Mat 8:28-9:8; The One Love that Always Demands a Response.Sunday October 27, 2024
Main idea: His power was not used to subdue, but to show love that demands a response.
Love is not getting what we want, nor being dazzled, but being drawn to Christ. Joh 17:26
That doesn’t mean that we get everything that we want. It means that we are journeying, at His lead, to a very special place.
What do the signs of Christ in particular mean to us? What is the difference if someone else were doing the same miracle?
His power was not used to subdue but to show love that demands a response.
Human love hopes for a response. Divine love demands one. Unconditional, sacrificial love that seeks and longs to give goodness cannot leave a person unchanged.
He did not perform miracles in the wilderness, why? He tells us to follow Him, for He has gone before us and opened the door. The call and directions are in His Word, Mat 4:4.
Not a miracle, but the love of God given in the form of His own life and the call for all to recognize His love and respond to it with love for Him in return: Eph 5:1-2. That’s what changes you. It makes you want to imitate Him.
A miracle worker like Jesus could force anyone to bow to Him. Yet He condemns people who will not believe without signs, Mat 16:4. He told His own to look for something higher, Luk 10:20.
He chose the painful and slow method of reaching our real need, giving us understanding of that need, and giving us the capacity to submit, in wisdom, to Him as King (rather than force us to submit), Col 1:9.
Text of the demoniacs and the paralytic.
Demoniacs (Mat 8:28-34): Christ has complete authority over Satan and all demons (fallen angels).
They know He is the Son of God and they know that judgment is coming (Jud 6).
Christ and they know that He has complete authority over them.
Paralytic (Mat 9:2-8): Christ has authority to forgive sins.
He is lying: same verb and perfect tense as centurion servant and Peter’s mother-in-law. The paralysis of sin.
“forgiven” : same verb as used for “the fever left her.” Free from the bondage of sin that paralyzes all ability to do good; serve God.
Be of good cheer: we all should (Psa 32:1).
He has the authority to forgive sins.
Either Christ is insane or He is the Son of God. The man did not sin against Him.
Rise and Go home - he has a command to follow and will be a witness.
Three miracles in this group: Authority over nature, demons, to forgive sins. He came to draw us to His love and give us understanding.
He came not to subdue but to open the one door that no one else could (narrow gate).
He offered entry to all (Jew and Gentile) and also give the ability to walk the narrow road on the other side.
Dealing with demons: Talks to them. Not a matter of faith in the person, as is customary in healings.
Narrow gate: The removal of demonic power by Christ was final when He said “It is finished” from the cross. He didn’t ask you if you believed or if you wanted Him to do it before He put His foot on the neck of the serpent and broke him. And, to the glory of all glories in heaven, He allowed Himself to be broken on a cross in order to disarm Satan and his cronies (Col 2:15).
Walking with sins forgiven - narrow road.
The paralytic immediately has to follow a commandment.
Storms at sea: We are made new and members of the kingdom, but remain in the old world.
Pharisees and Scribes judge and call what you say and do blasphemy (Mat 5:10-12), but you must still walk - narrow road.
Application: Free, sane, forgiven, founded on the rock, strong to walk.
Who in your life is not free?
How are you going to influence the world around you? Showing of the love that demands a response.
People do not know what’s coming. Judgment is coming upon the whole world. How are you and I going to do our best to prepare them?
|