Setting: Traditional Worship
Length: 19:63

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Occassion: This sermon is a special 3 part sermon given at a missions dedication worship.
Each part is very short, separated by times of prayer. All 3 parts have been unprofessionally stitched together.

Title: Being Christ’s Reflection in the World
Main Scripture: Matthew 8:14-17
Main Topics: Missions, compassion, Jesus as sympathetic high priest, healing

As you listen, select, copy, and paste the following outline:

Matthew 8:14-17
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 carried our diseases."

-Jesus is up in the north…in the region of Galilee in a town called Capernaum

Now, the book of Mark presents the same miracle and tells us that Jesus was leaving the synagogue
          -and so we know that this is the Sabbath
          -it is a holy day set aside for worship and rest
          -nothing else…..
-in fact, all work must cease….including….. taking care of the sick !

-if the Pharisees and scribes were there, they would protest

-in fact, out from the many miracles that Jesus performed, this one…more than the others…..emphasizes Jesus’ willingness to heal…

This is his modus operandi….his MO
He first loved us

-let me say that missions is ALSO about making the first move
          -like Jesus, it is about initiative

* end of part 1....wait for the start of part 2

This is a story of initiative and compassion
Jesus sees her lying in bed…with a fever
          -now, it’s important NOT to downplay the serious nature of a fever…

-Matthew uses a very graphic word to describe her lying in bed
                   -the word lying
                             -lit. in the original Greek means “thrown down”
-a graphic word describing how the fever is more powerful than the woman, literally throwing her down on to the bed

-news about Jesus and His miraculous works was getting around town quickly
And so, 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. 8:16

No rest for the weary

Mission work is very much like this

* end of part 2, wait for the start of part 3

-Matthew observes his tireless leader as work

-observing his healing ministry, Matthew writes in v.17
This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:  "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”

-Matthew is inspired to write down the prophetic words of Isaiah…in chapter 53 of his book
-there, Isaiah sees a vision of the future messiah

          -suffering on our behalf

"He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."
-and these prophetic words bring out profound insight into the KIND of healer Jesus is…
-you see, the words “took up” and the word “carried”
          -in the original language….have the idea of Jesus taking our
          needs and experiencing them…..HIMSELF

          * Remember when Lazarus died?

-this great truth is confirmed elsewhere such as Hebrews 4:15, where it says…
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize
with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin.

-the word “sympathize”
          -comes from 2 Greek words:  “sum” which means “with” and “pasco” which means “suffer”
          -so, it literally means:  “suffer with”
          -that when we pray to God about our troubles….Jesus suffers with us

Mission work also has those moments……..[sequenced]
          -missionaries are more than distributors of gospel tracts or a free lunch
          -they enter into the lives of the people
          -they engage in conversation
          -they connect with the people at the heart level

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