King Jesus: Healer, Reject, & Sovereign

Kate Stevens • January 6, 2021

Summary of sermon on Matthew 12:22-32 from Pastor Randle Bishop of Trinity  Gospel Church on January 3, 2020.

The story of Jesus never ceases to amaze - it always speaks to the truth of who He is.

Matthew gives a unique perspective of who Jesus is.

  • Chapter 1: Jesus is the Christ, Immanuel, because He has come to us
  • Chapter 2: He is a child refugee, a Nazarene
  • Chapter 3: He is the perfect baptismal candidate
  • Chapter 4: He is the tempted one
  • Chapters 5-7: He then delivers the wonderful Sermon on the Mount where we can be citizens of heaven. And He teaches as one with great authority!
  • Chapter 8: He calms the sea with His words, “peace be still”
  • Chapter 9: He calls sinners to follow Him
  • Chapter 10: He calls 12 specific men to follow him, all known sinners
  • Chapter 11: He offers rest for the weary
  • Chapter 12: He is Lord of the sabbath
  • Now in vv. 22-32, we come to this controversial passage about the Holy Spirit


All these things Jesus has displayed, yet the pharisees still oppress Him.  He heals one with a demon, yet they call Jesus demonic. He isn’t demonic, He is King! And He is a healer—it’s what He does...He heals!  He demonstrates His very divine nature in front of the pharisees. 


So then, how do we see Jesus? How do we experience Him? Are we like the pharisees here? 


Jesus came and fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy—He is the Son of David.  They stood in amazement of this, of him, yet they were not fully convinced.  They won’t come to Him, submit to Him.  They take his provisions and leave. They wanted him on their own terms, on their own notions of who the Messiah would be. 


He came meek and gentle (Isaiah 42), but they wanted a conqueror.  So much of their understanding is blocked because they did not submit to His word. 


How much of your understanding is blocked because you do not submit to His word?


And those standing against him saw this as a power of Satan, but Jesus flips it on them. Why would Satan cast out his own demons? He knows their thoughts because of his divine wisdom from the spirit. He is more powerful than the one who came to overcome Him! The power of the kingdom is strong! How is the kingdom of God coming on the people here unless He is king? Because He is King Jesus! He has the authority to bind—this is our King.

Sovereign here means there is no authority, territory or power above Him.  So, He replies in verse 30 with, “Whoever is not with me is against me.” He is asking them to choose sides: are you gathering or scattering?


So look at your own life: what do your words do? How has the Spirit equipped you to gather? This church is gathering for the sake of the Lord’s Name! Others should see the Lord through you.


Jesus says to take sides. What they have done by speaking against Jesus is demonic. It is calling out every healing, miracle, prophecy fulfilled that Jesus has done and calling it false. It is not recognizing him as King Jesus—and this says it will not be forgiven. 


Let’s look at exactly what they are blaspheming here because they also speak against “the son of man.”

“I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven

    there came one like a son of man,

and he came to the Ancient of Days

    and was presented before him.

And to him was given dominion

    and glory and a kingdom,

that all peoples, nations, and languages

    should serve him;

his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

    which shall not pass away,

and his kingdom one

    that shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-14).

This is who the pharisees are speaking against!

“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength (Revelation 1:12-16).”

The pharisees are blaspheming against this sovereign Lord! 


Even though He was a reject, He was still a healer because he is King. 


Are you siding with Jesus? Are you against the controversial parts of Scripture? If so then go sit down with a fellow believer and ask hard questions! Our King, our Lord of Life is powerful! 


Let’s side with Him. God is good and has given us the Son so that we might worship him. 



..


Watch this sermon here.

Anxiety v Humility

July 8, 2025
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Not Surprised

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Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, June 22, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:12-19 We shouldn’t be surprised when we encounter suffering John 15:18–20 [18] “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. [19] If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. [20] Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. 2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted We can rejoice knowing we are sharing in Christ’s suffering Matthew 5:11–12 [11] “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. We don’t bring glory to God when we suffer for doing wrong We should choose to glorify God instead of being ashamed We should live in light of the coming judgment of God “Peter shows the meaning of our suffering from two sides. First, our suffering for Christ finds its significance in Christ’s suffering for us. We share now in suffering for him as we shall one day share in glory with him (4:13; 5:1). Secondly, our suffering does not destroy us, but purifies us. The fire of God’s judgment that we endure is not the fire of wrath that will consume the unbelieving.” —Edmund P. Clowney, The Message of 1 Peter We can entrust our souls to our faithful Creator Discipleship Questions: Why is it our tendency to be surprised when we encounter suffering? What are some reasons for rejoicing when you encounter suffering? Why is it so tempting to classify all suffering as persecution, even when we suffer for doing wrong? How can you resist feeling ashamed when you suffer for being a Christian? How do you think God uses suffering to purify His church? How does entrusting your soul to God help you find hope?
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