WEBVTT 00:00:05.000 --> 00:01:12.250 Yes, Terry. Thank you, Terry. Doris, such a beloved 00:01:12.250 --> 00:01:15.950 part of our church, left incredibly big shoes 00:01:15.950 --> 00:01:19.030 to fill, and she'll be missed. Last Sunday, she 00:01:19.030 --> 00:01:21.689 sat right over here. And the previous Sunday, 00:01:21.790 --> 00:01:24.170 she sat over here. And so we're so very thankful. 00:01:24.189 --> 00:01:26.909 And today, she sits in the communion of saints, 00:01:26.930 --> 00:01:29.810 beholding the face of her Savior. I'm sure she's 00:01:29.810 --> 00:01:32.629 singing that more noble power, sweeter song that 00:01:32.629 --> 00:01:34.689 can save her as she lies silent in the grave. 00:01:34.810 --> 00:01:37.239 That's amazing to me. We'll continue to pray 00:01:37.239 --> 00:01:39.900 for Terry, Kim, the family, and this week as 00:01:39.900 --> 00:01:42.920 we prepare for the funeral. You know, Doris would 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:45.299 want us, she'd say, I know what Doris would say. 00:01:45.340 --> 00:01:46.959 She'd say, right, now preach Jesus to them because 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:49.099 he's the hope. So let's look to Jesus at this 00:01:49.099 --> 00:01:52.859 time, Matthew chapter 9. It's a longer passage 00:01:52.859 --> 00:01:56.400 than what I normally preach on, but let's read 00:01:56.400 --> 00:01:58.200 through. It's going to be verses 14 through 26. 00:01:58.319 --> 00:02:00.019 You may not have, if you've read these before, 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:02.739 think they don't tie in. I hope to show you this 00:02:02.739 --> 00:02:06.760 morning that they actually do go together. So 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:08.379 beginning in verse 14, it says, Then the disciples 00:02:08.379 --> 00:02:10.520 of John, that is John the Baptist, came to him, 00:02:10.580 --> 00:02:13.620 that is Jesus, and they had a question for him. 00:02:13.659 --> 00:02:15.960 They said, Why do we and the Pharisees, we fast 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:19.879 often, but your disciples do not fast. And Jesus 00:02:19.879 --> 00:02:22.599 said to them, Can the friends of the bridegroom 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:24.819 mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:27.900 But days will come when the bridegroom will be 00:02:27.900 --> 00:02:30.460 taken away from them, and then they will fast. 00:02:31.419 --> 00:02:34.759 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old 00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:37.639 garment. For the patch falls away from the garment, 00:02:37.699 --> 00:02:40.860 and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new 00:02:40.860 --> 00:02:43.340 wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins 00:02:43.340 --> 00:02:46.000 break. The wine is spilled, and the wineskins 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:49.900 are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, 00:02:50.060 --> 00:02:52.560 and both are preserved. Now if we stop there, 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:55.219 it would seem a little bit like, what's going 00:02:55.219 --> 00:02:58.539 on here? But keep reading. Now while he spoke 00:02:58.539 --> 00:03:00.879 these things to them, behold, a ruler came, that's 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:03.340 a ruler from the synagogue named Jairus, and 00:03:03.340 --> 00:03:06.539 worshipped him, fell before him. saying, My daughter 00:03:06.539 --> 00:03:09.360 has just died, but come and lay your hand on 00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:12.979 her, and she will live. So Jesus arose and followed 00:03:12.979 --> 00:03:15.960 him, and so did his disciples. And suddenly, 00:03:16.020 --> 00:03:17.379 as they were making their way to Jairus' house, 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:20.319 a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:22.639 came from behind and touched the hem of his garment. 00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:25.699 For she said to herself, If only I may touch 00:03:25.699 --> 00:03:29.300 his garment, I shall be made well. But Jesus 00:03:29.300 --> 00:03:30.979 turned around, and when he saw her, he said, 00:03:31.639 --> 00:03:35.469 Be of good cheer. Take heart, daughter. Your 00:03:35.469 --> 00:03:38.090 faith has made you well. And the woman was made 00:03:38.090 --> 00:03:41.129 well from that hour. Now when Jesus came into 00:03:41.129 --> 00:03:43.469 the ruler's house and saw the flute players and 00:03:43.469 --> 00:03:47.129 the noisy crowd wailing, he said to them, Make 00:03:47.129 --> 00:03:50.129 room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping. 00:03:50.969 --> 00:03:54.610 And they ridiculed him. But when the crowd was 00:03:54.610 --> 00:03:58.129 put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, 00:03:58.169 --> 00:04:01.930 and the girl arose. And the report of this went 00:04:01.930 --> 00:04:05.370 out into all that land. Let's pray and ask the 00:04:05.370 --> 00:04:09.270 Lord to help us. Our Father, Lord, we're so very 00:04:09.270 --> 00:04:13.069 thankful there is hope. There is a confident 00:04:13.069 --> 00:04:17.750 hope, even in the midst of death. Lord, as my 00:04:17.750 --> 00:04:19.310 sister Terry is just standing and testifying 00:04:19.310 --> 00:04:21.089 to her own mother, Lord, we're so very thankful 00:04:21.089 --> 00:04:23.970 that, Lord God, the gift of faith and grace that 00:04:23.970 --> 00:04:25.889 you have given, and Lord God, that even death 00:04:25.889 --> 00:04:29.379 does not separate us from your love. That, Lord, 00:04:29.420 --> 00:04:31.600 there is hope that lies beyond the grave. And, 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:33.920 Lord, God, help us, Lord, this morning to see 00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:36.980 the captain of our salvation, Jesus Christ, and 00:04:36.980 --> 00:04:39.740 what he has done. God, open our eyes to behold 00:04:39.740 --> 00:04:41.759 wondrous things out of your law. We pray this 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:47.279 in Jesus' name. Amen. Now, in Jeremiah 31, there 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:50.899 is a great promise. It's a promise, or prophecy, 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:54.120 I should say, of a time when a new covenant is 00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:56.740 going to be given. And Jeremiah writes about 00:04:56.740 --> 00:04:59.959 this in Jeremiah 31. He says, behold, the days 00:04:59.959 --> 00:05:02.839 are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a 00:05:02.839 --> 00:05:04.839 new covenant with the house of Israel and with 00:05:04.839 --> 00:05:06.680 the house of Judah. Now, they've always had a 00:05:06.680 --> 00:05:09.759 covenant, the Mosaic covenant. But not according 00:05:09.759 --> 00:05:11.500 to the covenant that I made with our fathers 00:05:11.500 --> 00:05:14.199 in that day that I took them by the hand to lead 00:05:14.199 --> 00:05:16.139 them out of the land of Egypt. He's like, we're 00:05:16.139 --> 00:05:18.819 not looking at that old covenant. My covenant, 00:05:18.839 --> 00:05:21.980 which they broke, though I was a husband to them, 00:05:22.019 --> 00:05:25.220 says the Lord. This is a covenant that I will 00:05:25.220 --> 00:05:27.319 make with the house of Israel after those days, 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:31.959 says the Lord. I will put my law in their minds, 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:34.980 and I will write it on their hearts, and I will 00:05:34.980 --> 00:05:38.339 be their God, and they shall be my people. No 00:05:38.339 --> 00:05:40.519 more shall every man teach his neighbor and every 00:05:40.519 --> 00:05:42.600 man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they 00:05:42.600 --> 00:05:45.139 shall all know me, from the least of them to 00:05:45.139 --> 00:05:49.019 the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will 00:05:49.019 --> 00:05:53.709 forgive their iniquity and their sin, I will 00:05:53.709 --> 00:05:57.910 remember no more. Now the Jewish people had always 00:05:57.910 --> 00:06:01.170 been defined by their relationship to the Mosaic 00:06:01.170 --> 00:06:04.290 Covenant. We call that the law, the law of Moses. 00:06:04.589 --> 00:06:07.170 In fact, their whole Jewish identity, the way 00:06:07.170 --> 00:06:08.910 they dressed, the way they ate, the way they 00:06:08.910 --> 00:06:11.550 interacted with people, was tied to that covenant 00:06:11.550 --> 00:06:15.730 that God gave to them through Moses. But now 00:06:15.730 --> 00:06:17.970 you have this great prophet Jeremiah, and God 00:06:17.970 --> 00:06:21.060 is telling the people through him, That there's 00:06:21.060 --> 00:06:23.699 coming a day when a new covenant would come, 00:06:23.819 --> 00:06:26.439 unlike the one they had always known, and it 00:06:26.439 --> 00:06:29.139 would be better. It's new. It's radically different. 00:06:29.660 --> 00:06:33.980 It would not be the law 2 .0. They don't need 00:06:33.980 --> 00:06:36.959 an updated law, but rather this is an entirely 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:41.339 new covenant. So the Jews knew that. Now if you 00:06:41.339 --> 00:06:43.600 look at Isaiah, the other great prophet, there's 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:46.100 all kinds of promises that God gave to Israel 00:06:46.100 --> 00:06:49.879 that he's going to send them a deliverer, a rescuer. 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:53.339 a Messiah. So all this was very familiar to the 00:06:53.339 --> 00:06:55.680 Jewish people. In fact, it would have been in 00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:58.639 their collective psyche at any time. So they 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:01.459 would live in expectation of these promises one 00:07:01.459 --> 00:07:05.519 day being fulfilled. Now, 600 years after Jeremiah, 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:08.860 there comes this man out of the desert, dressed 00:07:08.860 --> 00:07:11.899 in funny clothes, eating funny food, John the 00:07:11.899 --> 00:07:15.740 Baptist, and he comes on the scene and he begins 00:07:15.740 --> 00:07:19.829 to call Israel to repent. And he says, you need 00:07:19.829 --> 00:07:22.569 to repent for the Lord is coming. The Lord's 00:07:22.569 --> 00:07:26.610 arrival is at hand. Something new was happening. 00:07:27.290 --> 00:07:30.029 So in essence, if John was preaching that what 00:07:30.029 --> 00:07:32.589 had been prophesied through Isaiah, through Jeremiah, 00:07:32.670 --> 00:07:35.490 it was coming and it would soon be fulfilled. 00:07:36.529 --> 00:07:38.610 Do you remember on that day when John the Baptist 00:07:38.610 --> 00:07:41.269 first sees his cousin Jesus, he looks and he 00:07:41.269 --> 00:07:44.069 cries out for the very first time, behold the 00:07:44.069 --> 00:07:48.420 Lamb of God, which takes away. The sin of the 00:07:48.420 --> 00:07:51.660 world. Now you can hear in that statement, takes 00:07:51.660 --> 00:07:54.800 away the sin of the world, the echoes of that 00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:57.339 promise given to Jeremiah about the promise of 00:07:57.339 --> 00:08:00.639 a new covenant when what? I will forgive their 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:04.360 iniquity and their sin I will remember no more. 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:08.600 So John, the Baptist that is, began to be heralded 00:08:08.600 --> 00:08:11.379 as this great prophet. He was very popular with 00:08:11.379 --> 00:08:13.540 the people and in fact there was many disciples 00:08:13.540 --> 00:08:17.160 who would rally and follow him. And some of his 00:08:17.160 --> 00:08:20.439 disciples began to have questions when they started 00:08:20.439 --> 00:08:23.420 seeing Jesus and his followers and what they 00:08:23.420 --> 00:08:26.759 were doing. Now last week we saw another group 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:30.100 have some questions. We saw the Pharisees, the 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:33.139 strictest religious leaders. And they were criticizing 00:08:33.139 --> 00:08:36.480 Jesus for eating with tax collectors and eating 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:39.019 with other notorious sinners in Matthew's house. 00:08:40.019 --> 00:08:42.259 They could not believe, the Pharisees could not 00:08:42.259 --> 00:08:45.080 believe that Jesus was the one sent from God. 00:08:45.769 --> 00:08:48.029 Because he was willing to fellowship with men 00:08:48.029 --> 00:08:51.350 like Matthew, other notorious sinners, and people 00:08:51.350 --> 00:08:54.330 of ill repute. But this week we see something 00:08:54.330 --> 00:08:57.309 different. It is not the Pharisees, rather it 00:08:57.309 --> 00:09:00.470 is John the Baptist's disciples who seem to be 00:09:00.470 --> 00:09:03.269 somewhat critical of Jesus himself. Notice verse 00:09:03.269 --> 00:09:06.950 14. So they come to Jesus and they're like, hey, 00:09:06.950 --> 00:09:08.929 we have a question. What's going on with you 00:09:08.929 --> 00:09:11.909 guys? Now they came to Jesus and they said, why 00:09:11.909 --> 00:09:14.750 do we and the Pharisees, we're always fasting, 00:09:15.500 --> 00:09:19.580 But your disciples, you guys don't do that. Now, 00:09:19.600 --> 00:09:22.779 John the Baptist is most likely already in prison 00:09:22.779 --> 00:09:25.820 at this time. And his disciples were a little 00:09:25.820 --> 00:09:27.519 critical. They're looking at Jesus. They know 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:30.980 that John had been pointing to Jesus. But they 00:09:30.980 --> 00:09:33.820 weren't doing the same things that John had taught 00:09:33.820 --> 00:09:36.940 his people to do. They did not participate in 00:09:36.940 --> 00:09:40.279 the same regimen of fasting. Now, you and I might 00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:41.240 be sitting here and saying, well, what's the 00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:43.379 big deal? I mean, why were they so critical? 00:09:44.330 --> 00:09:47.149 Because they could not understand why Jesus and 00:09:47.149 --> 00:09:50.889 his disciples were not strict in fasting. In 00:09:50.889 --> 00:09:52.730 fact, they said, man, this guy's a drunken and 00:09:52.730 --> 00:09:55.429 a wine, he's a winebibber and a glutton. He doesn't 00:09:55.429 --> 00:09:58.110 fast, he eats whatever he wants. They're not 00:09:58.110 --> 00:10:00.529 strict in their religious devotions like we and 00:10:00.529 --> 00:10:03.490 the Pharisees are. Now, they could have been 00:10:03.490 --> 00:10:05.850 confused. It appears as though they're being 00:10:05.850 --> 00:10:09.129 critical. But at the very least, they were unable 00:10:09.129 --> 00:10:12.649 to understand the newness of Jesus' ministry. 00:10:13.870 --> 00:10:16.789 Now they're followers of John the Baptist. Now 00:10:16.789 --> 00:10:19.509 remember John the Baptist is an ascetic. So that 00:10:19.509 --> 00:10:21.309 meant he lived a very strict lifestyle. In fact, 00:10:21.309 --> 00:10:23.970 he lived out in the desert. He followed a very 00:10:23.970 --> 00:10:27.649 strict diet. He ate locusts and honey. He wore 00:10:27.649 --> 00:10:31.049 strange clothes. And he held strict religious 00:10:31.049 --> 00:10:35.110 practices. So his disciples naturally followed 00:10:35.110 --> 00:10:39.129 his own actions. We're also told that the Pharisees 00:10:39.580 --> 00:10:41.539 The strict religious group that opposed Jesus, 00:10:41.740 --> 00:10:44.759 they were always fasting. And all these people 00:10:44.759 --> 00:10:46.779 were fasting, but there was actually only one 00:10:46.779 --> 00:10:49.519 day a year that was commanded by God to fast 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:52.259 for the Jewish people. And that was the day of 00:10:52.259 --> 00:10:54.980 Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Now, there 00:10:54.980 --> 00:10:56.679 were some other special occasions when Israel 00:10:56.679 --> 00:10:59.559 was under attack when a national fast would be 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:02.460 proclaimed as well. But only one day of the year 00:11:02.460 --> 00:11:05.200 when they had to. But you had tradition growing 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:07.759 up. So it's particularly among the Pharisees. 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:10.679 So by the time we get to Jesus, the Pharisees 00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:13.860 were fasting two days a week, every week, religiously. 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:16.519 And apparently that was also the custom of John 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:19.840 and his disciples. That's a lot. I mean, we're 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:22.740 going without food for two days a week, and you 00:11:22.740 --> 00:11:25.440 guys aren't doing anything. Now, why would they 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:29.080 be fasting? Usually that was a sign of sorrow. 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:32.639 But it was also a sign of anticipation. They 00:11:32.639 --> 00:11:35.659 were fasting, awaiting the coming of God's kingdom. 00:11:36.500 --> 00:11:39.019 So they were going to continue to fast until 00:11:39.019 --> 00:11:44.059 the day when the kingdom of God came. And this 00:11:44.059 --> 00:11:46.659 is what Jesus is trying to point them to. They 00:11:46.659 --> 00:11:50.919 failed to understand the king was already present. 00:11:51.840 --> 00:11:55.039 Why are we fasting? And you guys are not doing 00:11:55.039 --> 00:11:58.480 the same. And Jesus said, verse 15 through 17. 00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:01.519 I mean, can the friends of the groom mourn as 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:03.919 long as the groom is with them? He said, now 00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:05.519 don't get me wrong, the days are coming when 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:07.379 the groom will be taken away, and then these 00:12:07.379 --> 00:12:11.679 people will fast. Why didn't Jesus just answer 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:15.440 them directly? He answers them a little enigmatically, 00:12:15.539 --> 00:12:18.299 correct? So he's referring to himself as the 00:12:18.299 --> 00:12:20.779 groom, the bridegroom. He's referring to his 00:12:20.779 --> 00:12:24.500 disciples as friends of the groom. That's all 00:12:24.500 --> 00:12:28.210 Old Testament language. In Isaiah 62 and Hosea 00:12:28.210 --> 00:12:31.570 chapter 2, Israel was referred to as the bride 00:12:31.570 --> 00:12:37.990 of God. God sends his son to be the groom. John's 00:12:37.990 --> 00:12:40.509 disciples were fasting as a sign of mourning. 00:12:41.389 --> 00:12:45.289 But you don't mourn at a wedding. What do you 00:12:45.289 --> 00:12:47.409 do at a wedding? That's a time of rejoicing. 00:12:47.730 --> 00:12:50.269 It's a time of feasting with friends. It's a 00:12:50.269 --> 00:12:53.590 time of great celebration. fasting would be very 00:12:53.590 --> 00:12:56.389 inappropriate at a wedding. And now that the 00:12:56.389 --> 00:13:00.629 king was with them in the flesh, fasting would 00:13:00.629 --> 00:13:03.429 be very inappropriate. And if John's disciples 00:13:03.429 --> 00:13:05.169 could have possibly understood what was taking 00:13:05.169 --> 00:13:07.529 place, then they would have known and understood 00:13:07.529 --> 00:13:10.730 why Jesus and his disciples were not fasting. 00:13:11.350 --> 00:13:14.980 The king had come. The arrival and presence of 00:13:14.980 --> 00:13:18.320 the king was a time for rejoicing, for feasting, 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:20.899 for mirth, for celebration. This was not a time 00:13:20.899 --> 00:13:24.539 for sadness or mourning or fasting at this time. 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:27.639 And then Jesus does, for the very first time 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:31.399 in the Gospel of Matthew, he refers to his eventual 00:13:31.399 --> 00:13:35.879 death. He says, the days will come when the groom 00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:38.980 will be taken away. And then they will fast. 00:13:39.850 --> 00:13:42.470 He said, after I'm gone from here, it will be 00:13:42.470 --> 00:13:48.070 appropriate to mourn, to fast, but not now. Right 00:13:48.070 --> 00:13:51.690 now is a time to celebrate for the new had come, 00:13:51.830 --> 00:13:54.529 what was taking place. And he does this, and 00:13:54.529 --> 00:13:56.950 again, he speaks to them a little bit figuratively. 00:13:57.090 --> 00:14:00.769 Look at verses 16 and 17. He says, if you look, 00:14:00.870 --> 00:14:03.110 he says, no one puts a piece of unshunk cloth 00:14:03.110 --> 00:14:05.590 on an old garment, for the patch pulls away from 00:14:05.590 --> 00:14:08.409 the garment and the tear is made worse. And you're 00:14:08.409 --> 00:14:10.600 like, I mean, is he talking to me about clothing? 00:14:11.100 --> 00:14:13.399 Are we really talking about clothes with holes 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:17.080 in them? No. He said, I want you guys to consider 00:14:17.080 --> 00:14:19.720 what happens when you have a garment that has 00:14:19.720 --> 00:14:22.440 a hole in it and you take this piece of cloth, 00:14:22.580 --> 00:14:24.299 a new piece of cloth, and just patch it on that 00:14:24.299 --> 00:14:27.360 old garment. He said, you know, everyone knew 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:29.820 at that time, if you put a new unshrinked cloth 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:32.639 on an old garment, when that garment is washed 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:34.940 and dried for the very first time, what's going 00:14:34.940 --> 00:14:37.080 to happen to that patch? It's going to shrink. 00:14:37.899 --> 00:14:40.500 For the very first time. And the very thing you're 00:14:40.500 --> 00:14:43.000 trying to do, patch the hole, it'll be worse. 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:46.220 And then he says something else. He says, and 00:14:46.220 --> 00:14:50.200 why don't you put new wine into already old or 00:14:50.200 --> 00:14:53.740 used wineskins? What were the wineskins made 00:14:53.740 --> 00:14:58.139 of? Animal skins. Most likely goat skins. Well, 00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:00.100 what happens when you put wine into wineskin? 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:03.929 That wine is going to continue to ferment. And 00:15:03.929 --> 00:15:06.409 that wineskin is going to expand because of the 00:15:06.409 --> 00:15:09.929 gases being expelled in the process. Again, everyone 00:15:09.929 --> 00:15:12.870 knew at that time. If you would put new wine 00:15:12.870 --> 00:15:17.909 into an old, stretched out wineskin, when that 00:15:17.909 --> 00:15:21.370 new wine begins to ferment further, the skin 00:15:21.370 --> 00:15:26.509 is going to burst, spilling all that wine. Now, 00:15:26.509 --> 00:15:28.710 again, we're like, come on, Jesus, what's the 00:15:28.710 --> 00:15:31.149 point you're trying to make? What was he saying 00:15:31.149 --> 00:15:34.580 to John's disciples? He's not talking about clothing, 00:15:34.620 --> 00:15:37.500 and he's certainly not talking about wine. His 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:42.440 point was that a new age had dawned. The king 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:45.220 had arrived, and he's going to usher in this 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:51.200 new epic under a new covenant. Jesus Christ did 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:55.240 not come to patch up the old covenant. Rather, 00:15:55.320 --> 00:15:58.200 he came to bring something entirely new, exactly 00:15:58.200 --> 00:16:01.519 what Jeremiah had prophesied of. He did not come 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:04.159 to put the new wine of the new covenant into 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:08.320 the old wineskins of the law. That wasn't going 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:11.940 to work. The old was passing away because the 00:16:11.940 --> 00:16:14.559 new had come. The kingdom for which they had 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:17.080 been praying and longing for and anticipating 00:16:17.080 --> 00:16:21.100 had arrived because the king had arrived. So 00:16:21.100 --> 00:16:23.059 this is not a time for mourning, folks. This 00:16:23.059 --> 00:16:25.940 is a time for celebration. The promises of God 00:16:25.940 --> 00:16:28.620 at that time were being fulfilled. When Jesus 00:16:28.620 --> 00:16:31.419 arrived on the scene, he was the consummation 00:16:31.419 --> 00:16:34.620 and fulfillment of the old covenant, and it was 00:16:34.620 --> 00:16:38.580 the inauguration of the new covenant. Now we 00:16:38.580 --> 00:16:40.159 go to two miracles, and they don't seem to be 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:43.659 related. Matthew then, now immediately in his 00:16:43.659 --> 00:16:45.500 condensed version, which is how Matthew writes, 00:16:45.779 --> 00:16:49.860 he presents two intertwined miracles. You have 00:16:49.860 --> 00:16:52.840 the healing of a bleeding woman, and you have 00:16:52.840 --> 00:16:58.289 the raising of a dead girl. Why? The new age 00:16:58.289 --> 00:17:01.429 had come. Because this is what the kingdom of 00:17:01.429 --> 00:17:03.889 God in its fullness looks like. When the new 00:17:03.889 --> 00:17:07.329 kingdom arrives in fullness, there'll be no sickness, 00:17:07.650 --> 00:17:10.910 and there'll be no death, and those are illustrated 00:17:10.910 --> 00:17:14.650 in these miracles before us. These miracles are 00:17:14.650 --> 00:17:18.069 not for ostentatious display. They're not that 00:17:18.069 --> 00:17:21.309 you can sit back and just be in awe. Rather, 00:17:21.430 --> 00:17:24.670 they are there to reveal who Jesus Christ really 00:17:24.670 --> 00:17:28.619 is, the King of Israel. Now look at the text. 00:17:28.700 --> 00:17:32.180 While he was speaking, a ruler came. As he was 00:17:32.180 --> 00:17:34.039 talking with John the Baptist's disciples, you 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:37.079 have a desperate man coming. Very desperate. 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:40.079 And he's asking for help. Now Matthew just tells 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:42.279 us he was a ruler, but Mark and Luke tells us 00:17:42.279 --> 00:17:44.680 he was a ruler of the synagogue. And his name 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:48.359 was Jairus. This means, because he's a ruler 00:17:48.359 --> 00:17:50.920 of the synagogue, he would be incredibly well 00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:54.700 respected in the community. So a man of his stature. 00:17:55.690 --> 00:17:58.569 dignified, well -respected, it would have been 00:17:58.569 --> 00:18:00.589 a hard time for him to come and humble himself 00:18:00.589 --> 00:18:04.650 and ask for help. He didn't normally need to 00:18:04.650 --> 00:18:07.630 ask for help. But this situation was different. 00:18:08.630 --> 00:18:12.490 It was dire. This is a desperate man before us. 00:18:12.750 --> 00:18:15.309 We are told that he came and it says worshipped 00:18:15.309 --> 00:18:17.190 him. Other versions may not say this. It may 00:18:17.190 --> 00:18:20.470 say bow down. The word is proskounou in Greek 00:18:20.470 --> 00:18:23.109 and it literally just means to bow down. And 00:18:23.109 --> 00:18:25.630 this means it's a posture of humility. It's a 00:18:25.630 --> 00:18:28.470 posture of reverence. And when it's referred 00:18:28.470 --> 00:18:30.690 to God, it does mean to worship. We bow down 00:18:30.690 --> 00:18:34.029 before God. So you have this well -respected 00:18:34.029 --> 00:18:36.609 ruler of the synagogue. He falls before Jesus' 00:18:36.829 --> 00:18:42.190 feet, showing respect and submission. He knows 00:18:42.190 --> 00:18:46.450 he needs Jesus. He also knows that Jesus is the 00:18:46.450 --> 00:18:50.049 only one who can help. But why is he so desperate? 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:53.400 Why is he falling before another man's feet begging? 00:18:55.099 --> 00:18:57.640 Because his daughter, we know is 12 years old, 00:18:57.799 --> 00:19:02.220 she just died. Could there be, I don't know, 00:19:02.359 --> 00:19:07.359 any situation more desperate than a dad who just 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:09.920 lost a daughter? You're out of your mind with 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:15.259 grief. You're beside yourself. And this man, 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:17.160 he knows, he's heard of Jesus, he knows Jesus. 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:21.720 He's aware of the miracles. And he believes that 00:19:21.720 --> 00:19:24.519 if Jesus will come and just touch his daughter, 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:29.019 that she's going to live again. That's incredible 00:19:29.019 --> 00:19:31.880 faith. That's not desperation. That's a faith 00:19:31.880 --> 00:19:35.559 -filled man right there. And we see in Jairus 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:38.960 a man who had faith in Jesus. Now, I don't know 00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:42.420 who exactly Jairus thought Jesus was. Obviously, 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:44.619 he knew that Jesus was more than a teacher. He 00:19:44.619 --> 00:19:46.940 was more than a prophet. He was more than a rabbi. 00:19:47.660 --> 00:19:50.420 He also truly believed with all his heart if 00:19:50.420 --> 00:19:54.079 Jesus would just touch his daughter, she'd be 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:57.519 raised back to life. Did he know that Jesus was 00:19:57.519 --> 00:19:59.940 God in the flesh? I don't know. We're not told 00:19:59.940 --> 00:20:02.960 that. But he did know this, that Jesus had been 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:06.980 sent from God and possessed the power of God. 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:10.900 In verse 19, we see Jesus and he agrees to go 00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:13.700 with Jairus. He says, yeah, I'll come. I will 00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:16.549 heal your daughter. He goes and his disciples 00:20:16.549 --> 00:20:19.789 follow him. But in verse 20, this narrative is 00:20:19.789 --> 00:20:23.210 interrupted with another desperate person. This 00:20:23.210 --> 00:20:26.710 time it's not a man. It's a woman. And folks, 00:20:26.769 --> 00:20:28.509 you know women at this time did not hold the 00:20:28.509 --> 00:20:31.950 same status in society as men. But the difference 00:20:31.950 --> 00:20:35.009 between Jairus and this woman, it is striking. 00:20:36.609 --> 00:20:38.750 Jairus, he's a leader. He's a leader of the synagogue. 00:20:39.950 --> 00:20:43.730 We don't even know her name. She's left nameless. 00:20:44.810 --> 00:20:49.250 Jairus is well respected in society. This woman 00:20:49.250 --> 00:20:54.450 has been shunned and exiled from society. Jairus 00:20:54.450 --> 00:20:58.410 is a man of means. He has some wealth. This woman 00:20:58.410 --> 00:21:01.190 has spent all her money on doctors who could 00:21:01.190 --> 00:21:04.710 offer her no help whatsoever. Everyone wanted 00:21:04.710 --> 00:21:08.490 to be Jairus' friend. No one wanted to be hers. 00:21:09.329 --> 00:21:13.640 Verse 20. And suddenly a woman... Who had a flow 00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:15.839 of blood for 12 years, came from behind and touched 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:17.740 the hem of his garment. For she said to herself, 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:22.180 if I only may touch his garment, I shall be made 00:21:22.180 --> 00:21:26.640 well. She's desperate. She's as desperate as 00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:30.500 Jairus was. She had spent every penny she had. 00:21:30.579 --> 00:21:33.380 Her entire life savings were gone. She had spent 00:21:33.380 --> 00:21:35.559 them on doctors and she still was none the better. 00:21:37.180 --> 00:21:41.200 Can you imagine? You're hopeless. I'm not getting 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:43.029 any better. I've spent everything. I don't even 00:21:43.029 --> 00:21:45.589 have money to go to another doctor. She knew 00:21:45.589 --> 00:21:49.809 a doctor's not what I need. And she also had 00:21:49.809 --> 00:21:53.450 heard of a miracle worker. She truly believed 00:21:53.450 --> 00:21:57.829 that if Jesus, if she could just get to Jesus, 00:21:57.950 --> 00:22:00.730 then the relief she so desperately sought for 00:22:00.730 --> 00:22:04.289 would finally be hers. If I only, I don't have 00:22:04.289 --> 00:22:06.369 to have a conversation with him. I don't have 00:22:06.369 --> 00:22:08.470 to have a meeting with him. If I can just touch 00:22:08.470 --> 00:22:12.950 his garment, she said. Then I'll be healed. Just 00:22:12.950 --> 00:22:17.970 like Jairus, this woman has all her faith in 00:22:17.970 --> 00:22:21.690 Jesus. And her situation was not life -threatening, 00:22:21.829 --> 00:22:24.670 but it might as well have been because I'm sure 00:22:24.670 --> 00:22:28.269 she thought her life was over. Because of this 00:22:28.269 --> 00:22:30.289 flow of blood problem, and we don't know exactly 00:22:30.289 --> 00:22:32.069 what it was. Was it hemorrhaging? We don't know. 00:22:32.809 --> 00:22:35.549 But we do know this. She was rendered ritually 00:22:35.549 --> 00:22:38.750 unclean. That meant she could not participate 00:22:38.750 --> 00:22:43.299 in community. or in worship at the temple. She 00:22:43.299 --> 00:22:45.400 would have been forbidden from that. She was 00:22:45.400 --> 00:22:49.380 unable to participate in religious life. And 00:22:49.380 --> 00:22:51.740 as a Jewish woman, that must have felt like a 00:22:51.740 --> 00:22:53.180 death sentence. And by the way, it's been that 00:22:53.180 --> 00:22:55.799 way for 12 years. She can't go to any parties. 00:22:55.819 --> 00:22:57.599 She can't go to a birthday party. She can't be 00:22:57.599 --> 00:22:59.980 in crowds. She can't go temple. She has to stay 00:22:59.980 --> 00:23:02.119 away from everyone, for anyone who touches her 00:23:02.119 --> 00:23:07.720 becomes unclean. She's desperate. Now the other 00:23:07.720 --> 00:23:11.019 Gospels, Mark and Luke, they let us know that 00:23:11.019 --> 00:23:13.519 at the time great crowds were pressing in on 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:16.799 Jesus. Where should this woman not have been 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:20.579 in a great crowd? Why? Because again, anyone 00:23:20.579 --> 00:23:23.519 who just bumped up and touched her at all was 00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:25.940 rendered ceremonially unclean and they wouldn't 00:23:25.940 --> 00:23:27.319 be able to go to the temple until they had been 00:23:27.319 --> 00:23:32.579 cleansed. Mark chapter 5 verse 24. So Jesus went 00:23:32.579 --> 00:23:35.609 with him, that is Jairus, and a great multitude 00:23:35.609 --> 00:23:38.930 followed him, and notice what Mark says, thronged 00:23:38.930 --> 00:23:42.130 him. It's like what we see when stars are out, 00:23:42.190 --> 00:23:44.789 and the paparazzi's all around, and they can't 00:23:44.789 --> 00:23:47.309 hardly make their way through. So the crowds 00:23:47.309 --> 00:23:49.450 were thronging Jesus, and by the way, there was 00:23:49.450 --> 00:23:52.569 a lady among them, this lady, and she was not 00:23:52.569 --> 00:23:55.910 asking for Jesus to meet with her face to face. 00:23:57.190 --> 00:23:58.950 Oh, just let me touch his garment. Let me get 00:23:58.950 --> 00:24:00.670 close enough in there. By the way, how close 00:24:00.670 --> 00:24:01.849 do you have to get if you're going to touch the 00:24:01.849 --> 00:24:04.579 hem of his garment? And why do you think she's 00:24:04.579 --> 00:24:06.859 touching the hem of his garment? Where do you 00:24:06.859 --> 00:24:09.380 think she is? She's probably on her hands and 00:24:09.380 --> 00:24:10.759 knees trying to crawl up between them. I've just 00:24:10.759 --> 00:24:13.940 got to get to that tassel there. And she did 00:24:13.940 --> 00:24:17.240 so. And as soon as she did, she was healed. Notice 00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:19.259 Mark, and I'm going to quote Mark here, chapter 00:24:19.259 --> 00:24:23.640 5 again. Immediately, the fountain of her blood 00:24:23.640 --> 00:24:26.619 was dried up, and she felt in her body that she 00:24:26.619 --> 00:24:30.019 was healed of this affliction. And Jesus immediately, 00:24:30.259 --> 00:24:32.839 knowing in himself, that power had gone out of 00:24:32.839 --> 00:24:35.279 him, he turned around in the crowd and said, 00:24:35.400 --> 00:24:39.039 who touched my clothes? But his disciples, I 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:41.900 love this, they're so human. His disciples said 00:24:41.900 --> 00:24:45.259 to him, what do you mean who touched your clothes? 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:48.559 You see the multitude thronging you. I mean, 00:24:48.579 --> 00:24:50.079 you really want to know who touched you, Jesus? 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:51.759 Look around, any of these people touched you. 00:24:52.940 --> 00:24:56.180 And he looked around to see who had done this 00:24:56.180 --> 00:25:00.769 thing. As soon as she touched his robe. the tassel 00:25:00.769 --> 00:25:04.750 off the garment. He knew power had gone out from 00:25:04.750 --> 00:25:08.849 him. And I love this. He wanted to talk to her. 00:25:09.470 --> 00:25:14.150 He stopped in an emergency situation to talk 00:25:14.150 --> 00:25:16.569 to this woman. Now let me just say, if I'm Jairus, 00:25:16.690 --> 00:25:20.390 I'm frustrated. And that's probably the wrong 00:25:20.390 --> 00:25:23.490 word. Because he needs Jesus to get to his house. 00:25:23.730 --> 00:25:26.950 And he's on his way to his house to heal his 00:25:26.950 --> 00:25:32.140 dead daughter. But he has time, not for another 00:25:32.140 --> 00:25:37.019 Jairus, but for a nameless, helpless, desperate, 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:42.799 unclean lady. Jesus is not a respecter of persons, 00:25:42.839 --> 00:25:47.339 folks. He's not impressed with titles. He's not 00:25:47.339 --> 00:25:49.119 impressed with prestige. He's not going with 00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:51.619 Jairus because he is Jairus, the leader of the 00:25:51.619 --> 00:25:55.400 synagogue. That's not the way he's going. Jairus 00:25:55.400 --> 00:25:58.029 came and humbled himself before him. He's not 00:25:58.029 --> 00:25:59.890 going to show any preferential treatment whatsoever 00:25:59.890 --> 00:26:03.990 over this woman and Jairus simply because he 00:26:03.990 --> 00:26:05.430 was a leader in the community. He's not going 00:26:05.430 --> 00:26:09.589 to do that. I love this. He has time for a poor 00:26:09.589 --> 00:26:15.170 lady amid an emergency. What do you and I see 00:26:15.170 --> 00:26:20.970 in this? He's not too busy for you. He's sometimes 00:26:20.970 --> 00:26:22.289 like, well, he's running the whole universe. 00:26:22.349 --> 00:26:26.230 The cosmos depends upon him. He has time for 00:26:26.230 --> 00:26:29.720 you, folks. See, really important people, they 00:26:29.720 --> 00:26:33.640 have handlers that's going to tell you who gets 00:26:33.640 --> 00:26:35.319 an audience with this person and who does not. 00:26:36.380 --> 00:26:38.500 They oversee their affairs and manages their 00:26:38.500 --> 00:26:41.420 time. Jesus has no handlers, folks. He doesn't 00:26:41.420 --> 00:26:43.079 have anyone saying, yeah, you can get an audience. 00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:45.400 No, you can't. He doesn't only allow certain 00:26:45.400 --> 00:26:47.640 people to talk to him. It doesn't matter if you're 00:26:47.640 --> 00:26:50.279 a gyrus, well -respected, or you're a poor, desperate, 00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:55.740 no -name lady. Why? Because Jesus cares for his 00:26:55.740 --> 00:27:00.319 people. He's the great shepherd. And he protects, 00:27:00.539 --> 00:27:05.980 he defends, and he cares for his sheep, even 00:27:05.980 --> 00:27:09.839 the nameless ones. And perhaps in particular, 00:27:10.059 --> 00:27:13.960 the nameless ones. Verse 22 of chapter 9, he 00:27:13.960 --> 00:27:15.660 says, but Jesus turned around and he saw her 00:27:15.660 --> 00:27:18.539 and he said, I love this, he's not mad at her. 00:27:19.599 --> 00:27:22.359 He said, be of good cheer. Rejoice, take heart, 00:27:22.440 --> 00:27:26.700 daughter. Daughter. Your faith has made you well, 00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:30.380 and the woman's made well from that hour. He 00:27:30.380 --> 00:27:34.579 called her daughter, a term of endearment. He's 00:27:34.579 --> 00:27:38.500 restoring to her dignity and a place back in 00:27:38.500 --> 00:27:42.960 society. No longer is she unclean, folks. No 00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:46.940 longer is she isolated from society. She'd been 00:27:46.940 --> 00:27:51.980 made whole through faith in Jesus. Now, what 00:27:51.980 --> 00:27:55.900 about Jairus? What about his daughter? So he 00:27:55.900 --> 00:27:57.960 goes to the house. And Jesus came into the ruler's 00:27:57.960 --> 00:27:59.680 house. He saw the flute players and the noisy 00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:02.359 crowd wailing. And he said to them, make room 00:28:02.359 --> 00:28:04.579 for this girl's not dead but sleeping. And they 00:28:04.579 --> 00:28:09.059 ridiculed him. They finally get there. I felt, 00:28:09.240 --> 00:28:10.779 if I were Jairus, I mean, it probably had to 00:28:10.779 --> 00:28:13.339 feel like an eternity. They get, and by this 00:28:13.339 --> 00:28:16.220 time, a crowd had gathered to mourn with the 00:28:16.220 --> 00:28:18.740 family. In ancient times, in Jewish culture, 00:28:18.859 --> 00:28:21.680 no one mourned or grieved alone. In fact, it 00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:24.299 was customary that you would hire professional 00:28:24.299 --> 00:28:27.019 mourners. That makes no sense to us. But even 00:28:27.019 --> 00:28:29.619 the poorest of family would have hired two flute 00:28:29.619 --> 00:28:33.380 players and one wailer. Someone who's just wailing 00:28:33.380 --> 00:28:36.440 to be present. And the idea behind that is no 00:28:36.440 --> 00:28:39.319 one grieves alone. You weep with those who weep. 00:28:39.559 --> 00:28:42.359 We rejoice with those who rejoice. But Jairus 00:28:42.359 --> 00:28:45.960 is not a poor man. He's a wealthy man. And Matthew 00:28:45.960 --> 00:28:50.369 tells us there's a noisy crowd. Probably much 00:28:50.369 --> 00:28:52.609 more than two flute players and many wailers. 00:28:53.930 --> 00:28:56.930 The scene's chaotic. It's full of commotion. 00:28:57.349 --> 00:28:59.690 And I love what Jesus does. The Lord steps in 00:28:59.690 --> 00:29:02.269 and he tells them, he goes, hey guys, stop. Stop 00:29:02.269 --> 00:29:06.430 playing, stop wailing, stop grieving. This girl's 00:29:06.430 --> 00:29:11.269 not dead. She's asleep. And they laughed. They 00:29:11.269 --> 00:29:14.170 ridiculed. They mocked him to scorn. They knew 00:29:14.170 --> 00:29:17.369 the girl was dead. And by the way, Jesus knew 00:29:17.369 --> 00:29:20.559 she was dead. But he also knew that in just a 00:29:20.559 --> 00:29:24.279 moment, this little girl would be raised back 00:29:24.279 --> 00:29:26.920 to life so that it would appear that she had 00:29:26.920 --> 00:29:29.880 only been sleeping. And by the way, what do we 00:29:29.880 --> 00:29:31.700 call the believer's repose in death? We call 00:29:31.700 --> 00:29:34.559 it sleep. They're present with the Lord. But 00:29:34.559 --> 00:29:38.440 it's a euphemism for death here. So the Lord 00:29:38.440 --> 00:29:42.059 Jesus, he dismissed the crowd. He puts everyone 00:29:42.059 --> 00:29:44.779 outside we know from Mark. Everyone except Jairus 00:29:44.779 --> 00:29:47.960 and Jairus' wife. Now, I can imagine. This is 00:29:47.960 --> 00:29:51.099 me reading into the text. But if Jesus said, 00:29:51.180 --> 00:29:53.019 I need all these people outside, who do you think 00:29:53.019 --> 00:29:54.339 is the one kicking everyone out of his house? 00:29:55.079 --> 00:29:57.660 I bet Jairus. I mean, Jairus, can you imagine 00:29:57.660 --> 00:30:00.240 him forcefully telling the people to be quiet 00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:03.359 and get out? Why? He truly believes she's going 00:30:03.359 --> 00:30:05.400 to be healed. And the quicker y 'all get out 00:30:05.400 --> 00:30:06.940 of here and let him do his thing, the quicker 00:30:06.940 --> 00:30:10.619 I get my little girl back. This situation is 00:30:10.619 --> 00:30:15.109 serious. Verse 25. And when the crowd was put 00:30:15.109 --> 00:30:19.109 outside, he, that is Jesus, went in. He took 00:30:19.109 --> 00:30:20.630 her by the hand. What do you not do as a Jewish 00:30:20.630 --> 00:30:25.329 man to a dead body? You don't touch. Right? But 00:30:25.329 --> 00:30:29.009 he took her by the hand. And that little girl 00:30:29.009 --> 00:30:33.470 arose. She got up. She was raised back to life. 00:30:34.369 --> 00:30:39.269 Now again, under the old law, the old wineskin, 00:30:39.309 --> 00:30:43.440 if you will. Him touching her would have made 00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:46.680 him unclean. That's the old wine of the law. 00:30:47.900 --> 00:30:52.400 But the new had come. And he made the unclean 00:30:52.400 --> 00:30:56.440 clean without defiling himself. The new wine 00:30:56.440 --> 00:30:59.500 was there. Now look at verse 26. I love when 00:30:59.500 --> 00:31:01.160 the Bible does these things because I think it's 00:31:01.160 --> 00:31:03.599 just hilarious. And in my notes I put, no kidding. 00:31:04.339 --> 00:31:06.019 And the report of this went out into all the 00:31:06.019 --> 00:31:09.079 land. Yeah, no kidding. I'm like, can you imagine? 00:31:09.740 --> 00:31:12.980 Word gets out, a 12 -year -old girl died and 00:31:12.980 --> 00:31:16.359 was raised back to life. I can imagine news went 00:31:16.359 --> 00:31:19.819 everywhere. Why? Because everyone who was sick 00:31:19.819 --> 00:31:26.400 now had hope. And every parent who was on the 00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:30.440 verge of losing a child had hope. It happened 00:31:30.440 --> 00:31:34.960 once. He can do it again. But why is Matthew 00:31:34.960 --> 00:31:39.430 putting these here? Something new was happening 00:31:39.430 --> 00:31:44.809 in Israel because the new age had dawned. The 00:31:44.809 --> 00:31:50.549 new age had come. The new wine of the new covenant 00:31:50.549 --> 00:31:54.950 was ready to drink. You say, but how does this 00:31:54.950 --> 00:31:57.009 apply to any of us here this morning at Mamre 00:31:57.009 --> 00:32:00.650 Baptist Church in Southern Ohio? I want you to 00:32:00.650 --> 00:32:02.549 see this one. I think this is exactly what's 00:32:02.549 --> 00:32:05.430 so important. Look at what Matthew's doing. He 00:32:05.430 --> 00:32:10.900 is not happy. sharing miracle stories. Oh, he's 00:32:10.900 --> 00:32:13.980 a great apologist building a case for Christ. 00:32:15.059 --> 00:32:18.900 So let me ask you this question. Who is Jesus? 00:32:21.019 --> 00:32:24.480 Matthew has absolutely wonderfully and masterfully 00:32:24.480 --> 00:32:28.359 shown us. Jesus is the one who has power over 00:32:28.359 --> 00:32:30.779 stormy seas. Remember back in Matthew 8? They're 00:32:30.779 --> 00:32:32.759 in the boat. They're going to drown and Jesus 00:32:32.759 --> 00:32:34.980 gets up and says, hey, wind and waves, stop. 00:32:35.720 --> 00:32:38.480 And they did. He's the one who has power over 00:32:38.480 --> 00:32:41.000 demons. Remember Matthew 8? He goes over to the 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:43.920 Decapolis, the Gentile land, and the two demon 00:32:43.920 --> 00:32:46.559 -possessed men, and Jesus rescues them and restores 00:32:46.559 --> 00:32:50.160 them back to natural health. He's the one who 00:32:50.160 --> 00:32:52.579 restored and healed the paralyzed man. Remember 00:32:52.579 --> 00:32:55.400 in Matthew 9, the four friends who brought their 00:32:55.400 --> 00:32:57.519 quadriplegic friend to Jesus, and Jesus healed 00:32:57.519 --> 00:33:01.839 the man? He healed the paralyzed man. Today he's 00:33:01.839 --> 00:33:03.539 the one who healed the woman with the issue of 00:33:03.539 --> 00:33:05.440 blood and no doctor could do anything for her. 00:33:06.980 --> 00:33:10.660 Today we see he is the one who raises the dead 00:33:10.660 --> 00:33:17.359 back to life. Who is he? He's the long awaited 00:33:17.359 --> 00:33:23.059 promised by God king. That's who he is. And this 00:33:23.059 --> 00:33:26.099 is what it means this morning. He's the one who 00:33:26.099 --> 00:33:30.059 can bring hope to hopeless situations. He's the 00:33:30.059 --> 00:33:32.700 one who has authority, we saw also in Mark 9, 00:33:32.859 --> 00:33:37.200 to forgive sins. He is the only one here this 00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:40.559 morning who can save your soul and deliver you 00:33:40.559 --> 00:33:43.680 from the consequences of your sin. He is the 00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:47.319 one. Jesus Christ. He's the one who brought the 00:33:47.319 --> 00:33:49.900 new wine of the new covenant with the promise 00:33:49.900 --> 00:33:52.720 of eternal forgiveness. Their sins and iniquities 00:33:52.720 --> 00:33:55.920 I will remember no more. Praise God for that. 00:33:57.130 --> 00:33:59.089 Friends, your faith does not need to be perfect. 00:33:59.970 --> 00:34:04.170 Whose is? But just like Jairus and just like 00:34:04.170 --> 00:34:09.050 this woman, it must rest completely in Jesus 00:34:09.050 --> 00:34:12.670 Christ. That's it. That's what Matthew's driving 00:34:12.670 --> 00:34:19.030 home. He's the king. He is Lord. He is the longed 00:34:19.030 --> 00:34:25.030 for Messiah. So now what? One principle and that's 00:34:25.030 --> 00:34:30.239 it. This is the whole point. Trust him. You trust 00:34:30.239 --> 00:34:35.239 him. Lord, I trust you. What helps a grieving 00:34:35.239 --> 00:34:39.320 family? Jesus Christ. The one who has defeated 00:34:39.320 --> 00:34:45.019 death. What hope do you have? Jesus Christ. When 00:34:45.019 --> 00:34:47.639 you're going through the worst trial of your 00:34:47.639 --> 00:34:51.659 life, where do you turn? To Jesus Christ. But 00:34:51.659 --> 00:34:53.760 on your best day, when everything seems to be 00:34:53.760 --> 00:34:56.829 sunshiny, who are you trusting? Jesus Christ. 00:34:57.389 --> 00:35:01.329 There is no other. Matthew has clearly shown 00:35:01.329 --> 00:35:05.070 us that, friends. Now you trust him. The new 00:35:05.070 --> 00:35:08.849 wine, it was shed on that fateful day at Calvary. 00:35:09.289 --> 00:35:12.469 And today we share in that. We look forward to 00:35:12.469 --> 00:35:14.949 this meal and we get to remember Jesus and his 00:35:14.949 --> 00:35:17.210 death and his body being broken and his blood 00:35:17.210 --> 00:35:19.809 being shed for our sins and we commune with the 00:35:19.809 --> 00:35:22.289 risen Lord who's alive today and offers fellowship 00:35:22.289 --> 00:35:25.909 with his people. If you don't know him, trust 00:35:25.909 --> 00:35:29.889 him. Bow before him, confessing your sins and 00:35:29.889 --> 00:35:34.809 crying out, Lord, save me. And he saves all who 00:35:34.809 --> 00:35:39.190 come to him in faith. Let's pray. Father, I thank 00:35:39.190 --> 00:35:40.010 you for your word.