I don’t know about you, but Hollywood ticks me off. A relatively small number of directors and producers through TV and movies depict, portray and even promote their view of what America is and how it should be. I wonder if they ever get out of their glass bubble and see how most of us really live. And it’s not just with American way of life, its other things as well. During this Easter season there has been an abundance of movies and programs on the life of Christ, some old, some new. What bothers me is that if I never read the Gospels, but solely relied on Hollywood’s depiction of Jesus, I would have a vastly different view of Him than how He really is.
More often than not, Jesus is portrayed as anemic, weak, and pale. Though He was a carpenter, traveled extensively by foot in the hot Mid-east sun they depict Him rather fragile, milk toast and even scrawny. Rarely is He shown as strong though tender, firm though understanding, straight forward though gentle.
Most European paintings of Jesus likewise have it wrong, portraying Him with auburn hair, blue eyes and fair skinned, rather than being born an ethnic Jew.
That’s why we want you to join us in reading through the Gospel of Luke to discover who Jesus is, what He did and how he did it. We want you to encounter the real Jesus and not some manufactured facsimile or cheap trinket of the real thing.
We want you to discover and encounter who Jesus really is instead of Hollywood’s version of Him.
We desire that each and everyday when you strap on your shoes, you can with confidence follow your Lord and Life Coach, Jesus Christ.
In our passage this week in Luke 4:31, we are told that that after proclaiming to those in His hometown of Nazareth; His purpose, His plan and His mission of redeeming humanity, He went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority. 33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34"Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" 35"Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. 36All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!" Luke 4:31-36
Notice what it says, They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority. V. 32
Now the word “amazed” literally means “to strike with panic or shock”. They were awestruck and experience a thunderstorm in their souls. You see, Jesus’ preaching was clear, unlike the teachers of the law; the Pharisee’s and the Sadducees who said a whole lot of nothing. Jesus’ message was and continues to be straight forward and clear. And it is our responsibility that we present it clear. This is why our AWANA ministry is so very important to us. The word AWANA is taken from 2 Tim. 2:15. Be diligent to present yourself approved of God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 A Workman Approved Need not be Ashamed. Why? Because they rightly handle the Word of truth.
Folks, there is quite frankly a lot of garbage peddled out there today and unfortunately it comes from many church pulpits. You may have seen things on the news lately that shock you. I have preached in some churches where God’s Word is totally ignored and where Jesus is negated, maligned, stripped of His glory and left benign.
Folks, Pastor Nate and I want you to know and be rest assured that he and I are followers and disciples of Jesus Christ. That His Word is paramount, that He’s in charge, that He’s the Head Coach and we will do our absolute best to teach you from His Word, straight up and straight forward. Because we have a responsibility to teach God’s Word. Why, you ask? The Apostle Paul said it best
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: Romans 1:16
Salvation! All of humanity is in need of salvation. Jesus came and while here on earth He taught the way of salvation and it created a response in one of two ways: Either people responded to Him in love or they reacted to Him in anger.
I find it interesting, but people can talk about virtually anything, but when you bring up the name of Jesus, it creates such strong response. People are either drawn near or they are repelled. Why? Because the very name of Jesus has power and when His Word is spoken it has authority. Now in v. 32 it says that people in Capernaum were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority. And in V.36 With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!" Luke 4:31-36
Now the word authority means: 1. the right to command; the right or power to enforce the rules or to give orders. 2. Someone who possess official power. 3. A source or reliable information.
Jesus possessed all these things. In fact, In Matt. 28:18, Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
In Phil. 2:10 it says, at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Why? Because He has authority.
Now I’m sure that all of you have pictures in your mind of individuals who epitomize authority. Perhaps for some of you it is Sir Winston Churchill with his jowls set like a bulldog as he faces off with Hitler’s Third Reich. Maybe it’s our own legendary Vince Lombardi in his traditional black coat and hat as he directs Bart Starr to yet another championship. Maybe it’s England’s former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as she squares off with the House of Commons or the confident demeanor of General Norman Schwarzkopf as he directs US troops through the Kuwait desert.
Regardless of how you imagine what authority looks like, make no bones about it, Jesus is the epitome of authority, regardless of how Hollywood portrays Him. Jesus came in authority for a very important purpose. LISTEN TO WHAT THE WORD OF GOD SAYS: The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 1 John 3:8 Did you here that; the reason, the purpose, the plan, the mission for why Jesus came was to destroy the devil’s work.
We see this very thing in this passage v. 33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34"Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" 35"Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. 36All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!"
Now folks, during this Easter season we throw around a lot of words like “Redeemed”, “Saved”, “Ransomed”, “Delivered”, “Set Free” and “Paid the Price”. But what does it all mean? Redeemed, saved, ransomed, delivered and set free from what?
We know from God’s Word that without Christ:
We are dead in our transgressions and sins Eph. 2:1
We know from God’s Word that without Christ:
We stand condemned already because we have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son John 3:18
We know from God’s Word that without Christ:
We should be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matt. 10:28
When Adam and Eve fell from grace that fateful day under the deceit of Satan, a fallen and rebellious Archangel of God, the Bible tells us all of humanity was plunged into sin. Rom. 5:12 says, Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men.
Likewise, the Bible tells us in John 16:11 that Satan thus became the “price of the world” and according to
1 John 5: 19 the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
Furthermore, a third of the angelic host followed Satan in this rebellion, were cast from heaven and reside with Satan here on earth and are referred to by Jesus as unclean spirits, evil spirits or demons.
Therefore, that day in Capernaum, Jesus was confronted with one of these demons and there was a power encounter. As you read and as we study the Gospels and in particular Luke, you will see this again and again.
When Jesus was in His hometown of Nazareth, do you remember what He said: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." Luke 4:18-19 referring to an event that took place every half century in Judaism, the Year of Jubilee, when all the captives, prisoners and oppressed were set free. And that is exactly what Jesus came to do, to set the prisoners and oppressed free and to to destroy the devil’s work. 1 John 3:8
There are two Kingdoms: the Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness; The Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the evil one. And these two kingdoms are in conflict. Since the garden, all of humanity has been held captive, we have been prisoners under Satan’s domain, who according to John 16:11 is the prince of this world; the prince of the power of the air. Eph. 2:2
Eph. 2:12 says that (as a result) we have been without hope and without God in the world.
When Jesus came to Nazareth that day, He came to announce His purpose, plan and mission to set the captives and prisoners free, free from the dominion of the evil one and the Kingdom of darkness and to bring anyone into the Kingdom of Light. Listen to what Col. 1:13-14 says; For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption.
That day in Capernaum, two Kingdoms collided. Two worlds clashed as the Kingdom of God came into conflict with the kingdom of the evil one.
We’ll be looking more at this in Luke, but this morning I want you to understand a few things.
1. Satan has a well defined objective.
In John 10:10 we are told, the thief (referring to Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
That’s why Jesus said in Matt 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Eph. 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Our situation as disciples of Christ is similar to an underground army living behind enemy lines in a country still occupied by a defeated enemy. Such was the French underground’s role after D-Day in Europe during WW II. The Nazi’s were still capable of committing terrible atrocities on French civilians even though the Nazi’s eventual defeat was sure. The 1984 arrest and trial of Claus Barbie illustrates how barbarous the Nazi’s acts were: knowing there was no hope for victory, he continued to torture and murder hundreds of French, including children. He was nicknamed, “the Butcher of Lyon.”
Satan likewise has many names too: destroyer, deceiver, and liar. In our war with Satan there are no demilitarized zones. There is never a lull in the fighting, and until the day when the Lord returns, we should never expect the battle to cease. But just as much as Satan is resolute in his desire to hold mankind captive.
2. Jesus is the Great Liberator
The kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God are in a battle for the souls of mankind. Jesus is about His Father’s business of world redemption and to provide freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, release for the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."
But the battle is not over. Be rest assured that through Christ’s death and resurrection, Jesus has authority. Col. 2: 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Eph. 1:20-22 when God raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.
That day in Capernaum, that poor man was being victimized by the “the Butcher of the World”. He was being tormented and abused. And Jesus said sternly to him. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.
3. People reply to Jesus in two basic ways:
Either people responded to Him in love or they reacted to Him in anger. In our culture, basically anything goes. People can talk about virtually anything, despite how rude, crude or lewd it might be. But when you bring up the name of Jesus, it creates immediate reaction. I have found that people are either drawn to Jesus or they run from Him. They either respond or reject, but they unquestionably react. Why?
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. I Cor. 4:4
Listen to what this demon who had taken this man as a captive prisoner that day in Capernaum said to Jesus; What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
Like Satan himself in the desert, this demon knew exactly who Jesus was and what He came to do, to destroy the deeds of the devil. Jesus said, 35"Be quiet!” "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. 36All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!"
Folks, make no bones about it, Jesus has authority! And as His followers, His disciples, He has given us authority which we will be seeing. In fact, In the Great Commission to the disciples and to the church, Jesus, said in Matt. 28,"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Folks, we have a mission and a commission by Jesus to help set people free. But before we run to the battle, we need to learn to walk, and before we learn to walk, we need to learn to crawl. And in order to do that we need to get into the Word of God and prayer. So take time in that devotional this week, because the Kingdoms are in conflict and Jesus wants us to on the front lines as His impact players.
