Our Deliverer | Matthew 8:14-17

Scripture

• Matthew 8:14–17

About this sermon

Introduction: Of the many errors made by the modern-day charismatic movement, one of the greatest is the misunderstanding of the healing ministry of Jesus. Not only is there a misunderstanding of the uniqueness of what Jesus did — that healing miracles are not normative throughout the history of the church — there is a misunderstanding of the purpose of those miracles when Jesus WAS walking the earth. WHY DID JESUS HEAL? WHY DID HE CAST OUT DEMONS? Wherever Jesus went, during His three years of ministry, disease was basically banished — BUT WHY? What was the message being conveyed? Are we to conclude that sickness is to be banished TODAY from the lives of those who follow Him? To put it in the words that are often used, did Jesus come to break the curse of sickness, and poverty so that if believers have enough faith they will be physically well and materially wealthy? There are some who say so. But they are wrong. Every healing miracle that Jesus performed, every time He cast out demons, every miracle He performed in nature, every person He raised from the dead — all of it was meant to TESTIFY to something greater than the act itself. In fact, during His earthly ministry, Jesus performed these works that the Father gave Him to accomplished (He’s about His Father’s business), and He did so in the power of the Holy Spirit. The miracles of Jesus were DIVINE TESTIMONY to HIS IDENTITY and to HIS MISSION. His mission was a salvation mission. ESV Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." John 3:17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. Luke 5:32 "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." 1Timothy 1:15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. His identity is the Son of God, the deliverer promised from the very beginning, and the King promised to Israel and for the world. The miracles that Jesus performed were SIGNS. They were supernatural testimonies, and SCRIPTURAL testimonies (signs that fulfilled Scripture), given so that people would see and believe. ESV John 3:2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." John 2:11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. Act 2:22 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know ESV Matthew 27:54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!" That is what we have in our verses. Out of all the miracles that Jesus performed, Matthew records three in this section because he is presenting Jesus to us as the Son of God, the promised King, and the Savior of sinners. In our verses today we see FOUR ASPECTS OF THE IDENTITY AND MISSION OF JESUS. • JESUS THE SERVANT (vs.14) FROM ONE SCENE OF HELPING A DESPERATE PERSON, TO ANOTHER SCENE OF HELPING DESPERATE PEOPLE. To understand what the Spirit of God means for us to see in all these miracles, including the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, we must hear Matthew when he tells us what he wants us to recognize. HE TELLS US IN VERSE 17. He wants us to see the fulfillment of Scripture. In this case, he associates — not only the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, but all these healings (the leper, the centurion’s servant, and all those who came to Jesus in the evening) — with Isaiah 53:4. Isa 53:4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. It is important that we recognize that when a writer like Matthew quoted a brief portion of something like Isaiah 53, he knew his Old Testament. He quotes that statement with the context in view. We are going to talk more about the quote itself before we are done, but the first thing I want you to understand is that Matthew is telling us that Jesus is the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. And what Matthew sees in these healings is what the Scriptures said would be true of the Messiah. THE MESSIAH IS YAHWEH’S SERVANT, WHO IS ALSO THE ETERNAL SON OF GOD. ESV Isaiah 53:11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. THIS IS A SAVING SERVANT. THIS IS ALSO A SOVEREIGN SERVANT. He is a servant and a King. Remember what Matthew tells us later that Jesus said to His disciples.