"The Authority of Jesus"_Matthew 8_Jun 9 2024

And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

(Pray…)

The Structure of Matthew

I want to pause for a moment to look at the structure of the gospels

I think this will bring us to a fuller understanding

Whenever you read a book, it’s good to know why the book was written - and who was the book written to

Many scholars call Matthew: “The Gospel of the Messiah” - Jewish audience

Mark: The Gospel of the Suffering Son of God - or “suffering Servant”

Luke: The Gospel of the Savior for All People - Gentile audience

John: The Gospel of the Son Who Reveals the Father

“I and the Father are one.” - John 10:30

“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!” - John 14:9

Another way to look at it:

Matthew is the most structured Mark is the most dramatic Luke is the most thematic John is the most theological

And if Matthew is the most structured gospel - then it deserves for us to know why

The main audience Matthew was written to: The Jew -

to substantiate the fact that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah to come as told by the prophets

Over and over, the Gospel of Matthew will say, “This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying...” - and then quote it in the OT

The Gospel of Matthew cries out to the Jewish person: Jesus is the same as YHWH God you learned about

That God you’ve been worshipping came to Earth to die for our sins!

He came in human form - the Son of God!

Many of the events of the life of Jesus written in Matthew are a fulfillment of OT scripture:

The virgin birth - Isaiah 7:14

Jesus fulfilling his ministry in Galilee - Isaiah 9:2

Jesus healing disease - Isaiah 53:4

John the Baptist - Isaiah 40:3

Even Jesus speaking in parables - Psalm 78:2

The basic structure of the gospel is shaped from the first five books of the OT - “The Pentateuch” - Sometimes referred to as “Christian Pentateuch”

Stay with me here -

Matthew is very structured

You first have a preamble - first two chapters

And an epilogue - The Passion & the Resurrection (26-28)

But then you have, what’s referred to as the Five Books of Matthew (like the first five books of the OT - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)

Each book ends with its own discourse. where Jesus speaks at length

We just finished Book One - (3-7)

It ended by the first discourse: the SOTM

These “books” are usually referred to by the names scholars have given them:

Book One - Discipleship (3-7)

Book Two - Apostleship (8-10)

[Book Three - Hiding of the Revelation (11-13) - (the Jews are confused - Jesus begins speaking in parables)

Book Four - Church Administration (14-18)

Book Five - Judgment (19-25)]

Now we’re in Book Two - Apostleship (8-10)

The discourse in Book Two is found in Chapter 10 - Where he gives authority to his disciples - that’s why this book, or section is known as “apostleship”

It’s also about authority -

first, the authority of Jesus -

and then Jesus giving part of that authority and responsibility to his disciples

Brief Recap

My message is on Matthew 8 - “The Authority of Jesus”

I want to first look at where we are in Matthew

We are in the eighth chapter - still, the beginning phases of the ministry of Jesus

Everything has led up to this point:

The birth and genealogy of Jesus

The Wise Men

All the drama with King Herod who tried to kill Jesus when he was little

We read about the prophet, John the Baptist who prepared the way for Jesus

We looked at the “ordination” if you will, of Jesus:

When he came up from the waters of baptism - the Spirit of God descending and resting on Jesus - and the Father declaring, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”

Jesus was then immediately led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil

Remember, up to this point, Jesus was alone - this all took place before he called his disciples

When he heard John was arrested, he withdrew into Galilee

Then Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Then he called his first disciples: Simon Peter and Andrew - James & John

Then at the end of Chapter 4, it says that Jesus went throughout all Galilee, “proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.”

That phrase is important - because later he gives that authority to his disciples

And then it says that he started to become famous throughout all Syria

Matthew 4 talks about Jesus teaching and preaching the gospel, and all the healing, and all the crowds

Then comes Matthew 5-7 The Sermon on the Mount - sort of known as the “inaugural address” of Jesus

Jesus is essentially saying, “This is what my kingdom is all about - and it’s unlike any other. This kingdom is for those who recognize their desperate need for redemption. I require obedience, but not hypocrisy. I am a personal King, who deeply loves all of my people. Follow me and I will be your solid foundation, no storm can destroy.”

That’s my summary of the SOTM

If God is real in your life – you'll build your foundation on him

If you build your foundation on Jesus: “The house did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock”

In the end, it doesn’t matter what the storms of life are like - as long as our foundation is in Jesus

As long as your sins are forgiven - the storms ultimately have nothing on you

Luther said, “Smite, Lord, smite, for my sin is forgiven; if thou hast but forgiven me, smite as hard as thou wilt.”

In other words, it ultimately doesn’t matter what happens to you - as long as God has forgiven your sins

Charles Spurgeon said, “Send sickness, poverty, losses, crosses, persecution, what thou wilt, thou hast forgiven me, and my soul is glad.”

Next time you’re having a horrible day - thank the Lord he’s forgiven your sins

Thank the Lord he’s your foundation!

Let me turn this around - if wonderful things happen to me, if I am a success in my life, but my sins are unforgiven, I have nothing

But if my foundation is in Jesus - and he’s forgiven me, then it doesn’t matter what happens in my life

Ultimately, my soul can only be glad if my sins are forgiven - if my foundation is in Jesus

There is no way to avoid the storms of life - even if things are going well for you now

There are no “ten steps” to avoid bad things in life - no method of meditation

There are no good works to perform to avoid the storms - karma won’t help you - the storms are coming - for the sinner and the saved

To the foolish man who refused to obey Jesus:

“His house fell, and great was the fall of it”

This was not a subtle thing - the house didn’t merely receive damage

More than just getting water damage - or damage to the roof

His house was completely destroyed

It fell with a great crash

And he had no insurance

Without Jesus, that means everlasting hell

Put your faith in Jesus - make him your foundation - and you will have everlasting life

=========

Everyone has an authority – even if it's themselves

It really doesn't matter that Jesus is the authority of the entire universe – if you don't allow him to be the authority of your heart

Sermon

Let’s look at Matt 8

There are six short stories in this chapter - all relate to the authority of Jesus - most of these stories are also found in Mark and Luke

Chapter 8 begins: Jesus comes down from the mountain - this is right after his SOTM - and there were great crowds who were following him

Did you catch the last verses in Chapter 7 I read earlier?

The crowds were “astonished at his teaching” - because he spoke with authority

And by the way, the crowds understood the meaning of the SOTM

I think sometimes we try too hard to figure out this sort of thing

It doesn’t say the crowds tried to figure out what Jesus said - it says they were astonished at WHAT he said

It says it right there: He spoke with authority

And the writer of Matthew even compares Jesus with the scribes -

a scribe was an expert in the Jewish law - a well-respected attorney

That word, “authority” (exousia)

authority - power - authority to rule - jurisdiction - the right to judge - ruling power

This is a description of Jesus

In the ESV, the word shows up 10 times in Matthew

Listen to three quick examples:

Matthew 9:6 ESV

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

Matthew 10:1 ESV

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.

Matthew 28:18–19 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

The Pharisees carried themselves as the authority - but the crowds saw the authority in Jesus

The question this morning: Do you see the authority in Jesus? Is he your authority?

The first story is about Jesus who cleansed a leper 1-4

It’s a story of how Jesus healed an individual -

It’s also the first account in Matthew of a specific person being healed by Jesus

So as Jesus is coming down from the mountain, he’s being followed by a huge crowd -

and just then, a a man with leprosy pushes himself in front of Jesus and kneels before him

Imagine that scene - as the leper approached Jesus - through all of those people - the crowds probably parted the way for him because no one wanted to touch this unclean leper

Think of how bold that leper was - to push himself through those crowds to come right in front of Jesus - maybe even blocking his path

Imagine the indignation and repulsion of the crowds -

He probably smelled - I’m sure he was a sight to behold

Back then, if you were a leper - you had to leave your family and friends

Leprosy was an awful skin disease that left you horrible disfigurements

You were an outcast - begging and foraging for food on the outskirts of town

You didn’t hang out with the general population

And here comes this leper - who pushes himself through the crowd

Almost to the point of being presumptuous - but he kneels before Jesus and calls him, “Lord”

And he says “if you will…you can make me clean.”

It wasn’t a question

He doesn’t doubt the authority of Jesus -

he doesn’t doubt if Jesus had the ability - he says, “If it be your will…you can do this!”

And the Bible says Jesus touched him and immediately his leprosy went away - it vanished, instantly

Jesus did something that must have blown the minds of the crowds -

He reached out and actually touched this unclean, disfigured leper

Story #2 is about the Faith of a Centurion

Jesus enters Capernaum and he’s met by a centurion

A centurion was an officer in the Roman army - usually in charge of 80-100 men

He tells Jesus that his servant is sick and paralyzed at home

Jesus says, “No problem - I’ll come and heal him.”

Centurion: I’m not worthy to have you come under my roof

Just say the word

I know how this authority thing works - I’m both under authority - and I have soldiers under my authority

I recognize your authority

Just say that he is healed and he will be healed by your word

The centurion knew the authority of Jesus -

And that he could heal with his word only

And Jesus said he’s never found anyone in Israel with such faith

Meaning - none of the Jewish people in all of Israel have shown this much faith as this Gentile, Roman officer

And here’s what happened next

Matthew 8:10–13 ESV

When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.

Let me summarize what Jesus is saying in a simple way

His emphasis is on faith

And that you don’t get to heaven by being Jewish -

You don’t get to heaven by attending church

Heaven is reserved for those who put their faith in Jesus

Verses 14-17 is a short story about Jesus Who Healed Many - including Peter’s mother-in-law

Jesus enters Peter’s house - and lying in bed with a fever, is his mother-in-law

It says that Jesus touched her hand - and she was instantly healed - and she immediately began to serve him

And then it says that later in the evening - many sick and demon-possessed people came to Jesus and he healed them and cast out spirits - and the Bible says he did it all on the authority of his word - he did all those things “with a word”

Story #4 - My Bible calls this next story The Cost of Following Jesus - verses 18-22

A scribe comes up to Jesus and says, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go”

And instead of embracing this man’s new faith - Jesus essentially rebukes him and says, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head”

Why would Jesus rebuke him? Even in the very next verse he tells one of the disciples, “Follow me”

Notice the scribe said he’d follow him, “wherever you go”

Jesus knew his heart. This scribe was more interested in following around geographically

Another way to put it: The Lord doesn’t merely want us to study him - he wants us to place our trust in him

I imagine this scribe might have even heard the SOTM - and the ending when Jesus talked about the two men who built their houses. The wise man built his house on the rock - the foolish man, on the sand.

Jesus was telling this scribe, “I don’t want you to just follow me around here and there, I want you to build the very foundation of your life on me. That’s what it truly means to follow me.”

The lesson to us: We need to follow Jesus in a way that shows he is our authority in our lives

Story #5 - Jesus eventually gets into a boat with his disciples for this next story: Jesus Calms the Storm - verses 23-27

By the way, this is the first story of Jesus and his disciples - it’s the first story of Jesus alone with his disciples

It’s a well known story - as they are in the Sea of Galilee, a great storm comes

And where is Jesus? He’s asleep -

the Gospel of Mark even says he was in the stern of the boat, sleeping on a cushion

There is a contrast - while he’s comfortably sleeping, the disciples are panicking

In the middle of this storm, and everything going on, they had to wake him

Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”

And when he rose up and rebuked the winds and the sea, there was a great calm

And the disciples were astonished - today, we’d say, they were “freaked out” - because even the winds and the sea recognized and obeyed the authority of Jesus

The last story in this chapter is called Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons in verses 28-34

Jesus had come to the other side of the lake - and he was near the tombs when these demon-possessed men came out

Imagine how frightening that must have been with these demon-possessed men rushing out of the tombs - like a scene from a horror movie

Only, this was real

The Bible tells us that no one would pass this way where Jesus was walking because it was so terrifying

These men were possessed with demons - and the demons speak with Jesus

And even the demons recognized the authority of Jesus

Notice what they said to him, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

They were scared of Jesus because of who he is and because of his authority

They didn’t see him as just a man - they called him, “Son of God”

You know the rest of the story - Jesus commanded the demons to leave the two men and into a herd of nearby pigs

Those are the six stories in Matthew 8

Chapter 8 of Matthew highlights the authority of Jesus and his love - with the backdrop of those who completely need him.

You need to first recognize your utter need of Jesus and confess his authority in your life

Who is the authority of your life?

In reality, all of us have different authorities

Your boss at work is your authority when you’re working

Have you ever screened your calls all day, but then your boss calls...

When you’re driving and a firetruck comes with lights & sirens - they are now the authority to compel you to move over to the side of the road

The police are an authority of your life - city hall, the laws of the land are an authority

The IRS is an authority

But who is the ultimate authority of your life? You? Or Jesus?

Jesus has the authority to save you

He has the authority to heal you

Jesus has the authority to redeem you

When you come to Jesus, do you assume he has authority over your life? Or is he just another option for your predicament?

Jesus needs to be the authority of your life enough for you to obey him - because you’re desperate for him

Think of the people in these stories who KNEW two things:

1.) They knew Jesus had authority over their life and situation

2.) They knew Jesus was their only hope

This was true for the leper who knelt before Jesus

This was true for the Centurion who came to Jesus as his only hope - and who understood his authority

This was true for all those people who came for healings when he was at Peter’s house

And the disciples, on the boat with Jesus during the storm - they came to Jesus because he was their only hope - and they learned even more about his authority

Even the demons knew the authority of Jesus and begged him for mercy

Who is Jesus in your life? Is he your authority?

Here are two things I want you to get out of this:

1.) You need to recognize your utter need of Jesus in your life

2.) You need to make Jesus as your ultimate authority in your life - make him your foundation

(Pray...”Dear Jesus, we need you…forgive us for not recognizing your authority in the little things we do...”)

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