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Preached To The Saints At Riverview Baptist the Morning of March 19, 2017
At 798 Santa Fe Pike, Columbia, TN

Matthew 9:27-31 (KJV)  And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.  [28]  And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.  [29]  Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.   [30]  And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.   [31]  But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

Jesus had just finished raising a little twelve year old girl from the dead. The world laughed at Him when He said “The child is not dead, but sleeping”. The world has always laughed at Jesus, undervalued Jesus, honored Him out of the side of their mouth. The Bible says “they laughed Him to scorn” (Matthew 9:24). The world and the worldly know nothing of Jesus. They are blinded by the devil. The Apostle said:

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (KJV)  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:  [4]  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

The world has eyes, but cannot see. Jesus stood above a dead girl and said “Talitha Cumi” which means “Little Girl, Rise”. The dead little girl heard Jesus and rose to follow Him, coming from death to life. “Lazarus come forth” (John 11:33) and the walking dead outside the tomb could not believe their eyes. Jesus spoke, and the dead came to life. Those who think they are alive without Christ are dead, “For in Him was LIFE; and the LIFE was the LIGHT of men” (John 1:4). People saw Jesus with their eyes but could not believe.

But two blind men who could not see HEARD Jesus. And they chased Jesus until they got what they wanted.

Suffering Leads Us To Jesus

One of the most common questions I’m asked as a Pastor is

“Why does a loving God allow suffering in the world?”

I always tell them that this is Adam’s fault. He brought sin into the world – and death by sin – by disobeying our Loving God. We suffer because of sin. I grieve over the suffering and death of children, of people I know. But I also know this.

Suffering Draws Us Toward God.
And that, dear friends, is a good thing.

We were made in the image of God to walk with God. What God gave Adam in the Garden of

Eden was not about “STUFF”.
It was about RELATIONSHIP.

God gave Adam a perfect Wife. God gave Adam a perfect environment. But what God gave Adam above all else WAS HIMSELF. The world fell into sin because Adam rejected the Presence of God in favor of making himself god. When we draw away from God we bring pain into our lives and into the lives of others.

Matthew 9:27 (KJV) … Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him,

Who followed Jesus? Two blind men. Many of the narratives in one Gospel is told from another perspective in another Gospel. But this account is unique. Only Matthew records it. Two blind men follow Jesus. Why are they following Jesus? Because they are suffering. They are blind.

Matthew 9:27 (KJV)… two blind men followed him, crying, and saying,

• These Men Were Sincere In Seeking Christ The Bible says that they were “crying and saying”. To “cry”, the Greek κράζω krazō, which means to “cry out loud, to shout, to speak with a loud voice”. They were LOUD. They wanted Jesus’ attention. They weren’t worried about what others might think. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:6 (ESV) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

You cannot hope to be blessed by God if you are not vigorous in seeking HIM.

These men shouted after Jesus. If you’ll notice the text, Jesus did not immediately stop when they cried out. Jesus kept on going. We read later in the text that “when Jesus was come into the house”. The Lord had a destination, had a place He was going.

Some people think that Christ stands hat in hand waiting for the blessing of our presence. This is not true. We need God – God does NOT need us. Don’t expect to be blessed if you are half asleep in your faith. Don’t expect pardon and blessing from God if you’re more afraid of what others might say than you are of God. The Bible says:

Proverbs 1:7 (ESV) “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.”

These men weren’t afraid of what others might say. They wanted to be blessed of Christ, so they cried out to Christ.

Matthew 9:27 (KJV)… two blind men followed him, crying, and saying,

• These Men Persevered Though The Way Was Hard They were not distracted by anything, but “followed Jesus”.

When I was a little boy we played a game similar to Pin The Tail On The Donkey. I don’t remember the name of the game, but we drew a line on a road or walkway. Then your “friend” would tell you where to step, while your “enemies” would shout conflicting instructions to you. You had to stay along the line and reach the goal to win.

Oh, did I mention you were blind folded?

Imagine this. Blindfolded, with just the words of your friend to keep you on the path. All the while the enemy team yells conflicting directions, all intended to get you to fail.

That’s what it was like for these blind men. They have no eyes. They have ears, they can hear, but cannot see Jesus. They walk after Christ. They listen for His voice. People get in their way, and they walk around these people. Maybe they cry out to the crowd. “Do you see Jesus? Where is He? We must have Jesus!” A malicious little boy calls out. “He’s over here”, just to watch them stumble and fall. Another cruel person says “There’s no Jesus here. He’s gone. You need to get gone, too.” But they don’t listen to the negative. They cannot look, but they can hear. They hear Jesus’ voice. Jesus the Pharisees who followed after Him but were spiritually blind men:

John 10:26-30 (ESV) 26 … you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me,a is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.

These men are persistent. Blind, stumbling, they hear His Voice and follow Him. They are like Jacob of old who, wrestling with the Angel of the Lord, said:

Genesis 3:25 (ESV) …. I will not let You go unless You bless me.

These men were persistent in their seeking of Christ. If we would persist in seeking Him, being persistent in prayer, we would always experience the blessing of His Presence.

Matthew 9:27 (KJV)… crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

• These Blind Men Came To Christ HUMBLY They approached Christ demanding “Mercy”. They did not come as many come to God demanding their rights. So many people come before God demanding their rights before His Throne. If God gave us what we deserved, we would deserve HELLFIRE and BRIMSTONE. In America we feel that we are ENTITLED to only the best. But each and every one of us are sinners.

But God will give us mercy if we cry out to Him.

James 4:6 (ESV) {God} gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

The best way to NOT get a blessing from God is to go before Him DEMANDING. These men wanted their eyesight. They wanted to receive a sense that most of us take for granted. But they didn’t go to Jesus saying:

“Lord, everyone else has eyesight. We demand You give us eyesight too!”
“It is our RIGHT as humans to SEE!”

We have no rights before God other than to His mercy. As Dr. D.A. Carson wrote in The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God:

“Mercy is coupled with other attributes of God in Psalm 86:15, “You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (ESV). God’s mercy is rooted in His love for us. He is merciful, in large part, because He is love (1 John 4:8). As sinners, we DESERVE punishment (Romans 3:23). God’s righteousness requires punishment for sin—He wouldn’t be holy otherwise. Since God does love us and is merciful, He sent His Son (John 3:16). The fullness of His mercy is seen in Matthew 27. Jesus is brutally beaten and murdered on our behalf; Jesus received our just condemnation, and we received God’s mercy.

Because of His love for us, God wants us to be with Him. His mercy is required for that to take place; there is an inseparable connection between God’s love and mercy. Jesus laid down His life and became the sacrificial lamb (Isaiah 53:7; John 1:29) so that God’s mercy could be extended to us. Instead of punishing us for our sin, God allowed His Son to take the condemnation in our place. That is the ultimate act of God’s mercy (see Ephesians 2:4–5). To our eternal benefit, “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13b).”

These men went to God humbly. They cried after Jesus for MERCY. And they acknowledged Jesus as Messiah when they said “Thou SON OF DAVID, have mercy on us”. The “Son of David” is a title reserved for the Messiah. Jesus is Lord. He is the Son of David. There is no other Messiah outside of Christ. There is no other way unto Heaven. There is no other way to be blessed, but through Christ. The great C.H. Spurgeon preached:

“We must plead after this fashion, ‘O God, if You destroy me, I deserve it. If never a comfortable look should come from your face to me, I cannot complain. But save a sinner, Lord, for mercy’s sake. I have no claim upon You whatever, but oh, because You are full of grace, look on a poor blind soul that gladly would look on You.’”

Too many people are never saved because of pride and arrogance.

Too many people think “God would be quite blessed if He receive Me. Why, Heaven would receive another Angel if I go there!” May I remind you that Angels are both GOOD and EVIL. The GOOD Angels are submitted to God. The GOOD Angels spend their time serving and glorifying God, not being served by Him.

• These Blind Men Came To Christ DIRECTLY

Matthew 9:28 (KJV)… when He was come into the house, the blind men came TO HIM:

The only place you can be saved is by coming to Jesus.
The only way you can be blessed is by going to Him Who loves you.

Jesus was not the only person in the house. We at least know that Matthew was there, for he is recording this event. They didn’t come to Matthew and say “Matthew, you’re one of His first Apostles. Would you speak to Him on our behalf?” No, they didn’t.

They didn’t call for a “Priest” or a “Father” and say “Now you go to Jesus for us”. No, they didn’t do this. Listen to me.

They didn’t turn to a Preacher and ask “Is there some ‘Sinner’s Prayer’ I can repeat after you to get a blessing from Christ?” No, they didn’t. They went DIRECTLY to Jesus. They came TO HIM. I can and do pray FOR you, but you need to go TO HIM if you want to be blessed.

Notice How Jesus Responds To These Men

Jesus always asks good questions. Here’s some of the questions that Jesus has asked up to this point in the Gospel of Matthew:

if you greet your brethren only, what is unusual about that?
Do not the unbelievers do the same? Matthew 5:47

Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your lifespan? Matthew 6:27

Why are you anxious about clothes? Matthew 6:28

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye yet fail
to perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? Matthew 7:2

Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:16

Why are you terrified {at the storm}? (Matthew 8:26)

These blind men come to Jesus begging, crying, shouting for mercy. They have chased Him down the street for I don’t know how long. And Jesus asks them:

Matthew 9:28 (KJV) … Believe ye that I am able to do this?

I want you to notice what Jesus did NOT ask them.

1. Jesus did not ask them “are you men WORTHY of this? Have you been good men?” So many people say “I will not come forward to be saved until I am worthy”. If that is the case, dear friend, then you will die and go to hell. None of us are worthy.

Romans 3:10 (NIV) There is no one righteous, not even one.

1 Samuel 2:2 (NLT) There is no one holy like the Lord.

Mark 10:18 (ESV) No one is good except God alone.

Jesus knows this. Jesus said “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32). Jesus does not ask these men about their characters, nor how they lived their lives up to this point. He asks, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

2. Jesus does not ask them “What have you done to CORRECT THIS PROBLEM?” He doesn’t ask curious questions, nor does He speculate. Jesus just asks them about the placement of their faith. “Do YOU believe that I – I alone – am able to do this?”.

Faith is the bucket by which God blesses us. We lower the bucket into the well that is Christ, believing that He will fill it. Is our focus on Jesus?

A man came to Jesus once with a son that was possessed of a demon. Jesus asked “How long has this been happening to him?” The father replied:

Mark 9:21-22 (NKJV) … “From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

The daddy said “IF You can do ANYTHING”. This indicates that he came to Christ, but had doubt. He had seen his baby for years perhaps do self destructive things. Could Jesus help? Could He? Jesus told the daddy

Mark 9:23 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, “IF YOU CAN BELIEVE, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Can you believe in Christ? Do you believe that He is able to do this? Could the father believe? The Bible says:

Mark 9:24 (NKJV) Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

I have often wondered how they made suspension bridges across great chasms. I was reading one time that one met method is to shoot a thin but strong fishing line across the chasm. Then you send someone to the other side. You then tie a piece of stronger twine to the fishing line, and have your partner pull the twine. Then you tie the twine to rope, and then rope to chain, then chain to cable, until the heavy cable is pulled across the chasm.

When faith is weak, focus that faith on Christ. If it is but fishing line strong, shoot it across the chasm of doubt to the Lord. As He draws that line to Him, tie a stronger cord, trusting Him and Him alone. Jesus healed that child, and Jesus will bless the blind men.

“Do YOU BELIEVE That I AM ABLE To Do This?”

Matthew 9:28-29 (KJV)  …. Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.  [29]  Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

When the blind men said “Yes, Lord” to Jesus, Jesus said “According to YOUR faith, be it unto YOU”. Do YOU believe that Jesus is able to heal you? Do YOU believe that Christ is able to save you? It is YOUR faith in HIM that ultimately will make the difference. The Bible says:

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Your grandmother – like my grandmother – may be able to pray that you will be led to Christ. But your grandmother cannot believe you into Heaven. Your sainted father, or loving aunt, or precious wife cannot get you into Heaven. If you want salvation from Christ them you must believe that HE IS ABLE. There are a lot of people who come to Christ and are never saved, never healed, never blessed. They come to Jesus but have no faith in Him. The question of salvation and blessing is

Do YOU believe that “Christ died, the just for the unjust,
that He might bring us to God”? (1 Peter 3:18)

Do YOU believe that Jesus is able?

He is able. He is worthy.

Jesus touched these men. The Bible tells us that:

Matthew 9:30 (KJV) … And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

Their eyes were opened. Jesus told them “Tell no man”. Adam Clark in his commentary states that if Christ had been fully manifested as Messiah at this time the people would have tried to proclaim Him king. In John 6:15 they tried to make Jesus King by force, which caused Him to retreat into the mountains. Jesus is King, He is the King of Glory. But at this time He has come to seek and save the lost, to be the Lamb of God without spot or blemish.

Yet these men told anyway.

Matthew 9:31 (KJV) But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

The blessed men told when Jesus told them not to do so. Today we are supposed to tell. If Christ has blessed you, tell someone. If Jesus has opened your eyes to His glorious Kingdom, share this with someone. Give your testimony. Tell others.

For Christ is able to save them, too!

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Preached to the Saints at Riverview Baptist, 798 Santa Fe Pike, Columbia TN on
March 12, 2017

Matthew 9:9-13 (KJV)  And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.  [10]  And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.  [11]  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?  [12]  But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.   [13]   But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

An interesting truth about the Book of Matthew is that it’s writer was not called to follow Christ up until chapter 9 of the Book. His calling is in Matthew 9:9, just prior to the Pharisees first attack on Christ’s ministry.

I want you to notice the difference in what Jesus said to Matthew,
and in what He said to the Pharisees.

To Matthew, Christ said “Follow Me”

Matthew 9:9 (KJV)  And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he SAW A MAN, ..

People think that men wrote the Bible. The Bible says that ..

2 Peter 1:21 (KJV) For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Matthew doesn’t write “Jesus came and saw ME”. He writes as if in the third person. He steps outside ofg himself and writes, as God leads him to write.

“Jesus saw A MAN”.
Matthew is but a man.
There is nothing special about him.

Matthew is “A MAN”. It was “a man” that God made from the dust of the ground. It was “a man” that was told

Genesis 2:15-17 (ESV) The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

It was “a man” who ate that which was forbidden. The Bible says:

Romans 5:12 (ESV) … SIN CAME INTO THE WORLD THROUGH ONE MAN, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because ALL SINNED

Sin is upon every man because Adam sinned. Sin spread on the whole world because Adam sinned. Sin is on every man, woman, and child because Adam sinned. Sin is on creation itself, it’s corruption causing disease and death because of Adam’s sin. The Apostle said:

Romans 8:18-23 (NKJV) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Sin like oxygen is upon every person, every animal, and every creature on this earth. Why? Because Adam was the steward of perfection, and he surrendered his stewardship to the serpent or Satan. Sin entered the world, and with it brought death and disease and disaster.

Sherry and I came home from Church last Sunday Morning and found a Red Tailed Hawk in our screened in back porch. The thing was HUGE and agitated and pretty frightening. It kept flying into my screens which, to give them credit, never tore loose. I think the creature got in through our little dog door that my pooch Scooter uses. Sherry asked “How are we going to get it out of here?” I opened the screen door and told her “Let’s go eat lunch and leave it alone. It will find it’s way out.” So that’s what we did. When we came out later that afternoon to return to Church the Hawk was still with us, along with THOUSANDS of black feathers on my porch floor. These feathers won’t there before. Feathers and blood dominated my sanctuary. I figured out what happened. The Hawk saw a Crow and, wanting a “Unhappy Meal” the Hawk chased the Crow into the porch through the dog door. When we came home the Crow was in hiding, and we didn’t know it was there. The Hawk knew. When we went into the house Mr. Hawk decided that it was a good time to feed … and the Crow didn’t have a good time.

This is what sin has done to creation. It has brought death and destruction into what should have been perfect. That beautiful red frog is poisonous – do not touch it. That pretty ivy hanging yonder will hurt you – do not handle it. Matthew is “a man” but he is also, like all of us, a sinner.

Matthew 9:9 (KJV)  And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, …

Jesus saw a man named “Matthew”.
The name “Matthew” means “a reward”.
This is not Matthew’s given name.

The name Matthew was given at birth was “Levi” which means “Associated, Joined, or Attached To God”. The “Levites” or the Children of Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah, were a family that God chose out of the other eleven tribes of Israel to be the Priests of Israel. The Levites received no inheritance of the Promised Land for God was their inheritance (Deuteronomy 10:9). When Matthew was born his daddy called him “Levi” – I think – because he hoped his child would be as attached to God as the Levites were attached to God. He wanted his son to grow up holy, righteous, a Child of God.

Levi is now Matthew.
“Attached To God” is now “Seeking Reward”.

God should have been his portion. God made us to walk with Him, to learn Him, to know of Him. The reason we are given eternal life is so that we can gain GOD. Jesus prayed:

John 17:3 (ESV) And this is eternal life, that THEY KNOW YOU, THE ONLY TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Eternal Life Is Not About WHAT You Get But WHO You Get

Eternal life is about having a relationship with God. Eternal life is walking with God and talking with God and being in God’s presence. Jeremiah said:

Lamentation 3:24 (ESV) “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

and the Psalmist David declared …

Psalm 73:26 (ESV) My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 119:57 (ESV) “You are my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep Your words.”

We are given eternal life so that we can walk with an Eternal God,
the Great I AM, the Creator of all.

We are not given eternal life just so we can be without pain – though that is a good benefit. We are not just given eternal life so that we can have a glorified body and live forever – though that is a great benefit! We are given eternal life so that we can forever be with God. That we can know Him and cherish Him and glorify Him.

Matthew should have been Levi, but Levi traded what was best for the lesser. God should have been his reward. Instead, Matthew is off from his family. He is like the Prodigal Son who is eating the food fit only for the hogs. He is like the rich young ruler who came to Jesus saying:

Luke 18:18 (KJV)… Good Master, what shall I do to INHERIT eternal life?

His words are interesting. “How do I INHERIT eternal life?” An inheritance is only given to a relative of the deceased. Jesus told this young man:

Luke 18:22 (KJV) … sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and COME, FOLLOW ME.

How do you have eternal life? You cannot let the things of this world be your reward, your gods, that which you live for. Whatever stands between you and God will damn you forever. Get rid of the gods. Get rid of anything that keeps you from your Creator. “Come, Follow Me” says Jesus.

Matthew 9:9 (KJV) … Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

Matthew was sitting at the “receipt of custom”. He had forsaken his God for earthly riches. But then Jesus saw him, and he saw Jesus. Jesus said “Follow Me” and Matthew immediately got up from that tax table. “He arose, and followed Him.” This is the way of salvation. We get up, get away from what was binding us to this world, and follow Jesus. Matthew Followed Christ To Be Saved.

The Pharisees & Scribes Followed Jesus To Find Fault

Matthew 9:10 (KJV) And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat IN THE HOUSE, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

When Jesus told Matthew “Follow Me”, Jesus went from that place to Matthew’s home. We discover this by looking at the account of Luke, who wrote:

Luke 5:27-29 (KJV) {Jesus} went forth, and saw a publican, named LEVI, SITTING AT THE RECEIPT OF CUSTOM: AND HE SAID UNTO HIM, FOLLOW ME. 28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him. 29 And LEVI MADE HIM A GREAT FEAST IN HIS OWN HOUSE: and there was a GREAT COMPANY of publicans and of others that sat down with them.

Jesus went to Matthew’s house. When you are saved, Jesus goes where you live. Has He not promised?

I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

Christ is not a part time Savior nor a half way Lord. He walks with them who love Him. He went to Matthew’s home, and Matthew HAD A PARTY! Oh, what a great day it is when you become friends with God! Oh what a glory it is to know Christ in God, to know His love, to know He is ever with His people!

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
|Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning, Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Matthew was saved by faith in Christ. So he came home with Jesus, threw a party, and invited all of his friends. Guess what?

His friends were sinners!
His friends were fallen tax collectors!
And Jesus sat and ate with them all.

We read:

Matthew 9:11 (KJV) And when the PHARISEES SAW IT, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?  

The Pharisees SAW IT. How did they see it? They crashed the party. They came in uninvited, but not to learn of Christ. They came to CRITICIZE. And they did like most of Satan’s emissaries do. When someone is doing the work of Satan, they do not go to the SOURCE. They don’t go to JESUS, but sneak around JESUS and instead go to His DISCIPLES. This is the way the Devil works. He slanders in the darkness, never in the light. He sneaks. He insinuates. And he never goes to the one he is trying to destroy, but goes behind his back, murmuring.

“How is it that YOUR Master is EATING – yes EATING with THOSE sinners!”
Doesn’t Jesus know what sort of people He is eating with?

Matthew 9:12 (KJV) But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

The Surgeon cannot stand in a room apart from the one he is operating on. The Doctor must be with the patient if there is ever going to be healing. Our Lord Jesus came to heal the sick. Our Lord Jesus came to save the lost. He said:

Luke 5:32 (KJV) I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Jesus came for the sinners. He came for those who are broken. He comes calling them, saying “Follow Me”.

Luke 19:10 (KJV) For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

If You Think You’re Not “A Sinner” Then Jesus Doesn’t Say “Come” But “Go”!
If you think that you are right before God Jesus did not come for you.
If you think you’ve got it all figured out, Jesus does not say “Come, Follow Me” to you.

What did Jesus say to these Pharisees?

Matthew 9:13 (KJV) BUT GO YE and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

To Matthew, a sinner repenting Jesus said “Come” but to the self righteous Pharisee Jesus said “Go”. Christ has nothing for you if you think you are right before God. If you read:

Romans 3:23 (ESV) … for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God …

and say “Not me. I’m good. I’m ready to meet God!” then Christ has nothing in you. Your righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) but you do not see nor smell your stench. Christ has nothing in you. Jesus says to you who think you are better than others:

GO YE and LEARN what that meaneth, “I will have mercy and not sacrifice”. Pharisee, you know your Bible. Go back to your Bible. Open it up. Look what God wrote in Hosea:

Hosea 6:4-7 (KJV) O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. 5 Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth. 6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. 7 But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.

God wants His people to know Him. God is the Gospel. The Gospel is not about ME, but about HE. I am broken, but He is not. He was broken so that I might be healed. Jesus told the Pharisees “Go and learn. Read the Scripture. Read what God said in the Old Testament”. God does not desire sacrifices, but gave sacrifices for sin so that He could give MERCY.

What does God want of us?
To admit that we are ALL sinners who need Jesus!

The Pharisees – the self righteous – are the WORST sinners. Their sin is worst because they do not see it. It is like the Box Jellyfish in the ocean. They swim to it, embrace it, and die in it. What is good?

Micah 6:8 (KJV) {God} hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Acknowledge your sin. Acknowledge you are a sinner, just as all are sinners. Acknowledge that only Christ can heal you of your sin. Then and only then will you hear Him say “Come, Follow Me”.

May God touch your hearts with His Word!

Preached to the Saints at Riverview Baptist at 798 Santa Fe Pike, Columbia, TN

Matthew 9:18-26 (KJV)  While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. [19]  And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. [20]  And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: [21]  For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. [22]  But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. [23]  And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, [24]  He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. [25]  But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. [26]  And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

We are in the Miracle Narratives of Christ as we study through the Book of Matthew. What makes this narrative unique is that Jesus is on the way to heal one person when – in the middle of His travels – another miracle occurs. A woman with an “issue of blood” comes up and touches the hem of Christ’s robe and is healed.

Yet this is not a coincidence. There are similarities between the two events, and God brings both events together. We are told in Matthew 9:20 that “a woman, diseased with an issue of blood for twelve years” came to Jesus. In the Gospel Parallel at Mark 5:42 we discover …

Mark 5:42 (NKJV) … Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.

The woman’s “issue of blood” began the same year that this little girl was born.

The little girl suffering was “twelve years old” and the woman’s issue of blood had tormented her for “twelve years”. This is no coincidence, but God tied these two miracles together to show us a picture of faith.

In The Struggles Of Life, Look Unto Jesus

There are many horrors that come to people in this life, but one of the greatest of these horrors is to have a child suffering. There is something within us that thinks that our children should outlive us. I don’t know why that is, for death grips both young and old. Each year in the US approximately 15,780 children between the ages of birth and 19 years old are diagnosed with cancer. Age is no protection against the corruption of life. Adam introduced sin into the world and death by sin. Medical science cannot cure sin – but Jesus can!

Matthew 9:18 (KJV)  WHILE {Jesus} spake these things unto them, …

Jesus had been asked by the Disciples of John the Baptist “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, and your Disciples do not fast?”. Jesus explained to them that He is the Bridegroom of His Church, that He came not to patch up the old garment of religion, but to make all things new.

Matthew 9:16-17 (KJV) No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

Jesus is not a new patch on an old garment
Nor is He new wine in old bottles
Jesus came that we might have LIFE
ABUNDANT LIFE
Jesus is not a BAND-AID but a Miracle!

Revelation 21:5 (KJV)  And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new …

He sits on a Throne.
He makes all things new.

Jesus came to make all things new. He is the Bridegroom of His Church, a people saved by Grace, a regenerated people, a people who have a Master Who has conquered death. Jesus is not a patch, but the solution for sin. He brings in the Kingdom of God on the earth.

As He is speaking the Bible tells us that

Matthew 9:18 (KJV) “there came a certain ruler”. Who is this “Certain Ruler”? The Gospel says …

Mark 5:22 (KJV) …. there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, JAIRUS by name..

Jairus was well known by the Pharisees. He is one of the Rulers of the Synagogue, the local Church of Jesus’ day. As a Ruler of the Synagogue Jairus is an important man, well respected, well known. And what he does next shocks the audience.

Matthew 9:18 (KJV) … there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him,

Jairus worships Jesus. Mark tells us that “he fell down” to worship Jesus. And Luke reports:

Luke 8:41 (NKJV) …. he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house ..

When sickness comes in the home, pride goes out the door. This was an important man, a well known man. But here he lays himself down at the feet of Jesus.

• Suffering Makes Us SELFLESS, Whereas Prosperity Makes Us SELFISH. Jairus was selfless when He came to Jesus. He wanted relief, the healing of his daughter, and what others thought or said no longer mattered.

Each and every one of us have experienced trials and tribulations in this fallen world. Sometimes trials come through the hands of evil people, such as ISIS or other misguided religious groups. Sometimes trials seem to just fall on us. Sickness comes. Disease strikes. When sickness comes we have a tendency at times to lash out in pain. Sometimes pride makes us demanding. It is good to remember in our horrid moments …

Luke 14:11 (ESV) For everyone who EXALTS HIMSELF WILL BE HUMBLED, and he who HUMBLES HIMSELF WILL BE EXALTED.”

Jairus could have come unto Jesus demanding.
After all, he was a person of position.

But Christ has the Greatest Position. He is God in the flesh. He is “The Word made flesh who dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Jairus put aside all pride and fell down before Jesus. The Creator says:

Isaiah 66:2 (KJV) For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but TO THIS MAN WILL I LOOK, even to him that is POOR AND OF A CONTRITE SPIRIT, AND TREMBLETH AT MY WORD.

God honors those who understand that He is God. Christ honors those who realize He is the Great I AM. We are not gods, but God is God. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. It is He of Whom God the Father said:

Hebrews 1:8 (ESV) But OF THE SON HE SAYS, YOUR THRONE, O GOD, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

Christ is Emanuel – God with Us. He is worthy of worship. Jairus worshiped the King of Kings.

• Jairus Focused On Jesus In Prayer.

Matthew 9:18 (KJV) …. there came a certain ruler, and worshiped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 

Mark 5:23 (NKJV) and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.”

Jairus begged Jesus. He sought God’s face in prayer, and did not give up. If the Lord did not intervene this little girl was as good as dead. Both Mark as well as Matthew record the desperation of Jairus’ words. “My daughter is dead – is lying at the point of death. Jesus, YOU are my only hope!”

When bad times come and our health is threatened where do we place our faith? Is our faith in the doctor, in a procedure, in a financial institution … or is it in God?

James 4:10 (KJV) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

And also …

Jeremiah 33:3 ^(KJV) Call unto Me, and I WILL ANSWER THEE, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Let me ask you parents and grandparents – do you plead for the salvation of your children as strong as Jairus plead for his child? Why not? Do you not know that God can take your child anytime? Jairus “besought” Jesus – begging Him for her life. Shall we do any less?

• Jairus Believed That Jesus Could. He said …

Matthew 9:18 (KJV) … but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 

Jairus said: “You lay hands on her Jesus and she SHALL LIVE”. That is faith. He believed Jesus was able, and would not entertain any doubt. Jairus’ daughter was at the point of death, but he wasn’t out pursuing doctors and other gods. He had his eyes only on Jesus.

One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: “Jump! I will catch you.” But the boy protested, “Daddy, I can’t see you.” The father replied, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.”

Jesus calls us to rely on Him, to take that leap of faith into His arms. Cast your cares upon Him, for He careth for YOU! Let your focus be His Will no matter what might come. Trust Him.

When We Feel All Alone, Look Unto Jesus

Following Jairus’ plea we read:

Matthew 9:19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. [20]  And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

The crowd witnessed the plea of Jairus. As Jesus rose to follow Jairus to his home this crowd of “disciples” – followers – trailed around and after Jesus. In the midst of this crowd was a woman who had “an issue of blood”. What this literally means is that she had a discharge of bleeding. She could not have children. According to the Law of God:

Leviticus 15:25-27 (NKJV) ‘If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean. 26 Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and whatever she sits on shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity. 27 Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

The disease that this woman had made her unclean, ceremonially unclean according to the Law of Moses. If she were married her husband could not touch her. If she had children prior to this event her children could not embrace her. It was if she were a leper – anything she touched was unclean, and anyone who touched her was unclean.

Matthew 9:20 (KJV) …a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years ..

This poor woman had suffered this disease – whatever it was – for twelve years! She had tried everything to get relief. We are told in the parallel Gospel that she ….

Mark 5:26 (NKJV) … had SUFFERED many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.

She “suffered many things from the physicians”. There are good doctors, and there are bad doctors – but Jesus Christ is the BEST Doctor. He is the Great Physician. He can do what no others can do. I respect doctors, nurses, and hospitals – but make sure you invite Jesus into the process when you are sick and go to the medical profession. Doctors do not know all things, but Christ does. This woman “spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse”. Humans cannot fix all things. But Jesus can! Jesus said:

Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV) 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.

God does not despise the lowly, but embraces them. He lifts up the weak, and those who will come to Christ and Christ alone. The Bible tells us that this lonely, forsaken woman ..

Matthew 9:20-21 (KJV) … came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: [21]  For SHE SAID WITHIN HERSELF, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

She “came behind Jesus” because the Law forbade her from touching anyone, lest she make them unclean. So she quietly reached out believing that “If I can but touch His garment then I shall be made whole”. Her faith was rewarded. The Bible says in …

Mark 5:29 (KJV) And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

Immediately the woman was healed! Mark tells us that Jesus asked “Who touched Me?” The disciples said “But Lord, there’s people all around You touching You. How can we tell who touched You?” But Jesus can tell. He looks around and sees that certain woman. Look what the Bible says:

Mark 5:33 ^(KJV) But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

Saving Faith is not hidden.
Saving Faith falls down before the Savior.
If your faith lies down to hide, then your faith is a lie.

2 Timothy 2:19 (NLT) … “The LORD knows those who are His”

John 10:27 (NLT) “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

If you are Christ’s then you may be saved in secret, but it will not stay a secret. There are many in our world today that think they are saved, but are ashamed to stand up for Jesus. This woman made her faith known. Our Lord has said:

Matthew 10:32-33 ^(KJV) Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. (33) But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Light cannot hide itself among the darkness.

If you are born again by faith in Christ you must shine for Christ.

Upon standing up for her faith by kneeling down unashamed to Jesus the Lord told her …

Matthew 9:22 (KJV) {Jesus said} DAUGHTER, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 

When Jesus called her “Daughter” He was acknowledging that she is of the household of God, a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:19; Galatians 3:26).

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought
Since Jesus came into my heart;
I have light in my soul for which long I have sought,
Since Jesus came into my heart.
Since Jesus came into my heart,
Since Jesus came into my heart;
Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart.

Why Did God Have This Healing Come
In The Midst Of Jairus’ Need?

As this certain woman was being healed, I can imagine Jairus standing off to the side watching and waiting. The faith that he has in Jesus is being tested. If I were the father of a dying child I can imagine how he felt. Maybe I would want to say, “Jesus, please hurry – let’s finish with this lady and move on”. But Jesus is in no hurry. He healed this woman, and we read:

Matthew 9:23 (KJV) And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, 24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

“Oh Jesus, you’re too late! If You had been here on time my daughter would not have died!” I can hear them now, mocking Jesus, finding fault with Jesus. But Jesus says,

She is not dead. She just sleeps!

Mark tells us in chapter 5:35-37 that Jesus sent everyone away but Peter, James, and John. These three men would be the leaders of Christ’s Church, and Jesus wanted them to know that nothing is too hard for Christ to do. Then we read:

Matthew 9:25-26 (KJV) But when the people were put forth, {Jesus} went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. 26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

Christ is able! Our God is able! He can raise the dead. He can give life to the spiritually dead. Christ is able! The great Evangelist Billy Graham once said:

“Faith literally means to give up, surrender, or commit. Faith is complete confidence. Fear can banish faith, but faith can banish fear.

Do you know Christ? Do you have faith in Him? Will you approach Him with your needs, and believe He is able to abundantly provide to those who trust in Him. There is nothing our Lord cannot do. Trust Him. Believe Him. Bring your lives to Him, and believe.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Preached to the Saints at Riverview Baptist, 798 Santa Fe Pike, Columbia, TN 38401

March 7th Message:

March 8th Message:

Bro. Jimmy Minor gives his testimony March 6, 2017 to the Saints at Riverview Baptist
798 Santa Fe Pike, Columbia, TN 38401

Revivals should make us think. A Revival is not a circus event nor a movie. It is not entertainment. It is God working in the midst of His people, making us examine ourselves, making us think. If you come away from a Revival saying “That was good” but without change you have missed the point. A Revival should ignite the soul, set on fire the Saint, make us look up and reach out. 34 people were at day 2 of the Riverview Revival, and we were blessed of God! Join us tonight at 7 PM!

Preached To The Saints At Riverview Baptist Church on February 26, 2017
At 798 Santa Fe Pike, Columbia, TN 38401

Matthew 8:5-13 (KJV) And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, [6] And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. [7] And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. [8] The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. [9] For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. [10] When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. [11] And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. [12] But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [13] And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

I don’t usually start out a sermon by doing a “Word Study”, but I feel it’s necessary to our sermon today. Do you see that word “Marveled” in verse 10 of the text we just read?

The Centurion had a faith that caused Jesus to “marvel”. Do you see it? “When Jesus heard it, He MARVELED”. This is the Greek θαυμάζω thaumazō which means “to hold in admiration, to wonder at, to marvel”. This word is found in several places in the New Testament, in fact, just a few verses down. Our Lord Jesus was continually traveling, and often used the fishermen’s ships to cross the Sea of Galilee. We read:

Matthew 8:23-26 (KJV) And when {Jesus} 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.

Crossing the Sea of Galilee a storm came up – a not infrequent thing to happen on that mountainous body of water. Jesus went to sleep, and while asleep the storm got so bad that the disciples woke Jesus up. They ran to Him Who was resting and said “Lord, save us … we PERISH”.

Oh, you cannot perish while Jesus is in the boat with you.
You cannot perish when you put yourself in His Presence.
It is impossible to perish where the Almighty is.
It is impossible to drown while standing on the Solid Rock!

There are so many times in my life when I have felt frightened by circumstances, by sickness, by loss of loved ones, by the insidiousness of Satan’s plottings, of things outside of my control. I have cried out

“Lord, save me! I perish!”

then Jesus arises and rebukes the storm. “Peace! Be Still!”. And when He does

“There is a great calm”

A calm that only Jesus can bring. Then He looks at me and says, “Why are you so fearful, O ye of little faith? Are you not My disciple? Am I not your Master? Are you not My sheep, and I the Great and Faithful Shepherd?” And every time Jesus saves me I respond the same way that Jesus’ disciples did on that ship on that day.

Matthew 8:27 (KJV) But THE MEN MARVELED, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Thought I was chasing rabbits didn’t you? I’m not. Do you see that word “Marveled”. Again, this is the Greek θαυμάζω thaumazō – to wonder, admire. The men – just as I often do – marvel at the love and power of Christ. I marvel that He could love a sinner like me!

When Jesus healed the paralyzed man, saying “Take up your bed and walk” the Pharisees murmured but the people marveled. The Bible says:

Matthew 9:8 (KJV) But when the multitudes saw it, they MARVELED, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

When Jesus cast a demon out of a man we are told in Matthew 9:33 “the multitudes MARVELED, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.”

When Jesus cursed a fig tree which then died we are told in Matthew 21:20 (KJV) … the disciples saw it, they MARVELED, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

When Jesus told His followers to “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,
and unto God the things that are God’s (Mark 12:17)”
the people MARVELED at Jesus’s teaching.

I could go on and on. In every case the word the Greek θαυμάζω thaumazō – to wonder, admireis used. We have an amazing Savior and Lord, and it is not surprising that we who love and serve Him MARVEL at what He does.

But Jesus Marveled Only TWO Times In The Scripture

It is one thing for we mortal humans to marvel at Jesus, but quite another thing for Him Who is “The Word made flesh”, Immortal God in human form, to marvel at one of us. Jesus marveled at the faith of the Centurion. I only find two places in Scripture where it says that Jesus marveled. Here, and when Jesus tried to minister in His hometown of Nazareth:

Mark 6:5-6 (KJV) And {Jesus} could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. [6] And HE MARVELED because of their UNBELIEF. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

What causes Christ to marvel, to be in wonder, to admire?
Faithlessness causes Him to marvel, and faithfulness causes Him to marvel.

When God does mighty works and people still do not believe in Him, God is amazed at the depth of that foolishness. To look at the clear design of God’s hand in nature, to see the intricate design of the bee, the bird, the humming bird, a flower, the grasses of the fields, the variety of everything around us. To see the beautiful self sustaining earth as God has clearly designed it. To see the innumerable stars in the night sky, the sun blazing for billions of years, the moon at a set distance from the earth. To experience the tides and the beaches, the seasons, the rains and the bounty that God has given us. To look at all that God has done and His fingerprints all around us and say:

We just evolved from goo
We are accidents, from cell to monkey to human
We just happened, order from chaos

When humans created in the image of God reject God to this level of unbelief the Bible says …

Romans 1:21-25 (KJV) Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. [22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, [23] And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things. [24] Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: [25] Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

When God hears and sees our immense unbelief
He marvels! He can do no mighty work where unbelief is.
He turns the amazing unbeliever over to dishonor their own bodies,
Worshiping themselves rather than He Who made them.

The Bible says Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) But WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

God is amazed by faithlessness, and is not pleased by it. He is amazed by the faithless unbeliever, and looks in wonder at the faithless professing believer. God will not reward or answer prayer to those who are faithless. A faithless prayer is like a spiritless preacher – none are moved to grow or go, and neither is God. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, but He never rewards faithlessness and lukewarmness.

God will not bless you if you are faithless.
God will not save you if you are faithless.
God will not answer your prayers if you are faithless.
God will not bless your Church if you are faithless.
God is AMAZED and WONDERS at faithlessness, but will not EMPOWER it.

Jesus declared in Matthew 21:22 (KJV) And all things, WHATSOEVER YE SHALL ASK IN PRAYER, BELIEVING, ye shall receive.

Has not Christ promised us if we BELIEVE when we ask in prayer WE WILL RECEIVE. To ask unbelieving is to amaze God in the wrong way. Why ask if you do not believe He is able? Why go to God at all if you think Him little and petty? Oh, open your eyes, and believe!

The Centurion’s Faith Amazed Jesus

What is amazing about the Centurion’s faith? Well first of all,

• This Man Is A GENTILE. He is not a Jew. He is a Gentile, just like every person in this room today. When Jesus first came, He came to the JEWS not to the GENTILES. The Bible says:

John 1:11 (ESV) He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

The first people that Jesus came to were the Jews. When He sent His twelve disciples out to preach the Gospel of salvation we read:

Matthew 10:5-7 (NLT) Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, 6 but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. 7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

Now God intended to save the Gentiles. When God spoke of the Coming Messiah He said in:

Isaiah 42:6-7 (KJV) I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a LIGHT OF THE GENTILES; [7] To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

The day Jesus was circumcised old Simeon blessed that Child in the Temple, recognizing Him as “a light to lighten the Gentiles”. God intended to save the Gentiles. But God came FIRST for Israel, for the Jews. The Apostle Paul declared this when he wrote:

Romans 1:16 (KJV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew FIRST, and also to the Greek.

God made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, promises that He fulfilled in Christ. Christ came for the Jew FIRST. Jesus was born a MALE JEW because it was a MALE that sinned, causing us to lose Paradise. It was a JEW that God promised salvation to FIRST. The Centurion was a Gentile. God would send Christ to the Gentiles at the second half of His earthly ministry. But at this time The Gentiles are not being approached.

But the Centurion comes to Christ. He is a man on the outside looking in. He is a Gentile.

• This Man Is A CENTURION. The Centurions were Professional Soldiers of the Roman Army, the people who conquered Israel. They were the captors of Israel. The Centurions commanded centuries of around 80 armed men, but could command up to 1000 men. Centurions had immense power. Roman citizens could not be struck or disciplined by common soldiers, but Centurions could strike or discipline any as need be.

This man represented the invaders of Israel, yet this man respected and knew of God. In Luke 7 the Elders of the Synagogue at Capernaum went to Jesus on his behalf, saying:

Luke 7:4-5 (KJV) … That he was WORTHY for whom he should do this: [5] For HE LOVETH OUR NATION, AND HE HATH BUILT US A SYNAGOGUE.

This is in itself amazing. He loves Israel, and has built us a Synagogue.

• This Man Had Every Right To Be Proud And Puffed Up, But Was Not. The regular Centurion was known for his cruelty and oppression of the Israelite, but this man was not inflated by his high office.

Oh how many people will not see God because of pride.
PRIDE destroys a life.
PRIDE keeps a person from receiving the Gospel blessing of salvation.
It is PRIDE that says: Walk the aisle and profess Christ!
I would rather die and go be with the proud in hell,
Than kneel and profess Jesus!

Pride. Pride.

Pride Is What Caused The Damnation Of Adam “God knows in the day you eat of this which He has forbidden YOU WILL BE LIKE A GOD, knowing good and evil” saith Satan (see Genesis 3:5).

Pride Causes The Damnation Of The Lost Psalms 10:4 (KJV) The wicked, through the PRIDE of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

God HATES Pride Proverbs 8:13 (KJV) The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: PRIDE, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Pride Destroys All It Touches Proverbs 16:18 (KJV) PRIDE goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

{PRIDE Is One Of The} Evil Things That Come From Within that defile the man. (Jesus in Mark 7:23)

The Centurion Understood His Place Before Christ

Notice how the Centurion came to Christ …

Matthew 8:5 (KJV) …. there came unto him a Centurion, BESEECHING him,

The Centurion did not come DEMANDING.

He did not ORDER Christ as so many of us do with God, demanding that He do this or that, BARGAINING with God. “God if You’ll do this then I’ll do that” as if God needs anything from us. Christ needed nothing from this Centurion. What does God need of ANY of us? God said ….

Psalms 50:10-12 (KJV) For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. [11] I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. [12] If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

Christ needed nothing from this Centurion – and the Centurion knew his place. He BESEECHED Jesus. He παρακαλέω parakaleō called out to Jesus “please walk with me. Please Comfort me.”

Furthermore, the man did not ask for himself.

Matthew 8:6 (KJV) …. And saying, LORD, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

Though he was a Gentile Centurion, on the outside of God’s Promises looking in, he had LOVE in his heart for Jesus and love in his heart for his Servant. LORD is what the Centurion called Jesus. Lord! LORD! He reached out in love to Jesus, submitting himself to Him. “My servant is at home lying sick of the palsy, suffering”. Do not say that you are a Christian if you do not love those around you. This man – a Centurion – a high ranking officer – loved his servants. He did not demean them, but loved as we should all love. He lowered himself that his servant might be healed.

Matthew 8:7 (KJV) And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

When we come to God
knowing He is God
and submitting to Him as God
then God will be God to us!

Jesus did not hesitate nor delay. He said “I will come and heal him”. The Lord does not delay to honor the prayer humbly offered in faith. He saw the Centurion’s heart. He was ready to heal. But then the Centurion says something that amazes the Lord …

Matthew 8:8 (KJV) The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

This is what faith says. This is the faith that amazes God. Lord – I am not worthy that you should come to my home. Just speak the Word – not many words but THE Word. When You speak, the universe listens. You speak, Lord, and my servant will be healed.

Matthew 8:9 (KJV) For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

The Centurion knew that he had authority over his servants. It is not pride to exercise authority over that which God has given you. But the Centurion knew that Jesus had authority over EVERYTHING. He knew that Jesus only had to command, and it was done.

Matthew 8:10 (KJV) When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

Israel was God’s Chosen people, a people He called to Himself. But this Gentile, this outcast, looked up and found a great faith in God. He surrendered totally to Jesus. Our Lord ended with this:

Matthew 8:11-12 (KJV) And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. [12] But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Those Gentiles who trust and obey Jesus will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who have received Christ are adopted into God’s Family. We who are Gentiles who love the Lord are the wild olive branch grafted into the promises of Israel. But the Israelite, for whom Christ came first, who rejects Christ, they shall be cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. For the Scripture says:

John 3:16-19 (KJV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. [18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [19] And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Have you received Him? Has God marveled at your faith, or is He now marveling that you choose darkness and gnashing of teeth over Him? Will you not receive Christ as your Lord and Savior today? Will you not believe on Him while there is time to do so? Please, I beg you, come to Christ today. As Jesus told the Centurion:

Matthew 8:13 (KJV) Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

As Jesus healed the servant with a word, He can save you eternally with His Word. Believe Him. receive Him. Do it today, now, without delay. May God touch your hearts with His Word and Spirit.