Thy Kingdom Come

Notes:

Where’s Paul?

What’s he doing there?

Miracles are already extraordinary.

GOD was doing extraordinary miracles through Paul.

People of healing

Total transformation of reality.

Handkerchiefs and aprons the dominion of sin and the Devil!

Handkerchiefs and aprons

“Bruce suggests that the “handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him [and] were taken to the sick” (v. 12) may have been “those which Paul used in his tentmaking or leather-working—the sweat rags for tying round his head and aprons for tying round his waist.” Ajith Fernando

Story is more than handkerchief and aprons!

Story is about the Force of the Kingdom.

What is Luke Trying to Get us to See??

See the Kingdom and how the Kingdom of Christ is growing

Kingdom Requires True Faith

Kingdom Overpowers All Forces

Kingdom Flips Economics

Thy Kingdom Come

References:

See how the other stories written by Luke correspond and interact together.

- Indebted to T. Klutz, John Stott, David Peterson to help put some of these connections together....

Kingdom Requires True Faith

True Statements about Jesus doesn’t Mean True Faith in Jesus

Philippi:

Demon-possessed woman calling Paul and Silas: “Servant of the Most Holy God.”

Amazed she said that! BUT IT ANNOYED PAUL TO NO END!

Viewed negatively even though she’s saying what’s true

Ephesus

Seven Sons of Sceva.

They see what’s happening with Paul. Paul’s playing these spiritual magic tricks, we’re going to piggy back on this Jesus guy!

“Some of the itinerant (travelling) Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirit…” Saying, “In the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.”

“The name of Jesus whom Paul preaches...” NOT PERSONAL!

High rank socially and religiously

Words of Jesus were hallow and empty. They were spoken as a technique rather than in faith. Jesus name was like a magic spell like abracadabra.

Viewed negatively even though they conjure the name of Jesus.

Luke is painting for us a picture about genuine Faith.

Doesn’t matter if you’re a demon-possessed pagan prophetess who had it all wrong, or Jewish Elitist priests who had it all right.

Doesn’t matter if you’re a demon-possessed exploited slave with a demon or Renown Religious leaders who cast our demons… True Statements about Jesus doesn’t mean true faith in Jesus.

There is no SPECTRUM of faith…

Jesus isn’t someone you can pull off the shelf to use.

Jesus is not a technique of a formula.

Jesus is not a trinket to carry on the inside, but a King who reigns!

Demons recognize Jesus, clearly not faith

Religious elite can speak about Jesus, not faith…

Can be used for gimmicky reasons.

Do you ever use Jesus’ name for purposes other than his glory?

Transition: Genuine Faith in Jesus as the King means that the Kingdom starts to take shape and influence the culture...

Kingdom Overpowers All Forces

Big Picture

Gerasene Demoniac (Luke 8:26-29)

Specific even of the Sons of Sceva:

Sons of an elite Jewish family.

We’re going to deal with this demon ourselves and use Paul’s formula.

7 exorcists were vanquished by a single demon. Ran away naked, injured and degraded.

Strange response: “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” They weren’t a threat! WHY?

Strange response of the Gerasene Demoniac:

Put us in the pigs!!

“Dressed and in his right mind” (v.35).

Jesus was a threat. WHY?

Demons can smell power, and power comes from Faith!

End of the story ends in complete embarrassment of the Sons of Sceva.

Kingdom Flips Economics

Nitty gritty Kingdom

Philippi

Guys making money off prophetess

Paul and Silas dragged into the marketplace for trial

Miracle was an illustration of how the Kingdom Heals, brings freedom to the exploited, BUT, it also brings justice to those who were the exploiters! No longer will they be earning a dime off of this young women’s demonic prison.

Kingdom stopped the passing of dirty currency!

Ephesus

Magicians see what happens to the Sons of Sceva

Order is helpful:

Response in Ephesus:

Fear: v.17: And fear feel upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.

Repentance: v. 18: “And many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.

Surrender: v.19: “And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all.”

“Fifty thousand pieces of silver”

Ephesus: Magicians giving up money ($6 million??)

ESVSB: “At $15 (U.S.) per hour, or $120 per day, 50,000 drachmas would equal approximately $6 million in today’s currency.”

Ephesians: Famous for “Ephesians Letters”: ‘written charms, amulets and talismans’. aka “Witches cookbook”.

Stott: Could have sold these Letters for a pretty penny, they decided to burn them instead! Their sacrifice was an illustration of their true repentance.

Result: v.20: in this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power (20).” Stott

Kingdom sacrifices what binds us, regardless of cost.

COSTLY discipleship...

Kingdom is flipping things upside down.

People are freed from the entrapment of money...

Slavery is the worst form of greed: exploiting and owning other human beings for financial gain

Greed gives way to generosity!

New reality with new economic system built on

Philippi: Freedom from bondage

Ephesus: Extravagant generosity

Economics of the Kingdom make sense because they are based on what it true, what is real, what is just, what is loving, what is gracious...

LIV Golf: How much would it take to change your mind??

Tiger Woods: $1 billion

NOT using Tiger Woods as a beacon of morality, this is just an illustration, folks...

But think about the economics here… $1 billion!!

Referring to the PGA: “That’s where my legacy is.”

Stop Tithing!

Think bigger!

CONCLUSION: Thy Kingdom Come

The response:

May the Force be with You:

Too bad I didn’t schedule this sermon on the week of May 4th...

Grandfather’s gravitas and thick Dutch Accent: “Thy Kingdom Come”