Jesus Still Conquers Evil

Luke 4:31-37
Pastor Mike Leiter


Big Idea: Jesus still conquers evil.

Main Points:
I. Evil is conquered by the preaching of Jesus.
II. Evil is conquered by the presence of Jesus.
III. Evil is conquered by the power of Jesus.
IV. Evil is conquered by the popularity of Jesus.


Introduction

Power Point: Jesus still conquers evil.

When you were a child, were you afraid of the dark? I was. How many of you are still afraid of the dark? I am, depending on where I am. When children are in the dark they can’t see what might be ‘out there’ ready to get them. They can’t see the monster that is lurking on the other side of the closet door. They can’t see the dragon beneath their bed that is waiting to lunge out and eat them for a midnight snack. Now, the reason kids and even adults are afraid of the dark is because we are all afraid of what we can’t see.

Since we are afraid of what we cannot see, people begin to squirm when we talk about the subject of demons. Francis MacNutt quotes theologian Walter Wink in his book “Deliverance from Evil Spirits and writes:
. . . if you want to bring all talk to a halt in shocked embarrassment, every eye riveted on you, try mentioning angels, or demons or the devil. You will quickly be appraised for signs of pathological violence and then quietly shunned.
Angels, spirits, principalities, gods, Satan – these along with other supernatural realities, are the unmentionables of our culture.

In my experience I have found this to be the truth, especially in our Western culture. When I was in school, I was given the impression that people who believed in angels and demons were ignorant of the advances of modern science. “We know better now” they would teach. They would talk about the superstition of the Salem witch trials and that there was really no such thing as evil spirits and the devil. Their explanation for their views: modern scientific techniques. If you can’t see it, feel it, touch it, taste it, or smell it – it doesn’t exist. I was taught this in school, and in a way we have all be taught this, either consciously or subconsciously.

There’s a story of an elementary school teacher who had a Christian student who was very outspoken about his faith. To prove a point one day, the teacher took this student to the classroom window, pointed to the sky and said, “Look up into the sky. Can you see God up there?” “No.” the student replied. “That’s because there is no God.” Smirked the teacher. “Oh.” The student said as he returned to his desk. As the teacher was making his way back up to the front of the classroom, the student turned to a classmate and said, “Look at the teacher’s head. Do you see a brain up there?” The classmate said, “Nope.” “That’s because there is no brain up there!”

Jesus knew better than to trust only in human techniques. He understood that there is more than meets the eye. Instead of going about things in a purely physical manner, He was able to take care of the REAL problems facing people. This is exactly what happens in today’s passage which appears in Luke 4:31-37, and in this case, the problem is an evil spirit. Please turn with me to Luke 4:31-37. [read passage].

Luke 4:31-37
And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; [32] and they were amazed at His teaching, for His