1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,040 Good morning everyone. If we've not met before my name is Michael and I'm 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:11,220 Pastor here and it's lovely to have a few new faces with us this morning. It's very 3 00:00:11,220 --> 00:00:16,680 exciting. We do have fellowship lunch after the meeting today so please feel 4 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:22,100 free to stay back, have a bite with us and have a yarn with us. You're most 5 00:00:22,100 --> 00:00:29,340 welcome. If you've been with us for a while you might remember that for most 6 00:00:29,340 --> 00:00:36,520 of 2023 we spent the better half of eight months camped out in Matthew's 7 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:42,360 Gospel particularly chapters 1 through to 7 and you might remember that we 8 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:48,240 spent most of that time in just one sermon of our Lord that's come to be 9 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:54,840 known as the Sermon on the Mount. Now if you weren't with us and you would like 10 00:00:54,840 --> 00:01:01,240 to get up to speed on the first part of that series we have that all recorded 11 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:06,640 for you and it's available on our podcast channel which can be accessed 12 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:13,460 through our website. Those details are in the bulletin. This morning we start 13 00:01:13,460 --> 00:01:18,360 part two of our series in Matthew and we'll be spending the next few months 14 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:25,120 honing in on chapters 8 through to 10 particularly focusing on our Lord's 15 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:31,080 signs and wonders and miracles that he performed in his earthly ministry and 16 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:36,400 why it mattered that he did them and then we'll move on to what we as the 17 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:43,200 disciples of Jesus are to do with the gospel as witnesses of Christ's ministry 18 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:50,000 in this world. Before we get into any of that and we look at the passage that we 19 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:55,400 have before us this morning let's ask for our Heavenly Father's help in the 20 00:01:55,400 --> 00:02:04,680 task would you pray with me? Father we are so thankful to be here this morning 21 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:10,680 we are so thankful for the grace that you have shown in our life that your 22 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:17,320 spirit is with us and we ask Father this morning that through the preaching of the 23 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:23,360 Word through the coming to the Lord's table a little later on that you would 24 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:29,440 indeed minister to us that you would change us that we would be conformed to 25 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:37,120 the image of your most holy and precious son. Father we ask for your work in our 26 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:45,400 midst this morning and we ask for this in Jesus' name. Amen. So as I said the last 27 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:51,160 time we were in the book of Matthew we were on the mountain with Jesus as he 28 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:57,640 taught his disciples and it was there that we started to understand that Jesus 29 00:02:57,640 --> 00:03:03,840 hadn't come to abolish what had previously been given to the nation of 30 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:10,920 Israel in the law and prophets but he had come to give it its fullest and most 31 00:03:10,920 --> 00:03:17,080 clearest meaning and we saw that all throughout the Sermon on the Mount right 32 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:24,240 Jesus over and over again clearly explaining the heart of God's revelation 33 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:30,280 to his people but it's here in chapter 8 that our Lord now demonstrates the power 34 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:36,960 of God by performing signs and wonders and miracles which is God's rubber stamp 35 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:43,240 on the teaching that Jesus gave to his disciples and the masses that we saw on 36 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:49,720 the Mount. Looking back on the ministry of Jesus Peter said it like this Jesus of 37 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:56,800 Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles wonders and signs which 38 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:05,120 God did among you through him as you yourselves know Acts 2 verses 22 to which 39 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:10,000 the author of the Hebrews adds this salvation which was first announced by 40 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:16,960 the Lord was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by 41 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:24,160 signs wonders and various miracles Hebrews 2 verses 3 and 4 all that to 42 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:29,680 say as the Bible defines it signs and wonders authenticate both the message 43 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:35,040 and the messenger and now it's significant isn't it that Matthew now 44 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:42,960 records for us that Jesus now enters this part of his ministry where he starts 45 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:48,040 to do these signs and wonders which prove the truth of his teaching about the 46 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:57,040 kingdom of heaven and so we might say by words and deeds Matthew was showing us 47 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:06,120 that Jesus is indeed the Christ that was expected to come and that's important 48 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:12,320 for us to remember that Jesus is the Christ that was expected to come because 49 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:19,440 the law and the prophets attested to it and that's actually something Matthew 50 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:26,880 points out to us in our passage this morning Jesus is the Christ Israel's 51 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:35,440 king but he's also God's servant whom Isaiah spoke of who came to cure his 52 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:41,320 people and Matthew proves that to be the case in three different scenes as we'll 53 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:46,800 see three different scenes but we need to keep this in mind it's important that 54 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:53,160 we do so Matthew wants us to see one big picture one significant point that is 55 00:05:53,160 --> 00:06:01,000 found right there in verse 17 God always had a plan to send his servant to 56 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:09,680 come to be the cure for his people and Jesus is that servant and nobody nobody 57 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:16,200 is beyond his reach so if you have your Bibles with you this morning let's make 58 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:22,840 our way through these scenes together first looking at verses 1 through to 4 59 00:06:22,840 --> 00:06:27,520 when Jesus came down from the mountainside large crowds followed him a 60 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:31,440 man with leprosy came and now before him and said Lord if you're willing you can 61 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:36,240 make me clean Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man I'm willing he said 62 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:42,760 be clean immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy then Jesus said to him see 63 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:48,360 that you don't go and tell anyone but go and show yourself to the priest and 64 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:55,760 offer the gift Moses commanded as a testimony to them now church just to put 65 00:06:55,760 --> 00:07:02,200 a bit of context before you this morning I just want to point out to you two 66 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:08,480 things first we're told that one man came through the crowds and he came and 67 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:17,200 knelt before Jesus and that was a man who had leprosy now leprosy was an 68 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:23,280 absolutely dreadful disease especially in the time of Jesus you see in the 69 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:29,320 ancient world many thought that leprosy was the judgment of God and and because 70 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:35,440 it was a disease that not many people knew much about those who had contracted 71 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:41,000 it for whatever reason were usually thought to spread it among communities 72 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:48,040 and so lepers were always pushed out of society and ostracized in one sense 73 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:53,080 because people thought they were dirty and would spread disease among them but 74 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:59,320 in another sense because people were worried that that person who they deemed 75 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:05,400 to be under the judgment of God would spread moral disease among them as well 76 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:09,720 so not only do we have a man here in whom people would have been fearful of 77 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:15,120 because they didn't want to catch what he had we also have a man who was in the 78 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:21,840 outskirts of society because people deemed him to be judged of God so that's 79 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:29,000 the first thing to note here people with leprosy were social outcasts and they 80 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:36,840 were seen as unclean in every way second in the law of Moses the priest which was 81 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:42,040 mentioned in our text the priest was only there to confirm that you had the 82 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:48,840 disease or that a healing had taken place it means that the priest was never 83 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:54,800 there to perform the healing itself in other words the priest was only there 84 00:08:54,800 --> 00:09:01,720 to rubber stamp what only God could do and so this desperate man makes his 85 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:07,240 way through the crowds and he casts himself before the Lord and notice what 86 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:17,200 he says Lord if you're willing you can make me clean notice that Lord if you 87 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:26,360 are willing you can make me clean that's interesting with the background we just 88 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:33,400 thought about right because he's talking to Jesus like he has the authority 89 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:41,520 and power to take away his physical and spiritual uncleanliness the church it's 90 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:48,200 Jesus's reaction that's most stunning notice it he doesn't say you need to go 91 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:55,920 to God with this nor hey let's pray together on this no he reaches out he 92 00:09:55,920 --> 00:10:05,000 touches the man and he says I am willing be clean do you see what our evangelist 93 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:09,720 Matthew was showing us here do you see that Jesus is in the place of the only 94 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:14,720 one who can actually do something about this man's situation in the place of 95 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:20,200 God himself who is the healer of all physical mental and spiritual disease 96 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:26,400 and so what happens next is hugely significance for the crowds to witness 97 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:34,320 we're told that he was immediately cleansed of his leprosy one incredible 98 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:40,320 scene we have here Jesus stands in the place of only what God can do and shows 99 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:45,880 his authority and power over the most dreaded of diseases a disease that made 100 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:53,480 anyone unclean who came in contact with it even priests would need to give a 101 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:58,680 sacrifice if they had come in contact with someone with leprosy yet Jesus 102 00:10:58,680 --> 00:11:04,480 reaches out to this man he touches him he remains clean and with the power of 103 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:13,480 his word he heals him that's the first scene Matthew shows us that Jesus makes 104 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:23,360 the unclean clean next he shows us that Jesus came to serve all people all 105 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:28,400 people even his enemies we read in verses five through to thirteen when Jesus 106 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:33,920 said entered Capernaum a centurion came to him asking him for help Lord he said 107 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:39,160 my servant lies at home paralyzed suffering terribly Jesus said to him 108 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:45,720 shall I come and heal him centurion replied Lord I don't deserve to have you 109 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:54,440 come under my roof but just say the word and my servant will be healed try myself 110 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:58,800 and my man under authority were soldiers under me I tell this one go we 111 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:03,120 goes I say to this one come he comes I say to my servant do this and he does it 112 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:08,000 when Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those following him truly I 113 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:12,960 tell you I haven't found anyone in Israel was such great faith I say to you 114 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:16,920 that many will come from the east and west and will take their places at the 115 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:22,040 feast with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven but the subjects of 116 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:26,280 the kingdom will be thrown outside into darkness whether it will be weeping and 117 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:34,240 gnashing of teeth and Jesus said to the centurion go let it be done just as you 118 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:42,800 believed it would and at that moment his servant was healed now just to make a 119 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:47,360 bit of sense of this Israel was an occupied nation under the mighty fist 120 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:53,080 of Rome meaning that the Jews were an oppressed people in their own homeland 121 00:12:53,080 --> 00:13:02,240 and the guys that Rome used to keep order usually by brute force was the Roman 122 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:08,560 Legion Roman soldiers now to say that the Roman soldiers and the Jews didn't get 123 00:13:08,560 --> 00:13:13,200 on is an absolute understatement the Jews were treated woefully by their 124 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:19,280 represses and those who were in charge of the soldiers on the ground were the 125 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:25,320 centurions the commanders we might call them so it's interesting to note the 126 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:30,120 details that Matthew was laid out for us here this centurion with all the 127 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:37,560 authority and status he doesn't come and demand but he came very much like the 128 00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:45,800 guy with leprosy in a position of humility asking some translations say 129 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:53,440 pleading imploring Jesus to do something that again only God could do and that was 130 00:13:53,440 --> 00:14:01,360 to do a supernatural work in the life of this man's servant and heal him now we 131 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:06,000 don't know all the details here about how the centurion heard of Jesus so what 132 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:11,880 was going on with the servant but something drew him to Jesus something 133 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:18,400 caused him to know that Jesus was the only one that could work in the life of 134 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:25,000 his servant and so like the leper who crossed all sorts of social boundaries 135 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:33,880 to get to Jesus we have a scene with this centurion doing the same thing Jesus 136 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:38,720 responds he says do you want me to go and heal him imagine that for a moment 137 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:47,360 imagine having Jesus offering to come to your place to have the most famous 138 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:52,640 rabbi teacher in the country but incredibly our evangelist Matthew 139 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:57,680 records something here the centurion says to Jesus he's not worthy to have him 140 00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:03,280 come to his house but and this is where it gets really interesting he says I'm a 141 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:08,600 man under authority I can give a word and it's done you can give a word and 142 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:15,200 it's done in other words somehow this man knew that Jesus had the authority of 143 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:23,720 God and the power of God that he could simply say the word and it would be done 144 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:31,000 brothers and sisters we see something incredible here we're told that when 145 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:36,040 Jesus heard this he was absolutely amazed so amazed in fact that he hadn't 146 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:40,560 found this kind of humility and faith even among his own people among his 147 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:49,040 own people who knew the scriptures mind you so Jesus says I'm going to do what 148 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:53,840 you believe I can do and as Matthew reports reports here with the word 149 00:15:53,840 --> 00:16:02,080 Jesus healed that man's servant again we see the absolute power and authority 150 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:08,800 that Jesus has with the word Jesus speaks things coming to being Jesus acts and 151 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:16,880 lives are changed now admittedly there is so much that we could say on just 152 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:24,280 these few verses but I just want you to notice one thing here on the one hand 153 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:31,360 we're seeing the absolute power and authority demonstrated by Jesus he's 154 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:38,640 willing he speaks and light shines in the darkness kind of reminds you of 155 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:45,360 Genesis one right yet on the other hand look who is coming to Jesus and how 156 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:50,880 Jesus is treating them the leper a social and spiritual outcast the 157 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:57,280 centurion a Roman commander whose sole purpose was to oppress the people of 158 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:05,200 God one is seen to be under the judgment of God and the other is to be seen as the 159 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:11,480 judgment of God yet how does Jesus treat these people how does he treat the 160 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:21,320 outcast and Israel's biggest threat well we see that people people no matter who 161 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:30,240 they are as they humbly come to Jesus we see that he cares for them we see Jesus 162 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:38,000 reach out to them because he wants to save them he wants to heal them he wants 163 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:47,320 them to come into a saving knowledge of who he is so first Matthew shows us that 164 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:53,880 Jesus can make the unclean clean second he shows us that Jesus came to serve all 165 00:17:53,880 --> 00:18:01,560 people even his enemies third scene this was God's plan all along we read in 166 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:06,560 verses 14 and 15 when Jesus came into Peter's house he saw Peter's mother-in-law 167 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:12,240 lying in a bed with a fever he touched her hand and the fever left her she got 168 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:21,080 up and began to wait on him now church you'll immediately notice that things are 169 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:26,280 all backwards here right in our first scene the man with leprosy came to 170 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:32,840 Jesus in our second scene the centurion came to Jesus and we see that they both 171 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:40,960 plead with him yet Jesus came into the house no one says anything and he simply 172 00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:48,080 goes up to Peter's mother-in-law touches her hand and she's healed I think 173 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:54,560 there's a couple of things going on here first it goes to show us that Jesus 174 00:18:54,560 --> 00:19:04,400 knows exactly what we need even before we ask him I want you to notice our text 175 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:13,480 he saw her sick in bed Jesus knew exactly what was wrong and what she 176 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:22,880 needed so he goes to second I want you to notice how undramatic her sickness is 177 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:29,800 she had a fever maybe a headache maybe some aches even a flu but again how 178 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:37,840 beautiful is this it reminds us that nothing is too small or insignificant 179 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:45,960 for our Lord to notice and act upon it was said before that we had World Day of 180 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:50,840 Prayer here on Friday and we were reminded of that very thing we were 181 00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:58,000 reminded that we are to take all our cares before the Lord because and Peter 182 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:06,280 makes this explicit because he cares for us and so church it's in these little 183 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:11,560 moments in the ministry of Jesus after he's proven to the crowds that he can 184 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:17,680 make the unclean clean and a moment after he's proven to the Gentiles that he 185 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:22,120 just needs to say the word and it will happen he then comes to the sickly 186 00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:34,080 woman holds her hand and heals her of the smallest thing our God cares he cares 187 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:42,720 about the cosmic things he cares about the little things and we can take it all 188 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:48,800 to him because not only does he care for us but he has the power over it all and 189 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:54,320 when I say all I mean all as Matthew continues in verse 16 of our text this 190 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:59,280 morning when evening came many who were demon possessed were bought to him and 191 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:10,080 he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all sick all the sick and so in 192 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:15,240 one breath Jesus comes into the home of Peter and deals with the smallest thing 193 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:20,440 yet in the next breath people were being bought to Jesus and he's showing us 194 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:26,280 that yet again his power and authority is there it's over all things and he's 195 00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:32,040 doing things that only God can take care of and Matthew tells us in no 196 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:38,640 uncertain terms this was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah 197 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:48,040 he took up our infirmities and bore our diseases verse 17 this is so incredibly 198 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:53,320 interesting what Matthew was doing here and I say it's interesting because our 199 00:21:53,320 --> 00:22:01,120 evangelist is quoting from the prophet Isaiah and Isaiah in the 52nd and 53rd 200 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:07,200 chapter of his book prophesied that there would come a day when God would 201 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:16,440 send a servant and that servant would come to save his people how by serving 202 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:22,240 them by taking on their infirmities and bearing their disease and Matthew is 203 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:28,640 saying to us here this morning in our passage this Jesus this Jesus who taught 204 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:33,520 and preached who was attested to by these incredible signs and wonders to 205 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:38,320 prove he's the Christ who stood in the place of God and had the power over 206 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:44,320 leprosy over a servant of a centurion he never met over a fever over the demon 207 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:51,560 possessed over all sickness this Jesus he could reach into the lives of people 208 00:22:51,560 --> 00:23:01,360 who was so far past human aid and he could save them and spare them there was 209 00:23:01,360 --> 00:23:10,240 nothing too great or too small for him this Jesus was spoken about by God long 210 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:18,200 ago he's the servant that God said he would send one day to save his people 211 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:26,240 church the servant did indeed come and as Isaiah goes on to say in the rest of 212 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:32,960 chapter 53 the servant didn't come to be served but to serve and ultimately he 213 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:42,040 would give everything to serve even giving his very life for others and no 214 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:49,440 more clearly do we see that in the cross in reflection to the ministry of Jesus 215 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:56,520 the Apostle Paul says it like this Christ Jesus who existing in the form of God 216 00:23:56,520 --> 00:24:01,280 didn't consider equality with God something to be exploited instead he 217 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:10,480 emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant taking on the likeness of 218 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:15,560 humanity and when he had come as a man he humbled himself by becoming obedient 219 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:24,880 to the point of death even death on a cross Philippians 2 verses 6 through 8 220 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:32,720 brothers and sisters it's because of God and his sending of his servant that we 221 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:40,000 have such hope it is God who reached down to us to us who were at one time the 222 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:46,400 spiritually unclean and the enemies of God and while we were still his enemies 223 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:53,080 God sent his only begotten son God in the flesh as a servant to serve us in a 224 00:24:53,080 --> 00:25:02,680 way that only God can serve as we've seen this morning there's nothing that 225 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:08,380 can't be healed and there is no one out of the reach of the saving power of the 226 00:25:08,380 --> 00:25:14,760 Lord Jesus Christ so if you're here this morning and you would say that you don't 227 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:20,080 have a hope in the world then I would say to you friend that you are actually 228 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:26,920 here by no mistake you have all the hope in the world if you were just like the 229 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:33,960 people we've seen in our passage this morning humbly come to Jesus and confess 230 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:41,200 your need for him as we've seen this morning those who enter the kingdom of 231 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:48,680 heaven are the ones who humbly come to Jesus and you must come to him alone 232 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:59,600 however know this Jesus never ever cast anyone away from him who does so 233 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:05,240 maybe you're here today and you would say that there's something in your life 234 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:11,280 keeping you physically mentally spiritually bound maybe you would say 235 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:17,300 Michael I really identify with that guy who had leprosy in that you have a 236 00:26:17,300 --> 00:26:23,840 disease in the soul that can't be cured perhaps you're bound by drugs alcohol 237 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:30,560 pornography and you've tried with all your power and might to save yourself 238 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:36,040 maybe you feel like you're totally beyond help and you'll hear this morning 239 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:41,760 and you would say that the sin is so deep that you can't even say it with 240 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:51,640 your mouth brother sister in Christ the Lord Jesus he has the power over every 241 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:58,440 circumstance and if you will just trust him the Lord answers those who call out 242 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:04,120 to him that's his word to us church the forgiveness the cleansing the freeing 243 00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:09,760 comes when we seek Christ and humble ourselves before him and ask us to make 244 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:17,800 ask him to make us clean by his power that is a prayer that he will never ever 245 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:27,560 reject no matter who you are no matter what you've done Christ makes anyone 246 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:35,920 clean of anything finally if you have come to a saving knowledge of the truth 247 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:43,640 if you have experienced Christ's saving power he's making you clean from being 248 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:51,040 unclean from making you his friend from being God's enemy from his tender touch 249 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:57,120 of picking you up then you know like the centurion knew that Jesus has the power 250 00:27:57,120 --> 00:28:03,920 to do all things that he is able to give new life that he's able to bring light 251 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:10,200 into the darkness with just a word of his mouth and so I want to ask you this 252 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:15,560 morning church I want to ask you to pray with me I want you to pray with me 253 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:21,280 that we would be a church that would walk in the example of our Lord Jesus 254 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:27,000 Christ that we would be a people that would reach out to the outcast that we 255 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:32,640 would reach out to our enemies to reach out to the needy the spiritually 256 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:39,080 afflicted and the sick with the good news of God's cure for all our 257 00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:47,040 infirmities to be a people that reach out to the nations with the gospel of 258 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:54,400 Jesus Christ would you pray with me for that this morning let's pray now 259 00:28:56,080 --> 00:29:04,880 father we are a people that recognize that these just aren't words on a page 260 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:15,040 but breathed out from the very spirit of God that these words are eternal words 261 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:25,280 settled in heaven that these words are your words to us father we dare not be 262 00:29:25,280 --> 00:29:32,280 a people that ignore these words and we are so thankful that by your grace you 263 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:37,760 have enlightened the eyes of our hearts that you have given us faith that you 264 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:45,240 have received us into the kingdom of God but father we don't want the story to 265 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:51,320 end there we want you to use us use us for your kingdom for your glory as we 266 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:57,560 prayed this morning the power the glory the kingdom is yours and we would ask 267 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:07,280 that we would be a people used by you city on a hill a light in this world 268 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:16,200 father we ask that you would use us to take the gospel to our neighbors to all 269 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:21,880 those around us you would give us boldness clarity and that we would know 270 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:26,840 that you are with us in the mission because you promised that you would be 271 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:34,160 we ask for all of these things in the name of Jesus and for your glory