How Should We Respond to Jesus Christ?
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 12:9-15
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared March 22, 2022)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 12. By this time the Lord was in the second year of His earthly ministry, and this chapter shows us the vicious hatred that had begun to grow in the Christ-rejecting Pharisees. They started stalking Jesus, looking for any opportunity to accuse Him of doing wrong. In vs. 1-2, the Lord and His disciples went through some grainfields, and the hungry disciples picked some of the grain to eat. When the hateful Pharisees saw that, they attacked Jesus by saying, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!''
*They accused Jesus of allowing His followers to break one of the Ten Commandments, but the disciples weren't breaking God's Law. They were only breaking one of the thousands of nitpicking rules the Pharisees had added to God's Law. (1)
*But Jesus showed them that God cares about us meeting the needs of other people. The Lord also cares about us honoring Him as our Master. Jesus made this clear in vs. 6-8, when He told those Pharisees, "I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.''
*Jesus Christ is infinitely greater than the biblical temple in Jerusalem. That temple has been gone for almost 2,000 years, but Jesus is the eternal Son of God! Jesus is also Lord of the Sabbath Day. In fact, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus is Lord of all!
*No wonder He cares about us honoring Him as our Master, but Jesus also cares about us living with His kind of mercy in our hearts. So, in vs. 7 He quoted Hosea 6:6 and said, "If you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless."
*Today's Scripture moves on to cover one of the countless miracles Jesus worked during His time on earth. This miracle is also reported in Mark 3 and Luke 6. With this background in mind, let's read Matthew 12:9-15. And as you hear God's Word, please think about your response to Jesus Christ.
MESSAGE:
*How should we respond to Jesus Christ? This is one way to ask life's most important question, and I say this because our answers make all the difference in the world. It's the difference between having a wonderful life or a wasted life, between being saved or lost, between Heaven or hell, between eternal life or eternal death, everlasting joy, or everlasting judgment.
*How should we respond to Jesus Christ? This question may have never been on your mind before. But it is a question we are answering every day by the way we think and live. Today's Scripture helps show us how we should respond to Jesus.
1. AND FIRST: WE SHOULD NEVER ACCUSE JESUS OF BEING SINFUL.
*But this is what the unbelieving Pharisees were trying to do in vs. 9-10:
9. Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.
10. And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?'' that they might accuse Him.
*The original word for "accuse" here was a legal term that meant charging someone with a crime. And that's what those Christ-rejecting Pharisees were trying to do to Jesus. Those Pharisees were so hostile against Jesus that they accused Him of breaking God's Law. But Jesus Christ is the spotless, sinless Lamb of God. He is the only person who has ever lived a perfect life.
*And their hateful accusation was so evil that Jesus was filled with righteous anger. Mark 3:4-5 tells us that Jesus asked them, "'Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?' But they kept silent. So when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other."
*God forbid that we should ever accuse Jesus of being evil. Psalm 33:5 says the Lord, "loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." Psalm 107:8-9 pleads with all people to "give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."
*Isaiah 26:7 addresses the LORD as the "Most Upright," because He is perfect in every way! And His goodness is eternal. It's something that we can depend on today, tomorrow, and forever! God will always do the right thing at the right time. As Psalm 111:3 says, "His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures forever."
*Jesus Christ was born as a man like us, but He is and always has been the Lord God Almighty. That's why Paul made this amazing statement in Colossians 2:8-9, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
*All of the fullness of the Godhead lives in the body of Jesus Christ! This is astounding, but absolutely true. And God cannot sin. Listen to some evidence from His Word:
-2 Timothy 2:13 says: "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself."
-Titus 1:1-2 says: "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which is according to godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, Who cannot lie, promised before time began."
-And James 1:13 says "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone."
*God cannot sin, and Jesus is God, so it is not possible for Jesus to sin. And we should never try to accuse Him of doing wrong. But sometimes we might because life is not fair in this fallen world.
*During World War II, Corrie ten Boom went through the unspeakable horrors of a Nazi death camp. Corrie's sister Betsie died in that camp. But Corrie was miraculously freed just a few days before she was scheduled to die.
*After the war, Corrie said, "Often I have heard people say, 'How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at the lovely weather!' Yes, God is good when He sends good weather. But God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp.
*I remember one occasion when I was very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart. I remember telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us.
*'No, Corrie,' said Betsie, 'He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: "For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him."'"
*Corrie concluded, "There is an ocean of God's love available; there is plenty for everyone. May God grant you never to doubt that victorious love, -- whatever the circumstances." (2)
*God is good all the time, and we can trust Him all the time. We know this best of all because of what He did on the cross for us. Jesus Christ died for our sins! And He rose again from the dead to give everlasting life to all who will trust in Him.
*We will not always understand what the Lord is doing in our lives, but He always does the right thing! God is good all the time, so we should never accuse Jesus of being evil.
2. INSTEAD, WE SHOULD LET JESUS TEACH US.
*We should definitely let the Lord teach us, because He has infinite wisdom, and He wants to teach us to live by His wisdom.
*That's what Jesus was trying to do in vs. 11-12, when He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.''
*That seems obvious, doesn't it? -- It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Surely every right-thinking person would agree with that. But the fact is that, just like these hardhearted Pharisees, we are sometimes blind to obvious truth.
*I know I need more wisdom from the Lord! And the truth is you do too. Thank God that He promises to give us all the wisdom we will ever need, -- IF we will trust Him to give it.
*James 1:5-6 tells us that "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." We need to ask the Lord for His wisdom, and then trust Him to teach us everything we need to know.
*Many times, the Lord urges us to let Him teach us. For example, in Psalm 32:8-9 God says, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you."
*"You're as stubborn as a mule!" Has anybody ever said that to you? Were they right? Probably. A lot of us tend to be stubborn. I've certainly been there. My dad used to tell me, "You would argue with a telephone pole!" You know why he said that? -- Because I was stubborn as a mule, and sometimes I still am.
*How about you? Maybe it would be better to ask your spouse or your parents. Honestly, probably all of us are stubborn at times, and maybe foolish enough to head off in our own direction. But the good news is that God wants to teach us to be better.
*King David surely got off track at times. But he had also learned great lessons from the Lord, so in Psalm 32:10-11 David went on to say, "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" David had learned from the Lord, and we should be willing to let the Lord teach us.
*But it takes time, you know. We need to be like Lazarus' sister Mary in Luke 10:38-42. There God's Word says:
38. Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.
39. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.
40. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.''
41. And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.
42. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.''
*Mary took the time to listen and learn at the feet of Jesus. And that's what God wants us to do. The question is: Will we let the Lord teach us? This is surely the right way to respond to Jesus Christ.
3. BUT WE SHOULD ALSO TREASURE WHAT THE LORD TREASURES.
*We can see what Jesus treasures in vs. 11-12:
11. Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?
12. Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.''
*The Lord treasures people. Christians: The Lord treasures us! He loves us! We can see this great truth in Ephesians 2:1-5. Here Paul spoke to all Christians and said:
1. . . You He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2. in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
3. among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5. even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
*God treasures us! That's the message of this song by Charles Weigle:
"I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus, since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely, He did something that no other friend could do.
No one ever cared for me like Jesus; There's no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me. O how much He cared for me!" (3)
*O how much He cares for us! Jesus went all the way to the cross for us. Christians: He treasures us. But that's not all. Jesus Christ treasures all people!
*The Lord made this truth clear in John 3:16 when He said, "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
*Right now, we are living in a time when corruption, chaos, disease, and war are spreading around the world. And in these days, one Scripture the Lord led me to is 1 Timothy 2:1-6. Here Paul wrote:
1. Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
2. for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
3. 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.
*The Lord treasures all people, and He wants us to treasure people too. Pastor James Moore told of a man named George. This man was a peacemaker with a big heart and wonderful sense of humor.
*Everybody loved George at church, and he was well thought of at the hospital where he worked. People loved George because he was always kind and respectful to everyone he met.
*George's children clearly remembered the time George spent in the hospital before his death. One day, the administrator of the hospital paid him a visit. They spoke as though they were old friends. A few minutes later one of the janitors came to visit George. They had a nice visit too.
*When the janitor left, one of George's children asked him this question, "Dad, did you realize that you treated the president of the hospital and the janitor just alike?"
*George smiled, chuckled, and then made a great point when he said, "Let me ask you something: If the administrator left for two weeks, and the janitor left for two weeks, which one do you think would be missed the most?"
*Then George called his children around his bed, and said, "Let me show you something I carry in my pocket all the time, even when I mow the lawn." George pulled out a pocket-sized cross and a marble with the golden rule on it. George said, "On the cross are written these words, 'God Loves You.' And on the marble are these words, 'Do unto Others as You Would Have Them Do unto You.' The cross reminds me of how deeply God loves me. And the marble reminds me of how deeply God wants me to love others." (4)
*The Lord treasures people, and He wants us to treasure people too. That's how we should respond to Jesus Christ.
4. AND WE SHOULD ALWAYS TRUST JESUS TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR US.
*Verses 13-15 remind us that Jesus is always worthy of our trust! After Jesus answered the Pharisees:
13. Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand.'' And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.
14. Then the Pharisees went out and took counsel against Him, how they might destroy Him.
15. But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there; and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.
*The Lord healed them all! What amazing miracles! And Jesus Christ still heals people today! Many of us have seen amazing, miraculous turnarounds in people's lives. We have seen people brought back from the point of death. But the Lord is not going to heal every disease, -- not in this world anyway.
*But we can trust in the Lord whether He heals us or not. And we should! That's what Charlie Greer did, and he was a great example for my family.
*Charlie went home to Heaven three days after Christmas in 2004. I got to know him best when his daughter, Denise, came to serve as the Children's Director at Emmanuel Baptist Church. Charlie came with the family, and he was like a grandfather to our daughter Katie.
*My dad died 10 years before Katie was born, and Mary's dad died when Katie was 2. But "Papaw Charlie" was a "papaw" to our baby, and we will always be thankful for that. He was a treasure to us. I don't think Charlie consciously tried to encourage me. He just did.
*He loved the Lord, He loved the Bible, and he loved to come to church. Charlie also loved to pray. We had a Prayer Room at Emmanuel, and Charlie came like clockwork. He also brought our Katie and his own granddaughter, Amber. They were best friends, and I found out years later that Charlie taught both of them to pray, using the Lord's Prayer as a model!
*Another great thing about Charlie was his tremendous attitude in the face of terrible health problems. Charlie had a brain tumor, but he kept going. He had several surgeries that took his leg, and Charlie had to limp along, but he kept going along with a smile. He was trusting the Lord through every crisis, and that's what God wants us to do.
*Whether Jesus heals us or not, we must never give up on the Lord! Often, we won't understand why something terrible happens in life. But Jesus came into this mixed-up, messed-up world to suffer with us, and for us. So, we know we have a God who cares. We know we have a God who does all things well. And one day He will make all things whole for those who trust in Him.
CONCLUSION:
*Put your trust in our crucified and risen Savior Jesus Christ! Receive Him as your Lord and Savior. Then let Jesus teach you. Treasure what He treasures. And keep trusting Jesus to do what's best for you. Call on the Lord to save you as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) Adapted from:
-BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville - Copyright 1995 - "Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath" - Matthew 12:1-8 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES (NT) by William Barclay, Revised Edition (C) Copyright 1975 William Barclay - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Introduction to Matthew 12 - "Crisis" - https://bibleportal.com/commentary/chapter/william-barclay/matthew/12
(2) Sources:
-SermonIllustrations.com - Topic: GOD, goodness of - Corrie Ten Boom
-SermonCentral illustration contributed by Jeff Simms
(3) "No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus" By Charles Frederick Weigle
(4) James W. Moore, WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS..., - Nashville: Dimensions for Living, 1993, p. 78 - Source: Sermons.com sermon "Weird People Everywhere" by King Duncan - 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 - 2005
