them up to the standard of God. It may sound 00:06:30.459 --> 00:06:33.100 nice and sweet. Yeah, two houses, two buildings. 00:06:33.139 --> 00:06:35.240 Don't build your house on the sandy land. Don't 00:06:35.240 --> 00:06:37.420 build your house too near the shore. Might be 00:06:37.420 --> 00:06:39.139 kind of nice, but you have to build it twice. 00:06:39.860 --> 00:06:41.480 You know, and we sing this song. It's really 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:43.259 cute and it's nice and it's fun when the kids 00:06:43.259 --> 00:06:49.779 are doing it. But it's a legit challenge. Are 00:06:49.779 --> 00:06:52.860 you going to build your life upon the rock of 00:06:52.860 --> 00:06:56.439 his word? Are you going to allow him to redefine 00:06:56.439 --> 00:06:59.040 your past and how you've defined your past on 00:06:59.040 --> 00:07:01.139 the rock of his word? Are you going to continue 00:07:01.139 --> 00:07:06.019 to make excuses and reasons and rationalize it 00:07:06.019 --> 00:07:10.180 away? This is a challenge. This is what it means 00:07:10.180 --> 00:07:12.819 that you have to deny yourself and take up your 00:07:12.819 --> 00:07:15.160 cross. You have to look at your life, your whole 00:07:15.160 --> 00:07:18.839 life, and put it up against the word of Christ 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:23.959 and watch as every one of us fall. in light of 00:07:23.959 --> 00:07:26.500 the word of Christ and his perfect holiness. 00:07:28.100 --> 00:07:30.959 And only then can we get to the place of crying 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:34.040 out for the mercy that we need to be received 00:07:34.040 --> 00:07:37.959 by a God that we have fallen so short of. You 00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:41.160 see? This isn't an exercise of holding our life 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:42.639 up and going, yeah, God, actually I was pretty 00:07:42.639 --> 00:07:46.160 righteous and you should accept me. It's a doomed 00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:49.220 exercise. All of us are going to fail at it and 00:07:49.220 --> 00:07:51.519 how we feel at the end of failing at it, whether 00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:54.319 we cry out for mercy or we try to justify it, 00:07:54.360 --> 00:07:59.079 try to find a righteousness of our own. I'm not 00:07:59.079 --> 00:08:01.019 that bad. I'm not as bad as him. I'm not as bad 00:08:01.019 --> 00:08:04.319 as her. I didn't do that thing. We'll determine 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:08.360 whether we're walking the narrow road through 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:11.259 the narrow gate or the broad path, whether we 00:08:11.259 --> 00:08:13.839 are building our house on the rock or whether 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:20.199 we continue to construct it on sand. But Matthew 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:22.600 has in mind here, as we go to Matthew chapter 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:27.220 8, he has in mind that, yes, anyone can say anything. 00:08:27.300 --> 00:08:30.560 And Jesus has made a lot of bold claims in Matthew 00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:34.379 chapter 5 through 7. And anyone can say anything 00:08:34.379 --> 00:08:36.480 that they want. A liar and a lunatic, they can 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:38.480 all claim to have been chosen by God, right? 00:08:40.620 --> 00:08:43.000 But the question is, can they back it up with 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:46.840 power? Can they back up their claims with power? 00:08:47.850 --> 00:08:50.529 If they say they bring salvation and they bring 00:08:50.529 --> 00:08:53.190 restoration and they bring hope, can they actually 00:08:53.190 --> 00:08:56.370 back it up? Can they change the human condition 00:08:56.370 --> 00:09:01.350 for the better or are they all just talk? If 00:09:01.350 --> 00:09:04.250 they say they bring a kingdom with them and they 00:09:04.250 --> 00:09:06.549 say that this new kingdom is restoring humanity 00:09:06.549 --> 00:09:12.669 back to their pre -fall, pre -sin state, can 00:09:12.669 --> 00:09:15.850 they show us what that humanity might look like? 00:09:17.200 --> 00:09:21.279 That's the question. Is he legit? Or is he just 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:26.440 talk? And here, Matthew is preparing to show 00:09:26.440 --> 00:09:30.059 us that Jesus is more than just talk. Jesus is 00:09:30.059 --> 00:09:33.840 power and authority that backs up his words. 00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:40.059 A little sidebar for those who enjoy kind of 00:09:40.059 --> 00:09:42.080 nerding out on the Bible and the Bible stuff. 00:09:43.620 --> 00:09:45.929 Some of you may not know this, but The authors 00:09:45.929 --> 00:09:48.289 in the Bible, even here in Matthew, don't always 00:09:48.289 --> 00:09:52.490 write in chronological order. Some, as in the 00:09:52.490 --> 00:09:54.690 case of Matthew, they actually write in thematic 00:09:54.690 --> 00:09:57.470 order, meaning it reads as if you're reading 00:09:57.470 --> 00:10:01.509 Jesus' life from birth till his death. But Matthew 00:10:01.509 --> 00:10:04.629 has actually taken some editorial liberties in 00:10:04.629 --> 00:10:07.669 how he positions the stories in order to communicate 00:10:07.669 --> 00:10:10.830 greater themes about who Jesus is and what he 00:10:10.830 --> 00:10:14.539 did. And so Matthew has chosen the three stories 00:10:14.539 --> 00:10:16.639 that we're about to read in Matthew chapter 8. 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:19.480 He's picked them and chosen them to show us that 00:10:19.480 --> 00:10:21.860 on the heels of the Sermon on the Mount, that 00:10:21.860 --> 00:10:25.039 Jesus is who he says he is, because he is Lord, 00:10:25.220 --> 00:10:27.519 and he is a Lord who can back it up with authority 00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:32.620 and power. And so here today, with these three 00:10:32.620 --> 00:10:36.139 stories, we are going to look at Jesus, the Lord, 00:10:36.279 --> 00:10:41.320 over our afflictions. Jesus the Lord over our 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:44.039 afflictions. And there's another question that 00:10:44.039 --> 00:10:47.080 Matthew is answering here in the text by his 00:10:47.080 --> 00:10:50.820 choices. And that is this. Who is Jesus here 00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:57.480 for? Who is Jesus here for? Is he here only for 00:10:57.480 --> 00:11:02.120 the religious? Is he here only or is his mission 00:11:02.120 --> 00:11:05.679 only for the politically connected or the social 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:11.519 elites? Or is he truly Lord and Savior of all? 00:11:13.779 --> 00:11:16.519 Jesus is going to show us that, and Matthew is 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:18.299 going to show us that through these three stories 00:11:18.299 --> 00:11:21.179 that he's chosen. Matthew chapter 8, beginning 00:11:21.179 --> 00:11:22.940 in verse 1. If you're taking notes, I'll have 00:11:22.940 --> 00:11:25.019 you write down the leper. That's where we'll 00:11:25.019 --> 00:11:29.779 start, the leper. When he came down from the 00:11:29.779 --> 00:11:33.179 mountain, large crowds followed him. Right away, 00:11:33.259 --> 00:11:35.700 a man with leprosy came up and knelt before him 00:11:35.700 --> 00:11:38.799 saying, Lord, if you are willing, you can make 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:43.200 me clean. Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched 00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:48.419 him saying, I am willing, be made clean. Immediately, 00:11:48.460 --> 00:11:51.120 his leprosy was cleansed. And then Jesus told 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:54.240 him, see that you don't tell anyone, but go show 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:56.720 yourself to the priests and offer the gift that 00:11:56.720 --> 00:12:03.179 Moses commanded as a testimony to them. Now leprosy 00:12:03.179 --> 00:12:05.220 is not something that we come across a whole 00:12:05.220 --> 00:12:08.639 lot nowadays, eh? Like we don't run into a whole 00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:11.580 lot of lepers around. But the truth is the word 00:12:11.580 --> 00:12:14.279 leprosy in the Greek is actually kind of a catch 00:12:14.279 --> 00:12:16.799 -all phrase for all kinds of skin conditions. 00:12:17.580 --> 00:12:20.679 And particularly skin conditions that made a 00:12:20.679 --> 00:12:24.779 person ceremonially unclean. And if you were 00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:29.179 ceremonially unclean, you suffered. greatly in 00:12:29.179 --> 00:12:32.799 society and were excluded from all kinds of things. 00:12:33.379 --> 00:12:37.519 To have this skin condition meant as a Jew that 00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:40.259 you were excluded from the congregation, that 00:12:40.259 --> 00:12:43.559 you couldn't worship, you couldn't go to church 00:12:43.559 --> 00:12:45.820 with the rest of the folks. You weren't allowed. 00:12:47.820 --> 00:12:52.899 He was a social outcast, the leper. And everyone's 00:12:52.899 --> 00:12:55.179 probably looking at him as he approaches Jesus 00:12:55.179 --> 00:12:58.389 and thinking, get this man away. They probably 00:12:58.389 --> 00:13:00.809 even took a step back and gasped as he approached 00:13:00.809 --> 00:13:04.009 Jesus because they wanted to avoid getting whatever 00:13:04.009 --> 00:13:08.929 this man had. Some probably snickered and whispered 00:13:08.929 --> 00:13:11.289 under their breath, who does he think he is? 00:13:11.389 --> 00:13:16.129 He doesn't belong here. Jesus isn't here for 00:13:16.129 --> 00:13:21.769 him. He's the outcast. He's the one who's supposed 00:13:21.769 --> 00:13:25.230 to be on the outskirts of town in the leper colony. 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:28.220 living out his days out there away from all of 00:13:28.220 --> 00:13:34.259 us who are clean. But undeterred, this man walks 00:13:34.259 --> 00:13:37.580 right up to Jesus and he gets down in this posture 00:13:37.580 --> 00:13:41.139 of reverence and he recognizes Jesus' authority. 00:13:42.740 --> 00:13:45.500 It was common in this day, in the first century, 00:13:45.539 --> 00:13:50.059 for Jews to bow. to elders or to rabbis or teachers, 00:13:50.179 --> 00:13:52.440 but the way that they would bow to those that 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:55.120 they respected was usually from the torso or 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:56.500 the head. They would do something like this. 00:13:56.600 --> 00:13:59.220 They would bow and acknowledge the authority 00:13:59.220 --> 00:14:02.840 of someone else. But to get down on your knees 00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:06.820 was a deeper sign of reverence. This was a sign 00:14:06.820 --> 00:14:08.720 of reverence that was reserved for the highest 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:13.820 of authorities, be it the king or a ruler or 00:14:13.820 --> 00:14:17.190 God. This was not something you did every day, 00:14:17.210 --> 00:14:19.970 get down on the ground. And this man's physical 00:14:19.970 --> 00:14:24.110 posture tells us a whole lot about what's going 00:14:24.110 --> 00:14:28.289 on in his heart, doesn't it? He approaches Jesus 00:14:28.289 --> 00:14:32.710 and he gets down on his knees. And then he speaks 00:14:32.710 --> 00:14:37.289 and he says, Lord, if you are willing, you can 00:14:37.289 --> 00:14:42.049 make me clean. He recognizes that the only thing 00:14:42.049 --> 00:14:45.490 that prevents Jesus from healing him is simply 00:14:45.490 --> 00:14:49.950 if Jesus wants to or doesn't want to. Otherwise, 00:14:50.029 --> 00:14:54.190 it's a done deal. He has the power. He has the 00:14:54.190 --> 00:14:58.389 authority to do it. And how does Jesus respond 00:14:58.389 --> 00:15:02.330 to a social reject like this leopard? He touches 00:15:02.330 --> 00:15:07.730 him and he says, I am willing. I am willing. 00:15:07.809 --> 00:15:11.090 He touches him. And that may go over your head, 00:15:11.149 --> 00:15:13.289 but I'll tell you that if you came up to me for 00:15:13.289 --> 00:15:15.470 prayer ministry later and something's oozing 00:15:15.470 --> 00:15:18.629 out of your body right in front of me, I'm going 00:15:18.629 --> 00:15:20.509 to pray for you doing that Hoover technique, 00:15:20.929 --> 00:15:23.090 you know, where I kind of hover over you and 00:15:23.090 --> 00:15:25.009 around you and, you know, hey, everyone, reach 00:15:25.009 --> 00:15:27.330 out your hand and let's cast prayers at each 00:15:27.330 --> 00:15:31.350 other or something, right? I don't jump to, hey, 00:15:31.389 --> 00:15:34.840 let me go and touch that oozy thing. Let's get 00:15:34.840 --> 00:15:38.539 right to the detail there. No, I'm going to stay 00:15:38.539 --> 00:15:42.379 away. But Jesus reaches out and touches him. 00:15:42.419 --> 00:15:44.340 And do you know what else that means? That means, 00:15:44.600 --> 00:15:46.740 at least in their day and everyone watching, 00:15:46.980 --> 00:15:51.519 Jesus was now unclean because you were to touch 00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:53.820 no unclean thing. And if you touch an unclean 00:15:53.820 --> 00:15:57.350 thing, you're unclean now. And you have to go 00:15:57.350 --> 00:16:00.370 through a whole process to get ceremonially clean 00:16:00.370 --> 00:16:02.789 again by going out and washing and presenting 00:16:02.789 --> 00:16:06.289 yourself before a priest. Jesus was, in fact, 00:16:06.289 --> 00:16:09.370 unclean except for one caveat in this situation. 00:16:09.789 --> 00:16:12.809 When Jesus touched the man who was oozing or 00:16:12.809 --> 00:16:17.950 whatever he had, he was healed. So Jesus wasn't 00:16:17.950 --> 00:16:24.629 unclean. The man was clean, made clean by Christ. 00:16:26.139 --> 00:16:30.399 Christ reached across the great divide. This 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:34.000 man probably hadn't been touched socially or 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:37.100 in any way by anyone for a very long time, family 00:16:37.100 --> 00:16:41.100 members or anyone. And Jesus, the Christ, the 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:44.139 Savior, the Messiah King reaches out and breaches 00:16:44.139 --> 00:16:46.720 the divide. He comes across and bridges and touches 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:48.980 the man with great compassion in his heart and 00:16:48.980 --> 00:16:56.299 heals him. A man who had no business being around 00:16:56.299 --> 00:16:59.779 Jesus. And Jesus reaches out and makes him clean. 00:17:03.659 --> 00:17:09.059 No one is beyond the reach of Jesus. No one is 00:17:09.059 --> 00:17:13.480 beyond the reach of Jesus. No matter how unclean, 00:17:13.539 --> 00:17:19.980 how unworthy you may feel, how dirty you may 00:17:19.980 --> 00:17:23.299 feel in your sin, and your shame. How much of 00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:27.619 a social outcast, not normal, reject you may 00:17:27.619 --> 00:17:32.619 feel you are. No one is beyond the reach of Jesus. 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:42.339 He is able to heal and forgive. He is able to 00:17:42.339 --> 00:17:49.359 show compassion. And for the rest of us, Don't 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:52.900 be afraid to touch the untouchable. Don't be 00:17:52.900 --> 00:17:55.500 afraid to reach and bridge the divide between 00:17:55.500 --> 00:17:58.839 you and someone else who's been rejected or someone 00:17:58.839 --> 00:18:02.759 else who's not welcomed, someone else who is 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:05.140 excluded, someone else who is in fear or isolated. 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:09.900 Be the hands that reach across and reach into 00:18:09.900 --> 00:18:15.200 their lives. Jesus set the example. This man, 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:19.599 this social outcast. This unclean person, he 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:24.839 was willing to go and to heal. Number two, the 00:18:24.839 --> 00:18:27.440 second story that he tells us of the centurion, 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:30.099 and this comes out of verse five. He says, when 00:18:30.099 --> 00:18:32.599 he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him 00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:35.339 pleading with him, Lord, my servant is lying 00:18:35.339 --> 00:18:38.619 at home paralyzed in terrible agony. He said 00:18:38.619 --> 00:18:42.859 to him, am I to come and heal him? Lord, the 00:18:42.859 --> 00:18:45.720 centurion replied, I am not worthy to have you 00:18:45.720 --> 00:18:48.279 come under my roof, but just say the word and 00:18:48.279 --> 00:18:51.660 my servant will be healed. For I too am a man 00:18:51.660 --> 00:18:54.539 under authority, having soldiers under my command. 00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:56.980 And I say to this one, go, and he goes. And to 00:18:56.980 --> 00:18:59.279 another, come, and he comes. And to my servant, 00:18:59.319 --> 00:19:03.900 do this, and he does it. Hearing this, Jesus 00:19:03.900 --> 00:19:07.799 was amazed and said to those following him, truly 00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:10.779 I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel 00:19:10.779 --> 00:19:14.880 with so great a faith. I tell you that many will 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:17.539 come from east and west to share the banquet 00:19:17.539 --> 00:19:20.140 with Isaac and Abraham and Jacob in the kingdom 00:19:20.140 --> 00:19:22.900 of God. But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown 00:19:22.900 --> 00:19:25.259 into the outer darkness where they will be weeping 00:19:25.259 --> 00:19:27.740 and gnashing of teeth. And then Jesus told the 00:19:27.740 --> 00:19:30.640 centurion, go as you have believed, let it be 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:33.160 done for you. And his servant was healed at that 00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:39.039 very moment. A centurion was an official in the 00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:41.539 Roman military. And a centurion, you can hear 00:19:41.539 --> 00:19:44.220 it in its scent, right? Meaning a command over 00:19:44.220 --> 00:19:47.480 a hundred. He was a commander. He was a high 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:50.640 -ranking official in the Roman military. And 00:19:50.640 --> 00:19:53.519 a soldier in the Roman army, this was a career. 00:19:53.619 --> 00:19:55.380 This was not like four years and you're done 00:19:55.380 --> 00:19:57.339 or five years and you're done or six years and 00:19:57.339 --> 00:19:59.599 you're done. This was a career oftentimes spanning 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:03.599 20 or 30 or 40 years of your life. And it was 00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:07.279 not family -friendly at all. You could get shipped 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:11.000 off to the far corners of the Roman Empire and 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:13.859 spend decades there, away from everyone that 00:20:13.859 --> 00:20:18.460 you know. And when the centurion comes to Jesus 00:20:18.460 --> 00:20:22.460 on behalf of his servant, he's been stationed 00:20:22.460 --> 00:20:26.980 in the Palestine area of Rome. He's stationed 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:32.160 there as a Roman guard, as a Roman centurion. 00:20:33.769 --> 00:20:35.390 And one of the things that I think is amazing 00:20:35.390 --> 00:20:38.150 in this story that just may fly past you is he's 00:20:38.150 --> 00:20:41.849 a Gentile. He's not a Jew. He's a Gentile. And 00:20:41.849 --> 00:20:44.690 not only is he a Gentile, but he is part of the 00:20:44.690 --> 00:20:48.250 occupying force that is subjugating all of the 00:20:48.250 --> 00:20:55.529 Jewish people. He is hated by the Jews. He isn't 00:20:55.529 --> 00:20:58.950 a religious elite. In fact, to be in his position, 00:20:59.170 --> 00:21:02.349 he would be required to worship the emperor of 00:21:02.349 --> 00:21:05.190 Rome. among other deities where you'd have to 00:21:05.190 --> 00:21:08.150 offer sacrifices to them. In other words, he's 00:21:08.150 --> 00:21:12.769 a pagan who engages in pagan worship, who is 00:21:12.769 --> 00:21:16.869 a social outcast hated by the Jews. If this guy 00:21:16.869 --> 00:21:19.470 showed up here and we were them, we would be 00:21:19.470 --> 00:21:21.349 yelling right now. We would disrupt the whole 00:21:21.349 --> 00:21:23.710 service and we'd be yelling at him. Don't help 00:21:23.710 --> 00:21:28.769 him. Don't help him. No, not him. He's trash. 00:21:28.970 --> 00:21:32.150 He's worthless. Let him and his servant die. 00:21:35.059 --> 00:21:38.579 That's what had been felt at the moment he approaches 00:21:38.579 --> 00:21:43.880 Jesus and he comes to Jesus and he says, Lord, 00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:50.859 Lord, which Matthew has imported into this passage 00:21:50.859 --> 00:21:52.720 from the Sermon on the Mount. At the end of the 00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:56.700 Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, many will come 00:21:56.700 --> 00:21:59.539 to me and say, Lord, Lord, on that day, didn't 00:21:59.539 --> 00:22:01.279 we do all of these things in your name? And I 00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:05.359 will say, depart from me, I never knew you. And 00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:08.539 then he goes into the stories about what it means 00:22:08.539 --> 00:22:11.500 to be a disciple, a wise person, which is to 00:22:11.500 --> 00:22:15.500 hear and obey. And what he's showing us is to 00:22:15.500 --> 00:22:18.440 truly fill the word Lord with the proper meaning 00:22:18.440 --> 00:22:20.980 is to be someone who hears what the Lord says 00:22:20.980 --> 00:22:23.700 and does what the Lord says. That's the proper 00:22:23.700 --> 00:22:27.099 use of the word Lord. Not to say Lord and then 00:22:27.099 --> 00:22:29.720 to go do whatever you want. And not to say Lord 00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:31.640 and to fill yourself with self -righteousness. 00:22:31.720 --> 00:22:34.019 And now you have these characters. A leper comes 00:22:34.019 --> 00:22:37.200 and the first thing that he says is what? Lord. 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:42.420 And he confesses true faith in the Lord. Authority 00:22:42.420 --> 00:22:45.480 and the ability of the Lord to act in his circumstances. 00:22:45.559 --> 00:22:49.220 He recognizes who he truly is. He says, Lord, 00:22:49.400 --> 00:22:52.000 if you're willing and able, you can do this. 00:22:52.970 --> 00:22:55.470 And then you have a Gentile outcast that would 00:22:55.470 --> 00:22:58.309 be yelled or shouted out of this room if we were 00:22:58.309 --> 00:23:03.450 there, coming before Jesus. Some teacher who 00:23:03.450 --> 00:23:05.650 just launched his ministry on a mountain somewhere, 00:23:05.769 --> 00:23:10.789 and he says what? He says, Lord, Lord, my servant, 00:23:10.789 --> 00:23:19.730 my servant is lying at home in agony. Lord, I 00:23:19.730 --> 00:23:25.059 recognize who you are. I know who you are, and 00:23:25.059 --> 00:23:37.420 I know what you can do. Jesus actually answers, 00:23:37.740 --> 00:23:41.319 or makes the ask for the guy, though, right? 00:23:41.380 --> 00:23:43.500 The guy actually comes, and he just explains 00:23:43.500 --> 00:23:47.000 what's going on. My sermon's paralyzed in agony 00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:52.869 and in bed, and Jesus says, Am I to come and 00:23:52.869 --> 00:23:56.470 help him? And some scholars think that this was 00:23:56.470 --> 00:23:59.869 Jesus' way of testing or adding an additional 00:23:59.869 --> 00:24:02.829 test to the faith of a Gentile because he does 00:24:02.829 --> 00:24:05.509 it again later in Matthew, in Matthew chapter 00:24:05.509 --> 00:24:10.150 15. He adds an additional question to their ask. 00:24:10.410 --> 00:24:13.450 Just to test, to see, do you really acknowledge 00:24:13.450 --> 00:24:19.319 and recognize who I am? And man, his response 00:24:19.319 --> 00:24:22.039 is amazing. Because to go into a Gentile home 00:24:22.039 --> 00:24:24.220 as a Jew would have been out of the question. 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:26.359 In fact, there's no record that Jesus ever did 00:24:26.359 --> 00:24:28.640 it. It's never recorded that Jesus entered into 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:31.420 a Gentile home. It's not so much the entering 00:24:31.420 --> 00:24:32.880 into the home, it's the fact that everything 00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:34.799 in the home would be unclean and it'd be impossible 00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:37.160 to enter the home and not touch something and 00:24:37.160 --> 00:24:40.019 become unclean. And so Jews just stayed out of 00:24:40.019 --> 00:24:45.279 Gentile places. And there's no record that Jesus 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:48.079 ever entered a Gentile home. But it's not Jesus 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:50.799 who says, I can't go there. Do you know who you 00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:54.000 are? Jesus doesn't say that. It's the centurion 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:56.619 who says, I'm not worthy to have you under my 00:24:56.619 --> 00:25:02.759 roof. I know who you are. I know who you are. 00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:05.859 I would be completely unworthy to have you enter 00:25:05.859 --> 00:25:08.700 into my home, to come into my place. Something 00:25:08.700 --> 00:25:11.660 so holy, something so righteous, such authority 00:25:11.660 --> 00:25:15.980 and power to enter into my humble, meager, unclean 00:25:15.980 --> 00:25:21.960 home. I'm not worthy of that. He acknowledges 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:27.799 it first. Again, we can see his heart. We can 00:25:27.799 --> 00:25:30.279 see that in his heart. There's a humility and 00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:33.759 a recognition of Jesus' lordship in his life. 00:25:34.079 --> 00:25:36.680 I'm unworthy for you to come under my roof. And 00:25:36.680 --> 00:25:39.140 then he says something just profound, even in 00:25:39.140 --> 00:25:41.500 the day, because there were miracle workers in 00:25:41.500 --> 00:25:44.240 Jesus' time. But the one feature of the miracle 00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:46.980 workers of Jesus' time is they had to be present 00:25:46.980 --> 00:25:48.500 with the person they were working the miracle. 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:50.859 There was no long -distance miracle working. 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:56.119 You couldn't shoot a miracle across town. And 00:25:56.119 --> 00:25:59.319 this guy comes to Jesus and says, all you have 00:25:59.319 --> 00:26:03.660 to do is say a word. And I don't think he had 00:26:03.660 --> 00:26:06.980 his theological doctrinal construct perfect in 00:26:06.980 --> 00:26:09.220 his head. He probably had no clue what he was 00:26:09.220 --> 00:26:11.720 saying, except he just acknowledged and recognized 00:26:11.720 --> 00:26:15.000 something about Jesus. But we know from the scripture 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:18.319 and from theology that it is the word of Christ, 00:26:18.460 --> 00:26:20.960 that all by the word of Christ, that all things 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:28.990 came to being. He is the word. Pre -existence. 00:26:29.710 --> 00:26:32.950 And through him, everything that was made was 00:26:32.950 --> 00:26:37.490 made. Everything made was made. Yeah. It's all 00:26:37.490 --> 00:26:40.970 made. It all happened. And it was him who did 00:26:40.970 --> 00:26:46.549 it. Something like that. And he says, I've got 00:26:46.549 --> 00:26:50.920 a paralyzed sick servant. who is the closest 00:26:50.920 --> 00:26:53.640 thing to family that I have because I haven't 00:26:53.640 --> 00:26:57.279 been home in forever. But I have this servant. 00:26:57.579 --> 00:27:00.559 Can you imagine a centurion official on behalf 00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:03.759 of his servant going to get him? I just think, 00:27:03.799 --> 00:27:05.660 let the servant die and get another servant. 00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:08.940 And he's like, no, this is the closest thing 00:27:08.940 --> 00:27:12.599 that I have to family. Would you have mercy on 00:27:12.599 --> 00:27:15.779 my servant? Would you have mercy and would you 00:27:15.779 --> 00:27:20.700 heal him? what I'm trying to impress is this 00:27:20.700 --> 00:27:23.680 is so below the dignity of a Roman centurion 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:28.079 to go and beg for mercy from some itinerant preacher 00:27:28.079 --> 00:27:31.640 who's Jewish for his servant, not even for himself. 00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:39.700 And yet he comes and he recognizes that Jesus, 00:27:39.819 --> 00:27:43.539 you have the kind of authority. That I exercise 00:27:43.539 --> 00:27:46.019 all the time. I have this authority where I can 00:27:46.019 --> 00:27:47.960 tell someone to go and do this and they'll do 00:27:47.960 --> 00:27:50.440 it. And I can tell them to come and they'll come. 00:27:50.759 --> 00:27:52.920 I have that kind of authority, but you have that 00:27:52.920 --> 00:27:55.759 kind of authority over everything, including 00:27:55.759 --> 00:28:00.259 our afflictions. I think sometimes you and I... 00:28:00.670 --> 00:28:02.470 Especially when we're in the thick of it and 00:28:02.470 --> 00:28:04.589 we're afflicted by something, be it spiritual 00:28:04.589 --> 00:28:07.710 or mental or physical. We can sometimes think 00:28:07.710 --> 00:28:11.069 that afflictions are these rogue anarchists that 00:28:11.069 --> 00:28:15.309 don't answer to anyone. They come out of nowhere. 00:28:15.410 --> 00:28:17.410 They're like guerrilla warfare. They come out 00:28:17.410 --> 00:28:20.210 of nowhere and they attack us. But they're not 00:28:20.210 --> 00:28:22.170 in allegiance to a government and there's no 00:28:22.170 --> 00:28:24.509 restraint on them. These afflictions just come 00:28:24.509 --> 00:28:26.910 and they happen and they're rogue and there's 00:28:26.910 --> 00:28:29.230 nothing we can do about it. And this guy recognizes, 00:28:29.349 --> 00:28:33.839 no. There is someone, there is a Lord over our 00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:37.559 afflictions. There is a God who has the power 00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:40.559 and authority to extend over our afflictions. 00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:45.400 And by his word, they must obey him. They must 00:28:45.400 --> 00:28:52.039 obey him. And this guy getting that, this centurion 00:28:52.039 --> 00:28:56.099 communicating in this way, blows Jesus' mind. 00:28:57.339 --> 00:28:59.440 That's pretty rough. That's pretty tough to do, 00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:04.049 right? To knock Jesus' socks off, it says that 00:29:04.049 --> 00:29:08.470 he's amazed. It could be translated marveled, 00:29:08.470 --> 00:29:13.809 astonished, wonderstruck. It's actually only 00:29:13.809 --> 00:29:16.490 used twice of Jesus in all of the Gospels. The 00:29:16.490 --> 00:29:18.710 second time it's used, it's used in Mark. And 00:29:18.710 --> 00:29:20.950 when Jesus is amazed in Mark, he's amazed at 00:29:20.950 --> 00:29:26.130 the unbelief of the people of Israel. He's awestruck 00:29:26.130 --> 00:29:29.529 and amazed at how lacking in faith they are. 00:29:30.160 --> 00:29:32.640 And here he is awestruck by this man's faith. 00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:39.660 That he has faith superior to any other Israelite. 00:29:39.680 --> 00:29:43.420 And then he goes into this story about this banquet 00:29:43.420 --> 00:29:48.039 with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. And who's sitting 00:29:48.039 --> 00:29:50.319 at the banquet table with Abraham, Isaac, and 00:29:50.319 --> 00:29:53.920 Jacob? The patriarchs of the Jewish religion 00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:57.700 of faith. The Jewish family. The Israelites. 00:29:57.799 --> 00:30:01.259 These are the guys. Everyone wants to sit at 00:30:01.259 --> 00:30:05.079 the table, and it's the sons of the kingdom who 00:30:05.079 --> 00:30:08.299 are being thrown out, and it's others who are 00:30:08.299 --> 00:30:10.700 being welcomed in. What is he saying? All these 00:30:10.700 --> 00:30:12.839 three stories that we're looking at here are 00:30:12.839 --> 00:30:15.359 all about these outcasts, these people who are 00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:18.259 marginalized and kicked out of society, who are 00:30:18.259 --> 00:30:22.619 looked down on by everyone, being the very first 00:30:22.619 --> 00:30:26.279 people to recognize the lordship of Jesus. Being 00:30:26.279 --> 00:30:28.640 the first ones to see, I know who you are. A 00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:32.440 leopard who has no communion with the saints 00:30:32.440 --> 00:30:35.440 and no part in the congregation. A centurion 00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:38.259 who is a Gentile and has no part in the faith 00:30:38.259 --> 00:30:40.299 whatsoever. And they're all coming and saying, 00:30:40.359 --> 00:30:42.839 I know who you are and I know that you can help 00:30:42.839 --> 00:30:46.740 me. I know who you are and I know that you can 00:30:46.740 --> 00:30:50.180 help me. And something that's important for us 00:30:50.180 --> 00:30:52.940 to know about faith is that faith isn't about 00:30:52.940 --> 00:30:56.299 the measure of belief that we have. Faith is 00:30:56.299 --> 00:30:58.720 not about the measure of belief that we have, 00:30:58.920 --> 00:31:03.779 but it's about the object of our faith. The power 00:31:03.779 --> 00:31:05.819 in faith is not whether we have enough of it, 00:31:05.920 --> 00:31:09.819 have we worked up enough faith, but whether or 00:31:09.819 --> 00:31:16.799 not we have faith in the right person. No other 00:31:16.799 --> 00:31:19.500 Israelite had fully grasped the extent of Jesus' 00:31:19.700 --> 00:31:22.900 power and authority, but the leper came and presented 00:31:22.900 --> 00:31:26.140 himself and said, I believe. I know who you are. 00:31:26.220 --> 00:31:29.220 The centurion came and believed that Jesus with 00:31:29.220 --> 00:31:32.240 a word from a distance could make it happen. 00:31:34.160 --> 00:31:36.900 This kind of faith that they exercise, this kind 00:31:36.900 --> 00:31:39.299 of faith that you and I need to exercise is a 00:31:39.299 --> 00:31:41.579 faith that believes that the one who can change 00:31:41.579 --> 00:31:44.259 the situation and has the authority to do so 00:31:44.259 --> 00:31:52.329 will act according to his wisdom. When it is 00:31:52.329 --> 00:31:54.549 for our ultimate good and when our ultimate good 00:31:54.549 --> 00:31:58.410 is for us to live in what we have found ourselves 00:31:58.410 --> 00:32:01.130 in and God will achieve it through that, that 00:32:01.130 --> 00:32:03.009 he is ultimately wise. You notice the humility 00:32:03.009 --> 00:32:05.190 in their ask. They're not demanding of Jesus. 00:32:05.869 --> 00:32:07.809 They're recognizing who he is and what he can 00:32:07.809 --> 00:32:11.269 do. It is Jesus who is giving and deciding, I 00:32:11.269 --> 00:32:17.089 want to do this. I'm willing. A key truth is 00:32:17.089 --> 00:32:20.430 that what matters not is the quality of our faith. 00:32:21.290 --> 00:32:25.410 but the object of our faith. It does not matter 00:32:25.410 --> 00:32:27.890 the quality of our faith. You know, faith is 00:32:27.890 --> 00:32:29.890 the size of a mustard seed, right? Can what? 00:32:31.230 --> 00:32:33.009 Move a mountain. What Jesus is trying to say 00:32:33.009 --> 00:32:35.490 is it's not about the quality or quantity of 00:32:35.490 --> 00:32:38.329 your faith. It's about if your faith is properly 00:32:38.329 --> 00:32:41.670 placed in the right person. Because he is able 00:32:41.670 --> 00:32:45.869 to do all of those things, not your faith. Sometimes 00:32:45.869 --> 00:32:47.890 we think we have to have faith in our faith. 00:32:48.759 --> 00:32:50.599 And sometimes we lose faith in our faith and 00:32:50.599 --> 00:32:52.180 we think we need to get more faith in our faith, 00:32:52.339 --> 00:32:54.880 right? But it's not faith in our faith, it's 00:32:54.880 --> 00:32:58.599 faith in Jesus. To be wise enough to know when 00:32:58.599 --> 00:33:01.640 to act and when not to act for our good. And 00:33:01.640 --> 00:33:03.319 to be powerful enough to accomplish anything 00:33:03.319 --> 00:33:08.279 that he wants to. That's faith. It's in him. 00:33:09.460 --> 00:33:15.660 Not in us. Place your faith in Christ's authority. 00:33:16.190 --> 00:33:19.390 Whether near or far, he is Lord over all afflictions. 00:33:20.549 --> 00:33:26.009 If he can heal across a distance in time, he 00:33:26.009 --> 00:33:28.470 can handle almost any impossible situation you're 00:33:28.470 --> 00:33:31.950 facing. But do you come with the humility to 00:33:31.950 --> 00:33:35.069 say, you know better than I. You have the power, 00:33:35.089 --> 00:33:37.130 you have the authority, but you also have the 00:33:37.130 --> 00:33:41.650 wisdom to know what's good for me and to know 00:33:41.650 --> 00:33:45.799 what's ultimately for your glory. The final story, 00:33:45.900 --> 00:33:47.539 we won't be able to get into too much detail, 00:33:47.640 --> 00:33:49.740 but if you're taking notes, write down the woman. 00:33:51.960 --> 00:33:55.359 Sorry, women, you're on a list of Gentiles that 00:33:55.359 --> 00:34:00.099 we hate and the leper. But in Jesus's time, this 00:34:00.099 --> 00:34:04.579 was significant. He goes in. To Peter's house 00:34:04.579 --> 00:34:06.960 and he sees his mother -in -law laying in the 00:34:06.960 --> 00:34:09.539 bed with a fever. And so he touched her hand 00:34:09.539 --> 00:34:12.820 and the fever left her. And then she got up and 00:34:12.820 --> 00:34:15.440 began to serve him. When evening came, they brought 00:34:15.440 --> 00:34:18.099 to him many who were demon possessed. He drove 00:34:18.099 --> 00:34:20.880 out the spirits with a word and healed all who 00:34:20.880 --> 00:34:23.900 were sick. So that what was spoken through the 00:34:23.900 --> 00:34:26.380 prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled. He himself 00:34:26.380 --> 00:34:29.619 took our weaknesses and carried our diseases. 00:34:31.309 --> 00:34:35.630 Jesus goes in and again, he touches someone who 00:34:35.630 --> 00:34:39.650 is sick. A sign of great compassion, of crossing 00:34:39.650 --> 00:34:42.349 that breach. And not only that, but it is a woman. 00:34:42.409 --> 00:34:44.670 And in this day and time, at this time during 00:34:44.670 --> 00:34:49.489 the first century, this divide between a woman 00:34:49.489 --> 00:34:52.989 who was not your mother or not family and another 00:34:52.989 --> 00:34:56.269 man, this was a divide you didn't cross. Women 00:34:56.269 --> 00:35:00.050 didn't have extraordinary value. or utility in 00:35:00.050 --> 00:35:03.849 the community. And for Jesus to go in and acknowledge 00:35:03.849 --> 00:35:06.349 this woman and her condition and to reach out 00:35:06.349 --> 00:35:09.550 and touch her and heal her is amazing. And again, 00:35:09.710 --> 00:35:11.929 would just be added to the list of the leper 00:35:11.929 --> 00:35:14.829 and the centurion. And now a woman, look who 00:35:14.829 --> 00:35:17.670 is believing and entering the kingdom. Look who 00:35:17.670 --> 00:35:21.409 Jesus is reaching out to. And healing. Look what 00:35:21.409 --> 00:35:23.570 Jesus is doing. He's breaking the kingdom into 00:35:23.570 --> 00:35:26.170 our reality. He's tearing the veil. So we begin 00:35:26.170 --> 00:35:28.829 to see some of the kingdom work. And the restoration 00:35:28.829 --> 00:35:33.489 of all things. The sick are being healed. Demon 00:35:33.489 --> 00:35:39.590 possessed. Are being delivered. All to fulfill 00:35:39.590 --> 00:35:43.030 the words of the prophet Isaiah. That he would 00:35:43.030 --> 00:35:45.730 take on himself our weaknesses. And he would 00:35:45.730 --> 00:35:47.570 carry our diseases. One thing I'll point out 00:35:47.570 --> 00:35:51.130 before I wrap up. Notice what Peter's mother 00:35:51.130 --> 00:35:53.690 -in -law does though. She is lying in bed in 00:35:53.690 --> 00:35:56.610 a fever and Jesus reaches out and touches her 00:35:56.610 --> 00:36:00.889 and heals her and what does she do? She got up 00:36:00.889 --> 00:36:05.550 and that's like an immediacy. She immediately 00:36:05.550 --> 00:36:10.389 got up and began to serve him. And of all the 00:36:10.389 --> 00:36:13.070 commentators and commentaries that I read in 00:36:13.070 --> 00:36:15.289 preparation for this, every single one of them 00:36:15.289 --> 00:36:20.289 noted That when we receive a touch from the Lord, 00:36:20.349 --> 00:36:23.230 when we experience the hand of God in our life, 00:36:23.250 --> 00:36:26.130 when we experience salvation, the proper response 00:36:26.130 --> 00:36:30.909 is service of our Lord. The proper response is 00:36:30.909 --> 00:36:34.329 service. We are saved to serve. We are healed 00:36:34.329 --> 00:36:37.829 to serve. Everything that we have and everything 00:36:37.829 --> 00:36:41.530 we've been given has been given in order to strengthen 00:36:41.530 --> 00:36:43.929 us and support us so that we might serve the 00:36:43.929 --> 00:36:48.869 Lord wholeheartedly. It's not to rise up from 00:36:48.869 --> 00:36:51.570 our bed and go on with our earthly pursuits or 00:36:51.570 --> 00:36:55.510 go to build our kingdoms and our world, but it 00:36:55.510 --> 00:36:59.650 is to rise up and begin to serve the Lord. We 00:36:59.650 --> 00:37:03.190 are healed to serve. We are saved to serve. And 00:37:03.190 --> 00:37:05.730 if God has touched your life, if he has restored 00:37:05.730 --> 00:37:08.409 you, if he has given you strength, then you ought 00:37:08.409 --> 00:37:12.829 to ask, how can I serve his kingdom? With the 00:37:12.829 --> 00:37:14.429 strength that he has given. This is something 00:37:14.429 --> 00:37:16.730 that I think if you read the Bible and you read 00:37:16.730 --> 00:37:19.550 enough times and you start to let it soak in, 00:37:19.590 --> 00:37:21.969 you begin to understand there is nothing that 00:37:21.969 --> 00:37:25.590 is yours. Not even your own breath, your own 00:37:25.590 --> 00:37:29.070 life. These are all the creation of a loving, 00:37:29.150 --> 00:37:32.190 benevolent creator who in love, overflowing, 00:37:32.190 --> 00:37:34.530 created everything that is here, including you 00:37:34.530 --> 00:37:38.630 and I. And it doesn't belong to us. Our breath 00:37:38.630 --> 00:37:42.039 today does not belong to you. Our life and our 00:37:42.039 --> 00:37:44.440 strength does not belong to you, but it belongs 00:37:44.440 --> 00:37:46.900 to him and it is to be used in service of him. 00:37:48.320 --> 00:37:51.760 That we are to be reflectors of his glory and 00:37:51.760 --> 00:37:53.780 goodness here on the earth in service of him 00:37:53.780 --> 00:37:56.099 with the strength that he gives. If he gives 00:37:56.099 --> 00:37:58.420 you half strength today to get out of bed for 00:37:58.420 --> 00:38:00.719 half of the day, then use half of the day in 00:38:00.719 --> 00:38:03.880 service of him. If he gives you breath today 00:38:03.880 --> 00:38:06.440 to rise up again from the bed, then use that 00:38:06.440 --> 00:38:09.420 breath as long as he gives it in service of him, 00:38:09.559 --> 00:38:12.659 in confessing who he is as Lord, in confessing 00:38:12.659 --> 00:38:15.500 his word, living according to it. This is our 00:38:15.500 --> 00:38:19.079 life and what we're called into. This is a life 00:38:19.079 --> 00:38:22.800 of gratitude, a life that acknowledges what we've 00:38:22.800 --> 00:38:29.880 received, which is everything that we have. When 00:38:29.880 --> 00:38:34.090 Peter's mother -in -law is healed. She rises 00:38:34.090 --> 00:38:39.610 up and begins to serve her Lord. Matthew's demonstrating 00:38:39.610 --> 00:38:43.250 that Jesus is the one who said, but you must 00:38:43.250 --> 00:38:46.929 obey my words and that Jesus has the power and 00:38:46.929 --> 00:38:50.769 authority to back it up. But Jesus is more than 00:38:50.769 --> 00:38:54.030 that. Jesus has a compassion that is of a greater 00:38:54.030 --> 00:38:56.909 righteousness than the righteousness of everyone 00:38:56.909 --> 00:39:01.570 else. He has a righteousness and a compassion 00:39:01.570 --> 00:39:04.449 that breaks down dividing lines, be it social 00:39:04.449 --> 00:39:06.690 or racial or whatever, because these are not 00:39:06.690 --> 00:39:12.510 factors in the kingdom of God. And look who recognized 00:39:12.510 --> 00:39:17.309 Jesus as Lord first. Not the ones you would expect. 00:39:19.969 --> 00:39:23.090 But I would suspect ones that look a whole lot 00:39:23.090 --> 00:39:32.460 like us. A room full of sinners. Rejects, outcasts, 00:39:32.460 --> 00:39:36.840 folks who have delivered from our self -righteousness, 00:39:36.840 --> 00:39:40.420 a whole lot of sinners in need of mercy, amen. 00:39:43.500 --> 00:39:47.380 Recognize the Lord and serve him. Will you pray? 00:39:47.500 --> 00:39:49.519 Father, thank you for your word and thank you 00:39:49.519 --> 00:39:51.559 for the chance to spend some time in it today. 00:39:52.960 --> 00:39:55.400 We ask, Lord, that you would heal our hearts 00:39:55.400 --> 00:40:00.159 and our minds. Heal them, Lord, so that we might 00:40:00.159 --> 00:40:03.539 think the thoughts of Christ and our heart might 00:40:03.539 --> 00:40:07.300 be filled with the love and the truth of Christ 00:40:07.300 --> 00:40:12.539 and that our lives might be lived in wholehearted 00:40:12.539 --> 00:40:16.239 dedication and service to you. I pray that we 00:40:16.239 --> 00:40:19.619 would be disciples who are willing to take up 00:40:19.619 --> 00:40:24.800 our cross daily, deny ourselves, and follow you. 00:40:25.820 --> 00:40:29.170 I pray that we would not be those who hear only 00:40:29.170 --> 00:40:37.210 in word, but don't act, but that we would be 00:40:37.210 --> 00:40:41.349 those who hear and act upon your word. I pray 00:40:41.349 --> 00:40:48.690 that if we are struggling today with doubt, if 00:40:48.690 --> 00:40:53.909 we are unsure if you are able, Lord, I pray that 00:40:53.909 --> 00:40:57.179 we would believe today. if we are struggling 00:40:57.179 --> 00:41:02.199 with whether you are willing, we would surrender 00:41:02.199 --> 00:41:06.719 our need to be in control and we would humbly 00:41:06.719 --> 00:41:11.820 recognize your infinite wisdom that you know 00:41:11.820 --> 00:41:15.159 and will choose far more wisely than we ever 00:41:15.159 --> 00:41:21.199 would. Lord, I pray if we have resisted you, 00:41:21.360 --> 00:41:27.159 resisted following you, resisted serving you 00:41:27.159 --> 00:41:31.400 with our lives, with our breath, with our words, 00:41:31.599 --> 00:41:34.099 with everything that you have given us, all of 00:41:34.099 --> 00:41:36.619 our material possessions that you have entrusted 00:41:36.619 --> 00:41:39.699 to us, all of the things that you have made us 00:41:39.699 --> 00:41:43.460 stewards over, but are ultimately yours. If we 00:41:43.460 --> 00:41:45.380 have not trusted and served you with those, I 00:41:45.380 --> 00:41:51.380 pray that we would obey today, that we would 00:41:51.380 --> 00:41:55.050 build our house on the rock. Of hearing and doing 00:41:55.050 --> 00:42:02.449 your work. And not on the sand. That is constantly 00:42:02.449 --> 00:42:09.070 assaulted by the things of this world. And always 00:42:09.070 --> 00:42:19.670 falling down. We trust you, Lord. We believe 00:42:19.670 --> 00:42:21.309 you and help us in our downfall.