Living Miracles: Jesus Did
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Bible Passage: Matthew 9:32-38
Bible Passage: Matthew 9:32-38
Last week I am not sure about you but I was convicted by the Lord and it is causing me to grow closer to Him each week as we explore His miracles. This week we will find ourselves in the heart of Jesus. As we are in the Holyday season and we are celebrating the birth of Christ, and yes I know that Jesus was more than likely born in May and probably on May 2nd, we find ourselves in a society that celebrates Jesus birth in December. With that being said, it is important for us to understand that His birth was just the first thing that had to happen before He was able to start living out His Heart. In the scripture this morning we will see three aspects of Jesus that I believe will make our Christmas celebrations more complete. We will first see that Jesus declares deliverance. Second we will see that Jesus embraced engagement. Lastly, we will see that Jesus lived in Compassion.
Have you ever asked someone a question and been surprised that their lack of a real answer seemed more of an answer than if they had a real answer? This happened in Tokyo.
A television interviewer was walking streets of Tokyo at Christmas time. Much as in America, Christmas shopping is a big commercial success in Japan. The interviewer stopped one young woman on the sidewalk, and asked, "What is the meaning of Christmas?"
Laughing, she responded, "I don't know. Is that the day that Jesus died?"
As we approach the scriptures this morning I pray that we understand that Jesus came here with a purpose and we are called to live with purpose.
32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
1. Declare Deliverance
1. Declare Deliverance
32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”
The first thing we notice in this passage is Jesus power over the demon. This is something we have talked about extensively over the past couple of months as we have gone through the other miracles that Jesus performed. In this scripture we see a man who is demon oppressed but not in the way we have seen in the past. In the past we have seen the demons who cry out, are angry, bring fear. This man was demon oppressed and it caused him to be mute. Here is a great example of why I tell everyone here it is important for us to study the word of God. Not to simply take one or 2 verses and even a passage and take it at face value. The word here in this scripture is Kophos. This word is an adjective and it can sometimes refer to being mute and other times refer to hearing. In this specific instance we know for a fact that it is speaking of speaking because the scripture continues to say that after the demon was gone the man spoke. That is just a side trail I wanted to throw out there for some of you who ask why its important to study the scripture and not just read it word for word. Getting back to the topic at hand, why is this miracle of making a mute talk so important? It is important because it fulfills Old Testament prophecy. Look here what Isaiah said about the Messiah.
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
Jesus came to this earth with a mission, a plan, and a declared power that brought deliverance. The purpose of Jesus coming when He did and how He did was to bring deliverance to a world in bondage. Jesus entered this world with power over evil and suffering. Jesus did not come to this world as all of us did. Jesus came differently. Remember what the Bible said?
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
Jesus was not born by the same means that you and I were born and He came with a divine purpose. The power Jesus held was a power that came from the Father and was with Jesus at the foundation of the earth.
13 My hand laid the foundation of the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I call to them,
they stand forth together.
Jesus birth and our celebration of Christmas is so much more than gifts. We tend to focus on the gifts because we love our families, our children, and our friends and we want to celebrate the greatest gift of all by giving gifts. Can I challenge our hearts this morning? What if the focus that we should have is less on the giving of gifts and more of the living with purpose? What if the greatest part of the gift of Christ is that He came to earth with a divine purpose and power? See the thing about Jesus is He did not show up and say, well y’all here I am. The greatest gift you have ever seen. Have y’all ever seen Madagascar? It is a movie that I have watched over and over with my children and its quite funny. In Madagascar there is a character called king Julien. King Julien is a lemur. He is a horrible king. King Julien believes he is the most important animal on the island and that all of the other animals are there to serve him. King Julien is not there to serve but there to be served. Jesus did not come to be served, He came to serve.
28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus had the right to come here and to hold us all accountable to honor and worship Him. Yet, instead Jesus did not make much of His being a gift to us, He made much of His purpose. We are called to live in this same heart to understand Jesus purpose and the deliverance He brings. When we misplace these 2 we will lose the drive behind the story of Christmas and they story of deliverance. The purpose of Jesus coming was not that He would be a gift, but that He would be the Deliverer. Look back at what Isaiah said about Jesus.
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Jesus purpose was is to bring deliverance. The story of Christmas is not look at how pretty we can make things and the reminder that Christmas brings us is not simply of the greatest gift that was ever given to us, but also the purpose of that gift, the deliverance. These 2 must go hand in hand because that is why Jesus came.
1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
5 Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
Jesus came to declare deliverance and to be that deliverance. Are we declaring deliverance to a world in captivity? Are we declaring the deliverance that is in Christ Jesus? Jesus did not declare this by expecting others to do so, Jesus embraced engagement with the mission.
2. Embrace Engagement
2. Embrace Engagement
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
Jesus not only understood the mission, He engaged in the mission. Jesus came prepared to put His hands and feet to work and to be active in the ministry of deliverance. We see Jesus in this scripture, engaging in the work of deliverance. Jesus could have showed up, done some miracles, then gone and sat at the temple and said, look come worship me, bring me your gifts and sacrifices, I will be your ruler and I will overthrow the government and Jesus could have become everything the religious elite were expecting the messiah to be and He would have had a pretty nice life. Instead Jesus got to work doing the will of the Father and got to work providing deliverance to those oppressed and in chains. Jesus was not waiting around for someone else to do the hard work, to point the finger and tell everyone else where to go and what to do. No Jesus was ready to engage and to be active in the deliverance that God was bringing to the world.
As I work in management I hear a sentiment that drives me crazy. I hear this phrase from newly promoted managers but it is more common among managers who were promoted years ago and the saying makes me cringe every time I hear it. This saying is why I believe that there are so many organizations that fail and fall apart. This one single phrase will wreck an organization whether it be a church, a business, a family. Are you ready to hear the phrase? “I worked hard so now that I have been promoted, I no longer have to work hard and the people who work for me do.”
Have you ever worked for someone like that?
Jesus could have had this attitude. Jesus could have said, look soon I will die for you and so right now, I just want to enjoy. I want to take advantage of all life has to offer. Who would have blamed Jesus? If we all knew what Jesus was going to do and the price He would pay and we were walking the earth with Him, who would have told Him not to enjoy things and to take it easy? I am convinced that is why Jesus did not outright tell everyone what He was doing but He kept it shrouded. It is because Jesus knew that the work needed to start immediately. Jesus started ministry as soon as He could.
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
Jesus could not wait to get things going. What about you? Are you waking every day with a fire to go and show someone the deliverance that is in Christ Jesus? Are you ready to stand and to show people the love of Christ? Is there a fire and a passion? You may be sitting back and saying, well no I am not the pastor, I am not a deacon, I am not an elder. I am here to tell you, if you have been introduced to the deliverance of Christ, you are called to be a messenger of that deliverance to the world. So many Christians are siting back and waiting for someone else to do the work. It is the obligation of every believer to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus and to be active in the work of the ministry of Christ.
19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
We are called to be a part of His mission. Jesus died on the cross so the whole world could be delivered. That deliverance comes when we go to the world and proclaim to them that they can be free and the deliverance has been given freely. The reminder this Christmas season is a reminder of the purpose of Christmas. Jesus is the person of Christmas, but He desires for us to present His purpose to the world . Jesus declared deliverance, He Embraced Engagement. Lastly He Cultivated Compassion.
3. Cultivate Compassion
3. Cultivate Compassion
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
This Christmas season, I pray that we will be a church of compassion. Not of judgment, self-righteousness, or condemnation. I pray that we take the opportunity to have compassion on the world around us, to have hearts of compassion as Christ did. Jesus called us to be a part of His compassion on the world, by having compassion on the world around us. We are called to show the world the love of Christ and to live with compassion. Do you see the world around you like Jesus did? What did He see around Him?
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
We often become critical of those we are meant to help rescue. Could you imagine what it would be like if our hospitals and life saving operations operated that way? What would it be like if the option to save someone’s life came down to the opinion of the person who was supposed to save them? We are called not to formulate opinions but to bring deliverance.
36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
The most common verb used in the Greek New Testament to refer to God's compassion is splanchnizomai. This verb is used twelve times. Once it is used of the Samaritan's compassion for the wounded man (Luke 10:33). The other eleven uses refer to God's compassion. In two separate parables Jesus uses this verb to refer to God's compassion in saving and forgiving sinners (Matt. 18:27 and Luke 15:20). The remainder of the uses of this verb all refer to compassion as the major motivation for Jesus' healing and miracles. So in nine out of eleven occurrences where this verb is used of God's compassion it refers to the compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ as his motivation for healing!
What is the meaning of splanchnizomai when it refers to God's compassion? The nominal form of this word originally referred to the inner parts of a man, the heart, liver, and so on. It could be used of the inward parts of a sacrificial animal, but it became common to use this word in reference to the lower parts of the abdomen, the intestines, and especially the womb (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, eds. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1971] 7:548).
Some theologians have felt that this term was too rough or graphic to be used in reference to God's compassion. Using the word for "intestines" to refer to God's compassion is akin to our using the word "guts" for courage in modern English, as when we say, "He really has guts." However, I think the New Testament writers meant to do exactly this. They were impressing on the readers the power and the force of God's compassion. They may also have had in mind a physical feeling associated with compassion. Sometimes a sharp pain in the abdomen will accompany intense feelings of compassion or pity for those we love. The choice of such a graphic word served to impress the New Testament Christians that God's compassion for them was rooted in his deep love for them and his sensitivity to their pain.
May this Christmas season not be one of only remembering the gift of Christ, but may it be one of getting involved in His mission for the world around us!
