WEBVTT 00:00:10.630 --> 00:00:16.550 We are in Matthew chapter 12. We're resuming 00:00:16.550 --> 00:00:18.530 our study in Matthew this morning last week. 00:00:19.210 --> 00:00:21.550 We took a little detour and went over to Hebrews 00:00:21.550 --> 00:00:24.750 6, but we're back in our study going through 00:00:24.750 --> 00:00:28.309 this precious gospel. Our text this morning will 00:00:28.309 --> 00:00:31.370 be found in verses 14. Going through verse 21. 00:00:34.390 --> 00:00:37.909 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against 00:00:37.909 --> 00:00:41.109 him, that is Jesus, how they might destroy him. 00:00:42.009 --> 00:00:44.789 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew from there 00:00:44.789 --> 00:00:48.350 and great multitudes followed him and he healed 00:00:48.350 --> 00:00:51.469 them all. Yet he warned them not to make him 00:00:51.469 --> 00:00:55.210 known that it might be fulfilled which is spoken 00:00:55.210 --> 00:00:58.310 by Isaiah the prophet saying, and here he quotes 00:00:58.310 --> 00:01:02.590 Isaiah 42. Behold my servant whom I have chosen, 00:01:02.770 --> 00:01:05.930 my beloved in whom my soul was well pleased. 00:01:06.870 --> 00:01:10.450 I will put my spirit upon him, and he will declare 00:01:10.450 --> 00:01:14.170 justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel, 00:01:14.170 --> 00:01:18.349 nor cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in 00:01:18.349 --> 00:01:21.709 the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, 00:01:21.969 --> 00:01:26.109 and smoking flax he will not quench, until he 00:01:26.109 --> 00:01:30.620 sends forth justice to victory. And in his name, 00:01:30.620 --> 00:01:36.879 Gentiles will trust. Let's pray. Father, thank 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:40.040 you for your word. Lord, it is a rich food for 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:43.859 our hungry soul. Feed us with manna from heaven, 00:01:43.980 --> 00:01:47.879 Lord. Show us Christ, we pray in his name. Amen. 00:01:49.819 --> 00:01:52.400 When we think of people in power and authority, 00:01:52.760 --> 00:01:57.599 most of us think of those men who are loud, brash. 00:01:58.060 --> 00:02:00.700 Self -assertive. And we think that because that's 00:02:00.700 --> 00:02:02.659 what we're used to seeing. It's the status quo. 00:02:03.239 --> 00:02:06.099 We see this whether they're a titan of business 00:02:06.099 --> 00:02:09.800 and industry or even our political leaders. Strong 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:13.879 men. Unflinching. And they seek to project strength 00:02:13.879 --> 00:02:17.560 at all times. There's a false bravado. They want 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:20.719 to let you know they're in charge. So they pound 00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:23.599 their chest. They flex muscles. They speak loudly, 00:02:23.639 --> 00:02:26.960 seeking to drown out any other voices. They're 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:29.979 self -promoters, and they're rarely known for 00:02:29.979 --> 00:02:33.020 their humility. But in our text this morning 00:02:33.020 --> 00:02:35.979 in Matthew 12, we see an altogether different 00:02:35.979 --> 00:02:39.539 picture of leadership. Here we see Jesus Christ. 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:43.780 He never raised his voice. He never showed any 00:02:43.780 --> 00:02:46.840 violence. He did not come seeking to overthrow 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:51.199 Rome. And yet, even through all of his mild -manneredness, 00:02:51.240 --> 00:02:54.449 he forever changed the world. Now what's ironic 00:02:54.449 --> 00:02:56.930 is Jesus, who never did any of those things that 00:02:56.930 --> 00:02:59.490 would cause a disturbance, was perceived as a 00:02:59.490 --> 00:03:03.689 threat to the power brokers of his day. When 00:03:03.689 --> 00:03:06.509 Jesus came on the scene, the status quo was upended, 00:03:06.530 --> 00:03:09.150 especially for the religious leaders of that 00:03:09.150 --> 00:03:11.750 day. Now we're in Matthew 12, and you have to 00:03:11.750 --> 00:03:14.550 understand what had been taking place. Jesus 00:03:14.550 --> 00:03:18.810 had healed a man on the Sabbath day. And the 00:03:18.810 --> 00:03:20.870 Pharisees, because of that, they want him dead. 00:03:21.770 --> 00:03:24.789 Now, it's not the healing that ultimately angered 00:03:24.789 --> 00:03:28.229 them. Rather, they saw Jesus as a threat to their 00:03:28.229 --> 00:03:32.770 influence. He was a threat to their power. We 00:03:32.770 --> 00:03:34.629 might even say their brand was being threatened. 00:03:35.710 --> 00:03:37.770 Pharisees were very jealous of him. Why? Because 00:03:37.770 --> 00:03:40.530 people were abandoning the Pharisees and they 00:03:40.530 --> 00:03:42.849 were flocking to Jesus. I mean, at this time, 00:03:42.909 --> 00:03:46.129 Jesus is wildly popular. He's attracting massive 00:03:46.129 --> 00:03:49.979 crowds. Thrones of people are following him in 00:03:49.979 --> 00:03:53.960 Galilee wherever he went. The more popular Jesus 00:03:53.960 --> 00:03:58.860 became, the more power the Pharisees lost. Now 00:03:58.860 --> 00:04:01.819 Jesus, he knew what was going on. He knew the 00:04:01.819 --> 00:04:04.800 Pharisees wanted him dead. So what did he do? 00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:07.900 Now here's Jesus, the blessed son of God, having 00:04:07.900 --> 00:04:10.680 all authority, all power in heaven and on earth. 00:04:10.860 --> 00:04:13.780 What did he do? Did he respond in thunderous 00:04:13.780 --> 00:04:17.769 judgment? Did he rain down sulfur and brimstone 00:04:17.769 --> 00:04:20.129 on their heads of those hypocrites that day? 00:04:20.910 --> 00:04:26.569 No. He simply left. He moved on. And Matthew 00:04:26.569 --> 00:04:29.050 says, now this is what's interesting, Matthew 00:04:29.050 --> 00:04:32.670 says Jesus not responding, but simply moving 00:04:32.670 --> 00:04:36.230 on, is actually a fulfillment of an Isaiah prophecy 00:04:36.230 --> 00:04:40.589 found in chapter 42. Now we can't just pick up 00:04:40.589 --> 00:04:43.420 the context in verse 14. You have to go back 00:04:43.420 --> 00:04:45.399 to verses 1 and 2 to understand what was really 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:47.980 happening. Why are the Pharisees so mad at Jesus 00:04:47.980 --> 00:04:51.740 right now? Well, verses 1 and 2. At that time, 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:54.920 Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. 00:04:55.100 --> 00:04:57.839 It's an important point. And his disciples, they 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:00.620 were hungry, and they began to pluck some heads 00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:03.079 of grain and eat it. Just pluck it off and eat 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:05.680 it right there. And the Pharisees saw that, and 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:08.560 they said to him, that is to Jesus, look, your 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:11.199 disciples are doing what is not lawful to do 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:14.379 on the Sabbath. Basically, they are saying, your 00:05:14.379 --> 00:05:18.120 disciples are breaking the law of God. Well, 00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:20.300 they were just hungry. They picked some grain, 00:05:20.399 --> 00:05:23.540 they ate it, and it happened to be on Saturday, 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:26.439 the Sabbath. And the Pharisees did not like it, 00:05:26.459 --> 00:05:28.699 and so they were trying to discredit Jesus, and 00:05:28.699 --> 00:05:31.079 they're saying they're Sabbath breakers. Well, 00:05:31.100 --> 00:05:33.779 Jesus, he takes them back to the Old Testament. 00:05:34.220 --> 00:05:36.740 He took them back to the scriptures, and he showed 00:05:36.740 --> 00:05:40.000 them a passage where David and his men had done 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:42.439 a similar thing. They ate some bread that was 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:45.480 only for the priest to eat, and yet God did not 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:48.240 hold them guilty. And Jesus is saying it's the 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:51.220 same principle here. Well, this created a tension. 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:54.420 You had tension between Jesus and the Pharisees. 00:05:55.019 --> 00:05:58.139 Which one of these has the authority to properly 00:05:58.139 --> 00:06:02.759 interpret the Torah? The law of God. See, up 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:05.939 until Jesus came, the Pharisees were always held 00:06:05.939 --> 00:06:08.600 in high regard. It was just naturally assumed 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:13.079 they were the proper examples to follow. It was 00:06:13.079 --> 00:06:15.500 assumed that the Pharisees correctly taught the 00:06:15.500 --> 00:06:19.920 law of God. But Jesus, he arrived and he didn't 00:06:19.920 --> 00:06:21.680 agree to the Pharisees' interpretation at all. 00:06:21.819 --> 00:06:24.199 And he certainly didn't agree to any of their 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:27.439 added laws that they had made. And they were 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:31.709 outraged. Jesus is refusing to bow to their demands. 00:06:31.870 --> 00:06:34.470 He refuses to comply with their man -made traditions. 00:06:34.810 --> 00:06:38.110 And yet everyone had always looked at this holy 00:06:38.110 --> 00:06:41.470 body, supposedly, the Pharisees, as examples 00:06:41.470 --> 00:06:45.629 of true piety, true godliness. And by the way, 00:06:45.629 --> 00:06:48.470 the Pharisees loved every minute of that. They 00:06:48.470 --> 00:06:52.569 loved being seen as holy. They loved being seen 00:06:52.569 --> 00:06:57.910 as righteous. But Jesus exposed them as hypocrites. 00:06:58.910 --> 00:07:02.910 And they hated him for it. They're really rabidly 00:07:02.910 --> 00:07:05.649 jealous of Jesus. And their jealousy is going 00:07:05.649 --> 00:07:08.990 to lead them to plot murder. You see, later in 00:07:08.990 --> 00:07:10.810 that same day, so they had just been picking 00:07:10.810 --> 00:07:14.290 some grain. Later that same day, the Pharisees 00:07:14.290 --> 00:07:17.829 followed Jesus into a synagogue. And there was 00:07:17.829 --> 00:07:20.310 a man present in the assembly who had a withered 00:07:20.310 --> 00:07:23.370 hand, a deformed hand. And Jesus healed that 00:07:23.370 --> 00:07:26.149 man. Because the Pharisees were daring him to 00:07:26.149 --> 00:07:28.819 do so, basically. And then we read in verse 13, 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:33.180 Jesus said to the man, shut out your hand. And 00:07:33.180 --> 00:07:34.720 he stretched it out and it was restored. It was 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:38.560 made whole as the other. Now notice the next 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:41.980 phrase. They saw the miracle. They went out and 00:07:41.980 --> 00:07:44.939 they plotted against him how they might destroy 00:07:44.939 --> 00:07:47.720 him. They had just been publicly embarrassed. 00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:52.399 Jesus showed them up, if you will. And so they're 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:55.220 like, he needs to go. After seeing this miracle, 00:07:55.319 --> 00:07:58.410 here's the thing. These Pharisees, they should 00:07:58.410 --> 00:08:01.209 have fallen on their knees before the Lord Jesus 00:08:01.209 --> 00:08:05.110 Christ and begged for forgiveness. Rather, they 00:08:05.110 --> 00:08:09.930 decided, no, he needs to die. Why die? He's a 00:08:09.930 --> 00:08:12.649 threat. He's a threat to their power and influence. 00:08:12.930 --> 00:08:15.730 And notice what it says there. They plotted against 00:08:15.730 --> 00:08:18.930 him. If you have a King James, it will say they 00:08:18.930 --> 00:08:22.589 held counsel against him. Friends, this is legal 00:08:22.589 --> 00:08:26.329 language. This is not some temporary emotional 00:08:26.329 --> 00:08:29.290 outburst. It's not like, oh, they wanted to kill 00:08:29.290 --> 00:08:32.250 him, and then their emotions subsided. No, this 00:08:32.250 --> 00:08:35.909 is a planned, deliberate action. They actually 00:08:35.909 --> 00:08:40.870 went into session. They held counsel, and they 00:08:40.870 --> 00:08:44.750 determined that Jesus must die. Now, this not 00:08:44.750 --> 00:08:47.730 only is ironic, it's incredibly hypocritical. 00:08:48.169 --> 00:08:52.250 These same people who were supposedly so concerned 00:08:52.250 --> 00:08:55.710 with the law being broken are now breaking that 00:08:55.710 --> 00:08:59.350 law by plotting murder against an innocent man. 00:09:00.309 --> 00:09:04.870 But as the old adage goes, power tends to corrupt 00:09:04.870 --> 00:09:10.029 and absolute power corrupts absolutely. See, 00:09:10.070 --> 00:09:15.350 as power and influence rises, so also the temptation 00:09:15.350 --> 00:09:19.679 to moral corruption. And you just see that across 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:23.340 the board. It's absolutely true. Those who hold 00:09:23.340 --> 00:09:28.679 extremely high influential positions, they usually 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:31.039 do not hold those positions with great humility. 00:09:32.179 --> 00:09:35.600 And when their brand or their influence or their 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:39.519 power is being threatened, they tend to power 00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:44.179 grab. They hold on to it at all costs. And we 00:09:44.179 --> 00:09:46.820 see that. But I would tell us we need to check 00:09:46.820 --> 00:09:49.539 our own egos. We need to look for blind spots 00:09:49.539 --> 00:09:52.580 in our own lives where that may be true. Now 00:09:52.580 --> 00:09:54.960 there's one interesting detail that Mark puts 00:09:54.960 --> 00:09:57.679 in his gospel that Matthew omits. Same situation. 00:09:57.860 --> 00:10:01.360 It's the same scenario. And Mark adds this in 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:04.480 chapter 3. Then the Pharisees went out and immediately 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:08.159 plotted with the Herodians how they might destroy 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:10.899 him. Now Matthew doesn't say that, but Mark does. 00:10:11.059 --> 00:10:12.460 So you're like, well, who were the Herodians? 00:10:13.769 --> 00:10:16.169 You can see the word Herod there, right? This 00:10:16.169 --> 00:10:17.970 is a political group. This is not a religious 00:10:17.970 --> 00:10:20.490 group like scribes and Pharisees or Pharisees 00:10:20.490 --> 00:10:23.269 and Sadducees. These are people, these are men 00:10:23.269 --> 00:10:27.669 who are supporters of the Herodian dynasty currently 00:10:27.669 --> 00:10:33.250 held by Herod Antipas who ruled in Galilee. So 00:10:33.250 --> 00:10:35.769 their concern, now these are Jews, but their 00:10:35.769 --> 00:10:38.830 concern is not for the law of Moses, certainly 00:10:38.830 --> 00:10:41.649 less for theology. Their concern is all about 00:10:41.649 --> 00:10:45.129 political power. Now normally, the Pharisees 00:10:45.129 --> 00:10:48.370 and the Herodians hated each other. Natural enemies. 00:10:49.330 --> 00:10:51.649 But in this case, they both wanted Jesus gone. 00:10:52.389 --> 00:10:55.570 For different reasons. But they both wanted to 00:10:55.570 --> 00:10:58.830 protect their own power base. See, the Herodians 00:10:58.830 --> 00:11:00.929 didn't like Jesus because what were the people 00:11:00.929 --> 00:11:05.110 saying about Jesus? He's king of Israel. Well, 00:11:05.149 --> 00:11:07.850 if he's king of Israel, that's a threat to Herod. 00:11:08.409 --> 00:11:12.070 Keep in mind that Herod is reigning in Galilee. 00:11:12.810 --> 00:11:16.629 Where is Jesus doing most of his miracles? In 00:11:16.629 --> 00:11:20.629 Galilee, right where Herod reigned. So if people 00:11:20.629 --> 00:11:23.350 were saying that Jesus is the king of Israel 00:11:23.350 --> 00:11:27.350 and this king's arrived in Galilee, well, the 00:11:27.350 --> 00:11:30.210 Roman government might get word of it and remove 00:11:30.210 --> 00:11:32.950 Herod from his position since he didn't do anything 00:11:32.950 --> 00:11:35.549 about it. Because if it's a threat to the political 00:11:35.549 --> 00:11:39.169 power, it's ultimately a threat to Rome. Well, 00:11:39.210 --> 00:11:41.029 the Herodians weren't going to risk that because 00:11:41.029 --> 00:11:44.080 they would lose everything. They had vested interest 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:46.960 in that as well, so they're conspiring with their 00:11:46.960 --> 00:11:49.860 enemies, in this case the Pharisees. Again, we 00:11:49.860 --> 00:11:52.200 think of the old adage, the enemy of my enemy 00:11:52.200 --> 00:11:54.779 is my friend. And that's exactly what you see 00:11:54.779 --> 00:11:58.519 here. Now you can start to see something. The 00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:02.519 Lord is attracting very powerful enemies. It's 00:12:02.519 --> 00:12:06.019 a foreshadowing that trouble is probably coming 00:12:06.019 --> 00:12:09.440 his way and sooner rather than later. Now if 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:11.980 you look closely though, If we would look closely 00:12:11.980 --> 00:12:15.679 at why the Pharisees hated Jesus so much, it's 00:12:15.679 --> 00:12:18.740 ultimately because he was good and they were 00:12:18.740 --> 00:12:22.740 not. Jesus held true authority from God and his 00:12:22.740 --> 00:12:26.080 true authority showed up their counterfeit authority. 00:12:27.399 --> 00:12:30.679 Jesus was so good at exposing their hypocrisy. 00:12:31.419 --> 00:12:34.580 He disrupted all the good thing that they had 00:12:34.580 --> 00:12:37.379 going on there. So they were starting to lose 00:12:37.379 --> 00:12:39.600 esteem. They were starting to lose influence 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:42.580 among the people. And that's the one thing they 00:12:42.580 --> 00:12:46.919 could not tolerate. Now what did Jesus do, knowing 00:12:46.919 --> 00:12:50.379 both Pharisees and Herodians, they want him dead? 00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:55.700 Verse 15. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew 00:12:55.700 --> 00:12:58.720 from there, and great multitudes followed him, 00:12:58.720 --> 00:13:04.320 and he healed them all. He left. Now he didn't 00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:07.429 leave out of fear. Jesus is not afraid to die. 00:13:07.490 --> 00:13:10.429 In fact, he knew he was born to die. From the 00:13:10.429 --> 00:13:12.950 beginning, the Lord knew he had come to give 00:13:12.950 --> 00:13:17.049 his life as a ransom for his sinful people. There's 00:13:17.049 --> 00:13:20.549 not fear here. He left because his time had not 00:13:20.549 --> 00:13:23.870 yet come. Jesus is being wise. He's not going 00:13:23.870 --> 00:13:26.730 to provoke a premature confrontation. When the 00:13:26.730 --> 00:13:29.490 Father tells him that his hour has come, when 00:13:29.490 --> 00:13:32.210 his time has come, we read in the Gospels that 00:13:32.210 --> 00:13:35.730 Jesus set his face like a flint. to head to Jerusalem, 00:13:35.909 --> 00:13:38.330 knowing full well that once he arrived in Jerusalem, 00:13:38.509 --> 00:13:41.289 death awaited him. But he set his face like a 00:13:41.289 --> 00:13:43.490 flint. He's not afraid. Now, how do we know he's 00:13:43.490 --> 00:13:45.149 not afraid? It's evident even in this verse, 00:13:45.210 --> 00:13:47.789 because what did he continue to do? He continues 00:13:47.789 --> 00:13:49.990 to minister to the people. He does not go into 00:13:49.990 --> 00:13:53.370 hiding. In fact, it says great multitudes. Great 00:13:53.370 --> 00:13:57.389 is the word megas. Mega amounts of people are 00:13:57.389 --> 00:14:01.429 following Jesus, and he heals them all. He's 00:14:01.429 --> 00:14:03.129 simply doing what he's been doing all along. 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:06.440 He's not going to be distracted from his mission. 00:14:06.519 --> 00:14:09.299 He continues to minister to the people. He's 00:14:09.299 --> 00:14:12.340 not shrinking back from opposition at all. In 00:14:12.340 --> 00:14:16.539 fact, he's defeating hell one healed person at 00:14:16.539 --> 00:14:20.179 a time. You can threaten him, but you're not 00:14:20.179 --> 00:14:22.399 going to force him to quit what he had been sent 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:25.080 to do. You have to understand something. Jesus 00:14:25.080 --> 00:14:29.019 is healing. But by healing the masses, he was 00:14:29.019 --> 00:14:32.980 proving to everyone that the kingdom of God had 00:14:32.980 --> 00:14:36.919 come. Now in verse 16, after he healed them, 00:14:37.019 --> 00:14:40.860 we read, he warned them not to make him known. 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:46.200 Seems a little out of place or obscure. Why did 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:48.259 Jesus command those who had been healed to stay 00:14:48.259 --> 00:14:52.320 silent? I think there's three reasons. First, 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:55.320 he did not want people following him simply for 00:14:55.320 --> 00:14:58.539 the sake of miracles. I mean, he's not trying, 00:14:58.659 --> 00:15:00.519 see, Jesus is not trying to be wildly popular. 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:04.509 He's not courting public opinion or favor. His 00:15:04.509 --> 00:15:07.169 miracles were not done so that he gets all these 00:15:07.169 --> 00:15:09.870 people following him. Rather, his miracles were 00:15:09.870 --> 00:15:13.149 signs. And they were signs demonstrating the 00:15:13.149 --> 00:15:17.769 kingdom of God had come. But people often mistook 00:15:17.769 --> 00:15:20.610 the signs. For example, in John chapter 6, we 00:15:20.610 --> 00:15:24.129 know that Jesus fed the 5 ,000. Probably 15 ,000 00:15:24.129 --> 00:15:26.789 to 20 ,000 women and children. He fed them with 00:15:26.789 --> 00:15:29.309 what? Fish and bread. And it tells us in John 00:15:29.309 --> 00:15:32.980 6 that many people sought him the next day. But 00:15:32.980 --> 00:15:35.159 they sought him not because of the miracles or 00:15:35.159 --> 00:15:38.440 not because of who he was, but because they ate 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:42.200 the food and they wanted more. They saw Jesus 00:15:42.200 --> 00:15:44.179 as a great meal ticket. I mean, this guy can 00:15:44.179 --> 00:15:46.419 keep us fed, and this is a time when there was 00:15:46.419 --> 00:15:48.919 real food scarcity. It was not as readily available 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:52.740 as it is to us today. So in John 6, 26, we read 00:15:52.740 --> 00:15:55.960 this. Jesus answered them and said, Most assuredly, 00:15:55.960 --> 00:15:58.019 I say to you, you seek me. Yeah, you're coming 00:15:58.019 --> 00:16:02.220 to me. But not because you saw the signs. But 00:16:02.220 --> 00:16:04.980 because you ate of the loaves and you were filled. 00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:06.799 You're coming to me because you got your bellies 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:10.379 full. And he did not want people following him 00:16:10.379 --> 00:16:14.679 simply what they could get out of him. And by 00:16:14.679 --> 00:16:16.299 the way, that's the way Jesus is promoted a lot 00:16:16.299 --> 00:16:19.960 today. Particularly in a prosperity gospel. So 00:16:19.960 --> 00:16:21.659 he didn't want them, yes, I can make your life 00:16:21.659 --> 00:16:23.700 better. I can keep you full. I can keep you healthy. 00:16:23.860 --> 00:16:25.980 I can always heal you. That's not why Jesus would 00:16:25.980 --> 00:16:29.759 come. Secondly, he said, don't make him known. 00:16:31.690 --> 00:16:34.509 to provoke a confrontation before his hour had 00:16:34.509 --> 00:16:39.509 come. He knew the more miracles he did, the more 00:16:39.509 --> 00:16:42.690 famous he became, or his word got out about his 00:16:42.690 --> 00:16:45.549 ability to perform these mighty signs, people 00:16:45.549 --> 00:16:47.850 are going to start being attracted to him more, 00:16:47.950 --> 00:16:51.950 and they're going to want to make him king. They 00:16:51.950 --> 00:16:54.139 didn't understand his mission. And we know that 00:16:54.139 --> 00:16:57.080 because in John 6, that same chapter, when Jesus 00:16:57.080 --> 00:16:59.860 perceived that they were about to come and take 00:16:59.860 --> 00:17:04.839 him by force to do what? To make him king. He 00:17:04.839 --> 00:17:06.680 departed again to the mountain by himself alone. 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:11.779 Jesus is on a timeline. But it's a timeline set 00:17:11.779 --> 00:17:15.640 by his father, not by the people. But there's 00:17:15.640 --> 00:17:17.980 a third reason, and we would not know this unless 00:17:17.980 --> 00:17:20.980 Matthew had revealed it. Matthew gives it. Look 00:17:20.980 --> 00:17:24.140 at verse 17. He said, Jesus, now notice the context. 00:17:24.759 --> 00:17:27.339 He healed them and he said, be quiet. Don't make 00:17:27.339 --> 00:17:30.680 me known. Why? That it might be fulfilled which 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:36.079 is spoken by Isaiah the prophet. Matthew is telling 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:38.960 us something here. And I want to be careful that 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:40.420 we don't miss it because this is the point of 00:17:40.420 --> 00:17:46.319 this text. Jesus' humility, his desire not to 00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:50.279 be made known, he said, is a fulfillment. From 00:17:50.279 --> 00:17:53.859 a prophecy in Isaiah, specifically Isaiah 42. 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:58.180 Now there are four prophecies that come at the 00:17:58.180 --> 00:18:00.180 latter part of the book of Isaiah that are known 00:18:00.180 --> 00:18:04.900 as the Servant Songs. These Servant Songs describe 00:18:04.900 --> 00:18:09.259 the humiliation, the suffering, and the exaltation 00:18:09.259 --> 00:18:13.980 of God's chosen servant, the Messiah. And these 00:18:13.980 --> 00:18:18.839 Servant Songs, they reveal the Messiah as a meek, 00:18:19.210 --> 00:18:23.690 and gentle servant. The first one is our text 00:18:23.690 --> 00:18:26.250 today. It's found in Isaiah 42. Let me give you 00:18:26.250 --> 00:18:31.230 Isaiah 42, verses 1 through 4. God speaking about 00:18:31.230 --> 00:18:34.950 his chosen servant. Behold my servant whom I 00:18:34.950 --> 00:18:38.109 uphold, my elect one in whom my soul delights. 00:18:38.390 --> 00:18:41.529 I have put my spirit upon him. He will bring 00:18:41.529 --> 00:18:44.849 forth justice to the Gentiles. He won't cry out, 00:18:44.890 --> 00:18:47.769 nor raise his voice, nor cause his voice to be 00:18:47.769 --> 00:18:50.619 heard in the street. A bruised reed he will not 00:18:50.619 --> 00:18:54.519 break, and smoking flax he will not quench. He 00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:58.119 will bring forth justice for truth. He will not 00:18:58.119 --> 00:19:00.539 fail nor be discouraged till he has established 00:19:00.539 --> 00:19:03.819 justice in the earth, and the coastlands shall 00:19:03.819 --> 00:19:07.880 wait for his law. So Matthew says this prophecy 00:19:07.880 --> 00:19:12.460 right here is fulfilled in Jesus Christ right 00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:15.420 here in Matthew 12. Now there's something very 00:19:15.420 --> 00:19:18.950 significant going on. These four prophecies reveal 00:19:18.950 --> 00:19:23.990 the work and person of the Messiah. They tell 00:19:23.990 --> 00:19:27.430 us what the Messiah will be, which is actually 00:19:27.430 --> 00:19:30.529 a contradiction of what the people expected he 00:19:30.529 --> 00:19:33.029 would be. If they would have read these prophecies, 00:19:33.029 --> 00:19:35.460 they should have known. See, the people at that 00:19:35.460 --> 00:19:38.920 time had come to expect a strong military -like 00:19:38.920 --> 00:19:41.660 figure who's going to deliver the nation from 00:19:41.660 --> 00:19:45.059 Roman occupation, which is why so many of them 00:19:45.059 --> 00:19:48.619 failed to understand who Jesus really was. They 00:19:48.619 --> 00:19:51.680 didn't want meek and gentle. They wanted forceful. 00:19:53.019 --> 00:19:55.500 Now, let's look at the text as Matthew quotes 00:19:55.500 --> 00:20:00.720 it. Matthew 12, verse 18. Behold. My servant 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:03.339 whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul 00:20:03.339 --> 00:20:06.440 is well pleased, I will put my spirit upon him, 00:20:06.539 --> 00:20:09.140 and he will declare justice to the Gentiles. 00:20:09.960 --> 00:20:12.619 I want to notice a phrase here, my beloved in 00:20:12.619 --> 00:20:15.880 whom my soul is well pleased. There are two times 00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:18.140 in the Gospels when you hear God the Father's 00:20:18.140 --> 00:20:20.779 voice being heard, and what he says, speaking 00:20:20.779 --> 00:20:24.440 from heaven, he says, this is my son in whom 00:20:24.440 --> 00:20:27.640 I'm well pleased. The first time he says that 00:20:27.640 --> 00:20:31.009 is at Jesus' baptism. And at Jesus' baptism, 00:20:31.250 --> 00:20:32.930 do you remember, the heavens are opened up, and 00:20:32.930 --> 00:20:35.690 the Spirit of God descends like a dove. But what 00:20:35.690 --> 00:20:38.369 did Isaiah 42? It says, I will put my Spirit 00:20:38.369 --> 00:20:42.410 upon him. Why do you see Jesus' baptism? God 00:20:42.410 --> 00:20:45.049 putting his Spirit upon him. And we see this 00:20:45.049 --> 00:20:48.789 in Matthew 3. When he had been baptized, Jesus 00:20:48.789 --> 00:20:50.769 came up immediately from the water, and behold, 00:20:50.890 --> 00:20:54.710 the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the 00:20:54.710 --> 00:20:58.029 Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting 00:20:58.029 --> 00:21:01.630 upon him. And suddenly, a voice came from heaven 00:21:01.630 --> 00:21:05.809 saying, this is my beloved son, and whom I'm 00:21:05.809 --> 00:21:10.569 well pleased. It's Isaiah 42. And again, when 00:21:10.569 --> 00:21:13.589 Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, remember 00:21:13.589 --> 00:21:16.190 Peter wanted to build three tents? God said, 00:21:16.230 --> 00:21:19.289 listen, leave Moses and Elijah alone. This is 00:21:19.289 --> 00:21:22.210 my servant. It's Matthew 17, verse 5. While he 00:21:22.210 --> 00:21:26.170 was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed 00:21:26.170 --> 00:21:28.990 them, and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud 00:21:28.990 --> 00:21:34.130 saying, This one, Christ, Jesus, this is my beloved 00:21:34.130 --> 00:21:38.369 Son, in whom I'm well pleased. Hear him or listen 00:21:38.369 --> 00:21:42.109 to him. Now if we go to Matthew, put it together, 00:21:42.210 --> 00:21:44.750 understand what he's doing here. He is showing 00:21:44.750 --> 00:21:49.369 that Jesus is God's beloved Son, who is the chosen 00:21:49.369 --> 00:21:54.279 servant. From Isaiah. And he will bring justice 00:21:54.279 --> 00:21:58.160 to the world. But how does he do it? In the most 00:21:58.160 --> 00:22:02.980 unlikely way. Verse 19. He will not quarrel or 00:22:02.980 --> 00:22:05.660 cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the 00:22:05.660 --> 00:22:08.960 streets. So here we see from the very beginning, 00:22:09.059 --> 00:22:11.880 Jesus is not a revolutionary who is trying to 00:22:11.880 --> 00:22:15.059 overthrow Rome and reestablish the Jewish state. 00:22:15.660 --> 00:22:17.920 That's what they wanted, but that's not who he 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:22.500 was. Worldly kings, earthly kings I should say, 00:22:22.619 --> 00:22:26.200 they rule by violence and force and threats. 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:34.000 But God's king is humble and meek. Now, I want 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:37.180 to park here for just a moment. Jesus was gentle. 00:22:37.940 --> 00:22:46.000 Jesus was meek. Jesus was never weak. Never was 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:49.940 there weakness in Jesus. Now we look at anger, 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:54.460 but anger is often a sign of weakness. Which 00:22:54.460 --> 00:22:57.880 is easier, to keep your cool or to blow up? It's 00:22:57.880 --> 00:23:02.519 easy to blow up, but to show restraint, to show 00:23:02.519 --> 00:23:05.759 self -control, that takes incredible strength 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:11.200 and fortitude. Look at our Lord. As Jesus was 00:23:11.200 --> 00:23:14.720 being nailed to the cross, he could have called 00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:17.339 legions of angels to help. and come to his defense, 00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:21.240 come to his rescue. Instead, what do we find 00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:25.339 Jesus doing? He's praying for the very men who 00:23:25.339 --> 00:23:28.680 are crucifying him that the Father might forgive 00:23:28.680 --> 00:23:31.019 them for they don't know what they're doing. 00:23:31.900 --> 00:23:34.779 That's strength. That's a strength that you and 00:23:34.779 --> 00:23:38.660 I know nothing of. Jesus was also not argumentative. 00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:43.000 He was involved in lots of confrontations, but 00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:46.579 he doesn't get heated. He always maintained a 00:23:46.579 --> 00:23:48.140 calm composure. You're just like, well, what 00:23:48.140 --> 00:23:49.819 about the time he cleared the temple and he knocked 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:52.660 over the tables of money? Yes, zeal for his father, 00:23:52.700 --> 00:23:57.019 but not for his person. Even when Jesus was being 00:23:57.019 --> 00:23:59.299 falsely accused before Pilate. I mean, he had 00:23:59.299 --> 00:24:02.220 people coming and testifying before Pilate that 00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:04.180 Jesus had said some things that he never said. 00:24:04.500 --> 00:24:08.579 You never heard him yell. What's it say? As a 00:24:08.579 --> 00:24:10.440 lamb headed to the slaughter, so he stayed silent. 00:24:11.559 --> 00:24:14.160 Jesus doesn't yell. He doesn't raise his voice. 00:24:14.589 --> 00:24:17.609 Like we are prone to do? My goodness, someone's 00:24:17.609 --> 00:24:19.930 falsely accusing me. I'm going to be swinging. 00:24:20.930 --> 00:24:24.630 Not Jesus. When do you ever see him get agitated? 00:24:25.829 --> 00:24:30.650 You don't. Flustered? Never. I want you to contrast 00:24:30.650 --> 00:24:33.869 his character with the Pharisees. They didn't 00:24:33.869 --> 00:24:35.470 like what he did, so what are they going to do? 00:24:35.670 --> 00:24:38.849 What are they going to do? Murder him. Over a 00:24:38.849 --> 00:24:42.170 disagreement. Back in college, I read a book 00:24:42.170 --> 00:24:45.210 by Stu Weber. It's called Tender Warrior. And 00:24:45.210 --> 00:24:47.329 it really speaks of what a Christian man is supposed 00:24:47.329 --> 00:24:50.309 to do and supposed to be. Tender Warrior, the 00:24:50.309 --> 00:24:53.490 title says it all. So his premise is that the 00:24:53.490 --> 00:24:56.990 Christian man is to be tough, physically and 00:24:56.990 --> 00:24:59.950 emotionally. You need to be a warrior willing 00:24:59.950 --> 00:25:03.710 to go to battle. But at the same time, the Christian 00:25:03.710 --> 00:25:07.450 man is also called to be tender, not weak. Tender. 00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:11.779 Tender with those who are weaker. Tender with 00:25:11.779 --> 00:25:15.660 those who are under his care. A Christian man 00:25:15.660 --> 00:25:18.819 is to use his strength to bless and never hurt. 00:25:20.380 --> 00:25:24.220 Jesus is the ultimate tender warrior. He's a 00:25:24.220 --> 00:25:26.900 warrior. He's not afraid to confront powerful 00:25:26.900 --> 00:25:30.440 men and powerful systems over their sin and hypocrisy. 00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:34.769 He calls them out like no one else. Yet you don't 00:25:34.769 --> 00:25:37.470 ever find him being a coward. He's never cowering 00:25:37.470 --> 00:25:40.569 in fear before anyone at any time. He is the 00:25:40.569 --> 00:25:44.849 strongest man. But then as we look at him in 00:25:44.849 --> 00:25:48.450 the Gospels, we see that he was tender, especially 00:25:48.450 --> 00:25:52.390 with hurting people. Look at Jesus' interaction 00:25:52.390 --> 00:25:55.349 with women or children. He picked them up in 00:25:55.349 --> 00:25:57.990 his arms. He blessed them. Women and children 00:25:57.990 --> 00:25:59.730 were often treated very poorly at this time. 00:25:59.789 --> 00:26:01.849 Children were not treated well. They were the 00:26:01.849 --> 00:26:05.200 lowest on the totem pole. Look at the compassion 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:09.799 he showed to the unclean, like lepers. No one 00:26:09.799 --> 00:26:13.440 wanted to go near a leper. You would never do 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:16.460 that. You're going to be ostracized. Jesus didn't 00:26:16.460 --> 00:26:18.420 speak those miracles. What did he do? He touched 00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:23.819 them. Look at his heart for broken people in 00:26:23.819 --> 00:26:28.160 their sin, like tax collectors and prostitutes, 00:26:28.259 --> 00:26:32.650 the most despised people at that time. Jesus 00:26:32.650 --> 00:26:35.750 made them part of his kingdom. So we find Jesus 00:26:35.750 --> 00:26:37.589 protecting the weak, protecting the vulnerable, 00:26:37.809 --> 00:26:41.490 never exploiting them. And then verse 20, we 00:26:41.490 --> 00:26:44.410 read this. A bruised reed he will not break. 00:26:45.009 --> 00:26:48.710 A smoking flax he will not quench until he sends 00:26:48.710 --> 00:26:52.970 forth justice to victory. Isaiah uses two metaphors. 00:26:53.809 --> 00:26:55.910 One of a bruised reed, the other smoking flax. 00:26:56.710 --> 00:26:58.289 You have to understand something about the ancient 00:26:58.289 --> 00:27:02.049 world here. Reeds, at that time, were used to 00:27:02.049 --> 00:27:04.369 make many things, even instruments at times. 00:27:04.829 --> 00:27:06.410 See, people would go out and they would gather 00:27:06.410 --> 00:27:08.529 a bunch of reeds. They were very common. But 00:27:08.529 --> 00:27:10.890 if a reed was damaged or bruised or slightly 00:27:10.890 --> 00:27:12.869 wasn't perfect, they would just snap it in two 00:27:12.869 --> 00:27:16.069 and throw it away. Why? Why waste your time? 00:27:16.309 --> 00:27:18.009 I mean, they're so common. They're so cheap. 00:27:18.329 --> 00:27:20.130 You're not going to waste your time trying to 00:27:20.130 --> 00:27:24.609 mend a broken reed or a damaged reed. But this 00:27:24.609 --> 00:27:28.940 was not the way of Jesus. He doesn't break bruised 00:27:28.940 --> 00:27:35.700 reeds. He heals them. They're mended reeds. The 00:27:35.700 --> 00:27:38.720 world's method was to discard the broken and 00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:43.299 the damaged. Not Jesus. And these bruised reeds 00:27:43.299 --> 00:27:45.440 were their metaphor for bruised and broken people. 00:27:46.299 --> 00:27:51.039 He doesn't discard the broken one. He redeems 00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:54.599 them. And he restores them. And he makes them 00:27:54.599 --> 00:27:56.420 on his team, if you will. He brings them into 00:27:56.420 --> 00:27:59.059 his kingdom. And this is what Isaiah was prophesying 00:27:59.059 --> 00:28:01.960 of. That the Messiah, the chosen servant of God, 00:28:02.119 --> 00:28:04.240 would be gentle. He's going to be compassionate. 00:28:04.500 --> 00:28:06.759 He will not use his power, and he has all power, 00:28:07.019 --> 00:28:10.680 to destroy or hurt, but rather to save and heal. 00:28:12.380 --> 00:28:14.319 So if you look at how does the world see broken 00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:17.720 people? They're expendable. Cast them out and 00:28:17.720 --> 00:28:21.740 move on. Jesus, our Lord, sees broken people 00:28:21.740 --> 00:28:27.579 as redeemable. Save them. Restore them. And we 00:28:27.579 --> 00:28:31.099 are the bruised reeds. We're the damaged ones, 00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:34.400 the broken ones. We are the ones that our Lord 00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:39.099 restores. But there's another metaphor. It's 00:28:39.099 --> 00:28:41.599 a smoking flax. In the ancient world, again, 00:28:41.779 --> 00:28:44.440 flax was a fibrous plant, and they used it to 00:28:44.440 --> 00:28:48.000 make a wick for lamps. Sometimes that flax would 00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:50.099 be damaged or not be perfect, and so it really 00:28:50.099 --> 00:28:51.960 wouldn't burn. They would light it, and it would 00:28:51.960 --> 00:28:54.460 kind of just smolder. It would start to smoke, 00:28:54.640 --> 00:28:56.779 and when it did, it put off this foul smell. 00:28:57.579 --> 00:28:59.799 So they would go over and just pinch it. They 00:28:59.799 --> 00:29:02.839 would extinguish it. Let's find another flax 00:29:02.839 --> 00:29:06.880 to make a good wick. The smoking flax is the 00:29:06.880 --> 00:29:11.559 person whose faith is shaky. It's faltering. 00:29:12.680 --> 00:29:17.319 The fire's almost out, and it's just smoke. And 00:29:17.319 --> 00:29:20.960 what Isaiah said, this is the Messiah, he will 00:29:20.960 --> 00:29:24.039 not extinguish the struggling flame of those 00:29:24.039 --> 00:29:27.779 who need him. Rather, he fans that flame until 00:29:27.779 --> 00:29:31.079 it burns brightly once again. You know what this 00:29:31.079 --> 00:29:34.400 means, church? You can bring your questions. 00:29:34.500 --> 00:29:36.440 Young people, you have questions about the Bible, 00:29:36.519 --> 00:29:39.500 about Christianity, about faith. He's not afraid 00:29:39.500 --> 00:29:43.380 of your questions. You can bring them. Senior 00:29:43.380 --> 00:29:46.910 saint, middle -aged saint. We can bring our doubts 00:29:46.910 --> 00:29:50.069 to the Lord. We're hurt. We don't understand. 00:29:50.970 --> 00:29:54.009 No, he's not going to snuff you out. He's not 00:29:54.009 --> 00:29:57.309 going to extinguish you. The message of Matthew, 00:29:57.470 --> 00:29:59.769 which is the message of Isaiah, which is the 00:29:59.769 --> 00:30:02.569 message sent from God, is that Jesus Christ, 00:30:02.750 --> 00:30:05.750 the Messiah, runs to hurting, broken, wounded, 00:30:05.869 --> 00:30:10.950 sinful, and doubting people. One author said 00:30:10.950 --> 00:30:14.769 this. A smoking, smoldering wick is in a precarious 00:30:14.769 --> 00:30:18.650 position. It's weak. The embers are about to 00:30:18.650 --> 00:30:20.910 lose whatever heat and light they had and be 00:30:20.910 --> 00:30:23.769 darkened forever. He says there are many people 00:30:23.769 --> 00:30:26.970 in a similar state. They've been wounded emotionally, 00:30:27.390 --> 00:30:30.930 spiritually, or physically. They're weak and 00:30:30.930 --> 00:30:34.430 they're about to lose all hope. But then God 00:30:34.430 --> 00:30:37.890 steps in. Jesus doesn't quench the smoking flax. 00:30:38.869 --> 00:30:41.990 I love this message. Because it means he's not 00:30:41.990 --> 00:30:46.329 afraid of messy, broken, hurting people. They're 00:30:46.329 --> 00:30:49.130 the ones he came for. Do you know that Jesus 00:30:49.130 --> 00:30:50.910 does not come to the aid of those who have it 00:30:50.910 --> 00:30:55.369 all together? But he runs with aid to those who 00:30:55.369 --> 00:31:01.130 know they need him. Believer, your weakness is 00:31:01.130 --> 00:31:04.829 not a problem for Jesus. But your strength is. 00:31:06.789 --> 00:31:09.210 Consider the context. You have a withered man. 00:31:09.839 --> 00:31:12.640 A man with a withered hand. And you had the Pharisees. 00:31:13.180 --> 00:31:15.420 What happened? Jesus had compassion. He healed 00:31:15.420 --> 00:31:18.380 the man with the withered hand. And he condemned 00:31:18.380 --> 00:31:21.259 the self -righteous Pharisees. Why? This disabled 00:31:21.259 --> 00:31:23.740 man, he knows he's weak. It's obvious to all. 00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:26.119 He can't work. He's probably a social outcast. 00:31:26.299 --> 00:31:28.559 No doubt he's poor. Probably had been reduced 00:31:28.559 --> 00:31:30.740 to a life of begging. But then the Pharisees 00:31:30.740 --> 00:31:33.440 over there, they're falsely assuming they are 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:37.390 strong and knowledgeable. Your perceived strength 00:31:37.390 --> 00:31:40.190 will keep you from running to Jesus. You don't 00:31:40.190 --> 00:31:42.390 have it all together and you're not sufficient 00:31:42.390 --> 00:31:45.670 on your own. And Matthew, he's painting this 00:31:45.670 --> 00:31:49.089 beautiful picture of the Messiah. He's come to 00:31:49.089 --> 00:31:53.490 redeem, he's come to restore and heal that which 00:31:53.490 --> 00:31:58.990 was broken. Ironically, it is the gentleness 00:31:58.990 --> 00:32:02.710 of Jesus that is God's method of bringing justice 00:32:02.710 --> 00:32:05.250 and establishing true righteousness on the earth. 00:32:06.380 --> 00:32:08.680 Now we would think it's the force. Nope. Gentleness. 00:32:09.259 --> 00:32:11.859 God's king is gentle. He's not forceful. Look 00:32:11.859 --> 00:32:15.160 at verse 20. Until he sins for justice to victory. 00:32:15.380 --> 00:32:17.940 So that means that the Lord right now, this saving 00:32:17.940 --> 00:32:21.000 day of grace, the Lord is saving broken, hurting, 00:32:21.220 --> 00:32:26.299 doubting, sinful people until the time of final 00:32:26.299 --> 00:32:30.079 judgment comes. Until justice comes in victory. 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:35.750 And I love verse 21. And in his name. Gentiles 00:32:35.750 --> 00:32:39.490 will trust. It's not just for Israel. God is 00:32:39.490 --> 00:32:42.329 making a people for himself from every nation, 00:32:42.410 --> 00:32:44.309 every ethnicity, every language group on planet 00:32:44.309 --> 00:32:47.490 earth. That means God's kingdom. God's kingdom 00:32:47.490 --> 00:32:50.589 is multinational. It is multicultural. It is 00:32:50.589 --> 00:32:53.849 multiracial. It is multilinguistic. It's all 00:32:53.849 --> 00:32:55.869 going to be represented there. Diversity is wonderful 00:32:55.869 --> 00:33:00.789 in the kingdom of God. Revelation 5. For you 00:33:00.789 --> 00:33:04.220 were slain. And you have redeemed us to God by 00:33:04.220 --> 00:33:08.000 your blood. Amen. Out of every tribe and tongue 00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:13.019 and people and nation. That's beautiful. Now 00:33:13.019 --> 00:33:15.900 what? You're here on this 15th day of February. 00:33:17.059 --> 00:33:20.720 Now what? I want you to see the contrast today. 00:33:21.660 --> 00:33:24.519 You have the Pharisees. They wanted to protect 00:33:24.519 --> 00:33:28.700 their power. You see Jesus. He wanted to protect 00:33:28.700 --> 00:33:31.720 the weak. That's really good news. That is really 00:33:31.720 --> 00:33:34.200 good news. Because that means if you are weak, 00:33:34.339 --> 00:33:37.619 if you are wounded, maybe today you're barely 00:33:37.619 --> 00:33:41.920 hanging on. May I say to you with all authority, 00:33:42.119 --> 00:33:46.319 Jesus is the one you need. Your weakness will 00:33:46.319 --> 00:33:49.920 never, ever, ever cause him to reject you. God 00:33:49.920 --> 00:33:53.180 mends broken reeds. But what about the believers, 00:33:53.299 --> 00:33:56.140 Christians? If you're a Christian, you're called 00:33:56.140 --> 00:33:59.240 to follow. In the footsteps of this meek and 00:33:59.240 --> 00:34:04.079 gentle Savior. That means brash, aggressive, 00:34:04.440 --> 00:34:07.480 forceful behavior is not the way that the kingdom 00:34:07.480 --> 00:34:11.840 of God will be advanced in this world. God's 00:34:11.840 --> 00:34:14.360 kingdom is antithetical to man's kingdom, friends. 00:34:14.860 --> 00:34:17.780 It's not the way you do it. An argumentative 00:34:17.780 --> 00:34:22.079 spirit will not change the culture. So stop. 00:34:23.179 --> 00:34:26.699 You must reject the need to shout, and argue 00:34:26.699 --> 00:34:30.440 with those who oppose you. Instead, what's the 00:34:30.440 --> 00:34:32.760 message? Let us, by the power of the Spirit, 00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:38.079 be servants who bring justice through our compassion 00:34:38.079 --> 00:34:42.639 and quiet faithfulness, just as Jesus did. May 00:34:42.639 --> 00:34:45.400 God himself help us to walk in the footsteps 00:34:45.400 --> 00:34:49.099 and the path of his blessed Son. All glory be 00:34:49.099 --> 00:34:53.230 to Christ. Let's pray. Father, thank you, Lord, 00:34:53.269 --> 00:34:55.369 for your word. Lord, I'm so very grateful for 00:34:55.369 --> 00:35:00.230 the message that Jesus is gentle and meek. Lord, 00:35:00.269 --> 00:35:02.329 we're not afraid because, Lord God, we see the 00:35:02.329 --> 00:35:05.170 character of our Lord. Our weakness is not a 00:35:05.170 --> 00:35:10.570 hindrance to his help, but our strength is. God, 00:35:10.610 --> 00:35:12.489 help us to admit the truth that we are all weak 00:35:12.489 --> 00:35:14.690 people. Lord, wherever we find ourselves, none 00:35:14.690 --> 00:35:16.730 of us have our act all together. Lord, none of 00:35:16.730 --> 00:35:20.710 us. Lord, we're all weak. We would even say pitiful. 00:35:21.570 --> 00:35:25.489 Certainly sinful. Helpless, Lord, apart from 00:35:25.489 --> 00:35:29.469 you. You are the one. Lord, our weakness highlights 00:35:29.469 --> 00:35:32.889 your great strength. You are the one who has 00:35:32.889 --> 00:35:34.789 it all together. You are perfect in all your 00:35:34.789 --> 00:35:40.210 ways. Lord, there is no slight nor stain, no 00:35:40.210 --> 00:35:43.949 blight in you at all, Lord. You are altogether 00:35:43.949 --> 00:35:48.710 wondrously perfect. We are not. But Father, you 00:35:48.710 --> 00:35:52.469 don't despise us. Lord, you don't cast away broken 00:35:52.469 --> 00:35:55.530 reeds. Lord, we're thankful for grace this morning. 00:35:56.210 --> 00:35:59.230 Lord, I pray that you continue, Lord, to fan 00:35:59.230 --> 00:36:01.670 the smoldering flax into a bright flame that 00:36:01.670 --> 00:36:03.489 will burn for your glory, Lord. I pray for those 00:36:03.489 --> 00:36:05.630 who bring their doubts this morning or those 00:36:05.630 --> 00:36:07.889 who are hurting, Lord, or those who are lost, 00:36:07.989 --> 00:36:10.869 Lord. There may be some in this, even this particular 00:36:10.869 --> 00:36:13.690 sanctuary right now today, Lord, who are away 00:36:13.690 --> 00:36:15.769 from you, Lord. God, would you work in them, 00:36:15.869 --> 00:36:18.449 open their eyes to behold the beauty and the 00:36:18.449 --> 00:36:20.800 glory of your beloved Son. the one in whom you're 00:36:20.800 --> 00:36:22.900 well pleased. May they see him as the Messiah, 00:36:23.139 --> 00:36:25.920 confess their sin, repent over it, and come to 00:36:25.920 --> 00:36:28.920 him in faith, bringing nothing. Lord, we trust 00:36:28.920 --> 00:36:31.360 Jesus now. Lord, we come to the table of our 00:36:31.360 --> 00:36:34.940 Lord, and we want to, Lord, fellowship and commune 00:36:34.940 --> 00:36:38.820 with our risen, ascended, powerful, yet gentle 00:36:38.820 --> 00:36:40.820 and meek Savior. For it's in his name we pray. 00:36:41.019 --> 00:36:41.380 Amen.