Who Are You Following? (Red Letters #19)

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Matthew 8:14-19 And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever.

15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:

17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by {Isaiah} the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.

19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

As I sat working on this Sunday morning message on the Tuesday before Palm Sunday (April 5 2020 is Palm Sunday) I had just read and reviewed Executive Order 22 by the Governor of Tennessee Bill Lee. Many had pushed for our Governor to mandate a stay at home order to all in the state. Though the Executive Order urges Tennesseans that it’s “Safer at Home”, it is not a statewide lock down. Many criticized the Governor – among those the Mayor of Columbia and a few of our Representatives – for not going further and ordering residents to stay at home. Beloved, that is not far from Socialism! I applaud our Governor for his restraint and calm during this time of national testing. As citizens of what I believe is the greatest nation on earth (and I served the bulk of my adult life protecting our freedoms in the U.S. Air Force) I abhor any attempt to communize or politically socialize this country. When the government begins to remove the freedoms of its citizens even if such removal is “for our own good” it is not long before tyranny and oppression takes over. We must all tread lightly when it comes to tampering with the human will.

God has given us will to choose, and will to live. The Gospel is based on “whosoever will”.

What we are witnessing in our nation in the physical realm is a Covid-19 pandemic. But what we are witnessing in our nation in the spiritual realm is a testing, a trying, a trial allowed by our Heavenly Father to test our will. Will we follow Jesus during this time, or will we follow panic and pandemonium? Will we follow after and love the Lord Jesus Who came to save us, or will we allow fear and foolishness to drive us like cattle to Lucifer’s slaughterhouse?

God Is In Control Of Sickness

As we continue in our Red Letters series tonight we’ll talk about Jesus healing a leper and a Centurion‘s servant. Jesus healed both of these men because they asked Him to do so. But notice as Jesus comes into Peter’s home in Capernaum we read:

Matthew 8:14-15 And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, {Jesus} saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. 15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

We see several things that are very interesting in this text.

First, Peter had a wife. We are told that Jesus saw his {Peter’s} wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. We don’t know her name because the Bible doesn’t give the name to us. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:5 that Cephas (Peter) had a wife who accompanied him when he went on missionary outreaches. I thank God daily for my precious wife Sherry. Without her my ministry would be much more difficult, because she is my love, my helper, my confidant, and my encourager. Peter obviously was very close with his wife, especially as it seems that his mother in law – also unnamed – lived within his home.

Second, Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law without being asked to do so. Jesus saw suffering and a person in need and just touched her hand – and she was healed. The healing was instant. {Jesus} touched her hand, and the fever left her. God has the power to heal any sickness, any disease. To emphasize that Jesus Christ is God Among us, God in human flesh, we read that right after Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law:

Matthew 8:16-17 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:

17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by {Isaiah} the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Jesus healed those possessed with devils, those who were in spiritual bondage. Jesus cast out spirits with His word. He did not use medicines or potions. Jesus commanded the spirits to leave, and they left. We are told that Jesus healed ALL that were sick. The Bible says that Jesus healed all that the Prophecy of Isaiah would be fulfilled He took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. Matthew is quoting:

Isaiah 53:4 Surely {the Messiah} hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

When the Messiah came His ministry would be evidenced by healing us from sickness. Sickness – like this Covid-19 pandemic – is a byproduct of sin which entered the world through Adam. Prior to Adam’s sin against God man lived in a literal paradise. There was no sickness, no disease, no suffering, no death. God told Adam:

Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Adam could eat of any tree. But the tree of knowledge of good and evil, this fruit was forbidden. God told Adam that when you eat of it you SHALL SURELY DIE. Prior to Adam’s disobedience there was no death, nor even any fear.

In a sermon Brother Charles Stanley preached last Sunday he noted that not only did thorns and thistles, sweat and suffering along with death entered the world by sin (Genesis 3:18-19), but also fear entered the world with sin. What did Adam say to God after his sin?

Genesis 3:9-10 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I WAS AFRAID, BECAUSE I WAS NAKED; and I hid myself.

Sickness entered the world because of sin. The Corona-virus is in the world because sin is in the world. People say, “But why does God allow this – why doesn’t God stop this virus?!” God will, in time I believe. But we – like Adam – have hidden ourselves from God. We have not heeded His call. We have refused to thank Him for His blessings on us all. Every day God bestows great blessing upon us, and every day we draw farther and farther from God.

But God reaches out to us. Our God is able. He is able to heal. He is able to bring us from enslavement to sin and into His glorious Kingdom. But we are given a choice. Will we heed God?

Will I Serve The Lord When He Touches Me?

Matthew 8:14-15 And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. 15 And {Jesus} touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

When Peter’s mother-in-law was healed what did she do? She immediately rose up and ministered to those around her. She waited on Jesus. She waited on Jesus’ followers. She put God first. She put others first. Notice something about this mother-in-law. To this day we do not know her name. People have tried to put a name to her, but there is none. Some only want to follow Jesus when “there’s something in it for me”. This woman did not seek the limelight. She didn’t thrust her name forward. She had been blessed of God, and so she served as the God Who loved her called her to serve.

If you are a Christian indeed, then you are called to follow the royal law of the family. What is this royal law? James, the stepbrother of Jesus, wrote of this royal law. He said:

James 2:8-20 If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: 9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. 14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

If you are indeed a Christian you are:

1 Peter 2:9 … a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

You belong to God, dear Christian. You are to love the Lord your God:

Deuteronomy 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Mark 12:30-31 {Jesus said} And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. 31 And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

If you love the God Who saved you, you will serve the God Who saved you and those whom God has put in your periphery. You will, like Peter’s mother-in-law, rise from the touch of Christ to serve Him and others. You will not be greedy, putting yourself first and foremost. You will put yourself last.

The wonderful thing about trials and sickness like Covid-19 is that it makes us stop and re-evaluate our lives. Am I genuinely a Christian? Am I ready to meet the Lord in eternity? Do I know Christ as my Lord and Savior, or am I really a pretender to the family? Imagine a child walking along with his Father. As they are walking along a path the Father sees a tree root sticking up. “Son, be careful where you’re stepping. See that root. You’ll trip and fall if you’re not careful”. The child, however, is not listening to the Father. He is looking at a butterfly flitting by. Sure enough, the child catches the root on his toe, and down he goes. “Father, why did You let me fall! It’s YOUR fault I fell. YOUR fault, not mine! You didn’t look after me”. This is what we as humans have done with God our Father. He has told us what is right, and told us what is wrong. He has said what is good, and what is bad. Our Heavenly Father has told us “Don’t walk there. Don’t do this. Don’t live this way, but live the way I have said. I know what is good and bad, righteous and evil. Heed Me. Hear My Word. You will be blessed.” Then we do what God our Creator tells us not to do, and reject the Christ that He sent to us. When we fall we blame God.

It is not God’s fault. It is ours. The Bible says:

Psalm 138:6-7 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.

Pride pushes God away from us, but humility brings us into His Presence.

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

God cares for YOU!

James 4:6 But {God} giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Imagine the same scenario I just gave you. The child is walking beside his Father, and the Father warns him of a tripping hazard. The child doesn’t hear the Father as he watches the butterfly flit about. The child trips, stumbles, and falls. Now the child doesn’t blame the Father, nor curse the Father, but with tear stained face looks upward. “Father, I didn’t listen to You. I should have, but I didn’t. Father, I repent. I’m sorry. Father, help me up!”. Do you know what God will do? I know what He will do. He already told us in Jesus what He would do. Jesus said:

Matthew 11:27-30 27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

When you fall and look up, God is waiting. Jesus Christ is waiting to lift you up, to bless you, to bring you into His Kingdom. If we will be blessed we must humble ourselves and come to Him. Jesus will give you rest. We must “take Christ’s yoke upon us – serve and follow Him”. The “yoke” is placed on an animal so that it could serve it’s master. Jesus is our Master, dear Christian, He is our Lord. His “yoke is easy, and His burden light”. Following Jesus is not hard. We just love Him, and do as He says. When we do so we will be blessed. There is nothing more blessed than the life that follows Christ.

Do you know Him? Beloved, if you are a Christian then you are to follow Him Who saved you. Are you? Are you following Jesus? Or are you following the crowd?

I Will Follow Jesus Wherever He Leads

Matthew 8:18-20 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. 19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

As Jesus healed the people great multitudes came to Him. Great multitudes always seek out God when they want something. I have heard more people call on the name of God in the hospital than I have heard them call for Him in a restaurant, or at a carnival.

When God waits on us we throng around Him. But let Him sit on His throne and there are few in attendance.

As Jesus saw the “multitudes” gathered around Him He gave the commandment to depart to the other side. Why did Jesus choose to move? I think it was to show us that He is Lord, and we are to follow Him.

Notice that a Scribe tells Jesus:

Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest

Those are wonderful words. They remind me of a song we often sing as we close our services at Riverview:

I can hear my Savior calling,

“Take thy cross and follow, follow Me.”

Where He leads me I will follow,

I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.

Is that true? We sing this, but do we mean it? The Scribe said “Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest“. This is commendable. But I believe that Jesus looked into this man’s heart, for the Lord said:

The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

A lot of people want to follow Jesus to good health, or good wealth, or good times, or great accommodations. But are you willing to follow Jesus where He lives. Jesus didn’t own any property while He walked on this earth. He had no wallet. Jesus, the Son of God, God Incarnate, lowered Himself, taking upon Himself the form of a servant. He was made in the likeness of man, and humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of he Cross (Philippians 2:7-8). When Christ calls you to His side to follow Him, He bids you follow Him wherever He leads, good or bad. Will you follow Him even if you get the Covid-19? Will you follow Him even if it leads to poverty, or being shunned by your peers, or being jailed for your faith? Will you follow Him in reaching out the the poor, the sick, the lame? Or will you just follow Him while He leads you to good health?

The follower of Jesus loves Him, and follows Him even through distasteful things. We follow Jesus by …

…loving others as Christ loved us (John 13:34; 15:12).

… loving our enemies (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27).

… walking through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4).

… walking in the Light with Him, not in sin (John 8:12).

Matthew 8:21-22 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, {allow} me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

You are called, dear one, to put God first in your life. He is to be the One you follow above all others. You are to love the Lord more than anything or anyone else. Jesus said:

Luke 14:26-27 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Jesus used hyperbole or exaggeration to emphasize to us that our Lord must always be first in our lives. When we put Christ first, our families will be better loved by us. When we put Christ first, our businesses will be blessed. When Christ is with us, we will be able to weather the storms of life better – for Christ will never let us go.

To emphasize this point we have one final illustration in our text.

Matthew 8:23-27 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

I ask you the same question that Jesus asked. Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? If you are following Jesus, if you are in the boat with Him, then trust Him. The boat will not sink while the Creator of the winds and the seas is in it. Is Christ in your lives? Have you received Him as Lord and Savior? If you have, trust Him. He is bigger than Covid-19. He is bigger than anything you can imagine. Let Him have all of you.

May God touch your hearts with His Word and His Spirit. Amen and Amen!