Authority over all things.

If you have a bible open it up to Matthew chapter 8. I have titled the message this morning. “Authority over all things.” Pray with me.

So we ended our time last week discussing the issue of Jesus authority, and I believe what I am going to put in front of you today is going to show that his authority is just more than words it extends to the physical realm as well. Now why is this important you might ask well life is more than just spiritual its physical. and Jesus has authority over all things. In fact what I want you to see as our main idea is..

Jesus miracles show us he has authority over all things and all people.

and to show you that very thing I want to read you all 17 verses we are in today and then I want to highlight three points to show you how this authority plays out in the text, and in our own lives today.

Matthew 8:1–17 ESV

1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 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. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 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. 14 And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

Friends I have several key points from these verses the first is this…

Jesus has authority over the unclean.

In this text you see the fact that Jesus is healing people from multiple different illnesses. From cleansing the Leper to someone to who paralyzed to fevers, to other illness. Jesus has authority over all..

In fact the way he goes about healing these specific diseases is one to carefully look at.

So Jesus Christ comes down from the mountain preaching this incredible sermon. And somehow in the midst of all these different people who are following Jesus we have this leper approach Jesus.

Now you may or may not know what a leper is but let me give you a little bit of background. Leprosy is a contagious skin disease that affects the skin, it changes its color, the texture and the oder of it, but not only that it messes with your voice and over time you begin to have nerve pain, and it gets so bad for people sometimes they would lose the tips of their fingers and their toes, and would have serious issues because of leprosy, but not only that these people had to be cut off from their family, friends from people they love.

Listen to why from the scriptures.

Leviticus 13:45–46 ESV

45 “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ 46 He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.

So this man was cut off from the world with this devastating disease and he really risks it all here… and listen again to what he says.. Lord if you will you can make me clean…

This man makes his way to Jesus maybe he heard some of what Jesus said and he trusted that the man saying these words can make me clean.. What faith we see don’t we… One of the things I was reading this week said. His condition was so deplorable, but his faith was so commendable.

This man is really telling Jesus I see something I have never truly seen in you Lord that you have the power to make me clean so will you will you make me clean Jesus…

Jesus could have done a multitude of different things but what does he do.. Jesus stretches out his very own hand… This wouldn’t be like me walking down a extending my hand here to one of you its more than that.. Jesus is touching this man who honestly may not have felt another person’s touch in years and says beautiful words to the mans ear. I Will make you be clean.. And immediately he is clean. This healing happened all at once not progressive he was healed instantly.

Despite this healing being something incredible.. Leviticus tells you that the moment a person touches another person with Leprosy he is unclean, well what does that mean for Jesus.

One scholar put it really well. According to Leviticus 5:3, Jesus becomes unclean the moment he touches this leper. Yet by means of his healing touch it's as if he transcends the Law without abolishing it. Jesus' touch doesn't make Jesus unclean; rather it cleanses the unclean.

He identifies with the leper so that he can make him clean truly a unique miracle.

and Jesus as he cleanses this leper tells him something interesting doesn’t he..

V4 Matthew 8:4

Matthew 8:4 ESV

4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

At this time he does not want get word out about him preforming this great miracle. He wants him to go do what the law says to do. And he wants him to obey him as he is Lord.

See Jesus has authority over the unclean.

Doesn’t end there..

Second point..

Jesus has authority over the unseen.

Let me move on to the next person who is healed this servant of this Centurion.

Again we see something out of the norm, a man approaching Jesus who is not a Jew in fact this man is a Centurion who is a gentile. If you did not catch it by the context this man is a Roman soldier one who is higher up. And this man is a man who one has authority, but is also under authority of the Ceasar.

Who according to them was their primary God there ultimate authority, but this man knew something as well that Jesus could do something that Ceasar or no other man could not and that was heal this man’s slave.

So Jesus says ill come and heal him. Which again is fascinating based on the context in which they live he already touched and healed a leper now he is going to go into a gentiles home which was also looked down upon.

In fact scholars said it would be like a white man sitting in the back of bus or an African american using a white’s only fountain in the pre-civil rights era. Jesus was willing to cross over that line. We see this twice now that Jesus seeks out those who are not in his circle..

And rather than this Centurion saying come on over. He says I am unworthy of you coming under my roof. Many of the people I read was hinting to the fact that this man wasn’t ashamed of his dwelling place. He wasn’t like many of us who don’t invite others over because we don’t have our laundry put up and the house is dirty. He truly thought he was not worthy of Jesus entering his home.

One person even illustrated it like this. It's like the Queen of England coming to town, meeting you on the street, and saying, "Oh, I'll just stay at your house tonight." What would you say to that? At first you would be honored. But then you'd come to your senses. And I don't care how upscale your house might be, you would suddenly recognize what a dump it is. "Oh, she can't stay here." That is this man's disposition. He is unworthy to have royalty—the Lord-into his house.

So what is Jesus to do if this man says I am not worthy of you coming into my home.

Well listen again to this.. Matthew 8:8-10

Matthew 8:8–10 ESV

8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 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.

Jesus has authority over the unseen. This man has incredible faith here there is no denying that fact. He is a man with authority and if says something to a solider what happens he listens he follows orders. So this man recognizes the authority of Jesus and believes that even though Jesus is not there to touch his servant he can make him well.

And Jesus says something quite powerful and really in awe and says Truly, I tell you with no one is Israel have I found such faith. He isn’t just talking to the Centurion here.. I really want you to see that he is talking to the crowd with him making a really strong point that goes deeper than just the fact that Jesus has authority over the unseen. He says this because the audience around him is primary Jewish who knew the Old Testament, who grew up in a home hearing about the messiah to come, and yet in this moment they don’t have the kind of confidence that this man has who is gentile. There knowledge had not become the kind of faith that Jesus wanted for his followers. Even though they had all the information they could have they lacked faith. They lacked belief.. The centurion teaches us that we need to have a confidence in the authority of Jesus that believes he can truly do all things whether seen or unseen.

The centurion was just one of many gentiles who will know the great glory of Jesus Christ.

in Fact verses 11-12 are truly humbling to us today and in the context to which Jesus preaches he says…

Matthew 8:11–12 ESV

11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

In the midst of this incredible miracle is a greater one that people outside of the jewish faith will experience the glory and great salvation that comes through the Lord Jesus Christ.

A glory that the Jews thought belonged to them only is a glory that people as far as the east is from the west can have through faith in Christ. While many of those whom the promise was originally given will reject Jesus and spend eternity in hell.

Jesus has authority to the unseen and this even includes hell, and while there is a warning in the text for all of us there is still a picture of that healing that Jesus said he would do and just like the Leper that man who was paralyzed became well yet the sermon does not end there.

there is still more third point is this..

Jesus healing miracles show us that he is the true messiah.

I hope you can see by now in chapter 8 of Matthews gospel that Jesus is the messiah.

And here in this text we see that he continues to heal.

this time we see him heal many including Peter’s own mother in law. Which take note Catholics that Peter was indeed married, but never the less why do we get this healing here. Well scholars seem to think its again to show us a prophecy. Psalm 147:2

Psalm 147:2 ESV

2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

If you notice Jesus in these three miracle stories is healing people whom the Jews would see as outcasts. The Lepers, the gentiles, and now the laddies. Unfortunately in pretty much every old society many of them treated laddies as second rate citizens. In fact studying this week I found out that laddies would have to sit in the back of the synagogues sometimes behind screens so they were out of sight in fact the muslims according to what I studied have to do that to this day.

And again what Jesus did here by simply touching her hand and healing him was incredible.

One commentator would go on to say in some Jewish traditions, touching a woman [or even a woman's hand like Jesus did here ] would make [you] unclean or unholy. Jewish Halakah forbade touching persons with many kinds of fever & Along the same lines, one of the Eighteen Benedictions prayed each day by any devout Jewish man was, "Lord, I thank Thee that I was not born a slave, a Gentile, or a woman"

This is what the commentator says.. So, do you see what's going on here? Oh, it's so beautiful. Jesus' first three recorded miracles in Matthew are of three groups of religious outcasts.

In other words, Jesus is letting outsiders in. With his death the veil of the temple will be split in two. What will happen then—the substitutionary benefits of the Suffering Servant—s foreshadowed here.

The temple in Jerusalem was comprised of the Holy of Holies (for the high priest) and then the Holy Place (for the priests), then the Court of Men (for Jewish men), the Court of Women (for Jewish women, then the Court of the Gentiles (for Gentile converts to Judaism), and then the outer wall of the temple complex.

With these three miracles the walls to the Court of the Women are broken down, then beyond that the walls of the Court of the Gentiles, and then beyond that, the walls of the temple itself are leveled, so that even the lepers of this world can wander in. Behold, with Jesus the gates to the kingdom of heaven are open to all who believe, to all who will call him Lord and get up and serve him.

Those words are wonderful. Because not only do we see a God who has authority over the unclean, and the unseen, we have a God who came for us. Who took our illness, and bore our diseases.

Matthew again is quoting from the Old Testament which says in the book of Isaiah 53:4-6

Isaiah 53:4–6 ESV

4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Jesus authority shows us that only through him can we be healed from our biggest problem which is sin.

Think about the Leper and think about the cross what did Jesus do he took our sin our uncleanness to the cross. Yes leprosy was something that causes one to be unclean to cause one to be separated from everyone, but you know what sin does? At its core.. It causes you to be separated from God. and for some that might not seem like such a big deal but it is. In fact those who don’t know Jesus Christ as Lord in this life end up thrown into the outer darkness which is hell itself which is a horrible place because not only do you hear the weeping and gnashing of teeth, but you are separated from God for all of eternity experiencing his wrath.

We all are unclean because of our sin, but the good news of the prophecy that we read and which we hopefully believe is that Jesus Christ came to take away our sins to heal us from all of them, and the even better news for us is when he does that we are like those whom he healed saved instantly, cleansed instantly. and though I admire the humility of leper who says Lord if you will make me clean, the bible tells us that all who repent of their sins, and confess Jesus is Lord will be made clean of the biggest problem we have which is sin.

Friends today if you are in sin.. Your response to that is not just can you cleanse me from my sin God through Christ its you will cleanse me from my sin if i come to you and confess it and repent of that. And he does that immediately for those who trust him. So if you have not done that today or if you are struggling with your sin go to God repent turn the other way and he will make you clean.

But the pattern of this series of miracles teach us more than just God is going to make us clean that God can heal us..

They teach us what real faith looks like. The faith that Jesus wants you to have is a faith like that centurion who believed if Jesus just spoke a word it would come true. I want that kind of faith.. For me and for you.. My greatest goal as a pastor is that you will believe the scriptures and follow the one they are all about. I couldn’t pray for anything better. That you and I would get out of our way and trust God.

But I cant ignore what the Leper said, I want the centurion faith to say God only say a word and I will be healed, But it don’t always work that way. In fact I see this at the hospital quite often.

Listen to what one man said.. The question then becomes, "Is Jesus willing to heal?" In other words, is it His will for you to be made well? That's a different question all together. In this instance in Matthew 8, the answer is "yes," Jesus is willing. However, in the case of Paul's struggle with "a thorn in the flesh"(2 Cor 12:7), the Lord was not willing to heal in that instance. He told Paul the reason He refused to heal him, namely, so that Paul would know the strength and sufficiency of Christ (2 Cor 12:9).

In such situations, we too have to trust both the power and the wisdom of God The One who is able to heal also knows when to heal. The Lord knows what will bring Him the most glory and what will bring us the most good.

thats a hard pill for us to swallow, but if we have faith we can go to God in all things knowing he is always going to answer us with his glory and our good in mind.

One story as we begin to close. In the spring of 2000, James Montgomery Boice, the well-known pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, was diagnosed with cancer. He shared with his congregation about how they should pray for him:

Should you pray for a miracle? Well, you're free to do that, of course. My general impression is that the God who is able to do miracles and he certainly can—is also able to keep you from getting the problem in the first place. So although miracles do happen, they're rare by definition. A miracle has to be an unusual thing. Above all, I would say pray for the glory of God. If you think of God glorifying himself in history and you say, where in all of history has God most glorified himself? He did it at the cross of Jesus Christ, and it wasn't by delivering Jesus from the cross, though he could have. Jesus said, "Don't you think I could call down from my Father ten legions of angels for my defense?" But he didn't do that. And yet that's where God is most glorified. God is in charge. When things like this come into our lives, they are not accidental.

It's not as if God somehow forgot what was going on, and something bad slipped by. God is not only the one who is in charge; God is also good. Everything he does is good.

Boice's testimony is a model in terms of what it means to have confidence in the sovereign power of God and to trust in the sovereign will of God. Like Boice, we too must trust that God will do what is good. Boice died eight weeks after sharing those words with his congregation, but he died trusting in the sovereign power and sovereign will of God. He knew that Jesus was able to heal, yet He submitted to Jesus' will-His good, pleasing, and perfect will (Rom 12:1-2)

Friends have faith all while serving him. Hope you caught that part after the fever left she rose and served him. The Leper after he was healed obeyed him.

Jesus has authority over all things so the question is do you believe that with your entire life.

Do you trust like the leper that you can be made clean. Do you trust like the solider that every word Jesus says is true, and after you have been healed are you seeking to serve him today and for the rest of your days…

We have to respond to a text like this so respond how he leads you to today let us pray. AMEN