Action After Anointing
Jared Trotter
The Lord's Favor • Sermon • Submitted
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Transcript
Intro
Intro
Clean work boots.
A lifted two wheel drive truck.
An amazing kitchen with empty shelves.
A workshop with no sawdust.
These are all things prepared, but lacking the function of their purpose. Today we conclude our series on Luke 4:18-19 by looking at the passages after it.
If Jesus was anointed to perform a purpose, what did that look like? We’ll look at three areas Jesus demonstrated authority and what that means for our following Him.
Pray
Read together:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Summarize v. 20-30
rolled scroll, sat down and taught
“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
They marveled at His teaching, but began to rebel against His claims.
Jesus points out “a prophet is not without honor expect in his hometown” and the prophets of old had to travel outside Israel to find someone to believe them.
This stirred their anger and they sought to throw him off a cliff!
Luke 4:30 “30 But passing through their midst, he went away.”
31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, 32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region. 38 And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. 39 And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. 40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. 42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, 43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Three areas of authority Jesus expresses in this passage. In those areas of authority, He does not remain idol. He is not one who is prepared and pointless.
He expresses His authority in action. Those actions are received differently by different people.
Everyone has an opportunity to answer the question: “What will you do with Jesus?”
Jesus doesn’t execute His authority, but expresses it. He could impose His authority and a final definitive action. In fact, He will do that.
16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
But until that day comes, His authority is expressed. His delay in judgement is a kindness.
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
If we had not repented, we would come face to face with the word of judgement and authority of Jesus. But there is opportunity for innumerable people to hear the good news of the Kingdom of God and choose repentance.
Let’s observe how Jesus approached this, so we know how to follow.
Jesus: Authority Over the Spiritual Realm.
Jesus: Authority Over the Spiritual Realm.
(V. 31-37)
Jesus was sent to “proclaim liberty to the captives”. I want us to recognize the relationship between proclaiming and authority.
I can go to the zoo and tell all the animals there “YOU’RE FREE!!” But they wouldn’t budge. They wouldn’t actually be free! There are two reasons.
I have no authority. If I was a zookeeper maybe I would have the authority.
They don’t recognize my voice. I don’t know how to communicate with them and they don’t know what I’m saying
When I get home, and I open the door, my dog will wait at the door. When I tell her to go through, she goes through.
This is because I have established my authority and because she knows the commands.
Here we see the demon addressing Jesus. I have so many questions:
What was the demon possessed man doing in the synagogue?
Did the demon know Jesus was coming?
Did Jesus know the demon was there before He arrived?
Did Jesus sneak up on it?
But when they did confront each other, notice the demon isn’t the only declaration it makes is “I know who you are - the Holy One of God.” Everything else is a question? Not to challenge Jesus but to find out what He WOULD DO.
Jesus has all the cards. Jesus is in control. Jesus has the authority.
36 Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!”
At another encounter...
28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
They even know there would come a time when that authority wound be expressed in absolute terms. But that time had (and has) not yet come.
35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.
At the command of Jesus, the demon obeyed. Jesus had authority, and the demon know it. The demon also knew His voice. Notice the word “rebuke” here. Your translation might say ‘said sternly’, or ‘reprimanded’. But this word appears two more times in this passage. The word is our tie-in, connecting thoughts here.
The demons are bound His authority but don’t submit to His truth. Under full knowledge of who God is and His character, they refuse to submit to His authority, His righteousness, His truth.
As we engage in Jesus name with this broken world, we will encounter spiritual oppression, spiritual darkness, spiritual enemies. We will have opposition. And it might seem to be more than we can handle. Well, it is!
That spiritual force of darkness knows you and I have no intrinsic authority. That we can’t exert our will over them. But do they know our voice?
11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
It seems rather inadvisable to confront evil, even in the name of Jesus, without the power of Jesus in us. What is that power? It is the Spirit of the Living God who dwells in us - God possesses His people!
Remember to seek out God’s intent, God’s purpose, in confrontations with evil. Least we are overpowered and flee naked and wounded!
Jesus proclaimed liberty the those in spiritual captivity. He is effective in that because He has authority over the spiritual realm. And because He has authority, His correction is definitive.
Jesus: Authority Over the Physical Realm.
Jesus: Authority Over the Physical Realm.
(v. 38-41)
38 And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. 39 And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. 40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
Jesus appears to have been acquainted with Simon at this point before He calls him as a disciple. When they get to Simon’s house, the illness of his mother-in-law becomes the subject.
You’ll notice the same word at this point - rebuke. Jesus rebuked the fever. Jesus spoke a corrective command to the illness. And the fever listened.
NO, the fever didn’t listen! A fever isn’t a sentient entity. It’s a condition of the physical world. Authority can be over another individual or, as it is here, over an element of creation.
We are not without authority here.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Our dominion, or authority, is limited in scope and extent. In scope because it is defined as being over the living animals. In extent because we have authority to utilize them - to steward them - but we don’t have the capacity of declarative authority like God does.
I can tell my dog to wait at the door because I have trained her to do that. God told the animals to go to the ark and they did because His very word to them was authority. There are characteristics of God He shares with us. Theses are called communicable attributes: love, knowledge, mercy. Then there are uncommunicable attributes: Infinite, unchangeable, all the omni-s. This also includes the limitless scope and extent of God’s authority.
Jesus shares this attribute - it’s one way we know that Jesus of Nazareth is fully God and fully man.
When Jesus speaks to the waves, His voice is the authority. When we speaks to Lazarus in the grave, He came out. These are the rebukes of Jesus to the creation. And they results prove His authority. And His authority proves His identity!
We can come to Him and ask impossible things. Because we define impossible on a scale of 0 to human. We can know that has the ability. What is hard is trusting God in His discretion.
But make no mistake - we CAN trust God.
Jesus: Authority Over the Truth.
Jesus: Authority Over the Truth.
Truth is universal. There’s no your truth, no my truth. Truth is by definition an expression of God. Truth extends across the physical and spiritual realms. It is eternal as God is eternal.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
It’s not just any wisdom and instruction we are urged to head, it’s the wisdom and instruction from the Lord.
Even the demons understand certain truths.
41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. 42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, 43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Acknowledging facts is not the same thing as believing and trusting in them. When the demons see Jesus, the acknowledge His position - “You are the Son of God!”
But notice how John the Baptist addresses Jesus:
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
And that is the only thing that will ultimately matter - how a person responds to Jesus.
That is what our purpose on earth is - to testify about the person and character of Jesus. In our words, in our work, in our action. When what we do and say is in alignment with right theology (what we think about God and His character) and morality, we speak God’s truth to the world that needs it.
When it comes to morality, let me clarify one thing. The Bible almost exclusively talks about moral alignment in terms of our own actions. Secondarily, it talks about encouraging and correcting other Christ-followers in love.
If we have a message of truth to unbelievers it is not about how they should live morally. It is about Jesus taking away their sins and calling them to His Kingdom.
But when we shift morality to our own standards, or try to contort God’s standards to align with the worlds, we get in trouble. We lie about God’s character.
We don’t have authority to to redefine the truth of what is right and wrong. Only God does.
We don’t have the authority to define God, only to reflect Him. God alone is the authority of truth. The scripture is His chosen instrument to communicate that. And the indwelling Spirit of God His gift to us to confirm His truth, and empower us to walk in it.
Let me encourage each of us to commit time to be in the Word. To read the Bible on a regular basis. Devotions are good and help us to see some application. But we are each equipped to hear God’s truth when we have been redeemed by Him and recieved His spirit.
We can only be the church God has called us to be - Crosspoint Community Church - in this particular neighborhood - when we are all seeking the good authority of the King. Authority in our spiritual lives. Authority in our physical lives. And Authority over what we know and believe to be true.
Let us live like this, and call others to join us!
Pray
The people seek to benefit from His authority but don’t submit to it.