The 72 Return
Jesus For All • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Good-morning church! If you have a Bible, grab it and open up to Luke’s gospel, chapter 10. We will be looking at verses 17-24 this morning.
Before we dive into the sermon, I wanted to take just a few moments to commend you church.
It is an absolute joy to be your pastor. I am honored.
Last week we had a combined service with Westmoreland Baptist…due to the fact we had no where to hold our service. I saw many things that encouraged me.
You were the church on the move.
You didn’t allow not having a building hinder your worship. We packed up our trailer and made it happen.
You were crazy generous.
The entire offering on Sunday went to WBC
You brought the party.
You set the example on how to worship.
‘We haven’t seen this many people in the building for years.
‘We haven’t felt what we are feeling this morning for 5 years.’
‘I wish we could do this every Sunday.’
Obviously, there were some complainers....
‘Theres way to many cars in the parking lot.’
‘Where do I sit? Someone is in my seat? I’ve sat here for years.’
One man said, ‘this feels like a takeover.’
MY personal favorite....’they brought a rap station into the sanctuary.’
But after the service....WBC was blown away and EVERYONE said it was a wonderful service.
WBC is in a season of change. I believe God sent us there last week to change things up but also give them a glimpse of hope of what the future could be.
I don’t know about you, but last week made me appreciate what we have so much more.
Church, we have it good.
The comment I shared earlier, ‘we haven’t felt this in 5 years’.....church we feel it every single week.
Can we take just a moment to pray and thank God for what we have here at River Valley? Let’s also beg for him to speak to us this morning.
PRAY
What is the most important thing in your life? What brings you joy?
With a crowd this size there could be many different answers.
Some may say their spouse…their kids…their jobs…their house…bank account…401K…cars…their status…the list could go on an on.
My goal today is to show you from God’s word what the most important thing in your life should be. And I pray by the end of the sermon we will ALL collectively have the same answer.
I’ll go ahead and tell you what the answer is.
The most important thing in your life is your relationship with Jesus Christ.
9467 If we try to find lasting joy in any human relationship, it will end in vanity, something that passes like a morning cloud. The true joy of a man’s life is in his relationship to God.
Oswald Chambers
I’ve got three points for us this morning as we navigate through these verse. The points all revolve around the joy that Christ brings to us.
If you'e taking notes, I will go ahead and give you all three points. 1) The Joy in Service. 2)The Joy in Salvation. 3)The Joy in Soverignty.
Here we go....point one.
THE JOY IN SERVICE
Would you look at verse 17 with me....
“The seventy - two returned with JOY....’
So much is packed into these 6 words.
Jesus chooses 72 people and he sends them out into the different villages and towns to proclaim the kingdom as well as serve the people.
Couple thoughts about the 72...
Think about the amount of people. Ministry is meant to be done as a group....with others!
Jesus is giving us a model of service. We do it as a team
Thats why we have teams here. We don’t want anyone serving as a lone rangers.
Burnout happens when people serve all by themselves.
You might be like me....people get in my way. I can do it faster and better by myself.
We are missing the example that God gave us. He sends out a team of 72.
The old African Proverb has wisdom....If you want to go fast go alone....If you want to go far go together.
Ministry and Serving Jesus is hard. It takes sacrifice. You will get exhausted. You will get discouraged. You will want to quit.
Jesus wants longevity in service. To do that…do it with others.
You want to know one of the many reasons I think our church has made it? Theres the obvious reason....God has sustained us....
But i also believe we get this concept. We do things as a team and as a family.
When I have wanted to quit those around me pull me back and encourage me and we keep going.
It’s hard work setting up every Sunday. How have we done it for almost 9 years? We do it together.
Church, we need you.
We find JOY in service when we serve and labor TOGETHER
The 72 was also a group of unnamed people. The Christian life is a life of obscurity. It’s not about our name....it’s about the name of Christ that matters and what he’s doing through us.
Austrian theologian Nikolaus Ludwig, count von Zinzendorf says this....Preach the Gospel. Die. Be forgotten.
The text tells us that the 72 returned....
Returned from what? Serving Christ. Doing what he sent them out to do.
How did they return? The text tells us....WITH JOY!
Christ wants us to serve him WITH JOY!
When we serve Christ with Joy in our hearts in return he gives us Joy in him.
God is more concerned with our attitude than with the acts of service.
David says in Psalm 100....Serve the Lord with GLADNESS!
May RVC be filled with people who serve with JOY and Gladness.
I will even go this far. And I mean to offend you....
If you cant serve with Gladness....don’t serve at all
May our hearts overflow with JOY as we serve our Lord together!
Point 2.....
THE JOY IN SALVATION
Verse 17 continues.....Saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.
The source of joy for the 72 was this fact. We saw a couple chapters ago that when faced with the demonic the disciples were unable to cast it out. But now they have victory!
For us as believers…we have this same authority! The demons are subject to us!
But whats the source of this supernatural authority? The text tells us....
IN YOUR NAME!!!!!
The 72 did not posses the authority in of themselves and the same is true for us today....its all in the name of Christ!
At the name of CHRIST! all demons tremble and flee.
Jesus is now going to take time to correct their thinking....he responds in verse 18
18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Some theologians believe it was at this very moment that Satan fell. I don’t think that is consistent with scripture.
Rather, I think Jesus is validating the source of the authority.
Yea…the demons are subject to you. Guess what…I was there when their master fell. I saw with my own eyes the downfall of Satan.
Satan has no power and authority over me. I was the one who cast him out! Of course the demons are subject to you!
Verse 19...
19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
Jesus gives us His authority! How can he give authority? Because he has it?
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Luke continues, all authoirty to tread on serpents and scorpions.
It’s interesting that these two were uses. Maybe they actually encountered snakes and scorpion on their journey....that was very popular in the trans-Jordan region of the wilderness.
People may even assocaite this verse with the Apostle Paul when he was shipwrecked on his way to Rome and he was bit by a viper. Everyone thought he would die…but Acts tells us....
5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.
Think about this from the Old Testament....
15 who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock,
I think this is the point Jesus is making with snakes and scorpions.
Remember your ancestors? Remember when I brought them out of Egypt? Remember when they were wondering around for 40 years? There were snakes and scorpions…WHO PROTECTED THEM?
Just like I protected them....I will protect you.
That protection goes further....over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall hurt you.
Some preachers will take this to fuel their prosperity gospel viewpoints. This doesn’t mean that nothing will ever hurt us or cause us pain.
Rather, Jesus promises us pain in this life.
But the protection is more of a spiritual protection. Our lives are completely secure in christ.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Here’s the joy in Salvation! Jesus says in verse 20...
20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
The demons are subject to you? Cool. You have authority over snakes and scorpions? Okay....nothing shall hurt you....don’t rejoice in that.
You are rejoicing in the wrong things. None of that matters....
With us today…we rejoice in the wrong things!
Only ONE thing should bring you ultimate joy in this life.
Rejoice that your names are written in heaven!
1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
This scroll is commonly known as the book of lIfe…A collection of names of the elect…those who trust in Christ.
PREACH!!!! GRACE AND MERCY!
If you’re here this morning and your relationship with God is a bit stale....it happens from time to time,
May this morning be like what David said in the Psalm....Restore to me the JOY of my salvation!
What’s the most important thing in your life? That your name is written in heaven!
Point Three
THE JOY OF SOVEREIGNTY
This word may scare some people or you may have never heard this word before.
When we talk about the sovereignty of God we are talking about His complete control over all things! Simply put, he’s the boss. What he says goes. What he wants to do he does.
You may say you don’t like that.....I will remind you, you’re not God.
As believers, the sovereignty of God should bring us peace and rest and joy.
Jesus addresses God’s sovereignty in the next passage....
21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
Look what the first part of verse 21 says.....he rejoiced!
Of course Jesus had joy....but this is the ONLY time in all scripture where it tells us he will full of Joy.
What was joyful about?
The 72’s testimony of how people were ministered to?
Maybe he was joyful as he thought to himself of every single name that was written in heaven?
Who did he rejoice in? The Holy Spirit!
The Bible Knowledge Commentary Luke 10:13–16
The three Persons of the Godhead are clearly seen: Jesus the Son was doing the Father’s will in the power of the Holy Spirit. Each had a specific function (vv. 21–22).