Untitled Sermon (3)

He Isn’t Safe But He’s Good

· Little Susan was inquiring about the great Lion Aslan in the Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe. Mr. Beaver said, “Aslan is a lion, THE Lion, the Great Lion.” “ohh, said Susan, I’d thought he was a man. Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”…. “Safe? Said Mr Beaver, who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

· This is what we have seen and will continue to see throughout the book of Luke; Christ isn’t safe, but he is Good, he’s the king I tell you. To the demons who think they are running something, they will see first hand just how un-safe our savior is. To the adversary, who thinks he won the day, he will see how un-safe our savior is. To the pharisees who would put burdens on God’s people and reject broken people, they will see just how un-safe our Savior is. To the people who reject Christ, and answer wrongly the question, “who do you say I am”, they will see how safe our Savior is.

· Oh, but to the ones who submit to Christ, who rest in Christ, who place their faith in Christ, who trust in Christ, they will also see he isn’t safe, but they will see that he is good. And He is King.

· READ (CSB).

Christ is in Control

· We barely enter into our text for this morning before we see that Mr. Beaver’s words are true, Christ, the king, he is in control. Look at what verse 1 says, “summoning the 12, he gave them authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.”

· I love how the Oxford English Dictionary defines summon, “authoritatively call on someone to be present.” This is a king calling people to come. When the King calls it is not an option.

· But notice how the authority of Christ keeps trickling down, he authoritatively calls his disciples, then he gives them authority to carry out what he is calling them to. In other words, Christ isn’t calling them to something that he isn’t going to enable them to accomplish. In other words, Christ’s calling is a promise that He will fulfill whatever he is calling them to. When Christ calls he empowers to fulfill his call.

o Allow me to make a bridge from then to today. When Christ calls his people to do something that is way above their paygrade, we should rejoice because what he is calling us to is front row seats to behold what he is going to accomplish through us.

o Every calling of Christ is inextricably tied to a promise of Christ and Christ hasn’t failed in one of his promises yet: the calling to Go and make disciples is inextricable tied to, I will be with you always…the calling to Work out your faith with fear and trembling is inextricably tied to, for it is God who works through you to will and do for his good pleasure. The calling to not sin in 1 John is inextricably tied to, if you sin, you have an advocate with the father, Christ the rightoues.

o This is why Augustine cried out, “Lord, command what you will, but give what you command.” Lord, tell us to do whatever you want us to, but Lord we need your help in doing it!

· So he summons them, and then he gives them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. 2 Observations about Christ giving his disciples power and authority over all demons

o 1) Let us never begin to think that there is some sort of cosmic power struggle between satan and his demons and Christ. That there is this back and forth, this tug of war, and we have to wait and see who has the upper hand. He allows satan to piddle and paddle, BUT…

§ It’s not even close. Illustration of revelation, huge battle and it’s over in a moment

§ Satan was destroying peoples lives for centuries, then with just a few moments on calavary, and a few days in the grave, his head is crushed

§ Take us, take anyone who has come to know Christ. Under satan’s rule for years, then with just a simple gospel presentation, satan losses all control.

§ Christ has won, is winning, and will win; and it’s not even close.

o 2) he has so much power and control, he can even put the B team in, and the demons still obey (the B team being His disciples).

§ Illustration and acting all tough, the bully not responding because he sees your big brother behind you….

· It’s a difference, when one of my kids tries to give another one of my kids an order on their own authority, and when they give another one my kids an order but start it with, “daddy said.”

o In the name of Jesus is the authority, not us!

Since Christ is Control, he can be trusted with Our Message:

· He isn’t safe, but he is good. And since he is good, we can trust him with our message, that is, he can be trusted with giving us the message we proclaim (vs. 2, “then he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick)

· He sent his disciples on the mission field, and told them to fly high the banner. What it written on the banner; this is God’s kingdom. Underneath God’s kingdom reads, “don’t get it twisted, I don’t know what you think you heard, or what you think you know, but God runs this.”

· Verse 2 tells us that he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and heal the sick; these two commands directly correlate to what he said in verse 1: power and authority over all demons AND heal diseases.

o In other words, Christ is ruler over demons and diseases. What a comforting word that is. He controls that which can affect us spiritually and he controls that which can affect us physically. He controls the world we can’t see and the world we see everyday.

· Not only that, but the beauty in all of this is that Christ takes what he had been doing himself and allows this rag tag group of disciples to do the same thing.

o Let’s not get too far into the text to miss this point, yes, it’s excited that people are getting healed, yes it’s exciting that people are hearing the good news. But let’s take a few steps back and marvel at the fact that Christ would put perfection into the hands of imperfection. That Christ would allow imperfect people to speak of a perfect Savior; unrighteous lips to extol the name of a righteous God, jars of clay to hold this tremendous treasure.

Since Christ is in control, he can be trusted with Our Lives:

· Verses 3-5 can be summarized like this, a whole hearted dependence on God, when even the barest of necessities aren’t planned for and stock-piled. Everything about this mission says that disciples are to depend on God. Their authority comes from him. Their needs will be supplied by him. There is no personal gain to be sought.[1]

· But notice what he tells them to leave behind:

o Staff: When you read the old testament, often times when God would delegate his authority, he would use the staff as the sign and manifestation of that authority.

§ In the book of Numbers chapter 17, God used Aaron staff, and cause it to bud and produce almonds, to show that God has chosen Him.

§ More popularly, Moses staff was the quintesenttial sign of God’s authority before Pharaoh.

§ Now here, God made flesh, gives his disciples authority, but then in the next breath takes away what has been historically seen as a sign of authority.

· Why, because the authority given to the disciples is not embedded in a rod or staff, it is not embedded in what man may think authority is, it is embedded in Jesus Christ and His word.

· Let me build a bridge from then today: It is always a recipe for disaster, when men attempt to base their authority or amass their authority on anything else but Christ and his word.

o Traveling Bag: a traveling bag was simply a bag that they carried their possessions in. My wife made fun of me the other week because I said I wanted to buy a fanny pack or a man purse, a murse. See babe, a fanny pack and murse are biblical.

§ But they didn’t need a fanny pack, but Christ is telling them to rely on him and not to bring any possessions.

o Bread: food, provisions…

§ -37 “Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?[2]…

§ If I could sing like Micah, I would sing his eye is on the sparrow. “When Jesus is my portion, a constant friend is he, his eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me…

o Money: many people know, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”, but many don’t know the context, he is talking about money, reads, “Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.,h 6 Therefore, we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?[3]

o Extra shirt: again, he reminds us of what he says in : And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith?[4]

· In other words, verses 3-5 can be summarized by , the verses that were turned into a song by Psalty, the singing song book (anyone remember psatly)

o Every night before our kids go to bed we sing them this song, “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you, hallelujah hallelujah.

§ And every night we sing this song I am convicted because some days I spend seeking everything else but Christ and kingdom. I turn the song around and sing in my heart of hearts, seek ye first all these things and God will be added unto you.

§ But that’s not how it works. All those things are not in control of and the author of God, but God is in control of and the author of all those things.

· Because he is in control, we can trust him with our lives

Because he is in control, we can trust him with our Contentment:

· Verse 4 (read). In other words, don’t get bored or tired of people that you are staying with. Don’t start looking for the next best thing right away. In other words, be content with what God has provided you.

o Quote by A.W. Pink!!!

· The disciples are going to leave with nothing and fully rely upon God and his providence, yet even though they are leaving with nothing, Christ has to remind them not to become discontented with what he has provided, even though they had nothing.

o Before we shame shame shame the disciples, allow me to build and bridge from then to today and ask this question: how often have we, gone to God and begged for something or someone, and then when the God who knows all provides it, how quickly do we get bored or respond, “well God, this didn’t meet my exact specifications.”

· But because he is in control, becusase he isn’t safe, but he is good, he can be trusted with our contentment.

Because he is in control, he can be trusted with our rejection

· The man of rejection, warns his disciples of rejection in verse 5 (read)….

o Allow me to make one obvservation about this point and then we can move on to the next one. The command from Christ to shake the dust off their feet was AFTER the fact. The disciples, it is implied, at least TRIED To bring the kingdom of God to the town.

§ Let me put this another way, the disciples were not to be in the business of predeterming who would be accepting of the gospel or not. They are to leave that to God! Christ here has delegated some of his authority, not all of it and he is still God and we are not.

§ Let God surprise us by who accepts the gospel, because Lord knows I surprised a whole lot of people when the Lord changed my heart!

Because he is in control, He can be trusted with our obedience

· Did you catch that in verse 6. Christ just told them, go into random towns and villages, don’t take NOTHIN with you, leave ERTHANG behind, not even a change of shirt. Some of those towns will probably reject you

o And do you know what they did in verse 6, it reads, “so they went out.”

§ No hesitation, no analysis, no second guessing….so they went out

§ Oh, may that be the posture of our hearts. May we look at a God who is in control, but who is so good, and may it be written of us, “so they went out”

o IF I can jump ahead to verse 10, it says, “when the disciples returned.” 4 simple words that carry so much weight.

§ What that means is that Christ is able to keep you where he sends you.

Because He is in control, he can be trusted with our enemies

· I say enemies, because this Herod is the same one who beheaded John according to verse 9. This account is bookeneded by two types of power: verse 1 tells us of true original power, and verse 7 tells us about faux, given power.

o What Christ said about Pilate is the same that can be said about Herod: You have no authority except what was given to you from above!”

o Enemies of the cross, no matter their position, does not mean they have equal, opposite power; it just means they are fighting a losing battle.

· And even this enemeny of Christ is asking, Who is this Jesus? It’s the Lukan question that has been running throughout this book, who do you say I am?

· A couple observations about these last few verses:

o First: Who the people thought Jesus Christ is. Some said John the Baptist, some said Elijah, some said ancient prophets

§ There was something about Jesus that reminded the people of what they had seen before, that reminded them of what they had read in the Old Testamanets scriptures. There was something about Christ that looked familiar

§ And, I imagine, the reason it looked familiar is because all of those people were pointing to Jesus Christ. You read the Old Testament, it is pointing to Jesus Christ

· This is what Christ told to two mean after his resurrection on the road to Emmaus later on in : then beginning with Moses and all the prohpets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures.

· Christ is the fulfillment of all of scriptures which he why he looked so familiar

o Second Obvesrvation: Seeing Christ and submitting to Christ are worlds apart. Witnessing what Christ can do and trusting in Christ, are worlds apart. Herod simply wanted to “see” jesus.

§ As a matter of fact, later on we will come to find out that Herod simply wanted Jesus to entertain him by performing miracles. IN luke 23 it records for us that Herod was so excited to see Jesus because he wanted Jesus to simply perform a miracle…He kept asking Jesus questions and Jesus did not respond to him…

§ Wanting Christ to perform a miracle and wanting Christ to change your heart, are worlds apart.

§ And this enemy of Christ found out that Christ isn’t a puppet, he is king!

· Is he quite safe, Susan said. I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”…. “Safe? Said Mr Beaver, who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

· And saints, since he is thee good King, we can trust him with our message, our lives, our contentment, our rejection, our obedience, and our enemies.

[1] Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke (). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.