A Faith that Follows | Matthew 8:1-17

Good morning everyone. If we've not met before my name is Michael and I'm

Pastor here and it's lovely to have a few new faces with us this morning. It's very

exciting. We do have fellowship lunch after the meeting today so please feel

free to stay back, have a bite with us and have a yarn with us. You're most

welcome. If you've been with us for a while you might remember that for most

of 2023 we spent the better half of eight months camped out in Matthew's

Gospel particularly chapters 1 through to 7 and you might remember that we

spent most of that time in just one sermon of our Lord that's come to be

known as the Sermon on the Mount. Now if you weren't with us and you would like

to get up to speed on the first part of that series we have that all recorded

for you and it's available on our podcast channel which can be accessed

through our website. Those details are in the bulletin. This morning we start

part two of our series in Matthew and we'll be spending the next few months

honing in on chapters 8 through to 10 particularly focusing on our Lord's

signs and wonders and miracles that he performed in his earthly ministry and

why it mattered that he did them and then we'll move on to what we as the

disciples of Jesus are to do with the gospel as witnesses of Christ's ministry

in this world. Before we get into any of that and we look at the passage that we

have before us this morning let's ask for our Heavenly Father's help in the

task would you pray with me? Father we are so thankful to be here this morning

we are so thankful for the grace that you have shown in our life that your

spirit is with us and we ask Father this morning that through the preaching of the

Word through the coming to the Lord's table a little later on that you would

indeed minister to us that you would change us that we would be conformed to

the image of your most holy and precious son. Father we ask for your work in our

midst this morning and we ask for this in Jesus' name. Amen. So as I said the last

time we were in the book of Matthew we were on the mountain with Jesus as he

taught his disciples and it was there that we started to understand that Jesus

hadn't come to abolish what had previously been given to the nation of

Israel in the law and prophets but he had come to give it its fullest and most

clearest meaning and we saw that all throughout the Sermon on the Mount right

Jesus over and over again clearly explaining the heart of God's revelation

to his people but it's here in chapter 8 that our Lord now demonstrates the power

of God by performing signs and wonders and miracles which is God's rubber stamp

on the teaching that Jesus gave to his disciples and the masses that we saw on

the Mount. Looking back on the ministry of Jesus Peter said it like this Jesus of

Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles wonders and signs which

God did among you through him as you yourselves know Acts 2 verses 22 to which

Acts 2:22

the author of the Hebrews adds this salvation which was first announced by

the Lord was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by

signs wonders and various miracles Hebrews 2 verses 3 and 4 all that to

Hebrews 2:3

say as the Bible defines it signs and wonders authenticate both the message

and the messenger and now it's significant isn't it that Matthew now

records for us that Jesus now enters this part of his ministry where he starts

to do these signs and wonders which prove the truth of his teaching about the

kingdom of heaven and so we might say by words and deeds Matthew was showing us

that Jesus is indeed the Christ that was expected to come and that's important

for us to remember that Jesus is the Christ that was expected to come because

the law and the prophets attested to it and that's actually something Matthew

points out to us in our passage this morning Jesus is the Christ Israel's

king but he's also God's servant whom Isaiah spoke of who came to cure his

people and Matthew proves that to be the case in three different scenes as we'll

see three different scenes but we need to keep this in mind it's important that

we do so Matthew wants us to see one big picture one significant point that is

found right there in verse 17 God always had a plan to send his servant to

come to be the cure for his people and Jesus is that servant and nobody nobody

is beyond his reach so if you have your Bibles with you this morning let's make

our way through these scenes together first looking at verses 1 through to 4

when Jesus came down from the mountainside large crowds followed him a

man with leprosy came and now before him and said Lord if you're willing you can

make me clean Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man I'm willing he said

be clean immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy then Jesus said to him see

that you don't go and tell anyone but go and show yourself to the priest and

offer the gift Moses commanded as a testimony to them now church just to put

a bit of context before you this morning I just want to point out to you two

things first we're told that one man came through the crowds and he came and

knelt before Jesus and that was a man who had leprosy now leprosy was an

absolutely dreadful disease especially in the time of Jesus you see in the

ancient world many thought that leprosy was the judgment of God and and because

it was a disease that not many people knew much about those who had contracted

it for whatever reason were usually thought to spread it among communities

and so lepers were always pushed out of society and ostracized in one sense

because people thought they were dirty and would spread disease among them but

in another sense because people were worried that that person who they deemed

to be under the judgment of God would spread moral disease among them as well

so not only do we have a man here in whom people would have been fearful of

because they didn't want to catch what he had we also have a man who was in the

outskirts of society because people deemed him to be judged of God so that's

the first thing to note here people with leprosy were social outcasts and they

were seen as unclean in every way second in the law of Moses the priest which was

mentioned in our text the priest was only there to confirm that you had the

disease or that a healing had taken place it means that the priest was never

there to perform the healing itself in other words the priest was only there

to rubber stamp what only God could do and so this desperate man makes his

way through the crowds and he casts himself before the Lord and notice what

he says Lord if you're willing you can make me clean notice that Lord if you

are willing you can make me clean that's interesting with the background we just

thought about right because he's talking to Jesus like he has the authority

and power to take away his physical and spiritual uncleanliness the church it's

Jesus's reaction that's most stunning notice it he doesn't say you need to go

to God with this nor hey let's pray together on this no he reaches out he

touches the man and he says I am willing be clean do you see what our evangelist

Matthew was showing us here do you see that Jesus is in the place of the only

one who can actually do something about this man's situation in the place of

God himself who is the healer of all physical mental and spiritual disease

and so what happens next is hugely significance for the crowds to witness

we're told that he was immediately cleansed of his leprosy one incredible

scene we have here Jesus stands in the place of only what God can do and shows

his authority and power over the most dreaded of diseases a disease that made

anyone unclean who came in contact with it even priests would need to give a

sacrifice if they had come in contact with someone with leprosy yet Jesus

reaches out to this man he touches him he remains clean and with the power of

his word he heals him that's the first scene Matthew shows us that Jesus makes

the unclean clean next he shows us that Jesus came to serve all people all

people even his enemies we read in verses five through to thirteen when Jesus

said entered Capernaum a centurion came to him asking him for help Lord he said

my servant lies at home paralyzed suffering terribly Jesus said to him

shall I come and heal him centurion replied Lord I don't deserve to have you

come under my roof but just say the word and my servant will be healed try myself

and my man under authority were soldiers under me I tell this one go we

goes I say to this one come he comes I say to my servant do this and he does it

when Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those following him truly I

tell you I haven't found anyone in Israel was such great faith I say to you

that many will come from the east and west and will take their places at the

feast with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven but the subjects of

the kingdom will be thrown outside into darkness whether it will be weeping and

gnashing of teeth and Jesus said to the centurion go let it be done just as you

believed it would and at that moment his servant was healed now just to make a

bit of sense of this Israel was an occupied nation under the mighty fist

of Rome meaning that the Jews were an oppressed people in their own homeland

and the guys that Rome used to keep order usually by brute force was the Roman

Legion Roman soldiers now to say that the Roman soldiers and the Jews didn't get

on is an absolute understatement the Jews were treated woefully by their

represses and those who were in charge of the soldiers on the ground were the

centurions the commanders we might call them so it's interesting to note the

details that Matthew was laid out for us here this centurion with all the

authority and status he doesn't come and demand but he came very much like the

guy with leprosy in a position of humility asking some translations say

pleading imploring Jesus to do something that again only God could do and that was

to do a supernatural work in the life of this man's servant and heal him now we

don't know all the details here about how the centurion heard of Jesus so what

was going on with the servant but something drew him to Jesus something

caused him to know that Jesus was the only one that could work in the life of

his servant and so like the leper who crossed all sorts of social boundaries

to get to Jesus we have a scene with this centurion doing the same thing Jesus

responds he says do you want me to go and heal him imagine that for a moment

imagine having Jesus offering to come to your place to have the most famous

rabbi teacher in the country but incredibly our evangelist Matthew

records something here the centurion says to Jesus he's not worthy to have him

come to his house but and this is where it gets really interesting he says I'm a

man under authority I can give a word and it's done you can give a word and

it's done in other words somehow this man knew that Jesus had the authority of

God and the power of God that he could simply say the word and it would be done

brothers and sisters we see something incredible here we're told that when

Jesus heard this he was absolutely amazed so amazed in fact that he hadn't

found this kind of humility and faith even among his own people among his

own people who knew the scriptures mind you so Jesus says I'm going to do what

you believe I can do and as Matthew reports reports here with the word

Jesus healed that man's servant again we see the absolute power and authority

that Jesus has with the word Jesus speaks things coming to being Jesus acts and

lives are changed now admittedly there is so much that we could say on just

these few verses but I just want you to notice one thing here on the one hand

we're seeing the absolute power and authority demonstrated by Jesus he's

willing he speaks and light shines in the darkness kind of reminds you of

Genesis one right yet on the other hand look who is coming to Jesus and how

Jesus is treating them the leper a social and spiritual outcast the

centurion a Roman commander whose sole purpose was to oppress the people of

God one is seen to be under the judgment of God and the other is to be seen as the

judgment of God yet how does Jesus treat these people how does he treat the

outcast and Israel's biggest threat well we see that people people no matter who

they are as they humbly come to Jesus we see that he cares for them we see Jesus

reach out to them because he wants to save them he wants to heal them he wants

them to come into a saving knowledge of who he is so first Matthew shows us that

Jesus can make the unclean clean second he shows us that Jesus came to serve all

people even his enemies third scene this was God's plan all along we read in

verses 14 and 15 when Jesus came into Peter's house he saw Peter's mother-in-law

lying in a bed with a fever he touched her hand and the fever left her she got

up and began to wait on him now church you'll immediately notice that things are

all backwards here right in our first scene the man with leprosy came to

Jesus in our second scene the centurion came to Jesus and we see that they both

plead with him yet Jesus came into the house no one says anything and he simply

goes up to Peter's mother-in-law touches her hand and she's healed I think

there's a couple of things going on here first it goes to show us that Jesus

knows exactly what we need even before we ask him I want you to notice our text

he saw her sick in bed Jesus knew exactly what was wrong and what she

needed so he goes to second I want you to notice how undramatic her sickness is

she had a fever maybe a headache maybe some aches even a flu but again how

beautiful is this it reminds us that nothing is too small or insignificant

for our Lord to notice and act upon it was said before that we had World Day of

Prayer here on Friday and we were reminded of that very thing we were

reminded that we are to take all our cares before the Lord because and Peter

makes this explicit because he cares for us and so church it's in these little

moments in the ministry of Jesus after he's proven to the crowds that he can

make the unclean clean and a moment after he's proven to the Gentiles that he

just needs to say the word and it will happen he then comes to the sickly

woman holds her hand and heals her of the smallest thing our God cares he cares

about the cosmic things he cares about the little things and we can take it all

to him because not only does he care for us but he has the power over it all and

when I say all I mean all as Matthew continues in verse 16 of our text this

morning when evening came many who were demon possessed were bought to him and

he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all sick all the sick and so in

one breath Jesus comes into the home of Peter and deals with the smallest thing

yet in the next breath people were being bought to Jesus and he's showing us

that yet again his power and authority is there it's over all things and he's

doing things that only God can take care of and Matthew tells us in no

uncertain terms this was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah

he took up our infirmities and bore our diseases verse 17 this is so incredibly

interesting what Matthew was doing here and I say it's interesting because our

evangelist is quoting from the prophet Isaiah and Isaiah in the 52nd and 53rd

chapter of his book prophesied that there would come a day when God would

send a servant and that servant would come to save his people how by serving

them by taking on their infirmities and bearing their disease and Matthew is

saying to us here this morning in our passage this Jesus this Jesus who taught

and preached who was attested to by these incredible signs and wonders to

prove he's the Christ who stood in the place of God and had the power over

leprosy over a servant of a centurion he never met over a fever over the demon

possessed over all sickness this Jesus he could reach into the lives of people

who was so far past human aid and he could save them and spare them there was

nothing too great or too small for him this Jesus was spoken about by God long

ago he's the servant that God said he would send one day to save his people

church the servant did indeed come and as Isaiah goes on to say in the rest of

chapter 53 the servant didn't come to be served but to serve and ultimately he

would give everything to serve even giving his very life for others and no

more clearly do we see that in the cross in reflection to the ministry of Jesus

the Apostle Paul says it like this Christ Jesus who existing in the form of God

didn't consider equality with God something to be exploited instead he

emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant taking on the likeness of

humanity and when he had come as a man he humbled himself by becoming obedient

to the point of death even death on a cross Philippians 2 verses 6 through 8

Philippians 2:6–8

brothers and sisters it's because of God and his sending of his servant that we

have such hope it is God who reached down to us to us who were at one time the

spiritually unclean and the enemies of God and while we were still his enemies

God sent his only begotten son God in the flesh as a servant to serve us in a

way that only God can serve as we've seen this morning there's nothing that

can't be healed and there is no one out of the reach of the saving power of the

Lord Jesus Christ so if you're here this morning and you would say that you don't

have a hope in the world then I would say to you friend that you are actually

here by no mistake you have all the hope in the world if you were just like the

people we've seen in our passage this morning humbly come to Jesus and confess

your need for him as we've seen this morning those who enter the kingdom of

heaven are the ones who humbly come to Jesus and you must come to him alone

however know this Jesus never ever cast anyone away from him who does so

maybe you're here today and you would say that there's something in your life

keeping you physically mentally spiritually bound maybe you would say

Michael I really identify with that guy who had leprosy in that you have a

disease in the soul that can't be cured perhaps you're bound by drugs alcohol

pornography and you've tried with all your power and might to save yourself

maybe you feel like you're totally beyond help and you'll hear this morning

and you would say that the sin is so deep that you can't even say it with

your mouth brother sister in Christ the Lord Jesus he has the power over every

circumstance and if you will just trust him the Lord answers those who call out

to him that's his word to us church the forgiveness the cleansing the freeing

comes when we seek Christ and humble ourselves before him and ask us to make

ask him to make us clean by his power that is a prayer that he will never ever

reject no matter who you are no matter what you've done Christ makes anyone

clean of anything finally if you have come to a saving knowledge of the truth

if you have experienced Christ's saving power he's making you clean from being

unclean from making you his friend from being God's enemy from his tender touch

of picking you up then you know like the centurion knew that Jesus has the power

to do all things that he is able to give new life that he's able to bring light

into the darkness with just a word of his mouth and so I want to ask you this

morning church I want to ask you to pray with me I want you to pray with me

that we would be a church that would walk in the example of our Lord Jesus

Christ that we would be a people that would reach out to the outcast that we

would reach out to our enemies to reach out to the needy the spiritually

afflicted and the sick with the good news of God's cure for all our

infirmities to be a people that reach out to the nations with the gospel of

Jesus Christ would you pray with me for that this morning let's pray now

father we are a people that recognize that these just aren't words on a page

but breathed out from the very spirit of God that these words are eternal words

settled in heaven that these words are your words to us father we dare not be

a people that ignore these words and we are so thankful that by your grace you

have enlightened the eyes of our hearts that you have given us faith that you

have received us into the kingdom of God but father we don't want the story to

end there we want you to use us use us for your kingdom for your glory as we

prayed this morning the power the glory the kingdom is yours and we would ask

that we would be a people used by you city on a hill a light in this world

father we ask that you would use us to take the gospel to our neighbors to all

those around us you would give us boldness clarity and that we would know

that you are with us in the mission because you promised that you would be

we ask for all of these things in the name of Jesus and for your glory