"When He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2 Right away a man with a serious skin disease came up and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his disease was healed. 4 Then Jesus told him, “See that you don’t tell anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed, as a testimony to them."
5 When He entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony!”
7 “I will come and heal him,” He told him.
8 “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured. 9 For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
10 Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, “I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith! 11 I tell you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.” And his servant was cured that very moment."
14 When Jesus went into Peter’s house, He saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve Him. 16 When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick, 17 so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: He Himself took our weaknesses and carried our diseases."
Matthew 8:1-17Have you come to the end of yourself? Are you resting all of your weight upon the precious Lamb of God? Or are you still trying to do in the flesh what can only be accomplished by the Spirit of God? Our faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. For there is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends. It is when we come to the end of ourselves that we really find the power of God.
So what then, is faith? In Hebrews 11:1, we're told, " Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen." And verse 6, tells us, "Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him."
So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that there is a God and that He rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Here's the deal: Jesus is always willing to reward faith.
Today, we'll take a closer look at the encounters Jesus had with these men and women of faith.
Over and over again, we find, that Jesus is willing to make us clean!
However, our faith in Him, is required.
Today's Message: Faith Comes By Hearing! Who Are You Listening To?
Heavenly Father,
Thank You, for gathering us together today, for this powerful Word!
How exciting it is to experience it, how thrilling it is to see Your power working within us again, speaking to us here today, from through the barriers of over 2,000 years. Taking us from this present day, to the day when this man lived, making it as vivid for us today, as it was as then. Lord, we ask that You would just reach down, and touch each of our lives today, especially those, who are in our midst who have the leprosy of sin. Cleanse them O gracious Lord! Make then clean! May they become pure, whole before this day is complete.
While your heads are bowed and your eyes closed, I want to pause just a moment; and say, if you don’t personally know the Lord Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior, won't you consider it today? If the thought of leprosy sounds fearful to you, you don’t even know the half of it, to be in sin and under the judgment of God forever! Beloved, that's something to fear! May this be the very day that you come to Jesus Christ. If the Spirit of God speaks to your heart, and you feel Him moving around inside of you, you sense His voice calling to you, would you just be obedient, and answer that call?
I pray and trust that you will before we part today! Allow Him to touch you and make you clean. He will forgive your disobedience, though it grieves Him so, if you will only ask Him to.
Thank You, precious and loving Lord, for not only our time together, but for all who are present today, Oh the wonder of Your power, Father, as we’ve seen it expressed in the person of Jesus Christ. And, we are so thankful that He has touched us and made us clean, who have received Him. So very thankful!
Father, I just pray right now, for those who are on the fence, speak to them, through Your powerful Word today. For those who are unbelieving, Father, touch their hearts, eyes and ears, that they would hear You calling out to them now. Thank You, for in faith believing, if it be Your will, it shall be done. If You will only say the word! It will be done!
In Jesus name
Amen
Good Morning Beloved,
It is my honor and privilege, to share with you today
Open with me please, your Bibles, to the book of Matthew chapter 8. Today, we'll be taking a closer look at verses 1-17. Matthew 8:1-17, allow me to read this to you before we begin.
"When He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. Right away a man with a serious skin disease came up and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his disease was healed. Then Jesus told him, “See that you don’t tell anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed, as a testimony to them."
When He entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony!” “I will come and heal him,” He told him.
“Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured. For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, “I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith! I tell you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.” And his servant was cured that very moment."
When Jesus went into Peter’s house, He saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve Him. When
evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. He
drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick, so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: He Himself took our weaknesses and carried our diseases."
So, we read in in verse 1, that large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached Jesus. He knelt before him, worshiping. "Lord," the man said, "if you want to, you can make me well again."
Jesus touched him. "I want to," he said. "Be healed!" And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus said to him, "Go right over to the priest and let him examine you. Don’t talk to anyone along the way. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy, so everyone will have proof of your healing."
I think it is important that we remember who wrote this Gospel. It was written by Matthew, a Jew and also a tax-collector. As a Jew, Matthew would have had very strong feelings about both lepers, and as we shall see in the next story, Roman soldiers. To a Jewish person, a leper was a great sinner. God only punished people because of their sin, and there was no punishment greater than the punishment of leprosy.
But as a tax collector, Matthew would have understood the feelings of being left as an outcast of society. He would have felt the sting of rejection and the looks of disgust given by people who didn’t understand. It is likely, that this leper, not being allowed to be with the people, had heard our Lord from a distance. He then kneeled, or fell down before Jesus, and said, "“Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” And we from Scripture, "Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean."
For those of you who are unfamiliar, Leprosy was, and still is, a terrible disease, and a physical picture of the spiritual disease of sin in our lives. Merriam Webster defines a leper as,
1: a person affected with leprosy 2 : a person shunned for moral or social reasons.
And it defines Leprosy, as 1: a chronic infectious disease caused by a mycobacterium (Mycobacterium leprae)
affecting especially the skin and peripheral nerves and characterized
by the formation of nodules or macules that enlarge and spread
accompanied by loss of sensation with eventual paralysis, wasting of
muscle, and production of deformities
— called also Hansen's disease
2 : a morally or spiritually harmful influence
Leprosy, as it appears in the beginning with reddish white sores or spots that begin to pop up all over the body. These sores fester and quickly spread. Especially in the hands and feet the skin begins to wither and crack in many places. The ends of the fingers swell and ulcerate; the discharge is acrid and fetid; the nails drop off, and the bones of the fingers start to separate at the joints. As the disease continues to spread the leper may lose all of their fingers and toes and sometimes even their hands and feet. Much like sin itself, leprosy may be secretly destroying the body for years, hidden away, but eventually the disease becomes visible and its destructive powers known.
Now, the thing about there was, nor is there today, no cure for leprosy. Therefore, it was often seen as a divine punishment from God. If a person had leprosy they were cast out of the community of believers and sent to live in colonies outside of the camp or city. They could not approach anyone without first shouting out “Unclean” as a warning for all to stay away. They lived their lives in isolation and without any human affection or contact.
If by some gift of God, a person was healed, then it was believed that their sin had been forgiven as well. The leper was to present themselves to a priest for inspection. If proven to be clean once again, the priest performed a ceremony of washing to indicate that the leper was now clean and forgiven and could be welcomed back into the community.
Even though this was not the first miracle performed by Christ, Matthew chooses to use this miracle as the first miracle he will record in his gospel. So, it must have had a tremendous impact upon him and the other disciples.
Imagine, with me, if you will, the scene, as this unclean leper, someone to be feared by the community as contagious and a sinner, is found crying out to Jesus “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean!” What amazing humility is seen in this leper as he falls down, kneeling at the feet of Jesus, however, what incredible boldness that he would approach the Lord, even in a crowd of people who could easily have chased him away, or scolded him for approaching the Lord.
But it is his faith that garners the most attention, at least mine. Somewhere, somehow, he had come to believe that Jesus had the power to heal, something no one else did. Though leprosy was an incurable disease, this leper believed that Jesus was powerful enough to cure him. His only question was: "Was Jesus willing?"
Beloved, this man, this leper, stands as an example to all of us, especially, for those of us who have very little doubt in the power of God to perform miracles! But who dares to question whether God would want to do so in our lives?
This leper saw Jesus as a man of authority, a man who could make the impossible possible. Not only did he want physical healing from the Lord, he wanted to become completely clean. He wanted to be restored to fellowship with the community. “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Lord, if you are willing, you can forgive all of my sins. Lord, if you are willing you can save me and make me whole again.”
What Jesus does next, shall I dare say, should forever quiet that voice in our hearts and any question we have in our minds, as to the question of God’s willingness to restore and to forgive and to heal and to save because, Jesus reaches out to touch the man. You can almost hear the collective gasping of the surrounding crowds of people. The law says: "If you touch someone who is unclean, you become unclean." In the spirit of verse 17; ‘Jesus took this man’s illness and bore his disease upon Himself." Meaning, He became a leper too! And with a few words, He spoke and all uncleanness and disease disappeared forever!
Have you ever found yourself saying these words: "Lord, if you are willing . . ." Is the Lord willing? The scriptures say that the Lord is not willing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Jesus spoke: "I am willing. Be clean!"
What would the Lord say to you today? "I am willing _(your name)___" Are you willing to humble yourself and kneel before Him? Will you surrender your life to Him? Will you ask Him for what He alone can do? Then, will you trust Him to do it, and bless you with what He knows is best?
Let me share something with you, that I KNOW to be true, Jesus is willing to make us clean. Jesus is always willing to reward faith. And Jesus has authority. His word will not be denied! And, you may ask, "You know this how?" Let me tell you, I know this because, I am living proof!
Now, let's look at verse 8-13. Matthew 8:5-13, "When He entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony!” “I will come and heal him,” He told him. “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured. For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, “I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith! I tell you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.” And his servant was cured that very moment."
This story always held great significance for me, and power over my imagination, even as a young boy. I remember each week in people saying the phrase over and over again, throughout my childhood "Just say the Word, Lord and I will be healed."
Once again Matthew is speaking of a person hated and feared by his contemporaries. Israel was occupied by the Romans, and these foreigners were not welcome. They were seen as godless animals, much in the same way many Iraqis’ might view the American soldiers in their country. But this soldier had done some serious image repair. He had cared for the community by helping to build a synagogue and the locals had grown to trust him and admire him. In the Gospel of Luke we are told that the Jewish officials of the town first came to Jesus on behalf of the Centurion Soldier asking Jesus to listen to his request. Matthew doesn’t bother with that detail, as he gets right down to business.
The Centurion is straightforward in his request. He approaches Jesus, much like he would have approached his commanding officer. "Master, my servant is paralyzed and suffering." Notice that He doesn’t even have a chance to get out the request when Jesus responds: "I will come and heal him."
Beloved, are you getting any of this? The Lord is ready and willing to answer our prayers. He has an answer prepared even before the words appear on our lips. But in this case, the Centurion soldier demonstrates an amazing heart, and a beautiful picture of an appropriate attitude in prayer:
We see compassion in his heart for his suffering servant. We see humility in his heart in the acceptance of his own unworthiness. He doesn’t deserve to have the Lord come into his home.
We see confidence in his heart that the Lord has power and authority to grant his request.
And finally we see an amazing faith that does not require signs and wonders, but simply the promise or Word of God!
Jesus is amazed, and he uses this man’s faith as an opportunity to teach his disciples about the kingdom of God. In the kingdom Gentiles and Jews will eat together by faith. Those who don’t believe God’s Word and who don’t follow Jesus, whether they are Jew or Gentile, will be left out in the cold.
And then Jesus answers the request with a word: "Go, everything will happen just as you have already seen it in your heart."
So, I ask all of you; Are we more like the Centurion soldier, or like those who have heard the Word, but have failed to believe? Do we have the kind of confidence in Christ that we can approach Him and say: "Just speak the Word, Lord, and it will be done!"
Perhaps, our problem is that we have not heard! The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 10, verse 17, "So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ." When was the last time you heard a Word from God? Do you even seek to hear from Him? Are you asking Him to quiet your spirit, and speak to your heart, to your situation? Are you seeking Him first? Or is He your last resort, when all else has failed?
Beloved, when God speaks, Faith grows!
Jesus has authority. His Word will not be denied. Jesus is always willing to reward faith.
Jesus will bear the burdens of those who believe.
Let's direct our attention now, to Matthew 8:14-17, allow me to just read this to you; "When Jesus went into Peter’s house, He saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve Him. When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick, so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
He Himself took our weaknesses and carried our diseases."
In Closing.....
What burdens are you carrying today? Will you bring them to Him? Today we celebrate Jesus and His willingness to answer us. Let us remember that it is by His blood and His broken body that we have been accepted. We remember that Jesus is alive and is coming again! Let us remember that Jesus cares and is ready to carry our burdens.
Let us each take a moment and prepare our hearts, in humility, to talk to the Lord about the burdens in your heart today. Share your burdens with Him, and they say: "Lord if you are willing, you can make me whole. Just say the Word, and your servant will be healed."
Beloved, when arks are built, lives are saved. When soldiers march, walls in Jericho tumble. When staffs are raised, seas still separate, split down the middle! When a lunch is shared, thousands are fed. And when the hem of a garment is touched, whether by the hand of an anemic woman in Galilee or by the prayers of a beggar in Bangladesh. Jesus stops and responds!
Jesus is willing, if you'll only have the faith!
Faith Comes By Hearing! Who Are You Listening To?
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2020 All Rights Reserved