What A Word Is This?
Luke 4:31-37
Here in our text, we find Jesus going down to Capernaum. Capernaum was a thriving city with great wealth and potential. Capernaum was Jesus headquarters. Jesus was often in Capernaum because His home folk in Nazareth rejected Him. There are times in our lives, when home just does not feel like home. Times in our life when family don’t seem like family. Times when what we think is familiar isn’t familiar anymore. You go to your hometown and the corner store anymore. What we thought was church isn’t church anymore.
All of us has a Nazareth in our life. A place in our midst where we have gotten rejected by the same people who helped get to where we are.
Now, the same people who helped you don’t want you to come back in help them. He was rejected and through his rejected, he goes to Capernaum.
In Nazareth, Jesus was faced with ridicule; In Nazareth, Jesus was faced with criticism; In Nazareth Jesus was misunderstood. Jesus spent most of His ministry years in Capernaum because the folks in Nazareth always remembered Him when He was a “Carpenter’s Boy.”
I submit to you that whenever you make up your mind to serve God, it’s usually folk at home that will remember you when. They remember you when… (Expound).
Some people will never get pass the “Nazareth syndrome.” They don’t think any good thing can come out of Nazareth. In spite of what they say, just find Capernaum. (Expound)
Jesus left Nazareth and made Capernaum His “home away from home.” However, when He arrived in Capernaum, the bible says that he went into the synagogue and began to teach the Word of God. I like that because He didn’t play around with a lot of foolishness, He just taught the Word of God. He wasn’t intimidated; He was bold; He was not ashamed of the gospel, just bold. Which gives us a framework in which Paul said,
“For I am not ashamed…..”
“I know nothing except Jesus crucified”
“…foolishness of preaching”
However as He began to expound on the Word of God, something happened. Here it is Jesus, pausing to deal with ministry. Preaching ought to be our number one priority, but in the midst of our preaching we ought to have a balance to do some ministry.
There was a man in the church with an unclean spirit. Jesus had to stop teaching the Word of God to deal with a man in that had the devil in him. (The devil is always present) The reason why I know the devil was present because the bible says he was there making noise. The devils in the church are always noisy. They are always the loudest. (Expound) They are loud and unspiritual and their main objective is the stop the Word of God form going forward. This man Heard the Word, but he refused to Obey the Word of God.
In Nazareth he did this – in Capernaum he did that
As Jesus began to teach the Word of God, listen to hi s language. He says, “Let “US” alone. We need to understand that misery loves company. Even though he was the only one complaining, he spoke on behalf of the whole church. He says “Let us alone” In other words he says, Jesus be satisfied with me just being here in church, but let us alone.
Us: My habit; affair; hidden agenda.
I don’t mind you preaching pastor, but leave me and my tricking alone.
Go ahead and preach pastor, but leave me and my whoring alone.
Go ahead and preach a nice juicy sermon, but leave me and my lying alone.
Go ahead and speak about happiness, but let me live on the down low. Leave Us along!
Notice in verse 34b, the text shows us that even the devil know God. (No favors) He says, “You are the Holy One.” (The standard is Holiness). Even the devil knows the Lord. The bible says that Jesus rebuked the man by saying, “Hold thy peace.” In other words, “Be muzzled and gagged.” That’s what the word of God does to us. The Word is quick, the Word is powerful, and the Word is sharper than any two-edge sword.
Logos- Expression of thought
Epos- Articulated expression of thought
Rehma- that which is spoken (utterance)
As I browsed through this text, the Spirit showed me something as never before. He said Sherrill; look at this text in reverse. There are three things that I won’t you to understand about the Word of God. The Word of God is: Powerful, Protective, Must be Proclaimed.
First of all, it’s Powerful. Look at verse 37 in the text. In the fame of Him went out into every place of the country round about. Whenever something is powerful or someone has power, it causes that person to become famous. Fame causes one to constantly be under the microscope. Jesus was the talk of town. Everybody was talking about the man from Galilee. Everybody wanted to see Him. The bible says his fame went into every place. Which means Jesus did not leave any stones unturned. His word reached the crack houses, nightclubs, casinos, whorehouses, street corners, and everybody in the country. Whenever you are spreading the Word of God, it’s going to go into everyplace because His word is Powerful.
I Peter 1:25-But the Word of the Lord endureth forever…
Ps 33:6- By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made.…
Matt 24:35- Heaven & Earth shall pass away….
Ps 33:4- For the Word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.
Det 8:3- …Man doth not live by bread alone…..
His word is: Upright, pure, like a hammer, and it’s mighty.
Secondly, the Word of God is Protection. The (b) portion of verse 36 says, “for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. Even though this man caused corruption within the house of God, Even though this man dwelled in the synagogue with an unclean spirit, God protected him. The Word (Hoop) is a word that means to stay under. It means that God will continually protect you. I am so glad that God protects me.
David in spite of Saul
Daniel
Hebrew Boys
Job – (Trust Him and wait until your change come)
Children of Israel
Rev. 7:4, “And I heard the number of them which were sealed…” That sounds like a protector. Finally, the Word of God must be Proclaimed. Listen to 36(a), “And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying What a Word is this!
That’s our responsibility; we must tell somebody about Jesus.
