The Hope Of Healing

 

^"23 Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

²⁴ The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. ²⁵ Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan."

Matthew 4:23-25 

Good Morning my beloved,

We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is my honor and privilege to have you here with us today. We are especially grateful for those of you who have been sharing the ministry website, and social media platforms with all of your family and friends. Your faithfulness and commitment to share God's Word with others continues to bring about tremendous results. People are responding to God's Word! This is all so amazing. We ask you to pray that God will continue to give us boldness to speak the truth in ministry in the face of adversity in the coming days! As you may have noticed, it's becoming more and more challenging in the day in which we live. 

I want to let all of you know how grateful I am for all of you. We are so thankful your prayers and continue to pray for all of you. Prayer is such a powerful tool, and a mighty weapon against the adversary. And through your sharing, God continues to bring a number of people to faith in Jesus Christ. Praise God! May He continue to use you and this ministry mightily to effect change in even more lives. Let's give God some praise for all He has done! 

A successful ministry is a ministry that follows in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not be so foolish as to measure God's work by man's yardstick. The true measure of success for churches and preachers is faithfulness to the work to which God has called them, to proclaim the truth of God. We desperately need pastors after God's own heart, who feed His people. 

 Jesus was sent to preach the Kingdom of God. Jesus ministry was beginning to grow in substantial ways, much like today, people were more interested in what they could get from Him. Everywhere He went, a large crowd gathered. However, there were only a small few that followed Him, because they loved Him and they wanted His teaching. 

Today, there seems to be different degrees of Christian devotion. Many have come to believe that you can live a worldly life, without having a high moral standard and as long as you claim Christ, you're a Christian. It's as though Christianity can adjust itself to suit the lifestyles of the current culture, regardless of what God has said in His Word. It's as though obedience doesn't have anything to do with it. Christ's teachings ought to pervade the whole lives of the congregations of the church He founded. He taught repentance from sins and overcoming sin and overcoming death with eternal life.

Let us pray

Heavenly Father,

Father, we thank You for Your Word, we thank you for the calling that we have this work to do. We thank you for these glorious truths and all that they represent. Lord, we pray for those that do not know You, we again cry out on their behalf that You will save them, we ask that You would overwhelm them with the reality of their sinfulness, bring them unto repentance. Lord, while we may never fully understand all that you have given us, we understand that You are a holy and righteous God, who deserves nothing less than our faithful obedience.  Thank You for the hope that you have given to each of us who know and love you. May our lives bring honor and glory to Your name

In Jesus' name we pray

Amen

 

Today's Message: The Hope Of Healing

 

There are many Christians today, who want to hijack the mission of Jesus and the church and turn them into their own political movement to accomplish their own agenda. Agendas filled with sin and social discord. That’s not what Jesus came to do. He was only about His father’s business. And, nothing more. The Church needs to be about pleasing God and being about His business. That should be the only thing that matters. No matter what relationships it may cost you. 

 

As we return to our study of Matthew 4, we come to the final three verses, the first statement about Jesus' healing ministry made in the gospels. A cursory study of the New Testament, particularly the gospels, one of the ways Jesus demonstrated His deity, was through healing. Miracles were a tremendously important aspect of Christ's ministry. In fact, John gospel is based upon Jesus' messianic credentials. What Matthew is introducing here is actually expanded in greater depth in the gospel of John. John's purpose was to present the words and works of Jesus, to prove to the world that He was not just another man, but that He was God.

Open your Bibles with me to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 4, verses 23 through 25. In Matthew's gospel, he introduces Jesus' "teaching and preaching," or His words and His healing, His works. The ministry of Jesus was a ministry of what He said and what He did. The two of these combined had ought to be enough to prove to the world that Jesus is God.

 

I am always reminded of John chapter 9, when the disciples had the wrong theology concerning the blind man. "As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." 

 

The disciples thought that everybody who was sick, everybody who was diseased, everybody who was lame, was because of sin. Unfortunately, there are many Christians who believe the same today, that's just not true. While it is true, that the Lord allows chastening and a punishment for sin. That's not always the case. God allows some people to be sick so the works of God can be made manifest. In other words, so He can heal them and reveal His glory to the world.

I invite you to follow along with me as I read, to set the text in our minds, as we prepare our hearts for the Spirit of God is saying to each of us. Matthew 4:23-25. Listen for the voice of our Lord.

 

"Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan."

The first thing you to notice is what I call "the Galilean connection."  Jesus began His ministry in Galilee, He called four men to follow Him, who were Galileans. And, it was not just the disciples who were Galileans; the women who accompanied Jesus were also from Galilee.Galileans were not regarded highly, in fact, they were looked upon with contempt.Even at the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus continued to identify Himself with Galilee. Matthew has gone to considerable lengths to underscore the relationship Jesus had to Galilee, I believe that His association with Galilee was part of His humiliation as the Messiah. In Isaiah 53, the prophet Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be rejected by men. Jesus was rejected by Jerusalem and opposed by Herod, who sought to kill Him. Jesus had an explicit plan.

 

In verse 23, we see two dimensions of His messianic credentials, first His words, then His works. "Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people."

 

Notice it says "Jesus was going throughout," which is the an imperfect tense verb "periagó."  It means that He was constantly going about. As a footnote, chapters 5 through 9, are an expansion of verse 23. The subject of chapters 5, 6, and 7 are His words, the Sermon on the Mount, and in chapters 8 and 9, are His works. Matthew introduces them here and expands them in 5:1 through 9:38, His mighty works and miracles. The word "all," is a very strong term, it's the word "hólos," it means in a comprehensive sense. Galilee, by the way, is not a large area. 

 

Josephus said "The cities are numerous, the multitude of villages everywhere are crowded with men owing to the fertility of the soil so that the smallest of them contains above 15,000 inhabitants." Moving at a rate of one town a day, it would take a half a year. Josephus was not just a historian, in 66 AD, he was the commanding general of all Galilee, so he would know. The point is, Jesus was constantly traveling, announcing Himself as the Savior of the world. The first person that He announced His messiahship to, was the Samaritan woman at the well. Not only did Galilee have a higher concentration of Gentiles than did Jerusalem or Judea, it was also a place of great spiritual need, they were living in darkness. The Light dawned and pierced the darkness. 

 

Then, it says He was "teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom." It's important to keep in mind, the synagogue was the most important institution in the life of any Jew. In fact, the whole of Jewish life centered around the synagogue. In fact, when a Jew became a Christian, he was "unsynagogued," which was the worst thing that could happen to a Jew. The book of Hebrews was written was written to Christians, however, there were warnings to Jewish people who were afraid of being unsynagogued. 

 

Most generally, the synagogue were built on the most prominent hill in a city. And, quite often they built synagogues without a roof, to allow their worship to go upward to God. The synagogue they uncovered in Capernaum, was said not to have a roof, where they came together on the Sabbath, which ran from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown. The affairs of the synagogue were administered by ten elders, three of whom were called the rulers of the synagogue. They basically acted as judges. There was a fourth ruler, called the angel of the church, who acted as sort of the chairman of the board. The others were servers who carried out the direction of the three and the one. The eighth one translated ancient Hebrew into the vernacular. 

 

Every synagogue had a theological school, which was only for the men. The ninth one headed up the theological school. Because the theological school instructor was usually spoke over peoples heads, the tenth one interpreted that stuff. They had this whole court system and the only thing they couldn't do was take somebody's life. The Roman government had the right of execution, that's why they had to take Jesus to Pontius Pilate to have Him crucified. Otherwise, they could run their own affairs.

 

The synagogue was a place of teaching and preaching. The temple was a place for offering sacrifice and making offerings. The only temple was in Jerusalem, which was destroyed in 70 A.D. when Titus besieged and captured Jerusalem, and destroyed the city and the Second Temple. Jesus took full advantage of the opportunity for any visiting teacher to speak, because this would reach the heart of Israel. In Nazareth, Jesus ministry began with an exposition on Old Testament scripture that referred to Him. He would take the text and teach the principles out of it. He was "teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom." 

 

Jesus made an impassioned cry to the people, heralding the gospel. Teaching indicates imparting information regarding the proclamation made during preaching. There is a difference between teaching and preaching, Jesus did both. Proclamation is what is called the "krugma," teaching is what is called the "didach." I do not believe that one does anyone any good without the other. From the time He began His ministry, until the time that He was silenced, He never spoke of anything other than the Kingdom of God. That's a great pattern for us to follow. I believe in my heart I need to follow that! 

 

Unlike many today, who become involved in passing social and political issues of the day. If that was Christ's priority, then that's going to continue to be my priority, as well. Notice John the Baptist, never called preached the good news, it was "Repent, get ready, and avoid judgment! The Kingdom is coming." Until Jesus came, there never was any good news. It was Jesus who is said to preach the good news. In the beginning there were no strong words of condemnation. That came after He continued to encounter hypocrisy, hostility and hierarchy. He came preaching and teaching that our sins can be forgiven. Jesus spoke like no one before ever spoke. The people of Jerusalem and Judea saw themselves as those who were spiritually enlightened, they did not believe they were among those who were in need. I believe Matthew could appreciate Jesus' compassion toward those in spiritual darkness, more than most. For those who will hear, the message of salvation, is still the same good news today! The good news is God has a kingdom and you can be a part of it. In fact, He desires you to be a part of it.

 

Then, Matthew says "and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people." Many followed Him who didn't need a healing. John the Baptist preached repentance, he drew multitudes to himself, he never performed a miracle. The healing ministry of Jesus was a powerful addition to His words. Those recorded are only a small portion of those that were done. The writer of Hebrews 6, said "You have tasted the powers of the age to come," to prove that He was the King!

 

Verse 24 says "The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them." Jesus was drawn to those who are most aware of their need and those who were most despised by those who thought of themselves as righteous. By seeking out sinners, Jesus manifests divine grace, bringing glory unto Himself. Much of the illnesses Jesus dealt with was caused by demons. God often chooses the foolish of this world, in the eyes of men, to confound the wisdom of men. I believe Jesus chose Galileans to be His disciples. not because they were great, but because He is such a great and gracious God.

 

That brings us to verse 25, "Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan."

 

Jesus' healings confirmed three things, first, His message as divine. Second, that He was the prophesied Messiah. And third, it proved that the Kingdom of God was coming.  Jesus displayed His power by healing every kind of suffering that He was confronted with. No wonder people marveled at His teaching. He also demonstrated compassion toward those who were in darkness and the shadows of death. How fitting it is that this passage would serve as the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus’ works gave even greater impact and authority to His words. In fact, from the very outset of His public ministry, Jesus validated His message through His miracles. Jesus healed with both, a word and a touch. He could heal whether He was present or absent. And, He healed instantaneously. Jesus' has never been duplicated, except by the Apostles to whom He gave the same power. 

I get so frustrated with these so called would-be-healers today, claiming to heal people with the power of God, often for money. Jesus healed everyone, without discrimination, all manner of illness, all manner of disease, all manner of symptoms with a word, or a touch. Outside the apostolic era, that has never been duplicated. When Jesus healed the bling man, he instantaneously saw, when He healed the lame, they got up and walked, then and there. There was no partial healing. Jesus healed wholly and instantly. He even raised people from the dead. His own resurrection is God’s proof of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

 

In Closing..

 

Jesus certainly did not leave us without sufficient evidence of His divine power, therefore, it is not due to the lack of evidence that men refuse to believe. It's due to the hardness of their hearts, they're blinded to the truth, still living and walking in darkness.

 

 

I challenge those of you receiving this message, not let this day go by without reminding you of the gospel which our Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed.  Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, not for any sins of His own, but in order to bear the penalty for our sins. God raised Jesus from the dead as proof that His sacrifice for sins was satisfactory. Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father, waiting for the day of His return. He is coming to establish His throne on earth and to punish those who oppose Him. 

 

Those of us who believe, have entered His kingdom, this is just a small glimpse of the kingdom that is to come. Today, Jesus Christ reigns as King of kings, Lord of lords in my heart. Does He yours?

May we love Him more, worship Him deeper, and praise Him louder than ever before! 

 

May it be so..
 

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 

 

 

 

 

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