Matthew 9:18-38 – From Desperation to Salvation
Pastor Jim Thomas
The Miracles of Jesus:
- Reveal His compassion
- Display His authority
- Affirm His identity
- Inspire faith, gratitude and worship
“The miracles in fact are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.” – C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Miracles
These 4 miracles have at least three things in common:
- They describe desperate people
- They describe people with imperfect faith
- They remind us that Christ is the answer to all our fears in life and even our fear of death
“Human beings do not readily admit desperation. When they do, the kingdom of heaven draws near.” – Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew
“God fixes our prayers on the way up. If He does not answer the prayer we made, He will answer the prayer we should have made. This is all anyone needs to know.” – J.I. Packer
“Cheer up: you’re a worse sinner than you ever dared imagine, and you’re more loved than you ever dared hope.” – Jack Miller
“Desperation is never in trouble when it rests on omnipotence.” – Dale Ralph Davis
“It is not so much the case that God has a mission for His church in the world, but that God has a church for His mission in the world. Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission – God’s mission.” – Christopher J.H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative