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Welcome to Worship the Lord in the Book of Matthew. We're in Lesson number 5, and we
will be covering the final part of Chapter 4. Jesus has just been tested in the desert.Now,
he begins to preach throughout Capernaum, as he goes down the seaside preaching to the
people. He will also begin to heal the many people that come to Him, and we will look
at several different ways He heals and answered questions about, "Does he heal today and why
doesn't he heal today?" And this especially applies to myself and others with sickness
that would like to be healed, but sometimes God says no. Let's listen to this message:In
Matthew 4:12 through 25, Jesus has been tested and proving He indeed is King the Messiah,
coming out of the desert after a forty-day fast. He is now ready for his ministry. I
love where Jesus goes next. Jesus begins to preach."When Jesus heard that John had been
put in prison, he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum,
which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Nephtali to fulfill what was said through
the prophet Isaiah: 'Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way to the Sea along the
Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – the people living in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.'Galilee was on
the northern side of the country. It was overtaken by different countries, and it was considered
the bad side. There are many different types of people there. And Jews had mixed marriages.
When the Israelites took possession of Palestine, the Canaanites were strongly entrenched there,
and they lived there, Jews and Canaanites, together. And Galilee was an expanded kingdom.
It's where the outcasts went. And Jesus sought to touch people who are in despair.
In Matthew 5, He says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, they know they need God." Looking
at his disciples, He said, "Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God."Getting
back to John, he was thrown in prison for he directly said to King Herod and his wife
Herodias that he was wrong for taking his brother's wife. Herod Antipas was the ruler
of the region because he had married Herodias who was a Roman ruler's daughter. He preached
against this. Of course, Herodias tricks her husband into executing John the Baptist. This
meant that John the Baptist's mission was done.And Jesus would have three encounters
with Herod Antipas. The first is when Herod began to hear about Jesus. "King Herod heard
about this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying, 'John the Baptist
has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.'
Others said, 'He is Elijah.' And still others claimed, 'He is a prophet, like one of the
prophets of long ago.' But when Herod heard this, he said, 'John, the man I beheaded,
has been raised from the dead!'The second event was when Jesus was on his final journey
to Jerusalem. "At that time, some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to Him, 'Leave this
place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.' He replied, 'Go tell that fox I
will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow and on the third day I will reach
my goal.'" So even Jesus knew he had a certain time of ministry and then would perish.The
final event was when Jesus was tried by Herod Antipas. "When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly
pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see Him. From what he had heard
about Him, he hoped to see Him perform some miracle. He plied Him with many questions,
but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing
there vehemently accusing Him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked Him.
Dressing Him in an elegant robe, they sent Him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate
became friends." And it's interesting that Pilate and Herod who were enemies, this event
unites them. For evil will always unite together against good. We see this constantly.Now,
Zebulun and Naphtali were sons of Joseph in the Old Testament. He was one of the patrioarcs,
and these two were his sons. He gained certain areas. Also in Isaiah 9, Jesus goes where
it is dark to bring the light. He does not go marching in Jerusalem saying, "Here I am."
He goes to the needy and lost and sick. His message is the same as John the Baptist.
On 1 John 5 and 7, it's about walking in the light. "This is a message we have heard from
him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to
have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
But if we walk on light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin."And it gives us another example in
Matthew 5: "Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put
it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. The same way, let your light
shine before man, that you may see the good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." So
we show dependence to the Lord in different ways, different ministries, and different
gifts that we have to bring them to the Lord.Verse 17: "From that time on, Jesus began to preach,
'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.' As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,
he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net
into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you
fishers of men.' At once, they left their nets and followed Him."
Note that Peter and Andrew were casting nets out. Here, it'll be to catch fish. Both would
have an evangilistic ministry, reaching out to the lost. God uses his skills in ministry.
Simon always was bold and spoke out. Andrew brought Peter to the Lord. They just didn't
look up instantly. They knew Jesus before this. They had been both disciples of John
the Baptist.In John 1:35, "The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.
When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, 'Look, the Lamb of God!' When the two disciples heard
him saying this, they followed Jesus. He saw them following and asked, 'What do you want?'
They said, 'Rabbi (which means "teacher"), where are you staying?' 'Come,' he replied,
'and you will see.' So they went and saw where He was staying and spent that day with Him.
It was about the tenth hour. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard
what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his
brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah.'"And Jesus, he calls them into
the ministry. They were mending the nets like they were mend in the churches. John was the
apostle of love. His message was to love one another. Even on Patmos he writes to churches
keeping them together. James was John's brother, and with Peter, they would be the closest
three to Jesus. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed
Him."There, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They
were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and
immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him."This is significant. They
were into family responsibility, but Jesus gives a promise in Mark 10. "No man has left
father, mother, brother, sister, homes, families for my sake and the Gospels, but that they
will not receive in this world a hundredfold, and in the world to come life eternal." People
that were of different religion, like mine is Catholic, and they don't receive you or
divide your house right in half. You will be rewarded no matter what persecution you
go through.And we see that Jesus does not require a degree. He just said, "Follow me."
He doesn't say, "Go to rabbi school or seminary school." He just says, "I'll teach you how
to spread the Good news." I remember meeting Jon Corson at a men's meeting. I told him
I was going to Calvary Online, and he said, "Just do it, man. Just preach." And so God
gave me that opportunity with kids and now –
And as we get to be Christians, sometimes we have social opinioned debates on issues.
This is not going to change people's views. The Gospel is about Good News, not good views.
When you preach the Good News, you accept Jesus and He'll start in your heart. I knew
before coming to Jesus I had a lot of bad views, and once I accepted the Lord, those
views changed.Jesus heals the sick: "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues, preaching the Good News of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness
among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all
who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed,
those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and He healed them. Large crowds from Galilee,
the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed Him."
When did Jesus start to heal people? Well, we know he fasted to prepare for ministry.
He does three things. One, He teaches the Bible in the synagogue. Two, He preaches the
Good News to all of these people to accept Him. And then He starts healing.I was talking
to a sister in Christ this week. She was saying often she gets asked to pray for people to
heal, and she wants to have faith but she doesn't want to bring false hope. That's a
good question. When are we supposed to pray? Why there are some people who could heal and
some don't? Why do people who don't believe get healed and people that are believers the
opposite?There's examples in – throughout the Bible where Paul prayed three times for
his affliction to be healed, and he said, "My grace is sufficient, for my power is perfect
in weakness." That gives us a clue that sometimes when we are weak, God makes us strong. Sometimes,
it's for the glory of God.In John 9, the blind man, they said, "Who sinned, this man or his
parents?" He said, "Neither, but it happened so that the work of God might be displayed
in his life." Sometimes it's people's faith. There was a centurion in Matthew 8. The centurion
came for his servant and asked Jesus to heal him. The Lord said, "I don't – I'll come,"
and then he says, "I don't deserve you to come under my roof. Say the word, and my servant
will be healed." When Jesus heard this, He was astonished and said, "I tell you the truth,
I have not found anyone with greater faith."Jesus healed when people had no faith. In Mark 9,
this man goes – his child is demon-possessed, and Jesus says, "If you can?" said Jesus.
"Everything is possible for him who believes." And immediately the boy's father explained,
"I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief!" Jesus healed the man.Sometimes, we're led
by the spirit. In Acts Chapter 3, when Peter and John were about to enter, he saw a cripple
that asked for money. "Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Peter said, 'Look at
us!' So the man gave them his attention and expected. Then Peter said, 'Silver or gold
I do not have, but what I have to give you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.'
Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and he became strong." It is Jesus' saying
and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to the man
as you can see. And in this case, it gave an opportunity for them to preach to many
people.In James 5, it says, "Pray to the elders. If anyone is sick, you call the elders of
the church and pray on them and anoint them. And the prayer offered in faith will make
the sick person well."Jesus fed the 4000. Great crowds came. He laid hands and prayed
on them – the lame, the blind, the cripple, the mute, and many others, and healed them.
Number 8: He says, "Pray without – with faith and no doubt. I tell you the truth,
if you have faith and no doubt that you can move mountains." He says to pray without ceasing.
When Peter was in prison, the church was praying that he be released, and it was. He came to
the door and they were surprised. There are many more. Which is important? To
be physically healed or spiritually healed? Samuel goes to anoint the king. "The Lord
said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The
Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance. The Lord
looks at the heart."Think of the movie "Beauty and the Beast" in Disney. The prince had everything
but he was selfish. He would not help an old woman. On a rainy night, he was turned into
a beast, and he must find true love. And this girl, Belle, will be the one, but she's pursued
by Gaston. He's a picture of strength and good looks, but inwardly, he's wicked. The
beast's heart changes and Belle sees a difference and falls in love. And that's how God looks
at us. It's not the outward."All this is for your benefit so that the grace that is reaching
more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore,
do not lose heart, though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly being renewed day
by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving us to eternal glory that far
outweighs them all."Number 10: Jesus forgave sins. We see the spiritual healing of the
paralytic man. In Mark 2, the crowd was around the house, and they could not get to Jesus
so they went up on the roof, opened a hole, and lowered the man down. When Jesus saw the
faith of the four, He said to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven." He may have been
waiting for a physical healing, but this is more important because his sins are forgiven.
This guy is in heaven.But the Pharisees were there, and Jesus knew, "Which is easier: to
say 'Your sins are forgiven,' or 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But that you may
know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." He said to the paralytic,
"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his mat, and walked
out I full view of them. This amazed everyone. They praised God, saying, "We've never seen
anything like this!"So we have – see something physical. But these physical healings were
still not good enough for some. Even after Jesus had done all these signs in their presence,
they still would not believe in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet.
"Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"
Well, it's been revealed to the poor in spirit or those who know they need God.In 1 Peter
2:24, it says that "He himself bore our sins on his body on the tree, so that we might
die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." The word
"heal" is to cure, make whole, to free from errors and sins, and to bring about one's
salvation. Any man that's done wrong, what they really seek is forgiveness.
And after the crowd following Him to all of these healings, "What miraculous sign then
will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate
the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread
from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread
of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.' 'Sir,' they said,
'from now on, give us this bread.' Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who
comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."
Many of the disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who could accept it?"
"Many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. 'You do not want to leave
too, do you?' Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we
go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One
of God.'"And God showed me this scripture as I struggled with this subject of healing.In
Romans 12:11 through 13: "Never let the fire of your heart go out. Keep it alive. Serve
the Lord. When you hope, be joyful. When you suffer, be patient. When you pray, be faithful.
Share with God's people who are in need and welcome them to your house."So this passage
or scripture, how do you apply it in your life? Sometimes, God keeps us around for a
mission and a ministry, and when it's done, He takes us home like He did with John the
Baptist and Jesus. We also find that with all different types of healings that we are
to walk on light of Jesus to show the people that do not believe here on earth, and we
pray for them, and maybe physical healing will bring them to the Lord.But for us personally
who know the Lord, if we are spiritually cleansed by the blood of Jesus, when we pray for physical
healing and don't receive it, it's okay because eternally that's what really matters, and
God's going to keep you around as long as He wants you on this earth, and I know it's
a hard teaching, and I know from my perspective, that's just how I feel with the disease I
have.