6/22/14 – Faith: The Antidote to Blindness

Passage

Matthew 9:18-38 ESV

While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district. And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” But they went away and spread his fame through all that district. As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.” And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

I. FAITH OF A FATHER AND A DAUGHTER (18-26)

A. Jesus is approached by a father with a daughter who will be dead soon. B. Jesus responds positively to the faith of a woman with a bleeding condition. C. Jesus is not too late. The girl is not beyond His power. Jesus honors the faith of her dad and she is resurrected.

II. FAITH OF 2 BLIND MEN (27-31)

A. Do they have faith He can heal them? He touches them and says if they are healed is now a matter of their faith. B. 3 connections between giving them sight & the work of salvation: 1. Jesus demands a verbal confession 2. Time will show if confession is legit 3. We repeat this confession for the rest of our lives.

III. DEFINING FAITH

A. Faith is not just in its sum, belief in God. Even the demons believe in the existence of God. (James 2:19) B. Faith is believing God for the future because of all that He has accomplished in the past. (Hebrews 11:1) C. Faith does not save us. The work of salvation is done by God alone in His grace alone. (Ephesians 2:8-9) D. Faith is what convinces us to walk through the door of Jesus and into the promises and family of God. E. The Word of Faith movement twists faith into the way we get God to worship us.

IV. THE COMPASSIONATE EYES OF JESUS (32-38)

A. We see lostness as annoying or frustrating. Jesus saw lostness & it broke His heart. B. We see the number of lost people as being too big to do anything about. Jesus saw it as an opportunity.

APPLICATION

1. Have you ever seen Jesus and surrendered to Him? 2. Are you seeing what Jesus sees when He looks at the world? 3. What dark place can you redeem in our city? 4. Who can you invite to “come and see!?”