Okay, thanks Daniel. Folks, let's pray as we get into this passage together and ask for God's help.
Lord, we thank you that you are a God who has revealed yourself.
! Father, thank you that you speak through what you have spoken.
And as we turn to your word now, we pray that we would encounter you, the living God.
Father, be with us, we ask. Teach us what we know not.
Help us see what we see not. Help us hear what we hear not.
May we leave this morning changed because we've met with you.
And we pray all of these things in Jesus' worthy name. Amen.
Amen. Folks, Matthew chapter 4, verse 23. Have we got it there?
Here's what I want us to see as we get into this passage together.
I want us to appreciate that this is bad news for all of us here today who work in the healthcare profession.
So doctors, GPs, psychologists, psychiatrists, midwives, pharmacists, speech therapists, take your pick.
What this is ultimately telling you is that Jesus has ultimately come to make you surplus two requirements.
Have you got the passage open in front of you?
Do you see this?
You're not going to want to miss this.
Because nothing like this has ever happened before.
If you grant me a little bit poetic license here.
Take this in.
That there once was a moment in history, as it were,
when the corridors of the Galilee Royal Infirmary were completely deserted.
A time when you could hear a pin drop in the A&E department.
A time when surgeons had no one on the operating table.
When puzzled nurses were shouting people's names into the corridors,
into the waiting rooms, and no one was there to respond.
When receptionists were scratching their heads because the phones weren't ringing.
When ambulance drivers were twiddling their thumbs,
opting for another round at Candy Crush on their phone because there was nothing to do.
And everybody's sitting there thinking to themselves,
what on earth is going on?
Do you see it?
Of course, what was going on?
Verse 17.
Was that the kingdom of God had come near.
Do you see it?
Verse 17.
And it had come near because the king of the kingdom
had rolled into town.
Now, if you've been here over the last number of weeks,
we've been tracking in Matthew's gospel this big theme
that Matthew's been driving home to his readers,
that Jesus, the king, is here.
Now, Jesus, verse 17, has announced, do you see it?
The presence of the kingdom.
Do you see it?
The kingdom of God is here.
What you have to say is a big claim.
It's how people talk in our world today, isn't it?
When people make big claims.
You're all talk, mate.
Right?
You're all talk.
You can't back it up.
Classic you, over-promising, under-delivering.
Put your money where your mouth is.
We've got tons of phrases like that in our culture, don't we,
where we say to people,
can you back this up?
And the question is, I think, in Matthew's gospel,
when Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is here,
can he back it up?
Well, what follows here,
Jesus announces the presence of the kingdom,
and here he is demonstrating the power of the kingdom.
Do you remember last week,
he was calling random fishermen to leave it behind
and be fishers of men?
Do you remember that, what he said?
Follow me, was his big claim.
Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
And I imagine that Matthew's Jewish readers,
they make the link in their head.
They think, whoa, what did God say to Abraham
in Genesis 12, Genesis 15?
He said, go.
In other words, follow me.
And here is Jesus saying the exact same thing.
Follow me.
To put me first,
above family,
above career,
above fame,
to allow me to mould your life,
to learn from me,
to repent of your old ways,
and come out,
and follow me.
And Jesus doesn't do compartmentalisation.
It's a massive word for you this morning.
All of life,
we follow him.
It's the call he makes.
And you maybe hear that,
and you think,
goodness, that's a bit punchy, is it not?
It's a big ask.
I get the Sunday thing.
I get the songs of praise thing.
But actually following you with all of my life?
Well, if you're in any doubt about the credentials,
and the abilities of this king,
then see him in action this week.
This week,
diseases will flee,
and evil spirits will be banished,
as he bursts on the scene.
Now let's just track with the narrative here.
Do you see verse 23?
Remember, Jesus is in Galilee.
We thought a few weeks ago
about this land of Zebulun and Naphtali,
the land of great darkness.
Right?
And this is not Aberdeen,
21 days without the sun.
What is going on here
is spiritual,
and physical,
historical darkness.
Right?
Jesus has stepped into this place.
This is the place where God had said,
light would dawn.
In this place.
And see the two verbs that Matthew uses
to describe what Jesus is doing here.
Do you see he is preaching?
Do you see it?
And he is healing.
And then I want you to notice,
do you see the words there?
All and every.
Do you see it?
Verse 23.
Do you see it in the text?
Every disease.
All who were sick.
So that word,
those words,
all and every.
Just slip them in your back pocket.
We're going to come back to this
in about 20 minutes time.
All and every.
What is Matthew doing here?
He's showing us the completeness,
the wholeness
of Jesus' healing ministry.
Notice two quick things about it.
Notice, first of all,
the reach of the news.
Do you see how news about him spread?
Where did it spread?
Galilee.
This is the region.
Synagogues.
And all over the vast Roman province of Syria,
which is located in the map there
to the north of Galilee.
So here's the point.
This is not a news story
that's being picked up
by a local gazette.
Give it a single column.
How does something like this spread
in this day,
before X,
before Instagram,
how does it spread?
By word of mouth.
Right?
So what,
that tells you what Jesus is doing here.
Because people have never seen
anything like this before.
It is spreading all over the place.
And little wonder,
see verse 24,
Matthew tell us
how people responded
to that news.
I love what's recorded
at verse 24.
And take this in today.
And they brought to him.
Now,
Josie kind of stole my point
in the prayer
if you notice it
and picked it up.
What does Jesus do
with the power that he has?
In contrast to everything
that we're seeing
in our world just now
about what people do
with the power that they have,
what does Jesus do
with the power that he has?
He uses it to serve.
And they brought to him.
What does that tell us?
Do you not love
what that tells us
about Jesus?
That he came to earth
not intent on
retreating to some kind
of monastic existence?
This tells you
that Jesus made himself
available.
Do you love that?
Jesus made himself
available.
People were brought to him
and he healed them.
Not in some kind of
Dumbledore style
just casting a spell
and a big boom of light
goes everywhere
and everybody's healed.
The implication here,
I take it,
is that he does this
one by one.
And is that not so
incredible?
Are we not so used
to spending our lives
living them
like we do
listen to our podcasts
on 1.5 speed?
What do they call New York?
The city that never sleeps.
We are busy.
If there was one word
that you were using
to describe your life
right now
to the person next to you,
that would be it, right?
Busy?
Do you know
the word,
the adjective
that I love most
to describe Jesus?
Unhurried.
We were thinking
in growth groups
this week
about how that's
such a profound way
to love the people
that we rub shoulders
with every day
by taking the time
to learn names,
by taking the time
to learn about family,
about things that they love,
that they care about.
I take it that Jesus
sets us a wonderful
example here.
Notice the reach
of the news
but then secondly
notice the breadth
of the miracles.
Do you see verse 24?
This is what we need
to see.
I hadn't really seen
this before
until studying it
this week
because we're so used
to skimming over this.
Reading the Bible
at 1.5 speed
did this really
help me slow down?
I hadn't seen before
verse 24
that Matthew
doesn't settle
for generic descriptions.
Right?
Just in case anyone
is tempted
to do what
C.S. Lewis
famously called
chronological snobbery.
Popular my day
to think that
we're so much
more sophisticated
than people were
back then
and yeah sure
medicine has made
huge advances
but it's as if
Matthew says
at this point
chill out millennial.
We were perceptive
enough back in this day
to see the difference
between all these things
and I've written it down
so that you would know
because do you see
how he both details
and he differentiates?
Do you see the stuff there?
Just roll with the descriptions
those suffering
severe pain
and notice the compassion
that's contained
in that description.
The demon possessed
those having seizures
and the paralyzed
so this is both
physical
and demonic
and it's as if
pausing for breath
having given you
that list
Matthew summarizes
at the end of verse 24
and he bookends
this little bit
with that phrase
and he healed them
and so
the Galilean
royal infirmary
was completely deserted.
What a time
to be alive
and see
as true
as that is
this raises
all sorts of questions
and emotions
doesn't it
as we read it today?
Three Ps
I imagine
my question to you
is which P are you?
Right?
As we react to this
some of us
will be puzzled
this sounds like
hocus pocus
what on earth
is going on here?
Others of us
will be pained
why hasn't this
happened for me
or for that person
who I
I dearly loved
in my life?
Others of us
will be
pining
along
for
something like this
to be true
in my life.
Which one are you?
Puzzled
pained
pining
and I think
that's why
we need to get
our heads around
what this says
and what it isn't
and what Matthew
really wants us to see
is he portrays
Jesus here
so here's two things
that these miracles are
firstly
they are
tasters
they're tasters
right?
I remember being in
Kentucky in America
a few years ago
with a family
we went to Disney
afterwards
I kind of described
Disney as
plastic America
Kentucky was
proper America
sitting in the
back
porch
James Taylor
on in the
background
sipping a little
bit of bourbon
do you know what
made it for me
though?
Was watching
the fireflies
I'd never seen
a firefly before
they all laughed
at me
don't want to say
you've never seen
a midget before
and I laugh at them
but never seen
a firefly before
but what's going
on here
friends
is that
every single
one of these
miracles
is a firefly
in the night sky
just a brilliant
flash of the
light invading
the darkness
I guess this is a
bit like when you
go to an ice cream
shop and they
give you those
little spoons
do you know
and you just get
a little taster
of what the real
thing is going to
be like
these momentary
flashes as evil
and darkness
are dispelled
by the king
as he demonstrates
his lordship
over sin
over Satan
over death
as Jesus
as you
if you like
gives people
their lives back
this is tasters
of what Jesus
will do
fully and finally
one day
when he returns
you know
one person
I listened to
insightfully
referred to
these miracles
as an
eschatological
thunderbolt
get your head
around that
and here's
where our
biblical
worldview
comes in
here
how we
understand
this world
God created
a good
world
sin and
death
were not
a thing
mankind
created to
enjoy
and flourish
and worship
the God
our creator
who made
us
but because
of the
rebellion
that poison
of sin
and death
has affected
all things
are experiencing
that sense
of deterioration
including
our bodies
we live
our lives
in this
broken
in this
fractured
in this
groaning
in this
dark world
carrying
that deep
sense within
us
that we
can't wait
to get
home
I always
loved
Jewel
the unicorn
in the
last battle
CS Lewis
I've come
home at
last
this is my
real country
I belong
here
this is the
land I've
been looking
for all
my life
though I
never knew
it until
now
maybe that's
you here
today
in particular
that longing
that you
have
friends
Christ meets
you in this
moment and
says those
longings
I've come
to make
a way
think about
that a bit
more in a
minute
here is
Jesus as it
were putting
the effects
of that fall
into
reverse
gear
can God
heal today
should we
pray for
healing today
I take it
that this is
a different
time as we
see in a
minute these
miracles the
all and the
every authenticates
Jesus as the
king of
heaven
but I take
it of course
God can
might not be
in the same
way it might
be miraculous
leaving surgeons
scratching their
head to a
friend of mine
really recently
down in
Bristol but
he may do
it through the
ordinary means
of grace
through the
wonderful health
care system
that we enjoy
in this
country which
means that
meds and
plans are
God's kindness
to us and
if you're in
the health care
profession doing
that know that
that's a
wonderful calling
that you have
but the thing
is in his
goodness that
we've been
singing about
earlier in his
kindness he
may not
but we trust
him and we
love him and
I take it like
Meshach,
Shadrach and
Abednego as
they were
remember that
story in
Daniel as
they're about
to get thrown
in the fire
our God will
deliver us but
even if he
doesn't
we'll still
praise him for
who he is
and I take
it as a
church in
these moments
in people's
lives because
we love one
another we
step up in
those moments
and we're
there for
each other
and you can
be an extension
of God's
mercy by
offering people
your ear and
praying Lord
help us all in
this moment to
know your heart
and your purposes
in a deeper
way.
Do you see how
we can be
people who
can as it
were spiritually
bring people
to him?
Do you see
that?
we can be
those who
bring to
him people
we can bring
to him
because he's
an available
savior.
Our cries
knowing that
our groans
they ring out
under the
banner of
a resurrected
king.
And here's
the pastoral
point.
You know
the miracles
of Jesus
are amazing
but they
are momentary
because everyone
even in this
scene
every one
of these
people healed
would at
some point
die again.
Now what
does that
tell you?
It tells you
that there's a
bigger game
that we're
playing in
here.
It tells you
that there's
something better
and more
permanent
and lasting
than being
healed in
this life.
What is going
on in our
understanding of
the world
according to
the Bible
is that we
know God's
intention is
to reclaim
and remake
this whole
world for
himself.
There is
coming a
time when
his dominion
will stretch
from shore
to shore
and the
knowledge of
God will
cover the
earth as
the waters
cover the
sea.
Do you see
how the
gospel doesn't
just give us
an ending?
the gospel
gives us a
purpose for
existence.
Why were we
made?
We were made
to worship
and know
and enjoy
our God
and give him
all the praise
and thanks.
And do you
see how Jesus
spiritually as it
were when we
come to follow
him he gives
us spiritually
speaking our
lives back.
We creates
us for the
very purpose
the very thing
that we were
designed to do.
there will be
no healings
in the new
heavens and
the new
earth.
Did you
pick it up
in the
reading?
Why?
Because there
will be
nothing left
to heal.
And this
is a little
taster of the
final kingdom
that Jesus
will fully
and finally
usher in
when he
returns.
When this
king returns
and he says
to evil
be gone
and to
tears and
groans
goodbye
and to
death
good riddance.
And how
will that
come about?
Well did
you catch
that in the
reading from
Isaiah 65?
The former
things will be
remembered no
more.
Did you pick
it up?
New heavens
and a new
earth.
But did you
catch how
right at the
end of Isaiah
65 there's
talk there
and blink
and you
might have
missed it
of the
dust being
the serpent's
food.
Now how
will that
come about?
How will
this come
about?
Through the
work of the
long promised
serpent crusher
that God
said he would
send way
back in
Genesis 3.
What was
he going to
do?
He was
going to
crush the
head of
the serpent.
He was
going to
triumph.
The suffering
servant.
He was
going to
triumph over
Satan.
And that's
what Jesus
in this
gospel is
going to
the cross
to do.
To pay
for our
sin.
To take
the curse
of darkness
on himself.
What is
one of the
things
Genesis 3
brings into
this world?
An existence
of thorns
and thistles.
What is the
crown that
Jesus wears
as he's led
to the cross?
It's a crown
of thorns.
What is Christ
doing in that
moment as he
goes to the
cross?
But bearing
the curse
that we
deserve
on himself.
Which means
if you're here
today and
you're asking
will God
completely heal
me?
If your
faith is in
this Christ
can I tell
you that the
answer is
wonderfully
yes?
It may
be not
just in
this life
but the
answer is
wonderfully
yes.
do you
see how
the end
of the
Bible
story
there is
an all
and an
every
for the
complete
people of
God
and you
can stake
everything
on it
being true
in the
next life
because of
the power
of this
king.
Can I
summarize?
It's good
to be healed.
It's better
to be saved.
It's good
to be healed
physically.
Do you know
it's better
to be healed
spiritually?
To know
sins forgiven.
To be granted
an identity
and experience
a love
the likes
of which
we will find
nowhere else.
To be given
a new family.
To be given
a new purpose.
To know
the reason
for our
existence.
this is
what Jesus
holds out
to us
today.
And that's
so important
because we've
got to see
the second
thing
these miracles
are.
They are
tasters.
Really
quickly,
secondly,
they are
pointers.
In other
words,
the healings
that we see
Jesus perform
here are
for a
purpose.
And what
is that
purpose?
Well,
the main
point of
his healing
ministry
is to
demonstrate
his
authority
over
all
things.
In other
words,
we're
meant not
to just
look at
but to
look
through
the
miracles.
Because what
is Matthew's
purpose for
all of this?
See verse 25.
Large crowds
from where?
Galilee.
Remember our
map?
The Decapolis,
the area just
to the
east,
is that right?
East Decapolis,
non-Jewish area.
Jerusalem,
Judea,
and the
area across
the Jordan.
So this is
a people
that Christ
is gathering
to himself,
following him.
What are they
doing?
Do you see
right at the
end there,
verse 25?
They followed
him.
Just as
Simon and
Andrew did
at verse 20
and James
and John
did at
verse 22.
Do you see
how Matthew
just stacks
them up?
They followed
him,
they followed
him,
they followed
him.
And that's
how Matthew
wants us
to respond
to this.
Not to
look at,
but to
look through.
Do you
not love
that Jesus
goes to
places that
we wouldn't
expect?
And he
picks people
that we
wouldn't
choose.
And he
says,
come follow
me.
You know,
just as we
close,
let me tell
you about
a pal of
mine,
who I
know through
my time at
Cornhill
in Glasgow,
his name
is Terry.
Terry is
the founder
of a charity
called Hope
for Glasgow,
working with
people who
have had
their lives
ruined because
of addiction.
And despite
being a
massive Celtic
fan,
he's the
perfect guy
for this
job.
Because before
becoming a
Christian,
this was his
story,
he lived
on the
streets,
substance
abuse,
and those
substances
had taken
his mind.
Just couldn't
think.
Couldn't
think straight.
And people
came and
they helped
him and
alongside
medical help,
he got free
of his
substance
abuse,
totally
clean,
totally
healed.
And as
amazing as
that is,
and if you
Google it,
you'll find
his testimony,
as amazing
as that is,
he says it
was just
wonderful,
it just
felt great.
He says
the good
news about
getting clean
is that I
got my
feelings back.
But he
said the
bad news
about getting
clean was
that I
got my
feelings back.
And all
of a sudden
it's a bit
like sand
evaporating and
just going
through what
I was left
with and
everything else
had gone.
I was left
with emptiness
and I was
left with
shame and I
was left
with guilt
and I
didn't know
what to do
with it.
And in one
sense I
had been
healed,
but what I
discovered in
this moment
is that I
was addicted
to all sorts
of other
stuff and
had no
answers to
it.
So he
goes to a
local church
and he
says this,
I had to
get clean
to see how
dirty I
really was.
Goes to a
local church
with this in
his mind
and he
hears for
the first
time the
gospel,
he hears
about Christ
Jesus,
he hears
about the
cross and
in this
moment he
hears about
how he
is a
great sinner,
Christ is
a great
saviour and
in that
moment he
says I
was converted
and he
now spends
his life
bringing that
same gospel
to folks
who were
just like
him.
But here's
the point,
here's Terry's
story,
it is good
to be healed
but it's
better to be
saved.
And the
king here
as he walks
on this
scene is
calling us
to repent
and follow
him.
Some of us
will remember
that song,
we'll close
with this,
the old
chorus.
Follow
him,
follow
him,
yield your
life to
him.
He's
conquered
death,
he is
king of
kings.
Accept
the joy
which he
gives to
those who
yield their
lives to
him.
Let me
pray.
And so
Father,
we think
of those
three Ps.
Lord,
some of us
will be
here,
we hear
this and
we're
puzzled.
Others of
us are
here,
we hear
this and
we're
pained.
Others of
us are
here,
we hear
this and
we're
pining.
Lord,
we thank
you that
we can
fully trust
our times
to the
warmest,
the kindest,
the most
strong and
powerful of
saviors.
Lord,
I pray that
wherever this
has landed
in our
lives today,
I pray that
you would
bring that
sense of
inner healing
through the
knowledge of
your son.
father,
thank you
that we
look at
Christ Jesus
here,
the one
who is
fully
available.
Thank you
that he
is not a
saviour who
came at
us,
as it
were,
at hand's
length.
Thank you
that here
he is
stepping into
the place
of darkness,
coming
alongside the
people who
know
darkness
to be
the light.
Father,
help us
as we
pray as we
finish our
time together
to fix our
eyes on
him,
we pray.
In
Jesus'
name we
ask.
Amen.