Sunday, June 10, 2018

Preparing the next sermon

My next sermon is based on the following text from Matthew 8:

Jesus Heals Many

14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities
    and bore our diseases.”[b]

Matthew focus on presenting Jesus as the Messiah, as the king of heaven and not as a normal king from this earth. An earth king searches for power, riches, and demands to be praised. Jesus don't search for power, as He has already power which can be shown by his miracles. An earth king wants power to extend his dominion, Jesus uses his power to heal men. An earth king searches for great things to himself and consequently, talks to other powerful men and despise the weak. By other hand, Jesus deals with the infamous men and women: a leprosy, a roman centurion and now, Peter's  mother-in-law and demon-possessed.
The text shows how small things in Jesus hand may turn into a divine intervention. Isn't a small thing to find a woman lying in bed with a fever? Jesus deals with my own small things.
In fact, it is very different to see the sky with Jesus and without Jesus. Now, the clouds say something to me: "The Lord loves you" but it was not like that for most of my days even though I read the Bible and went to church.
It is very different to have fever with Jesus and without Jesus. Perhaps, Jesus don't cure, but his presence fills me with joy even when I am sick.
For me, Jesus sets my mind free from demons. I used to be paranoid as bad things happened to me orchestrated by evil people. Today, I want to discover what my good Pastor wants to teach me through his staff. I am not responsible to be so smart to avoid bad things to me; but my Lord is somehow responsible to me. He loves me and sets me free. He is tender with me.
Matthew reminds us that Jesus healed and exorcised as a fulfillment of Isaiah 53: "He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases".
I must read as a personal prophecy:
He took up my own infirmities and bore my diseases.
He took up my paranoid mind, my nightmares, my insecurity, my sins so that I could belong to Him, to be united with my Creator.
What a blessing! 



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