Matthew 8:23-34

down and junior church can be dismissed at this

time as well y 'all did well for the first time

hearing that I love that song and obviously the

words minister to us as they're making their

way down if you would go to Matthew chapter 8

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

We're going to be looking this morning at the

section in verses 23 and wind at 34. But we're

going to actually look at two different sections.

The first section we're going to look at verses

23 through 27. And so that will be our principal

text this morning. And so let's read this and

then we'll ask God to help us this morning as

well. Now when he, that is Jesus, got into a

boat, his disciples followed him. And suddenly

a great tempest arose on the sea. So that the

boat was covered with the waves. But he was asleep.

Then his disciples came to him and awoke him

saying, Lord, save us. We're perishing. We're

dying out here. But he said to them, why are

you fearful? Oh, you of little faith. Then he

arose and he rebuked the winds and the sea. And

there was a great calm. So the men marveled saying,

who can this be? That even the winds. and the

sea obey him. Would you join me in asking God

to help us this morning? Father and Lord, your

word is life. It is light. Lord God, it gives

us direction and instruction. But Father, this

must be guided and enabled, made possible by

the Holy Spirit of God. Father, I pray, Lord,

for your help this morning. Lord, I pray that,

Lord, you would use, Lord, your sacred word,

Lord, you would use your promises to comfort

your people. But Father, would you help me, Lord?

Would you calm me, Lord? God, help me not to

seek attention, but Lord, to focus all glory,

all praise, all honor onto Christ. Lord, I pray

that, Lord, you would guide my tongue this morning.

And Lord, that which not to be said or is unhelpful

or adds more obscurity, Lord, that you would

keep me and refrain me from speaking that. And

Lord God, I pray that that which needs to be

said, you would even call to mind this morning,

call to my remembrance. Father, would you show

your people Jesus this morning? Show them what

kind of man this is that calms even the wind

and the waves, and they must obey him. It is

found in Christ Jesus, our hope alone. It's in

his name we pray. Amen. You have to understand

something about this great gospel, this book

of Matthew. I believe there's just one central

question that he's really asking over and over

again, and that is, who is Jesus? Throughout

his gospel, this question is answered, again,

not by telling you who he is, but rather showing

you who he is. In chapter 1, Matthew opens this

gospel and he uses a title. He calls Jesus the

son of David and the son of Abraham. Now that's

important because Matthew is written primarily

for a Jewish audience. So when they're reading

this and they see these titles, son of David,

son of Abraham, No doubt they would immediately

connect these promises given to these men with

Jesus. See, both David and Abraham were given

great promises by God through a covenant. And

basically the covenant said a future blessing

would come through one of their descendants.

Abraham, he was promised that the entire world

would be blessed through his seed. And David

later on was promised that a king would arise

after him, one of his own descendants, who would

reign on his throne eternally. And Matthew picks

up his quill and begins to write, showing that

these promises are fulfilled in Jesus. It is

also in chapter 1 where we learn that Jesus was

born in Bethlehem to a virgin named Mary, which

is fulfillment of the promise given to Isaiah.

God told that great prophet, that Emmanuel, God

with us, would be born to a virgin, Isaiah 7

.14. Later on, God told the prophet Micah that

that virgin -born son would be born in Bethlehem,

Micah 5 .2. We turn the page, we go to chapter

2, and there we see that the son that was born

to Mary is the same one that King Herod is trying

to kill. which caused his parents to flee out

of Israel and then go into Egypt. Why? Well,

Matthew says, so that the prophecy given to Hosea

might be fulfilled, saying, out of Egypt I have

called my son. Hosea chapter 11, verse 1. We

Hosea 11:1

go on to chapter 3, and Jesus is the one upon

whom the Spirit of God descended when Christ

was baptized, and we also hear God the Father

speaking from heaven. In chapter 4, Jesus is

the one who's being led into the wilderness,

into the desert area, to be tempted by Satan.

But unlike Adam, and unlike Israel, who both

failed in their testing, Jesus Christ passed

the test and resisted temptation. He then begins

to speak. Chapters 5, 6, and 7, that great sermon

on the mount, he's teaching the people one, he's

teaching though with authority, unlike the scribes

and the Pharisees. And then we come to chapter

8, where we spent last week and we'll spend today.

He's the one who's healing lepers by touching

them. He's causing men who've been paralyzed

to be made whole by simply with a word. And he's

casting out demons simply by his word. All manner

of sick people are brought to him and we are

told that he was healing them all. He is the

one with just either a touch or a word brings

healing and brings life. But he's also the one

in chapter 8 who demanded radical commitment.

Nothing, including one's family, can come before

the commitment to follow him. Matthew, he's very

clear. He's been painting this gloriously clear

picture of who Jesus really is. But today the

picture is going to get a little sharper. We'll

see two more accounts revealing the authority

that Jesus has. He has authority over nature.

And he has authority over the kingdom of hell.

He has authority over the kingdom of darkness.

These events, what we're getting ready to read,

these are not just ostentatious displays of the

miraculous. They're given for a point. They were

meant to show you and I, or to show the reader

at that time, who Jesus is. Is he just a wise

rabbi? Is he nothing more than a very talented,

well -spoken, articulate teacher? Or is he Lord

of all? We come to our text this morning. He

got into a boat. His disciples followed him.

A great tempest arises on the sea. It says the

boat was covered with waves, and he's asleep.

His disciples in, they're panicking here. They

come to him. They wake him up. Lord, save us.

We're going to drown. Jesus gets up from sleep.

He looks to his panic -stricken disciples and

says, why are you all afraid? Why do you have

such little faith? And he rebukes. It tells us

the winds. He rebukes the sea. And suddenly there

was a great calm. Now notice, the Lord got into

a boat with his disciples. Why? Why leave? I

mean, he's so popular where he is. All kinds

of people are coming to him. He's going to leave

because the crowds are unrelenting. His presence

is demanded everywhere. Everyone wants to have

an audience, a private audience with him. They

want him to either touch them or speak a word

to them. They know that this man has power. And

Jesus and his disciples, they have been so very

busy serving the people. But there's no end in

sight. People just keep coming and coming, wave

after wave. More people. Jesus and his disciples,

they didn't have time to grab a bite to eat,

much less rest. What's he been doing? He's exhausted.

He's been teaching. He's been healing the sick.

We're told that he's been casting out demons.

And now it's evening time. He's tired. He's hungry.

He's weary. Now some of you, I know, know what

this is like because I've talked to you. If you've

ever worked in the medical field, which I have

not, think of this as a busy day in the ER. Your

shift has ended, but you can't leave. You're

exhausted. You want nothing more than just to

get out of there and relax, but you can't because

more critical patients keep coming. This is what

it's like. So Jesus, in wisdom, he eventually

decides we need to leave this area. This is the

only way we're going to get away. They're going

to get into a boat and they're going to go to

the other side of the Sea of Galilee. So they

get in the boat and immediately it sounds as

though Jesus, being exhausted, quickly falls

asleep. And while he was sleeping, notice the

text, a great tempest arose. Great tempest, great

megas, tempest, seismos. And seismos is the word

that we get in Greek. It's a word we get for

earthquake. It's also used for violent storms.

These are fierce, ferocious storms that could

arise. Now, this is no ordinary storm. It is

a life -threatening storm. Now, some commentators,

I could never be dogmatic, and I don't even know

if I hold to this. Some say that this storm was

caused by Satan. He's the prince of power of

the air. He has caused this violent wind to rush

down to create this storm to try to drown Jesus

before he could go to the cross. Speculation,

we can never prove it. Nor does it really matter.

But this is a fierce, mega storm. Why? Well,

the Sea of Galilee, it's located about 700 feet

below sea level. We had the privilege to go there

years ago, and many of you have as well. And

it's also surrounded by mountains on the eastern

and western sides. So sometimes you'll get these

strong winds coming off the Mediterranean. And

they'll come whipping down there. And they will

then cause these horrible storms to rise. Mark

says in his gospel that the boat began to fill

up with water. Mark 4 .37. A great windstorm

arose. The waves beat into the boat so that it

was already filling. Now, you don't have to be

a seasoned sailor. nor an expert sailor to know.

Let me just give you a basic lesson. Water out

of the boat, good. Water in the boat, bad, really

bad. Now keep in mind, this is night, right?

It's evening. It's not illuminated here. There's

a violent storm that rushed upon them and this

boat is filling up with water. What does that

mean? The boat's going down, folks. The disciples

know what this means. They thought, we're going

to drown. We're dead men here. And keep in mind,

at least several of these disciples we know were

seasoned fishermen who had spent their lives

on this sea. They knew what storms were like.

They were accustomed to how this could be, and

even they were terrified at this point. Why?

It's not an ordinary storm. It is absolutely

megas, as Greek would say. It's a big storm,

and it's causing terror in the life of the disciples.

Now Matthew also tells us that the boat was covered

with waves. Look down at verse 24. And notice

the juxtaposition. That he was asleep. The boat

sinking. The master is sleeping. He's asleep.

He's exhausted. He's spent. He's given of himself

and given of himself and given of himself all

day. He's weary. Now here we see our Lord's humanity.

He truly is a human. He's man. He's a man like

us. He needed to sleep. He needed to eat. He

needs to rest. And that's what he's doing. Verse

25, the disciples, they wake him up. Put yourself

in their shoes. Lord, save us. Do something.

We're perishing. Again, a stark contrast between

Jesus and the disciples. They're panicking, Jesus

peacefully sleeping. Now I don't know, Matthew

never explains how Jesus is peacefully sleeping

in the stern, that is the back of the boat, in

such a violent storm. He must have been absolutely

exhausted. So you find these disciples, they're

terrified, the boat's taking on water, and Jesus

is asleep without a seeming care in the world.

Now sometimes we're too quick to criticize the

disciples, so let's give credit where credit's

due this morning. They had enough sense to go

to Jesus, right? They wake him up and they're

crying out for help. So what I see here, it's

a picture. Their faith is not yet mature. It's

not yet complete. But they do know to go to Jesus.

Now, Matthew is always doing contrast. He'll

contrast a Jew and a Gentile. He'll contrast

faith. And we see that even here. Earlier in

this same chapter, chapter 8, we looked at it

last week. We find an example of a great faith.

It's a Gentile Roman centurion, a Roman soldier.

So much so that it amazed Jesus. We find that

in verse 10. When Jesus heard it, the faith of

the centurion, he marveled and said to others

who followed, Assuredly, I say to you, I have

not found such great faith, not even in Israel,

not even among my own people. But now Matthew

highlights little faith. Oh, you have little

faith. But where is this little faith found?

In those closest to him. His disciples. Look

at verse 26. Why are you fearful, O you of little

faith? Strong faith founded in Gentile, weak

faith founded in the Jews, but here's the point.

All faith was centered on Jesus. What ultimately

mattered, folks, was not the quantity of their

faith, but the object of their faith. Faith in

itself saves no one. It cannot. Jesus saves everyone

who puts their faith in him. Jesus is the Savior.

Jesus saves and faith is the instrument that

connects us to the Savior. So the disciples go

and they wake Jesus up. Now why did they wake

him up? What made them think that he could help

them in this situation? They'd never seen him

do anything with nature before, or had they?

Now recall all that they had seen up to this

point. Cure lepers by touching them. Make whole

paralytics with just a word. Everyone who was

sick got healed. And they also knew that he could

cast out demons by just one word. So in my mind,

they're reasoning here. If anyone can help us,

the situation looks bleak. It's night, we're

drowning. If anyone can help us, it's Jesus.

So they wake him up. That's what they did. Verse

26. And you don't find Jesus immediately saying,

oh, thank you guys. Yes, thank you for waking

me up. Let me tell you how this is going to play

out. Instead, there's a rebuke. Before he rebukes

the wind, he kind of rebukes his disciples. Why

are you so afraid? Are you of little faith? Now,

this is almost comical. He says, why are you

so afraid? And to me, that's an obvious question,

right? What do you mean, why are they so afraid?

They're afraid because they're drowning. They're

going to die. The ship is going down. This is

a terrible storm. Water is coming in the boat.

Waves are coming upon them. So why then did Jesus

ask this strange question? He didn't need information,

by the way. Because here's what he's saying to

them. Why are you afraid of a storm if I am in

the boat with you? Do you not yet know who I

am? See, everything in Matthew is pointing us

back to Christ. Why are you so afraid? Do you

still not get it? You don't know who I am? And

I think if anyone should have known who he was,

it should have been the disciples. They had the

inside track. They spent all their time with

him. But their faith was not yet mature. And

Jesus gets up and he rebukes the wind and the

waves. And notice there was an immediate calm.

And Matthew says, a great calm. Do you see what's

happening here? As soon as Jesus spoke, wind

and waves obeyed. One minute you have sea churning,

waves raging, and the next moment it is as smooth

as glass. The disciples are like, whoa. How is

this happening? Jesus created that sea. Jesus

created those winds. They had no option but to

obey him. Verse 27. So the men marveled. They're

in amazement saying, all right, who is he? Who

can this be that even the wind and the seas obey

him? Here's the question. What man can control

even nature? And I think maybe some of their

minds might have gone to this verse. Maybe not.

Psalm 89. Oh, Lord God of hosts, who is mighty

like you? O Lord, your faithfulness also surrounds

you. You, look at verse 9, you rule the raging

of the sea. When its waves rise, you still them.

Okay, now what the psalmist just said is that

God, Yahweh, is the one who calms seas and waves.

Elohim, Yahweh, both of those are used in the

psalm there. Matthew says in Matthew 8, Jesus

is calming the seas and the waves. You know what

Matthew is showing? Remember he's painting this

picture. He didn't come out directly and say

Jesus is God. But what he's telling you, the

one in that boat there, that is God in the flesh.

That's who he is. Now here's the thing. We saw

his humanity. He had to sleep. He had to eat.

He was just working out of sheer exhaustion.

Here's another picture. We see his divinity.

The one who's exhausted in the stern of the boat

is the one who just woke up and told the wind

and waves, y 'all obey. Y 'all be quiet now.

And they obeyed. In Mark's gospel, we read this.

And they feared exceedingly. Talking about the

disciples. They feared exceedingly. Mark 4, 41.

They said to one another, who can this be? One

minute. So think about this. One minute the disciples

were in fear. Why? There's a storm and their

lives are in jeopardy. Now there was an even

greater fear. They feared exceedingly because

who was in the boat with them? They were uncomfortable.

It's not comfortable being near him when he's

showing his power. They were more afraid of him

than they were of the storm. And by the way,

they should have been. They should have been.

Commenting on this verse, R .C. Sproul says,

Yes, human beings are afraid of floods, fires,

earthquakes, and disease. But in the heart of

every creature made in the image of God, there

is a terror far greater than all these things

combined. Because there is a threat far greater

than any force of nature can present. It is the

threat of falling into the hands of the living

God. The disciples were starting to understand

more of who Jesus was. It's not fully formed

yet. Their faith is not yet quite mature. But

Matthew's painting this picture for his readers.

The one that's in the boat with these men, this

is the son of the living God. This is God in

flesh. Remember what Isaiah called him? Emmanuel,

God with us. He literally is Emmanuel, God with

us, just as Isaiah had promised. And by the way,

you're going to see his mission now. He's coming

back to take back all that Satan had stolen.

This is where we come to our next section. Jesus

had come to defeat the kingdom of darkness and

usher in a kingdom of light. Look at the beginning

of verse 28. When he had come to the other side,

this is the Decapolis, this is a Gentile area,

to the country of the Gergesenes, there met him

two demon -possessed men. Let me just, as a side

note, has nothing to do with the sermon. Some

critics of the Bible say, hey, Mark only mentions

one, Matthew mentions two. Okay. There's no discrepancy

there. Mark just mentioned the one that might

have been more vocal. Matthew's talking about

the two. There is no discrepancy whatsoever there.

But he met two demon -obsessed men coming out

of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no

one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried

out, saying, What have we to do with you, Jesus,

you son of God? Had you come here to torment

us before the time? Now a good way off from them

there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the

demons begged him saying, if you cast us out,

permit us to go away into the herd of swine.

And he said to them, go. So when they had come

out, they went into the herd of swine and suddenly

that whole herd of swine ran violently down the

steep place into the sea and they perished in

the water. They drowned. Then those who kept

them fled and they went away into the city and

told everything, including what had happened

to the demon possessed men. And behold, the whole

city came out to meet Jesus. And this is, I don't

think I quite understand it. And when they saw

him, they begged him to depart from the region.

They're just as uncomfortable. See, Jesus crossed

that sea, the Sea of Galilee, with his disciples.

Now, what's the question that's ringing in their

ears? Who can this be that even the wind and

the seas obey him? We get to the other side,

and it's interesting that a few thousand demons

are going to answer that question for him pretty

clearly in verse 29. What have we to do with

you, Jesus, you son of God? They got it. See,

Jesus goes in this area, the Sea of Galilee.

It's known as the Decapolis, mostly Gentile.

Now, there would have been Jews living there

as well. Now, he leaves Galilee, where he's immensely

popular. He's so popular that he needs to head

across the lake, but he heads to the Gentile

area. No, there's a purpose there. Why go there?

Why not go somewhere else to escape? Jesus in

John chapter 10, he said this, Other sheep I

John 10 · chapter mention

have which are not of this fold, they're not

just Jews, them also I must bring, and they will

hear my voice, and there will be one flock and

one shepherd. I believe that Matthew painting

this picture, he's foreshadowing. That the salvation

the Lord came to bring was not exclusively for

the Jews. Remember, he's written to a Jewish

audience. Rather, he wants to note the Gentiles

are also going to be included in this. Now, these

men, we're not given details at all how they

came to be possessed by so many demons. But we

certainly can see the effects of the torment.

Through these men, we see what Satan would like

to do to each of us if he were permitted. We're

told that Satan longs to steal, kill, and destroy.

These men are living in absolute torment. This

is an object lesson. This is life in his kingdom.

This is life in the kingdom of darkness. Now

notice, these men were living in mountainous

tombs. They were living as if they were wild

animals. I find this interesting. It's not the

central point of the text. But God always exalts

humanity, created in his image. We bear the Imago

Dei. Satan loves to dehumanize mankind and cause

them to live as animals. Again, this is not the

central point here. But you and I today, we see

more animal -like behavior in our culture as

it has moved further away from God. You see this

typified in violence. Just animal -like violence.

There's this lack of respect for life. The dignity

and sanctity of life is no longer respected.

And through aberrant sexuality, we see, which

is so very prevalent, animal -like behavior.

I've heard literally on TV evolutionary biologists

say that man is hardwired to be immoral. He must

spread his seed everywhere because it's hardwired

through him by evolution. He's nothing more than

an animal. And yet we see that man was not created

to live by base instincts as if he were an animal,

but by reason and faith in the living God. Now,

we know from Mark's gospel that these men would

run on naked. They were crying and they were

cutting themselves with stones. They acted insane.

There was no control over their own faculties

whatsoever. Why? Because they had been possessed

by the demon hordes of hell. That's why. Now,

everyone was afraid of them. Look at verse 28.

They were exceedingly fierce so that no one could

pass that way. I mean these men were so crazy

and so ferocious that they were a danger to anyone

who might even get near them or pass by them.

So what happened? People stopped going by the

way of the tombs. That's a graveyard by the way.

Let's not go by that path. We know from Mark

again that these men were often chained up but

to no avail because they somehow had supernatural

strength to break the chains. Everyone is afraid

of these men. Except Jesus. There was no one,

Mark says, who could tame them. That is until

Jesus arrived. These demons immediately recognize

who Jesus is. They didn't need anyone to tell

them. You see that in verse 29. Suddenly they

cry out saying, what have we to do with you,

Jesus, you son of God? Have you come here to

torment us before the time? Now what had the

disciples been asking? Who is he? What do the

demons answer? It's Jesus, son of God. The demons

immediately recognize who he is. The disciples

were just starting to understand better. I believe

that moment on the lake was a huge leap forward

in their understanding. But it will not be until

Matthew chapter 16, where Peter makes his great

Matthew 16 · chapter mention

and first confession, that their belief will

be fully articulated for the first time. So a

lot more has to take place. But we see here the

demons, they recognize him. But they also knew

a couple other things. Notice that they knew

a future judgment awaited them. Have you come

here to torment us before the time? They know

what awaits them. They know that Jesus is the

judge. And they know that Jesus is the judge

that they must face on judgment day. They also

knew that he had authority over them. He had

authority. He could do with them whatever he

wanted. If he wanted them out of the men, he

could immediately cast them out of the men, and

these demons would be powerless to resist him.

Look at verse 31. So they're begging. So the

demons begged him, saying, if you cast us out,

because they have to do his bidding, by the way.

Please, don't send us to final judgment yet.

Permit us to go away into the herd of swine.

Again, I find this interesting. They know they

can't resist him, so they're begging him because

they know a future day awaits, but that day's

not yet. So don't torment us before the time.

So Matthew is showing his reader something. He

has authority over wind, he has authority over

waves, and he has ultimate authority over nature

and hell itself. Jesus, this is the point. Jesus

is the sovereign son of God who has all authority

over all things and all people. That's what Matthew's

saying. Verse 32. Notice what Jesus spoke one

word here. They're like, please, please, please,

please. And he said, go. Jesus said, go. And

what happens? They go into a herd of pigs. And

I don't know if the pigs were like, hey, we're

smarter than the men. This isn't going to happen.

They kill themselves. We don't know what happened

here. But Jesus' command that the demons leave

these men with one word, go. Again, I'm referencing

Mark's gospel because it's more elaborate there.

It gives more details. In Mark's gospel, Jesus

asked the identity of the demon. And do you remember

how they answered? Legion, for we are many. Well,

that's interesting. A legion was the largest

unit of a Roman army. If it were to be fully

staffed, it would have about 6 ,000 soldiers.

Now, that does not mean that there were necessarily

6 ,000 demons in these men. But it does mean

there were many. Because it says legion, for

we are many. There were many demon spirits possessing

these men. Jesus simply said one word, go. And

thousands of demons went. That's the point. And

what did they do? They entered the herd of pigs

that was close by. Mark tells us about 2 ,000.

About 2 ,000 pigs run down a steep mountain off

a cliff into the sea and drown themselves. One

word, go. absolute, absolute, total control over

the demonic forces. Do you see the picture's

getting clearer? Yeah, he's a great healer, but

that's not the point. He's wanting you to see,

oh, he has what? Authority. Yeah, what kind of

authority? Wind obeys him. Waves obey him. And

by one word, demons must flee. Now we are never

told why Jesus gave permission for those demons

to go into the herd of pigs. But it was a powerful

object lesson. It still is today. In verse 33,

those who kept those pigs, they made a living

off of them. They go in the city. They tell everything

that they had just witnessed. And the whole city

is like, what? Let's go see for ourselves. And

they have a reaction. Now notice, they see the

men who had been set free. And it says, They

were afraid. Just like the disciples earlier.

They were afraid of Jesus. They were afraid of

his remarkable power. They were afraid of being

in the presence of someone who had such tremendous

authority. They were afraid of the Holy One.

It made them uncomfortable. And they asked the

unthinkable. Now listen, they knew what these

two men had been like. They lived with them.

Now they're there. They're clothed. They're in

the right mind. Peaceful. You would think they're

like, please stay. We need you. Thank you. Instead,

please leave. Please leave our village. Please

leave our community. Please leave us alone. Just

go. We don't want you here. We're not comfortable

here. Why? We don't know for sure. It could be.

There's many reasons. Many commentators speculate.

Some say the loss of 2 ,000 pigs would have certainly

crippled the economy. The economy suffered. Maybe

some lost businesses and they're afraid of losing

further business junctures. We don't know. I

don't know. I want you to notice something else,

and this is just a side note. It has not the

central point of the text. Jesus thought that

the lives of 2 ,000 pigs were nothing compared

to the lives of these two men. Why am I saying

that? Because Jesus knew the value of human life.

If it caught PETA, we'd be really upset with

this particular section of scripture, wouldn't

we? Jesus thought if it cost 2 ,000 pigs their

lives to save these two men's lives, it's worth

it. We elevate humanity, folks. Jesus came to

that community and he came with healing. And

he offered them freedom. They said, no, would

you please leave? Now what? What's the point

that you and I are supposed to be asking? Matthew's

gospel is asking one question. Do you see? Do

you recognize who Jesus is? I wonder if that's

you this morning. Do you really see who he is?

He touches lepers, but he's not made unclean,

they're made clean. He makes paralytics whole

by simply speaking. Any manner of disease, you

name it, he heals it. He is authority. Over wind

and sea, over all of nature. And with just one

little word, he casts out the forces of evil.

That's why Martin Luther's great song, The Mighty

Fortresses of God, remember it says, one word

will fail him. Listen, friends, this is not like

who's going to win. One word, Satan's gone. Matthew

has shown us he's more than a rabbi. He's more

than a healer. He's more than a gifted teacher.

He's Emmanuel. His God with us. Now why? Why

is Matthew doing this? He wants you to see who

Jesus is so that you might trust completely in

him. So that you turn your life completely over

to him. So that you would believe upon him and

be saved, the Bible says. Jesus is that Messiah.

Son of David. Yes. Son of Abraham. He is the

long expected one. He is the Savior sent from

heaven to save people from their sins. What about

you, though? How have you responded to Jesus?

Have you welcomed his deliverance and you bowed

down before him, confessing him as Savior and

Lord? Or like this community we just read about,

have you asked him to leave? You're not comfortable.

Church, I want to talk to those who know Christ.

This ought to fuel our worship, our praise. Praise

be to God for his salvation. Why do I say that?

You and I, do you see those two men? They were

in the kingdom of darkness. We once were enslaved

to sin, enslaved to self, enslaved to Satan.

You and I once were part of that kingdom of darkness.

And Paul wrote this to the church at Colossae,

this last verse here in Colossians chapter 1,

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

giving thanks to the Father who has qualified

us to be partakers of the inheritance of the

saints in the light. He has delivered us from

the power of darkness. And conveyed us into the

kingdom of the son of his love. In whom we have

redemption. How? Through his blood. What does

it mean? The forgiveness of sins. Praise his

name. Giving thanks to the Father. Let us give

thanks. The Greek word is Eucharisteo, and we're

going to come to the table now. Many church traditions

call this the Eucharist. The Eucharisteo, it

simply means offering up thanks. What are we

giving thanks for today? The body and the blood

of Jesus that brought to us the forgiveness of

our sins. What a gracious God. What a mighty

Savior. What a wonderful plan of salvation that

you and I have been privileged to be brought

into. Let's pray and prepare our hearts to come

to the table of the Lord. Father, we thank you

this morning. Lord, your word is rich. It is

good. It is meaty. It is sustaining. Lord, it's

sustenance. It's nourishment for our soul. Lord,

now our eyes are directed toward Christ. Those

promises, Lord, we see sealed in the table of

the Lord as we hold in our hands, Lord, the promises

that you have made that come through the body

and blood of your Son that all who believe upon

him will be saved. Lord, we believe this and

you have sealed it with a promise and you have

given it to us that we may hold it in our hands

and drink it down, Lord, as we look to Christ

and not physically but metaphorically, spiritually,

we feast upon him, Lord, this morning as our

Lord, as the true bread of life. As the one who

gives us himself. Well thank you Lord for sending

your son. Thank you Father. Thank you Lord Jesus

for coming. For giving of yourself. For dying

on that cruel tree. And thank you precious Holy

Spirit for opening our eyes. Quickening us. Giving

us life. That we may be brought in to this wonderful

fold of salvation. Praise be to God. It's in

the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Deacons if you

would come and prepare the table. Thank you.