The Power of Jesus Christ

Luke 8:22-25 Part one

 

Let me say from the outside, that in studying this message, I learned more than I have ever  knew about this lesson. I think I am rather learned in Scripture but after this study I think I am at about 10% if that much of knowing the Bible as I should.

In our continuing study of the Word of God, we return to the 8th chapter of Luke, this morning, Luke chapter 8. And what I think for many of you will be a recollection of a Sunday school story that you will, no doubt, remember when I read it. This is one of those favorite stories about Jesus that shows up in almost every children's book. Almost every Sunday school teacher has told it. It is the story of Jesus calming the storm, Luke chapter 8. Let me read verses 22 through verse 25.

"Now it came about on one of those days or, Now it came to pass on a certain day

that He and His disciples : or,

into a boat. or, a ship

And He said to them, 'Let us go over to the other side of the lake.'

And they launched out.

But as they were sailing along,

He fell asleep and

a fierce gale of wind descended upon the lake; or, and there came down a storm of wind on the lake

and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.

And they came to Him and woke Him up saying, 'Master, Master, we are perishing.'

And being aroused,

He rebuked the wind and the surging waves and they stopped and it became calm.

And He said to them, 'Where is your faith?'

And they were fearful and amazed,

saying to one another, 'Who then is this that He commands even the winds and the water and they obey Him?'"

Familiar story, right? Brief story. But it's going to take us two weeks to get through this story. I don't know why that is, it just is. And it's not because the story is hard to understand. It's because the reason for the story must be understood.

Sometimes we're cheated of the depths of divine truth because we're content with the surface. This is profound revelation and you need to understand the theological and redemptive and historical context in which this fits.

So we go back before the Fall, when God created man and made him king of a perfect earth, paradise. And then we remember that man sinned and paradise was lost and the earth was cursed and man was cursed. The earth by virtue of the curse fell immediately into the hands of the usurper Satan, who became the ruler of this world.

Man was stained by sin. The planet was stained by sin. Life then is marked by sickness and pain and suffering and sorrow and death and difficulty, war, injustice, lies, natural disasters, famines, demonic activity, and so it goes.

But God has a plan and it's a twofold plan.

He has a plan to redeem His people and to redeem His planet.

And that plan begins to unfold early in redemptive history in the Old Testament as God promises there will come a Redeemer who will redeem His people. And He will also redeem His planet and one person will do both.

The first time He comes it will be to redeem His people.

The second time He comes it will be to redeem His planet.

And that simply defines the first and second coming of Jesus Christ. He came the first time to save His people from their sins. He came the second time to restore the planet to peace and justice and righteousness and joy.

 

The ultimate design then is that man is delivered from his sin and the planet is delivered as well from the effect of sin.

 

Jesus came the first time in humility, to offer Himself as the sacrifice for sin by which to provide redemption.

 

He comes the second time in glory and majesty as a conqueror to destroy all the wicked and all the ungodly and establish Himself as King of the world.

 

He comes then the first time to redeem His people, the second time to redeem His planet.

 

Note the footnote at the end of this paper "The Remarkable Re=Birth oif Planet Earth by Henry Morris

 

Now it's obvious that if someone is going to do that they have to have immense power, immense power. It's enough of a challenge to redeem people, but add to that the promise to redeem the planet. To reverse what is wrong with man and to reverse what is wrong in the universe, this is the task laid at the feet of the great Messiah, Savior. It takes power beyond anything human. It takes power beyond any human comprehension. It is inconceivable to us to understand the kind of power that it takes to reverse the Fall and the curse. And it is power that belongs only to God Himself. But that is precisely what God says He will do.

We know already in the gospel of Luke that the Messiah came to redeem His people, to save His people from their sin. We know from this story that Jesus the Messiah also has the power to control natural forces, wind and water.

In fact, if you wanted to pick an illustration of what is hard to control, wind would be the best one. Everybody talks about the weather, the old adage goes, but nobody does anything about it. And the reason nobody does anything about it is because nobody can do anything about it. With all of our ability to harness energy, with all of our ability to advance scientifically, and to draw out of the resources of this planet wealth and benefit, we can't do anything about the weather. But Jesus could and that's what He did in this event.

It's more than just a...a simple story in and of itself. You've got to get beyond the superficial.

This is all about one demonstrating power to fulfill prophecy, prophecy that relates to paradise regained, reversing the curse, renewing the earth.

The Bible is very clear about the kingdom that is going to come.

During the kingdom, the millennial kingdom, Satan will be bound for the entire duration of a thousand years. Revelation 20 makes that clear. Whoever it is then that's going to come and establish the kingdom has to have the power to triumph over Satan. We already know in the gospel of Luke that Jesus has that power because when Satan came against Jesus, he was totally vanquished, remember that? That's important for us.

 

We also know that in the kingdom demons will not dominate. They will with their leader, Satan, be bound and the saints will dominate. This is clear in Scripture. And we already know in the gospel of Luke that Jesus had total power over demons. He spoke to them at will and they did exactly what He told them to do. He exercised complete power over that realm.

 

Scripture says that in the kingdom sin will be instantaneously punished. Everybody in the world will be under the judgeship of one judge, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will act both benevolently and justly instantaneously. Whoever is to be this perfect judge must demonstrate then perfect equity, perfect righteousness, perfect holiness, hatred for sin and love of what is right. So we've already learned that Jesus fits that perfectly.

 

When the kingdom comes peace will dominate the earth.

He will have to be a peacemaker the likes of which the world has never seen. Joy will abound. Isaiah 12, the prophet says, "When the kingdom comes joy will abound in the earth." Isaiah 11:9, "Truth will pervade."

 

The knowledge of God will fill the earth, Scripture says.

 

And nature will change. Natural enemies will become friends, according to chapter 11 of Isaiah. Lion lies down with the lamb. Children play in snake pits without ever being bitten or fearing anything. Carnivorous beasts eat straw like an ox.

 

Crops will flourish, according to Isaiah chapter 30. The planet's ability to produce will be altered dramatically, so much so that Isaiah chapter 30 and Joel chapter 2 tell us the crops are going to grow all night long and the moon will have the same photosynthetic power that the sun does, different world.

 

Isaiah 35 says the desert is going to blossom like a rose, the barren, bleak desert is going to flourish like a garden; that the Lord Himself is going to create a river out of the backside of Jerusalem that's going to flood the desert. It's going to create a new valley.

 

That health and healing will mark the millennial kingdom. Disease will be diminished. There will be healing, wholeness, health. If someone dies at the age of 100 they die as a baby. It will be like it was before the Flood when people lived for centuries.

 

True worship will be restored, according to Ezekiel 40 to 48. There will be one great King and one great Ruler, the Messiah.

All of this is paradise regained. This is the coming promised kingdom of God.

His throne will be established in Jerusalem, from which He will rule the world.

The ability to change the planet, the ability to redeem sinful people and the ability to literally reverse the curse physically is only possible through God's power. Nobody can do that. We don't have to worry too much about preserving the planet.

 

Perhaps not too long from now the Lord Jesus is going to turn it into something like the Garden of Eden. And only the Creator can have that power.

 

Does God have that power? Of course He does.

 

David said in Psalm 62:11, "Power belongs to God." That seems like a simple statement but the kind of power David was talking about is immense.

 

I read you Psalm 29 You can go back and look at it. It talks about God's power over the waters, God's power over the seas, God's power over the land and God's power over the animals and God's power over man.

 

Job 26:14 says, "The thunder of His power, who can understand?"

 

Psalm 79:11 talks of the greatness of His power. Nahum wrote, "The Lord is great in power."

 

Isaiah 26:4, "The Lord God is an everlasting power."

 

Psalm 65:6 says, "Who by strength," speaking of God, "establishes the mountains being girded with power?"

 

Psalm 63:1 and 2, "Oh God, You are my God, early will I seek You. My soul thirsts for You. My flesh longs for You, to see Your power." David wanted to see God's power. And He could have seen it and he did see it.

 

Romans 1 says, "The power of God is manifest in the creation," so that if you don't see the power of God and acknowledge Him for it, then you're without excuse because the manifestation of God's power in the creation is so obvious.

I mean, just think about how much power God has to create and sustain the entire universe.

Listen The Words of Jesus Correctly

 

Spiritual growth is not like a linear development where we simply move forward along a straight line. It is essentially growth in what we already have in Jesus Christ and is coming to know Him better. As we come to know Christ better, the expression of His life within us is seen and conveyed in the world around us. Paul writes, "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better" (Ephesians 1:17). In Colossians 2:6, he says, "As you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him."

 

The first parable of the sower is about being rooted in good soil to enable a good crop to be produced. The second parable is about a man sowing good seed into his field and at night an enemy comes and sows bad seed that produces weed in the same field. To have an accurate interpretation of these parables, we first need to understand the symbolism used. Jesus explains, "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart" (Matthew 13:18-19). The seed, Jesus says, is something sown into a person's heart.

In Luke's account of this parable, he explicitly says, "the seed is the Word of God" (Luke 8:11). In verse 20, he says, "The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time." Reading it carefully we notice that the word that was planted has now morphed into a person; it has become a "he." Since he (the seed) has no root, he (the seed) lasts only a short time. The word of God is present and starts the process, but now the emphasis moves into the word becoming a person.

The Greek translation Luke uses for ‘word' is ‘logos', the same word John used in his prologue, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). "Logos" is the embodiment of something and in this case it is truth personified. The "Word" is the person of Jesus Christ who is the Sower, and this is a picture of Christ sowing people into the world. The sower is Jesus Christ; the field is the world; we are the seed and the world is the field in which Christ plants us for the purpose of producing fruit for Him.

The first parable begins with a farmer sowing his seed, but some fell on the path and birds came along and ate it. Some seed fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and chocked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown (Matthew 13:3-8).

The seed that fell on the path where birds came along and ate it is the shallow seed; the person who hears the word of God, but does not digest it, understand it or appropriate it. Truth must be combined with faith to become experience, but this person never takes truth into the realm of experience. We can be armchair theologians, astutely listening to the word of God, but never live in the good of it. This person's planting in the world comes to nothing. The seed that fell on rocky places, was scorched in the heat and withered is the superficial seed; the one who hears the word of God and receives it with joy, but when trouble comes, he quickly falls away. His faith blows with the wind and His planting in the world also comes to nothing.

Still other seed is sown among thorns that choke the plants. This is the secular seed; the person who starts off well, but the worries of life and deceitfulness of wealth choke his faith. He has never been weaned from his secular views and his planting in the world also comes to nothing. However, the seed that fell on good soil produced a crop a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. This is the successful seed; the person, who, like the first seed, hears the word of God; like the second seed, gets excited by it; and like the third seed, lives in a secular world subject to its temptations, but his roots are deep, and his planting in the world accomplishes its purpose.

The intention of this parable is not to show how people respond to the word of God, but to show how the kingdom of God is to be advanced. Everyone who belongs to Jesus Christ is planted by Him for the purpose of producing fruit. Anything planted will only be as strong as its roots, so to be effective in bearing fruit, our faith in God needs to be deeply rooted and permeate every aspect of our lives.

In the second parable, Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, the weeds also appeared. The servants asked the owner, "Do you want us to go and pull them up?" "No," he answered, "Because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."

The disciples asked Jesus for an explanation of this parable and He said to them, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil" (Matthew 13:37-41).

A man called John Hunter made a very prolific observation when he said that there are three testaments God gave the world to read; the Old Testament, the New Testament and the "You Testament." This is in effect what Paul says to the Corinthians. "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts" (2 Corinthians 3:3). It is essential we remain rooted in our faith and continually nourished by the Word of God if we are going to be a successful seed. Jesus Christ is the Good Sower, beginning with truth taking root in our hearts and transforming us into people being sown into the world for the purpose of bearing fruit for Him.

 

"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves to be my disciples."
John 15:8

 

Luke Again Shows Jesus Was God In The Flesh

JESUS RAISES A WIDOW'S SON

Luke's View Jesus As God in the flesh

   

LUKE 7:11-17 #81 and 82

Charles e. Whisnant, Teacher, Expositor and sometime Pastor

  

Why is it important that we know that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh?In John 1:18 we read "No man has seen God at any time."

What man has seen is the only begotten God. that is God the Son, which is He who is in the bosom of the Father. True so one has seen God at any time. But the best view ever is the view of God brought to us by the only begotten Son of God, the One who is literally intimate with God, in the bosom of God, That is the One who is the same essence as God, He has declared Him or explained Him.

Jesus "exegesis" God, i.e. Jesus explains God. Jesus unfolds God. Jesus reveals God. So when we look at Jesus, you're seeing God. So that is what Jesus Himself said , "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father." John 14:9

So the best, clearest view of God that any man has ever had, will ever have is in Jesus Christ, here on earth or in Heaven. Jesus Christ has made known God to the world. Jesus has exegete God. He is, in fact, God in human flesh.

 

And it happened, that he went into a city

  

Point One: Divine Purpose vs. 11

God never acts without a fixed goal and a fixed purpose. God never acts whimsically. There are no unexpected coincidences. There are no unplanned-for problems, contingencies. There are not plan Bs. Everything within the plan of God is fixed, settled, unchanging and brought to pass.

He is sovereign. He has perfect intentions for everything He thinks, everything He says and every act. His mission is clear, His objective is clear, His strategy is clear, His plan, His purpose will come to pass. God has a sovereign-bent for sure. (He was pre Calvinist before John Calvin)

Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 55:11, Isaiah 49:9-11

Every thought God has, every word God says, every act God does operates perfectly on divinely established purpose. And that is the way it is with Jesus. John 4:4; Luke 9:51; Luke 13:33
 

and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.

The Sovereign Knowledge of Jesus Christ: God knows the beginning and the end. Jesus Christ Himself as well, He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. So here is Jesus with intentionality, moving in a direction toward an obscure little town that would never be known to us biblically if it weren't for this one incident.

Secondly, divine purpose then divine providence. vs 12

Well, that's divine providence. That's a great word. "Providence" refers to God's superintending control over all human actions and events to effect His predetermined purpose. Proverbs 16:9; Proverbs 16:33 and Amos 3:6

Perfect timing:

 

Luke 7 12, "Now as He approached the gate of the city..."

    

And so, perfect timing; He approaches the gate of the city. Nobody knows why He's going there, yet He does. It's all planned. "And behold a dead man was being carried out." Exact split second, providential timing; all the control factors belong to God. The man dies at the right moment
 

behold, or by chance dead man was being carried out

Well it's a startling thing. "Behold," is the word in verse 12, "Whoa," from a human viewpoint, this is a surprising event. From the viewpoint of Jesus, this is exactly on schedule. From the human side, it's a startling coincidence. There is no such thing as a coincidence in God's perspective. The Lord is just gracefully, purposefully taking a step at a time, arriving at exactly the moment when that procession comes out of town. Biblical history is filled with that kind of scheduling.

And by chance] Indeed by the providence of God overruling the matter, as it doth in things that to us are merely casual and contingent.

to happen; and so we may render the words, by divine Providence.

Luke 7:12c , a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.

"Luckily, Jesus showed up." No. Luckily doesn't work. So we...we read here that He approaches and out comes this funeral procession and this is a shock. Out comes this wailing, noisy crowd and this dead man was being carried out, it says in verse 12. The funeral was over. People were carrying the corpse that had been sprinkled on the outside, dusted with some powder and some herbs and things like that and then wrapped and laid on a flat bier, b-i-e-r, stretcher.

And then, Third divine purpose and divine providence blends into divine compassion. vs. 13

13 When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."

      

The Lord saw her (ιδων αυτην ο κυριος — idōn autēn ho kurios). The Lord of Life confronts death (Plummer) and Luke may use Κυριος — Kurios here purposely.

Had compassion (εσπλαγχτη — esplagchthē). First aorist (ingressive) passive indicative of σπλαγχνιζομαι — splagchnizomai Often love and pity are mentioned as the motives for Christ‘s miracles (Matthew 14:14; Matthew 15:32, etc.). It is confined to the Synoptics in the N.T. and about Christ save in the parables by Christ. Judges 10:16; Psalms 103:8-14; Lamentations 3:22, Matthew 9:36; Mark 1:21; Mark 8:2. He Judges 10:16; Psalms 86:5,15; 103:13; Isaiah 63:9; Jeremiah 31:20; Lamentations 3:32,33; Mark 8:2; John 11:33-35; Hebrews 2:17; 4:15

Weep not (μη κλαιε — mē klaie). Present imperative in a prohibition. Cease weeping.

And you see something in Jesus that is true of God, verse 13, "When Jesus the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her." That's just amazing. The verb is splagchnizomai. It's a funny word. It has to do with feeling something in your gut, you know, you feel emotion and it churns your stomach. It makes your heart beat rapidly. It makes your heart stop sometimes, if you feel something strongly enough, some kind of fear. Weep not Luke 8:52; Jeremiah 31:15,16; John 20:13,15; 1 Corinthians 7:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:13

#4 call it divine Authority vs. 14-15

14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise

      

Touched the bier . or bed.. Thus, Jesus defied the ceremonial defilement forbidding such a thing; because the dead could not defile him, but conversely he raised the dead! Number 19:11-22, Hebrews 7:26

To this Christ came near and touched: not that by his touching of that, the dead should be raised; but this he did as a signal, that the bearers should stop. The Jews^{F4 say, one of the charges that Jacob gave to his sons before his death, was, to:}

"take care (says he) that no uncircumcised person, במטתי יגע, touch my bed, or "bier", lest the Shekinah remove from me; but, according to this order, do unto me, carry me, three on the north, three on the south, three on the east, and three on the west, &c.'

There's another element of the divine authority

 

Luke 7:14 and the bearers came to a halt.

      

There was a divine authority about Him. It says, "The bearers came to a halt." They just stopped.

Jesus was, no doubt, known to many in Nain, and it is no wonder that those who bore the bier stood still when he touched it. Though we cannot say that he had raised the dead prior to this, we can say that he had healed every kind of disease known among the people, and therefore his act would beget a reasonable expectancy that he might do something even here.

What was it about His person that just stopped everything? You just didn't do this. This is just outrageous behavior, outrageous. Tell a woman not to cry, touch a casket, if you will, stop a procession, you just don't do that.

And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!"

      

"He said, 'Young man, I say to you, Arise.'" Now that... That also would be the words of a fool, or a sick joke if He was not God. He said...He didn't have to do anything, Psalms 33:6, 9, John 1:3, John 5:25-29

d by the way, would you notice here nobody asks Him to do this?
    

There wasn't any request. It wasn't like the centurion who sent somebody to ask Him to heal his slave. Furthermore, nobody seems to have any faith here. The centurion had faith. It wasn't the centurion's faith that caused Jesus to be able to heal his slave. Mark that: Will you? Very important point: Faith never, never is to be considered necessary for divine power to work. This is the lie of many faith healers is that the reason people don't get healed is that they don't have enough faith. God is not impotent and your faith omnipotent. Jesus heals here.

 

Oh, verse 15, "The dead man sat up." and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.

    

That will break up a funeral. Wow! And He did that at every funeral He attended.

Luke 7:16 Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."
      

Well that takes us to the response, and this is where we bring it to its end. Verse 16: "Fear gripped them all." Sure, holy terror, phobos from which we get phobia.

Why were they afraid? Why did they have this holy terror, this trauma?

 

Luke 7:17 And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.       

"And this report," what report? The report that God was visiting them, and that a man had been raised from the dead through the power of Jesus,

Study on Luke 6 Peacemaker

LUKE 5:12-16
"The Messiah's Midas Touch!"  (no original title of mine)
Joy In The Day of Cleansing
Charles e Whisnant, Pastor/Teacher
May 11 2014
    

How much do you know about the Lepers in the bible? (Q&A)
.    1. What leper of Bethany entertained Jesus in his home?
2. What king of Judah was a leper until the day of his death?
3. What captain of the armies of Syria was a leper?
4. What prophetess became a snow-white leper for a short time?
5. Who put his hand into his bosom and, drawing it out, found it leprous?
6. Who became a leper after he lied to the prophet Elisha?
7. Who told Moses to send lepers away from the Israelite camp?
8. What is the greatest number of lepers Jesus healed at any one time?

       Leprosy – The Hebrews had no cure for leprosy other than Divine intervention. In modern times, there are very effective medicines available, & leprosy patients are usually not isolated. Now called Hansen’s Disease
    Though, in spite of modern medical advances, an estimated 10 million people around the world have leprosy!

Luke writes about this and many other miracles, as do the other gospel writers,

because miracles are essential to the scriptural record to identify Jesus as God.

He does what man can't do. He does what doctors can't do. In fact, the miracle record of Jesus is essential to the Christian faith because these are the proofs of His supernatural divine nature. If He is not supernatural, tear up your New Testament. The Christian faith becomes inexplicable on any legitimate grounds, it's fantasy or it's outright deception. But because the miracles did happen, they are true, He is God, and He is our Redeemer.

Let's meet this man in verse 12. Somewhere in the Galilee, no precise time or place, and by the way, Matthew 8 and Mark 1 also record this same healing and they also do not tell us when or where. But somewhere in some town, "Behold, there was a man full of leprosy."

Verse 12, "When he came...or when he saw Jesus,"
actually Matthew tells us he came to Jesus and saw Him. He was looking for Him. Now this was a serious breach of appropriate behavior for him, but he was desperate. That's the first point I want to make, he came with desperation. I mean, what could he lose? So he was stoned to death, that would be a relief. What could he lose? He had no more shame. He did what was unthinkable. He did what was shameless. He did what was fearless. He did what was dangerous. He did what was bold. But after all, he was desperate. He was full of leprosy.He was past his fear, he was past his shame. He was past his embarrassment. He was past his reservations.

Josephus says that lepers were to be treated as dead men. And the rabbis said that next to touching a dead body, getting near a leper was the rankest form of defilement.

 In Palestine in Jesus' time lepers were barred from the city of Jerusalem and any other walled city. And if a leper ever came into a synagogue, in a town or a village, he had to go to a small isolated room called a maketza[??]. He couldn't come near other people.

This man came to Jesus. He was desperate. He was also reverent. It says,
 "He saw Jesus and fell on his face."

Matthew says, "Worshiping," proskuneo, that's a word used in the New Testament for worshiping God. I don't know whether he believed Jesus was God. It doesn't tell us that. The body language here is the language of worship.

The word that Matthew uses is the word of worship used in the New Testament to refer to worshiping God. He does call Him "Lord," it could mean "Sir," but it seems that attached to the worship here it could be more than that and perhaps he had been convinced that this man was from God.

 But he came with reverence. He fell on his face. He knew he was unclean, he knew he was filthy, he knew he was wretched. He knew he was miserable. He knew he was ugly. He knew he was disfigured and deformed. Prostrated himself acknowledging Jesus as you would a king or God.

Thirdly, he came with urgency. Falling on his face he implored Him, it says, that's the word for begged. He begged. Again this is irresistible to the heart of a compassionate Jesus, as we will see. This man is pleading for his life. He has endured this shame, this alienation, this isolation, this suffering, this disfigurement to its maximum point. Who know how many years? He's got nowhere else to turn. He is crying out. He is pleading. He is begging.

Fourthly, he came with humility. He says, "Lord, if You are willing..." I like that. He didn't have any doubt about His ability, that was becoming legendary. But he was not in a position to demand anything either, that wasn't his heart. He was aware of his wretchedness, perhaps of his sin. He may well have attached his wretchedness to his sin. And he doesn't come with any rights. He doesn't come making any claims on Jesus' healing power. He wouldn't have belonged to the "name it and claim it" group.

There's no presumption in this man. This man...this man has a beatitude attitude, he's hungry and he's thirsty for something he doesn't have. But he's meek and he's broken and he's poor in spirit. He understands his bankruptcy. He knows Jesus doesn't have to heal him. He doesn't have any rights. He has profound needs but he has no rights. That's his humility.

And fifthly, he came not only with desperation, reverence, urgency and humility, but he came with faith because he said, "If You're willing you can make me clean." You can do it. No doubt You have the power. He had faith in the power of the healer.

 This man is a graphic illustration of how a sinner comes to Christ. (yet not the point of the text.
He comes desperate, the end of his rope, if you will. All shame is gone. All fear is gone. There is a desperate boldness. Nowhere else to turn. No hope anywhere. The worst that can happen is maybe welcomed. If you don't heal me, I'll die. That would be better than this. This is the sinner's extremity. This is the sinner's desperation. This is the sinner pounding his breast in Luke 18.

He comes reverently, the sinner does. He comes reverently, falling on his face with no rights and desperate needs. When I talk to people about coming to Christ, I simply tell them, "You need to ask the Lord to be merciful and save you. That's up to Him." I can't tell you that you can say a few words, pray a little formula and you're going to be saved. All I can tell you is if you understand the gospel, in your heart you believe it, you cry out to Him to save You. He is the sovereign and you bow humbly as that man who beat his breast wouldn't lift up his eyes but fell prostrate. That's how you come.
And the sinner comes with faith. This is a beatitude attitude. This is what it means to be poor in spirit. This is what it means to be meek. This is what it means to hunger and thirst after righteousness. This man is a classic analogy to the penitent sinner

Jesus Gives Hope 1 Luke

THE PREACHING OF JESUS AT NAZARETH, AND ITS RESULT.

JESUS READS THE SCRIPTURES
(Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14-15) (Luke 4:14-31)
JESUS IN THE SYNAGOGUE AT NAZARETH
READING TO THE CONGREGATION SCRIPTURE

READ THE TEXT, EXPLAINING THE TEXT, APPLIED THE TEXT
ITS CALL EXPOSITIONAL PREACHING/TEACHING

PASTOR/TEACHER CHARLES e. WHISNANT

INTRODUCTION TO THE
These verses relate events which are only recorded in Luke. They describe the first visit which our Lord paid, after entering on His public ministry, to the city of Nazareth, where He had been brought up. Taken together with the two verses which immediately follow, they furnish an awfully striking proof, that “the carnal mind is enmeity againt God (Romans 8:7)

1. We can learn from the Lord's visit to the assembly of worshippers in the Jewish synagogue:
2. We are not to lightly to forsake any assembly of worshipers which professes to respect the name, the day and the book of God.
3. There may be many things in such an assembly which might be done better: there may be a deficiency of fullness, clearness, and distinctness in the doctrine preached.

There are 1000's who do listen regularly to the preaching of the Gospel, and admire it while they listen. They do not dispute the truth of what they hear. They even feel a kind of intellectual pleasure in hearing a good and powerful sermon. But there religon never goes beyond this point.

Their sermon hearing does not prevent them living a life of thoughtlessness, worldliness and sin.

Luke 4:14-31 Verse 14  And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

2363 Jesus Christ, preaching and teaching of
A vital feature of Jesus Christ’s ministry, focusing on his authoritative proclamation of the kingdom of God.
Jesus Christ’s mission as preaching and teaching
Lk 4:43 pp Mk 1:38 See also Mt 11:5 pp Lk 7:22; Mk 6:6; Jn 7:16; Ac 1:1
Jesus Christ was regarded as a teacher and prophet

• Jn 1:38 “Rabbi” was an honorific title given to Jesus Christ unofficially by the people. See also Mt 16:14 pp Mk 8:28 pp Lk 9:19; Mt 23:10; Mt 26:25; Mk 9:5; Mk 10:51; Jn 13:13

The sources of Jesus Christ’s preaching and teaching
Jesus Christ’s words were grounded in Scripture

• Lk 24:27 See also Mt 4:4  Lk 4:4; Dt 8:3; Mt 21:16; Ps 8:2; Mt 22:29-32  Mk 12:24-27  Lk 20:35-38

Jesus Christ’s words came from God

• Jn 7:16 See also Jn 3:2; Jn 8:28; Jn 12:49-50

Jesus Christ spoke in the power of the Spirit

• Ac 1:2 See also Lk 4:14-15; Jn 3:34; Jn 6:63

The content of Jesus Christ’s preaching and teaching
The kingdom of God

•  Lk 9:11 See also Mt 4:17,23; Mt 6:33; Mt 13:24; Mk 1:15; Jn 3:3

God as Father

• Jn 14:8-14 See also Mt 6:31-32  Lk 12:30-31; Mt 10:32-33; Mt 18:10; Mk 11:25; Jn 5:17-23; Jn 8:18-19

  Jesus Christ’s own identity

• Jn 4:25-26 See also Mt 16:13-17 pp Mk 8:27-30 pp Lk 9:18-21; Lk 4:20-21; Lk 24:44; Jn 10:11; Jn 14:6-7

Jesus Christ’s mission

•  Mk 9:31 pp Mt 17:22-23  Lk 9:44 See also Mt 20:17-19 pp Mk 10:32-34 Lk 18:31-34; Lk 19:9-10; Lk 24:46; Jn 6:51; Jn 10:14-15

EXPOSITION:

Luke 4:15  And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. His miracles, his words touching and eloquent, perhaps too a dim memory of marvels which had happened years before at his birth, shed round the new Teacher a halo of glory. It was only when, instead of the Messianic hopes of conquest and power which they cherished, a life of brave self-denial and quiet generosity was preached, that the reaction against him set in. The men of Nazareth, with their violent antagonism, which we are about to consider, were only, after all, a few months in advance of the rest of the nation in their rejection of the Messiah.

Verse 16
Where he had been brought up (ου ην τετραμμενος — hou ēn tethrammenos). Past perfect passive periphrastic indicative, a state of completion in past time, from τρεπω — trephō a common Greek verb. This visit is before that recorded in Mark 6:1-6; Matthew 13:54-58 which was just before the third tour of Galilee. Here Jesus comes back after a year of public ministry elsewhere and with a wide reputation (Luke 4:15). Luke may have in mind Luke 2:51, but for some time now Nazareth had not been his home and that fact may be implied by the past perfect tense.
 

As his custom was (κατα το ειωτος αυτωι — kata to eiōthos autōi). Second perfect active neuter singular participle of an old ετω — ethō (Homer), to be accustomed. Literally according to what was customary to him (αυτωι — autōi dative case). This is one of the flashlights on the early life of Jesus. He had the habit of going to public worship in the synagogue as a boy, a habit that he kept up when a grown man. If the child does not form the habit of going to church, the man is almost certain not to have it. We have already had in Matthew and Mark frequent instances of the word synagogue which played such a large part in Jewish life after the restoration from Babylon.
 

Jesus grew up going to the synagogue every Sabbath. Now He is back in his hometown of Nazareth, and true to form we read in verse 16 that “on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom….” Let me make the obvious point that going to synagogue was part of His regular weekly schedule. Because this was His habit, He didn’t get up in the morning and wonder if He should go, or allow anything else to get in the way of going, or not go if He was tired, or stay home because He didn’t like something in the service. It was His custom to go, no matter what. I love seeing how so many of you have made a commitment to attend services each week. May your tribe increase!
 

Jesus grew up going to the synagogue every Sabbath. Now He is back in his hometown of Nazareth, and true to form we read in verse 16 that “on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom….” Let me make the obvious point that going to synagogue was part of His regular weekly schedule. Because this was His habit, He didn’t get up in the morning and wonder if He should go, or allow anything else to get in the way of going, or not go if He was tired, or stay home because He didn’t like something in the service. It was His custom to go, no matter what. I love seeing how so many of you have made a commitment to attend services each week. May your tribe increase!

Stood up (ανεστη — anestē). Second aorist active indicative and intransitive. Very common verb. It was the custom for the reader to stand except when the Book of Esther was read at the feast of Purim when he might sit. It is not here stated that Jesus had been in the habit of standing up to read here or elsewhere. It was his habit to go to the synagogue for worship. Since he entered upon his Messianic work his habit was to teach in the synagogues (Luke 4:15). This was apparently the first time that he had done so in Nazareth. He may have been asked to read as Paul was in Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:15). The ruler of the synagogue for that day may have invited Jesus to read and speak because of his now great reputation as a teacher. Jesus could have stood up voluntarily and appropriately because of his interest in his home town.
 

To read (αναγνωναι — anagnōnai). Second aorist active infinitive of αναγινωσκω — anaginōskō to recognize again the written characters and so to read and then to read aloud. It appears first in Pindar in the sense of read and always so in the N.T. This public reading aloud with occasional comments may explain the parenthesis in Matthew 24:15 (Let him that readeth understand).
 

And, as his custom was, he went … - From this it appears that the Saviour regularly attended the service of the synagogue. In that service the Scriptures of the Old Testament were read, prayers were offered, and the Word of God was explained. See the notes at Matthew 4:23. There was great corruption in doctrine and practice at that time, but Christ did not on that account keep away from the place of public worship.
 

From this we may learn:
1.That it is our duty “regularly” to attend public worship.
2.That it is better to attend a place of worship which is not entirely pure, or where just such doctrines are not delivered as we would wish, than not attend at all.

It is of vast importance that the public worship of God should be maintained; and it is “our” duty to assist in maintaining it, to show by our example that we love it, and to win others also to love it. See Hebrews 10:25. At the same time, this remark should not be construed as enjoining it as our duty to attend where the “true” God is not worshipped, or where he is worshipped by pagan rites and pagan prayers. If, therefore, the Unitarian does not worship the true God, and if the Roman Catholic worships God in a manner forbidden and offers homage to the creatures of God, thus being guilty of idolatry, it cannot be a duty to attend on such a place of worship.

The synagogue - Matthew 4:23.
 

Stood up for to read - The books of Moses were so divided that they could be read through in the synagogues once in a year. To these were added portions out of the prophets, so that no small part of them was read also once a year. It is not known whether our Saviour read the lesson which was the regular one for that day, though it might seem “probable” that he would not depart from the usual custom. Yet, as the eyes of all were fixed on him; as he deliberately looked out a place; and as the people were evidently surprised at what he did, it seems to be intimated that he selected a lesson which was “not” the regular one for that day. The same ceremonies in regard to conducting public worship which are here described are observed at Jerusalem by the Jews at the present time. Professor Hackett (“Illustrations of Scripture,” p. 232) says: “I attended the Jewish worship at Jerusalem, and was struck with the accordance of the ceremonies with those mentioned in the New Testament. The sacred roll was brought from the chest or closet where it was kept; it was handed by an attendant to the reader; a portion of it was rehearsed; the congregation rose and stood while it was read, whereas the speaker, as well as the others present, sat during the delivery of the address which formed a part of the service.”
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Verse 17   And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
 

And there was delivered unto him the Book of the Prophet Esaias. In the sabbath service there were two lessons read. The first was always taken from the Pentateuch (the Law). The five books of Moses were written on parchment, (usually) between two rollers, and the day's lesson was left unrolled for the reader's convenience. The Prophets were on single rollers, no special portion being left open. It has been suggested that the great and famous Messianic passage read by our Lord was the lesson for the day. This is quite uncertain; indeed, it is more probable that Jesus, when the roll of Isaiah was handed to him by the ruler of the synagogue, specially selected the section containing this passage.
 

Verse 17
as delivered (επεδοτη — epedothē). First aorist passive indicative of επιδιδωμι — epididōmi to give over to, a common verb. At the proper stage of the service “the attendant” or “minister” (υπηρετης — hupēretēs under rower) or “beadle” took out a roll of the law from the ark, unwrapped it, and gave it to some one to read. On sabbath days some seven persons were asked to read small portions of the law. This was the first lesson or Parashah. This was followed by a reading from the prophets and a discourse, the second lesson or Haphtarah. This last is what Jesus did.

The book of the prophet Isaiah (βιβλιον του προπητου Εσαιου — biblion tou prophētou Esaiou). Literally, “a roll of the prophet Isaiah.” Apparently Isaiah was handed to Jesus without his asking for it. But certainly Jesus cared more for the prophets than for the ceremonial law. It was a congenial service that he was asked to perform. Jesus used Deuteronomy in his temptations and now Isaiah for this sermon. The Syriac Sinaitic manuscript has it that Jesus stood up after the attendant handed him the roll.
 

Opened (ανοιχας — anoixas). Really it was unrolled (αναπτυχας — anaptuxas) as Aleph D have it. But the more general term ανοιχας — anoixas (from ανοιγω — anoigō common verb) is probably genuine. Αναπτυσσω — Anaptussō does not occur in the N.T. outside of this passage if genuine.

Found the place (ευρεν τον τοπον — heuren ton topon). Second aorist active indicative. He continued to unroll (rolling up the other side) till he found the passage desired. It may have been a fixed lesson for the day or it may have been his own choosing. At any rate it was a marvellously appropriate passage (Isaiah 61:1, Isaiah 61:2 with one clause omitted and some words from Isaiah 58:6). It is a free quotation from the Septuagint.
 

Where it was written (ου ην γεγραμμενον — hou ēn gegrammenon). Periphrastic pluperfect passive again as in Luke 4:16.

Verse 17
There was delivered unto him - By the minister of the synagogue, or the keeper of the sacred books. They were kept in an “ark” or chest, not far from the pulpit, and the minister gave them to whomsoever he chose, to read them publicly.

The book - The volume contained the prophecy of Isaiah. It would seem, from this, that the books were kept separate, and not united into one as with us.

When he had opened the book - Literally, when he had “unrolled” the book. Books, among the ancients, were written on parchments or vellum that is, skins of beasts, and were “rolled” together on two rollers, beginning at each end, so that while reading they rolled off from one to the other. Different forms of books were indeed used, but this was the most common. When used the reader unrolled the manuscript as far as the place which he wished to find, and kept before him just so much as he would read. When the roller was done with, it was carefully deposited in a case.

The place where it was written - Isaiah 61:1-2.
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Jesus and Satan in the Wilderness Video Sermon

JESUS CLAIM THAT HIS FATHER WAS GOD AND HE WAS HIS SON

LUKE 1:49 AND SELECTED SCRIPTURES

CHARLES e. WHISNANT, PASTOR/TEACHER HIS SAY AUGUST 28 2013

There are more people in the world that have no idea who Jesus is? More then likely more people know who Michael Jordan is, then again maybe not. But people who have heard of Jesus do not believe He could have been possibly God or even the Son of God.

There are so many idea that people have about Jesus Christ. So what is the truth about the man Jesus?

And we have in Luke's gospel these two long chapters that help us understand who Jesus is. We have heard from the angels, and Zacharias and Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna tell us about Jesus.

Jesus is in the Temple now and His Mom and Dad have found Him. And Jesus the child of 12 said this to them: “ WHY IS THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR ME? DID YOU NOT KNOW THAT I HAD TO BE IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE?

This is the only recorded words of Jesus in the first 30 years of His life, the only thing that we see recorded in Scripture that Jesus Himself said.

Jesus said to them: “I had to be in My Father's house.”

This claim was the first time anyone had ever claimed that God was His father in all the recorded history of the Bible. No one ever said “God is my father in this personal sense. But Jesus at age 12 had grown physically, mentally, spiritually to the place where His human mind could understand the mind of God.

Now he knew He was God and man. Now at 12 Jesus had come to know who He was and why He had come and now in the Temple to His parents said this statement. And this statement identify Him as God's Son.

Now 2:50 tells us that Joseph and Mary didn't understand what Jesus said to them. They did know some things. One He was conceived as a virgin. Two He had no earthly father. Third he was sinless (the other children didn't behave as He did) Fourth: He was the Messiah, the king who fulfilled the Davidic promises. Fifth: he was the seed of Abraham. Sixth: He was the Savior who would bring in the New Covenant fulfillment. Seventh: He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And in 1:25 the angel said He would be the Son of God. But the full meaning of that was not clear to them,

In 2:49 in the Greek it says this: “Why that you were seeking me? Not knew you that in the of Father my it is necessary to be me? (CBL Luke)” or “What ye not that I must be about my Father's business.”

He was under divine compulsion to stay in the temple and submit Himself to the teachers of the Law. This was part of God's plan which followed a divine timetable.

But “He had to be about His Father's business.” or house or place would also me correct. In other words His home was not at Mary and Joseph as such. But His place was in the temple. Which is to say he was not really their son but He was God's son.

Which is what the Christian doctrine is. A cult is those groups who deviates and perverts and twists the Christian gospel, they change the nature and person of Christ. And Paul says “If anyone preaches another Jesus, or another Christ, let him be anathama” i.e. curse.

And they then understood what He mean. They then knew that because the temple belonged to God and that's where he was they then knew what Jesus was saying “God is My Father, I am the Son of God.”

What Jesus said, give us the idea that Jesus has now describe the supernatural from the natural.