What Will You Do With Jesus?
by Rev. Kirby Williams
The necessary response to Matthew's presentation of Jesus.
Text: Matt. 9:32-34
Date: 01/08/2012, the Traditional service.
Series: "Matthew" Part 85
Description:
We come at last to the final miracle in this sequence of nine miracles following the Sermon on the Mount. A demon-oppressed man who is mute as a result of his possession is brought to Jesus to be healed. In what seems to be one of the less remarkable miracles, Jesus casts out the demon so the man can speak. But Matthew is using this event to move our attention beyond the miracles to focus us on the responses instead. He mentions specifically the crowd and the Pharisees, but we will broaden the discussion to include all of the people who have been impacted by Jesus in this important section. We will all ultimately have to monitor our own reaction to Matthew's presentation of Jesus and ask ourselves the question, "What will you do with Jesus?"
View:
Options:
I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Matt. 9:32-34.
A. Context, Isa. 35:5-6.
B. Jesus heals a demon-possessed man, vs. 32-33a.
1. Continuous action, vs. 32a.
2. The demon-oppressed mute, vs. 32b.
a. Demon possession.
b. The probability of deafness.
3. The intercession of friends.
4. The man is healed, vs. 33a.
a. The demon is cast out.
i. A question concerning faith.
ii. The answer of mercy.
b. The mute man speaks, Isa. 35:6.
C. Two reactions to the miracles, vs. 33b-34.
1. The marveling crowds, vs. 33b.
a. Dissecting "the crowd".
b. Testimony to the uniqueness of Jesus.
c. Amazement for the sake of amazement.
2. The scoffing Pharisees, vs. 34.
a. No attempt to deny the miracles.
b. An "ad hominem" attack on Jesus.
c. The greatest evil.
d. Epic short-sightedness.
e. The deeper image.
III. Application
A. Analyzing the reactions to Jesus.
1. Negative responses.
a. The malevolent Pharisees, Matt. 8:11-12.
b. The fearing townspeople, John 3:20
b. The small-minded sectarians, Matt. 7:15.
c. The amazed multitudes, Matt. 9:8, 11:16-17.
d. The "disciple-wanna-be's", Luke 14:33.
2. Positive responses.
a. The lost sheep, Matt. 9:13.
b. The healed.
i. The faithful.
ii. The evangelists.
iii. The servants.
c. The disciples.
B. How will you respond to Jesus?
1. To the unbeliever.
a. In His own words.
b. The One who has all authority in heaven and on earth.
c. The One who heals the unclean.
d. Come by faith-- just as you are.
e. The Prince of peace.
f. The divine Son of God.
2. To the "would-be" disciple.
IV. Conclusion
