Jesus: Creator, Savior, Lord and King #30 Jesus and the Power of The King

 

Jesus: Creator, Savior, Lord and King
#30 Jesus and the Power of The King
Key Verse: Matthew 8:27

 Introduction:

Before we begin the sermon from Matthew 8, I want to back up a little bit to gain perspective on the way that the Bible reveals to us the person who of Jesus Christ. When we study the person of Jesus, we see that the Bible present him in 4 portraits showing Him as God, as man, as servant and as the King.

We see the first strokes of these portraits in the construction of the Tabernacle in the book of Exodus. Everything in the tabernacle is a hint, a foreshadowing, a prophecy of the person of the Christ.

Four Colors Foreshadow Christ: This is especially evident in the four fabric colors used to weave the curtains that made up the gate and veils at the entrances to the outer Court, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.

The Four Prophetic Symbols of Christ: The fabrics of the curtains were woven in four colors blue, purple, scarlet and white. 

Blue was the color of the sky, the color of heaven. Ultimately, it points to Jesus, God the Son descending from heaven to earth to become man.

Purple was the color for royalty. It was very scarce and hard to obtain. Jesus is the king of glory, the king of creation.

Scarlet is the color of human blood. It points to the sacrifice who would pour out his life's blood on the cross as our substitute. 

White is the color of purity and righteousness. Only a pure, sinless offering could be the substitute for the sin of the world.  Jesus lived his life as the perfect, sinless man.

Many other places in scripture foreshadow the person of Jesus in the same kind of symbols that stand for King, God, Man, and Servant. In the OT book of Ezekiel and later in the NT book of Revelation we see the cherubim and seraphim which surround the throne

Ezekiel 1:5-6, 10 5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. 6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: … 10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.  

Revelation 4:7-8 7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

The Throne Room of God: In these creatures of eternal praise, we again see the same 4 aspects of the person of Jesus. The eagle represents deity; the ox/calf, service and sacrifice, the face of a man shows humanity and the lion shows royalty.

Only Jesus Christ fulfills all of these prophetic symbols, these prophetic portraits, for only He is the God-man, and also King-servant. 

Portraits of Christ In the Gospels: The clearest portraits of Christ are of course found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 

Matthew 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

David was the great king of Israel and one of his lineage would be the Messiah.  Matthew paints a portrait of Jesus as the King of Israel and the Universe.

Mark 10:45. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Mark portrays Jesus as the servant who came to give his life.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.  Luke’s portrait of Jesus is as a perfect sinless man.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John shows us the deity of Jesus.

Matthew’s Gospel Of the King.

We have already read Matthew 1:1 Where Jesus is shown to be the rightful heir, the inheritor of the throne of David but all of Matthew’s Gospel is about the Revelation of the King.

Matthew’s Book Of the King

2. The King’s Birth (Matt. 1–2)

3. The King’s Credentials (Matt. 3–4)

4. The King’s Principles: True Righteousness (Matt. 5), True Worship (Matt. 6), True Judgment (Matt. 7)

7. The King’s Power (Matt. 8–9)

8. The King’s Ambassadors (Matt. 10)

9. The King’s Conflicts (Matt. 11–12)

10. The King’s Secrets (Matt. 13)

11. The King’s Withdrawal (Matt. 14)

12. The King’s Concern (Matt. 15)

13. The King’s Surprise (Matt. 16)

14. The King’s Glory (Matt. 17)

15. The King’s Rebuke (Matt. 18)

16. The King’s Instructions (Matt. 19:1–15)

17. The King’s Demands (Matt. 19:16–20:34)

18. The King’s Judgments (Matt. 21:1–22:14)

19. The King’s Defense (Matt. 22:15–46)

20. The King’s Denunciation (Matt. 23)

21. The King’s Return—Part 1 (Matt. 24:1–44)

22. The King’s Return—Part 2 (Matt. 24:45–25:46)

23. The King’s Preparation (Matt. 26:1–56)

24. The King’s Trial (Matt. 26:57–27:26)

25. The King’s Suffering and Death (Matt. 27:27–66)

26. The King’s Victory (Matt. 28) – Warren Wiersbe , Expository Outlines

Jesus’ birth proved His humanity. His baptism, transfiguration, resurrection and ascension showed His deity. His death on the cross showed His sacrifice and His miracles show His power as the King of creation. We are going to center our sermon on that aspect, that facet of the person of Jesus this morning

In the Gospel of Luke, we read the first sermon Jesus preached when He was at Nazareth this was immediately following his temptation in the wilderness.  Luke 4:13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

That passage is found in Isaiah 61:1-3

Jesus on this day, claimed this prophecy for Himself.  He announced that He was the promised Messiah and the King of Israel. When He read “the Lord has anointed me” that was the meaning of the word Messiah or Christ. He was the anointed one of God.

Now in our passage today, we will see that Jesus will prove that He is the Promised King by showing the power of the King of Creation.

Power over Disease - Matthew 8:1-17

​1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

14 And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. 15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

The King Of Creation Corrects Sin’s Physical Consequences

Jesus healed all diseases from the fatality of leprosy, to the total helplessness of paralysis, to a simple fever and to all manner of sickness even that caused by demonic possession. Jesus healed them all. Not just those with enough faith to be healed, but all that He chose to heal.

The leper said it best, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” It is the correct understand of healing for this dispensation of grace in which we now live. “Lord we pray for physical healing if it is according to your will.”

The King of Creation has the power to heal all diseases and all people, but we who have experienced his power in salvation know that It is best to submit to His will. Even when that does not include physical healing.

Here in Matthew 8 we see the King of Creation resetting the physical bodies He created back in the Garden of Eden before sin entered and marred His creation. You ask why sickness, pain and suffering is allowed in the world, because we in our forefather Adam, chose the knowledge of good and evil. Part of that knowledge is full painful reality of death and sin.

But we also know that Jesus is King and the King has power over the sickness and death.

Jesus power over people.

Power Over People - Matthew 8:18-22

18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. 19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

The King of Life Demands Life Service

Jesus is approached by two who want to follow him, Always remember that Jesus sees hearts before He hears words and so what He tells these men is the reality of what He knows of who they are.

The first says I’ll follow you anywhere. Jesus stops him by telling him, “Following me means no security, no shelter, no refuge other than me, the Son of Man.” Using the title that identifies Him both as Messiah and as God.

Jesus is telling this man, following me means living, going and existing as I would live, go and survive. If you follow me, I am your only shelter, your only refuge, your only security. What give Jesus the right to make such a harsh demand on this willing follower?

He is the King and serving the King means giving Him all I have.

The second man says let me go and bury my father then I’ll follow you. This was not about a father who was dead at that moment but about family responsibility and about family inheritance. “Let me bury my father” was a term which meant, “Let me take care of my family responsibilities and when I have my family’s inheritance then I can do what you ask of me.”

Now you know what Jesus answers the way he does. This man was saying let me put my family responsibilities first then I can follow you. Let me take of my financial responsibilities first, my work responsibilities, my savings account, my investments, my property… All these are the same excuse and all of them have the same answer from the Lord, Mark 12:30 thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Later in Matthew 10:37-39 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

How can He make such a demand of us? How can He tell us it is our life and our living He demands in service to Him. How? He is the King of Life, He is the sustainer of my life and therefore He has the power the authority to take my life in service to Him as My King. He Is King.

If this is not proof enough that Jesus is King of Creation, look what Matthew next records.

 Power Over Nature - Matthew 8:23-27

23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

The King of The Earth Controls The Storm

The Sea of Galilee is almost 700 ft below sea level. Surrounding it are hills and mountains, to the North is Mt. Hermon which is 9000 ft above sea level. These geographical conditions turn the Sea of Galilee into a cauldron of wind, rain and storms. Violent storms that can arise in a matter of minutes and destroy anything that is caught in that cauldron.

Jesus after healing all those who came to him on the Tiberius side of the Sea climbs into the boat and in his humanity, He falls fast asleep after giving orders to go to the other side. Then, this violent, ship-sinking, storm strikes and the disciples are caught and tossed like a leaf in the  storm’s fury.

Some think this storm was caused by Satan, but it is best not to speak where the scripture is silent. Whatever caused it, it rightly terrified those in the boat, all but one who still slept. They called out to Christ, “Master save us, we perish.” Jesus arises from sleep and rebukes the storm as though it was being disobedient, and perhaps it was. In Marks Gospel, He calls out “Peace, be still” and the storm obeys.

Then after rebuking the storm he rebukes the disciples. “Why were you so afraid?” In Luke 8:25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith?”

The right attitude and the right answer should have been, “My faith is right here in the ship with me, Jesus is the King of Creation and creation must obey Him.”

Peace Be Still

Master, the tempest is raging!
The billows are tossing high!
The sky is o'ershadow'd with blackness,
No shelter or help is nigh;
"Carest thou not that we perish?"
How canst thou lie asleep,
When each moment so madly is threat'ning,
A grave in the angry deep?

The winds and the waves shall obey my will, Peace, be still!
Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea,
Or demons, or men, or whatever it be,
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean, and earth and skies;
They all shall sweetly obey my will, Peace, be still!
They all shall sweetly obey my will, Peace, peace, be still!

How can Jesus control even the storms of nature? How can Jesus calm the storms of my own life, that drive me to believe I am on the edge of death? How can Jesus do these things?

He Is King! The King has the power to still the storm. He rebukes it like you would reprimand a disobedient puppy and the storm obeys the King. He has the power of the storm out there and He has the power over the storm in here.

There is one last demonstration of Jesus power as King here in Matthew 8 go to

Power Over Satan's Kingdom - Matthew 8:28-32

28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? 30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.

The King of Angels, Demons and Men Commands

After the storm the ship reaches the other side of the Sea of Galilee or by its other name the Lake of Gennesaret. There they encounter two demon possessed men who lived among the graves, so total was the evil control that the demons had over them. Yet when they saw Jesus all they can do is beg and grovel before the One who is even their King.

Luke gives a more detailed account of the conversation in Luke 8:28-33 What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. 29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) 30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. 31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. (the pit, the abyss, the prison for demons)

Jesus simply commanded them, “Go!” and they fled from his presence choosing to be in the bodies of drowning pigs rather than face the power of the King of Glory.

The power of Satan in this world is great. He has the power to control, manipulate, influence and direct entire nations and movements. Make no mistake when you see some of these debauched, deranged, deluded people advocating abortion, transsexuality, homosexuality, lesbianism, the end of the family, the curtailment of the church and the end of all morality, those people are at the least influenced by Satan and his demons and at the worst completely possessed. Remember that and then what they are saying makes complete sense, for they speak what Satan wants them to speak.

But no matte how great seems the power of Satan, no matter if all around us are the demons are “Legion,” no matter how black my sin, how deep my hurt, how wide my separation from God because of Satan’s power, Jesus is the King Over All. Demons cannot face Him, Angels bow before Him and Sin is utterly forgiven by Him.

Can you imagine the sins, the shame, the hurt that these demon possessed men had committed and yet Jesus drove away the demons and Luke tells us, Luke 8:38-39 “Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.”

The King of Angels, Even Fallen Angels drove away the demons, put the man in his right mind and gave him a purpose. No longer would he have a shameful life with the physical dead in a graveyard, but now he would bring life to those dead in sin by telling them what great things King Jesus has done.

How can Jesus bring such a change of life? How can Jesus forgive such a sinful life? How can Jesus drive away the demons that plague and haunt our life?

He is The King and the King has the power to heal, the power to command, the power to still the storms and the power to drive away demons and forgive our sing. Jesus Is King!

Conclusion : The King of Glory 

Let’s conclude by looking that the response of those who saw Jesus’ power but were not touched by Jesus’ power.

Matthew 8:33-34 And they that kept them (the swine) fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. 34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

Isn’t that an unthinkable tragedy? Isn’t that the most foolish of all actions or decisions? They could see the evidence of His power but they did not want to experience that power.  Instead, they asked to leave. To depart from their coasts, the homes, their lives. They wanted nothing to do with Jesus probably because of power that He wielded. They feared it because they were not willing to experience it. Just leave us alone. Alone in our darkness, our sorrow and our pain. Better that they believe than the awesome power of The King.

There is of course another response to the power of Jesus the King.  Instead of refusing to let Jesus rule as King in your own life,  instead of pushing Him away, welcome Him to in and experience His power your life.

The power to overcome the sickness of your sin. The power to calm the storms in your life, The power to cast out the things that are so terrible that they seem demonic. Don’t make excuses why you can’t follow him, don’t put anything first before Him, not your responsibilities, not your fear, not your sin, not your shame. Jesus Is King!  Open your heart and life and let Jesus’ power and authority rule.  

Psalms 24:7-10 7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates;And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;And the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty,The LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.