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!"
*Barb felt compelled to immediately do what God told her to do, so she literally jumped out of bed and removed her oxygen. She was standing on legs that had not supported her for years. Her vision was back, and she was no longer short of breath, even without her oxygen. Her locked hands and feet were now completely free to move, and her once withered muscles were completely restored.
*Barbara went to church that night. When the preacher saw her walking down the aisle, he fell against the pulpit stunned. Barbara's doctor later gave this report: "Everyone started clapping, and then, as if led by a divine conductor, the entire congregation began to sing. 'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found. Was blind but now I see...' Tears of joy ran down every face. Pastor Bailie eventually regained his composure and invited Barb to come to the front to tell her amazing story. There was no sermon, but that was a service no one will ever forget."
*When Barbara walked into Dr. Thomas Marshall’s office that next day, he stared as if he was seeing a ghost! He had never seen her up and walking and dressed. And Lee Strobel summed up Barbara's story by saying, "This was an instantaneous healing of all of her symptoms and all of her illness to the point where 31 years later she is completely healthy! (1)
*Our God is and always has been a miracle working God. But, of course, this doesn't mean Jesus will always heal us. One reason why is because this world is not our home. All physical healing is only temporary. And God in His infinite wisdom may have another way to help us. But we must believe that He is able and willing to do all things well.
*Besides, the biggest problem we face in life is not a physical disease. It's spiritual death. The worst problem we face in life is not our sickness, but our sin. We were all born with the deadly spiritual cancer of sin in our souls.
*That's why Romans 3:10 says, "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And Romans 6:23 tells us that "the wages of sin is death." That means eternal death. But thank God, the verse goes on to say that "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
*Billy Strayhorn explained that "we may have been cute babies, but we were all born with the sickness of sin in our hearts. Somewhere along the line we began to behave in selfish, sinful ways, and we're never as good as God intended." (2)
*But God knew this ahead of time, so He planned the way for us to be saved. And Jesus Christ is the way! God's Son came to earth as a man, lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again from the dead. Now Jesus gives a full pardon and everlasting life to everyone who will receive Him as Lord and Savior.
*In Romans 5:6-11, Paul spoke to everyone who would receive Jesus by faith, and there he said:
6. . . When we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
*Jesus may never miraculously heal you from a terrible disease. But faith in Jesus Christ takes us from spiritual death to everlasting life. And Christians: You have already received the greatest miracle of all! You have received the miracle that lasts forever! Jesus has miraculously saved you from sin! And when we get to Heaven, we will see that God has been taking care of us in many more amazing ways.
2. OUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST WILL MAKE MIRACULOUS CHANGES IN OUR LIVES. AND IT SHOULD INSPIRE US TO OBEY THE LORD.
*In vs. 28 those two blind men affirmed their faith in Jesus. Then in vs. 29-31:
29. . . He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you.''
30. And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it.''
31. But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.
*Jesus sternly warned them or "charged" them in the KJV to keep quiet about their healing. There was a stern and strict tone in the Lord's voice here. The main idea behind the original word is to be moved with anger. John Gill wrote that this warning "was given in a very rough and threatening manner."
*Wow. -- Why did Jesus speak to them that way about keeping quiet? Usually, the Lord wants us to do the opposite. As Jesus later said in Acts 1:8, "You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
*John Gill said the Lord could have been so strict because He had already given similar orders, and they had been ignored. Jesus also could have foreseen bad consequences from their testimony, as when people tried to force Him to become an earthly king. William MacDonald pointed out that "a rebellious uprising in favor of Jesus would have brought terrible punishment from the Roman army in charge of the country." (3)
*We don't know exactly why Jesus sternly told those healed men to keep quiet, but He certainly had good reasons. And though these two men had the faith to be healed, they did not have enough faith to obey Jesus.
*And that is the challenge for us today. Faith in Jesus will bring us the most wonderful blessings, but faith is not just about getting things from God. Faith is about trusting in Jesus even when we don't get great things. It's about following the Lord. And it's about trusting Jesus enough to do what He tells us to do, even when we don't understand. That's why Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
3. OUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST SHOULD INSPIRE US TO OBEY THE LORD. IT SHOULD ALSO INSPIRE US TO BRING MORE PEOPLE TO JESUS.
*That's what happened in vs. 32-33: "As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. . ." John Phillips thought that the two blind men Jesus healed brought the mute man back to Jesus. And that may be true, but it also could have been some of the other many people in Capernaum. (4)
*Thank God, we live on the resurrection side of the cross! And we should always be inspired to bring more people to Jesus! That's what happened in vs. 32-33. This demon possessed man was miraculously healed because someone brought him to Jesus.
*And more great things will happen when we bring people to Jesus! God willing, more people will be miraculously healed. Even better, more people will be miraculously saved, and lives will be transformed, -- if we will be inspired to bring more people to Jesus Christ.
*Who brought you to Jesus? Think of the everlasting difference they helped make in your life. And think of the everlasting difference God could make through you.
*During the depression days of 1932, a small group of Christian businessmen got greatly concerned about the spiritual and moral decay in their city, Charlotte, North Carolina. They believed that the situation called for an all-out evangelistic effort. And they asked the ministerial association to hold a crusade, but the preachers turned them down.
*They were disappointed, but still felt that God wanted to do something big. Not knowing what else to do, they decided to call for a day of prayer. All who could were asked to come to a quiet, wooded spot on the outskirts of Charlotte and spend the day waiting on the Lord.
*Twenty-nine people responded to that first invitation. As they fasted and prayed, their faith grew stronger. They prayed that God would send a revival to their city, that it would spread over the state, and out to the ends of the earth. They were so blessed by the prayer meeting that they held more in the following months.
*Two of those prayer meetings were held on Frank Graham's dairy farm. He shared the businessmen's concern for revival. And Frank was specially burdened for one of his own children: A teenage boy who needed to come to grips with God. After much prayer, much work and many setbacks, the Charlotte Crusade began two years later. Mordecai Ham was the preacher in that revival, and many people were saved.
*One evening, two teenage boys walked into the open tent door. They looked around for a moment, and didn't see any seats, so they turned around to leave. But there was an usher behind them who asked, "What's the matter boys?"
*When they told him, he took them by the arm and said, "Follow me. I'll find you a couple of seats." And he did. The next night those two boys came back, and the next. Before the week was over, the two boys walked down the aisle and prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
*One of those teenagers was Frank Graham's son, Billy Graham. And what great things happened after that! My Aunt and Uncle were both saved at Billy Graham Crusades, along with untold thousands of other people. (5)
*But think about those Christian businessmen who gathered to pray. And think of that usher who found seats for those two young men. They had no idea how much God was going to use them. And Christians, God can do great things through us too! -- when we help bring other people to Jesus.
4. FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST SHOULD INSPIRE US TO BRING MORE PEOPLE TO HIM. AND FAITH IS THE DIVIDING LINE FOR ALL MANKIND.
*Faith in Jesus Christ is the dividing line for all mankind. Verses 33-34 help us see this central truth:
33. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!''
34. But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.''
*There are basically only two groups of people in the world: People who recognize the Lord's greatness, and people who reject the Lord's greatness. The multitudes there in vs. 33 surely included saved people who were already following Jesus. Many others in the crowd may not have been ready to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But at least they had begun to recognize His greatness. That's why they said, "It was never seen like this in Israel!''
*Remember the background here: God had done many amazing things in the Old Testament. But the Old Testament Scriptures had been finished for over 400 years, and still the promised Messiah had not come.
*Then Jesus began to reveal Himself. He worked an abundance of miracles that the world had never seen. Jesus worked so many miracles that the Apostle John closed his Gospel in John 21:25 by saying, "There are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."
*Many people were recognizing the Lord's greatness. But the Pharisees in vs. 34 rejected Jesus in the harshest possible way. They said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.'' These self-righteous men had no idea how evil they were, and how much danger they were in. And in Matthew 12, Jesus will tell them that they had committed the unpardonable sin.
*Those Pharisees hated Jesus, and many Americans hate Him today. It's gotten far worse than I ever thought it could be. But thank God, there are also many people of peace in the world today. Maybe they have never heard the good news about Jesus, or maybe they just have never understood.
*Our Heavenly Father is drawing them to Him. And He wants us to do our part, because faith in Jesus Christ is the dividing line for all mankind.
*The ocean liner Titanic began her maiden voyage in April of 1912. The ship was originally designed to carry 60 lifeboats, but they were so sure it couldn't sink, they cut that number to 40, then 32 and finally to only 20 lifeboats.
*Then they sailed full speed ahead into an area known to have ice. The Ship California tried to warn them, but the Titanic cut-off their warning message, because it interfered with regular communications from Newfoundland. Then, after the Titanic hit the iceberg, many lifeboats pulled away only half full. But the biggest error was their arrogant attitude: "Not even God could sink this ship!" Of the 2,200 people on board, only 700 survived and 1,500 people died.
*Vance Havner was one of the great preachers of the 20th century, and he said, "I remember when the Titanic sank in 1912. It was the ship that was supposed to be unsinkable. But the only thing it ever did was sink.
*When it took off from England, all kinds of passengers were aboard: Millionaires, celebrities, people of moderate means, and poor folks down in the belly of the ship. But a few hours later when they put the list up in the cruise line office in New York, it had only two categories: Lost and saved. Tragedy had crossed out all other distinctions.
*Out on the sea of life, there are scores of classifications. But when the voyage is over, it won't matter whether you were a rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, butcher, baker, or candlestick maker. When your life's voyage is over, it won't matter whether you lived in the backwoods or on the boulevard.
*It won't matter whether you drove a Cadillac or pushed an apple cart to town. All such distinctions disappear and only two lists remain: Lost and saved." (6)
CONCLUSION:
*Nothing is more important than receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Jesus loves you. He died on the cross for you. He rose again forever from the dead. He is the only Savior of the world! And that's why faith in Jesus makes all the difference in the world.
*Call on the Lord to save you today. Receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Then start trusting Jesus enough to obey Him, even when it doesn't make sense. And trust Jesus enough to help bring other people to Him. That will make all the difference in the world.
(1) Adapted from:
-"June 7, 1981: The Miracle Day" by Barbara Cummiskey "Guideposts," April 1985
-"The Christian Post" - "CP LIVING" - "The Real-Life Miracle That Absolutely Shocked Atheist-Turned-Evangelist Lee Strobel" by Billy Hallowell, Pureflix.com| Tuesday, April 24, 2018 - https://www.christianpost.com/news/the-real-life-miracle-that-absolutely-shocked-atheist-turned-evangelist-lee-strobel.html
-Thomas Marshall, MD, Physician’s Untold Stories, Chapter 22 - Source: Barbara Snyder (Barbara Cummiskey Snyder) – healed from multiple sclerosis - Published by 1c15 on 14th March 2020 - https://1c15.co.uk/barbara-snyder-barbara-cummiskey-snyder-healed-from-multiple-sclerosis/
(2) Adapted from online sermon "Life in the Spirit" by Billy Strayhorn - Galatians 5:13-25
(3) Sources:
-JOHN GILL'S EXPOSITION OF THE BIBLE by Dr. John Gill, D. D. - 1697-1771 - Published in 1746-1766, 1816 - Matthew 9:30 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2000-2019
-BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville - Copyright 1995 - "Power to Give Sight" - Matthew 9:27-31 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2000-2019
(4) EXPLORING THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Power Over Dumbness" - Matthew 9:32-34 - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
(5) Sources:
-Illustration Digest - Number 4, 1995
-Leadership, Nov. 1995, p. 2 - Source: "Stories for Preachers and Teachers" by Raymond McHenry
(6) Sources:
-THE WORLD'S WORST PREDICTIONS - SermonCentral sermon "The Promise" by Guy Caley - 2 Peter 1:19-21
-http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/titanic.html
-"The Kind of Preaching We Need" by Vance Havner
