The New Day
The Gospel of Luke • Sermon • Submitted
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One of the most beautiful times is when the morning light begins to brighten the sky. It is a miracle isn’t it? The night giving way… the day dawning. A new day. I love how the poet Homer personifies the new day in his epic tale The Odyssey. Over 20 times within the tale he uses the same phrase, “But when early-born rosy-fingered Dawn appeared…”
Such a picturesque description. Homer definitely had a way with words.
The morning. It’s a perfect time. A new day has started. A new moment in life.
When you think about it, there isn’t anywhere that morning does not go. Just as much as the sun lowers beyond the horizon every single evening… it rises above it every single day.
That, my friends, is a very comforting thought.
The rose-fingered Dawn, with her different hues, signals the beginning of the new day, the continuation of a pilgrimage and the truth of the Scriptures… Jesus has not left you nor forsaken you.
The Gospel Summons A New Day
The Gospel Summons A New Day
The gospel is the most important, most life changing, most essential message that the world needs to hear. The gospel summons each new day.
But.... if you are living through a difficult season of life, grieving through the pain of loss; if your heart is breaking because of a relationship that is falling apart or strained; if you feel alone in the midst of a personal crisis, depressive state, or face fear over an upcoming situation… each new day is just a continuation of the last.
The fear, the anger, the hurt, the pain, the problems, the loss.... it’s all there.
Some of you today may be experiencing this right now. You’re either here or watching the service and you’re mind is split between the season of hardship and worship. You want to be focused, obedient… a good Christian… but…
While the seasons of hardship may still be in your life, Jesus has summoned each new day and draws you nearer to the Father. Seek Him for refuge.
My dear Pilgrim… those who are traveling on this road of life with Christ… open your eyes of faith to the new day which Christ brings upon you.
My dear seeker… you who feel that movement of God’s Spirit around you… see the work He is doing right now in this new day!
Let us all take to heart the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:16
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
Jesus, after a long day of teaching, preaching, exorcising demons, and healing the sick… wakes early in the morning. Luke 4:42 says “when it was day...”. We know from other incidents within the scripture Jesus would rise early in the morning. The new day.
Yes, there would still be the sick. Yes, there are still demons lurking, possessing, tempting, causing evil. Yes, there is still plenty to preach and teach. But… it’s a new day summoned by the Gospel… the Word of God… the Son of God…
There is a possibility for a new calling and a new understanding. Many will say that the gospel of Christ is only for those who have not tasted that the Lord is good. Some scoff at the notion that the gospel is just as essential for the born again believer of 80 years as it is for that dear lost soul who is struggling, desperate within the sea of sin.
No… the gospel is for everyone. Essential and powerful for salvation, but also efficacious and complete for holding the believer in Christ for all time. The Gospel is the new day in which we all cry out for.
Through this understanding, there can again be an outlook on the nature of the gospel, which is designated centrally and clearly by Paul when he recalled Isaiah’s joyful words: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!” (Rom. 10:15; Isa. 52:7). This is not a heavy yoke or heavy burden, nor a new law, morality, or new religion, but only “good news” (eu-angélion) that is preached to the poor Matt. 11:5
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.
and brings peace and liberty (Acts 10:36) in the forgiveness of sins.
As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all),
It is the message of God’s mercy, authentically interpreted by angels; it is the gospel of Him Who is not the final point of human seeking, but Who is found by those who did not seek Him (Rom. 10:20; Isa. 65:1)
I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by my name.
and Who justifies the ungodly Rom. 4:5.
And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
The gospel summons to a new day, to an arising from sleep in a new time, the time of the testimony to grace.
As the new day starts, Jesus goes to a desolate place. We are told in Mark’s retelling of this moment that Jesus is going to pray.
Pilgrim… whatever today brings… or whatever continues… pray!
Pray for strength. Pray for clarity. Pray for wisdom. Pray for the arms of God to hold you close as you battle through the season you are in. Pray for the light of Christ to shine brighter than the darkness within the valley. Pray for the winds to ease and the waves to reduce in their attempts to wash you overboard. Pray for forgiveness in the midst of your sin. Pray with a voice that is shaking. Pray with a heart that is breaking. Pray with tears that stream down your cheeks.
Pray knowing...
Our Circumstances Can Not Bind Nor Stop the Gospel
Our Circumstances Can Not Bind Nor Stop the Gospel
The gospel of Jesus Christ is that holy fire that consumes the previous day and presents each new one carries the promises of God’s Word. Lamentations 3:22-23
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
As Jesus sets off to pray, the people follow. They want Jesus to stay. In fact, the scripture says that they tried to keep him from leaving. Awed by His power to deliver them from disease and demons, they understandably did not want Jesus to leave them. The Lord did now rebuke their interest in the miraculous signs he performed. However, those signs were not and end in themselves. Jesus is not just a miracle worker… He is the one who saves us from our sins.
No binds on this earth could stop Him from His task; namely, to “preach the Kingdom of God to the other cities”.
The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, which the binds of sin and death can not hold, nor have dominion over.
In verse 43, we see Jesus’ response. Not one of harsh words, but of truth, grace and mercy. He affirms for all that He was not sent to demonstrate his power over the effects of diseases by healing or the influences over the mind by overcoming demons, but to overcome sin’s eternal consequences. For that to happen, the Word of God must be preached. It must be spoken. It must be carried into the cities and towns.
For this is the reason Jesus was sent. Look at the words again, “for I was sent for this purpose.” The Father sent the Son in order to redeem the lost. To heal the ravages of sin. To destroy the binds which hold us and rob us of joy. To release the captives! Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Psalm 142:7
Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.
Pilgrim… seeker.... one who is struggling today in a broken world filled with chaos, despair and disdain for anything holy… the binds of yesterday… they have no power over the gospel today.
The Word Which Saves and Sanctifies
The Word Which Saves and Sanctifies
Hear Jesus as he proclaims, “I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God.” And may that be a comfort to you in this new day.
The Kingdom of God. This is such an important and comforting word. Luke uses it 32 times within both of his writings. The Kingdom of God is the sphere or realm of salvation that those who respond in repentant faith to the preaching of the gospel enter.
It is the message of the gospel which saves. It isn’t fancy church services, cool programs, amazing light shows, emotional songs or altar calls. The gospel saves. And it doesn’t need any help from our machinations or imaginations. Charles Spurgeon, on preaching about the power of the gospel in 1886 said,
“Suppose a number of persons were to take it into their heads that they had to defend a lion, full-grown king of beasts! There he is in the cage, and here come all the soldiers of the army to fight for him. Well, I should suggest to them, if they would not object, and feel that it was humbling to them, that they should kindly stand back, and open the door, and let the lion out! I believe that would be the best way of defending him, for he would take care of himself; and the best 'apology' for the gospel is to let the gospel out.”
The Word of God saves. James 1:18
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
Do not be ashamed of it. Nor delay in your acknowledgement of it. Do not forsake it, nor turn away from it in these days. Do not shun it, nor remove any part from it. This Word of God is sufficient to save.... and it is powerful to bind, keep, preserve, hold, and present you before the Father… in righteousness… in holiness… as a dearly loved child… for all eternity.
All the while, as you go from day to day along this pilgrimage between worlds… as you struggle with the seasons of grief, despair, pain, and anguish… as you stumble along the path… as you fall to temptation… as you delight in the works of God… as you worship and exalt the majesty of the One who looked upon your soul with mercy…
This word sanctifies you… day by day.
What is that? Basically, upon the foundation of Christ you are saved… the works of the cross. You are forever held in the grip of God. No power can remove you. No state of this world can triumph over what God has saved.
However, through the indwelling Spirit of God, that Word that saves… the gospel message you heard… now works to prepare you for eternity as it molds you more and more in the image of Christ. Not by force, but because of the new desire of your heart. As Paul says in Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
As the rosy dawn makes its appearance over the landscape… as you wake from your slumber… rejoice.
Rejoice in the truth that as Jesus, in his complete obedience to the will of the Father, departs from Capernaum and preaches the good news of the kingdom of God in all of Judea. Rejoice in the glorious splendor of the message of repentance, salvation, faith, and the continued work of the Spirit within every believer. Rejoice that on this day, you dear child of God have escaped the chains of sin and death and now, even though the waves my crash and the wind may howl… the pain may still be there… the relationship still heart breaking… the temptation still alluring… the gospel, which has summoned this new day (and every day after) is still sufficient to still the storm, calm the soul, break the chains and command all of creation!
All authority has been given to Jesus. He exercises this authority simply by speaking his word. Do we believe in the power of that word? Does it have the same priority for us that it had for Jesus? If it does, then we will read it, hear it, study it, memorize it, and do everything in our power to share it with others. The Word will be the center of our lives, exercising a controlling influence over what we think, say, and do. And it will be the main thing that we want to share with others. We will not be content simply to befriend people and to serve them with the love of Christ, although we must at least do that. But we will have a pressing, compelling desire for people to hear God’s Word. We will encourage them to read it. We will invite them to study it. We will bring them to hear it preached. And as we have the opportunity, we will help to carry it around the world, so that it can do its authoritative and powerful work of extending the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
In the wonderful collection of essays, Walden, Henry David Thoreau writes of the morning. He writes, “Morning brings back the heroic ages. There was something cosmical about it; a standing advertisement, till forbidden, of the everlasting vigor and fertility of the world. The morning, which is the most memorable season of the day, is the awakening hour. Then there is least somnolence in us; and for an hour, at least, some part of us awakes which slumbers all the rest of the day and night.”
For the believer, each new day, is that moment in which we can wake from our slumber. We can spend those precious moments in prayer. We can commune with the living God. We can declare His promises. We can be strengthened by the gospel. We can trust in the work of the cross.
My friends, if any of you are hurting in this new day; if any of your are anguishing over a loss; if you are battling in the midst of temptation; if you are feeling alone; if you are struggling in the midst of doubt...
Find your solace in the gospel. Rest in the power of the Word of God. Believe in the sanctifying work of the Spirit. Rejoice in the new day that the gospel continually summons in your life.
And proclaim God’s mercy to all you meet.