The Miracle Worker

 A Centurion's Faith and a Dead Man Raised

 Book of Luke Chapter 7

 As we get into the miracles of Jesus Christ, let's talk about the Lord Jesus, the miracle worker.

 The Lord Jesus Christ was also a miracle worker, but we should understand that for the most part, He did these miracles to show the people He is God Almighty.

 Another thing we should see about the miracles of Jesus, He did things that only God could do.

 Such healing of a leper, the knowledge to heal a leper, is something only God can do.

 There is still no cure for leprosy even today.

 It is the same for a sinner; there is no cure for sin other than the "Grace" of God that comes in the form of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We can say that sin is a disease that only the Lord Jesus Christ can heal.

 Another miracle happened when the Lord Jesus gave sight to the blind man. There is still no cure for blindness today.

 Jesus came to this earth to open all our eyes to the truth of our Holy God.

 Psa 146:8  The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous: 

 There is another prophecy that led the Lord Jesus to perform miracles. Isa 29:18  And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. 

The Bible must remain the truth of the Almighty God! 

Isa 35:5  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 

Isa 35:6  Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

 What is the greatest miracle of Jesus Christ? Isa 43:25  I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. 

 Isa 44:22  I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. 

 The religious leaders of Jerusalem had no way to explain the miracles that were done by Jesus Christ without admitting He was truly the Messiah, which they were not about to do.

 They came up with a plan.

 Mat 12:22  Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 

Mat 12:23  And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 

Mat 12:24  But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 

 This is the sin against the Holy Spirit.

 This sin cannot be forgiven because these wicked men had seen that Jesus had performed these miracles, His words, and His works.

 These Pharisees dogmatically reported that Jesus performed these miracles under the power of Satan.

 The miracles could not be denied, but they refused to acknowledge that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.

 There will be no opportunity for repentance of this sin because it is the same sin of not believing the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 Mat 12:31  Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 

Mat 12:32  And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. 

 It is a great study just to study the miracles that the Lord did while He was on this earth.

 *****Luk 7:1  Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. 

 We should understand one important thing about the Word of God.

 Once we have heard the Word of God, we can no longer remain neutral; we will be on the Lord's side or on the world's side.

 After the Lord Jesus was driven out of Nazareth, He chose Capernaum as the headquarters of His ministry.

 The city of Capernaum saw many great works of the Lord during His time there, but this wicked city never accepted the Lord Jesus as God's Messiah, and it does not exist as a city today.

 Mat 11:23  And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 

Mat 11:24  But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.  

The Lord Jesus had just preached a great sermon to those who had gathered to hear Him.

 Capernaum was important enough to Rome that a detachment of Roman soldiers stayed there at all times.

 It was this Roman commander who had provided the money to build a Jewish synagogue in Capernaum.

 *****Luk 7:2  And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.

 There is a clear lesson to learn in this passage.

 People with great faith also care for other people.

 Most people look down on our military, but I found that when I was a soldier, most soldiers care for people.

 Most soldiers respect others even when they are on assignment in other nations than their own.

 When we see the word slave, we do not usually see a person who is loved or cared for.

 This Centurion would have had to buy this person for him to be a slave, and he had grown attached to his slave.

 A slave in that day was nothing more than a tool to be used and abused by most of those who owned them.

 This slave had become deathly sick and ready to die.

 The lesson we are to learn is that God will not do for those who have no or little faith.

 *****Luk 7:3  And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. 

 True faith will humble us because we know we are unworthy to approach God and certainly unworthy to ask God for His help.

 We should understand that once we understand we are saved from the wrath of God, why should we think God owes us anything else?

 This soldier had only heard about the wonderful things the Lord had done, and he believed these things were true, unlike most Jews of that day.

 The Book of Matthew said that this Centurion had approached the Lord Jesus.

 The Book of Luke says that this Centurion sent some religious leaders to approach Jesus.

 The truth is, if a commander sends someone with a message, then it is as if he had approached that person himself.

 Both Luke and Matthew are right in what they wrote by the Holy Spirit.

 No doubt this military man had heard of the wonderful things that Jesus had done.

 We had better believe that Rome had someone in the crowds who approached Jesus to put down any insurrection that occurred, but we know Jesus never preached for rebellion against Rome.

 This Centurion requested help, not for himself but for a slave in his possession.

 He sent priests who were the leaders of the synagogue that he had helped to build.

 Today, we do not need a priest on this earth to intercede for us; we can go straight to our Heavenly Father as long as we go in the name of His Son, Jesus.

 1) Once we are exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must humble ourselves before the Lord if we want to seek the blessings of God!

 Mic 6:8  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

 What was told to Jesus about this military man?

 *****Luk 7:4  And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: 

Luk 7:5  For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. 

 When we have faith in the truth of God, we will want to know more about Him.

 What we see is that some Roman soldiers did have true faith in the God of Israel.

 He did this knowing that his own nation and his own rulers despised the Jews.

 He helped these Jews because he loved the God of Israel, and it was not a fake love.

 The world hated the Jews just as most of the world hates the Jews today.

 When you are a hated person, you will strive to be better than those around you, and this will cause more hatred.

 We can truly narrow this down to the fact that the Jews served the One True God, and the world will always have many gods or be Anti-God.

 God said: Gen_12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

 Those who hate Israel and the Jews also hate the Word of God, no matter what they say!

 The world rejects that it is by faith that God works in our world.

 If there is one thing that the whole world has, it is that there is always someone to blame if things are not going to suit them.

 This is why there are no solutions to problems reached in this world.

 The Jews and the Gentiles have very few dealings with one another.

 The Gentiles were treated with less respect than a dog by the Jews, and so did the Gentiles treat the Jews. We know it is much the same today.

 Mar 7:25  For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: 

Mar 7:26  The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 

Mar 7:27  But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 

Mar 7:28  And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. 

Mar 7:29  And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 

 This Roman soldier did not allow these things to interfere with his love of God and his faith in Christ.

 *****Luk 7:6  Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: 

Luk 7:7  Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. 

Luk 7:8  For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 

 We can have faith in a lot of things in this world, and most of them have little or no real meaning because there is no real benefit for them.

 If our faith is real in Jesus Christ, then He knows it, and it means something to Him!

 That soldier of Rome had great faith in Jesus Christ.

 We see this Scripture a lot, but it is a truth we can depend upon: Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

 This is the faith of this soldier from Rome faith even the Jews did not have.

 This faith is believing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the sovereign Lord with all the power of Heaven.

 This faith is believing that the Lord Jesus Christ will reward those who diligently seek Him, and He will use His power on behalf of those who seek Him.

 This faith is believing that there is nothing impossible for the God of the Bible.

 This faith is believing that all God has to do is speak the Word, and things will happen.

 Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

 If we cannot believe this, then we will never get a prayer answered, and we need to question our salvation.

 *****Luk 7:9  When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 

Luk 7:10  And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick. 

 When God has a great admiration for our faith, He will move on our behalf!

 This Gentile from Rome had stirred the heart of our Savior!

 There are only two places in the Scriptures where it is said that Jesus marvelled.

 Here in this passage about the Gentile Roman soldier and the people of Nazareth, His hometown who had no faith.

 Mar 6:4  But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. 

Mar 6:5  And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. 

Mar 6:6  And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

 There will be no great works in our life, in our church, nor in our ministries without "Great Faith" in the Lord Jesus Christ!

 It did not matter if this man was a Roman.

It did not matter if this man was a Gentile.

It did not matter if this man was a soldier who had followed commands, even commands to kill.

It only mattered that he had great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 The Lord Jesus Christ has the power to do as He says He will do and the power to meet all our needs!

 Mar 11:22  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 

Mar 11:23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 

Mar 11:24  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 

 This is the power to answer any prayer!

 *****Luk 7:11  And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 

 The city of Nain was only six miles from the city of Nazareth, and this distance could be walked in less than a day.

 This is the same area where Elisha had raised the son of a Shunammite woman, so this area had seen the power of God.

 There were many witnesses to this resurrection because it was a funeral procession.

 Many unbelievers had followed the Lord Jesus from Nazareth.

 The disciples of Jesus were with Him.

 The timing of the arrival of the Lord Jesus was perfect.

 *****Luk 7:12  Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and many people of the city were with her. 

Luk 7:13  And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 

 We have stated before that for a woman to be left on her own in this day, it would be hard for her to survive.

 The women of that day were homemakers, while the husband and sons, if she had one, would provide for the home.

 We saw she was a widow, so her husband had already passed.

 In typology, Israel is a widow without a husband today because the Jews still reject the Lord of Glory.

 She is now attending the funeral of her only begotten son.

 All of Israel's hope lies in the only Begotten Son of God, the Son who will die for their sins as He did for all sinners. They must first admit that they are sinners.

 Was this the reason that the Lord Jesus had compassion on her? It was at least part of it.

 The crowd of people attending the funeral and the crowd of people following the Lord Jesus Christ all met together at the gates of the city.

 The crowd of the city walks with death.

 The crowd with Jesus walks with Life.

 What we will witness is that death will lose to the Giver of Life.

 Death has the last word for the unbeliever.

Life has the last word for the believer.

 Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 When death meets the Lord Jesus Christ, death will have to give way to Life!

 Rev 1:18  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. 

 The Lord Jesus was touched by this whole scene. This mother was a type of the love that God has for His children.

 We should also notice that no one had asked the Lord Jesus for help.

 We see that God does act sometimes out of His own compassion. Why?

 Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

 Compassion is a mix of passion, love, and sorrow.

 *****Luk 7:14  And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 

Luk 7:15  And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 

 A bier was a flat wooden frame on which the body of the dead was carried from the house to the grave.

 The body of the Lord Jesus would lie on such a bier in a couple of years in Jerusalem.

 We know that contact with a dead body was forbidden by the Laws of Moses as a source of defilement.

 Num 19:11  He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. 

 Though God can do as He pleases, the Lord Jesus did not touch the body of this young man but only touched the bier, as written by Luke.

 Jesus then spoke: Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

 1) The Lord Jesus did have the power to bypass traditional beliefs. The Lord Jesus Christ possesses the right and the power to override all religious laws and beliefs and over life and death as our Creator, but He would never go against the written Word of God.

 2) The Lord Jesus Christ has the power to stop the death processional. The pallbearers stopped without Jesus saying a word to them.

 3) The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who has the power to raise the dead. He commanded life to return to this young man. 

Joh 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 

Joh 5:25  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 

Joh 5:26  For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 

Joh 5:27  And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 

Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 

We should understand that everyone who was raised from the dead by Jesus while he was first on this earth later died again.

 The Lord Jesus Christ tells us exactly what will happen after the death of the believer and the death of the unbeliever.

 The souls of the believers will return with Christ.

 The souls of the unbeliever will be reunited with their mangled bodies in the Burning Lake of Fire.

 *****Luk 7:16  And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. 

Luk 7:17  And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about. 

 These people in Nain had never seen such a thing as this.

The disciples of Christ had never seen such a thing as this.

All those who were following the Lord as spies for the religious had never seen such a thing as this resurrection of the dead.

 Many of them had a great fear of what they saw.

 This was a fear of reverence and awe. This is the same fear that we all should have.

 Jhn_6:48  I am that bread of life.

 Jhn_14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

As far as the human body is concerned, death has the last word.

As far as the Christian is concerned, death is the next step into God's Heaven.

When death is confronted with life, death loses.

Death has no right to the body of a Christian!

1Th_4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

There was only one thing left to do, and this was to glorify God.

All those present all knew one thing, and it was that only the Living God had the power to raise the dead back to life.

The Lord Jesus was not asked for any help.

The Lord Jesus saw this poor mother and had compassion upon her.

We serve a compassionate and loving God who can be touched by the suffering of His people.

Our God is the only source of true consolation.

The Lord's compassion is followed up with His "Grace".  The free, unmerited love and favor of God is the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from Him.

Why did God send His Son to save us to begin with? Because He had compassion on us and was willing to show His Grace to us.

Those words "God hath visited His people" mean they should have recognized that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, but they did not have enough faith, and even this little faith did not last long.

They began to see the Lord Jesus as only a Prophet of God, though He was a Prophet, He was so much more than a Prophet. He was God's Son.

Luk 19:41  And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 

Luk 19:42  Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 

Luk 19:43  For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 

Luk 19:44  And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. 

The Muslims and other religions call Him Prophet, but I call Him Savior. I call Him God!

We can look forward to the Rapture of the Church or the day after our death when we hear the voice of the Lord calling us home.

1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

Amen

Chosen Disciples of Christ Jesus

 Appointing the Apostles and the Sermon on the Mount

 Book of Luke Chapter 6

 What is wrong with much of the Church today? People tend to institutionalize religion, making it full of form and ritual, rules and regulations, ceremonies, and services.

 What does the Bible say about this? 2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

 The modern church is denying the power of the Holy Spirit, and many have kicked the Lord Jesus Christ out of the doors of the church.

 The Church becomes a religion like all the false religions and far from Christianity, which is the desire of our Heavenly Father.

 The Church is to walk in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ, or it is not a church!

 Why were we saved to begin with? The Lord Jesus Christ needs people!

 In fact, that word "need “is wrong. The Lord Jesus does not need any of us!

 It is those who are lost who need Christians; they do not need religionists!

 We are chosen to carry the message of salvation to the world.

 How did the Lord Jesus go about choosing people to serve as ambassadors from Heaven?

 *****Luk 6:12  And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 

 The Lord Jesus chose His people after much prayer.

 No matter what we are about to take on, we are foolish not to spend much time in prayer.

 There was a large group of people following Jesus at this time, and not all of them had the right reasons for doing so.

 The leaders of Judaism were filled with hatred for Him, and their hatred was increasing.

 In every circumstance, prayer is the refuge for those who serve Christ!

 Most of us can say our prayers in a minute or two, but in reality, this is not enough time to get our message to our Heavenly Father.

 Yes, He knows what we need, but why should He help us or our ministries if we refuse to spend some time with Him?

 The Lord continued all night. Once the Lord started this prayer, He stayed with it until He got His message across and received His answer.

We may not always get an answer when we pray, but we must get our intentions to the Lord!

Jesus was about to choose men to carry the Gospel to all the world, and yet He had a reason for every choice He made.

 We know that one of those men was Judas Iscariot, and though we may not know the exact reason he was chosen, we do know Christ had His reason.

 By the time the sun had come out, the Lord Jesus Christ knew whom He would choose.

 *****Luk 6:13  And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

 There were many who were following the Lord Jesus everywhere He traveled, but He chose twelve men from those who were called disciples with the intent that they would be His apostles.

 A disciple of Jesus Christ must:

 1) Believes in His doctrine.

2) Rests on His sacrifice.

3) Keep the knowledge of His Spirit.

4) Follows His example.

 Rest meaning: Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  

An Apostle of Jesus Christ:

 1) They are commissioned to preach the Gospel.

2) They had the authority of the Master.

3) They aided in the ministry of Christ.

4) They followed His example.

 These are the same things we, who are disciples, must do!

How were an Apostle chosen:

 1) They were men who had been with Jesus.

2) They could testify to the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Act 1:22  Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

3) They were given the keys to the Kingdom of God.

4) They were given supernatural gifts. Act 2:43  And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 

5) They were called by the Lord Jesus Christ: Gal 1:1  Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) 

6) They were given the inspired Word of God and would not depart from its truth: 1Th 2:13  For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

 These Apostles were to have no successors. They were the only authoritative teachers of the Doctrines of Jesus Christ.

The office of the Apostle ceased when these men died.

 We cannot be apostles, but we can be the messengers of Jesus Christ and the Gospel.

 The Lord Jesus called Himself the Apostle sent from Heaven: Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 

 That word “sent” is the Greek word "Apostello," meaning sent on a mission.

 The Apostle Paul also said the Lord Jesus was an Apostle: Heb 3:1  Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; 

 The Lord Jesus Christ, our great Apostle, was sent from Heaven with the message of salvation.

 So, the Lord chose His Apostles:

 *****Luk 6:14  Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 

Luk 6:15  Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, 

Luk 6:16  And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. 

 There should be no doubt that these twelve men were a diverse group.

 Simon, whom the Lord had already named Cephas, which means a "mass of rock" and is translated as Peter, was chosen, as was his brother Andrew.

 We could say that Andrew was more Greek than he was Israelite. He had also been a disciple of John the Baptist

 James and John, along with Simon, were businessmen, and these three seemed to have a closer relationship with our Savior than the rest.

 James and John were also called Boanerges, "sons of thunder".

 Some say this was because of their preaching, but in reality, the name came because of their temper.

 Luk_9:54  And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

 The enthusiasm of James serving the Lord was probably what got him selected as the first martyr.

 Matthew may have been the wealthiest of them all, but he may have given even his wealth up to follow the Lord Jesus.

 We know Thomas as doubting Thomas, and he may have been a twin.

 James the Less was a son of the sister of Mary, also named Mary.

 One was a political nationalist and an insurrectionist, Simon the Zealot.

 The Zealots were pledged to overthrow the Roman government and to assassinate as many Roman officials and their Jewish cohorts as possible.

 Philip was a native of Bethsaida and seems to have had a prominent place among the Apostles.

 Bartholomew was also known as Nathanael and is always mentioned with Philip.

 Not much is said about Bartholomew. The Lord Jesus did appear to him on the Sea of Tiberias after His resurrection, and he did witness the Ascension of the Lord.

 The Lord Jesus said he was indeed an Israelite. Joh 1:47  Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

 Guile means being crafty, so Bartholomew was a man who fulfilled the true idea of Israel. A man of God, and we could say a man who could get in touch with God through prayer.

Bartholomew would be one of those Israelites who stand at the wall today, praying.

 Judas or Jude, the son of Alphaeus, who was also the son of Caphi, who was a Jewish general under Jonathan Maccabaeus.

 He seems to be the brother of James the Less.

 Then there is Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, also called the Son of Simon. Joh 13:26  Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 

Joh 13:27  And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. 

 None of these men was famous or in any way tied to the government.

 As this group comes together, we can see the power of Christ, who gives us all purpose and meaning to life.

 We should understand that the Lord knew that Judas the traitor would betray Him, and this also was the providence of God.

 1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 

1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 

1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence. 

 Once these things were settled, the Lord Jesus had a sermon that needed preaching.

 *****Luk 6:20  And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. 

Luk 6:21  Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. 

Luk 6:22  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 

Luk 6:23  Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. 

 Many Bible scholars call this passage the Sermon on the Plain to say it is different from the Sermon on the Mount, but we are going to see what the Lord says here.

 The Lord Jesus had just chosen His twelve Apostles, knowing that one of them would betray Him, which is another lesson for the Church.

 It shows that anyone can spend a lot of time with the Lord Jesus and appear to be saved when they never truly accept who Jesus is and why He came as a Shepherd and will return to be King of kings and Lord of lords.

 Jesus is not only speaking to the crowd that had gathered, but He is also speaking to those chosen to be His Apostles.

 This message, some call the beatitudes, explains clearly what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

 What is materialism? Materialism is the philosophy that considers the fundamental principle of all things and denies the independence and autonomy of the spirit.

 Some say it is naturalism, but it is not.

It can be called sensualism, but this is an incomplete meaning.

 Materialism is sensual enjoyment in its fullest sense and denies the existence of the spirit world.

 We should understand that some parts of our being are non-material.

 Gen 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 

Gen 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 

 What is the image of God?

 The image of God in mankind cannot be material because God is Spirit.

 Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

 God is spirit, and He does not have a body.

 1) Personality is nonmaterial because each of us has self-consciousness and self-determination, which allows us to make choices. Animals do not have this trait.

 Without this, we could not be redeemed!

 Personality reveals our ability to exercise dominion over our created world and develop the earth.

 Gen 1:28  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 

 Gen 2:15  And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 

 2) Our Spiritual being. God is Spirit, so the human soul is a spirit.

 The attributes of a spirit are reason, conscience, and will. These are all non-material.

 God has endowed each of us with those attributes that belong to His own nature as a Spirit.

 This is why we can know God and the foundation of our belief in our Creator.

 If we do not have the image of God, we cannot know Him, and we would be like the animals.

 3) We have a moral nature.

 Man was created in moral righteousness, also called knowledge and holiness, which was lost in the fall of Adam.

 Eph 4:22  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 

Eph 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

 Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 

 We are not all material but are also spiritual.

 This was Darwin's error that has followed mankind through the last few centuries.

 We did not evolve from animals!!!!!!!

 The Lord Jesus begins His sermon, preaching to those who are poor in spirit.

 There is nothing in this material world that can make us rich in spirit!!

 We must seek our Creator, our God, and His Kingdom, knowing that He alone has the power to make us rich in spirit.

 Mat_6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 Being poor in spirit is being full of self.

 There is a lot of difference between having self-righteousness and having God's righteousness.

 Self-righteousness dies when the body dies.

 The righteousness of Christ Jesus lives forever.

 Jesus says all those who become rich in spirit will inherit the kingdom of God.

 2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

 Blessed are the hungry. Again, this is spiritual hunger and not physical hunger.

 Being hungry is not a blessing; it is sad and tragic.

 If we hunger after righteousness, hunger spiritually, it means we have a starving spirit that craves the righteousness of God.

 Righteousness means to be right and to do right according to the Word of God.

 Just being righteous is not enough; we must do righteousness!

 Loose living is dangerous. People do whatever they desire, and they feel comfortable with their relationship with Christ, and they are wrong. They must be righteous and do righteousness to be secure.

 Self-righteousness is the first step to legalism and being judgmental.

 Jesus does not say Blessed are the righteous because no one is.

 Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 

Rom 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

 Jesus says Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

 Jesus continues Blessed are those who are sorrowful, those who weep and mourn.

 The thought here is of a broken heart over wickedness, helpless against evil, desperate.

 It’s the same brokenness we should feel when we see the Lord Jesus Christ on that cross.

 We should be broken when we realize that we should have been on that cross rather than our innocent Savior.

 We should be desperately sorry for our sin.

We should feel sorrowful for other sinners.

We should feel sorrowful when we experience personal tragedy or trauma.

 When the Lord says He will wipe away all tears, it means we will laugh with the joy and comfort of our salvation and redemption.

 Psa 16:11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. 

 We will pass from death to real life!

God will wipe away all our tears.

 We should feel blessed when the world looks upon us as the disciples of Jesus Christ.

 We will be hated without a cause.

Our names will be seen in slander.

We will be charged with false crimes and accusations.

 We should rejoice and jump for joy because our rewards are in heaven and not on this earth.

 We must remember that we are not of this world; our home is in Heaven!

 Those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ and depend upon materialism will not have any of these blessings.

 *****Luk 6:24  But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. 

Luk 6:25  Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. 

Luk 6:26  Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Judgment is coming to all those who depend upon materialism.

We already know that materialism cannot satisfy our God given spirit!

We can say that woe is equivalent to great grief.

I do not consider myself to be rich, but we could say that anyone who has something that they can put away or save after their needs are met are richer than our parents and grandparents were.

Mar 12:41  And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 

Mar 12:42  And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 

Mar 12:43  And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 

Mar 12:44  For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. 

The wealthy are esteemed, honored, and envied.

Wealth brings power!

Those who are already wealthy usually work hard to gain more.

What does God say?

Eph 4:28  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 

What did the Lord tell the rich young ruler?

Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Riches make most who have it selfish.

Riches attach us to this dying world.

Those who are full are those who are so full of themselves that they do not have room for God!

Those who choose to be full of what this world has to offer.

Rom 16:18  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 

They will leave everything they have accumulated behind when they pass on.

There are no desires that can be fulfilled after death.

There are no delights fulfilled in Hell that will last for eternity.

They shall hunger for righteousness, but it will be too late.

What did the Lord Jesus say?

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 

Those who laugh now are those who laugh in their sin.

They have no sense of sin, no sorrow, and no regret over evil or suffering or wickedness.

They pay no attention to this dying world!

They will be alone in Hell to weep over their great losses.

Job 20:5  That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? 

Job 20:6  Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; 

Job 20:7  Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he? 

Worldly people want attention, honor, and praise, but all these things do is fill them with pride that they cannot overcome. 

We must also be aware of the so-called preachers that the world speaks well of.

The modern church would not allow Jesus Christ in the pulpit today.

The modern church has allowed the world into the church, and though they are rich, they are failing because they have rejected the Doctrine of Jesus Christ, who God has made Head of the true Church.

The sermon on the mount and the sermon on the plain would be rejected as false, and the false church will keep growing in sin and riches and end in Hell.

Amen

The Disciples of Jesus Christ

 Jesus Called Disciples and More Healings

 Book of Luke Chapter 5

 

 In the time of Jesus, every teacher had his own company of disciples.

 Jewish Rabbis had theirs, Pharisees had theirs, John the Baptist had his, but the difference in the disciples of Jesus Christ was that He chose twelve men Himself.

 This inner circle of men had to forsake their lives and follow the Lord Jesus wherever He went.

 They also continued the ministry of Jesus after He returned to Heaven.

 The most important thing was that they were trained to carry the ministry of Jesus forward after He was gone.

 They changed from disciples to Apostles.

 That word apostle has a similar meaning to ambassador.

 We should realize that the Lord Jesus also appointed another seventy men and commissioned them.

 Luk 10:1  After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

Luk 10:2  Therefore said he unto them, the harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. 

Luk 10:3  Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 

 A disciple of Jesus Christ will submit to baptism, submit to the teachings of God's Word, and obey all the Lord Jesus has commanded.

 The Lord has told all His disciples that He will make us fishers of men: Mrk_1:17  And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

 Jesus would have all mankind caught in the Gospel net!

 *****Luk 5:1  And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 

 Lake Gennesaret is the same body of water known as the Sea of Galilee.

 The call of men is needed more today because the world has more than eight billion people in it who need to hear the truth of the Gospel and make a decision for themselves.

 We can see that these people wanted to hear what the Lord Jesus had to say.

 They wanted to hear the Word of God!

 They had a hunger and thirst for things that the Lord Jesus was saying.

 Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 

 We need that same hunger and thirst today for the truth.

 *****Luk 5:2  And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets. 

Luk 5:3  And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 

 Have you ever noticed how sound travels so well when you are on the lake?

 I believe the Lord Jesus had a booming voice that could be heard from a great distance, but no man can talk over a large, disorderly crowd hanging all over him.

 Simon Peter makes his fishing boat available to the Lord Jesus, so Simon participates in the work of the Lord.

 Like a pastor preached recently, "What do we have in our hands to give unto the Word of the Lord"?

 Do we make available our resources to the work of the Lord?

 *****Luk 5:4  Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 

Luk 5:5  And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 

 The work of the Lord is not all drudgery; the work of the Lord can be rewarding.

 Now, this is not saying that Jesus teaches a prosperity Gospel, but God will reward those who are on the battlefield of the Lord, but it is rarely financial, other than meeting our needs.

 Peter and those with him had fished all night and had taken nothing.

 This is the outcome I have most of the time, but catching fish is not the main reason I go fishing.

 Here again, the Lord Jesus had a reason for the miracle that He was about to perform.

 The title Master comes from the Greek word meaning teacher.

 Sometimes the same Greek word for teacher is used as the title doctor.

 Peter was an experienced fisherman, and he knew if the fish did not bite in the night, they were not going to bite in the daytime, but the Lord Jesus wanted to start working on Peter's faith.

 The Lord also wanted Peter to accept Him as the Messiah who has control of all nature.

 The lesson from the Lord Jesus was out with the old and in with the new.

 A New Covenant was beginning, and it would have better results than the Old Covenant.

 The lesson for us all is that we can place our faith in the infallible Word of God.

 As we build on our Christian lives, doubt must be replaced with obedience.

 There are no hopeless situations for the child of God.

 The results of obedience will always be a blessing.

 When we are drawn to God, we need to obey our hearts.

 I can remember a few weeks before I came to this church, I was walking in my yard, and the Holy Spirit asked me why I was throwing my life away because of the way I was living.

 I only knew the truth of that day when I came through the doors of this church.

 Peter was having a similar feeling on this day with the Lord Jesus.

 *****Luk 5:6  And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 

Luk 5:7  And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 

 The miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ showed that He could do things that only God could do.

 There are many charlatans out in this world today, but none of them can do what only God can do. And we must not be fooled by them. 

The Holy Spirit will not allow their lies to be true.

 Those who claim the power to heal should go to the closest hospital and stop the suffering of those on the inside.

 If Peter had only caught a few fish or even a net full of fish, he would have thought little about it.

 The Lord Jesus wanted Peter to feel the willingness to serve the Lord.

 If Peter thought he was exhausted, he was about to find out what true exhaustion was all about.

 Peter's net could not hold all the fish, and he called for another boat to come to help. Both boats had so many fish in them that they were in jeopardy of sinking, which the Lord would not have allowed because it would have defeated His purpose.

The Lord Jesus knew exactly how many fish it would take to sink those boats!

 When we make decisions in this life, we must make those decisions according to the Word of God and our faith.

 Peter's faith began to rise.

Peter's faith rested on the Words of Christ, "At Thy Word". No one else could have talked Peter into letting down his nets he had just cleaned.

Peter's faith led to obedience without questioning.

 Many of us are disappointed at what this life offers, but we find that as we walk in step with Jesus Christ, we learn what blessings are all about.

 Peter became overwhelmed because of his own sin of doubt.

 *****Luk 5:8  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 

Luk 5:9  For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 

 Peter understood exactly what had happened!

 Peter was overwhelmed by his own unworthiness!

 Peter understood that he had just witnessed a miracle.

 The people on the shore are not mentioned, but they were there, many of them, because they had witnessed or heard of the many miracles of healing that the Lord Jesus had performed.

 To Peter, the Lord Jesus was no longer Master but now Lord. We know Him as Lord of lords.

 Peter came to the Lord Jesus upon his knees in confession of his sins.

 1) Peter confessed to his sin of unbelief. He had questioned the Lord's will. He had to acknowledge that the Lord's power was not of this earth.

 2) Peter confessed that Jesus was indeed Lord. In this verse, the Greek word "kurios" means supreme in authority.

 1Co 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 

 Peter acknowledged that the Lord Jesus was the authority that must be obeyed, and we had better understand this also.

 3) Peter confessed his fear and his reverence as Peter was in awe of the miracle that the Lord Jesus had just shown him.

 This reminds us of the Prophet Isaiah: Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

 Peter was close to salvation as we know it:

 Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

 And others had witnessed this miracle.

 *****Luk 5:10  And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

Luk 5:11  And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. 

 This passage tells us when these men realized that Jesus is Lord of all, and they were determined to follow Him.

 This passage tells us something else.

 We know that in typology, this fishing boat is in type the Church, and the Church cannot do anything without the Lord Jesus Christ being onboard.

 Jesus Christ challenged these men to follow Him and become fishers of men.

 It is the job of the Church to produce and train fishers of men with those who answer the call of Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit.

 To Peter, it was now obvious that the Lord Jesus was indeed the Messiah come from God, and he had what we all need.

 A reverent fear of God and an actual fear of the Almighty God and the Lord Jesus, sensing this fear, said, "Fear not".

 The Lord Jesus had not come at this time for "judgment". He will judge this world when He returns the second time.

 So, we too can "Fear not".

 In actuality, the world has already been judged, and we are judged as sinners.

 This is the reason the Lord Jesus came to earth the first time.

 Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

 Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 What do we know of our own calling?

 Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

 There were two of the disciples of Christ who were named James.

 Here we have James, the brother John was the son of Zebedee.

 It is this James with his brother John and Peter who become the Lord's inner circle.

 This James is never mentioned apart from John.

 This is the James that King Herod had killed with a sword. As far as we know, the first Christian martyr.

His brother John was the only Apostle of Christ who was not murdered.

 There is another James, the son of Alphaeus, called James the Less, because he was shorter than James, the brother of John.

 There are also two other men named James.

 James, the half-brother of the Lord, who later became the pastor of the Church in Jerusalem.

 It is this James who wrote the epistle of James.

 Then there was James, the father of Judas Iscariot.

 Those who are called of God will forsake all and follow the Lord.

 Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 

 *****Luk 5:12  And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 

 There are some things we should see here.

 Leprosy is a type of sin in the New Testament.

 In the salvation plan of God, we must first acknowledge that we are sinners.

 Then we must acknowledge the cleansing.

 In reality, we are not healed from our sin; we are cleansed from our sin.

 Only the Lord Jesus Christ can cleanse us of our sin.

 We must be washed to become clean.

 Rev_1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

 Is the Lord Jesus also the Great Healer? He certainly is, and He can heal us from any ailment.

 Mat_14:14  And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

 He will do neither without a show of faith.

 Luk_9:11  And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

 This leper, who came to Jesus, was sustained by his hope. He saw hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our only hope in this world!

 He called Jesus Lord because he knew that Jesus is Lord of lords.

 1Co_12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

 We must realize just how dirty and defiled we are on the inside and on the outside before we can be cleansed of that defilement.

 We must humble ourselves before the Lord, who only can cleanse us!

 Leprosy was the most terrible of diseases in the day of Jesus and was greatly feared by the people, and we should see sin in the same way today.

 It would cause disfigurement, and many times it was fatal; again, sin causes these same things.

 It is no wonder that leprosy is a type of sin in Scripture.

 The leper was considered unclean.

The leper was judged to be the walking dead.

The leper was an outcast and banished from society.

The leper was considered polluted and incurable.

 Sin will cause these same things, but because of the mercy and grace of God, He looks deep into our hearts, and He knows there can be something special in each of us if we will only trust Him.

 The leper had asked the Lord Jesus if He could be willing to help him, and the Lord said; 'I will".

 *****Luk 5:13  And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. 

 We see that the Lord Jesus Christ is willing to help anyone if they show faith in His powers.

 The Lord Jesus is always moved with compassion for those who are hurting in any manner.

 This leper acknowledges that he is hopelessly lost and the only thing that can help him is God's "Grace".

 Only "Grace" can heal a leper because only "Grace" can cleanse us of our sin!

 So many have become desperate in our world today because this world cannot help them, and if it could, it refuses to help them.

 The Lord Jesus reached out and touched this man when no one else would ever touch a leper for fear of getting the disease.

 Every leper was considered untouchable!

 The Highest of all God's could go low enough to touch the unclean leper when no one else would.

  The Lord Jesus Christ will reach out and touch all who are considered untouchable in our world if they trust Him.

 The Lord Jesus is always willing to help those who have faith that He will help them.

 How did Jesus heal this leper? It was that sword in His mouth. He just spoke the words "be thou clean," and this man was cleansed.

 We can all be cleansed by the Word of Jesus Christ.

 What did the Lord Jesus do throughout the time He was upon this earth the first time?

 Mat 9:35  And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 

Mat 9:36  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 

 For this, He was crucified!

 *****Luk 5:14  And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 

 What did this man need to do next?

 This man needed to worship and offer thanks to God and learn to obey the Word of God before doing anything else.

 Remember, this man did not have a place on his body that was not covered with leprosy.

 In typology, he was deep in sin. He wanted to run and tell the world that he was now.

 We must understand that the Lord Jesus had come to this earth as a lowly servant, and He did not want people to think more of Him than this.

 Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

 Jesus Christ did not do the things He did for self-exaltation.

 Jesus wrote all prophecy, and He knew some would try to make Him king, but it was not the time for this to take place.

 It was highly unlikely that any lepers were healed in those days. A priest had to go through a detailed list of laws to ever confirm that any leper was cured.

 This leper still needed a certificate from a priest saying he had been cleansed.

 Book of Leviticus, Chapters 13, verses 38-59, and Chapter 14, verses 1 through 32 will give us some idea about the cure of leprosy.

 *****Luk 5:15  But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 

Luk 5:16  And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

 The fame of our Lord actually interfered with His ministry so much that Jesus had to withdraw to the wilderness and talk to His Heavenly Father.

 This is another great example for us.

 When the world interferes with our relationship with our Savior, we need to get alone with God and tell Him what we are going through.

 Jesus had the message of salvation and the power to heal, but the message of salvation is much more important!

 It was God and prayer that were the source of His power, and He needed much time alone with God, just as we all do.

 *****Luk 5:17  And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

 As the fame of the Lord Jesus grew, the old religionists came to investigate.

 Above all, the Lord Jesus Christ was at this time Teacher, and it is His message that is of greater importance.

 This committee had representatives from all over the country. Every major area was represented.

 These people could not get along with each other, but they came together to critic the Lord Jesus.

 These critics did not come to help Jesus in His ministry of salvation, and they certainly did not come to learn from Him.

 They came to investigate and observe Him. They were like spectators at a ball game, except salvation is not a game. Salvation is a God thing, and God sent His Son to show us the only path to Salvation.

 What did the Lord Jesus do? He just kept on doing what He was doing and paid them no attention.

 Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 

 We are not here to judge any minister who is serving in the name of our Savior.

 We were never called to be judges but witnesses!

 *****Luk 5:27  And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. 

Luk 5:28  And he left all, rose up, and followed him. 

Luk 5:29  And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. 

 When the Lord Jesus Christ began building His disciples who stayed with Him, He chose those who were the outcasts of society.

 This man called Levi is the same as Matthew, who wrote the Book of Matthew.

 Levi was a dreaded tax collector.

 The tax collectors of that day were normally Jews, and it was Rome who set up the tax standard, but most of the tax collectors were rich because they collected more than was required.

 For this reason, they were hated because they worked for the Roman government.

 To the Lord Jesus, Matthew was just a sinner like we are all sinners, and we should see other people as sinners just as we are sinners.

 We may be better off than those who reject the Lord Jesus, because He has made a way for us to get to Heaven, but we are not better than anyone we meet, lost or saved.

 In fact, Christian Pride can interfere with the job the Lord has given us to do.

 We should have a testimony about what salvation has done for us, but the message we have is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 The Lord Jesus went forth, whether it was from a house or a city, because it was time for Him to be busy about His Father's business.

 What is the business of our Heavenly Father? 1Ti_2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

 By associating with a man such as Levi, Jesus was exposing Himself to ridicule and acceptance by the upper class of Jerusalem.

 These outcasts were not acceptable to the social network of society, but Jesus loved them.

 We must understand that we were all outcasts from Heaven until we accepted the truth of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Just as the Lord Jesus humbled Himself before these outcasts of society, we have to humble ourselves before Him.

 Everything that the Lord Jesus did was an example for us to learn as we are to be more like Him in all His ways.

 Matthew made a great feast in his home, and there were many more of the tax collectors there because they were each other's only friends.

 Matthew's heart was now filled with joy, and he wanted all his friends to learn of God's Messiah.

 Matthew forsook his riches and became a disciple of Jesus Christ.

 The Lord Jesus wants us all to do the same thing today.

 2Co 5:19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 

2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

 As always, the super religious crowd found faults in the way that the Lord Jesus worked His ministry, and these outcasts of society were not wanted in their religious circles.

 They were not acceptable!

 *****Luk 5:30  But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 

Luk 5:31  And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 

Luk 5:32  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 

The religious crowd saw Jesus Christ only as a person who associated with the rejected of society.

Today, this would be the drunks, those who consume drugs, those who have addictions to all sorts of illegal substances, those who are in jails, and anyone else who accepts the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus called us to witness His truths and not be like those who only judge people to see if they think they are acceptable.

If you did not keep the laws of the religious crowd on that day, you were ceremonially unclean and rejected.

Thank goodness we are not under the law, but under grace, God's Amazing Grace.

The Lord Jesus said to this crowd that only those who realized they were sinners needed a Savior.

All those who are righteous in their own eyes do not need anything.

These are those who are sick, but they do not know it.

They will never call the doctor, so they can never be healed.

The Lord Jesus came to save sinners.

The Lord Jesus died to pay the sin debt of all sinners, even those who think they are not sinners.

The Lord Jesus gave His life for the life of all sinners!

The righteous crowd does not accept the fact that they need repentance!

They say they do not need saving.

Those who trust in some false god say they do not need saving.

Those who are rich think their money can buy them salvation, so they do not need saving.

Those who trust in the ways of the world say they do not need saving.

What does God teach us? 

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And God the Father adds: Psa_2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Pro_6:15  Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

Pro_1:26  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

Today is the day of salvation, don't wait until it is too late to call upon the Lord!

Amen

Temptation and Healing

 Jesus' Temptation, Teaching and Healing

 Book of Luke Chapter 4

 When we need to know how to act in any situation, all we need to know is how Jesus would act in that situation.

 Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 We have no greater example to follow than the Lord Jesus Christ!

 This will not always be an easy thing to do.

 Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 

 1Pe 2:21  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 

 We must never get confused. The Lord Jesus is God in the flesh!

 Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God. 

 Jhn_1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

 Our greatest problem that we face in our Christian life is that we just do not handle temptation very well.

 If Satan finds out what works on us, he will use that against us unless we wise up to him.

 Victory over temptation is our greatest challenge as we walk in the ways of Jesus Christ.

 Every temptation we face today is the same as the ones the Lord Jesus faced in His lifetime in the flesh.

 *****Luk 4:1  And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 

Luk 4:2  Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 

 Then Jesus was baptized.

 The Lord was the fulness of the Holy Spirit.

 Here the Lord Jesus shows how to handle the temptations of the Devil.

 The Lord Jesus Christ was about to launch the most important work of Yahweh.

 The work of the Lord Jesus Christ was to determine the eternal fate of this world we live in today.

 It was the Holy Spirit who led the Lord Jesus into the wilderness so that He could be tempted.

 Mar 1:12  And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 

Mar 1:13  And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

 Mat 4:1  Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 

Mat 4:2  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 

 The Lord Jesus could not begin His ministry unless He could stand up to temptation.

 The devil is our adversary, and we must know how to deal with him!

 1Pe_5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

 If Satan, the Devil, is not afraid to tempt the Lord Jesus, then who do we think we are that we will not face his temptations?

 The Lord Jesus is not tempted as the Son of God, but He is tempted as the Son of God who is also the Son of Man.

 God allows this so we know that we have an example of the Son of Man, the man Jesus could withstand the attacks of the Devil.

 We can too if we learn how the Lord Jesus accomplished this.

 The Lord Jesus, one hundred percent God but also one hundred percent man, had to be totally committed to the salvation plan of God the Father.

 He needed to gain the victory that was needed so that whosoever believed these things could be saved for an eternity in the presence of God.

 God's plan included the cross, the way of sacrifice and suffering, to help others.

 The Lord Jesus would always be tempted to use His power of God to end His temptations, and had He done so, we would all still face that Burning Lake of Fire we know of as Hell.

 The man Jesus had to be assured that the God Jesus had the power to deliver him and conquer temptation.

 We must be winners of the trials of life.

 1) Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit.

 2) Jesus was led to spend time alone with God the Father.

We must spend some time alone with God.

 3) Jesus was led to be tried and tested.

It is our trials that test us and make us stronger.

 4) Jesus was led to fast and pray.

Most of us pray, and maybe not enough, but very few of us take fasting seriously.

 We must understand that God is not allowing us to be tempted so that we will fail! God is allowing our temptation so we can have victory over it.

 Temptation comes from our heart; temptation does not come from God!

 Jas 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 

Jas 1:3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 

Jas 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 

 We are never singled out for some special temptation. The same temptations can happen to all mankind.

 1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

 There is only one way to overcome temptation!

 Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

Jas 4:8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

 Let's watch the Devil do his dirty work.

 *****Luk 4:3  And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 

Luk 4:4  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 

 The Devil knew exactly that Jesus was the Son of God, but if he could get Jesus to use His godly powers to sustain His human side, then Satan would win this battle.

 Jesus had gone forty days without food in a fast that was intended to prepare Him to begin His ministry.

 Jesus, the man, knew He needed all the help He could get from His Heavenly Father, and by fasting, He wanted His Father to know how much He would give up completing His ministry.

 Remember the Lord Jesus came to die for us, but Satan was not aware of all the plan of God.

 No doubt Jesus was hungry, and those river stones probably looked a whole lot like a baked loaf of bread.

 Certainly, He had the power to make some food if He wanted to, but His forty-day fast and prayer had given Him much spiritual strength.

 All the power that Jesus had at that time could not be used to sustain Himself.

 He had to live as a man in order for God's will to be done and He refused to go against the will of His Father.

 He could only use those powers that He had to help mankind!

 Mat 26:42  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 

 Jesus had to be who He claimed to be, just as every Christian is to be who they claim to be.

 Each Christian and his ministry is to follow in the ways of Jesus Christ.

 1) If Jesus used His power upon Himself, then it could not be said that He trusted His Heavenly Father.

2) If Jesus used His power upon Himself, it would be like saying that man could use their own abilities upon themselves instead of helping a lost world to come to know their Savior.

3) If Jesus used His power upon Himself, He would be teaching that men could use their own abilities to build themselves up instead of honoring God for His power.

 If you are a Christian, you already know that we could not survive in this world without our Heavenly Father supplying our Spiritual means.

 Food alone is not enough to sustain us; we need the Word of God and the strength of the Holy Spirit.

 We must clearly understand that we may be better off than those who are lost, but we are not better than anyone else in this world, nor should we see ourselves as better; our pride will get in the way of God's work.

 There is a Spiritual hunger that food cannot satisfy!

 *****Luk 4:5  And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 

Luk 4:6  And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 

Luk 4:7  If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 

Luk 4:8  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 

 Satan does not give up easily, and we should understand this fact.

 As we grow up in this wicked world, we are taught that we must have ambitions to succeed.

 In the devil's evil mind, he thought that Jesus, with His great power, would also have ambitions beyond those of His Father.

 We must never believe that Satan does not have some powers, even though his powers are allowed to take place under the watchful eyes of God.

 Satan never has control of this world, but the fact is, he can control every unbeliever because God allows it.

 2Ti_2:26  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

 What were the ambitions of the Lord Jesus Christ?

 Luk_19:10  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

 Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 

Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 

Isa 61:3  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. 

 Satan made a bold claim that he controlled the possessions and the glory of the world, which was a lie.

 Satan may be the "prince of this world," but every prince serves a King, and the Devil serves the Almighty God, Yahweh.

 Dan 4:25  That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 

 Joh 12:31  Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

 Satan is only the author of confusion.

 2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

 Satan offered this part of the world that he influenced over to Jesus if Jesus would fall on His knees and worship him.

 1) Could Jesus compromise His standards and behavior?

2) Could Jesus compromise His loyalty and faithfulness to His Heavenly Father?

3) Could Jesus give up His ministry and His mission?

 The Lord Jesus was quick to answer: Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

 Jesus could not follow the ways of worldliness and still be God!

 We can have all the ambitions we want as long as they are in the Will of God for our lives.

 God wants us to do the very best we can in everything we do, but not sin.

 All sin is an abomination to our Heavenly Father!

 1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

 *****Luk 4:9  And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 

Luk 4:10  For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 

Luk 4:11  And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

Luk 4:12  And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 

 Again, we see that Satan is persistent, so we must be strong in the Lord.

 We may not know what or where this pinnacle was located, but we do believe that the roof of Herod's portico of the Temple, which overhung the ravine of the Kedron Valley, was six hundred or seven hundred feet high.

 Surely this would have been the place that Satan would use, for no man could survive such a fall.

 Jesus allowed Satan to take Him to this place because Satan had no intention of throwing Him off, but he wanted Jesus to jump off under His own power.

 God had said that He would take care of His Son no matter what happened.

 Psa 91:9  Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 

Psa 91:10  There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 

Psa 91:11  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 

Psa 91:12  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

 This was not the will of God for the life of Jesus the man!

 Satan tempted Jesus to die some other way than the cross.

 Luk 9:21  And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; 

Luk 9:22  Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. 

 We know that Satan did not know about the cross.

 1Co 2:8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

 If Satan had known, then those wicked men in Jerusalem would have known.

 If you listen to this world, you will begin to believe that that are many ways to get to God's House in Heaven, but reality is that there is only one way and that is God's way.

 God's way is the way of the Cross!

 Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 

Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

 Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 

Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 1Co_1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

 Heb_12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 Again, the Lord Jesus was quick to answer, and He answered for all of us: It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

 When God says there is only one way to get to Heaven, He means what He says, and He says what he means!

 *****Luk 4:13  And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. 

Luk 4:14  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. 

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

 Though Satan is much smarter than the sinner, he does not have a chance against the wisdom of God.

 This is the major reason why we need the wisdom of God.

 Satan did not have anything else with which to tempt the Lord Jesus at that time, but we see he would linger in the background until he thought he had something else.

 Satan began working on the people of Jerusalem and those who represented the government of the Jews and the government of Rome. Those who did not have the power to resist him.

 For us, the Church, we can see that Satan is a loser!

 This man, Jesus, had defeated Satan and shows us that we can defeat Satan by making use of the Word of God.

 It is God's truths that defeat the Devil!

 The Devil knows he is a loser, but he does not ever give up!

 We must remember that Satan does not have to convince the sinner who already belongs to him.

 Satan can spend the majority of his time trying to confuse God's people, and he is good at it.

 He has been doing it for two thousand years.

 Rom 16:17  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 

Rom 16:18  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 

 When we have victory over temptation, we will be able to see our lives change, and we will be able to see that change in others.

 What did the Lord Jesus tell the Church, and the Holy Spirit confirm? Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 

Rev 3:22  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 

 *****Luk 4:16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 

 The Lord Jesus was not a Nazarene because He took some oath. The Lord Jesus was a Nazarene because He was raised in Nazareth.

Those people in that synagogue would be very familiar with Jesus, who was raised by Joseph and Mary, who kept the Sabbath and the Laws.

 At the age of thirty, Jesus was allowed to teach and this is the place and He began His ministry here at this place.

 There is something in the Book of Isaiah that these other Jews needed to take to heart.

 Here it is not the man Jesus who is speaking it is the Son of God who is speaking: Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 

Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 

 Here again, we see the Triune God. We see the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus, and Yahweh, and it is here where the Lord Jesus first claims that He is the Messiah, sent from Yahweh.

 *****Luk 4:17  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, 

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 

Luk 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 

 We should be able to understand that when the Lord Jesus read the Scriptures, it was far different from when others read.

 The author of a book knows his intentions when he reads his own words.

 The Lord Jesus treated those Scriptures with reverence, and is another example for us when we read those same Scriptures.

 The Messiah was anointed by the Holy Spirit.

He was called by the Holy Spirit.

He was equipped by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit goes with God's Messiah everywhere He goes.

 This is the same job the Holy Spirit does with every child of God today.

 1) The Lord Jesus came to preach the Gospel, the Good Tidings of Yahweh.

He would preach to those who were poor financially, but more importantly, to those who were poor in spirit.

He was to preach deliverance to those who were captives of the Devil.

 2) The Lord Jesus came to minister. To help and heal the brokenhearted. Give sight to those who were blind spiritually and physically. The Lord Jesus came to make us free from this wicked and evil world.

 3) The Lord came to preach the Day of Salvation!

 The Lord Jesus read from Isaiah sixty, verses one and two, but He did not read from verse three because verse three dealt with judgment.

 The Messiah will deal with "judgment" when He returns with His saints.

 Luk_21:24  And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

 When the Lord Jesus finished reading, He sat down, but He was not through.

 *****Luk 4:20  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 

Luk 4:21  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

 We may not realize it, but after the reading of the Scripture, the preacher would sit down to preach.

This is the way it was done in the Jewish synagogues.

 All eyes were focused upon the Lord Jesus Christ as He sat down.

 Jesus told them they were looking at the beginning of the fulfillment of this prophecy of Isaiah.

 This was to be the work of God's Messiah.

 It made them mad that He, the son of Joseph, could say such things, and they would have murdered Him if they had been able to do so.

 Jesus left and came to Capernaum and spoke at the synagogue in that place for several Sabbaths.

 Jesus also began to heal many of their sicknesses and ailments.

 *****Luk 4:38  And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. 

Luk 4:39  And he stood over her and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.

 When we follow the life of Jesus Christ, we will see many miracles, and we should know there is a reason behind every miracle that He did.

For instance, the Lord Jesus could have healed everyone who lived during His life here on earth, but Jesus chose to heal certain ones, and He had a reason for each one.

 Some say Jesus cured or healed the neediest.

 The Lord Jesus had just left the synagogue in Capernaum and went to the home of Simon Peter.

 Peter was a married man, and his mother-in-law was ill.

 Notice she had a great fever.

 Even today, the marshes associated with the River Jordan are the most fever-stricken regions of Israel.

 In most cases, it was malaria carried by the mosquito.

 It could cause jaundice in those who frequently have repeated attacks of this fever.

 Typhoid was also common in this region.

 This mother-in-law was critically ill and would probably not have lived through the fever at this time.

She was helpless and could not even speak.

She was so weak, she could not get out of bed.

 I do not know how many of you have been this sick, but I have during cancer treatments and chemo. It's terrible to think you might be gone by the next day but it is wondeful to know that if you do die you will wake up in Heaven.

 The Lord Jesus just spoke the Word, and her fever was gone.

 All the Lord has to do is speak the Word, He does not have to be present for the healing to take place.

 Joh 4:52  Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 

 Next, we see that whoever was in the home at that time compelled the Lord Jesus to heal her as He had those at the synagogue.

 We can see that no matter what the Lord Jesus was doing as He began His ministry, it was always okay to take our needs to Him.

 He is never too busy to deal with God's children.

 If and when you go through these days, you will find that the Lord Jesus is your only hope!

 Also, notice that fever obeys the Lord just as if it were a person.

 The power of this miracle is shown as this lady immediately rises, completely healed, and begins to minister to those in Peter's home.

 As many had witnessed this miracle, they left to bring back all those who were sick in that city.

 *****Luk 4:40  Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. 

 The Lord Jesus had been busy this day as His ministry began, but He never said no, "I'm too tired to do more".

 The Lord never gets tired of showing us His Grace!

 2Co_9:8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

 No matter when we call upon the Lord today, He is always willing and ready to help us.

 Notice it did not matter what disease was presented to the Lord Jesus; He had the power to heal.

No matter what misery was brought to the Lord, He was able to remove that misery.

 We see where those who were helpless had been brought to Jesus; they were so helpless.

 No matter how helpless we are, we can always reach out to the Lord Jesus.

 The Lord Jesus did not overlook any illness or infirmity.

 Jesus spoke to some illnesses, and some He just touched them, but they were all healed.

 Some of those who were brought to the Lord Jesus had their bad health caused by the Devil.

 *****Luk 4:41  And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. 

 Notice that those demons knew exactly that Jesus was the Son of God.

 Notice also that the Lord Jesus does not want any testimony from demons.

The Lord Jesus does not want His name associated with false preachers!

 Demons were a deity and spirits. They were superhuman, but they were not supernatural!

 Psa 106:37  Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, 

 Deu 32:17  They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.

 Some people believe that demons are the spirits of dead evil people, but this is proven to be false by Scripture.

Remember that rich and evil rich man and Lazarus? Luk 16:23  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 

Some people believe these demons are the remnants of those wicked people who rejected the preaching of Noah.

This theory comes from those who believe in the Gap Theory. They believe there is a great gap of time between Genesis Chapter 1, verse 1 and verse 2.

We know that God did not make man until verse 26, and besides this, we have Scripture that says sin entered because of Adam.

Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 

Some people believe that these demons were the offspring of angels and women from the verse in Gen 6:2,  That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 

Gen 6:4  There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 

That these giants became the demons that hound us today.

The majority of Christians believe that these demons are a remnant of fallen angels whom God has left unconfined.

Many of these demons followed Lucifer, and God allowed some to roam free.

Mat 12:24  But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 

Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 

We know that at least most of those angels that followed Lucifer, God has already bound: 2Pe 2:4  For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Another group is confined in a more secure pit: Jud 1:6  And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

Even some of these will be released during the Tribulation Period: Rev 9:11  And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. 

Demons are called spirits because they have no bodies: Mat 8:16  When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:

Demons are not omnipresent but exist locally and cannot go very far from where they are located: Act 16:16  And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 

Demons are intelligent, but they do not know all things; they do know who the Lord Jesus Christ is: Mar 1:24  Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 

Demons will lead you away from Christ if you listen to them: 1Ti 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 

Demons have some power. Mark 5:3-4

Demons can inflict disease. Luke 13:11

Demons can influence the mind. 2 Cor 4:4

Demons will deceive you. 1 Thess 3:5

Demons can possess you. Throughout the Gospels

Demons can deceive nations: Rev 16:14  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 

After praying alone, seeking the presence of God, Jesus became a traveling evangelist.

Jesus prayed often alone during His ministry, another great example for us!

*****Luk 4:42  And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. 

Luk 4:43  And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. 

Luk 4:44  And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. 

We need some time alone with God!

Jesus had been preaching and healing for at least twenty-four hours, and He was exhausted.

Many desperate and helpless people were trying to find Him, and it is the same today.

Many desperate people are seeking something that they do not know, and it is our job to tell them where to find it.

It is in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

We will need to stay in touch with God and seek His help.

After all, it is His plan, and we are to become a part of His plan.

We cannot save anyone, but we can lead them to the One who can.

The Lord Jesus was determined to complete His mission, and He had very little time to do it.

He already had a date with a cross on Mount Calvary.

Isa 50:5  The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. 

Isa 50:6  I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. 

Isa 50:7  For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. 

Amen