Miracles

May 4, 2025

Lord, Have Mercy on Us – Matthew 20:29-34

Lord, Have Mercy on Us

Matthew 20:29-34

In our study of the Gospel of Matthew, we come today to a short passage at the end of Matthew 20 where Jesus heals two blind men. It is also the end of Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem that began in Matthew 19:1 when Jesus departed Galilee. Over the last few months of Jesus’ ministry, He has been very focused on teaching His disciples. And we have seen two major recurring themes in His teaching during this period. Jesus has been repeatedly telling His disciples about His looming betrayal, arrest, suffering, death, and resurrection that waits Him in Jerusalem. His crucifixion is close and certain. On the other hand, because His disciples keep bringing it up, Jesus has been teaching about true greatness in the kingdom of heaven.

Richard Sipes / Sermons / Matthew, Miracles, Salvation / 0

August 11, 2024

Walking on Water, Part 2 – Matthew 14:22-36

Walking on Water, Part 2

Matthew 14:22-36

Matthew’s theme is that Jesus is the Messiah-King. As He walked this earth, our Lord’s message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” The subject of Jesus’ teaching was the kingdom of God. And in all of His preaching, He clearly showed Himself to be the long-awaited Messiah-King who fulfilled the prophecies of scripture. He had sent His apostles out to proclaim that same message of the kingdom and confirmed the gospel with miracles, signs, and wonders. He had compassion on the people, healed their diseases, and freed many from demonic possession. And yet, He had to rebuke the very places where He had taught and worked (Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum), because they would not repent at His teaching (Matt. 11:20-24). The religious leaders of the day resisted His teaching, demanded signs from Him (Matt. 12:38), and sought to kill Him (Matt. 12:14). Even His own family (Matt. 12:46-50) and the people of His hometown resisted and rejected Him (Matt. 13:53-58). King Herod reacted to news about Jesus with misunderstanding and superstition (Matt. 14:1-2). The multitudes that He fed misunderstood His mission—forcing Him to separate Himself from them because they sought to make Him into their earthly provider (John 6:15). Even Jesus’ own disciples failed to recognize Him as He walked out to them on the sea—fearing that He was a ghost (Matt. 14:26).

Richard Sipes / Sermons / Discipleship, Jesus Christ, Miracles, Mission, Worship / 0

August 4, 2024

Walking on Water – Matthew 14:22-33

Walking on Water

Matthew 14:22-33

Today, We come to another familiar story in our study of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus walking on the water. Which would be so utterly amazing to us, had we not heard the story many times over. This episode in the life of Jesus has left its impression on the mind of the world. Still today, we describe someone who is very gifted or successful as “able to walk on water.” But we mean the phrase only metaphorically. No one can literally walk on water. But Jesus did. And the point of the whole episode comes at the end when the disciples worship Jesus saying, “Truly You are the Son of God” (Matt. 14:33).

We said last time that this section of the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 14-17, focuses on Jesus training His disciples for kingdom ministry. Jesus does many miracles in this section, but these miracles have less to do with proving Himself to the crowds, and far more to do with Jesus teaching the twelve. We saw this last time as Jesus fed the five thousand. Jesus wants to do kingdom ministry through His disciples. So He pressed them to the end of themselves and their resources to reveal that kingdom ministry must be done according to His will and in His power.

Now, Jesus gives His disciples another hands-on ministry learning session. This lesson also will bring the twelve to the end of themselves.

Richard Sipes / Sermons / faith, Jesus Christ, Matthew, Miracles / 0

July 28, 2024

Jesus Feeds the 5000 – Matthew 14:13-21

Jesus Feeds the 5000

Matthew 14:13-21

Today, in our study of the Gospel of Matthew, we come to a very familiar story, the feeding of the five thousand. Many of us have heard this story read and taught since we were children. The downside of being so familiar with this passage is that we might be tempted to rush past it, thinking, “Yeah, I got it, nothing new here.” But what if you read this miracle story as if you were hearing it for the very first time? Instead of skimming over the words, your eyes would be glued to the page. Instead of dispassion, there might be exhilaration. You would be amazed at the compassion and power of Jesus. You might react like those men in the Gospel of John who saw this miraculous sign firsthand and said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:14).

The feeding of the five thousand is arguably one of the most important miracles Jesus ever worked. Other than the resurrection of Christ, this is conceivably the most famous miracle in the New Testament. It is the one miracle Jesus worked that all four Gospel writers—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—chose to include in their accounts.

Each of the Gospel writers emphasizes different aspects of the story. Mark’s account demonstrates the compassion of Jesus. He begins with, “And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd…” (Mark 6:34). Luke uses this miracle to set up the great question from Jesus about His identity. His account concludes, “So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them. And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”” (Luke 9:17-18). John moves from this miraculous sign to Jesus’ declaration that He is the bread of life, the Son of God “who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). One reason the Holy Spirit ensured that this story is recorded four times is that it affirms to us that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in human flesh and the Savior of the world. He is the One we must trust for salvation.

Now, what about Matthew? What is his emphasis?

Richard Sipes / Sermons / Discipleship, Matthew, Miracles / 0