"15 But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, 16 and warned them not to tell who He was. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: 18 "Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19 "He will not quarrel, nor cry out; Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. 20 "A battered reed He will not break off, And a smoldering wick He will not put out, Until He leads justice to victory. 21 "And in His name the Gentiles will hope."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are privileged to come together today and study God's Word. I am grateful to God for those of you who have have faithfully continued to your efforts in reaching the lost and the deceived. We are reaching people and places never before imagined, bringing people to Christ. I pray you will continue to join us in praying for this ministry to reach the lost, the broken and the hopeless. May Christ continue to be
Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, we have seen the many differences between the Pharisees and Jesus.
Jesus is loving, merciful, compassionate, gentle and humble. The Pharisees are prideful, arrogant and self-righteous, unable to see their own sin. Jesus served in humility, the Pharisees were not humbly seeking to serve the Lord. Jesus trusted in His Father, the Pharisees trusted only in themselves. In spite whatever good deeds we may do, we are still unworthy of God's grace. We have earned nothing and we have nothing to offer God but our love and obedience.
Jesus is loving, merciful, compassionate, gentle and humble. The Pharisees are prideful, arrogant and self-righteous, unable to see their own sin. Jesus served in humility, the Pharisees were not humbly seeking to serve the Lord. Jesus trusted in His Father, the Pharisees trusted only in themselves. In spite whatever good deeds we may do, we are still unworthy of God's grace. We have earned nothing and we have nothing to offer God but our love and obedience.
Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus has been teaching much, however, the Pharisees have learned nothing. Matthew undoubtedly watched as the religious leaders became increasingly irritated with Jesus as He developed a greater edge to His teaching, confronting them head-on for their hypocrisy, lack of love and for not understanding the ways of God. Their hatred had reached the point where they had deemed Jesus to be functioning under the power of Satan. The fact that they had concluded the exact opposite of the truth, further illustrates just how far they were from God. In the chaotic days in which we live, it is all too easy to lose sight of Jesus and get caught up in the social structures and worldly system around us. More than ever, it is imperative to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
In His Great name we ask and pray
Amen
Today's Message: Jesus Christ - Hope Of The World
Jesus was aware that the Pharisees wanted Him dead, so He did what most of us would do and He removed Himself from the hostile situation, all set in hatred. Those claiming to represent God were seeking to kill the beloved Son of God, the One He was seeking to exalt. So, He withdrew, He got out of there. As we have been studying the Gospel of Matthew, we can certainly see a progression taking place, as their doubt turned to criticism, their criticism to indifference, their indifference turning to rejection and rejection turning to blasphemy. They were filled with fury and rage. I believe that it's safe to say, if it hadn't been for the spectators, if it hadn’t been for fear of retaliation from the Roman government, they would have killed Him then and there. He was intimidating the political leaders and self-righteous religious leaders, who couldn't agree on anything, but they would soon agree on the common cause of killing Jesus. He was a thorn in their side, they all sought to remove.
As we are witnessing a tremendous increase in the rejection of absolute truth, biblical standards and morality, persecution of the church and Christians worldwide, by those who are greatly offended by anything that opposes their ungodly, wicked agenda, I'm sure many of us can relate, at least to some degree how He must have felt. The perfect, sinless beloved Son of God was being falsely accused and ultimately falsely condemned by false teachers.
In my experience as a pastor, I believe we’re reaching a new turning point, a peak of new heights in the rejection of truth and godliness. More and more, I am seeing even the professed people of God who are willing compromise on biblical Truth, in order to cling to the wickedness and evil of this fallen world.
"But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.
But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, and warned them not to tell who He was. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
"Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. "He will not quarrel, nor cry out; nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. "A battered reed He will not break off, and a smoldering wick He will not put out, until He leads justice to victory. "And in His name the Gentiles will hope."There is no doubt, the self-righteous elite Pharisees believed that they were God’s beloved chosen. More than anyone else, they were called to represent God to the nation of Israel. They were far from God and Jesus did not hesitate, even for a moment, to confront them and let them know it! Since the beginning, the true servants of God have been maligned and attacked by false servants. Satan in the driving force that energizes them, whether they realize it or not. Many in the church today, who are well meaning in the name of tolerance and acceptance, are unwittingly deceived into doing the work of Satan.
Let's look at verses 14-15a, which says "But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there." The word conspired is the Greek noun "sumboulion," from the word "sýmboulos," meaning they officially met to determine how to carry out their plot to kill Jesus. He was aware of their plan to kill Him, the problem was it was two years too soon. That's why He withdrew, He had to protect Himself against their schemes until it was time. God's timely plan could not be violated. He was committed to fulfilling His Father's plan at all costs.
In verse 15b, we see that "Many followed Him, and He healed them all, and warned them not to tell who He was." Jesus was on a mission, devoted to God’s plan, but when crowds followed Him, He still healed them. Because that’s the heart of God. Matthew tells us at the end of verse 15, "And He healed them all." Even though they were conspiring to kill Him, He had to leave to save His own life, still He was compassionate toward those who were in need. He was giving us a preview of the glory that is to come, where there will be no more sickness, no more sorrow, no more crying, no more tears and no more death.
I love that! What a contrast from the Jewish religious leaders, who cared only for themselves. Jesus condemned them because they wouldn't even lift a finger to help others. Their man-made laws were not only oppressive but unachievable in order to earn salvation.
That's why back in chapter 11 He said "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Jesus had compassion toward those whose backs were carrying heavy
burdens, He felt their pain. The Jewish religious leaders had none. They weren’t the least bit interested in helping the poor, the needy, the widows without resources, the outcasts of society; the sick and the crippled, the lepers, the deaf and the dumb and the blind. They endeavored to associate with the rich and powerful. I believe if Jesus were here today, He would condemn many of the church leaders for failing to help both the spiritually wounded and those who are in need.
Then in verse 16, "And warned them not to tell who He was." I imagine people assumed that Jesus would have wanted to make it as known, to make it public. If you remember, He did the same thing back in chapters 8 and 9, instructing those He healed not to tell anyone. Unlike the scribes and Pharisees, He wasn't seeking recognition. I believe Jesus knew the religious leaders would twist and pervert the stories they would have heard, so He wanted them to be confronted with the evidence rather than second-hand information. He wanted them to be confronted with their own verdict.
Also, He didn't want a distortion on the purpose for which He came. He knew too well people would come for the wrong reason, He did not want to be known as just a miracle worker, He came as a Savior. That was the purpose for which He came, not the miracles, that was to demonstrate Who He was so that people would believe "This had to be the Messiah, the promised One." And He knew if it was made public, it would fan the flames of the rage of the scribes and Pharisees. He was on a mission, a prophecy to fulfill. He was fully committed to accomplishing God's plan. This was the time of His humiliation, not His exaltation.
Then, in verse 17, Matthew takes us into the further description, he wants us to know that He is the Messiah prophesied by Isaiah. "This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet." Everything that is true about the Messiah flows out of what Isaiah said. In verses 18 through 21, which is taken from Isaiah 42:1-4, notice Matthew does not quote it verbatim, rather he interprets it by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, almost a paraphrase if you will, to bring fourth characteristic of Christ. Matthew wants show us just how far off the scribes and Pharisees were; they were condemning the very One whom God was commending, plotting to kill the One God was to exalt.
Verse 18, points to the intimacy between the Father and the Son. "Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles." "Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen," what beautiful statement of
the Father, lovingly affirming that He has chosen the Son. A marvelous description of Christ. The word used here for "chosen," is the verb "hairetízō," indicating a firmness of choice. It is often in the Septuagint in Old Testament Apocrypha and in ecclesiastical writings, however, this is the only time it's used here in the New Testament. The Chosen One became a messianic title. "My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased." In other words, He has done everything I’ve asked Him to do; He pleases Me. Not only is He chosen, He's cherished by the Father. The Jews were expecting the Messiah to be a warrior like ruler, a great political leader, and a mighty military conqueror.
Next, Matthew tells us a wonderful truth, "I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles." I've often been asked if He is God in the flesh, why God need to put His Spirit upon Him? In order to understand this, you must understand the depth of His descent, He set aside the use of His deity, yielding Himself to the Spirit’s power. He is carrying out God's plan under the power of the Spirit. That's why Jesus says "You have blasphemed the Holy Spirit," when they said "You are of Satan." In His condescension, He voluntarily set aside His own deity and gave Himself over to the Father’s will and the Spirit’s power. The Holy Spirit was not only working through Him but had formed the link between Christ’s humanity and His deity. Today, we all need the same Holy Spirit to form a link between us and Christ, because we are desperate and without power.
In Luke chapter 4, verses 17-21 "And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord." And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
In verse 19, "He will not quarrel, nor cry out; Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets." Even when Jesus was confronting the scribes and Pharisees, He spoke with dignity, meekness, He was never argumentative, even though at times He spoke loudly with force and authority. In verse 20 Matthew says "A battered reed He will not break off, And a smoldering wick He will not put out, Until He leads justice to victory."
This is a tremendous reflection of the character of Jesus Christ, He will never further injure those that are already wounded. Nor will He extinguish those who are already flickering. The Pharisees treated others with contempt, crushing the weak, destroying the broken, extinguishing those who were flickering. Jesus, on the other hand, treats us with compassion, and genuine concern, encouraging and giving strength to the weak, binding up the wounded and broken, helping the flickering to burn brightly. He not only heals the sick, feeds the hungry, He forgives the sinners. And at the end of verse 20, Matthew says "Until He leads justice to victory." Ultimately, Christ will establish God’s kingdom, He will banish sin forever and bring righteousness to its triumph. Jesus is determined to not get sidetracked, to devoted to fulfilling His mission. I believe this speaks loudly to all of us today, the Church of Christ has strayed from it's mission, preaching and teaching the Word, pointing people to Christ with love, compassion. Offering grace and mercy through Jesus Christ.
That brings us to verse 21, which I believe makes it very clear. "And in His name the Gentiles will hope." In the Hebrew, it literally says "And the islands shall wait for His law." Christ is the hope of the world because He is the only way to the Father. The only means by which sinful humanity can receive salvation and be reconciled to God! In spite of what the Jews had believed, Jesus did not come only for the Jewish people, salvation was limited to just them, they were merely chosen to be the means. Praise God that they were wrong! Today, we are all chosen, called to be the means by which others come to know Jesus Christ. So that all people, in all nations would also place their hope in Christ as Lord and Savior. He is not only the servant of God, the Beloved Son of God, He is the Savior of sinners.
In Closing..
In this fallen world, there is a damning, destructive character which is natural to mankind. That is a trait of Satan, not God. Men kill, God gives life. I don’t know what you’re thinking about, as you’ve been following along with this message but if you don't know Christ today, Jesus would like to offer you eternal life, He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin and mine and rose again to provide eternal life, to all who would believe and will open their hearts to receive Him. Tragically, not everyone will. I pray you are not one of them.
As I was studying these passage for our message, I began to look more closely at my own life, having been called to be a servant of God. I must be obedient to the task for which I was called, to preach and teach God's Word, faithfully attacking the kingdom of darkness, condemned by others for being devoted to God’s plan. I also began to think about how I too am empowered by the Holy Spirit and all the ways that I can be more compassionate toward others who are hurting and suffering with humility, gentleness, and meekness, strengthening those who are weak. Jesus Christ is not only my Savior, the model I must faithfully pattern my life after.
May it be so..
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen