Greater Works Than These

Make-Believe Superheroes

We live in a world where people are obsessed with super heroes.

There are Movies, TV shows, and comic books that bring in billions and billions of dollars. They are all about people with special powers and abilities.

People love being immersed in a fantasy world, in science fiction, where they can do anything or be anybody that they dream to be.

Hollywood uses super heroes with super powers to capture the imagination of kids and adults.

People often feel weak or powerless in life. Super heroes provide an escape by letting people imagine flying, fighting, or controlling things with ease.

Superpowers are portrayed as fun, exciting, and liberating.

Their powers make them special and unique, which resonates with kids who want to feel like they have a secret greatness inside of them.

For adults, it taps into the desire to rise above mediocrity. People want to feel like they matter in this world.

When you watch these movies and tv shows, they want you to sympathize and connect with the characters. They want you to become emotionally invested in entertainment.

People spend thousands of hours of their lives. Watching make-believe superheroes.

People start to idolize these characters.

Hollywood frames superheroes like modern gods—with their own myths, symbols, and followings.

Kids wear costumes, memorize catchphrases, and buy toys. Adults attend midnight releases and conventions.

It creates a kind of devotion that mirrors worship, making superheroes cultural idols.

People fail to realize that while they idolize and worship these make-believe superheroes with make-believe powers…

There is a real God, with real power, with divine authority that performed real miracles on this earth. His name is Jesus Christ. He did not come from the imagination of man.
He is the creator of man, the creator of the universe and all that is within and without.

So we need to stop searching for superheroes and superpowers in the wrong places. We need to open up our Bibles and see the true power of God.

So throughout the book of Matthew we have seen Jesus do amazing things. These miracles are supernatural. Meaning the things that Jesus did cannot be done in nature without an outside power.

That outside power is God. And understand that Jesus Christ as a man has limitations.
But Jesus Christ as God has no limitations. It’s hard for us to wrap our minds around that.

Jesus Christ as a man has no power on his own just like we have no power on our own.

But Jesus Christ as God has all power.

John 17:1-2 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

The Father gave Jesus Christ power over all flesh. And we continue to see that power revealed as we read the scriptures. He calmed the sea. He casted out devils. He healed all manners of sickness and disease.

So Hollywood comes up with all kinds of fake superheroes and superpowers. But Jesus Christ has real power from the Father. It’s not make-believe. I want to look at three of those powers that we see in Matthew 9:1-8…

1. Jesus: Discerner of All Thoughts

Matthew 9:1-2 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. 2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

Some men brought this man that was sick of the palsy to be healed. To be sick of the palsy means to be paralyzed. This man could not walk…

Mark 2:3-4 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

It says Jesus saw their faith. You can try to argue that Jesus saw their faith through the actions that they took. The fact that they went out of their way to get to Jesus by going down through the roof.

We as humans cannot see inward faith. We can only see the outward works.

That’s why James says faith without works is dead. Our faith does not profit anyone when we don’t have works that show our faith to others.

James 2:17-18 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

So remember, Jesus Christ was a man with the same limitations that we have. So, could he see inward faith? Think about that…

You have to remember, the Father gave him power over all flesh. So yes, Jesus could see inward faith.

Matthew 9:2-4 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

Right after it tells us that Jesus saw their faith, we see Jesus perceiving or knowing the thoughts of the scribes. The natural man cannot hear or understand another person’s thoughts.

And we know Jesus is 100% man, but He is also 100% God.

And as a man, the Father gave Him this power. And there are many scriptures that prove Jesus knows the thoughts and intents of men.

Revelation 2:23 … and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

Jesus searcheth the reins (the inward parts) and heart (what is deep down inside of you)

1 Chronicles 28:9 …for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

The Lord understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts… Understand what that means in your own life. When you are tempted to do evil. God knows your heart.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Jesus Christ is a discerner of all thoughts.

2. Jesus: Healer of All Sickness

Matthew 9:4-7 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

We know that Jesus Christ is healer of all sickness. We saw that in chapter 8 when the whole city came to him and he fulfilled Isaiah 53:4

Matthew 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Earlier on in Matthew 4 we see more descriptions of the healing power of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 4:23-24 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

Jesus Christ, the creator, actually performed these amazing miracles. He was given real supernatural power from the Father.

Meanwhile, Hollywood creates idols with make-believe superpowers, like self-healing, flying, or superhuman strength. And people want to worship fake 2-dimensional images on a screen. Do you see how foolish that is?

Jesus does physically heal today.

James 5:14-15 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

We are not promised physical healing on this earth. But we still need to ask in faith. And pray for God’s will to be done.

So remember that Jesus was given power over all flesh by the Father. The wind and the seas obey his voice. Devils are cast out by his word. He raises the dead. He heals all manners of divers sickness and disease.

He has all these amazing abilities that come from Heaven, but what is the greatest power of them all?

3. Jesus: Forgiver of All Sins

Matthew 9:2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

Jesus Christ was addressing the real issue at hand. The fact that this man had sins, and that we all have sins.

People look on the outward appearance. There are many churches that are doing a lot of great moral acts. Providing meals, clothes, and shelter for the homeless. Providing physical needs.

What does it matter if you provide physical needs, but you don’t address the spiritual need to be saved from eternal punishment in hell.  

Jesus could have simply healed this man, and many people would have been amazed.

But physical healing only lasts for a short time. The real issue at hand is the healing of the soul. Being made alive through the Spirit of God.

And notice that this spiritual healing comes through faith.

Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

This is why the scribes and pharisees were having evil thoughts.

Matthew 9:3-4 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

In their minds, God is the only one that has power to forgive sins. But guess what?
Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh. 100% man, 100% God. The power to heal physically and spiritually. The power to forgive all sins.

5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?

They are both amazing supernatural acts of God.

Matthew 9:6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

Through this act of physical healing, Jesus revealed his power to heal the soul and to bring redemption to mankind.

Matthew 9:7-8 And he arose, and departed to his house. 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

So the multitudes of people recognized that such power only comes from God.

Understand that forgiveness for your sins can only come through Jesus Christ. He is the one that has power over all flesh.

The only way you can obtain eternal life is if you are forgiven by the Father. And the only way you can be forgiven by the Father is if you go through the son, Jesus Christ.

Acts 5:30-31 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Jesus Christ is the only man that walked on this earth that had direct power to forgive sins.

Next time you find yourself longing to watch Hollywood superhero movies. Maybe you feel like you want to have purpose in this life. Maybe you feel like you’re just another ordinary person amongst the billions of people on this planet.  

I want you to remember, if you believe in Jesus Christ and all your faith and trust is in Him, you have access to powers greater than any make-believe superhero will ever have.

Greater Works Than These

John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Understand that when Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, the power of the Holy Spirit came upon those that believe.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Jesus proclaimed that we would do greater works than he did. We have the power to reach more people than you can imagine.

You have unbelievable supernatural power through the Holy Spirit of God. Many people do not understand what this means for them. I want to show you 4 quick points on the power we have through Christ. These things crush all powers that man comes up with in movies.

1.Power Over Sin

If you believe in Jesus Christ, you now have power to stop sin in your life through the Holy Spirit of God. You have a choice to make. You can continue to serve sin and destroy your flesh. Or you can serve the Lord and walk under his umbrella of protection.

Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Understand that have something that the rest of the world does not have. You have power over your flesh through the Spirit of God.

2.Power in Prayer

Prayer is one of the greatest powers we have as believers in Jesus Christ. We have access to God the Father. The all knowing, all powerful, infinite God. And God is listening.

John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

I guarantee you many of us would not be here today if someone else did not pray for us. You have that power to intercede for others and to make request to God himself.

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

The Spirit of God inside of you is making intercession for us. That’s an amazing power of God that we have.

3.Power of Courage, Love, and a Sound Mind

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

There are many things in this life that bring fear. You need to know that you have power over fear. While the world has no hope, they fear death and many other things. God has given us the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind that cannot be shaken.

Hebrews 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

4.Power to Preach the Gospel

The greatest power that we have as believers is the ability to preach the good news of Jesus Christ. We have the ability to lead others to eternal life through the power of God.

God does not give us some special speaking ability to draw men to us by the way we talk…

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

The power that we have is in the gospel. The message of truth that eternal life comes only through Jesus. Thank God salvation does not depend upon our life. When you bring that truth to other people, it lifts the heaviest burden off their shoulders.

What is greater than showing people how to be saved from eternal suffering?

I want to give you an example of how much power God gives us.

The average American watches TV for 4 hours a day. That’s using conservative numbers.

Multiply that by 365 days = 1460 hours a year.

Let’s say you keep those habits for 60 years of your life. That’s 87,600 hours

Now think about this… When we go out soul winning in this area, it’s almost guaranteed that you will be able to preach the gospel to at least one person within an hours’ time.  

If you go out in these streets for one hour, you will find someone who wants to listen to the gospel and will believe on Jesus Christ and be saved forever.

If you watch 87,600 hours of TV during your life. How many people could you have potentially preached the gospel to?

87,600. Can you imagine that? 87,600 people could potentially be saved forever if you choose to go out and preach the gospel instead of watching TV and movies about super heroes.

Let’s say you just watch TV for one hour a day, That’s 21,900 people that could be saved instead of watching TV. And these are conservative numbers. They can be much higher because we often reach more than one person per hour in the streets. 2x, 3x, 4x more.

Take that same principle and apply it to all the other things we waste time on during our day… There are hundreds of thousands of people that can be saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ if we simply go out and use that power.

God has given us real power. It’s about time we use it.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Closing Thoughts

As we close I want you to think about how people spend their lives watching fictional power. Meanwhile, the real power of God sits untouched on a shelf.

If you are saved you already have the Holy Spirit living inside of you.

So why watch men fly on a screen, when you can help someone rise from death to life through the gospel?

So the question for you today… “Are you using the power that God has already given you?”

Hollywood wants you to worship fictional heroes. But Jesus Christ already came with power over all flesh, and he wants you to go out and use the power he has given you.

He proclaimed that those who believe would do greater works than these…

Understand what you have.

You have power over sin.  You have power in prayer.  You have power of courage, love, and a sound mind. You have power to preach the gospel.

Let’s use that power and watch thousands of people be changed by the gospel.
And remember who has the ultimate power to forgive sins. Jesus Christ has that power.
We can only be forgiven when we place all our faith and trust in Him. Let’s Pray.