"Spread The News"

   He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they laughed Him to scorn. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all that land.
   When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to him. and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said, "Yes, Lord." Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it." But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.
   As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!" But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."
   And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
   But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest. Matthew 9:24-38
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But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?" So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:16-17
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Today's message is completely and seriously about, "Whose report will you believe?"  In the above accounts from Matthew 9 we see some perfect examples of people believing and not believing. The truth is we all fall into one category or the other.

We start with some non believing people who 'laugh Him to scorn' when He told them to stop crying and carrying on; that she was just asleep and not dead. He along with her parents (Who are believing) go in and guess what? Not dead! Why? Because He takes her by the hand and she arose, healed and well and very much alive.

From there a report of this miracle and what happens spreads to two blind men and they start to follow Him. Why? Because they heard the report and decided to believe. He even asks them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They respond with a resounding, believing "Yes!" and guess what? They too get their miracle! Why? Because they believed the report about Him raising up the little girl.

The thing is it doesn't end there. They too are not able to contain themselves and spread the matter of their miracles throughout their communities as well and then others believed their report and they brought Him a man, mute and demon-possessed.Jesus takes care of the demon and then we get to see some more unbelieving people. They are the Pharisees or rather the non-believing who are accusing Him of casting out the demon with the power of a bigger one.

News spreads! The reports are flowing! He healed a dead girl. She was dead and now shes alive. The blind see! He casts out demons! He heals the sick! Those that believed the reports flocked to Him. It says that from there 'Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.' Every sickness! Every disease! People came and flocked to Him with all their needs because they heard the reports and they believed.

There are always going to be those who laugh and mock and try to discredit the report of those He has touched but the truth is that everywhere He went, a report about what He did in the lives He touched, always found a way to the heart of the next believing person. Every deed, every word He spoke, was passed on as someone reported to someone else. All that He had done and was doing in the lives of those who believed was reported and then as they believed the next miracle and the next report to spread the matter would take flight. 

So the question of the day, "Whose report will you believe?"

Will you believe that He is who He says He is? Will you believe that His compassion is more than enough to cause Him to meet your need? Will you 'laugh Him to scorn' or believe in faith that He can raise you up and make you whole? Whose report will you believe? The words that bring life or death?

Last question of the day is this: "Whose report will you be spreading?"

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest. Matthew 9:37-38