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.

Arm Yourselves

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Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:1-6 Prepare to suffer Is. 50:6-8a I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. The martial language indicates that discipline and grit are needed to live the Christian life, particularly in view of the suffering believers encounter. -Thomas R. Schreiner Some people won’t like you if you follow Jesus When a culture abandons biblical standards, when extramarital sex, cohabitation, and birth outside of marriage become normal, people attack the church for its moral snobbery and judgmentalism. Peter warns us that if we do take a stand, we need to expect slander, not applause. -Daniel M. Dorian This is one of the hardest things a new Christian has to face. Your friends liked you because you shared in “the same flood of debauchery.” It seemed great fun at times, but then you came to embrace Christ… But your friends have not… They will be surprised when you say “No.” -Juan Sanchez. Keep an eternal perspective Our outcome is glorious Suffering is good for us Let’s remember that suffering accomplishes God’s purposes. It exposes what or whom we are trusting (1 Peter 1:6–7). - Juan Sanchez Ecc. 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Discipleship Questions: Verse 1 tell us to arm ourselves by thinking as Christ did about suffering. How did Christ arm himself for and against sufferings? What does it look like for us to do that? Have you ever lost friendships (or had them change) because you were following Jesus? Do you fear that we (or our kids) will experience greater persecution in the future? If yes, how should we handle that fear?

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Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:13-17 Nobody can (truly) hurt Christians Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? The train of thought is as follows: “No one will be able to harm believers on the future day if they are zealous for good” (v. 13). Indeed, even present suffering is not a sign of punishment but of blessing both now and especially in the future, on the day when God rewards his people with eternal life. -Thomas R. Schreiner Honoring Christ Erases Fear Share your faith with strength and gentleness Embrace balance Be prepared to share The truth of the gospel is a public truth that can be defended in the public arena. This does not mean, of course, that every Christian is to be a highly skilled apologist for the faith. It does mean that every believer should grasp the essentials of the faith and should have the ability to explain to others why they think the Christian faith is true. -Thomas R. Schreiner Be prepared to suffer “I’ve spent a number of years in India and Africa where I found much righteous endeavor undertaken by Christians of all denominations; but I never, as it happens, came across a hospital or orphanage run by the Fabian Society [a British socialist organization], or a humanist leper colony.” -Malcolm Muggeridge Be bold! We will likely suffer as Christians in this world, but that suffering is slight and temporary compared to the eternal inheritance that awaits us. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we die and receive our promised inheritance. Can you imagine how emboldened Christians would be if we only believed what Peter is saying? -Juan R. Sanchez Discipleship Questions: Does the fact that nobody can (truly) harm us comfort you? What would change if we lived like we really believe that? Are you a more confident person as someone who knows Christ? Does your security in Christ embolden you to take some risks in life, knowing that the worst that could happen is death? How equipped / prepared are you to give a reason for the hope that you have? What would grow your confidence and competence in that? Have you considered joining Michael Clark one day for evangelism at the harbor? Well….you should….
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