A battered reed and a smoldering wick — Matthew 11-12

0:00 Good morning. Good morning. Open your Bibles to Matthew 12. Matthew chapter 12. Again, we like to welcome anyone who might be visiting.

0:11 Pray that you will feel at home with us. I pray that you will feel the presence of God. Our desire is to acknowledge Jesus Christ, to worship him, to glorify his name. We have been doing a study on Jesus, and we considered the fact that Jesus was a servant. We did one whole sermon on that.

0:34 And secondly, last week was a study on the authority of Jesus Christ. And today we're going to look a little bit more on his qualifications and his character. And if you want a title, a battered or bruised reed and a smoldering wick. Matthew 12, I'm going to read verse 14 through 21. Matthew twelve fourteen through 21.

1:04 But the Pharisees went out and counseled together against him as to how they might destroy him. But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there and many followed him and he healed them all. And he warned them not to make to make him known. In order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled saying, behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased, I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel, nor cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

1:55 A battered reed he will not break off, and a smoldering wick he will not put out until he leads justice to victory. And in his name, the Gentiles will hope. In his name, the Gentiles will hope. Well, the the Bible is a self revelation of god. In other words, when god wanted to reveal himself to us, he gives us the holy word of god.

2:22 Unfortunately, many people who do not have a good grasp of the scriptures in their minds make up their minds or get a picture and illusion of what they think God is like and what he should do. And so we hear the standard or classical questions asked, If God is a loving God, then why do children suffer and die? And if God is a loving God, why does he allow evil in the world? So forth and so on. And those questions are asked because we picture God in a certain way, and as a consequence, we ask certain questions.

3:02 As we've been considering the life of Christ, we've been kind of getting blown away by the fact that even though he was god and he he was yet fully man and yet he was a servant. He didn't come to be served but to serve and we see him throughout the the gospels serving and and actually picking up a pill and washing people's feet. I mean, things that I have never done. And so when we consider his life, when we look at who Jesus is, it it kind of baffles us. How in the world can the creator of the universe, such a great God who's unsearchable, who's beyond wisdom, how can he be in a body and poor and with his disciples and washing their feet?

3:51 And it kind of baffles you. It doesn't make sense to me. How could God be doing that? And then we see him next week, what we saw last week was the fact that, yeah, he was a servant but he had absolute authority, yet his authority was kept in check. Because even though he had authority, he was keeping it under restraint, if you will, because he came to be a servant and he came to give his life for us.

4:20 And again, that baffled people because he could have easily just condemned those who wanted to kill him. In fact, he said, don't you think I can just cry out to the father and he would send thousands of angels to rescue me? Because I have that kind of authority. And so Jesus Christ, again, as we look at him in scripture, it kind of baffles you that he could be so humble and such a servant, and yet he can have such authority. And today, we're going to consider, as I was saying, his character.

4:56 There was a pastor in Chicago from the Harvest Church, you may have heard him on Moody, a tremendous orator. He would keep my attention, and the church was growing. They had done so many great things. But then out of the blue one day, it was announced on the radio that he's no longer going to be presenting the studies. Then they had an interview with the board of the local church where he was at, and they said he was becoming like a dictator.

5:26 He was mean, he would talk down the people and he would make them feel dumb. Therefore, we had to remove them. There's another pastor in Seattle. Again, he was the head of a large church, the church grew and he wrote a book on marriage. And this man really did a lot of great things for God, but he started fudging the numbers and he was saying to people that his book was the number one seller marriage and he fudged the numbers and suddenly, according to him, millions of books have been read and it was a farce.

6:11 And so consequently, was removed. Both men had the giftedness, but they lacked the character and the responsibility that the position demanded. And when it comes to Jesus, he had the character and the quality. He was the man. And that's what we want to focus on a little bit more today, the character of Jesus.

7:44 That people were saying, maybe this is the Christ, maybe he is the Messiah. Look at his life, look what he's doing. And when the Pharisees heard this, they said, the the man cast out demons only by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. In other words, they're saying, this man, whatever he's doing, whatever miracles he's accomplished, he's doing it because the devil has empowered him. Wow.

8:10 And so the Pharisees then reject him. They reject him. And from that point on, you can see that trying to sway the people not to believe him, but to reject Jesus Christ. And so this this text right here is is going to really enter into his nature and his character. Now, notice then that in spite of the fact that this threat was there and Jesus knew it that they were going to reject him and they were plotting, how can we kill him?

8:42 How can we get rid of this guy? Verse 15, but Jesus aware of this withdrew from there and many followed him. Notice, though don't overlook this little statement right there, and he healed them all. He healed them all. The fact that the Pharisees, the religious sector had rejected him and were planning to kill him did not stop him from doing what he had to do.

9:06 He was so full of compassion that people were sick and people were needy. And what was he doing? He was healing them all. He didn't let these men who were so vicious stop or change his character. He kept on loving people and healing people because people have needs.

9:29 And so, let's look into a little bit of what was going on. What was it like during those times? Again, if you would go and you would read the Gospels, hopefully you've done that. But if you would look just in the first 12 chapters of Matthew, you're going to notice that they were overrun by demons. In fact, if you go to Isaiah, Isaiah said that the people when they had problems, instead of going to God, they went to the sorcerers.

9:58 And in case you don't know, a sorcerer does not seek power from God, but from the devil. And so what happens then, that they were overrun by demons. Everywhere you look, Jesus was removing demons. In fact, it was so bad that one man alone had over a thousand. Can you imagine that?

10:19 Can you imagine that? And when they would see Jesus, they would come and bow to him and they would say, we know who you are. And they were just overrun by demons. Can you imagine how oppressive it was to be living in a community where there's people full of demons? A friend of mine, in fact, Abdiel, had to confront a woman full of a demon.

10:49 And after that confrontation, it was so intense and so powerful that he got sick and for five days he could not get out of bed. We're talking a guy that's six foot four, two eighty pounds, full of muscles that beat Mason in arm wrestles like that, like he was nothing. Right, Mason? I was there. I was there.

11:12 I saw it. I was like, Mason let me down, But this one demon was so powerful that for five days he couldn't get out of bed, and he had a fever. And the other said, you're never going to go alone again because of the power. And so the people were overrun. Think about it.

11:35 Demons everywhere. How evil was the society where Jesus was ministering? And not only that, but people were sick everywhere. Sickness, all kinds of sickness. Now, are sick today.

11:50 But many of illness that they were suffering, was no answer. There was no medical advancements at that time. Now, even so today people are dying constantly because sin has its consequence, And people are going get sick and they're going to die. All the modern medicine does really prolong it. And so, the people were sick and suffering and illnesses where today you can take a penicillin or you can go get some simple treatments.

12:20 Back then the people couldn't find an answer. And so the Lord saw that and he saw the people so full of demons and so much demon possession. And he see the people suffering he felt compassion. Man, these people, they need help. They're broken.

13:07 And the people had no hope, the people had no hope, and so we see Jesus, it's like, you know what, religious people, you can reject me if you want, but I'm going to keep healing people because the people are hurt and broken, and I feel compassion for them, and they need me. Notice how interesting, and he warned them not to make him known. I'm going come back to that in a minute. And so what happens is then that Matthew, as he's being guided by the Holy Spirit, says, now I want you to write about Jesus and you're going to quote Isaiah 42 because he's actually fulfilling Isaiah 42 verse one through four. And so this is a quote, verse 18.

13:50 Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. Now, he had just been rejected by the religious people and they wanted to kill him, but God says, here Matthew, you're to say this right now. You can reject him if you want, but he's my man. He is my servant.

14:15 This is the chosen one. This is the Messiah. This is the answer to people's problems. This is the one they were looking for. They can say he's from the devil if they want or whatever they want, but God's word from heaven was, this is my servant.

14:33 This is the chosen one. Now you have to remember that Matthew was writing to prove to you that he was the genuine Messiah. And so it's tremendously messianic as Matthew is unfolding his argument that this was the one. Now he had to talk this way because how would people know if he was the right one or not? And as we start looking at his character and his work, then Matthew says, look, he's the one, he fits the description.

15:09 And God is saying to us, this is my servant. Interesting that God called him a servant, he said he was a servant, he came to serve and not to be served. The character of Christ. He was a servant. He was a servant.

15:25 Not only that, but notice that he says, behold my servant whom I have chosen. God personally in agreement with Jesus because they're co equal and the Holy Spirit decided in heaven that Jesus was going to be the savior of the world. That he was going to be the Messiah. And so the father says, this is the one, the chosen one, the anointed one. He's the one.

15:57 He's my servant. He's the chosen one. Not only that, but he's my beloved. Notice what he says. My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased.

16:07 Think about it. The father and the son had an eternal relationship in which there was no sin. And consequently, was never an argument, never any jealousy, never any competition. There was just this pure relationship and there was this intimacy that we have no clue about. It was a pure love.

16:29 And so when the father would look at Jesus, who was a perfect example, a servant, who was humble and yet he had authority, but he kept it under control. He says, wow, this is my beloved. And he pleases me in everything he does. In fact, Jesus said in John chapter eight, everything I do, whatever I do, it pleases him. It pleases him.

16:57 It pleases the father. And the father can say, Yes, Jesus pleases me. Not only that, but he says, I will put my spirit upon him. You remember John was saying, how do I know who the real Messiah is? And the revelation from heaven says, when you see the Holy Spirit fall upon the one, that's him.

17:26 And so Jesus comes and he tells John the Baptist, go ahead and baptize me. And he did, he baptized him and then he says, and I saw the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove fall upon him. And so again, the bible is saying he was the one. He was the one. Because remember there was a lot of fake Christ at that time.

17:44 A lot of people saying that they were the one. And so he was full of the holy spirit. Now you say, why would he need to be full of holy spirit? He was God, yeah, but he was man. And as a man, as born as a as a baby, the holy spirit had to fill him and he was going to do his work in the power of the holy spirit.

18:05 If this wasn't true, well then, was just god and he wasn't man But because he was man, he needed the Holy Spirit to empower him. And if that's true of him, how much more do we need of the Holy Spirit? Well, no wonder the Apostle Paul said be full of the Holy Spirit. That's easier said than done. Right?

18:26 Alright. And so I will put my spirit upon him. Whatever he did, he did it by the power of the holy spirit being guided by the holy spirit. That's why continuing in Matthew chapter 12, he says, that's why when somebody denies me, when somebody says that my power comes from the devil, when somebody says that I'm not the Messiah, when somebody rejects me, they're rejecting the Holy Spirit because I'm empowered by the Holy Spirit and every work that I do is by the Holy Spirit's power and guidance. And so yes, full of the Holy Spirit, doing the work of God.

19:08 Notice the final thing, and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. Now you can notice that expression again in verse 21, And in his name the Gentiles will hope. Now, this is interesting because the Jews detested, disdained, they couldn't stand anyone non Jewish. In fact, you remember that Peter says, when God said go ahead and accept the Gentile, Peter said, no way. I've eaten with an unclean person.

19:48 I mean, they just looked down on anyone who wasn't Jewish. They were full of pride and arrogance and thought, oh, God only loves us. And it's interesting that in the description of the Messiah that he's gonna he's gonna reach out to the Gentiles. In other words, God's love is all encompassing. He he does not care what your background is, what your color is, what your education is.

20:13 You're a human being created in the image of God and God loves you and he's going to reach out to you in love. You matter to God. You matter to God. And so the the the the the... In fact, the early church, they struggled so much because the Jewish people got converted came to Christ.

20:35 They they were still struggling and and they're they were like, no, the Jews are going to be over here and the Gentiles over here and Paul was saying, no, we're not. We're going to mix. We're going to mix and it was such a battle. But God said that his kingdom is full of all tribes and all tongues and all nations. He loves all people.

20:58 And so, no, he is not in any way, shape or form prejudiced, but he is the creator of man and the lover of souls. And notice also that it was not political or self promoting. That is Jesus' ministry and his person. You know, when when you go to Mexico, you're going to notice early in the morning, a truck is coming by and they go, gas. I mean, so loud, you can hear it a fourth of a mile away.

21:41 And so in order for them to let you know that they're coming at 05:30 in the morning, as soon as the light is out, they start turn on their truck and they go to the streets screaming out. Gas, it means gas, right? Propane gas. It's like good grief, what was that? When Jesus was doing his ministry, he didn't have a big old megaphone.

22:06 Hey, I'm the Messiah. And they had banners going, you know, here he is, the Messiah, and then music and here comes the band, you know, let's have a little parade. It wasn't a dog and pony show. He came in the power of the Holy Spirit to reach out to people because people were broken and they needed his help. And it was so contrary because the people were thinking when the Messiah comes, man, he's gonna come with thunder and with boom and and with glory and The people were like, how can this guy be the Messiah?

22:42 How can he be the savior? People were kind of baffled, but if they were to study the Old Testament and see where he's quoting from, he was fitting the picture. And so it wasn't like him, he would not quarrel or cry out, nor would they hear his voice in the street. You know, those commercials after they talk about, well, my name is John Bunyan, just to throw a name out there, right? And, you know, I'm not like the other guy.

23:14 The other guy, he charges too many taxes and he didn't do good, but not me, not me. When I vote for me, and then at the end, I approve this message. Well, of course, you just talked about yourself. It would be kind of ridiculous for him to say, well, don't believe me. I'm lying, even though we know he is.

23:38 And so was not a political campaign. There was no debate. Oh, everybody, let's go to Capernaum, 7PM. Jesus is to take on the Pharisees, and we're going to be talking about the different points of, you know, religion and why he is the messiah. There was no debate set up, you know, and ABC wasn't there with their cameras.

24:06 He was just doing the work in the power of the Holy Spirit, reaching out to people and blessing people. And he kept saying, hey, keep it calm Because I don't want people to follow me for the wrong reasons. In fact, you know what? Just listen. In John, they wanted to take him by force.

24:26 John six fourteen and fifteen. They wanted to take him by force and make him king, but he withdrew from there and went to the mountain by himself alone. When he had provided food for everybody, they're like, all right, man, he's going be our king. And guess what? Free bread.

24:46 All right? The warfare system started right there where they wanted to start it, right there. You know, let's make him our king. Let him be the one because he's going to give us bread when we're not going to be hungry anymore. And Jesus says, well, no, no, no.

25:01 I'm gonna be a king in the future, my message, my work is not political. I'm not gonna be forced to be a king and to cause a rebellion. In fact, he said in John 18, my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then my servant would be fighting that I might not be delivered up to the Jews, but as it is, my kingdom is not of this realm. We are serving a king, but not the king of this world.

25:32 He's the king of heaven, and he will come down and rule. But right now, it's a spiritual kingdom. And notice the heart of Jesus. Notice the heart of Jesus. Verse 19, He will not quarrel, nor cry out, nor anyone hear his voice in the street.

26:28 The idea is that you don't go Jesus wasn't going go over there and just snap it off. And then he says the second thing, a smoldering wick. Now anybody who has been to my house knows that my house is full of smoldering wicks. Right? We have more candles in China.

26:49 Know, China has rice in our house consistently. In fact, I had to get a second job just to get candles in my house. What do you see? A wick is what's in the candle. And when the candle's about to die out, all you see is a little bit of smoke coming out.

27:09 You know what I mean? That's what he's saying. But what's he talking about? What's he talking about? He's talking about the people were so broke.

27:17 They were so desperate. They were barely hanging on to life. They were barely hanging on to life. And Jesus knows that. And he came not to break people, but to bless people.

27:34 And I'm telling you, I don't know what's going on in your life right now. Maybe you feel like you're broken. Maybe you feel like you're barely smoking and that, you know, you're about to be snuffed out, and there's nothing the devil would want more than to break you when you're at your lowest part of your life. See, because the devil came to steal and to break and to destroy. And we're looking at people who are broken.

28:07 Our society, people are broken, and they're looking for hope. They're looking for an answer. And the answer is Jesus. And we're living in the most advanced, intelligent, prosperous time in the history of mankind. Great skyscrapers and jets and beautiful cars and highways and cell phones and computers, and yet people have no hope.

28:32 People are broken. We have a bruised society. And you know that in those days, they would use the stock, the reed. They would use it for instruments and for other things. But once it was bruised, once it was broken, they would just throw it away.

28:56 It's no good anymore. And again, it's talking about the way the society was treating people. They're no good and they would treat them like trash. And that's why the people were so broken and so oppressed. And when Jesus came, he noticed and he saw that people bruised and they were broken.

29:21 Listen, and John the Baptist, was preaching Jesus, this is the Messiah, I'm not even worthy to untie his shoelace, was then put in jail, and he was sitting there for a whole year. And guess what? The mighty John the Baptist started waifing, if you will, in his faith. And then he said, sitting there for about a year. That's what the commentators think, that he was there about a year when he said in chapter 11 of Matt, you can go look at it yourself, verse three and four.

29:56 He goes, are you the one? Did I get this wrong? If you're the Messiah, then why didn't you destroy the Romans, and why didn't you set up justice, and why am I sitting in jail? And this mighty man of God was broken. And God didn't say, come on, John the Baptist, are you ridiculous?

30:21 Nobody goes, you know what? Go and tell John the Baptist that I am the one. Because I'm fulfilling what Isaiah said. I'm healing people. I'm loving people.

30:34 I'm reaching out to them in their broken state. He didn't condemn John the Baptist. The Samaritan woman was absolutely broken. After five marriages, she goes, you know what, I'm just gonna move in with another man. And she's trying to find the answer to her brokenness in another man.

30:55 And Jesus says, I am, am the answer. I'm the gift of God. And the woman caught in adultery. He says, Did anybody condemn you? No, I'm not going to condemn you either because I didn't come to break a bruised reed.

31:14 I didn't come to snuff you out. I came to forgive and to give you hope. The little man Zacchaeus, the guy got rich by ripping people off, but he was empty and lonely, And God reached out to him. The blind man, the sinful woman who entered the house of the Pharisee just crying because she felt so dirty and she was able to approach Jesus and pour that perfume on him. And then the Pharisee says, if he knew what kind of woman touched him.

31:48 Jesus knew. But this is what he told the Pharisee. She loved me. I wasn't going to snuff her out. I wasn't going to break her.

32:00 She needed me. And then we have the prodigal son. Made a mess of his life, and he was broken and living amongst the pigs. I mean, that's about as low as it gets. And he comes home and the father just embraces him again, showing the love of Jesus, the heart of Jesus, the character of Jesus.

32:58 Jesus didn't come to break and to snuff you out but to lift you up. That's the kind of God that we serve. And in him, the Gentiles will hope. Amen. Thank you, Lord, for your word.

33:18 Amen.