Authority over Fear

Well good morning

I hope some of your brought a canoe this morning to get through the parking lot…

It is great to be back with all of you again after being out of the pulpit last week

If you are a guest, my name is Stefan Wilson… I am the pastor of preaching at Harvest

We are continuing our series in Matthew and specifically continuing in part three of that series where we encounter the authority of Jesus

So let’s take out our Bibles and turn to Matthew 8.

If you did not bring a Bible, there should be one under a seat nearby

You can also get there on a device

But we are a church that takes God’s word very seriously, so we should all have our eyes on God’s word in Matthew 8

And I mentioned a couple weeks ago that the way that chapters 8 and 9 are structured is that you have sets of three miracles and then a teaching that follows

And each set of miracles is meant to teach you one thing about Jesus

And so the way that we are walking through this series is to preach each set of miracles as one sermon

And focus in on the one point that the set of miracles highlights

So we took the first three healings two weeks ago and through them we learned that Only Jesus has the authority to heal what is truly broken

And then the teaching that followed that Luis preached last week, was that because of the authority of Jesus, following him must be our priority

Because only Jesus has the authority to heal what is truly broken, we must prioritize following him

In a world in which there is so much brokenness all around us, the only hope and the only solution is to follow Jesus and to receive the healing that only he can give

And now we will have another three miracles that teach us one thing about Jesus

And that is that he has “Authority over Fear”

And so that is our title for this morning’s sermon

And we are going to be in Matthew 8:23-9:8 and we will see how these three healings demonstrate Jesus authority over fear

The reality is that we live in a time in which fear is everywhere

And fear is even a tool that is used by many in order to coerce people into doing and thinking and saying what they want

There is no shortage of things that we are told that we should fear

And there is no shortage of things that are happening in our world that are causing many to fear

[HOOK] And I am concerned for us as a church that we would give into that fear

That we would let fear have authority over us

And that it would cause us to shrink back from the mission that God has given us in this world

That because we are afraid of what we are hearing and what we are seeing, that we would sit on the sidelines because it feels safer

Matthew is going to show us in these three miracles who Jesus is, and because of who he is, why it is that he has authority over fear.

And if you and I will see Jesus’ true identity, we will live under his authority, and we will be a people who live by faith, not by fear.

So we need to give these words our full attention

Matthew 8:23–9:8 “And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him? And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region. And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 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.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.”

These are God’s words for us as his people - May we have ears to hear them and hearts to obey them.

Big Idea: Because Jesus is God, he has authority over all my fears. [8:00]

Notice - There is the identity of Jesus and the implication of that identity.

These three miracles that Jesus performs highlight one truth about his identity: That he is God in human flesh

In each miracle he does what only God can do

Calms a storm, casts out demons, heals a paralyzed man

And so the clear take away is that this man is not just a man, but that he is the God-man

Eternally existing as God, but taking on human flesh to live as a man and die as a man in order to save mankind from their sins.

Many claim that Jesus was just a good teacher or a prophet, but Jesus himself claimed to be God, his followers came to believe in him as God, and those who crucified him did so because they rejected him as God

So he was not just a good man or a teacher - He claimed to be God and his life and ministry showed that he was God by the works that he did

And because Jesus Christ is not a mere human, but God who took on human flesh, the implication of that identity is that he has an authority that no mere human has.

The truth is that many of us carry fears about things in this world that are out of our control.

Fears about our safety

Fears over evil

Fears about our health

And as much as we like to think that we can control things so that we don’t have to be afraid…

We are confronted daily with the fact that we lack the authority to remove fear from our lives

But when we will embrace the identity of Jesus, we can rest in his authority, and who Jesus is and the authority Jesus has can help us live without fear, but by faith.

Because Jesus is God, he has authority over all my fears.

Not some of them

All of them

[Bridge Question] What fears do we carry? How does Jesus’ divine authority free us from those fears?

What we are going to do is say “Jesus is” and then we will see his identity. Then after we see his identity, we will see the implication of that identity over our fears…

So first

Jesus is…

God of Creation (23-27) [10:30]

That is his identity in v. 23-27

Matthew sets the scene very intentionally.

They get into the boat and begin across the Sea of Galilee.

And Matthew tells us that a “great storm” arose.

Literally in the original language, it’s a great shaking.

This is not just rain - It’s not a monsoon…

This is chaos

The waves are pounding, the boat is filling…

And men who previously made their living as fishermen on the sea are in panic, fearing for their lives.

These guys have seen storms, and this one is making them think they’re gonna die

Look at v. 25

Matthew 8:25: “And they went and woke him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing.’”

And then there is Jesus…

They are panicking, he is sleeping.

They are filled with terror, but he is calm.

They see death coming for them; he rests his head on a pillow.

But notice what he says when they wake him…

Matthew 8:26 “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”

That word “afraid” is not the normal word for fear

It is a unique word that means timid, cowardly.

And faith is dependence, trust.

So Jesus is saying: “Why are you so timid? Trust me.”

Now let’s be fair: who wouldn’t be afraid in the middle of a storm at sea?

No human being is a match for the power of nature.

But that’s Matthew’s the point.

No human is a match for the sea… But Jesus is no mere human.

Matthew 8:26 “Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”

With a word, the storm ceases.

With a word, chaos turns to calm.

Now, I say it all the time… The authors of Scripture were first readers of Scripture

Before Matthew every penned his Gospel, he was well-acquainted with the Old Testament

And in Genesis 1 we read that before creation, the world was without form and void and it described as a watery abyss…

It is an image that is meant to communicate a lack of order

And God responds in the beginning by speaking into the disorder, and creating order

Speaking into the chaos, and creating calm.

And Matthew is highlighting that the same God who brought order from the chaos in the beginning... brings order from the chaos on the sea.

This is no ordinary man - Jesus is the God of creation, using the same word to bring the same order as he did in Genesis 1.

And look at how the disciples respond

Matthew 8:27 “And the men marveled, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?’”

Who commands the seas and they obey?

And the Psalms answer their question:

Psalm 65 “ [God] stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at his signs…”

Psalm 107 “He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.”

Psalm 33 “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”

The Old Testament is very clear that there is only one person who can calm the seas with his word, who can bring order out of chaos…

Who is this who even the winds and seas obey him?

Jesus Christ.

The God of creation.

And so what does this mean for our fears as we live in this world?

[15:30]

Jesus is the God of creation…

So I need not fear the chaos around me

Maybe you’re not on a boat in the middle of a storm, but chaos comes in many forms.

The chaos of a diagnosis that rocks your family.

The chaos of a layoff that shakes your security.

The chaos of cultural upheaval that makes you wonder what kind of world your children will grow up in.

Have we not been living in a type of chaos for the last few weeks?

And into that chaos, Jesus says to you: “Why are you scared? Trust me.”

The God who calms the seas is the same God who holds your life in his hands.

And you might be saying, “But why would God allow me to go through this chaos? Doesn’t he love me?”

I want you to notice two things:

They are in this storm because they followed Jesus (v. 23) - He led them into it

And because we see Jesus calm the storm in v. 27, he could have easily prevented the storm before it ever arose.

Why would he lead them into a storm and not prevent it?

Because storms reveal things

They reveal how powerless we really are and how powerful he really is.

They reveal where we have been placing our trust (money, security, health, relationships) and those storms reveal how those things have let us down

And they reveal how the one who has authority over creation is the one in whom we should place our trust.

Friends, the chaos in your life is not random.

It is under his authority, and it has a purpose:

To show you who he is, to call you to trust him

So if you belong to Jesus, you don’t need to fear the chaos.

You can trust the One who who led you into it and who has authority over it

This is why Charles Spurgeon once said, “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages”

So let me ask you: What chaos are you facing?

Don’t fight it and don’t fight God in the midst of it

Trust Jesus - He is the God of creation so you and I need not fear the chaos around us.

Now, if Jesus rules over creation, what about the darker powers of evil at work in the world?

Matthew shows us next… Jesus is

God over all spiritual powers (28-34) [19:00]

Matthew sets up the scene again with intentional detail.

As soon as Jesus steps out of the boat, he is confronted by two demon-possessed men.

These aren’t just troubled men - they are violent, terrifying, and enslaved by demonic powers

And they are so fierce that people avoid the area.

Now, we need to be honest about the time in which we live - We live in a time that denies the demonic and wants to treat everything on the human level

And Matthew is making sure that we are confronted with the demonic so that we have no choice but to acknowledge that it is real.

There really is a spiritual realm that impacts daily life around us, whether we acknowledge it or not

And Matthew makes sure we remember that.

But we have to be careful to not think that demons are equal powers against God

They are not… they are still under his authority.

Look at v. 29

Matt. 8:29: “And behold, they cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?’”

Notice this: The demons recognize Jesus’ identity

Everyone else is questioning Jesus identity… But the demons confess that he is God

They know he has divine authority, and they know their judgment is certain, though it is not yet time.

So they beg him for permission to enter a herd of pigs.

Think about that - they can’t move without his permission.

In v. 32, he gives them permission.

Matt. 8:32 “And he said to them, ‘Go.’ So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.”

When I was younger, I never understood that…

I always felt like that seemed so wasteful… You guys just got there and you run them off a cliff so they all died?

Precisely… That is what evil does… As soon as they showed up, they brought destruction

That which is evil, that which is demonic, will always lead to destruction.

Matthew is highlighting that it doesn’t matter where evil goes… its end goal is always the same

To steal, kill, and destroy.

I just want to say as clearly as I possibly can: Evil is real and there is real evil in this world. And its goal is destruction.

We may explain it away, try to sanitize it, or reduce it to politics.

But evil is real and there are real demonic powers behind it.

We are seeing the fingerprints of evil all around us

To murder somebody because they hold a biblical worldview is evil

To murder unborn babies because they are unwanted is evil

To kidnap children and traffic them around the world for perverse men, is evil

I could go on and on with countless evil things that happen in our world, but behind all of them is demonic power.

And we are fools to pretend it isn’t real.

Evil is real and because evil powers seek to destroy what is good…

Listen to me… there is no engagement with that which is evil that will bring about good.

Oh, evil always promises benefit and promises enjoyment, but it always leads to pain and destruction.

When you believe the lie that evil will lead to benefit and enjoyment, you’ll tolerate it, even welcome it

And our world tolerates many evils…

But for those who submit to the authority of Jesus, we can respond differently…

Because Jesus is the God over all powers…

I need not fear the evil against me

[25:00]

As real as evil is, it is not ultimate.

Jesus is the God over all spiritual powers, and though he allows evil to exist for a time, all evil and those who went along with it will face his judgment and wrath in the final day.

But listen… In the meantime, those evil powers will seek to harm us in this world.

And a world that has embraced evil will be hostile to those who have embraced Jesus.

They will seek to harm you

They will seek to kill you

Because the darkness hates the light

But the darkness cannot overcome it

Because Jesus is the light of the world, and he is the God over all spiritual powers, and so we need not fear the evil against us

We can know that evil can do nothing to us outside of Christ’s authority

And so we can stand against the evil in this world with the truth and hope of the Gospel

Paul tells us in Eph. 6 that we are at spiritual war in this life

But that the gospel covers us, protects us, and enables us to stand in the fight.

And it is a fight that Jesus has already won

Paul says in Col. 2 that Jesus triumphed over evil, putting it open shame when he died on the cross.

So we not only can stand against evil in the present age, we can know that its defeat has already happened, so we will win the fight in this world, because Jesus has won it for us.

But listen to me… Fighting against evil will require that we call evil “Evil” and that we don’t prefer evil like the people in the town here in the passage

I want you to see the response of the people to Jesus authority over evil

Matthew 8:33–34 “The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.”

This is a non-jewish region so the people had pigs and their pigs were their source of livelihood.

They had two terrifying demon-possessed men and their pigs

Those were their circumstances

Jesus comes and expels the demonic power from their town, but they lose their pigs

And their response to Jesus is to ask him to leave because it cost them for him to confront evil

Notice: To embrace Jesus, they had to lose their livelihood, so they rejected Jesus instead.

I need to you to see this… By asking Jesus to leave, they are saying that the freedom that his authority brings is not worth what they had to give up

They would have rather tolerated the demons and be financially secure, than be free of evil and lose their financial stability.

And it is far too common today for us to tolerate evil in our midst because it is financially or culturally beneficial to us

Our world rejects the authority of Jesus because it prefers the status quo of evil mixed in with personal gain

And when the authority of Jesus confronts our culture’s tolerance of evil, they would rather stiff arm his authority and prefer evil things

It must not be so for us as church

We must not tolerate evil in our midst

We must be willing to lose whatever is necessary to confront evil in this world.

It will cost us to submit to Jesus authority in a world that loves darkness, but it is a cost that is worth paying

We need not fear evil

We need not go along with evil

We must stand against evil, under the authority of Jesus

Because Jesus is the God over all spiritual powers and he has triumphed over evil on the cross, so we can fight against evil, rather than fearing it.

But in a dark and evil world, the truth about Jesus that we need to know most is what 9:1-8 show us…

Jesus is…

God who forgives (9:1-8) [29:00]

Matthew 9:1–2: “And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.’”

This group of friends bring a paralyzed man to Jesus.

They are persistent, determined, convinced that Jesus is the only one who can help.

And you can imagine the anticipation: everyone is waiting for Jesus to heal him.

But then Jesus doesn’t heal him…

He says, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

Why does he say that the man’s sins are forgiven?

Because sin is the deeper issue.

Paralysis was painful, but sin is eternal.

Physical healing mattered, but forgiveness mattered more.

The man knew what he needed physically… Jesus knew what he needed finally.

And the man’s pursuit of Jesus showed his submission to Jesus

His faith was on display in coming to Jesus as the one who could heal him

And it is the heart that submits to Jesus that is forgiven by Jesus.

And so Jesus gives him what he needs most - Forgiveness

But not everyone is a fan of this… Look at v. 3

Matthew 9:3 “And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’”

They knew only God could forgive sins. And they were right—only God can forgive sins.

And so they think that Jesus is doing something that he does not have authority to do… He is claiming to do what only God can do

What they missed was that God was standing right in front of them.

Matthew 9:4–5 “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?”

The point is that both are impossible to say if he is only a mere man

And for God, both are equally easy…

So if God can do one, he can also do the other.

So fine… you don’t think I can forgive sins… Watch this

Matthew 9:6–7 “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”…

What is in focus in this exchange is the forgiveness of sins

The healing of this man that is about to happen is for the express purpose of demonstrating that Jesus can forgive sins

Matthew 9:6–7 “He then said to the paralytic—’Rise, pick up your bed and go home.’ And he rose and went home.”

The point: Only God can heal, so Jesus is the God who heals

Only God can forgive sins, so Jesus is the god who forgives

And since Jesus is God who forgives…

I need not fear the guilt within me

Guilt is a crushing weight.

Shame whispers that your past will define you forever.

And the fear of guilt and shame is that you will be condemned and rejected by God because of your past.

And listen… apart from Christ, that fear is justified.

Every sin, every thought, every action will condemn you.

You can’t cover it. You can’t balance it out.

And that thought is enough to cause great fear in us.

But remember, the paralyzed man and his friends came to Jesus as their only hope, they knew that he could do what only God can do

And it was their pursuit of Jesus that showed their faith.

Faith is a dependence on Jesus for what only he can provide.

You and I live lives filled with sin - He lived a perfect life that we could not live

You and I owed the penalty of death for our sin - He died in our place to pay the price that we owed

And when you and I come to him, the God who forgives, by faith, depending on his finished work on our behalf

he cancels the record of debt that stood against us and he provides his perfect righteousness to our account

He takes our sin, he gives us his righteousness, and we stand before him, not guilty, but declared just.

And when you come to him and say “Heal me of my guilt!”

He says, “Your sins are forgiven… rise and walk.”

For the Christ follower: you need not live in fear of your past. You need not carry guilt and shame another day.

If you are in Christ, your sins are removed as far as the east is from the west. They will never be brought against you again.

And when we submit to the authority of Jesus, the God who forgives, we need not fear the guilt within us… Because it is wiped away.

But for all who reject that authority, there is nothing but fear, because the guilt remains.

You will stand before a holy God with no defense.

But Jesus is there for you to run to, to depend on him, to receive his life, death, and resurrection by faith

And if you will run to Jesus, you too will hear the words, “Take heart… your sins are forgiven.”

In v. 1-8 of ch. 9, there are three responses:

The scribes reject his authority

The crowd is amazed at his authority

The paralytic submitted to his authority

Only one was told “Your sins are forgiven” - The one who had faith.

And when we receive Jesus by faith, we have nothing left to fear, because Jesus is God who forgive.

[CONCLUSION]

In a world that tells you to fear… We can be a people who do not fear but live by faith

Are you living in chaos?

Jesus is God of creation… so you need not fear the chaos around you

Are you seeing evil all around you?

Jesus is God over all spiritual powers… so you need not fear the evil against you

Are you feeling the guilt of your sin?

Jesus is God who forgives… so you need not fear the guilt within you.

Because Jesus is God, he has authority over all my fears.

Amen.

[40:00]

[COMMUNION]

Remember the finished work of Jesus as we take the bread and the cup

Ordinary bread and juice - Spirit’s presence in us makes this a means of grace for us

Open communion - Only believers

We don’t mock the cross

Be made right with God

Be made right with others

you may not be able to fully reconcile right now, but you can certainly take the first step toward reconciliation

You’ll come as the team sings over us - (Directions)

2 elements - Gluten free on the sides