I. Miracles of Healing
- Matthew 8:1-17 is about Jesus doing miracles of healing. This was done after the sermons on the mount.
A. Jesus Cleanses a Leper
- Verses 1-4, tells the story of the healing and cleansing of a leper. Back in those days, when you are a leper, the priests you your from society to a community where all the other lepers live to either get well or die. Leprosy was also considered a curse and was incurable and deadly. So when this leper had the courage to approach Jesus, we can tell that this was unusual. According to the law, a leper must keep distance from anyone else and if they are near others, they must yell, "Unclean, Unclean" (Leviticus 13:45)
This leper showed His faith in Christ and took the chance by asking Him for healing. Jesus did heal Him by touching the leper. This is significant because you can get leprosy from skin contact and by touching Him, it shows how Jesus healed him instantly. After this, He ordered the leper to go to the priest. Because the priest was the one who banished them, it is also the priest who can say if they are clean and can mingle with the society. Lepers get a thorough "inspection" and if they pass, they will get a certificate that they are clean.
This leper showed His faith in Christ and took the chance by asking Him for healing. Jesus did heal Him by touching the leper. This is significant because you can get leprosy from skin contact and by touching Him, it shows how Jesus healed him instantly. After this, He ordered the leper to go to the priest. Because the priest was the one who banished them, it is also the priest who can say if they are clean and can mingle with the society. Lepers get a thorough "inspection" and if they pass, they will get a certificate that they are clean.
B. Jesus Heals the Centurions's Servant
- Verses 5-13 is about Jesus' healing of a centurion's servant. A centurion is a soldier who commands several others. He is like a squadron commander in modern times. The centurion approached Jesus, not for healing for himself, but for his servant who was paralyzed. When Jesus agreed to go to his house, the centurion asked him to "only speak a word, and my servant will be healed". He thought of himself as unworthy but Jesus saw great faith on him. The centurion got what he asked for, the healing of his servant, and also a blessing from Jesus and salvation.
C. Peter's Mother-in-Law and Others Were Healed
- Verses 14-17 shows that Jesus can heal illnesses/fevers instantly. This also shows that when Jesus heals, He heals fully. We all know that after a flu or a fever, our bodies are still weak and aching but this lady "arose and served" them instantly. In the evening, people brought to Him others who were demon-possessed and Jesus casted them out just by His word. Jesus also healed all others that were sick fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah 53:4.
- Through a single touch, Jesus healed; through his words, demons flee. Jesus was given the authority by God over all the demons and sickness in this earth. These events are a prelude to what we will be experiencing in the Kingdom of God, no more sickness, diseases, and evil.
II. Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
- In Romans 6:1-14, Paul continued to talk about us being a new creation in Jesus Christ. When Christ died, our sinful bodies died with Him. And when He resurrected, we also resurrected and we were born again. We were born again of the spirit and are now free from the power of sin. We are no longer slaves of sin and with the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our savior and repentance of our sins, God has sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us and give us strength to resist the temptations of sin. We cannot call ourselves as followers, as believers if we keep sinning. We have the power over sin and we need to make the right decision and follow the light as He leads us to the gates of heaven.
III. Proverbs for Today/3:19-20 (NKJV)
19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding He established the heavens;
20 By His knowledge the depths were broken up,
And clouds drop down the dew.
IV. Old Testament Reading
Genesis 32:13-32, Genesis 33-34, and http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms%2014:1-7&version=NKJV
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for being a merciful God, for being full of compassion and grace. We thank you for reminding us that you are a healer and you have dominion over all diseases and evil things on this earth. God, we know in Luke 18:27 that “The things which are impossible with men are possible with You" so we pray to you to heal all our sickness, our depressions, our relationships, and our hearts. Father God, we pray that you take away all the evil things in us and protect us from all the lusts and temptations that the enemy is throwing at us. Heavenly Father, we ask for your Holy Spirit that he would keep reminding us that we are now a new creation and we have trumped the power of sin. Father, we ask for forgiveness not only for our sins, but the sins of our families, our friends, our neighbors, and our enemies. May you open our hearts to choose to live for Christ and we lift you up and glorify you and pray all these, in Jesus Name, Amen.
