Jesus heals a demon possessed man

ME-

YOU

Tension

God

Luke 4:31-37 “31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath,.

EXP

Two major themes in Luke are beginning to unfold:

Salvation to the Gentiles- begins in Galilee. A Jewish Rabbi that never leaves Israel with Jewish followers preaching from a Jewish Bible. How? Luke/ Acts explains it. The Gospel goes from one man, to a city, region, State, empire. It explains the growth of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Starts to grow in Galilee first.

Reversal of Fortune (ministry to the marginalized)- Life Change when you encounter Jesus. If you are down and out, Jesus will seek you and serve you. He is looking for the marginalized of society. (He calls the to repent and believe that the kingdom is here!)

32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority

He wasn’t standing on the authority of scripture, or prophets, or rabbis, or anyone. He was making the claims on his own authority.

“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”- Carl Sagan

Jesus accompanied his teaching with extraordinary evidence called signs. We call them miracles but Jesus called them signs that his claims were true.

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,

Demons is a good place to dive into weird.

Demons- We have trouble with demons and some degree angels. I won’t get to into this except to say what I said a few weeks ago, if you don’t accept that spirits exist. If you are new to the Bible or just checking things out, don’t start there, start with Jesus. Jesus didn’t teach “be a good person”, if you begin to follow Jesus, you are going to have to unlearn what you have learned.

This ties in to the messianic hope we’ve been talking about. The people of Israel are waiting for someone to oust Rome, it also seems as if the Kingdom of God is ousting the presence of demons and evil spirits from the land as well. Just as the messianic prophecies are vague to us, the demons and spirits don’t fully understand either.

The deeper I go, the more I unlearn. The more I open my heart and mind to what God is doing, the more I unlearn what I thought he was doing.

This is the first exorcism of a demon that occurs in the entire Bible. No where in the Old Testament did we see an exorcism. It is as is these evil spirits or demons are going about their day and when Jesus arrives the upside down is awakened. His simple presence awakens them, but his intentions have been hidden.

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.”

YOU

Point 1: vs 32- I must seek Jesus’ authority.

EXP- Authority. (they were astonished, astounded, and amazed) They were seeking God, genuinely.

We must understand Jesus from Jesus. Not what someone says about Jesus. You have to dig into scripture and His words

ILL> Seeking Jesus through HIS Words.

Why do Christians focus on homosexuality so much. We don’t, the media writes and talks about it. The churches of Wylie sent thousands of dollars to the Ukraine before any neighboring countries or government organizations lifted a finger. Jeff Denton from Waterbrook used his connections. We had two weeks worth of food to Arequipa, Peru in days of the lockdowns, before the Peruvian government was able to feed people. These small churches were the source of life for the people. But that isn’t what gets focused on. Instead we get a years worth of pro-life vs pro- choice, or the church is only focuses on sexuality. The media, the culture is hyper focused on these things. I touch on them when appropriate, but every week my message is the same. I am a sinner who needs a savior.

APP>

If you are new to the faith, seek Jesus on his own authority, not someone else’s bad imitation. Read the Bible and

If you are old to the faith, see Jesus daily and know him more. Knowing God is like trying to read the internet. There is no end to it’s depths.

Point 2: Vs. 33-35- I must see Jesus’ authority

EXP The people who were seeking Jesus, saw His complete authority. He had power over the demons.

Matthew 28:18 “18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

This is the first exorcism in the Bible. This is the first time a demon is commanded and forced/ compelled to obey in the entire Bible. The demon recognizes Jesus authority and is compelled to obey.

The demon recognizes Jesus, but not his intention. He knows this is God in the flesh but he doesn’t seem to know why.

The main thing I want you to see is that Jesus’ words had HIS authority and HIS commands also have authority. Demons obey. Demons don’t get to announce the Kingdom, he does. Demons don’t get to identify the Messiah, he does.

Dr. Luke is careful to show us that the man possessed has been safely freed from captivity with no harm..

ILL Unlearning. “You must unlearn what you have learned”.- YODA

- Pursuing God is the process of unlearning what you think you know. I think I’m in control. I think I can defeat my sin. I think I can overcome

APP> The claim Jesus is making is not, I am an option. People won’t get mad and try to kill someone who is just an option. Jesus says he is the only option. Jesus has all authority whether you give it to him or not. You can figure it out now or later.

Some of us have to unlearn our disbelief in what God can and can’t do.

Paul says Philippians 2:10-11 “10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Point 3: Vs. 36-37 I must submit to Jesus authority

EXP Ultimately, all of the people that saw Jesus were amazed and talked about His authority, but did they actually submit to Him. Did they say, “I am going to submit everything to him now. I am under his authority.

ILL > Umbrella- Submission gets a bad rep. We aren’t talking about oppression. Jesus provides protection and ultimate authority.

I must get entirely under this umbrella. What ever isn’t under isn’t protected.

I must follow where the umbrella holder goes. I get under it for a second by proximity, but ultimately I must follow it.

I must submit my finances to Jesus. I steward wisely so that I can give generously.

I must submit my time to Jesus. I steward wisely so I can grow spiritually. Rest, recreate, read, etc.

I must submit my wants to Jesus.

I must submit my sins to Jesus. Only Jesus has authority to cover my sins.

WE

Next month we should be able to get the zoning for our potential building changed. We are getting closer to being a pillar in this community. Imagine what God can do through an entire church that is absolutely given to His authority. Imagine what God is gonna do through us. But we’ve got to stand under his authority and his protection.