Hope for the Hopeless Part 4
Matthew 12:9-14 Hope for Those Who Feel They Can’t
Have
you ever told God – I can’t ?
A) Lord I can’t do that!
Lord I can’t go there!
I can’t forgive him! I can’t
love her!
B) Think about some of the
different pp in the Bible who have said – I can’t
1) Moses I can’t speak well
enough!
2) Gideon I can’t fight!
3) Timothy I can’t lead!
4) Joshua I can’t be like
Moses!
C) I have had a lot of times
where I have said God I can’t – Sometimes it was because I was focused on a
personal inadequacy – God I can’t do that – no gifts
D) Others times: It was just
an excuse: Because I really didn’t want to change in that area of my life
Today
we see a story of a man who couldn’t – A man who was lacking –
A) A man who saw the impossibility
in doing the thing that he really wanted to do!
B) A man who discovered the
reality in the saying
“God’s commandments are
God’s enablements”
Simple Message
today: But a powerful truth
The
setting: It is the Sabbath day and Jesus is once again in
A) He goes to Church
Now when He had
departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a
man who had a withered hand.
B) The
historian Jerome tells us there is strong traditional evidence that the man
with the paralyzed hand was a stone mason.
C) If
so, his paralysis would have very definitely affected his income.
1) Almost impossible to make a living.
D)
Therefore the well being of his entire family would have been affected.
E)
Harder to do things around the house – harder to play with his kids – dad lets
play catch
1) So
his whole life was affected by his injury
And
they {Religious leaders} asked Him, saying,
"Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" that they might accuse Him.
God had instituted the
Sabbath Day as a day for man to rest to Cease from his work – reflect – be
refreshed in the Lord
A)
However over the yrs the religious leaders in
B) You see It became a day –
where you really couldn’t do anything.
Bb) There were so many rules
and regulations describing what it meant to break the Sabbath
1) That
the Talmud
devoted 24 chapters to instructions for keeping the Sabbath.
C) They
had 39 different violations and a host of
categories that went along with those violations
1)
Examples - It
was wrong to kindle a fire for cooking …..gather fuel /…..carry burdens Couldn’t cook or Bake
2) Couldn’t walk more that a hundred feet of your home/ Animal gets lose can’t go get him
D) Result was this Day that was supposed to be a blessing became a Huge
burden
In
fact – What it meant to break the Sabbath became so twisted that- it even was
considered WORK to defend your self on the Sabbath
A)
Result: In the time under Judas Maccabeus, the time between the testaments,
when the Greeks were dominating the people of
B)
there was one incident when the forces of Antiochas came against the Jews, purposely
on the Sabbath – knowing the tradition about the Sabbath.
C)
Antiochas and his men came against the Jews, but because it was the Sabbath,
they wouldn't lift a finger to defend themselves, so 1,000 people were
massacred.
D) That is how serious they were about
Sabbath day keeping –
1)
So seeing the man with the need and knowing the tendency of Jesus they asked
the question – hoping to have a reason for accusing him of breaking God’s law
11
Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and
if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it
out? 12 Of how much more value then is a
man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
A) Now what Jesus does here he does so often especially in dealing with
the religious leaders
B) He answers a question
with a question: But He is not doing this to be difficult or even clever
C) The question exposes the
real problem- namely that they valued their religious traditions and rituals
more than they valued pp.
D) In fact they valued sheep
more than they valued pp!
Jesus
asked in Verse 12. "Of how much more value, then, is a man than a
sheep?"
A) That’s a simple question,
but a revealing one : sheep were better than men to them.
B) Men meant nothing to
them; they were very much like the Hindus in
1)
They won't kill a fly because it is the incarnation of someone who is trying to
get out of that karma.
C) They won't kill a rat, a
mouse, or a cow.
1)
Two-thirds of their food supply is eaten by those things, and that is why they
have starvation problems.
D) They let people die all
over the place and don't help them, because it's their karma.
They
won't give money to beggars or help the destitute because they feel they must
endure that suffering to earn their way to the next level.
So cows are worth more to
them than people; cows are sacred, for whatever reason.
It's
the same in Judaism, but not quite so religiously defined, and sheep were more
important to them economically than people.
By
the way, Mark and Luke tell us that all the while He is talking, He has brought
the man with the paralyzed hand and sat him in front of the entire synagogue,
So this is a very dramatic Scene:
A)
The answer to His question was an obvious one – you know you would save your
sheep
B) So of course it is lawful
to do good on the Sabbath
C) PT Human need always takes precedent over
religious tradition.
1) Woman
collapsed – in the middle of our service – we didn’t let her lay there until
the Bible study was over.
D) The human need takes
precedent over the ceremony!
1) After dealing brilliantly
with their question Jesus turns to the man – Real focus today
13
Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it
out, and it was restored as whole as the other. 14 Then the Pharisees went out
and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.
A) Catch this: Jesus said to
the man whose hand was all shivered up Stretch out your hand release it
B) But how was this man supposed to do that?
1) It was impossible for
this man to stretch forth his hand
C) Some might have
considered it mean or insensitive – Jesus asking
this man to do what he couldn’t do –
D) Be
Like asking a blind person to look at a picture
That
would be cruel
E) But that is what Jesus
does:
“Jesus always
brings men face to face with the impossible and lays upon them a command that
in their own strength they cannot obey” Morgan
Now this man
could have argued: . ‘That’s easy for You to say. My hand is paralyzed. How
can I stretch it forth?’
A) The
man could have argued with Jesus.
B) He
didn’t do that - Instead, he simply obeyed.
He didn’t argue. He didn’t debate.
1) He simply said, ‘OK,’ — and as he stretched out
his hand, the Lord met him in that place.
C) Now if
this was the movies- feel good positive mental attitude message – if you try
hard enough you can pull it off - At
this moment – inspiring music
D) Slow
motion – The struggle the sweat – turn it into a five minute ordeal -
But that is not they way it happened – There
was no struggle it was instant!
A) Jesus said Stretch out your
hand & He stretched it out
B)
There was power in the words of Jesus – The man heard it – believed it and
responded
C) This reminds us of a powerful and important
biblical principle.
1) God’s commandments are God’s enablements
D) When
God speaks, power is released.
1) If you can grab that simple concept, the Word
will become extremely exciting to you.
E) If I am looking at myself
alone – His commands are impossible and unreasonable.
1) But if I see that the power of God is behind the command –
it becomes both possible and reasonable
Listen
we all have areas in our lives that are withered
A) Some of you have a heart
that is withered – You have been hurt & taken advantage of one to many
times
B) Trust has been broken and
consequently you have said: I can’t love again – I will never be able to trust
again
C) Jesus would say to you
today: Stretch out your heart – I will pour my love into it!
I can’t – Sure you can – My love
is yours
Romans 5:5
The love of God
has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
For
Some of You God has been calling you to take a step of faith in your life
A) For some it is a Change –
others it is call into a ministry
B) You have been saying: I
can’t – I am afraid – what if I fail – what if it doesn’t work –
C) He is saying: I have not
given you a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
1) Stretch out your life!
Struggling with Depression{ No Joy – can’t
worship
A) The Lord’s word to you
today is simply:
‘Rejoice evermore… For this is the will of God, in Christ Jesus concerning
you.”
(I
Thessalonians 5:16).
C) Now
you can argue and give 101 reason why you can’t do that – can’t rejoice
1) Or you can say, ‘If the Word tells me to
rejoice evermore, I will now start rejoicing.’
D) And
in the very act of beginning to rejoice, you’ll find reason & power to
continue to rejoice.
Now understand – it is that simple – but it is
not easy
A) Our
flesh rebels against this – that is why it is a daily practice –
B) Where you say: Today Lord in your Power and in your
strength – ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD – I will do what you command me
to do.
C) As I
look at myself – seems unreasonable and impossible
1) But when I take my eyes off of me and put them on to you – your power –
your grace – your strength in my weakness – Possible – reasonable – RIGHT ON!
Saturday
nights at the College & Career group – discussing – Discovering the will of
God shared this quote:
Phillip Yancey “I do not get to know God and then do His will – I get to
know God more deeply by doing His will”
Some of
you are struggling with your flesh weaknesses – addictions
‘Consider yourself dead unto sin, but alive to Jesus
Christ,’ (Romans 6:11).
“Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to its lustful
desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness, to be
used for sinning. Instead, give yourselves completely to God since you have
been given new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for
the glory of God.”
The Word says, ‘Husbands, love your wives,’ (Ephesians 5:25).
A) Now
you can argue – but Lord you don’t know my wife ‘You don’t know what we’ve been
through,’
B) You
can come up with a myriad of reasons why that is impossible and unreasonable
request
1) Or you can say – Lord your word tells me to
love my wife. So I will love my wife.’
C) And
because you’re doing it, God will give you the power to carry it out.
‘Wives, submit to your husbands,’
(Ephesians 5:22).
A) You
can argue and say why this is impossible.
B) Or
you can say, ‘Lord, in Your commandment is Your enablement. I will do it
today.’
1) And you will receive power.
C)
Whatever your area is of being withered
Can I encourage you today: take the Lord’s
word at face value – realize – In the very commandment is the enablement to
carry it out – follow Thru
A)
Whatever that means for you – today
Stand
forth.
Stretch
out your hand.
And
be made whole.
B) Open the
door for the -Power of the
HS working in and thru my life!