MOTIVATE

–          Sometimes I get sad. I get sad when I see the needs and hurts of people around me. As a Pastor, I may see more of it than others; maybe not… but I do see or become aware of a bit. When I hear or see it, I want to do something – pray, provide biblical counsel, call them to say I care, gather resources to attempt solutions to their suffering. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it does not. When solutions seem exhausted and my/our help does not alleviate the problems, I begin to hurt. Their face and circumstances become images in my mind. Questions arise: Why does this happen? Whose fault is it? How can there be hope in God in this situation?

–          Our problem is that we live in a Genesis 3 world. Sin is a reality everywhere we look. There is not a culture, a city, a workplace, a school, a neighborhood, a church, a family where the consequences of sin are not present. Sin has impacted us and it is not good.

–           Even Christians suffer. Unfortunately, there are misconceptions that

1. Being a Christian means life is always good and positive without the bad and challenges.
2. Having a sufficient amount of faith in God will result in removal of bad and/or challenges.

Neither of these is true. Christians suffer.

• Job was righteous but became sick and suffering
• Psalmist groaned and cried out in suffering (Psalm 5:1; 13:1 “How long, O Lord?”; 22:1; 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”; etc…)
• Prophets were persecuted and suffered (Hebrews 11:35-40 “Some were tortured… others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawn in two, killed with the sword…”)
• Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, oppressed and afflicted (Isaiah 53:5-8)
• Jesus was poor without a place to lay his head (Luke 9:58)
• Jesus chose suffering, “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John10:18).
• Paul suffered significantly “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us but life in you. (2Corinthians 4:8-12).
• Peter said, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1Peter 5:12-13).

–          In all, Jesus has come to bring hope and healing from a Genesis 3 world.
1John 3:8 “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

EXAMINE               “Healing” Luke 4:31-44

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus has lived privately for 30 years with his family in a small, rural town of Nazareth. He was known as the carpenter’s son and at other times as a son of immorality.[1] Now things are changing. In the previous passage, Jesus began his public ministry by reading Scripture (Isa 61) and prophesying its fulfillment in his life. He travels beyond Nazareth intoCapernaum.Capernaum seemed to be a base of operations for Jesus – teaching publicly (Mark 1:21; John 6) and privately (Mark 2:1-2), calling two pairs of brothers Peter & Andrew and James & John (Matt 4:18-22), heals a paralytic (Mark 2:5), heals centurion’s son (Matt 8:5), and other miracles and teachings.

Today’s Luke 4 passage will give us 2 reasons to find hope and healing in Jesus.   

Jesus is inherently powerful (4:31-37).

It is seen that Jesus teaches and acts with authority/power. When Jesus read Isaiah 61 and preached in the synagogues, all eyes were fixed upon him (4:20). His teaching carried impact because he did not quote or reference other authorities but spoke of his own inherent power.

Illus:

–          When you go into a store to make a purchase, you seek the person who looks like they know what they are talking about. After speaking with them, you make a decision based on their recommendation or their ignorance.

–          We seek counsel from those who 1) have wisdom or experience 2) have expertise because of letters or titles behind their name 3) have earned our personal trust.

ð      We seek Jesus because he 1) teaches with authority, 2) is uniquely God, 3) is faithful to lead our church and very own lives.

In the synagogue during Jesus’ teaching, a man loudly cries out against Jesus. He is demon possessed and causing disruption. There are other places in Luke’s Gospel portraying demon possession:

6:17 “And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.”

7:21 “In that hour [Jesus] healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits”

8:27-28 “When Jesus had stepped out on land there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”

9:38-39 “And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth and shatters him and will hardly leave him.”

11:14 “Now [Jesus] was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke and the people marveled.”

The Scriptures show that demons and Satan can cause all sorts of pain, suffering and sin:

Ordinary Demonic

–          Sickness: (Job 2:4-6; Luke 4:31-41; 13:16; 2Cor 12:7)

–          Anger: (Eph 4:26-27)

–          Anxiety (Matthew 13:19-22

–          Arrogance: (1 Tim 3:6)

–          Immorality and sexual temptation (1Jn 2:16, 1Cor 6:18-20, 7:5)

–          Betrayal (Luke 22:3)

–          Lies (John 8:44)

–          Idolatry, False religion and False Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:14–22; 2 Corinthians 11:1–4)

–          Partnership or marriage between Christians and unbeliever (2 Corinthians 6:15)

–          Selfish Attitudes or Emotions, like bitterness or anger(Ephesians 4:17– 5:2)

–          Foolishness and drunkenness (Ephesians 5:8–21)

–          Idle gossip and busy-bodying (1 Tim. 5:11–15)

Extraordinary Demonic

–          Torment (Mark 1:26; Acts 5:16)

–          Physical injury (Mark 5:1-13)

–          Murder/Suicide thoughts (John 8:44)

–          False miracles (Acts 8:9–23; 16:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:9–10)

–          Gratuitous feelings of condemnation, fear, weakness, loneliness or abandonment (Romans 8)

• Hearing Accusations (Revelation 12:10): “You are…” rather than godly conviction: “I am…”

–          False spirits or supernatural evil (1 John 4:1–6)