Masterpieces of Jesus - Part 4

Masterpieces of Jesus - Part 4X

Title - I’m Up!

Luke 13:10–17 NRSV

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

Title:

I’m UP!

Intro:

One of the things that fascinates me most about Masterpieces.....

....is how you could be looking at one and don’t even know it!

(pause)

Have you ever seen how people at an art show or gallery are looking at paintings and sculptures....

........and could be looking at a piece worth a million dollars and be talking about.....

“oh that looks alright”

or.....

“Its cute, but I wouldn’t buy it”

(pause)

And the reason this happens is because.....

They’re looking at a million dollar painting......

But.....

.......they don’t really know and understand the value of the piece that they are looking at.

(pause)

(optional - And if the truth be told they probably couldn’t buy it if they wanted to.......)

Optional Barrel: The Cruise art show

And I believe that one of the things we have to be able to do in the body of Christ is to........

Recognize the value in ourselves and the value in others!

(pause and shift)

Look at it now....

Luke 13:10–11 NRSV

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight.

.10-11

According to the text....

As Jesus is offering instructions through the scriptures on the sabbath.....

A woman appears.......

And as this woman shows up at the synagogue or the place of worship where Jesus is teaching.....

…she shows up struggling with something

And the text says.....

The text says.....

....she had a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years.

Her Circumstance:

Crippled - A sickness or weakness. Understood according to the resulting weakness caused by the illness............Incapacity

She is bent over and unable to stand up straight.....

And in this woman’s circumstance there is an evil spirit that has kept her sick.......

.......weakening her to the point that it is keeping her from being able to strengthen her back to stand up straight.....

And so........

.....the enemy did not put more weight on her externally

But......

.....the enemy weakened her internally with a consistent attack on the inside to snatch her strength and ability to straighten up.....

(pause and expound)

Expound -

And somebody in here has been there.....

.....because if the truth be told your struggle has nothing to do with what’s coming against you from the OUTSIDE...

But......

........what you want to know is.....

.......how do I deal with what’s holding me hostage from the INSIDE.......

Because....

......You’re not DOWN because of EXTERNAL WEIGHT

......You’re DOWN because the enemy has LOCKED up your strength...

And you’re trying to figure out......

What is happening to me?

“I’m DOWN and I don’t really know why!?”

The bible teaches that....

“We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places...”

And so often.......

The reason we are DOWN is because just like this woman in the text.........

.......something EVIL is trying to destroy a MASTERPIECE!

.....and what we are dealing with is traced back to evil or demonic influences......

(pause and expound)

Look at it now..........

Her Timeframe of struggle:

Eighteen years was the duration of her struggle

Church family....

.....whenever something can hold you hostage for this long.........

..........its not just a coincidence

........its not just a happenstance scenario

But....

.......whenever we find ourselves in a struggle like this woman for this long..........

Her Pattern:

.......this is a SATANIC attack trying to keep you DOWN!

(pause)

But in spite of what the enemy is trying to do....

.......this is what I love about this woman in the text

And that is......

Her Pattern:

Because......

Although she is crippled.........

she has not allowed her incapacity slow her down to the point that it has stopped her faith!

Because according to the text..........

Here she is.....

.....been dealing with the same thing for 18 straight years

But.....

......that has not stopped her from showing up

Watch this......

Her pattern did not include.......

....bitterness and resentment

Because.......

I know this aint the first time she showed up to worship her God............even though she is crippled!

And.....

I wonder if there’s anybody in here that knows the kind of pattern we got to have..........

.........that says I’m DOWN

........but i’m still SHOWING UP!

Watch this.....

because this is why this woman has to show up!

The text says that Jesus sees her.........

And what this tells us is that when Jesus sees her....

....Jesus does not just see her............but he sees everything she is dealing with

....which means as she is standing in the synagogue

.........the struggle motivated by demonic influence that she is dealing with is standing in the synagogue also........

What are you saying Pastor.............

When we don’t show up to worship........

.......we never expose our attackers to Jesus!

(pause and expound)

Look at somebody and holler.....

“You picked the right day to show up!”

Luke 13:12 NRSV

When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.”

Luke 13:12 NRSV

When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.”

Luke 1

And in my spiritual imagination.....

She refuses to be embarrassed based on her handicap........

.........and walks up to the front of the synagogue where Jesus is teaching in order to be set free.....

And Jesus says.....

“Woman, you are SET FREE from your ailment.”

In other words.....

....you are LIBERATED

.....from what has been taking away your strength to stand

......you are no longer stuck with incapacity

.....you are no longer bound

......you no longer have to walk around bent over because of internal attacks against your body

(pause)

Look at it now....

.......so that everyone could understand that true FREEDOM was his alone to give.......

.......and rules and regulations

Luke 13:13 NRSV

When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.

Luke

When he laid his hands on her....... (Repeat)

Did yall see that!?

.....I wonder if anybody saw that...

(pause)

For 18 years the enemy has been holding her DOWN!

(pause and expound)

But........

........with one touch from Jesus!!

....she is IMMEDIATELY set free!

(pause and expound!)

Look at somebody and say......

“I’m UP!”

(pause)

Now......look at this....

.....because we have 2 responsibilities in order to be up!

The bible says.....

“Immediately she stood up straight”

Realize your strength

The text says.....

That she stood up immediately as soon as Jesus lays his hands on her and restores her.....

......she didn’t have any other choice but to stand up....

And for 18 years her body was trained and forced by oppression and weakness to bend over...

As a matter of fact remember in verse 11 it said..

“and she was quite unable to stand up straight”

(pause)

But now that she has been restored..........

.......her capacity has changed

.......her ability has increased

And so in my spiritual imagination......

But.......

We got to have a short memory....

Her greatest paradigm shift is moving from 18 years of I can’t............

........into an IMMEDIACY of I CAN!

(pause)

And sometimes when you have been down for so long....

.....you can be free and not even know it...

(pause)

But.......

.....i believe that regardless of how long the struggle

........we got to have the kind of faith that say’s

......I’m UP

......and at the same time we start STANDING in what God has done in our lives!

(pause)

The text says......

The bible does not say that Jesus

Forget the 18 years of struggle

....I don’t know about that because sometimes you can be FREE

“And she started praising God!”

2. Give God the glory

She was faithfully praising God when she was DOWN.......and now here she is faithfully praising God while she is UP!

.......so that everyone could understand that true FREEDOM was his alone to give.......

.......and rules and regulations aren’t going to stand in his way of setting her FREE!

(pause)

Some of us only know how to praise out of our struggles..........

........but my prayer is that we never get so SUCCESSFUL that we forget the God who FREED us!!

(pause)

And I hear God saying..........

I’m not just watching to see how you respond to me when you need me!

But.......

I’m watching to see how you respond after I deliver you!

(pause)

Because....

That’s how I can tell if you know how to recognize a MasterPiece?

It’s not how you act when you can’t stand up........

because that’s when you need me most

But.......

ONCE I bring you out!!!

Once I get you standing back up on your feet

Once I give you what you been asking for

ONCE you’re Standing UP............

ONCE you’re Standing UP............

(slight pause)

are you going to STOP showing up

Or........

Once you’re STANDING UP

Is that when the GLORY RISES also

(pause)

I wish I had somebody in here that realizes the reason God restored you.........

........was so that the Glory could spread!

Look at somebody and shout.........

“I’m UP for a reason!”

(pause)

And....

Jesus said to the indignant rulers........

This is a daughter of Abraham..............

You don’t understand her WORTH!

She’s a Masterpiece waiting to be restored

and she’s been BOUND and waiting for 18 years.....

(pause)

There’s a reason she’s set FREE.........

and the reason she’s set FREE is because...........

IT’s TIME!!!!!

(pause)

The WAIT is over...........

and the bible says....

.....the ENTIRE crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things he was doing....

(pause)

I’m UP because IT’s TIME!!!

.........It’s time for the GLORY to SPREAD!

...............COMPLETION....................