Relationships Over Resources

Steven White

Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

Matthew 8:1–17

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What is the one topic always on the mouth of Jesus?

We go from Jesus giving us the constitution of the Kingdom in , to the application of God’s Kingdom in .

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Jesus the Embodiment of a New Kind of Kingdom

As our Rabbi Jesus bids, us to come and follow Him, to do what he does, to walk where he walks and to embrace those He would embrace. Jesus calls us to be a blessing to the nations, he not only calls us to follow Him in living out the Kingdom of God but, he gives us the purpose of the Kingdom, to replace chaos and destruction with Life-Joy- and Beauty – To displace the darkness with the Kingdom of God.

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Here is the one thing I want you to walk away with today:

The Kingdom of God Places Relationships Over Resources.

Today, I want to share with you three incredible stories that not only embody the ministry of the Kingdom but, demonstrate to us how Jesus bids us to follow him in engaging the world around us.

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Healing the outcast – Reconciliation of the sick and outcast to the community of God. (1-4)

Matthew 8:1–4 NLT

Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

Matt:8

(Show a picture of a Leper on the screen)

What motivated Jesus ? Compassion

Jesus reached to touch him. (The Power of touch)

He makes this explicit in

Matthew 9:36 NLT

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus treated the unclean with compassion and humanity.

Lepers were put outside the city gates to protect the city from infectious disease.

Leviticus 13:45–46 NLT

“Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp.

By healing the leper Jesus made it possible for the man to be reconciled back to his community.

As followers of Jesus we are called to bring reconciliation to the marginalized, forgotten, lonely, elderly, sick.

God may use you to bring a real physical healing, but he also may desire to use you to simply embrace the person and be the reconciliation.

Every earthly government sees people as self-interest fuel (voter block, taxes, military might)

The Kingdom of God Places Relationships Over Resources

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A Kingdom that heals the wounds of enemies, not an empire that crucifies enemies.

Matthew 8:5–13 NLT

When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.

Healing of the ones we fear, hate, and reject and unholy. (5-13)

The Kingdom of God Places Relationships Over Resources.

You stand in my way of: Wealth, safety, land, resources – You are my enemy.

The Kingdom of God Places Relationships Over Resources.

Jesus is more interested in the person than his political or government affiliation.

We have been given the purpose of loving our enemies.

Matthew 5:44 NLT

But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

The Accuser/ Satan would have you pick up arms, deface, and dehumanize your enemies.

Jesus shows us the way of God – To Love our enemies as God loves us.

Romans 5:10 NLT

For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

As Kingdom people we must put relationships above our own self-interest.

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God’s Government is not an empire that desires political power but, agents of Life-Joy-Beauty for the hurting, sick, and needy.

Matthew 8:14–17 NLT

When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him. That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.”

Matt 8:14-17

While the world gives into chaos, we are led by Jesus to bandage the wounded, heal the sick, comfort the hurting, and bring shalom where chaos rules.

We are field surgeons amid war.

And our weapons are not of this broken system.

2 Corinthians 10:3–4 NLT

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.

Our weapons are for healing, tearing down mental and spiritual strong holds, and exalting the ways of Jesus.

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2 Timothy 2:3–4 NLT

Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.

I am not saying you must be apolitical.

We all have our ideas of how earthly governments should work or should not work.

But we must always remember: We have a higher calling a higher purpose.

I am a Sooner – Born and raised in Oklahoma, I was raised to dislike anything from Texas.

On a Saturday in the Fall I will root for OU and root against Texas.

But I also recognize this is a civilian issue and one I should not get caught up in.

Therefore, two of my closest friends, one a missionary in Romania and the other a pastor in Minnesota are both Texas boys.

I tease them on Saturdays and sometimes they get me back. But in the end our calling and purpose in the Kingdom of God out weighs our civilian obligations and affections.

Do not allow your civilian affairs to distract you from your Kingdom purpose. Do not allow your civilian affairs to be used by the false god of this world to sow chaos and death.

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Jesus calls us to follow Him into our true purpose.

To partner with Him in bringing shalom to this world, to be the blessing to the nations we were called into the Kingdom for.