I. Introduction: I used the outline found in the "Preachers Sermon and Outline Bible"
A. Several women, each trying to one-up the other, appeared in court, each accusing the others of causing the trouble they were having in the apartment building where they lived. The judge, with Solomon-like wisdom decreed, "Okay, I'm ready to hear the evidence...I'll hear the oldest first." The case was dismissed for lack of testimony.
B. Lets face it, a successful ministry is a ministry that follows in the footsteps of the Lord
1. This passage shows both what the Lord did and the results of what He did
2. His activities set a pattern for every believer, minister and layman alike
a. In actually there is no difference between a minister and a layman
b. Only a difference in ministry
3. We can outline our passage as follows
a. Jesus' sphere of activity (v.23)
b. Jesus' daily activities (v.23)
c. Jesus' fame spread thru Syria (v.24)
d. Jesus' power (v.24).
e. Jesus' following (v.25)
(1) So lets turn to Matthew 4:23
II. Body
A. Jesus' sphere of activity
Matthew 4:23 (NKJV)
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
1. First of all, where did Jesus minister? Three things can be said about where Jesus ministered
a. First, He went throughout all Galilee
(1) He went throughout the whole area which He had set out to reach, the area, so to speak, which had been assigned to Him.
(2) Once committed to an area, He was responsible and faithful to it.
(a) What a lesson for believers on commitment, assignments, and responsibilities
b. Second, He went where there was a ready audience
(1) He went where people would receive and hear Him, that is, in the synagogue
c. Third, He went where teaching and preaching were expected, in the synagogue
(1) He did not teach exclusively in the synagogue, but it was one of the primary places of His ministry
(a) Turn to Matthew 20:28
d. You know, every believer should have the same thing said about him that is said about Jesus: that he went forth just as God commanded Him
(1) In Matthew 20:28 we have Jesus own words
Matthew 20:28 (NKJV)
"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
(2) And Luke 19:10, again, Jesus own words
Luke 19:10 (NKJV)
"for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
e. Note a significant point: Jesus followed the form of service already established
(1) He did not try to change the establishment, not organizationally
(2) He was on mission, and He had to have a receptive
(3) He refused to be sidetracked by secondary matters which might cause change and disturb the people
(4) Secondary matters would only detract from His preaching and ministering.
(a) Lets look again at Matthew 4:23
2. Think about the Synagogue
Matthew 4:23 (NKJV)
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
a. The synagogue was the most important institution in the life of a Jew
b. It was the center of worship for the Jew, yet it was also the center of learning and education
c. Services and discussions were conducted daily in most synagogues
(1) I remember one of my professors saying that in the cities, towns, and villages the topic of conversation for the first three days of the week was what had happened in the synagogue the previous Sabbath, and for the second three days what they anticipated would happen to coming Sabbath.
(2) The synagogue was the center of worship in a city, town or village
(3) The synagogue was the school in a city, town or village
(4) The synagogue was the cultural center in a city, town or village
(5) The synagogue was the social center in a city, town or village
d. Wherever Jews were scattered over the world, every colony, no matter how small, they built their synagogue
(1) Some cities had many synagogues
(a) Jerusalem is an example, there were hundreds of synagogues within the city
(b) Five are mentioned in Acts 6:9
(2) A synagogue service included prayers, Scripture reading, and a lecture or discussion
(3) Distinguished persons, local or strangers, were invited to take part in the service; therefore, the door of the synagogue was wide open to Christ
(4) Using the synagogue was part of His strategy
(5) It was also the strategy of Paul when the synagogues were open to him
(a) Back to Matthew 4:23
B. Jesus' daily activities
Matthew 4:23 (NKJV)
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
1. We must note that there is a concentration of activity in this passage, a bombardment of ministry
a. Jesus is pictured as going around, as active as He could be, serving and meeting the needs of people in a committed and tireless spirit
b. People's needs were being met with very special care, and they were being met rapidly in a concentrated effort
2. There are three great needs of men
a. To hear the gospel
b. To be taught the gospel
c. And to be healed personally
(1) The primary need for healing being spiritually
3. Jesus knew man's innermost being, what his being lacked and needed, what made man tick
a. Therefore, His activities were geared to man's innermost being, to that which would meet his need
b. Jesus Christ proclaimed the gospel
(1) Turn to Hebrews 2:14
c. There is hope, hope for an eternal kingdom, an eternal heaven, a whole new dimension of being that is eternal
(1) Jesus taught the truths of the gospel
(2) Man can hope in the gospel and be healed; that is, he can be delivered from all the enslavements of this life
Hebrews 2:14-15 (NKJV)
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, {15} and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
4. God's servants ought to be engaged in the same daily activities as the Lord: teaching, preaching, and healing
a. That is their call and mission
(1) Turn to Matthew 10:7-8
b. There are many means of communication: speeches, discussions, devotions, homilies, vespers, lessons, and writings
c. However, as good as they are and as needed as they may be, they are not the primary call of God's people
d. God's people are called to preach and teach and heal
Matthew 10:7-8 (NKJV)
"And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' {8} "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
5. The mercy of God is being poured out in this passage, poured out upon people through preaching, teaching, and healing
a. Lets turn to 2 Corinthians 5:19-20
b. Believers are now God's instruments of mercy
c. They are to pour out God's mercy upon all men who will receive it through preaching, teaching, and ministry
2 Corinthians (5:19-20 NKJV)
that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. {20} Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
(1) Look again at Matthew 4:23
C. The Gospel, the Kingdom of Heaven
Matthew 4:23 (NKJV)
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
1. The gospel is the good news about the Kingdom of Heaven
a. And the news of the Kingdom is the greatest news to ever come to earth
b. The Kingdom of Heaven surpasses the kingdoms of this world in two ways
(1) The Kingdom of Heaven is eternal
(a) It is not physical and corruptible, lasting just for a season
(b) It is a world in another dimension of being, a dimension entirely different from the physical world
(c) It lasts forever and ever
(d) What this means for man is that life is eternal
(e) It is life that goes on forever and ever
i) But in a permanent, incorruptible, eternal dimension
(2) The Kingdom of Heaven brings wealth and assurance to the human soul forever
(a) Man can be blessed by God Himself and live forever with those blessings
i) Now lets turn to Matthew 4:24
D. Jesus’ Ministry
Matthew 4:24 (NKJV)
Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them
1. Jesus' fame spread throughout all Syria
a. Lets turn to Romans 3:23 and 6:23
b. People everywhere need Christ
c. There was no person who did not need Him
d. There is no person who does not need Him
e. So God in His providence saw to it that the news of His Son spread everywhere
Romans 3:23 (NKJV)
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
f. Lets turn to Romans 10:9 - 10
Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV)
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. {10} For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
g. And to 1 Timothy 2:3-6
1 Timothy (2:3-6 NKJV)
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, {4} who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. {5} For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, {6} who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
h. Believers are now to carry the message of Christ everywhere
i. To the world, turn to Act 1:8
Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
j. Believers are told to scatter all over the world and to carry the gospel of the kingdom with them
2. Syria?
a. This was a great Roman province of which Judah was a part
b. People from all over Syria were coming to see Jesus
c. Its chief cities were Damascus, Antioch, Byblos, Aleppo, Palmyra, and Carchemish
d. Beginning with the people flocking to hear Christ, Syria became prominent in the early history of the church
(1) Paul was converted on the road to Damascus, and the first great Gentile church was founded at Antioch.
(2) It was the church at Antioch which sent out the first missionaries in Christian history and gave the name Christian to believers for the first time
(a) Turning again to verse 24
E. Healing Miracles
Matthew 4:24 (NKJV)
Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them
1. Jesus' power was a great and glorious power
a. Jesus is said to have healed "all manner of sickness and...disease"
b. And many diseases and torments
(1) However, only three specific healings are listed
(2) These particular three symbolize the power of Christ over the whole man and over the physical universe
(a) There was spiritual healing: Those possessed with demons
(b) There was mental healing
i) The King James says lunatics
ii) The New King James says epileptics
(c) There was physical healing
i) The King James says palsy
ii) The New King James says paralytics
c. The point is this
(1) Jesus has power over the whole physical universe
(2) He has power over all the conceivable problems that can grip man
(a) All the spiritual, mental, and physical problems
(b) Turn to Matthew 9:12-13
d. This passage is a beautiful picture of Christ, the Great Physician
e. All believers must be physicians, and all must be about the ministry of healing the souls, minds, and bodies of men
Matthew 9:12-13 (NKJV)
When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. {13} "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
(a) Now turn to Matthew 4:25
F. Jesus Impact
Matthew 4:25 (NKJV)
Great multitudes followed Him; from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan
1. Jesus' following was great
a. This verse is emphasizing two points
(1) Great multitudes of all sorts of people began to follow Jesus
(2) And they came from everywhere, from the farthest reaches of the province of Syria
(a) Part of which was Judah and Israel
(b) Numerous places in the gospels, such as Matthew 20:29, mentions great multitudes gathering to Jesus
Matthew 20:29 (NKJV)
Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him
b. But, where are the multitudes today?
(1) After two thousand years why are the nations not as aroused as Israel was by the presence of Christ?
(2) Are people no longer hungry for God?
(3) Are the fields no longer white unto harvest?
(4) Do Christians not seek God as much as Christ did?
(5) Are Christians not as compassionate and concerned as Christ was?
III. Challenge
A. Our calling, as Christians, is to proclaim the gospel
1. Where ever God has put us, we are to proclaim the gospel
2. Whatever we are doing, we are to proclaim the gospel
B. Our greatest weapon in the spiritual conflict is the Word of God and Prayer
1. Read God’s word daily, consistently, with understanding and purpose
2. Pray, enter into the presence of God daily, consistently, with determination and purpose
