WEBVTT 00:00:00.260 --> 00:00:08.000 Hi everyone, we're going to read the Bible now. We're going to be reading from Matthew chapter 8 verses 1 to 17. 00:00:08.919 --> 00:00:16.399 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, 00:00:16.859 --> 00:00:26.100 Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, I will be clean. 00:00:26.100 --> 00:00:39.859 And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, see that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded for proof to them. 00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:50.620 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly. 00:00:50.619 --> 00:01:03.759 And he said to him, I will come and heal him. But the centurion replied, Lord, I'm not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word and my servant will be healed. 00:01:04.739 --> 00:01:19.159 For I too am a man under authority with soldiers under me. And I say to one, go, and he goes, and to another, come, and he comes, and to my servant, do this, and he does it. 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:29.379 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 00:01:30.519 --> 00:01:39.679 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 00:01:40.479 --> 00:01:47.579 While the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the out of darkness, in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 00:01:47.579 --> 00:01:53.679 And to the centurion, Jesus said, go, let it be done for you as you have believed. 00:01:54.500 --> 00:01:56.980 And the servant was healed at that very moment. 00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:03.079 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 00:02:03.739 --> 00:02:08.680 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:16.760 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 00:02:17.620 --> 00:02:20.680 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah. 00:02:21.319 --> 00:02:24.480 He took our illnesses and bore our diseases. 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:25.939 Well, good morning, everyone. 00:02:25.939 --> 00:02:40.500 Have you ever noticed how several people, well, all of us will have noticed how several people can hear or read the same words, the same evidence, and yet come to massively different conclusions? 00:02:42.180 --> 00:02:43.319 How does that happen? 00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:48.340 Well, there's actually a thing called confirmation bias. 00:02:48.340 --> 00:02:50.319 It's quantifiable. 00:02:51.039 --> 00:03:09.719 Confirmation bias is our tendency to cherry-pick information that confirms our existing beliefs or ideas, while at the very same time rejecting anything that disconfirms or challenges and threatens our existing ideas and practices. 00:03:09.719 --> 00:03:17.000 I think we're seeing a lot in social media discussions on pandemic issues at the moment. 00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:23.900 And it drives people to really extreme positions. 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:26.319 It drives people to be really aggressive in themselves. 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:30.000 And it drives them to be really dismissive of others. 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:35.599 Now, in frustration, I think we've all said along the line, somewhere along, something like this, 00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:39.759 I just don't know why Freddie can't see sense. 00:03:41.159 --> 00:03:49.539 Well, I think that's because the more ingrained, the more ideological, the more emotionally charged a belief or discussion is, 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:55.159 then the greater the confirmation bias that impacts on that discussion. 00:03:55.159 --> 00:04:06.340 And so a person's validation, a person's personal security, the desire to be right, the desire to be seen to be right, makes us inclined naturally, 00:04:06.979 --> 00:04:14.079 and sometimes without even realizing it, to look for evidence that supports our beliefs, supports our opinions about the world, 00:04:14.079 --> 00:04:18.040 but rejects anything which challenges them. 00:04:18.860 --> 00:04:20.439 It's a very real problem for us. 00:04:20.439 --> 00:04:33.019 It appears that one of the things people do best is to see or interpret all new information so that prior existing conclusions remain intact. 00:04:34.279 --> 00:04:38.800 Now, I think Jesus had to deal with confirmation bias too. 00:04:40.279 --> 00:04:46.920 As we move into Matthew's gospel this morning again, we see that from the earliest days of Jesus' public ministry, 00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:53.319 the crowds very quickly picked up key words, key ideas that were being promoted by Jesus, 00:04:53.960 --> 00:05:00.580 things like the kingdom of God, the authority of Jesus, the priority of King Jesus. 00:05:02.020 --> 00:05:05.740 We see that particularly in the sections chapter 4 through chapter 9. 00:05:07.020 --> 00:05:08.819 But here's the confirmation bias. 00:05:08.819 --> 00:05:20.800 It quickly becomes clear that many in the crowd were just hearing and seeing the things which allowed them to continue comfortably in their existing beliefs and conclusions, 00:05:21.240 --> 00:05:30.219 even while Jesus was saying things that were absolutely radical and totally contrary to their existing positions and beliefs. 00:05:31.300 --> 00:05:32.319 Confirmation bias. 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:40.259 And so as we move into Matthew's gospel ourselves, we need to be aware of our confirmation bias when we come to the scriptures. 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:43.199 How do we do that? 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:52.600 Well, it's hard, but understanding context and structure around Jesus' teaching helps ensure that we form the right conclusions. 00:05:52.759 --> 00:06:01.000 We don't just read the words, but we actually form the conclusions that Jesus wants us to form because we're actually reading the words in context. 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:04.599 So let's do a little bit of revision again. 00:06:05.139 --> 00:06:07.579 And we see that Jesus has taught the kingdom. 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:15.139 Now, if you go back to chapter 4, verses 14 to 17, you'll see that the very start of Jesus' ministry, 00:06:15.740 --> 00:06:19.319 from the very start of Jesus' ministry, Jesus taught that he was the Messiah. 00:06:20.339 --> 00:06:23.839 The Messiah was God's savior king, promised by Isaiah. 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:28.779 You see there, chapter 4, verses 12 to 16, the context of Isaiah. 00:06:28.779 --> 00:06:34.279 And the Messiah has come to reestablish the kingdom or the rule of God. 00:06:35.479 --> 00:06:41.839 And immediately after he says, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, then Jesus calls his first disciples. 00:06:42.459 --> 00:06:51.559 He demonstrates his kingdom authority, calling people to repent, to radical new attitudes, to radical new thinking, to radical new actions. 00:06:51.560 --> 00:06:57.740 And then he calls a bunch of uneducated, rough fishermen. 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:04.300 And his impact on them as King Jesus brought new obedience. 00:07:05.340 --> 00:07:10.480 It brought radically new orientation in life for these guys who were fishermen. 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:14.860 It brought a radically new purpose in life for these guys. 00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:21.699 And his priorities in ministry then were revealed in chapter 4, verse 23. 00:07:22.020 --> 00:07:23.400 And I'll read that verse to you. 00:07:23.620 --> 00:07:25.560 And also chapter 9, verse 35. 00:07:25.819 --> 00:07:29.020 And those two verses are almost identical and form bookends. 00:07:29.139 --> 00:07:31.259 So here's chapter 4, verse 23. 00:07:31.259 --> 00:07:43.319 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel or the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 00:07:44.439 --> 00:07:46.560 And chapter 9, verse 35. 00:07:46.560 --> 00:08:01.439 Verses repeated. 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:04.920 His kingdom priorities are revealed. 00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:12.519 Teaching the good news of his kingdom rule and healing every disease and illness among the people. 00:08:12.519 --> 00:08:18.759 And these two verses bookend chapters 5 to 9. 00:08:19.019 --> 00:08:24.139 And it makes that one single unit displaying his kingdom authority. 00:08:25.099 --> 00:08:27.620 Within that unit then we see the Sermon on the Mount. 00:08:28.479 --> 00:08:33.519 And that's Jesus' detailed teaching on the righteousness demanded by God. 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:38.079 A standard no sinner can achieve by their own efforts. 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:47.100 But King Jesus promises to give his righteousness to his people, making them acceptable to God. 00:08:47.840 --> 00:09:00.740 And at the end of his teaching, chapter 7, verse 29, the crowds recognize both the radical teaching of Jesus, and they're overwhelmed by it, and the radical authority of Jesus. 00:09:00.740 --> 00:09:07.740 He was teaching them as one who had authority and not as their scribes. 00:09:08.220 --> 00:09:10.019 This Jesus was one out of the box. 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:17.120 They didn't really understand what he was about, but they could see that he was radically different from anything else they'd ever heard. 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:26.840 Now, that then links inseparably into chapters 8 and 9, where the kingdom is now illustrated. 00:09:27.320 --> 00:09:39.159 So it's taught, now it's illustrated, as Jesus shows his authority and priority in nine separate powerful miracles of healing. 00:09:39.159 --> 00:10:09.139 These are arranged in groups of healing. 00:10:09.159 --> 00:10:21.439 That he is also their savior, whose priority is to serve, to die, to deliver them from their sins, to renew, to transform, to cleanse, and so on. 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:23.740 We could go with listing more words. 00:10:24.439 --> 00:10:29.939 So let's jump into the three actual incidents of healing here we have in chapter 8, verses 1 to 17. 00:10:29.940 --> 00:10:37.240 With the heading here, Jesus is saying, I'm willing to make dirty people clean and acceptable to God. 00:10:39.220 --> 00:10:44.620 Now, we have a man with an incurable skin disease. 00:10:46.660 --> 00:10:51.520 Now, that puts him in the most marginalized group in Jewish society. 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:56.579 And he comes to Jesus, wanting healing. 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:10.199 Now, as we have already heard this morning from Ian, not only did the disease physically disfigure this man and make such a person absolutely repulsive to look at, 00:11:10.200 --> 00:11:21.200 but it brought total shame because the person was cut off from society, actually cut off from all human contact, forced to call out unclean. 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:27.120 The humiliation would have just been unending when people came near. 00:11:27.280 --> 00:11:28.820 Unclean, unclean. 00:11:28.820 --> 00:11:43.379 Even worse than all of that, the disease was considered to be evidence, very clear evidence, of God's particular curse on the person who was suffering it. 00:11:46.460 --> 00:11:51.340 Well, this man dared to ask Jesus to do the impossible. 00:11:52.920 --> 00:11:54.720 Jesus, make me clean. 00:11:54.720 --> 00:12:05.100 Didn't doubt, for whatever reason, we don't know the background, but he didn't doubt Jesus' power or authority to make him clean. 00:12:06.379 --> 00:12:11.060 The only thing he wasn't sure about was Jesus' willingness to associate with him. 00:12:13.740 --> 00:12:17.300 And he says, if you're willing, you can make me clean. 00:12:17.299 --> 00:12:26.039 And immediately, Jesus affirms, in such a warm, tender moment, immediately Jesus affirms, 00:12:26.679 --> 00:12:28.039 I am willing. 00:12:29.099 --> 00:12:30.039 I'm keen. 00:12:31.779 --> 00:12:39.139 And with that, he moves towards this man in all his awfulness, in all his shame, in all his hopelessness, 00:12:39.419 --> 00:12:44.699 and actually touches him, perhaps the first human contact this man has had in years. 00:12:47.299 --> 00:12:50.439 And instantly, Jesus makes the man clean. 00:12:52.519 --> 00:12:58.579 But that's not even the most amazing part of this story, because even more amazing, in my eyes anyway, 00:12:59.319 --> 00:13:05.120 Jesus actually fulfills the demands of God's law in terms of cleanness for this man. 00:13:05.399 --> 00:13:08.459 So as soon as he's made clean, Jesus says to him, go and show yourself to the priest. 00:13:08.460 --> 00:13:16.700 In other words, you'll see that all the cleanness I brought to you actually satisfies the law. 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:19.980 It removes his shame. 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:28.879 And ultimately then, not only is he clean and restored physically, but he's restored to full access to God. 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:32.539 That's what it was to be cut off from the temple, cut off from access to God. 00:13:33.019 --> 00:13:40.039 Now he's restored to full access to God and full enjoyment of the community of God's people. 00:13:42.519 --> 00:13:43.820 How clean is clean? 00:13:45.080 --> 00:13:47.240 Well, it's clean inside and out. 00:13:47.240 --> 00:13:56.120 Now, I don't suppose we have to spend too much time thinking about how amazed this guy would have been, 00:13:56.620 --> 00:14:01.879 how amazed the crowd would have been, how thankful that man would be to learn 00:14:01.879 --> 00:14:06.799 that as one of the most marginalized people in Jewish society, 00:14:07.240 --> 00:14:14.120 that God's rule, God's king, God's kingdom is not about a person's position in society. 00:14:14.120 --> 00:14:18.120 Because that meant he was done for. 00:14:19.340 --> 00:14:26.600 But it's about relationship with King Jesus, who happily reverses the effects of sin 00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:35.200 and welcomes the marginalized, the repulsive, the dirty into full acceptance and relationship with God. 00:14:36.919 --> 00:14:39.120 What a wonderful, wonderful story. 00:14:40.740 --> 00:14:42.919 But we move on to the next incident. 00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:50.039 Jesus says to the centurion, I'm powerful to give, sorry, Jesus says through the centurion, 00:14:50.279 --> 00:14:56.279 I am powerful to give life to any who will take me at my word. 00:14:59.080 --> 00:15:01.919 Now, the Roman centurion is a Gentile. 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:08.620 And that means he's another despised and marginalized group in Jewish society, 00:15:08.740 --> 00:15:14.620 perhaps only slightly better than the leper, maybe even in the eyes of some Jews, worse than a leper. 00:15:16.459 --> 00:15:20.939 But this was a man whose military authority, he would probably have been the local, 00:15:21.319 --> 00:15:25.519 the commander of the local Roman garrison in Capernaum or somewhere like that. 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:30.620 This man's military authority gave him power over life and death. 00:15:30.620 --> 00:15:38.240 But when it come to his servant's illness, he knew that he was powerless. 00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:48.320 And in asking for Jesus' help and expressing his unworthiness before Jesus, 00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:56.860 he was stating publicly Jesus' superior authority and power in the matter of life and death. 00:15:56.860 --> 00:15:59.159 How did he work this out? 00:15:59.259 --> 00:16:02.039 We're not told, but it's just a fact of the story. 00:16:02.700 --> 00:16:05.580 And even more amazing than that was his reasoning. 00:16:05.980 --> 00:16:08.019 And he tells Jesus his reasoning. 00:16:08.980 --> 00:16:11.320 And it goes something like this in summary. 00:16:12.139 --> 00:16:20.460 He recognized that his words had the same authority and power as if the Roman emperor spoke them himself. 00:16:20.460 --> 00:16:24.660 That's what it was to be the Roman emperor's representative in Capernaum. 00:16:26.540 --> 00:16:35.879 So he recognized then that Jesus' words had the same authority and power as if God had spoke them himself. 00:16:38.740 --> 00:16:45.200 And that means in his equation, Jesus just needs to say the word and it would be done. 00:16:45.400 --> 00:16:48.780 Say the word, Jesus, and that's enough to give life. 00:16:48.779 --> 00:16:49.980 You don't have to come to my house. 00:16:49.980 --> 00:16:51.019 Just say the word. 00:16:52.120 --> 00:16:59.259 That is your orbit of power and authority, which I'm recognizing publicly and bowing before you. 00:17:02.939 --> 00:17:11.599 This is so out of the box that Jesus makes special note of this man's almost matter-of-fact belief and trust. 00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:21.039 He was prepared to accept what was obvious in both Jesus' teaching and actions. 00:17:21.679 --> 00:17:26.059 Perhaps he didn't fully understand it, but he was prepared to accept what was obvious. 00:17:26.059 --> 00:17:38.579 And as a result, this despised Gentile overlord would be welcomed into Jesus' kingdom. 00:17:38.579 --> 00:17:48.839 So amazed is Jesus that he says something else in respect to this saturn. 00:17:48.839 --> 00:18:01.419 He contrasts this Jewish, this Gentile, despised Gentile Roman with so many Jews who will not take Jesus at face value, 00:18:01.420 --> 00:18:06.700 who will not accept what is obvious from his teaching and actions. 00:18:07.900 --> 00:18:10.100 And Jesus says the contrast can be greater. 00:18:10.860 --> 00:18:14.480 This despised Gentile will be welcomed into my kingdom. 00:18:15.120 --> 00:18:21.980 And these sons of the kingdom, that is people who are Jews by birth and part of the covenant inheritance by birth, 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:24.160 they're actually going to be sent away by King Jesus. 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:29.820 Radical illustration. 00:18:29.819 --> 00:18:37.960 And then the third episode is the healing of Peter's mother-in-law. 00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:42.519 Jesus is saying to her, I am Messiah. 00:18:43.779 --> 00:18:49.099 Committed to making whole those who don't know how broken they are. 00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:51.419 Verses 14 to 17. 00:18:53.019 --> 00:18:54.500 Now, this is a trifecta. 00:18:54.500 --> 00:19:02.859 For the third time, Jesus shows himself, his commitment to the most marginalized groups in Jewish society. 00:19:03.299 --> 00:19:04.119 The defiled. 00:19:05.700 --> 00:19:07.500 The Roman Gentile. 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:10.160 And now a woman. 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:14.460 He heals Peter's mother-in-law. 00:19:15.140 --> 00:19:18.700 Now, it's very interesting the way this is recorded by Matthew. 00:19:18.700 --> 00:19:20.740 It's quite different in the way he's recorded. 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:29.039 It seems like the leper and the centurion each showed some understanding of Jesus' power and authority. 00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:31.460 Each, in turn, requested healing. 00:19:31.460 --> 00:19:40.920 But when we read the story of Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law, there's no mention of either in that case. 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:46.519 Now, of course, it may just be a recording of the text, but I tend to take the text seriously. 00:19:47.079 --> 00:19:50.660 And so there's a reason why that's not there. 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:53.019 Possibly because she didn't ask. 00:19:53.279 --> 00:19:54.600 She didn't show any understanding. 00:19:54.599 --> 00:20:04.819 And so what that means then is that it appears that Jesus simply came to her house, saw she was seriously ill, and healed her. 00:20:08.139 --> 00:20:18.219 And again, if that's the case, the compassion of Jesus, King Jesus, and the priority of Jesus' kingdom authority and power is on show. 00:20:18.220 --> 00:20:23.420 And that's put beyond doubt by verse 16. 00:20:24.660 --> 00:20:29.519 That evening, so I presume he had gone to stay there for the night, thinking that his day was done. 00:20:29.620 --> 00:20:41.059 But that evening, he brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 00:20:41.059 --> 00:20:49.720 Hordes of people with all sorts of illnesses and disorders turned up, and Jesus healed everyone. 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:59.919 Again, it would appear that he healed them simply on the basis that they craved wholeness. 00:21:02.500 --> 00:21:03.980 Now, the emphasis is clear. 00:21:04.700 --> 00:21:07.139 Jesus healed all who came to him. 00:21:08.220 --> 00:21:09.500 The question is why? 00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:11.079 What's happening here? 00:21:12.380 --> 00:21:15.700 Well, I think we get a clue in verse 17. 00:21:16.140 --> 00:21:20.220 And verse 17 is a summary of this particular paragraph, 14 to 17. 00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:23.599 But I think it's also a summary of verses 1 to 17. 00:21:23.779 --> 00:21:29.400 And I think it also links right back to chapter 4, verses 12 to 16, the start of Jesus' ministry. 00:21:31.259 --> 00:21:32.940 And it goes something like this, I think. 00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:44.200 Matthew wants to put Jesus' display of teaching and healing into the context of Isaiah, the prophet Isaiah, particularly chapter 42. 00:21:44.200 --> 00:21:47.220 That's what he quotes at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. 00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:50.320 And this verse from Isaiah chapter 53. 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:54.039 Why would he do that? 00:21:54.039 --> 00:22:16.960 Well, that context demonstrates both that Jesus was Messiah, that he's God's suffering servant, God's king and savior, and that his priority was to make whole his broken people, even when they didn't realize how broken they were. 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:24.340 Now, these people were coming to Jesus that evening just strangely. 00:22:25.100 --> 00:22:27.860 And they all recognized their physical illness. 00:22:28.299 --> 00:22:32.980 They all recognized the awfulness of disease and pending death. 00:22:33.319 --> 00:22:37.620 They all craved wholeness, cleanness, freedom from shame. 00:22:37.840 --> 00:22:42.180 They all craved life, a better life than what they're experiencing now. 00:22:42.180 --> 00:22:56.580 But when Jesus looks at them, behind all of that, he sees the indirect consequences of sin or rebellion against God. 00:22:57.860 --> 00:23:05.720 He sees that they're broken at a much, much deeper level than even they realize their brokenness. 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:16.120 And I think it's not too much to say, we know from other scriptures especially, that it grieved Jesus to see people caught in this awful situation. 00:23:17.180 --> 00:23:18.019 Spiritually dead. 00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:19.579 Cut off from God. 00:23:19.720 --> 00:23:21.920 Cut off from the good life they were created to enjoy. 00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:23.420 And all because of sin. 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:27.200 And unable to do anything to relieve their predicament. 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:38.960 Yeah, their brokenness was much, much deeper, much, much more dreadful than what even these sick people coming to Jesus, craving life, understood. 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:54.500 And Jesus, Matthew wants us to understand from you, Jesus' kingdom authority and power was prioritized to making people whole. 00:23:54.500 --> 00:23:58.380 This was the promised work of Messiah. 00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:01.960 The prophets spoke about it, looked forward to it, yearned for it. 00:24:02.700 --> 00:24:04.519 This was the promised work of Messiah. 00:24:04.980 --> 00:24:06.519 Reversing the effects of sin. 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:08.319 Restoring wholeness. 00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:09.940 Giving spiritual life. 00:24:11.380 --> 00:24:12.400 And here it is. 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:16.480 In Jesus, it was happening before their eyes. 00:24:17.740 --> 00:24:19.940 The kingdom of God is at hand. 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:21.619 It's actually now, chapter 4. 00:24:22.299 --> 00:24:23.519 It's all around you. 00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:25.359 It's open your eyes and say it. 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:27.900 Radical stuff. 00:24:28.819 --> 00:24:31.319 That God promised centuries before. 00:24:34.740 --> 00:24:36.559 But how does Jesus make us whole? 00:24:37.740 --> 00:24:39.359 Well, verse 17. 00:24:41.500 --> 00:24:44.180 And the context of Isaiah is clear. 00:24:45.099 --> 00:24:48.000 It's the suffering servant passage. 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:53.400 It is his substitutionary work for us that makes us whole. 00:24:55.240 --> 00:25:03.819 Jesus takes the consequences of our sin, our illness, the symbols of which are our illness and our diseases. 00:25:03.819 --> 00:25:07.599 Jesus takes the consequences of our sin. 00:25:08.099 --> 00:25:12.619 And he is crushed under God's wrath instead of us. 00:25:13.619 --> 00:25:20.119 He was broken in a way that will never be broken in order to make us whole. 00:25:20.119 --> 00:25:32.639 He gave himself up to death and being cut off from God so that we might enjoy new life, complete relationship with God forever. 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:37.320 And how whole is whole? 00:25:37.319 --> 00:25:46.359 Well, just as there is no physical illness or disease beyond his ability to heal. 00:25:46.359 --> 00:25:54.299 We're told here that when he healed Peter's mother-in-law, she immediately got up, full strength restored, and started to serve him. 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:57.299 Get him his evening meal or whatever it was. 00:25:57.299 --> 00:26:13.579 Just as there is no physical illness or disease beyond his ability to heal, so there is no sin that is beyond his ability to deal with and therefore make his people completely whole spiritually. 00:26:15.180 --> 00:26:20.859 When it comes to Jesus healing, there's no such thing as remission. 00:26:22.440 --> 00:26:25.980 There's no possibility of a relapse in the future. 00:26:27.299 --> 00:26:28.619 Whole is whole. 00:26:30.099 --> 00:26:31.680 Dirty is made clean. 00:26:32.460 --> 00:26:33.740 Dead is made alive. 00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:36.399 Broken is made whole. 00:26:38.740 --> 00:26:41.139 But is it only spiritual wholeness? 00:26:42.359 --> 00:26:46.720 Is it only spiritual healing that we're talking about here? 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:50.480 Or can we expect physical healing from this verse as well? 00:26:51.059 --> 00:26:54.720 Since the sin, which is the root cause of illness and death, is healed. 00:26:54.720 --> 00:26:59.160 Well, can we expect physical healing? 00:26:59.240 --> 00:27:00.440 The answer has to be yes. 00:27:01.140 --> 00:27:03.180 We can expect physical healing. 00:27:03.180 --> 00:27:09.660 But not until we go to heaven to be with Christ forever. 00:27:11.700 --> 00:27:13.380 Scriptures are pretty clear on that. 00:27:14.560 --> 00:27:18.000 Jesus restores us to good relationship now. 00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:20.519 Good relationship with God now. 00:27:20.519 --> 00:27:29.279 But the natural consequences of living in a sinful world remain with us until we go to be with the Lord forever in heaven. 00:27:29.900 --> 00:27:35.879 Then we will experience physically what we now enjoy spiritually. 00:27:36.839 --> 00:27:39.960 Being exactly as Christ made us to be. 00:27:39.960 --> 00:27:48.680 So, as I conclude then, let me return to the idea of confirmation bias. 00:27:51.720 --> 00:28:00.779 Jesus' words and actions are not a blueprint for teaching that Jesus intends all Christians to be free from physical illness. 00:28:00.779 --> 00:28:15.639 To find that in these incidents would both ignore the context of the healings, as I've tried to set it out to you today, and also claim something that people cannot make real in practice. 00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:37.320 Or, Jesus' words and actions show clearly that in our natural born state, sin has left us spiritually disfigured, unclean, broken, lifeless. 00:28:37.319 --> 00:28:42.480 Now, people generally sense that we're meant for something better. 00:28:43.480 --> 00:28:46.000 People crave real life, good life. 00:28:47.700 --> 00:28:55.039 Well, Jesus says with authority and power that he is the life that people everywhere crave. 00:28:56.939 --> 00:29:07.299 And in his compassion and power, he delivers us into that good life by gifting us his righteousness and making us acceptable to God. 00:29:07.319 --> 00:29:13.639 All we need to do is ask him to make us whole, to take him at his word. 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:19.700 So, what's your confirmation bias going to do with those two things? 00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:33.259 Jesus' words and actions encourages that his priority and deep desire is still to remove shame and guilt and transform and renew and make whole anybody who asks. 00:29:33.259 --> 00:29:46.599 Friends, don't keep looking for these things in places or people which, to this point in your life, have failed to deliver. 00:29:48.839 --> 00:29:51.000 That would be confirmation bias. 00:29:51.000 --> 00:30:05.440 And another point that comes out of these passages is that Jesus' words and actions make clear that the world's assumptions about who will go to heaven and who will miss out are wrong. 00:30:05.440 --> 00:30:10.400 It's not good people who go to heaven. 00:30:10.600 --> 00:30:26.740 It's not the religious people who go to heaven because they deserve to, but bad people who've been renewed by Jesus, who seek to live with him as their king, struggling to reflect the values of his kingdom in every aspect of life, as taught in the Sermon on the Mount. 00:30:26.740 --> 00:30:41.240 And yet our confirmation bias in so many people continues to believe that we will be more secure if we can convince Jesus that we're good people. 00:30:44.039 --> 00:30:51.519 If we can convince our fellow brothers and sisters that we're performing well as Christians. 00:30:51.519 --> 00:31:12.400 Friends, I said to you, if you haven't yet done business with King Jesus, that is, if you haven't actually come to him and submitted to King Jesus, determined to give up being your own king and live under the rule and authority and power of King Jesus, then why not act this morning? 00:31:12.779 --> 00:31:16.859 I know there are people in our church who have not yet done business with King Jesus. 00:31:16.859 --> 00:31:18.519 So why not act this morning? 00:31:18.519 --> 00:31:23.319 Recognize your spiritual disfigurement. 00:31:25.319 --> 00:31:27.740 Come clean with your shame. 00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:29.500 Feel it in all its awfulness. 00:31:30.259 --> 00:31:32.119 Feel your uncleanness before God. 00:31:32.740 --> 00:31:33.859 Don't try to hide it. 00:31:35.119 --> 00:31:47.920 But then take Jesus at his word as the one who has the authority, the desire, the power and the priority to give you the life you crave, to free you from your shame. 00:31:48.519 --> 00:31:52.440 To turn you from your uncleanness to cleanness. 00:31:52.759 --> 00:31:56.039 To take away your spiritual disfigurement and make you whole. 00:31:57.579 --> 00:32:00.940 All those things, your powers to build for yourself. 00:32:02.740 --> 00:32:07.879 I say to you this morning, come to Jesus in your brokenness and be made whole. 00:32:07.880 --> 00:32:11.480 It's that simple. 00:32:13.240 --> 00:32:14.900 But it's also that urgent. 00:32:16.500 --> 00:32:18.380 So join with me as I pray now. 00:32:18.380 --> 00:32:32.120 Lord, we thank you for the meticulous detail in which you've caused the story of Jesus to be recorded for us, particularly here through Matthew. 00:32:32.119 --> 00:32:42.919 We thank you for the structure that he's built into it so that we might actually be certain of the conclusions we're meant to see. 00:32:43.479 --> 00:32:48.739 We thank you for the compassion of Jesus, the power and the authority of Jesus. 00:32:48.740 --> 00:32:57.299 We thank you that his desire has always been and continues to be to make broken people whole. 00:32:58.099 --> 00:33:00.720 To take the dirty and make them clean. 00:33:01.859 --> 00:33:08.480 To take spiritual disfigurement and the grotesqueness that has fallen upon us as image bearers because of sin. 00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:14.519 And remove it and make us those beautiful image bearers that you always wanted us to be. 00:33:15.700 --> 00:33:20.200 Pray, Lord, that we might hear Jesus and take him at his word. 00:33:21.140 --> 00:33:23.599 And be blessed in Jesus' name I pray. 00:33:23.900 --> 00:33:24.120 Amen.