Learning From the Master

“Learning From the Master”

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We all learn differently; some people learn best in the classroom environment. Some people learn best by reading they retain the material and do well on test. I had to really work hard at making good grades in school, completing my assignments on time, and passing test.

My favorite way to learn is by watching an expert, and learning from them.

I enjoy watching a master at work; listening to and watching what he does and learning from him.

I believe that God in his grace puts people into our lives that we can learn from. This is true in many areas of life: Cooking-Tess is a great cook; she makes the best chicken and dressing on planet Earth! If you ask her, where did you learn to make chicken and dressing like that? She would say I learned it from watching; Eddie’s mother, who was an Alabama woman.

It works the same way with many trades; where the guy with a Masters license, teaches the apprentice.

We live in the day of U-Tube; where you can find a video that can teach you how to do everything from tearing down a motor, to building a porch, to pulling teeth. You pull up the video and watch, and learn from the master.

When it comes to living the Christian life; and doing the will of God; we can open up the Bible and look at the life of Jesus; and learn from the master! In the 1990’s there was a very popular fad that swept the Christian community:

“WWJD”-“What would Jesus Do”

We had WWJD on everything from T-shirts, hats, bracelets, bumper stickers. This slogan was to be a reminder that we are to act like Jesus in every situation of life. The good news is we don’t have to guess “What Jesus would do” Jesus has left us a record of what He did on this earth; the gospels. Jesus always did those things that pleased His father, He lived a life that glorified God; and He has left us an example to follow. As we watch what our Master in these verses we learn what we are to do.

We learned from the master that we are to:

1. Share Truth!

V:31-37.

The scene shifts away from Nazareth; where Jesus was rejected; to Capernaum, a city by the sea. Capernaum will become the headquarters for Jesus ministry in Galilee. Jesus goes to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and begins to teach the truth of God’s word.

You will notice as you follow the ministry of Jesus; the first thing that He did everywhere he went was to share the truth of Scripture. That’s what He did in the synagogue in Nazareth, and that what He does in Capernaum, and everywhere else He went.

Luke tell us Jesus taught them on several Sabbaths.

V:31-“Jesus taught them on the Sabbath days.”(Plural)

V:32-“the people were amazed, astonished at his doctrine: for his Word was with power/authority”.

Sharing the truth of the bible was a priority in the ministry of Jesus!

And the people were amazed! What was it about the Synagogue that amazed the people? Nothing!

What was it about Jesus that amazed the people? Nothing!

The people “were not amazed” that Jesus taught the Scriptures; “they were amazed” that Jesus taught the Scriptures with “authority”.

The people that gathered in this synagogue in Capernaum, were humble townspeople; fishermen, merchants, craftsmen’s and laborers and their families. They had been to the synagogue many times before, but what they heard this day; was unlike anything they had ever heard before. And the Bible says, V:32- they were astonished…

It means-to strike with panic or shock; they were struck with amazement- they were thunderstruck in their souls! Jesus preaching packed a powerful punch!

What was it that put them on the edge of their seats? What was it that caused them to be astonished and amazed? It was the power and authority of Jesus in his preaching of the word of God. He took the law and the prophets and expounded them with authority. In the parallel passage in:

-“He taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law”

The other teachers that the people heard were nothing like Jesus. The other rabbis, mostly Pharisees spent most of their time quoting from other rabbis. In the words of one ancient rabbi, “I have never in my life said anything that I did not hear from my teachers”.

There’s was a secondhand theology; that had no authority, no-weight, nothing concrete and of absolute truth.

Their preaching was with quotation marks, and question marks; Jesus teaching and preaching was with exclamation marks. Jesus would preach and say, “You have heard it said… But I say and do you!

Jesus didn’t preach subjective truth; Jesus preached absolute truth; He preached the word of God!

· The Mount of Transfiguration.

On the Mount of Transfiguration when the voice of God spoke, what did God say? The voice of God said; this is my beloved son, listen to him.

God could have said, worship Him, love Him, follow Him, obey Him, trust Him, honor Him; we should do all those things. But God said listen to him! What He has to say is of great importance!

· The road to Emmaus.

At the end of Luke’s Gospel, after the resurrection, you have Jesus walking and talking with two of his disciples. After they discover it was Jesus they were talking to; they said oh how our hearts burn within us as he talked with us and shared the Scripture with us. They were reflecting, not on how he looked; but on what he said!

· The group of guards.

We are given a brief account of a group of guards that were sent to arrest Jesus; but came back empty-handed. When asked why they didn’t bring Jesus back; they said, no man ever spoke the way this man speaks.

Jesus taught the word of God with authority!

The Bible that you hold in your hand; is the word of the living God!

The Bible you hold in your hand; is the revelation of God to man.

The Bible you hold in your hand; tells us God’s plan of redemption.

The Bible you hold in your hand is the authority for the preaching and teaching ministry of the church.

The Bible, is to be the authority for the decisions that you make in your life. This book is not a book of ideas, preferences, opinions, or suggestions. This book is not to be relegated to speaking only to church issues, religious issues. This book reveals to us the love of God in Christ Jesus, the redemption he purchased for man on the cross, and how sinful man and Holy God can have a relationship, through faith in Jesus Christ.

And this book teaches us how to live a life that glorifies God; and brings lasting peace and purpose to our own hearts!

Every decision you and I make needs to be made in light of what the Scripture says. The Bible is our authority for life and living! Don’t live a life of uncertainty about the topics in our culture; the answers to the questions that are plaguing man today; is found in the word of God.

So is our responsibility to know the truth, believe the truth, live the truth and share the truth with our children, friends, spouse’s, and coworkers.

Can you imagine sitting there caught up in Jesus preaching, hanging on every word; and out of nowhere comes a loud voice; Ha, Let us alone…

People are startled, looking over their shoulder, trying to figure out where the voice is coming from.

Like when you’re watching a movie, and someone cell phone goes off.

But the voice that cries out in the silence is from a man who was demon possessed. Jesus doesn’t dialogue with him; he delivers him! Here we see the authority and power of Jesus over demons.

What we learn here is what Satan and his forces most want to do. They most want to hinder, hurt, and stop the proclamation of the word of God! Satan battles against the preaching of the word of God! The demons and the devil absolutely hate the word of God; whether it comes from Christ himself or from one of his preachers; they hate the word of God. Why? They know its Holy power; and for that very reason they cry out in fear against it!

This also explains why nothing in the world arouses so much spiritual opposition as does the preaching of biblical truth!

Anyone who shares the gospel of Jesus Christ can expect to face opposition and even hatred. Any church that takes a stand for God and his word can expect to face ridicule and rejection.

As we preach the word of God, proclaiming the forgiveness of sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit makes it the power of salvation to those who believe. And there is nothing the devil or any of his demons can do to stop it!

, tells us, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.

, tells us that Jesus came to preach the gospel of the kingdom.

Which one is it? They are synonymous; one in the same. It is in the preaching of the gospel, that the works of the devil are destroyed; it is in the preaching of the gospel that men and women are liberated from the penalty of sin, and the power Satan.

V:18-“the gospel, brings deliverance to the captives”.

Jesus delivered many demon possessed people in the gospel of Luke. Every time Jesus delivered a person, it was a preview of coming attractions.

One glad day, Jesus will completely overthrow Satan’s kingdom, Satan is a defeated foe; and one day he will be chained and cast into hell forever!

V:35-Read.

Look how the people responded, after Jesus delivered this man, V:36-Read.

“What a word is this!

The deliverance of this man is brought about by the word of Jesus; Jesus spoke, and the man was delivered! How are people set free from the bondage of sin and Satan? People are set free by the word of God!

Jesus used the Word of God to defeat the devil in the wilderness; he now used it to cast out demons. In Jesus days, people tried to gain power over the devil, and demons by using all kinds of magic spells, religious incantations, and bizarre rituals. It is amazing today what people try to use to set themselves free from Satan’s power, sinful habits and addictions. And yet they ignore the very thing that has the power to set them free; the word of God! When the demon possessed man was delivered by the word of Jesus; V:36, the people again were amazed, astonished at the power of Jesus.

This is similar to the response from his disciples when Jesus calmed the storm on the sea.

Jesus was so exhausted he fell asleep in the back of the boat in the middle of a storm. The disciples said, somebody needs to wake Jesus up and tell Him with about the sink. Peter said you wake him up, no you wake him up, no you wake him up, okay; I will wake him up. They wake Jesus up, and they say, Jesus do you care that were about to go down to Davy Jones locker? Jesus stood up and rebuked the winds and the waves and they immediately laid down like little puppies.

The Bible says they were amazed, and said what manner of man is this that even the winds and the waves obey him!

This man is unlike anyone who has ever lived on this earth! He is not just another religious leader, in a long line of religious leaders, no! This is the son of God, the creator, the king of the universe! How do we know, we know because he exercised his power as creator and king. He controlled Satan, storms, and sickness! Jesus had all authority! Where is the authority for our lives, and the church today? It is in the word of God! In our postmodern culture we are drifting spiritually and morally, because decisions are being made on feelings, and reasoning, instead of God’s word! The church must never succumb to this!

I can imagine as the church service is coming to a close; someone says to his friend, I have been coming to this synagogue all of my life, but I’ve never heard a sermon like that; and I’ve never seen anything like that happen! The people wondered who Jesus was, but the demons knew who he was.

-“You believe there is one God; you do well: the devil is also believe, and tremble”.

The devil, and demons know Jesus is the son of God; they believe the Bible, they know their future. But their heart is set in rebellion against Jesus; and their fate is sealed. We Learn from the Master to Share Truth!

We learned from the master that we are to:

2. Show Compassion!

V:38-41.

The scene moves from the synagogue, into the home of Simon Peter. Somebody said, where are we going for lunch today? Peter speaks up and says, let’s go to my house for Sunday dinner; my wife and my mother-in-law are great cooks.

Side note-Simon Peter; who is supposedly the first pope, committed to celibacy, is married, he has a mother-in-law, and she lives with them.

They head to Simon Peter’s house expecting lunch, but as he walked through the gate, there’s no smell a pot roast, or chicken, or hamburgers on the grill.

They walked through the door and the table is not set, there’s no tea in the glasses, and no food on the table. They discover that Simon Peter’s mother-in-law was sick, and there was going to be no Lunch!

V:38-“Simons wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they begged him to heal her”.

Dr. Luke says she had a great fever, very high fever; if Dr. Luke says she had a very dangerous, high fever he should know, he was a doctor.

She was so sick she could not get out of bed; her family and relatives were so concerned about her they pleaded with Jesus to heal her.

V:39-“Jesus stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministry under them”.

Jesus stood over her bed, rebuked the fever, and it was gone! Peter’s mother-in-law was totally and completely better! Notice; Peter’s mother-in-law, did not drag herself out of the bed, and say, anybody want a PBJ, I don’t feel so-well; no! She was useless one second, flat on her back in the bed; Jesus healed her; now she is on her feet, turning on the cooktop and the oven; running around the kitchen, cooking up a Sunday feast!

Jesus healed her “immediately” it was instant and complete, and it resulted in serving Jesus.

The touch of Jesus in your life, is so great, real, and transforming that it causes you serve Jesus, by serving others. She had the gift of hospitality; and she used that gift to minister to Jesus, and his apostles. She served Jesus as she cooked and worked in the kitchen, and took care of the physical needs of others. What a great and important ministry, is the ministry of home life!

When the Lord Jesus touches you with his saving, healing power: we will get up and start serving him, by serving others! She is healed and says; I want to serve him who has done this for me, and I want to serve those who are dear to him. So she ministers to them!

Has Jesus spoke to your heart, and rebuked the fever of sin that raged in your heart, and set you free?

Jesus has delivered me, saved me, set me free, and now I want to serve him, and minister His love and compassion to others.

Jesus has had compassion on me! And now I want to be a blessing to others!

One of the evidences a person has really been saved is their desire to minister to Jesus, and to make him known to others.

Every time Jesus did a work of power in someone’s life, word got out about what he had done; and it encouraged others to come to him; and that’s what happens here.

They have their Sunday lunch together, served by Peter’s mother-in-law; then I suppose they took a Sunday nap, like all good Baptist.

V:40-41-Read

The Sabbath day ended at sunset, and crowds of sick people began to gather at Simon Peter’s house.

Can you picture all these sick people with different kinds of diseases gathering around Peter’s front door asking Jesus to heal them?

V:40-“Jesus laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them”.

Peter’s home had become a house of healing as Jesus cure diseases, remove tumors, and did whatever the people need him to do to heal their body. He also cast out demons, and set people free from the grip of Satan and sin!

What you have here is a picture of the love and compassion of the Lord Jesus for all people!

I know you’re thinking; does Jesus still have this healing power today? The answer is yes of course He does. He is the creator and Lord of the human body, and he can work a miracle whenever he chooses to.

Then, why did Jesus heal so many people during his earthly ministry, and miracles today are few and far between? Jesus did not do the miracles he did during his earthly ministry to teach us to, “expect a miracle”. Jesus performed the miracles he did to confirm his identity as the Christ, the anointed one, the son of God. The apostles did similar miracles when they preach the gospel to authenticate their message. There miracles proved what they said was true, they were the apostles. Of course, sometimes Jesus still works in miraculous ways; especially when his gospel first penetrates a godless culture. Jesus certainly has the power and authority to overrule creation whenever he chooses to. But this is something that he rarely does, which is exactly why it’s called a miracle! When we are sick we should pray in his name, asking for his healing; but we need to recognize that God often chooses not to heal us. Someday, -“there will be no more sickness, no death, or mourning, or crying, or pain”.

Which means today, there is sickness, death, pain. We are living in a fallen, sinful world, where disability and disease are part of the curse.

We learned from our master, that we are to have love, compassion and a tender touch on all who were spiritually sick, physically sick, and morally sick.

The greatest way to show love and compassion for another person; is to share the gospel with them!

We learn from the Master that we are to show Compassion!

We learned from the master that we are to:

3. Stay Focused!

V:42-44.

Jesus wages war against Satan and sickness way into the night; and when the sun was rising, he went to a solitary place to get along with his father and pray. We need to learn from our master that there are times when we need to along with God, and renew our strength, and refocus our priorities.

Throughout the Gospels Jesus often got alone to spend time with his father in prayer; an example that we are wise to follow! If finding opportunities to pray was important to Jesus, it must be all the more important for us!

The people found Jesus and pleaded with him to stay in their village and become their in resident healer and preacher. It is easy to see why they wanted him to stay; with his power they would never need anything ever again. He could be their teacher, their counselor, and their doctor all rolled into one. Their response to Jesus was the opposite of the response from the people in Nazareth.

The people in Nazareth’s wanted to get rid of him; there tried to throw him off a cliff. The people in Capernaum wanted him to stay. But Jesus refused; V:43-“ Jesus said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: that’s why I am sent”

They wanted to keep Jesus for themselves: but Jesus is not just the Savior of Capernaum only; or Israel only, but the Savior of the world! Jesus was focused on accomplishing what God sent him in the world to accomplish! How did Jesus stay focused? Jesus stayed focused by spending time with God in prayer! And by remembering that God sent him to preach the gospel and to die to accomplish the gospel. We learned from the master; how to stay focused; spend time in prayer, and share the gospel! People were always trying to keep Jesus under their control, so that he would do what they want him to do. But Jesus always refuses to be confined to our narrow agenda! Jesus mission, and purpose compelled him to move on from Capernaum. What was his mission? To preach the word of God, the good news of the kingdom of God. The people wanted Jesus to perform more miracles; but Jesus did not come to be a miracle worker; he came to preach the gospel! His ministry was a ministry of the word!

Just as people were always trying to get Jesus sidetracked, from preaching the gospel; people will try to get us sidetracked from our priorities. Which is spending time with God in prayer; and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ!

The churches first priority is to preach the gospel! We need to stay focused, and remember this; because there are people today that would love to turn the church into a political arena, or an entertainment venue, or social club, anything and everything other than what is intended to be: a community that is gathered to hear God’s word, and scattered to share the gospel! Our first priority is to preach the gospel! Don’t miss the fact that all three of these scenes we have seen today demonstrate the power of Jesus words; the word of God! We must feel the same urgency that Jesus felt; when he said, V:43-“I Must preach…

Do we believe in the power of the gospel? Do we believe in the power of the word of God? If we do, then we will read it, here it, study it, and memorize it, and do everything in our power to share it with others!

Have you submit your heart to the rule of Jesus?

Are you prepared today to Learn from the master?