Children excused – by the way, we don’t require parents to send their children either to children’s church or to the
nursery. It is completely up to each family. As a welcome center for the Kingdom of God, we desire that people – all
people – feel like they can be themselves here. There are certainly changes God wants to make in all of us and we will
proclaim the truth from God’s Word unashamedly, but it is God Himself who does His work of change in the lives of
people. However God wants to do that is fine with us. So if you have children and you don’t want them to go downstairs
for a concentrated time of learning in a different setting, that’s fine.
That brings up everyone’s responsibilities. If you are a parent and want your children with you during the service, realize
that children aren’t going to be glued to every word I have to say and will become restless. AND children will be children,
too. If you notice that people may be getting distracted, the foyer is a place you can take them and still hear what’s going
on in here.
If you are a person who is sitting near a family who wants their children with them during the service, realize that children
aren’t going to be glued to every word I say and will become restless. AND children will be children, too. If you can’t
hear or concentrate – no harm, no foul – move somewhere that you CAN. There’s no need to get upset with one another
when we can easily fix the issue and treat one another with love. A wise older man who was a pastor who used to attend
our church told me once that the sound of children in church is the sound of LIFE. We desire this church to be a living, vital
outreach in this community. The blessing of having children includes the fact that we have an impact on the future through
them. All are welcome. Any questions?
We are in the Gospel of Luke looking at the life of the Lord Jesus Christ – a REAL human life. The life Jesus lived here on
earth is a model for us and an example and even a pattern. But most of the time, I think we feel like it could never happen
to us that way. That’s one reason we are in the Gospel of Luke – I think God gave us all this information in the Word of
God, the Bible, so we wouldn’t just hear about it, but so that we would EXPERIENCE it for ourselves. As we look again
at the life of Jesus this morning, let’s ask our Teacher to show us the things He wants us to see from His Word – things that
can change US and make our lives like HIS. PRAY
When we last were in Luke, we saw Jesus in His hometown of Nazareth not getting a very friendly reception. The people
in the synagogue in Nazareth had expectations and demands of Jesus that were not according to the will of God and Jesus
let them know. Their response to truth was to try to kill the messenger, but Jesus escaped. That brings us to Luke
4:31,32. READ.
MAP – Jesus left His hometown of Nazareth and traveled a few miles over to the Sea of Galilee to the town of
Capernaum. We don’t know if anyone went with Him – people who had believed from Nazareth. At this point, He did
not have any of the Twelve with Him. When He got to Capernaum, He found the local synagogue and it says that He was
teaching the people of Capernaum on the Sabbaths – so He spent some time there.
The response of the people in Capernaum was quite different than those in Nazareth. It says in verse 32 that they were
astonished at His teaching because His teaching, His word, was with authority. They were hearing something that either
they had heard before and did not get anything from OR they had never heard these things before and were connecting with
what Jesus was saying because He spoke with authority – as if what He was saying actually meant something.
Have you had that experience? Maybe you have read or heard something from the Bible and it just didn’t click. But later,
someone was talking about it or you heard a message and all of a sudden, the lights came on for you. There is a
component of our response to God’s Word that is related to our own receptivity. These people had probably heard about
Jesus and came expecting to hear something. But, there is also a component to our receptivity that has to do with the
message itself. Here at Plattsmouth Bible Church, we believe the Word of God to be the central focus of life and how to
live. We believe every word of the Bible to be useful to the Spirit of God to accomplish His eternal purposes.
Let’s go on. Luke 4:33-37. READ. Since this happened in the synagogue, it is probable that the day it happened was the
Sabbath. At this point, no one confronts Jesus about healing on the Sabbath. But let’s think about what we just read here.
There was a man in the synagogue – the Jewish worship center in the city of Capernaum – so this was like church day – a
man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. Right there in church. Could this happen today? Could this be true in a church
today – in OUR church? What if it is – and what if the person is sitting right next to you?
And there’s a good point – these people in this time period did not travel often or far. This man was probably a regular
attender in their synagogue. And yet, he was afflicted with a spirit of an unclean demon. By the way, all demons are
unclean. We don’t need to try to read anything into the description of this one as unclean. Luke, the doctor, makes sure
he is accurate in his telling of this circumstance.
As far as we know, Jesus was teaching again in the synagogue and at some point this spirit shouts out, “Let us alone – what
have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are – the Holy One of
God!” We don’t have any record that Jesus went after this demon or that Jesus took the first swing at the demon. What
was it that caused the demon to flip out? I think we have to attribute it to the authoritative teaching of God’s Word.
Knowing Jesus, I don’t think He was unaware of the spirit in this man. But He didn’t go after the spirit. The spirit came
after Him, revealing itself and subjecting itself to whatever the Lord Jesus wanted to do to deal with it.
And He did deal with it. He told it to be quiet and to leave. Jesus commanded the spirit and the spirit did what He said. It
did throw the man around a little bit, but left him unharmed. I didn’t see anyone’s head spinning or anyone vomiting or
electricity coming out of anyone’s eyes. What I see is a man who probably had attended their synagogue for a while, who
was afflicted by an evil spirit/demon who was released.
What would you have done if you had been there? Would you have been freaked out? I don’t know what I would have
thought. I probably would have been pretty surprised that this guy who I was sitting by was demon possessed. By the
rebuke of Jesus – the REAL human being – this demon departed. What is a rebuke? The rebuke here was fairly
straightforward – Be quiet and come out of him. A rebuke puts a person in his place. With the same authority He had
been teaching, He exercised authority over this spirit – demon, your place is to be quiet and to be gone. And that’s what
happened. Notice that Luke also includes the little tantrum the demon throws, but, as a good doctor, Luke lets us know
that the man wasn’t hurt in the experience.
Everyone in the synagogue was amazed and spoke to one another about what they had just seen and heard. As they left
church that day, they started telling others about the things the Jesus was able to do.
Jesus then leaves the synagogue and goes to someone’s house. Luke 4:38,39. READ. We are given no introduction to
Simon – how Jesus met him or how Jesus happened to come to his house. I tend to think that Simon was one of the
people at the synagogue who had been hearing Jesus and seeing Him do things, and Simon invited him over. The fact that
we aren’t given much more information about Simon also indicates that Luke assumes that we will know who he is. And
we do – it is Simon Peter, the apostle Peter. We’ll see him again in chapter 5 which makes it clear.
Jesus goes to Simon’s house after casting the demon out of this man in the synagogue – this is the same day – and upon
arriving there, Simon’s family lets Jesus know that Simon’s mother in law has a fever, and could You do anything about it?
It says in the NKJV that she was sick with a high fever. Some versions say she was suffering or was ill. The KJV says she
was taken with a great fever. I think it is really interesting that, just like He did with the spirit of the demon in the man at the
synagogue, Jesus rebukes this fever. We don’t know what He said, but He rebuked it – He put the fever in its place.
Could it be that the fever was the result of a spiritual affliction? We don’t know. We DO know that the fever left her – just
like the spirit left the man in the synagogue. And when the fever was gone, the woman – probably gratefully – served her
Guest and the people who were there.
God’s power works. We like the sound of that, I think. We like to sing powerful songs that get us excited and revved up.
We like to hear the stories from the Bible and even from missionaries of God’s power. I wonder, though – do WE see
God’s power like that? Are we supposed to just live God’s power vicariously through others and not really experience it
ourselves? How many of us really believe God’s power, but we are getting tired of only believing it, but not seeing it? If
you were honest, would you say that’s you?
As Jesus taught the Word of God, He taught with the authority of God because of His relationship with the Father. As
people listened, they caught more than they had ever caught before. These messages had impact on them. And Jesus
taught there for a while, so they kept coming back to hear more of this authoritative teaching, and it had an impact on them.
This Sabbath day continues in the following verses. Luke 4:40,41. READ. As people left the synagogue that day, they
shared what had happened. As people saw what happened to Simon’s mother in law, news spread. And as new spread,
people started lining up. Notice that everyone who came, Jesus healed and demons were cast out. And we don’t have
any record of any requirements of faith made on the people in order to be healed. They came to be healed – not to believe
in the Messiah. And Jesus healed them. I think it is likely that after being healed, many of them probably believed in Him
for salvation.
We heard about this over and over in India last year. Many of the Berean pastors in India are former Hindus who prayed
for years to one after the other Hindu god and had no results. A believer in Jesus came and prayed for their healing or their
family member’s healing in the name of Jesus ONCE and the person was healed. And immediately, people believed.
There are no formulas we can use to plug God in to and force Him to perform for us. HE’S God, not us. But we CAN
see patterns and principles to apply. One thing we usually ask or give out about people we request prayer for is whether
they are believers or not. I think most of the time, we want people to know because it is important to us that they ARE or
AREN’T believers. But let’s not allow that to become a litmus test for whether we pray for people or not. God can and
will and does do His amazing God sized stuff in the lives of people in our world today – stuff just like we read about here in
Luke. We’ll talk in a minute about why we may not see things like that. But He does these things today.
Jesus said in Luke 4:18,19 that He came to do these kinds of things. His reason for coming has not changed just because
He is not physically here anymore. WE are able to continue His work. In fact, look at John 6:28,29. READ. The work
of God in US is to believe in Jesus. In order to accomplish the things God wants us to accomplish for His Kingdom, our
part is to BELIEVE in Jesus. It is GOD’S job to do the work – that’s why it’s called “the work of GOD.” Turn a few
pages to John 14:12-14. READ. Did you hear the Son of God? The works that I do, he who believes in Me will do also
and GREATER works, because I go to My Father. God’s power works. Let’s think a little bit about why we don’t see it
now like they saw it then.
Look at the next verses in Luke 4:42-44. READ. The next day Jesus got up early and went to be alone with the Father
for a while. The crowd from Capernaum found Him and tried to get Him to stay with them. His response was that one of
the reasons He came was to preach or proclaim the Kingdom of God in other places – places besides Capernaum. The
message of Luke 4:18,19 is the Kingdom of God message – good news for the poor, healing for the brokenhearted,
freedom for the captives and those who are oppressed, recovery of sight to the blind – the stuff we looked at a couple of
weeks ago. The healings and casting out of demons He had done the day before are the work of the Kingdom of God.
God is not done building His Kingdom. These things are still the work of the Kingdom of God. That was His message.
What is OUR message? Is it really the Kingdom of God?
- God wants you to be happy
- God wants you to be comfortable
- God wants you to be financially secure
- God wants you to be healthy
- God wants you to be well-fed
- God wants you to be beautiful
- God wants you to have nice things
Is that all Jesus came and died for? Is that what the power of God is reduced to? That’s the American gospel – not the
good news of the Kingdom of God. No wonder we don’t see amazing things very often – we are looking for the wrong
things.
Our message at Plattsmouth Bible Church is
- God wants to restore you to the kind of life that glorifies HIM
- That kind of life happens through salvation in Jesus Christ
- The good news – the gospel – continues beyond the point of conversion – when we BECOME Christians – into our
daily lives. The Spirit of God changes us by HIS power and makes us look like Jesus. The power of God WORKS.
Plattsmouth Bible Church exists to proclaim Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus came to proclaim the Kingdom of God. We
proclaim Him so that we may present every person He brings us in contact with complete in Him, mature, fully grown up
and connected with Jesus. And this happens according to HIS power, not ours.
God’s power works. If we don’t see it working in us and around us, we likely have it disconnected somewhere. If our
view of God’s power is that we ALLOW God to only use His power for OUR benefit, we will not see the true power and
depth and amazement of His power. Let me remind us all of the kind of power God desires to show in our lives moment
by moment. Turn to Ephesians 1:18b-20. READ (Paul prays that…). That’s the kind of power GOD wants to use and
display in us. LET HIM!