Faith In Jesus Christ Makes All The Difference In The World Series

Faith in Jesus Christ Makes All the Difference in the World

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 9:27-34

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared November 22, 2021)

MESSAGE:

*In Matthew 8 and 9, the Holy Spirit of God led His Apostle to report a sample of the countless miracles Jesus worked during His ministry on earth.

-First, in Matthew 8:1-4, Jesus cleansed a man with leprosy.

-Then in vs. 5-13, Jesus healed the paralyzed servant of a Centurion.

-In vs. 14-15, Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law who was sick with fever.

-In vs. 16-17, Jesus healed many sick and oppressed people.

-In vs. 23-27, Jesus rebuked a storm on the Sea of Galilee, and it immediately became calm.

-And in vs. 28-34, Jesus cast a multitude of demons out of two possessed men.

*Then in Matthew 9:1-8, Jesus healed a paralyzed man who had been let down from the roof by four good friends.

-In vs. 20-22, Jesus healed a woman who had been sick for 12 years with an issue of blood.

-And in vs. 18-26, Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead!

*Today, in Matthew 9:27-34, we will see Jesus heal two blind men and a man who could not speak because he was possessed by a demon. Matthew 9:35 then says, "Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people."

*The Holy Spirit led Matthew to write this parade of miracles to help us know for sure that Jesus is the Christ, the divine Messiah promised in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and only Savior of the world! That's why faith in Jesus makes all the difference in the world.

1. YOU SEE, FAITH IN JESUS WILL MAKE MIRACULOUS CHANGES IN OUR LIVES.

*We see this truth in vs. 27-30. Jesus had just raised Jairus' 12-year-old daughter from the dead. And:

27. When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!''

28. And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?'' They said to Him, "Yes, Lord.''

29. Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you.''

30. And their eyes were opened. . .

*Those two men believed that Jesus could heal their blindness, and that made all the difference. Their vision was perfectly restored.

*Jesus can still miraculously heal any disease, and He surely does. I know 6 or 7 people who have been miraculously healed, and there are many other miraculous testimonies. Listen to the amazing story of Barbara Cummiskey Snyder. She was miraculously healed of Multiple Sclerosis.

*Barbara’s illness started in the late 1960s when she was 15 years old. At the time, she was a gymnast, played the flute in the orchestra, and was active in a church youth group. Over the years, Barbara got progressively worse, and in 1978, she was referred to the Mayo Clinic.

*Despite all the efforts, Barbara's her condition continued to deteriorate. She was legally blind, had severely impaired breathing due to a paralyzed diaphragm and a collapsed lung. Bladder and stomach control were lost. Her body contracted into a permanent fetal position. She had a trach tube in her throat to help her breathe, and a feeding tube in her stomach, since she could no longer swallow. Her hands were so permanently tightened that her fingers nearly touched her wrists.

*It got to the point where Barbara was dying. She was put on hospice care at home with a "no resuscitation order." One of her doctors described her as one of the most hopelessly sick patients he had ever seen. Then something wonderful happened.

*One of Barbara's friends called WMBI, the radio station of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Barb's friend asked them to pray for Barbara because she was on her deathbed. At least 450 Christians later wrote letters saying, "We're praying for you."

*Then on Sunday, June 7, 1981, two of Barbara's friends were there reading letters from people who were praying for her. When there was a lull in the conversation, a man’s voice spoke from behind Barb, -- but there was no man in the room! The very clear words were spoken with great authority and compassion. The voice simply said, "My child, get up and walk!"

*Barbara immediately knew who was speaking. She told her friends, "I don’t know what you are going to think about this, but God just told me to get up and walk." Her friends suddenly got very quiet.

*"I know He really did," Barb insisted. "Run and get my family. I want them here with us!” Her friends, recognizing the urgency in Barb’s voice, bounded to the doorway to yell for her family, "Come quick; come quick!"