Miracles (part 1)

Bringing the Dead Girl Back to Life,
Matthew 9:18-19, 13-26
Healing the Bleeding Woman,
Matthew 9:20-22
Healing the two Blind men,
Matthew 9:17-31

The value of human life.
In Matthew 9, Jesus was teaching in Capernaum where he had just recruited Matthew to follow him. He was teaching about how His ministry differen from that of John the Baptist and the religious leaders of Jerusalm by comparing His ministry to wedding guests rejoicing in the presence of the bridegroom. Just as one cannot stitch new, unshrunk cloth into an old garment or put new wine into old brittle wineskins, so His new ministry would not fit their old concepts and expectations.
Matthew 9:18-19
The ruler's name was Jairus, (Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56), and he was ruler of the synagogue, making him a very important man in his community. Notice that Jairus knelt before Jesus. This revealed both his desperation and his trust in the power of Jesus. By humbling himself this ruler was opening himself up to the ridicule of Jesus' enemies and trusting in Jesus' mercy and power. Notice his faith in vs.18. He asked only that Jesus lay his hand on her, just enough to make his precious daugther live.

1) What do we know about Jesus' attitude toward children?
(loved them, valued them, went out of his way to care for them.)

Jesus was interrupted by Jarius and had just arisen to go with him to his daugther's side when He was interrupted again.

Matthew 9:20-22
This situation is much more serious that we might think today. First, she had endured an uncontrollable bleeding problem for 12 years. Not only was this a serious medical problem leading to weakness because of blood loss, a woman during her period was considered ritually unclean (Lev. 15:19-33). This means that for 12 years she was very limited in the times she could touch another person or worship God at the temple. She was an outcast, living on the fringe of society, much like a leper. If she were married, she could not touch her husband during times of bleeding because everything she touched would have been unclean as well.
She desperately reached out and touched the edge of His cloak, thinking to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed”. Jewish men were commanded by the law to have four tassels of blue cords on the corners of their outer garment. (Num. 15:38-41, Deut. 22:12). This tassel was called a zizith. The tassels set the Jewish men apart from all others and symbolizied separation to the things of God. She touched the edge of of Jesus' cloak. Notice that the woman's faith resembled that of the ruler: one touch would do.

1) What did the women do? (she touched Jesus)
2) Besides this woman's physical problems, how else did she suffer?
(social abuse, loneliness, depression, feelings that life has lost it's value)

She touched a Jewish rabbi in public, ritually defiling him. Would Jesus be mad and rebuke her, adding public outrage to private pain? No. He said, “Take heart...your faith has healed you.” Notice Jesus called her “daughter”, Jesus was not ashamed to be identified with her. Even though she interupted Jesus and took a terrible risk, her faith became the vehicle by which Jesus healed her.
Now she could touch and be touched by others. She could now worship God in the temple. Now she did not have to spend all her money trying to find help. She did not have to worry about slowly dying from loss of blood or about withering away spiritually. Now she was whole.

Notice Jesus always took the time to help people. In verse 23 we find “flute players and a noisy crowd”. Jews hired people to lead the family in mourning when someone died. (I don't understand this.)

In Numbers 19:11-22 the most serious ritual defilement was to touch a dead body. Any common person, rabbi, or priest would have been unfit for service. Jesus was not defiled instead a precious girl was rasied from the dead.

These miracles demonstrated that Jesus cared about human life. If life were not valuable, why would He bother raising someone from the dead? He also cared about the suffering of Jarius at the loss of his daughter. This does not mean that we have the right to expect Jesus to miraculously intervene in our lives on matters of life and death. But this miricle should provide strength and comfort in knowing that our Lord cares and will meet our needs, although in different ways.

Matthew 9:27-31
1) What was the deciding factor in Jesus' decision to heal the two blind men?
2) What are some area's in life in which people need to experience wholeness?
3) What implications does this hold for Jesus' followers?

Matthew 9:36-38
1) In what types of ministries are believers to be involved?
2) In verse 38, what in the first key step in being involved in the ministry? (pray)

Brainstorm excuses that Christians often give for not being involved in ministry, service, wittnessing opportunities.
Brainstorm actions that believers can take to become involved.

Conclusion
Jesus calls His followers to be involved in ministry that leads to faith, life, health, and wholeness

I used to be an oiler on a crane. One of my jobs as an oiler was to grease the machine. One particular time I had to crawl underneath the machine and grease the under-carriage. When I finished, about a 1/2 hour later, my arms were covered in grease all the way up to my elbows.
When I went to go clean up I could not get that grease off my hands and arms. No matter how hard I scrubbed I could not get it off. Finally I found "The Special Soap" that could get it off.

If we tried to wash our sins away. No amout of scrubbing would do it. No matter how hard we scrubbed we would never be able to wash away our sins. If we look to Jesus, and what he did on the cross. You see Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He paid the price. The shedding of His blood washed away our sins.
We need to remember what Jesus did on the cross for us. Allow Him to be that "Special Soap".

Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ our Foundation

Matthew 7:24-29

I love the children’s story of the “Three Little Pigs.” If you remember the first pig built his house out of straw and the wolf huffed and puffed and blew his house down. The second pig built his house out of sticks and the wolf huffed and puffed and blew his house down also. The third little pig was the smartest of the three, he built his out of bricks and the wolf could not blow it down.

Every time I read the Sermon on the Mount, when I get to the last part on the “Wise and Foolish Builders” in Matthew 7:24-27, I think of “The Three Little Pigs.” "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." As Christians we have a spiritual foundation and that foundation is built on Jesus Christ.

When our spiritual foundation is being built it is very similar to a house foundation. The first thing that needs to be done is layout the building and dig the hole, getting it on grade to the right elevation. God does this to the lost person, it is called conviction. The next thing is setting the forms for the footing and set the rebar inside the forms. Rebar reinforces the concrete, it makes it stronger. We do this by sharing Christ, this is called witnessing. Our strength comes from the Holy Spirit when we tell others about Jesus.

Once the concrete truck arrives on the jobsite we are ready to place the concrete in the forms. Now concrete is made up of four things: sand, stone, cement and water. Too much of either one would cause the concrete to fail. It is kind of like making a cake, if you put too much of one ingredient in or forget to put an ingredient in, the cake turns out bad. All concrete sets up differently; it depends on the weather conditions, how it is place in the forms and if any additives were added to the mix. God calls and God saves on God’s time, like the concrete we can’t rush things.

The concrete making up our spiritual foundation has ingredients. Our Spiritual foundation is based on faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us on the cross. Our Spiritual foundation ingredients are found in 2 Peter 1:5-9, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” In Colossians 3:12-14 there are more ingredients listed as well. “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

After all the concrete is poured and the forms are stripped off and loaded onto the truck we are ready to start building our house. We still have one thing to do before we start laying out the floor joists and laying sheets of plywood for the floor. We have to backfill with dirt around the foundation and have adequate drainage. I heard a story once of someone who built a house. He finished everything including carpet and trim. He forgot to do two things: 1) put gutters on the roof, 2) backfill around the foundation. When the rains came, water collected around the foundation. The pressure of the water caused the foundation and house to collapse.

As a Christian we need to backfill our spiritual foundation with scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” In 1st Peter 3:15 it says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as LORD, always be prepared to give an account to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have.” The footing that is the base of our spiritual foundation is Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9-10, 13 says,” That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” And verse 13 says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." With our spiritual foundation with Jesus Christ as the footing or base we won’t have to worry when the rain comes down, and the streams rise, and the winds blow and beat against our house because our spiritual house is built on the Rock and it won’t fall.

Chess

I am intrigued by the game of chess. I bought a chess board a few years ago in Kentucky. I admit I have no idea how to play it. I find the game very confusing, yet I like to watch it being played.

I heard a story the other day about the game of chess. “A young man was visiting an Art Gallery. He came upon a painting of Satan playing chess with a young man. Satan just made a move and had an evil grin on his face, the grin of victory. It was almost like he just yelled CHECK-MATE. The young man who he was playing face looked defeated, his shoulders were slumped over, his head hung low like he was ready to give into and accept defeat.

The young man visiting the Art Gallery studied the painting. He looked carefully at Satan, then the young man, and then finally the chess board. He yelled, “HEY YOU STILL HAVE A MOVE! DON’T GIVE UP.”

We as Christians still have a move when we turn to Christ. No matter how many darts Satan shoots at us. We still have a move when we turn to Christ. He died for us on the cross. No matter how deep we are in sin and no matter how many lies Satan throws at us, Jesus already made the “check-mate” move on the cross.

Psalm 40:1-3
I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned and heard my cry.
He lifted me up out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and the mire;
He set my feet upon a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:13-23

Matthew 7:13-23

1. What is the Narrow Gate? (door to salvation)
2. Why is the narrow gate narrow? (People cringe at repentance and commitment to Christ. Only with the power and grace of God does anyone find what it takes to deny self, take up one's cross and follow Christ.)
Following Christ demands a conscious decision and a continuous commitment. Few enter the narrow gate and follow the narrow way, but those who do find life. Those who choose to be Jesus' disciples must be prepared to go against the crowd, not follow it.
The wide gate is so wide those entering it don't even know it is a gate. What are some examples of wide gates people walk through without realizing the danger?
Imagine trying to walk through a large crowd exiting a stadium. How does such an illustration relate to these verses?

Matthew 7:15-20
3. What is the significance of the deceivers coming in sheep's clothing?
Verses 15-20 describe persons who know they are not true followers of Christ but try to disguise themselves.
4. How can we distinguish between real followers and fake ones according to these verses? (Buy their fruit, teachings, buy the results of their teachings or ministry.)

Jesus warned His disciples about deceptive false prophets who ignore, trivialize, or twist His teachings. He told them how to recognize advocates of false ways. False prophets are not recognized by how they appear but what they produce. You can discern false teachers by their character, conduct, teachings, and what they produce.

In verses 15-20 Jesus described false prophets who disguised themselves. In verses 21-23, He described people who thought they were true followers but really did not know the Lord.

Matthew 7:12-23
These verses stress that a profession of faith alone, even when accompanied by ministries pre-formed in Jesus name do not necessarily mean a person is truly saved.
Romans 10:9
John 10:27-29
How do these verses relate to the warning in Matthew? (The bible teaches that real faith will persevere. Faithfulness is the fruit or results of salvation.)

Is it possible to appear to serve and glorify Christ and be involved in Christ-centered ministries and yet be indifferent to His commands, disown His teachings, and be disobedient to Him? Why or why not? Real disciples are those who are in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Summing up Matthew 7:13-23
1. Jesus called for a steadfast commitment to Him and His way. We enter this life through a narrow gate, and it leads to a hard way of discipleship.

2. The road of steadfast commitment leads to life. By contrast, the wide gate and broad way lead to destruction, Many follow the road to destruction, but few find the gate to the road that leads to life.

3. Jesus warned his followers against false prophets. They are deceptive because they appear in sheeps clothing, but they are deadly because they are actually ferocious wolves.

4. False prophets can be recognized by their fruit. Their fruit include their character, their teachings, and the long range results of their ministries.

5. The genuineness of professing Christ as Lord is called in question if the person fails to do the will of the Heavenly Father. Doing the Lord's will goes with knowing Him as Lord.

6. Impressive prophecies and miracles in the name of Christ do not guarantee that one truly knows the Lord. People who don't know Christ and who do evil will be excluded from God's kingdom.

Do your fruits reflect a disciple of Christ who is trying to do the Father's will, or do they reflect a person trying to appear to be a disciple of Christ?

Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:1-12

Matthew 7:1-12
Relating to Others

Matthew 7:1-5
Some people cannot see past their own sins, but are always ready to point out those of others.
Why does Jesus call such people ”hypocrites”?
Matthew 7:6
Dogs- not man's best friend like we have today. They were wild scavengers.
Pigs- unclean
Matthew 7:7-11
Ask, Seek, Knock
The verbs in Matthew 7:7-8 are in the present tense, which describes continuous action. Thus these verses suggest persistent prayer over a long period of time. Some translations bring out this force of the verbs: “Keep on asking, Keep on seeking, Keep on knocking.”
Four reasons why we should pray continually:
1. Prayer is basically communion with and praise to God.
2. Earnest prayers are by their very nature persistent.
3. God uses prayer to change us.
4. God uses our prayers to help accomplish His will.

Matthew 7:12
The Golden Rule is another way of stating what Jesus said was the basic Old Testament teaching about relating to other people: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18, Matthew 22:39). How do we love our neighbors as ourselves? The Golden Rule answers, in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.

The Golden Rule demands that we take action on behalf of others.
Matthew 5:43-47 loving enemies
Luke 10:25-37 loving neighbors
“How do I want others to treat me?” after determining that, the next step is to take the initiative and do it for others.
The Samaritan in Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan practiced the Golden Rule. He saw an injured man and knew what he would want someone to do for him if he were in that condition.

Summing up Matthew 7:1-12
1. Christians are not to pass judgment on other Christians.

2. We often see the sins of others more easily than we see our own.

3. Jesus warned against the indiscriminate sharing of the good news with hostile un-believers. We need to apply this teaching with caution. Withholding the gospel in the exception instead of the rule. We are called to tell the good news to all people with patience and perseverance.

4. A loving Heavenly Father will supply the needs of those who live a life of prayer. We cannot fulfill His expectations without prayer. God doesn't always give us what we expect of want, but we trust Him to give us the good things we need.

5. The Golden Rule says that we should take the initiative in doing good for others. The standard for deciding what they need is to ask what we would others to do for us.

Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:25-34

Anxiety
Matthew 6:25-34


What is anxiety? Anxiety is based of fears of the unknown.
Job/Career, Health/Safety, Family Issues, Education, Other.
Jesus knew that His followers would be tempted to worry. His teachings in todays lesson should encourage us to trust God with problems that tempt us to be anxious.

Matthew 6:25-26
1) Why do you think Jesus used birds in His example?
2) Was Jesus implying that persons should sit back and wait on Jesus to meet their needs? Why or why not?
Birds are not examples of idleness, but of the absence of anxiety.
(Look these up- Proverbs 18:9, 2 Thess. 3:11)
Jesus sought to free His disciples from the anxieties and obsessions of daily life by teaching them that God is concerned about their physical needs. Christians can avoid anxiety by considering the value God places on them

You are special.
Let me share a story. A family with young children found a way to remind themselves of being special to God. They bought a dinner plate that had ”You are special today” written on it. Any member of the family could choose to place the special plate at the dinner table to encourage someone else.
3) What are some ways that you been reminded of being special to God?
4) What are some ways you have reminded others?

Matthew 6:27-30
(Make two columns across the board. “Results of Anxiety” and “Alternatives to Anxiety” Ask for stuff under the results column then stuff for alternative column. Then write FAITH in large letters across both columns.)
The key to avoiding the “results” and choosing the “alternatives” is living by faith.
Little faith does not mean no faith. Disciples are pilgrims of faith-on their way but not yet there.
Worry is like a rocking chair, it will give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere.

5) How can anxiety affect one's Christian witness?

Matthew 6:31-32
6) Why would Jesus compare anxious Christians with pagans? First of all what is a pagan?
7) What are some ways that God has met your needs in the past?
God meets Christians' needs sometime by the help given by fellow believers.
8) How can we become more sensitive to the needs of others?

Matthew 6:33
This verse is the key verse in understanding what Jesus is teaching in vs. 25-34.
9) What is the meaning of “kingdom”?
10) Does this verse mean that God will always give us what we need to sustain life? Why, or why not?
11) When Jesus spoke this promise, could He have had in mind the role of fellow believers in helping needy brothers and sisters?
12) In what ways can Christians fulfill the role of helping?

Matthew 6:34
13) Does God's promise include exemption from troubles? Why or Why not?
Jesus encouraged His disciples to make God and His rule the top priority in their lives. Anxiety prevents Christians from devoting themselves to God's kingdom and God's concerns. When believers put God first, they are able to avoid being overcome by anxiety. Jesus also knew unavoidable trials would arise in the lives of His disciples. We are to meet the struggles of each day, not worry about tomorrow, and rely on the Father's gracious provision for the future.

Summing up the Lesson

1. Anxiety denies the Father's care. Because God creates and sustains our lives, we can trust Him for food and clothes.
2. Anxiety hinders faith. Anxiety shortens instead of lengthens life. Worries about clothes reveal an imperfect faith.
3. Anxiety characterizes pagans. Pagans constantly run after more and better possessions for themselves. Believers can trust the Father who knows our true needs.
4. Anxiety prevents spiritual growth. Jesus calls His followers to make God's kingdom and righteousness their consuming ambition. When they can do, they can trust the Father to provide all they need to do His will.
5. Anxiety threatens the future. Freedom from anxiety and freedom from trouble are not the same thing. Christians should not be surprised when they face trouble. However, they should not waste their energies worrying about troubles they may face in the future.

WHY OPEN AN UMBRELLA BEFORE IT STARTS RAINING?
How does this question relate to our lesson? Does it mean we should not prepare for the future? Why or Why not?