Sent For This Purpose
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
There's a guy named Hugh Morehead who 55 years ago began a hobby of writing to famous philosophers and scientists and authors and asking them,
“What is the purpose of life?”
The responses he got back were depressing at best.
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Isaac Asimov wrote back, “As far as I can see there is no purpose to life.”
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Karl Jung, the Austrian psychiatrist, wrote, “I don't know what the meaning or the purpose of life is but it looks like as if there were something meant by it.”
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Arthur Clark, the author of 2001, wrote, “I'm afraid I have no concrete ideas of the purpose of life.”
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Albert Ellis, the psychiatrist who invented RET therapy said, “As far as I can tell, life has no special or intrinsic meaning or purpose.”
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Gerald Frank said, “In the cosmic scheme, I see neither meaning nor purpose.”
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Edward Gorny wrote, “I doubt if there is one.”
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William Gasp said, “There is no meaning to life.”
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Thomas Nagle said, “I'm afraid the meaning of life still eludes me.”
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With a sense of resignation Joseph Heller wrote, “I have no answers to the meaning of life and I no longer want to search for any.”
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Is there a purpose in life?
Is there a meaning to life?
Can we know why we are here?
Thankfully there is an answer in the Word of God!
From Genesis to Revelation the purpose of life is laid out...
And Thankfully Jesus was sent for a purpose...
To make a way when there was no way...
To make a way to eternal life!
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 4 and focus on verses 38 and 44.
Our message this morning is called, “Sent For This Purpose”
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This message today...
Will focus on purpose of Jesus being sent to our world,...
The authority He displayed,...
The mission He was on,...
And the message He proclaimed.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
His Authority Over The Physical...
His Authority Over The Spiritual...
And...
His Preaching With Authority.
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
Mighty and awesome God...
Sovereign ruler of all creation...
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We praise You for who You are...
You are kind...
You are merciful...
You are just...
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Yes, we praise You Holy God!
We praise You Heavenly Father...
We praise You Son of God...
We praise You Holy Spirit...
Yes, we praise You our Trinitarian God...
Three Persons in one Being!
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We thank you for the revelations found in your precious Scriptures...
For in them contain the words of life...
Thank you that You have made a way so that we can have the Scriptures in our own language...
That we may meditate on Your words day and night!
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Forgive us for falling short in obeying your perfect commands...
Forgive us for our wicked desires...
Forgive us for our hurtful actions that harms others and breaks Your perfect laws...
Give us the faithfulness to forgive others of what they have done to us...
No matter a action as You have forgiven us for so much more.
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Protect Your children from the attacks of the enemy...
Protect Your sheep from the temptations of the world...
Protect Your elect from those who twist the Scriptures for their own personal gain!
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
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.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) His Authority Over The Physical
1) His Authority Over The Physical
Verses 38-39: 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. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.
Regarding this section, pastor John MacArthur says:
“The physical effects of the fall are universal and devastating.
Birth is the first step toward death.
Deformity, illness, weakness, injury, disease, and death form the universal biography of mankind.
If He is to be the Savior of His people and take them to the perfections of eternal heaven, the Messiah must have the power to reverse all these natural effects of the fall.
This passage provides both a specific illustration of and a general reference to Jesus’ power over the natural realm.”
So, the point being made here...
Is that if the long-promised Messiah is to truly be our Savior...
He must be able to reverse the effects of the fall...
This includes the negative natural effects of the fall.
Jesus being not only fully man but also fully God means that He is the Creator of all things...
All things visible and invisible...
And as the Supreme Creator He must display full authority over the natural realm!
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The miracles that Jesus performed were not to show off...
They were not do for entertainment purposes...
The miracles Jesus performed had a vital purpose!
The miracles Jesus performed proved His claims as being who He claimed to be!
By having complete control over all things natural it proved He was its master...
For He was the one who created everything in nature...
And everything in nature is at His will...
That is why all Jesus has to say is a word and nature obeys!
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I would like to bring your attention to this...
Notice that our passage says that Jesus rebuked the fever...
As the Expositor’s Bible Commentary on Luke says:
“The fact that Jesus ‘rebukes’ an impersonal fever, as he had earlier rebuked the demon, has led some to assume that a personal evil force had caused the fever.
If so, one might also suspect this in Luke 8:24 [when Jesus rebukes the storm] which says...
24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm.
Otherwise either the fever is simply personified in effect, through the use of a vivid verb, or Luke is emphasizing the active force of Jesus’ word.
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This being the case, some think that here and in Luke 8:24 there must be demonic influence behind fever and storm.
However, this is not the case in God’s shaking of the heavens (Job 26:11)...
11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astounded at his rebuke.
Or the Red Sea (Psalm 106:9)...
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert.
And need not be assumed here.”
So, just because the Lord rebukes the fever of Peter’s mother-in-law is no grounds to believe her fever was the work of demonic influence.
We need to be biblical in our thinking and speaking...
Not take a single verse our of context and build a theology with it.
Disease and illness is a result of the fall but just because you have a cold that does not mean it is a demon doing that to you.
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One day all sickness and disease will be removed for the effects of the fall will be reversed...
Only the Messiah has that power and authority to do that...
And his miracles during His earthly ministry not only proved this...
It fulfilled prophecy.
In Matthew’s account of this same even he add this in Matthew 8:17:
17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
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Additionally, notice the phrase “immediately she rose and began to serve” from our passage and the similar language in the found in Matthew account...
Ordinarily when a fever breaks...
The one who previously had a high fever is still left weak and takes some time to regain their strength...
However, note the immediate energy and activity of Simon’s mother-in-law...
This further confirms her miraculous healing...
And how it was not just instant but complete.
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Additionally, Simon’s mother-in-law models the perfect response to receiving a gift or blessing from God...
Gratefulness!
And she shows this by her response of service.
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We need to keep this in mind as believers...
For what greater gift have we recieved than saving grace by God...
And the gift of the Holy Spirit who lives in us now?
So, shouldn’t all believers live the rest of their lives in faithful service to our Lord for what He has given us...
For none of this would even be possible if it was not for the work Jesus did on the cross at Calvary.
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It was not just illness and disease Jesus had authority and power over...
The very laws of nature were at His will...
Look with me at Matthew 14:25 which says:
25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
Only the son of God could have this kind of command over gravity and water...
Only the Messiah could effortlessly walk on water like it was land...
He even had the ability to allow others like Peter to walk on water too...
Yet Peter’s faith was shaken he started to sink only to be saved by His Savior.
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Jesus also had complete authority over weather itself...
Moses cried out to God and the sea split...
Elijah cried out to God and the rains stopped and started...
By Jesus, who is God in the flesh just spoke!
As we quickly touched upon earlier..
Jesus rebuked the storm and it listened to Him.
Matthew 8:23-27 records this amazing display of power and authority unique to Christ:
23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.
25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”
26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
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Beloved, that is not all...
Our God controls the atoms and molecules that make up all created matter...
And by His command He can multiple it in an instant...
Look with me at Matthew 14:19–20 which records another amazing and incredible event in Jesus’ ministry:
19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.
Five loaves...
And two fish...
Feed thousands!
And not just feed them...
But filled them until they were satisfied!
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Who else but the great I Am can do this!
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Not only can Jesus multiply atoms and molecules...
He can change them at His will in an instant!
John 2:9 records this jaw dropping moment:
9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom
Jesus turned water into wine...
Just like that!
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Who else but the great I Am can do this!
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Simply incredible.
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Now, before we get to our next point...
I want to share with you why Jesus’ healing ministry was unique...
And why you should be alarmed when so called “faith healers” claim they can do the same thing Jesus did.
While reading The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Luke, I came across this vital note that is very relevant to our day:
“The Lord’s healing ministry set the pattern for the true biblical gift of healing.
Six features characterized His healing ministry and set it apart from those of the fake ‘faith healers,’ who have paraded themselves before the church with their deceptive and abusive false promises.
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First, Jesus healed with a word, as He did in the case of the centurion’s servant or, as here with Peter’s mother-in-law, a touch.
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Second, Jesus healed instantly.
There were no progressive healings; the people He cured did not gradually get better.
As noted above, Peter’s mother-in-law’s symptoms vanished at once, and she was fully restored to health.
Similarly, the centurion’s servant ‘was healed that very moment’;
The woman with the hemorrhage was healed ‘immediately’;
The ten lepers were cleansed of their disease as soon as they left to show themselves to the priests;
After Jesus ‘stretched out His hand and touched [another leper] … immediately the leprosy left him’;
When Jesus commanded the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda,
‘‘Get up, pick up your pallet and walk,’ immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.’
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Third, Jesus healed totally.
Peter’s mother-in-law was cured of all her symptoms and went at once from being bedridden to serving a meal.
When Jesus healed a man ‘covered with leprosy,’ ‘the leprosy left him.’
It was the same with all of Jesus’ healings; ‘the blind receive[d] sight and the lame walk[ed], the lepers [were] cleansed and the deaf hear[d].’
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Fourth, as verse 40 notes, Jesus healed everyone.
He did not leave behind long lines of disappointed, distraught people who were not healed, like modern faith healers do.
Matthew 4:24 says that ‘the news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.’
According to Matthew 12:15, ‘Many followed Him, and He healed them all,’
While Luke 6:19 notes that ‘all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.’
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Fifth, Jesus healed organic disease.
He did not heal vague, ambiguous, invisible ailments such as lower back pain, heart palpitations, or headaches.
On the contrary, He restored full mobility to paralyzed limbs, full sight to blind eyes, full hearing to deaf ears, and fully cleansed leprous skin.
Jesus healed ‘every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.’
All of Jesus’ healings were undeniable, miraculous signs, as even His most bitter enemies admitted.
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Finally, Jesus raised the dead—
Not those who were in a temporary coma, or whose vital signs fluctuated during surgery,
But a young man in his casket on his way to the graveyard, a young girl whose death was apparent to all, and a man who had been dead for four days.
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Unlike modern faith healers, Jesus performed His healings in public before huge crowds in various locations—
Not in the carefully orchestrated and highly controlled surroundings of modern healing venues or television studios.
Nor were His healings contingent on the faith of the one being healed;
Most of those He healed were unbelievers, and hence unable to make a ‘positive confession’ and claim their healing.
So unprecedented was Christ’s healing ministry that people exclaimed, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’
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The apostles, the seventy, and a few close associates of the apostles (Barnabas, Philip, and Stephen) were also granted the gift of healing to authenticate them as the preachers of God’s truth.
Their healing was characterized by the same features that marked Christ’s healing.
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The gift of healing in the New Testament was not given to keep believers healthy, but as a sign to unbelievers verifying the truthfulness of the gospel and the authenticity of its preachers.
To claim that healing is the norm in the church undermines its unique role in authenticating Jesus and the apostles as revealers of divine truth.
In keeping with that purpose, healings faded from the scene as the apostolic era drew to a close.
Paul, Epaphroditus, Timothy, and Trophimus were all recorded to have been sick.
None of them were healed.
Nor do the New Testament Epistles, which define the life and theology of the church, refer to a ministry of healing.
There is no evidence that the kind of healings seen in the era of Jesus and the apostles was to continue beyond them.
Nor were such healings a regular part of the purpose of God before them.
They are extremely rare in the Old Testament;
For example, none are recorded for the 750 years from Isaiah to Jesus Christ.
God may choose to heal through the prayers of His people, but not through miracle working men as in the case of our Lord and His associates.”
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These are true words of wisdom in an age were many desire to have their ears tickled...
And many run foolishly after signs and wonders...
So, let us be wise in our discernment...
Let us be biblical in our actions and thinking.
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Next, after presenting how Jesus had supreme authority over the physical world...
Let’s look at Jesus’ authority over the spiritual world...
And this takes us to our next point.
2) His Authority Over The Spiritual
2) His Authority Over The Spiritual
Verses 40-41: 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. 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.
The phrase, “the sun was setting” signifies the end of the Sabbath...
The reason Luke mentions this is to point out that as soon as the Sabbath ended...
The people were free to travel...
So, that is why the multitudes started to come to Jesus.
The New International Commentary on the New Testament on Luke puts it this way:
“The Jewish days commenced and ended with the setting of the sun.
That was the reason why the inhabitants of Capernaum waited on that day (which was a Sabbath) until sunset (when the Sabbath ended) and then brought their sick and demon-possessed people to Jesus.
Although the Saviour had already been through a long and fatiguing day, He still continued until a late hour with His self-sacrificing service.
He laid His hands upon the sick, one by one, and healed them, and with His word of power cast out the demons from many who were possessed.
The evil spirits again showed that they knew Him as the Anointed Son of God, but Jesus did not suffer them to speak.
He wanted no proclamation of His Messiahship through them, the spirits of hell, with whom He has nothing in common.”
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Further, notice to that Luke here clearly distinguishes between the casting out of demons and healing...
Again, this reveals to us that not all diseases are due to demonic power...
Although, as we discussed in greater detail last week, some diseases do have a demonic origin.
So, this should warns us not to assume that the New Testament writers thought all disease was caused by demons.
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Some, who try to remove supernatural elements from the Scripture, argue that there was no actual demonic possession as recorded in Scripture...
They try to say that in the ancient world they confused sickness with demonic activity...
Yet Luke here clearly makes a distinction between the two as other Gospel writers have also done.
So, both extremes need to be avoided...
Everything we see as problematic in our lives should not just be labeled as demonic activity...
And every event in Scripture labeled as truly demonic activity should not be written off as ancient people who were confused....
Simply put our faith and the doctrines we hold to need to be based on Scripture and not human wisdom or understanding.
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Jesus’ encounters with demons were very real and we talked extensively about this last week...
In many of those encounters the demons acknowledged who Jesus was as it says in Mark 3:11:
11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”
Yet Jesus silenced them because He did not want the endorsement of demons...
Moreover, Jesus had a time and way in which He was to reveal Himself so He did not allow the demons to interfere with that...
The reason Jesus could do that is because even demons who are His enemies are subject to His will.
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Our Lord and Savior is truly sovereign over all including the spiritual world...
That included spiritual beings...
Both friend and foe...
All answer to Him!
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Jesus’ power and authority even over demons was even displayed when the specific demon possessed person was not even in His direct presence...
Look with me at Matthew 15:22–28 which says:
22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
The women’s daughter was not in the scene at all yet Jesus healed her...
And not only that...
He healed this gentile woman’s daughter in an instant.
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Recorded in Matthew 12:28-29 we find anther profound deceleration of Christ...
He is the one who is stronger than the strong man...
He has the complete and ultimate power to bind him in his own house...
That passage reads:
28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.
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It was not just demons Christ had authority over in the spiritual world...
The armies of heaven stood at His command...
Recall with me what it says in Matthew 26:53:
53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?
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Additionally, Jesus’ authority over the forgiveness of sin was displayed in His miracles of healing as seen in Matthew 9:1-8:
1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.
2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”
3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”
4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”
7 And he rose and went home.
8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
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So, the whole natural world and the whole spiritual world is at the mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
This is the God we serve, Beloved!
This is Messiah who we put our faith in, Church!
And He was sent on a mission to our world...
He was sent to preach with authority the life saving message of the Gospel...
And this takes us to our third and final point.
3) His Preaching With Authority
3) His Preaching With Authority
Verses 42-44: 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, 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.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
In Mark’s Gospel account we learn that the reason Jesus went to a desolate place was to pray to the Father...
This is recorded in Mark 1:35 which says:
35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
This action of Jesus finding a desolate place to pray to God the Father is a constantly occurring pattern in the New Testament...
This shows how Jesus was always in communication with the Father for the purpose to do His will...
Something we should all do in our lives too!
Remember what Jesus says in John 4:34:
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
The Father’s will and the work He sent Him to do was always on Jesus mind...
And it was constatly seen in His actions.
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So, it was at that time that the citizens of Capernaum attempt to keep Jesus in their city, but they fail to do so...
For Jesus refuses to stay in Capernaum, because staying in one place would be counter to His mission...
Jesus has a commission, which he must heed...
It involves the message of the kingdom’s nearness...
A powerful message that Jesus uses to announce salvation’s approach.
Theologian James R. Edwards puts it like this:
“In addition to pursuing Jesus, the crowd wishes to ‘restrain’ him.
The Greek behind ‘restrain,’ katechein, means to ‘hold fast (to something).’
Luke can use this word positively of adhering to God’s word in faith, but here it describes an attempt to contain Jesus and is therefore neither faithful nor positive.
The people of Capernaum thus want to control Jesus.
True, Capernaum has received Jesus eagerly, as Nazareth did not; but Capernaum’s desire for ‘exclusive rights’ to Jesus misunderstands and impedes his mission, for it prevents him from proclaiming ‘the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns.’
Satan sought to redefine Jesus’ mission in the temptation, and the Nazarenes, in threatening to throw Jesus from a cliff, sought to end it.
But even Capernaum’s desire to ‘be fed by’ Jesus, as we say today, is self-serving and thus an overture of self-will over God’s will.
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Jesus seizes the misunderstanding to clarify his purpose, ‘I must proclaim good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.’”
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As Mark puts it in Mark 1:38:
38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”
In our passage, Jesus says, “I must preach the good news”…
The word “must” points to the divine compulsion in Jesus’ central mission of spreading the good news.
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This central message of preaching the good news is evident in passages like Matthew 11:2–5...
Here John the Baptist reveals some of his doubts and wants to know from Jesus if He truly is the Messiah...
That passage says:
2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples
3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:
5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
Jesus reassured John that the mission of the Messiah was being accomplished...
In addition to healing the sick and casting out demons...
The Good News of the Kingdom of God was preached!
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New Testament Theologian, Robert H. Stein, has this to say about the term “Kingdom of God” mentioned in our passage:
“This is the first occurrence of the expression ‘Kingdom of God’ in Luke.
It occurs earlier in Mark and in Matthew.
Luke, however, chose to introduce it at this point.
The expression occurs thirty-one times in Luke, and ‘kingdom’ occurs another six times.
Luke made no attempt to define this expression here, for he anticipated that his readers already possessed some understanding of its meaning.
Furthermore the preceding material in Luke 1:1–4:42 should help further clarify what his message of God’s kingdom entails.
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The expression ‘Kingdom of God’ should be interpreted dynamically rather than statically, for it involves the dynamic of God’s reign rather than a territory with static borders.
The term “kingdom” in the Bible usually refers to the rule of someone rather than the territory controlled.
Understood this way, God’s kingdom was proclaimed by Jesus and Luke as a present reality as well as a future hope.
The alternatives of either a ‘realized’ understanding of God’s kingdom (the kingdom already has come) or a ‘consistent’ understanding (the kingdom is still entirely in the future) are therefore unnecessary.
God’s kingdom is both present and future.
It already has been realized in fulfillment of the Old Testament promises but awaits the final consummation when Jesus returns.
In this verse the ‘good news of the kingdom of God refers to its present realized manifestation.’”
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So, let’s now look at some passages were Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God...
Matthew 4:17 says:
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Here we see Jesus talking about the Kingdom in a present way...
In John 18:36–37 Jesus talks about how His Kingdom is not like the kingdoms of the world:
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Do you see that, Beloved...
Jesus again declares why He was born and sent into our world...
He says that He cam to bear witness to the truth...
He says He can to those with a ear to listen...
He say He came for this purpose...
For Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
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But Jesus is like no other king...
Our King came into this world to serve us...
Our King came to lay down His life for his enemies...
Our King came to declare the Kingdom of God to a world that would reject Him and execute Him live a hardened criminal.
As Galatians 4:4–5 says:
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
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The King of Kings came into our broken world to save wicked sinners...
He left His perfect kingdom and in obedience to the Father lived for us and then died for us...
We were traitors in God’s eyes...
We deserve eternal Hellfire...
Yet Christ came down to earth so that we may be adopted into the royal family of God...
For this is the promise to all those who will surrender, trust, and obey the Lord!
As Matthew 20:28 says:
28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like to share this that I came across in my study this week:
“While serving as a missionary in Laos,” tells John Hess-Yoder,
“I discovered an illustration of the kingdom of God.
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“Before the colonialists imposed national boundaries, the kings of Laos and Vietnam reached an agreement on taxation in the border areas.
Those who ate short-grain rice built their houses on stilts, and decorated them with Indian-style serpents were considered Laotians.
On the other hand, those who ate long-grain rice built their houses on the ground, and decorated them with Chinese-style dragons were considered Vietnamese.
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“The exact location of a person’s home was not what determined his or her nationality.
Instead, each person belonged to the kingdom whose cultural values he or she exhibited.”
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So it is with us:
We live in the world, but as part of God’s kingdom, we are to live according to His kingdom’s standards and values.
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Church, this brings to mind John 12:46-50 which says:
46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.
47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.
50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”
Jesus came into our world and spoke truth...
He spoke of eternal life...
And He warned of eternal Hell...
He spoke of the Kingdom of God...
And He spoke of the kingdoms of the world...
Were do you find yourself today?
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Are you living for the world or God’s Kingdom?
Are you thinking just about right now or is your mind and heart on eternity in Heaven?
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It does not matter your background...
It doesn’t matter your past...
God is no respecter of persons...
A man like Paul was the chief of sinners but he ran the race with endurance and in with Christ now...
Judas was one of the 12 disciples and on paper looked great but betrayed our Lord due to his greed and false idea of the Messiah...
The Jews are physical children of Abraham but as a whole rejected Christ...
The Gentiles never had the Law but by grace through faith became spiritual descendants of Abraham and accepted Christ...
Many have grown up in the church but have hearts that are cold to God...
Others grew up in dysfunctional families and later in life God saved by God’s mercy and grace...
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Whether your family consist of faithful followers of the Lord or whether your family never steeped inside a church building it does not matter...
Today is the day of salvation...
Today is the day to surrender and trust Him if you have not done so already...
Today is the day to repent and believe if you do not yet know Him...
For as Romans 10:9-10 says:
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.