Sometimes we hear wonderful news. Maybe a couple who has tried to have a baby for a long time finds out that they are going to be parents. This is wonderful news. Maybe you get a promotion at work or your student gets good grades. These are wonderful things. Maybe you even say “Wonderful” when you hear something delightful, marvelous or when you hear extremely good news.
Right after Jesus turned over the money changer’s tables in the temple, Matthew 21:14 says: And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. Jesus healed the bind and the lame. This is wonderful news. It’s exciting when someone is healed.
Have you ever witnessed a miraculous healing? I have. I was part of a men’s group at church years ago and one of the guys in our group was diagnosed with lung cancer. After one of our meetings we all prayed for this man. One man in our group especially prayed boldly for God to heal our friend. We kept asking the man who had cancer how it was going week after week and he kept telling us that he didn’t know because the doctor wouldn’t return his calls. All he knew was that he had felt a real peace like he’d never known, especially after the leader of our men’s group prayed for him. This went on for about three weeks, us asking him how he was doing and him saying that he didn’t know. Finally, he received the wonderful news that his cancer was gone. The doctor didn’t know how to tell him that his cancer was gone, so the doctor kept putting him off; but then finally he told my friend the good news – the wonderful news that he was healed.
I don’t understand why God answers some prayers (the way we hope or want Him to) and other times He doesn’t. I’ve had more healing prayers that didn’t end the way we were praying for them to go than I have seen people physically healed. But I believe that God can and still does heal people. So when He healed my friend from lung cancer, it was exceedingly wonderful news. It was very exciting to witness that miraculous healing.
The people at the temple when Jesus walked this earth 2,000 years ago also witnessed miraculous healings. I’m sure that was just as exciting for them to see as it was for the men’s group to witness one of our own being healed. Please listen to these words found in Matthew 21:15: And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased.
Can you imagine that? The scribes and chief priests personally witnessed the miraculous healings right in front of them. They saw Jesus heal the blind and heal the lame. Please notice that it says that they saw the wonderful things that he did. They witnessed it first-hand. They didn’t have to wait for others to say “did you hear what Jesus did at the temple today? He healed a blind man! Man I wish I could have seen that.” No they didn’t have to hear it from someone else. They didn’t have to wonder if the stories were true. They were there. They were eye witnesses. They saw with their own eyes “the wonderful things that he did.”
How did these religious leaders react to these wonderful sights? Did they thank and praise God for these miracles? Did they run out and tell everyone that they saw that they had found the long awaited Messiah and that he is a miracle worker? Did they share the good news with others? No, they weren’t excited. They didn’t praise God. They didn’t thank God. They heard the people in the temple who also witnessed these events sayings “Hosanna to the son of David.” In other words the regular people; the ones like you and me, they were praising God. They were rightly acknowledging who deserved praise for these miracles.
But the religious leaders didn’t join in on the celebrations. They didn’t join in on praising Almighty God for such works of wonder. They didn’t worship the King of kings. No they did the exact opposite. They murmured to Jesus. They complained about the people praising God. They were sore displeased. They were greatly displeased. They were very unhappy with what was going on.
Can you imagine witnessing the wonderful things that Jesus did and being unhappy about it? Can you imagine being down right mad about it? Can you imagine being jealous over Jesus Christ performing miracles? Can you imagine being upset over the blind receiving their sight and the lame being able to walk? I can’t imagine being mad about these things. Again, I was extremely happy when my friend was miraculously healed from lung cancer. I just can’t imagine being unhappy about the wonderful news of miraculous healings. I can’t imagine not praising God for such wonders.
We find out in Matthew 21:16 how Jesus responded to these religious leaders: And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
Jesus does wonderful things. He is worthy of our praise. Even babies and small children praise Him. You and I should praise Him too. Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness; Praise Him, Praise Him, ever in joyful song. Worthy is the Lamb. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. Are you praising Jesus tonight? Do you love the Lord? Do you love Him with all your heart, soul and mind? Are you surrendered to Him? Are you saved?
Why do saved people praise God? Because we understand that we are sinners saved by grace. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). We understand that we were dead in our trespasses and sins and it is a wonderful thing that Jesus saved us. It’s a greater miracle than Jesus performed when he healed the sick when He walked this earth 2,000 years ago. Bringing spiritually dead people to life is a true miracle!
Ephesians 2:2-5 says: And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
We praise God because we were spiritually dead, but Jesus brought us to life. Jesus gives life to the walking dead. He is the way, the truth and the life. Sin brings death – physical death and spiritual – eternal death – the second death – the everlasting death – for those who die in their sins. But for those of us who are saved, He gave us life. Jesus Christ gave us everlasting life. Oh you can kill this body of mine, but you can’t kill my soul. Praise God I will live forever. The second I take my last breath in this life I will take my first breath in the next life – eternal life. Hallelujah praise God!
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world (John 11:25-27).
I have something to shout about. I have eternal life and it’s a wonderful thing. It’s a miraculous thing. Jesus Christ breathing life into this spiritually dead body and bringing me to life is a wonder of wonders. I was dead in my trespasses and sins for 44 long, sinful years. God was merciful to me. God was gracious to me. God could have snuffed my life out at any moment and I would be tormented in the flames of Hell where I would have suffered forever and ever and I would have deserved every second of it.
But God was merciful to me. He didn’t pour out His wrath over my sins on me in Hell for all of eternity. He saved me by His grace. He saved me through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He has forgiven all my sins. Jesus nailed my sins to His cross! Oh, please don’t miss this tonight. Your sins can be nailed to that old rugged cross too. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross (Colossians 2:13-14).
Oh when you come to Jesus, when you surrender your life to Him, He takes away your sins. He casts them as far as the East is from the West. God remembers your sins no more. He doesn’t hold them against you. You can be cleansed tonight. Your guilty conscience can be cleared. Your sin debt can be wiped out. You can become a new creature in Christ. You can come ALIVE for the first time in your life; spiritually alive. You can be saved.
Come to Jesus tonight. Repent and put your trust in Him. Confess and forsake your sins. Admit that you are a sinner and surrender your life to the Sinless One. Give your life to the Perfect Sacrifice; submit to the Lordship of Jesus. Do this tonight and be saved. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death (2 Corinthians 7:9-10).
It’s a wonderful thing to be saved. Don’t be like the scribes and chief priests. Don’t reject such a great of salvation. Don’t ignore the wonderful salvation offered by our Lord. Don’t be like the chief priests and scribes who witnessed the wonderful things that Jesus did and were sore displeased. No, turn from your sins and turn to the risen One. Come to Jesus tonight and be saved. Be saved. Receive life tonight. Receive everlasting life. Pass from spiritual darkness into spiritual light. Oh, come to Jesus Christ and be saved. Experience the wonderful grace of Jesus Christ for yourself. It is a wonderful thing to be saved and salvation is not to be hoarded, it is to be shared. That’s why we are sharing the Gospel with you tonight. Repent and believe the Gospel.
(This message was lifted up on the square in downtown Springfield, MO on October 23, 2015)