Authority, Forgiveness and Praise

Scripture:  Matthew 8:28–9:17

 

When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man. (Matthew 9:8)

 

Observation:  The storm that we talked about yesterday has ended and we pick up the text where Jesus and his disciples have reached the other side of the lake as He had promised earlier.  In the text that comes next we see that Jesus is ruler over all the powers and there is no end to His authority.  In Matthew 8:23–27 we see that Jesus has authority over everything that God created.  In Matthew 8:28–34, we see Jesus has authority over all types of spirits.  And in Matthew 9:1–8, Jesus shows his authority to also forgive sins emphasizing that Jesus (Yeshua) is the promised ‘Son of God’.   

 

What was the result?  See verse 8 above.  The people praised God.  This is important because this should be the result of any authority we ourselves have been given – it should always point people back to God and hopefully cause them to praise and worship Him.

 

Application:  Jesus came to forgive our sins. Matthew made that clear in his text.  Whom will Jesus forgive?  How will he forgive?  In Matthew 9:9-13, Matthew gave his own testimony about the authority of Jesus in his own life and how he experienced the forgiveness of God through Jesus.  He recorded how Jesus called him to be his disciple.  What has been your personal experience?  Salvation is an invitation and it requires our response.  Note:   Commentator Stephen Dray points out that “Everybody needs salvation.  But Jesus cannot help anyone who does not want his help.”

 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your Salvation through Yeshua the Messiah, the promised One.  Thank You for Your healing and forgiveness made possible by His work on the cross to save us from our sins.  Through the Name of Yeshua we pray.  Amen & Amen.