How Well Do You Know the Lord Jesus Christ?
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 12:14-21
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared April 2, 2022)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 12. Remember that by this point, Jesus was in the second year of His earthly ministry. And in this chapter we see the terrible hatred that had poisoned the minds of the Christ-rejecting Pharisees. They started stalking Jesus, looking for any opportunity to accuse Him of doing wrong. (1)
*In vs. 9-14, Jesus went into the nearby synagogue. A man with a withered hand was also there, and the Pharisees spitefully asked Jesus, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?'' They were trying to find a way to accuse the Lord of breaking God's Law. But Jesus wisely replied, "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.''
*"Then He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and took counsel against Him, how they might destroy Him."
*Luke 6:11 tells us that the Pharisees were filled with rage to the point of madness that day. Mark 3:6 says they "went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him."
*This was an astounding move by the Pharisees because normally, they were bitter enemies of the Herodians. You see, the Herodians were polar opposites to the strict Jewish Pharisees. To begin with, the four Herods who ruled weren't Jews, but natives of nearby Idumea. They were appointed by the Roman Empire. The first is known as "Herod the Great," and though he expanded the Temple in Jerusalem, he was a vicious monster of a tyrant who had zero interest in keeping God's Law. This is the Herod who tried to kill young Jesus by murdering all the infant boys in Bethlehem. The Herods were basically as godless as they could be, and the Herodians were simply the people who supported them. (2)
*It's amazing that the Pharisees would partner with the Herodians. But the thing that brought them together was their utter rejection of Jesus Christ. And before the end of this chapter, those Pharisees would commit the only unpardonable sin. They were trying to destroy Jesus, but only wound up destroying themselves.
*All the while, Jesus went about doing miraculous good works and proving Himself in undeniable ways to anyone who was open to the truth. Now God wants us to be open to the truth. And if we are, today's Scripture will help get to us know Jesus better. Please think about this as we read Matthew 12:14-21.
MESSAGE:
*How well you know the Lord Jesus Christ. You may not know Him at all in a personal way, but many of us do, and everybody needs to know Jesus better.
*I can't imagine anybody ever knowing our Savior better than the Apostle Paul. But remember what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:8-10. After many years of knowing Jesus Paul said, "I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death."
*Paul wanted to know Jesus better than ever before, and Christians, so should we! The original word for "know" there was not just talking about knowing facts and information. It meant knowing the Lord in a close, personal way. And nothing is more important than knowing Jesus Christ!
1. FIRST IN THIS SCRIPTURE, WE NEED TO KNOW THAT JESUS IS THE GREAT PHYSICIAN.
*Jesus miraculously healed many thousands of people during His time here on earth. After the Pharisees went out to plot the Lord's death, vs. 15 tells us that "when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there; and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.
*Mark 3:7-12 gives more detail and says:
7. . . Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea
8. and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.
9. And He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.
10. For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.
11. And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God.''
12. But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.
*Jesus Christ is the Great Physician. Here's what Peter said, when he was preaching about Jesus in Acts 10:36-38:
36. "The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)
37. that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:
38. how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."
*Jesus went around "doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil." And we praise the Lord for miraculous healing, but we also thank God for our health-care professionals. They too are a gift from God, and they help people every day. But ultimately, all physical healing comes from God.
*Jesus is our physical healer, and our emotional healer. In Isaiah 61:1 the coming Christ says, "He (God the Father) has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted." Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted, and nobody can heal a broken heart like Jesus Christ!
*He is our physical healer, emotional healer, and our spiritual healer. 1 Peter 2:24 talks about those who have been spiritually healed by trusting in Christ. There Peter wrote that Jesus "Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed."
*This spiritual healing includes everlasting life in Heaven for all who trust in the Lord. All medical healing is temporary. But when we put our trust in the cross of Jesus Christ, when we believe in Him, when we receive Him as our Lord and Savior, we get the healing that lasts forever!
*I have been thinking about my dad today. He died of lung cancer and heart failure almost 47 years ago. Dad was only 55 when he died. We prayed for a physical healing that did not come. But my dad certainly had the healing of everlasting life in Heaven with God!
*Dad had been a member of the Presbyterian Church for many years. He had also served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher. And Dad had been very Christlike in the way he treated other people. But a few days before he died, I wanted to be absolutely sure that my father had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. So, I asked him about it. And I don't remember exactly what I said, but I remember him standing in the door of his hospital room, telling me: "Son, you don't have to worry about me. I gave my heart to Jesus Christ a long time ago."
*Hallelujah! That's why my earthly father is with my Heavenly Father today. And everybody needs to know that Jesus Christ is the Great Physician.
2. WE ALSO NEED TO KNOW THAT JESUS IS THE PROMISED MESSIAH.
*As the Lord healed those great multitudes, vs. 16 tells us that "He warned them not to make Him known. And in vs. 17-21, the Holy Spirit led Matthew to explain that Jesus gave this warning:
17. that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
18. "Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen, my Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
19. He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
20. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory.
21. And in His name Gentiles will trust.''
*This prophecy is from Isaiah 42, and it has great news about our Savior. But first let's focus on the fact that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy and that's not all. Over 300 Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah were fulfilled by Jesus Christ! No wonder Jon Allen said, "The biography of Christ was written centuries before He was born."
*So, for example in the Old Testament we read that:
-He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
-He would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14).
-He would be betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9).
-The price of betrayal would be 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13).
-His hands and feet would be pierced (Psalm 22:16).
-None of His bones would be broken (Psalm 34:20).
-His side would be pierced (Zechariah 12:10).
-He would be buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9).
-And that He would rise again from the dead! (Psalm 16:10).
*Could the fulfillment of all those prophecies about Jesus be just a coincidence? Mathematician Peter Stoner calculated that the odds of even 8 of these prophecies coming true would have been one in a hundred million billion. That's a one followed by seventeen zeroes!
*To help us understand this staggering number, Peter gave an unusual illustration. Dr. Stoner said, "Suppose we take a hundred million billion silver dollars, and lay them out over the state of Texas. Those silver dollars will cover the whole state of Texas two feet deep!
*Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes anywhere in the state, but he must pick up the silver dollar that was marked.
*What chance would he have of getting the right one? The same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these 8 prophecies, and having them all come true in any one man!" (3)
*Christian, this means that if you brought your Bible to church tonight, you have a miracle sitting in your lap! This miraculous book proves that Jesus is the promised Messiah. And it gives us the sure hope that Jesus Christ came into the world to save us from our sins. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. And now the Risen Savior offers everlasting life to everyone who will trust in Him. Everybody needs to know that Jesus is the promised Messiah.
3. WE ALSO NEED TO KNOW THAT JESUS IS THE PRINCE OF PEACE.
*Jesus is surely the promised "Prince of Peace" in Isaiah 9:6. And we can see this truth in today's Scripture. After the Pharisees went out to plan Jesus' murder, vs. 15 tells us that Jesus simply withdrew from there. And after Jesus healed that giant multitude, He strictly warned them not to make Him known.
*Why did the Lord avoid the Pharisees like that? One reason why was because it wasn't yet time for Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. But do you think the Lord was afraid of those hateful Pharisees? Not for a moment! At any time, Jesus could have crushed them like bugs. He could have opened the ground and swallowed them whole! But our God is merciful, kind, and patient.
*1 Timothy 2:1-6 tells us to pray for all men, and especially for all leaders:
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.
*Jesus Christ is the promised Prince of Peace. We can also see His merciful kindness in vs. 19-20. Here Matthew was still quoting from Isaiah 42, and said this about Jesus:
19. He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
20. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory.
*Listen to vs. 20 from the New American Standard Version: "A battered reed he will not break off, and a smoldering wick he will not put out, until he leads justice to victory." The Living Bible says, "He does not crush the weak, or quench the smallest hope; He will end all conflict with his final victory." And the New Living Translation says, "He will not crush those who are weak, or quench the smallest hope, until he brings full justice with his final victory."
*William Barclay explained that "the reed may be bruised and hardly able to stand erect. The wick may be weak, and the light may be but a flicker. A man's witness may be shaky and weak. The light of his life may be but a flicker and not a flame.
*But Jesus did not come to discourage people. He came to encourage. He did not come to treat the weak with contempt, but with understanding. He did not come to extinguish the weak flame, but to nurse it back to a clearer and a stronger light. One of the best things about Jesus is the fact that he is not the great discourager, but the great encourager." (4)
*Jesus Christ is full of mercy for all who will trust in Him! I love an old story about a missionary who ministered to Native Americans. One day as this missionary walked through the woods, he met a Native Christian. It was one of the men he had led to the Lord, and the missionary said, "Tell me what your heart says about Jesus."
*The man thought about it for a while, and replied, "I will show you." Then he stooped down and gathered some dry leaves into a circle with an open space in the middle. He dug in the dirt and found a worm which he dropped into the open space. Then he set fire to the leaves.
*The flames quickly ran round the circle of leaves, and the poor worm began to feel the heat. He wiggled and turned in all directions, trying to find a way to escape. There was none.
*But the Indian stretched out his hand, lifted up the worm, and laid it on the cool ground out of danger. Then the Indian said, "This is what Jesus did for me. And this is what my heart tells me I owe to him." (5)
*The difference is that Jesus took our place in the circle of death. Jesus Christ took all of the punishment for our sins when He died on the cross for us, and three days later, Jesus rose again from the dead. Now He will be the Prince of Peace for everyone who puts their faith in Him.
*That's why Romans 4:25 - 5:2 tells all Christians that Jesus "was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
*Everybody needs to know that Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace!
4. AND WE NEED TO KNOW THAT JESUS IS THE ONLY POSSIBLE SAVIOR.
*Jesus is the only possible Savior because of His perfection. This is what the Heavenly Father was talking about in vs. 18. There He urged us to "Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen, my Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased."
*God the Father was well pleased with Jesus, because His only begotten Son did all things well. And God confirmed this truth at least five other times in the New Testament! (Scriptures listed below.) (6)
*Jesus Christ lived the only perfect life. He never sinned a single time. And thank God for His perfection! Jesus couldn't die for our sins if He had to die for His own. But Jesus Christ did suffer and die for our sins!
*As Wayde Wilson said, "Jesus Christ carried much more than the cross. He carried the weight of the world's sins on his shoulders. Every sin you can think of was added to the weight. Your sin was added to that weight." (7)
*Jesus Christ died for our sins! Dr. W. A. Criswell was one of the best known preachers of the 20th century. He was the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas Texas for 50 years!
*One time Dr. Criswell told the church about a dream he had. And in this dream, Dr. Criswell saw Jesus. The Lord's back was bare and there was a soldier lifting up his hand to bring down that awful whip laced with bits of metal and broken bone. In the dream Dr. Criswell reached out to grab the soldier's arm to hold it back. When he did, the soldier turned in astonishment and looked at Dr. Criswell. Then, Dr. Criswell looked at the soldier's face, and saw that the soldier was him! (8)
*Jesus went through all of that misery for our sins, and He was able to do it because He had no sins of His own. He is the only possible Savior because of His perfection, and because He was sent to carry out God's plan.
*We see a wonderful part of God's plan at the end of vs. 18, where the Father said, "I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles." Then in vs. 21 the Father said, "In His name the Gentiles will trust."
*Thank God the door of salvation was opened for all of the Gentiles, because this means it was opened for us! Gentiles are simply all of the non-Jewish people in the world. But of course, this doesn't mean the door of salvation was closed to the Jews. Again, 1 Timothy 2:3-4 tells us that "God our Savior desires ALL MEN to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
CONCLUSION:
*Have you come to the knowledge of the truth about Jesus Christ? Do you know Him? Do you know Him as your Great Physician, your promised Messiah, your Prince of Peace, and your only source of salvation?
*That's the way God wants you to know Jesus. And nothing is more important than knowing the Lord. Call on our crucified and risen Savior to save you, and begin to draw closer to the Lord. You can get started right now, 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:
-WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas (A. T.) Robertson - Published in 1930-1933 - Matthew 12:14; Mark 3:6
-Got Questions: Who were the Herodians? - https://www.gotquestions.org/Herodians.html
-Got Questions: Who are the various Herods mentioned in the Bible? - https://www.gotquestions.org/Herods.html
-Got Questions: What was Herod's temple? - https://www.gotquestions.org/Herod-third-temple.html
(3) Peter Stoner in "Science Speaks" - Source: "Illustration Digest" edited by Jon Allen - Number 2 - 1996, p. 11 - Also see: SermonCentral illustration contributed by: David Parks - Source: "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell
(4) 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 - "The Characteristics of the Servant of the Lord" - Matthew 12:15-21 - https://bibleportal.com/commentary/chapter/william-barclay/matthew/12
(5) 150. "BRAND PLUCKED OUT OF THE FIRE" - Source: "Pulpit Helps"
(6) Six Scriptures where God the Father was well pleased with His Son Jesus:
-Matthew 3:17 - And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.''
-Matthew 12:18 - "Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen, my Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
-Matthew 17:5 - While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!''
-Mark 1:11 - Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.''
-Luke 3:22 - And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.''
-2 Peter 1:17 - For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.''
(7) SermonCentral.com sermon "The Wounded Warrior" by Wayde Wilson - Isaiah 53:3-5
(8) W. A. Criswell, EXPOSITORY SERMONS ON GALATIANS - Source: Charles R. Swindoll, THE TALE OF THE TARDY OXCART AND 1,501 OTHER STORIES, Nashville: Word Publishing 2000, c1998
