The object of your faith determines the outcome of your faith. Matthew 9:18-34

“The object of your faith determines the outcome of your faith.”

Matthew 9:18–34 (CSB)

18 As he was telling them these things, suddenly one of the leaders came and knelt down before him, saying, “My daughter just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 So Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him. 20 Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years approached from behind and touched the end of his robe, 21 for she said to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I’ll be made well.”, 22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Have courage, daughter,” he said. “Your faith has saved you.”, And the woman was made well from that moment. 23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house, he saw the flute players and a crowd lamenting loudly. 24 “Leave,” he said, “because the girl is not dead but asleep.” And they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26 Then news of this spread throughout that whole area.

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men approached him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that whole area.

32 Just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to him. 33 When the demon had been driven out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”

In the passage we just read, Jesus makes the following statements:

1. In 9:22, “Your faith has saved you.”

2. In 9:29, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.”

These statements provide the basis for the sermon title of this message: "The object of your faith determines the outcome of your faith."

As we consider this truth, let's first look at what this passage teaches us about Jesus since He is the object of the faith of those in the passage.

Jesus is the Messiah who is willing to heal and to save

Jesus is the Messiah

1. A leader of the synagogue came and knelt before Jesus believing that He could heal his daughter.

2. The blind men called Jesus the “Son of David.” This is a specific title used only for the Messiah.

Jesus is willing to heal and to save

1. Jesus got up to go heal the daughter because He was willing

2. Jesus stopped to heal the woman because He was willing

3. Jesus was approachable and healed the blind men

The fact that Jesus is willing is crucial for us as it relates to faith. 

There is no amount of faith that can force God do what He isn’t willing to do.

Too often, we have a genie view of God. A genie is bound to grant a certain number of wishes regardless of what it wants to do. But, God is not bound to do what we say because we ask. 

God has indeed made promises to us. He has even made covenants with us. According to His Word, He will never break His promises or His covenants. But, there are times when God doesn't respond the way we ask. There are times when God doesn't heal, even though we know and believe that He could. When God answers our prayers and requests, it's because He wants to.  

We will talk further about the role of our faith in God's responses, but first, let's look at another truth about Jesus we learn in this passage.

Jesus is the greatest authority in heaven and earth

Throughout his gospel, Matthew presents Jesus as the King who has come to rule His people. The authority of Christ and the obedience of those who have faith in Him are themes that run through Matthew's account of Jesus. 

Jesus reveals His authority when He cast out the demon. People brought the man to Jesus because they believed He could heal Him. The demon obeyed Jesus and left the man because of who Jesus is.

James, the half brother of Jesus, wrote in James 2:19 (CSB), "19 You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder."

The demons know who Jesus, and even though they are fallen angels who have rebelled against God, they still obey Jesus when He confronts them on earth. 

This isn't the first time Matthew has shown us the authority of Christ over His enemy. We have seen Jesus casting an army of demons from the men who were living in the tombs. And, more than that, we have seen Jesus rebuke Satan and send Him away in Matthew 4. 

The theme of Jesus' authority and our obedience doesn't end in this gospel until the last paragraph of the last chapter. In Matthew 28:18–20 (CSB), it says, "18 Jesus came near and said to them, 'All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 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 everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"

Through Matthews Gospel, God intends for every person to know that there is no one greater than Jesus and that He alone deserves your faith and your devotion. 

I titled the sermon, "The object of your faith determines the outcome of your faith" because salvation depends on whether or not Jesus is enough to save you, not whether or not you have enough faith to be saved. 

Through the miracles of Jesus in this passage, we see the truth that…

Faith is the means, not the source, of your salvation

1. Faith is the means by which you receive grace, not the source of your salvation.

Faith is how we receive the benefits of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. 

Hebrews 11:1 (CSB) defines faith when it says, "Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen." 

Faith is not the source of healing, power, or salvation. Faith is the proof and reality that demonstrates the truthfulness of the gospel. Faith is the evidence that the source of power, healing, and salvation exists. 

But, faith healers and prosperity Gospel preachers will use passages like this in Matthew and other Gospels to twist the truth. The goal of the faith healer or the prosperity preacher is to avoid accountability for the disappointments in your life. 

Faith healers will take these moments in Matthew and say that if you have faith or enough faith, then you will be healed, or you will be saved. Then, when you aren't healed, they blame your lack of faith as the reason you weren't healed. Even though it directly contradicts Scripture, they present your faith as the source of your healing and salvation. And, this view is widespread, even among churches that are striving to follow the Bible. 

It happens when you believe that your faith isn't strong enough. You might think someone hasn't been healed because they didn't pray hard enough. You might think God hasn't changed your circumstances because you don't have enough faith. I would like to free you from this way of thinking because it's faulty and unfounded when it comes to the gospel. 

If you think you need more faith for God to answer, then actually believe that the source of the power and salvation is your faith and not in the object of your faith. Your faith does not empower God to act. You don't motivate God to get up from his smartphone and do something good every now and then. 

Faith is about trusting God and His character to do what is good and right and true, even if that outcome does not appear to be good and right and true to us.

When we talk about the faith of a Christian growing, we mean that the certainty that God is who He says and that He will do what He has promised is greater. We do not mean that you have more power than another Christian. Growing in your faith means that you trust God more and more and live obediently more and more. 

The source of your salvation, and healing, is the grace of God. The power to heal and the ability to save rest solely in the hands of God. Faith, in and of itself, has no power: the power to heal and the power to save rest in the object of your faith.

Faith is only as good as the object of that faith. 

"The faith that changes the life and connects to God is best conveyed by the word 'trust.' Imagine you are on a high cliff and you lose your footing and begin to fall. Just beside you as you fall is a branch sticking out of the very edge of the cliff. It is your only hope and it is more than strong enough to support your weight. How can it save you? If your mind is filled with intellectual certainty that the branch can support you, but you don't actually reach out and grab it, you are lost. If your mind is instead filled with doubts and uncertainty that the branch can hold you, but you reach out and grab it anyway, you will be saved. Why? It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you. Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch." - Tim Keller.

Don't hear what I am not saying. I am not saying that you don't have to have faith. 

I am saying that faith takes action and trust in the Salvation that God graciously gives to those who believe. 

I am saying that the work of salvation is received, not achieved. God clearly communicates that salvation is received by faith through grace, not by works. 

When you trust that Jesus is the Messiah and believe that He is who He says He is and that He will do all that He has promised, you receive the benefits of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection as a gift of God's grace. 

2. Salvation is by faith, through grace, not works.

Ephesians 2:8–10 (CSB) says, "8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do."

Salvation is received by grace through faith. The object of your faith saves you as an act of His grace. Your faith is how you receive the salvation that God gives. Faith is important; it is necessary… it is essential. 

There is no salvation apart from faith. All of the power and the saving rests in the hands of God. But, until you trust Him by faith in Jesus Christ, you do not receive His grace and forgiveness. 

Jesus draws attention to the faith of those He heals because, without faith, nothing is received.

1. The child was resurrected by Jesus because the man believed Jesus could

2. The woman was healed because she believed Jesus could

3. The blind men were healed because they believed Jesus could

You are saved by the grace of God because you believe that Jesus can and will save. 

Jesus is the source of the healings and the center of the story. He is the one who gets the glory, or credit, for the miracles. But, he points out that the means by which grace is received is faith. 

Jesus is the source of your salvation and the center of your story. He is the one to whom you should be giving credit and glory too. Your faith only saves you because the object of your faith is the one true Messiah who came to rescue sinners from death and give them life. 

Salvation is by faith is possible because of God's grace.

Salvation by works is impossible. In fact, salvation in any other name or by any other means is impossible. 

There is a lesser truth in this passage that I think is important too. This next point is not nearly as significant as the truth that God graciously saves those who have faith in Jesus. Nevertheless, you need to know that…

Satan works through false accusations & by twisting the truth

In Matthew 9:34 it says, "34 But the Pharisees said, 'He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.'"

Satan is referred to as the Father of lies. In fact, in John 8:44 (CSB), Jesus says the following to the Pharisees, "44 You are of your Father the devil, and you want to carry out your Father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the Father of lies." 

Here, early in the ministry of Jesus and the gospel of Matthew, we find Satan at work in the words and hearts of the Pharisees. Now, take note the Pharisees never agree with Jesus that they are working with the enemy. Even when they are crucifying Jesus, the Pharisees are convinced they are doing the right thing for Israel and ultimately for the world. 

We can learn a lot from the way we see Satan working in the Bible. As Jesus says, Satan works from His own nature. Therefore He is always working the same way.

Satan wages warfare in the church by twisting the truth of the gospel

Satan twists the truth of the gospel by putting anything other than Jesus at the center of the gospel. (Source of your salvation)

Satan twists the truth of the gospel by subtly adding and taking away from the Word.

Satan wages warfare in the church through false accusations

Like Jesus says, Satan is the Father of lies, and it is his nature to accuse and slander with lies. 

Satan is trying to win as many battles as He can before the war is over.

Satan elevates perception over reality.

Have you ever wondered why something that seems so small can become a big deal? It's the result of spiritual warfare. I am convinced that many people are used as instruments of the devil, even though they would never want that to be the case. This happens when people make huge issues out of things that aren't priorities. 

There are molehills, and there are mountains. But, in the world of perception vs. reality, Satan works to make the small things mountains and the main things molehills. 

For instance, some churches might get all caught up in an issue that isn't directly related to the gospel and ignore the fact no one is sharing the gospel. A church might spend time talking and gossiping about what they don't like and never talk about what they see God doing or what they are thankful for that God has done. 

This is so common that it's hard to give many everyday illustrations. I have to be careful because it might make someone feel like they are personally attacked over things they have said or done here within our church. To hear my heart on this, I am not attacking anyone today. In fact, it's the exact opposite. My heart is to help you guard your own heart against the attacks of the devil... while at the same time equipping the church to guard against the attacks of the devil in our congregation. There are many times when Satan uses your tendencies or weaknesses to work harmfully in the church. 

You see, Satan will work to make the molehills into mountains in your life so that you will then be angry when the church doesn't join you in the crusade. But, the church and its leaders must deal with the truth. We can't climb the molehill with you if it's not a mountain. We can't flatten the mountain because you want it to be a molehill. 

I hope you or someone else in the church will notice that a molehill is being made into a mountain and gently point it out. My hope is that God will open our eyes to the mountains we have flattened and that we will unify around the priorities and the essentials of the gospel. 

To help, I'd like to offer a few ways to determine if the issue is a mountain of a molehill. 

Mountains are Christ dependent and gospel centered.

These are beliefs, values, and priorities that are essential to our faith. These are matters of concern related to our statement of faith and the truthfulness of the Bible. These are things that if we take them away, we cease to be faithful to Jesus. Mountains are the things we build our unity on and focus our time and attention on as the church. 

Molehills are beliefs and convictions that are less important than the person who holds them.

Molehills are things we won't all agree on. Molehills are preferences and opinions important to us but are not essential to the gospel and the church. Molehills are things that demonstrate the diversity and uniqueness of the members of our church. Molehills remind us that every person in our church is important and that everyone one of us puts something aside to worship, serve, and grow together as Christians at Harrisburg. 

1. When you make false accusations you are working with the enemy

2. When you twist the truth to fit your agenda you are working like the enemy

3. When you hear false accusations or the truth being twisted you fight back with the truth and you hold on to your faithfulness to Jesus.

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4 Ways to Respond: 2 Don’ts and 2 Do’s

1. Don’t make mountains out of molehills

This is helpful in every aspect of your life. In fact, how you respond to things in the church when you don't get your way is a constant indicator of your spiritual maturity. 

Another layer to this would be to help your friends see the size of their molehill. 

And another layer would be to focus on the mountains.

2. Do trust Jesus to save

There is no one else who can save, and He has done everything necessary to save you. 

3. Do trust that God’s purposes and plans good

Everything God does and doesn't do is good. His plans are perfect, and His ways are righteous. You can trust Him with what He does and doesn't do in your life. 

4. Don’t keep the good news in, share the gospel with someone this week

Like the men who Jesus told to keep it quiet, go and tell someone this week about Jesus and what He has done! 

“The object of your faith determines the outcome of your faith.”