The Lordship Of Jesus (part 2) - [Luke 4:31-37]

Bethlehem Bible Church

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March 3, 2024

00:00: I read that you blink 25 times every minute, and one blink takes about a fifth of a second.
00:11: And therefore I read if you take a 10 -hour automobile trip, averaging 40 miles an hour, you'll drive 20 miles with your eyes closed.
00:28: And then I read a theologian and he said, Far more surprising than that, some people go through life with their eyes closed to the real person of Jesus Christ.
00:39: They settle for only believing in his death and resurrection. They seem to care little about his person and life.
00:49: But as you know, Luke, the great physician, in the Gospel of Jesus, according to Luke, wants to make sure you understand, of course, his substituent death, of course, his little resurrection, but also who he is, his person, his character, how he acts, how he thinks, how he deals with people.
01:07: And so please take your Bibles and turn to the Gospel of Jesus, according to Luke. We're in chapter 4, and we realize, as we're studying this great
01:17: Gospel, that we see who Jesus really is. He hasn't come to Calvary yet, we're not in chapter 23, and so what can we learn about Jesus before he dies?
01:28: He doesn't just come to be born and then die on the same day.
01:34: He has a life, and that life is meant for many reasons. Because he's going to perfectly obey God's law, like Adam should have, like David should have, like we should have.
01:42: But also so we can get a picture into who he is. What's he like? And so we never want to separate who
01:50: Jesus is from his benefits. And of course, every Christian loves sermons about Jesus because he's the one that sought us and bought us with his redeeming love.
01:59: You think about when you first fall in love, and you just can't stop thinking about that person. And morning, noon, and night, you want to learn more about them and understand them better.
02:08: It's the same thing when it comes to the Lord Jesus. And so at Bethlehem Bible Church, we are committed to highlight the
02:14: Lord Jesus, to speak well of him in song, the Lord's Supper, and of course, from the pulpit.
02:21: So far in Luke, there are many things that are happening, including, remember, the virgin birth of Jesus, so that he is sinless, and he doesn't have to pay for his own sins.
02:31: We've seen the baptism of Jesus, not for his own sins, but to identify with people that he is, in fact, truly human.
02:39: And then the Father, remember, said, this is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. And the Spirit of God descended upon him like a dove.
02:46: We've seen the genealogy of Jesus. To be the right king, to be the right Messiah, you have to have the right genealogy, you have to come from the right tree.
02:54: And so Jesus, of course, comes from the right tree. We see that in Luke 3. And then in chapter 4, remember,
03:01: Jesus is in the wilderness and he's being tempted. And unlike Adam in the garden, and unlike Israel in the wilderness, who both succumbed to temptation,
03:11: Jesus doesn't succumb to temptation. And finally, there's a man who can stand on this earth and say no to Satan, no to temptation, and it's the
03:21: Lord Jesus, the victorious one over Satan. And now we come to chapter 4, and we've been learning about Jesus and how he is truly man but truly the
03:34: Messiah. So today we're going to be in Luke 4, verses 31 through about 41.
03:44: And our outline comes from two weeks ago, and it's super simple. Four truths about Jesus, four verities about Jesus, and every truth has its consequence.
03:55: We're going to look at the power of Jesus, the deity of Jesus, the authority of Jesus, and the compassion of Jesus.
04:01: We're going to look at his power, his deity, his authority, and his compassion. And since he's powerful, you're going to have hope.
04:09: And since he's God, you need to believe him. And since he's Lord, you need to obey him. And since he's compassionate, you know that he cares for you.
04:17: And so let's look at that first truth again with a little fleshing out from a couple weeks ago. Luke 4, 31 and following,
04:24: Luke wants you to know the power of Jesus so you can have hope now and in the future. Luke 4, 31.
04:31: And he went down to Capernaum, that is Jesus, in elevation. He goes from Nazareth down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee.
04:39: And he was teaching them on the Sabbath. And they were astonished at his teaching for his word possessed authority.
04:45: And of course, the Lord Jesus shows up and he takes a personal pole and he asks for people what they believe about truth so his sermon can reflect that.
04:54: No, he has power and authority. He's sent by the Father and he proclaims the truth.
05:00: And the response is, they're astonished at his teaching. Now, the other teachers would quote people all the time.
05:05: The scribes would say, scribes so -and -so, Pharisees so -and -so, rabbis so -and -so, Bible teachers so -and -so.
05:12: But that's not how Jesus preaches. Jesus, truth incarnate, shows up and he says things like, truly
05:19: I say to you, you have heard it said, but I say to you, verily, verily, truly, truly.
05:26: He doesn't have to quote anyone. Of course, he could quote the Old Testament and sometimes he does. But Jesus preaches unlike these other teachers with power and authority.
05:38: I don't know if you've ever said to yourself, I'm sure you've said it, you're listening to a sermon and pretty soon you forget who's preaching and you're sitting under the
05:47: Word and you think, the God of the universe knows me. He knows what I'm thinking.
05:52: He knows what I'm struggling with. And it's like God is talking to only me. He knows me.
05:58: He sees me. And can you imagine the Lord Jesus with that kind of authority, that kind of power when he teaches? I mean, if you ask me, who would
06:07: I listen to in all the world who's alive now? I'd love to sit at his feet and listen to his sermon. That person would be,
06:14: I think, Sinclair Ferguson. But can you imagine paling in comparison to Sinclair Ferguson?
06:21: Jesus is in a synagogue and he begins to preach and they're amazed at his teaching. They're dumbfounded. Powerful teaching.
06:28: Spellbinding teaching. They should have expected it because back in Deuteronomy 18,
06:34: God said through Moses, there's going to be the greatest preacher that ever lived and he's going to come to you. It says in Deuteronomy 18, and I will raise up for them a prophet like you,
06:45: Moses, from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
06:51: And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.
06:58: God said there's going to be the ultimate prophet, the ultimate proclaimer. He's going to show up. And now
07:04: Jesus has arrived. And they are dumbfounded. They're astonished. You listen to a sermon and you think, who talks like this?
07:11: Who is this person? They're out of their senses literally in the Greek language. He's preaching not as the scribes,
07:20: Mark says. He's preaching with authority and intensity and with earnestness. But not only does he teach with authority, look at verse 33.
07:29: His authority reaches to the demonic realm. And in the synagogue, there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon and he cried out with a loud voice,
07:38: Ha! What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the
07:45: Holy One of God. But Jesus, see his power, see his authority, rebuked him, saying, be silent and come out of him.
07:53: And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. Now the first miracle that Jesus ever did,
08:01: John tells us, is turning water into wine. But the first miracle that we see here in Luke is this initial signal miracle so that you might say to yourself,
08:12: Jesus has power. Out of the 20 or so miracles that Jesus does in Luke, this is the first one.
08:18: And as I said a couple weeks ago, but I think I forgot to finish my story. And Brian Bartlett made sure he asked me the question.
08:24: That was good. By the way, if Brian Bartlett ever comes up to you and says, I have a question for you, a theology question. What do you think?
08:30: Here's what I think. I'm gonna go home and study before I answer him because he's already studied himself. Normally it's demons, spirits.
08:39: Why would Luke say it's unclean? Because he's letting you up front. This is a really, really bad one because who can have power over the spirits?
08:47: Who can have power over demons? Who can have powers over the authorities and principalities? If Jesus has power over a demon, let alone an unclean demon, he has power over everyone else.
08:58: This is not your low -level, typical run -of -the -mill demon, in other words. And Jesus is powerful and he rebukes this demon.
09:06: He's not going to let the demon say anything and interrupt. The demon's crying out with a loud voice, literally a megaphone bellowing, putting a whole ruckus there.
09:16: What are you gonna do with me, Jesus of Nazareth? And look what he calls him again in verse 34. The demon calls
09:22: Jesus the Holy One of God. Now when we think of holiness, we think of sinlessness and that's true.
09:28: But holiness really means set apart for something special, for a mission. Satan and his emissaries know that Jesus had a mission to seek and save the lost.
09:37: I know who you are. Good angels know what Jesus is going to do and what he's called.
09:44: Luke 1 .35, a good angel said, the child will be born called Holy, the Son of God. And of course, when you read
09:53: Luke, you should be a good Bible student and say, this is what Luke is trying to tell his audience. And by the way, as you read the book, you say,
10:00: I am in fact part of that audience. By reading 2 ,000 years later, and you ought to say the
10:05: Jesus I trust in as a Christian is powerful over every demonic force and every force.
10:13: You ought to say to yourself something like Ephesians 3, 20 -21, Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think according to the power at work in us.
10:26: I heard one Bible teacher, he just kind of preached it this way. Now to Him who is able, now to Him who is able to do, now
10:33: Him who is able to do far more abundantly, to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond what we ask or think.
10:39: Here's this God who is able, He has power. And so when you are afraid of Satan, or demons, or you're afraid you'll lose your salvation, or afraid of anything in the future, you ought to remember
10:49: Jesus, the powerful one, is going to protect you. The God of peace,
10:54: Paul said in Romans 16, will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our
10:59: Lord Jesus Christ will be with you all. The prince of darkness grim, we tremble, not for Him.
11:09: What we also saw last week, and this will be a little quicker, not only does Luke want you to know about the power of Jesus so that you have hope now and in the future, he wants you to know about the deity of Jesus so you're not out -believed by a demon.
11:22: So that you're not out -believed by a demon. You say you believe? Well, demons believe too. Let's take a look.
11:31: What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the
11:37: Holy One of God. And then if you look at Luke 4 .41, in another account, the same thing happens.
11:45: Demons are coming out crying, you are the Son of God. He rebuked them. He would not allow them to speak because they knew that He was the
11:52: Christ. Nazareth, those people there didn't know. And they run Him out of proverbial dodge.
11:59: The demons know. You can tell that Luke is crafting this in such a way so that you in fact have to come face to face with,
12:07: I see what's going on here, but do I really know Jesus? Intellectually I know, but demons intellectually know.
12:15: I don't want to have a false faith. J .C. Ryle said, can you imagine if you're a deceived person going into hell with the last words in your mouth saying, but I know about Him.
12:27: I know Him. I know Him. Don't let a demon out believe you.
12:34: I grew up in a Lutheran church and I understood the Nicene Creed. I had to memorize it. I've re -memorized it, then
12:39: I re -forgot it again. But I would say things like this, I believe one
12:45: Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very
12:51: God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made, who for us men in our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the
13:02: Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, was made man, was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
13:08: He suffered and was buried. In the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the
13:15: Father and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead whose kingdom shall have no end. Wonderful truths.
13:22: True truths. Essential truths. But they can't just be intellectual truths. You have knowledge, you agree to that knowledge and then you trust.
13:32: A wholehearted trust. The people of Nazareth would not believe. The demons believe.
13:38: But it's not a true belief. And so, obviously, Luke is wanting you to say to yourself, it's one thing to say
13:45: Jesus is the Savior and as Luther said, it's another to say Jesus is my Savior. Jesus is
13:51: Lord is one thing. Jesus by God's grace is my Lord. And I trust that's what you say is
13:57: Jesus is your Savior and your Lord. The third truth found in verse 36 and following is
14:04: Luke wants you to know Jesus' authority so you submit to Jesus' Lordship.
14:11: Power first, deity second, now authority of Jesus. So you submit to that authority or you submit to His Lordship.
14:19: Verse 36, And they were all amazed and said to one another, What is this word? For with authority and power
14:26: He commands unclean spirits and they come out of Him. Now there are many ways to describe
14:33: Jesus. Many ways to describe His preaching. Here, the writer describes His preaching as with authority.
14:40: I believe 21 times in the Gospel of Jesus according to Luke, authority is talked about when it comes to Jesus.
14:47: Authority to rebuke, to proclaim, to teach, to forgive sins, to be the Lord of the Sabbath. I have authority, but it's a derived authority from Scripture.
14:59: David had authority, but it was derived from Scripture. Jesus doesn't derive any authority because He has authority because He's eternally
15:06: God. And the nature of His teaching? Authoritative. The nature of His ability to cast out demons?
15:12: Authoritative. He just says a word. No potions, no spells, no incantations. That's what they were used to.
15:20: And Jesus has authority to cast out demons. And what's the response?
15:27: They're talking about it. Mark says they begin talking to one another. It's like you hear some sermon and you have to talk about it.
15:33: Probably some sermons are so boring you talk about the Red Sox afterwards, but they're more boring than the most boring sermon.
15:39: But that's another John Henry story. If you were there listening, you'd talk about it afterward.
15:45: You wouldn't think about lunch. You wouldn't think about anything. And you tell other people, verse 37, reports about Him went out to every place in the surrounding region.
15:57: Without phone calls, without Instagram, without telegrams, without anything else, the word is getting out because this is amazing.
16:03: No one is like this person. No one is like Jesus. And the report goes out.
16:10: It's where we get the word echo. And echo just means a sound. It's just a sound goes out. Reverberates.
16:18: Snowball effect. And as I prayed earlier, the report has gone out even to West Boylston.
16:24: Population 7 ,000, I think. It's gone to India. It's gone to Omaha.
16:31: It's gone to everywhere. So the writer wants you to realize Jesus is Lord. He has authority and power.
16:37: So let's make it very personal because truth is practical. We believe in the
16:43: Lordship of Jesus. Dear Christian, He is your Lord and Savior. And therefore,
16:48: He has rights to say things about who you sleep with, what your view of abortion is, what your view of the government is, what your view of the world view, what about marriage, what about money, any situation in the world, whatever the
17:06: Bible addresses, He is Lord. How to raise children.
17:14: Therefore, let all the house of Israel, Peter said in Acts 2, know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ.
17:21: Romans 14, For to this end Christ died and lived again that He might be Lord both of the dead and the living.
17:28: And therefore, we as Christians, we say we want to submit to the Lordship of Jesus and surrender to those areas in our lives where it doesn't seem like He's Lord and we would like Him to be more
17:37: Lord in that area. Jesus said, Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what
17:43: I tell you? Jesus is Lord. But not only that,
17:49: I want you to see that Jesus has power, deity, authority and now number four, compassion.
17:57: Luke wants you to know about the compassion of Jesus so that you know Jesus will receive you, shepherd you, comfort you and stick with you.
18:05: And we'll see this first with an individual then with a group. The compassion of Jesus. Verse 38,
18:12: And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother -in -law was ill with a high fever and they appealed to him on her behalf.
18:22: And he stood over her and rebuked the fever and it left her and immediately she rose and began to serve them. Now if you're going to read old writers,
18:31: Puritan writers, maybe the easiest one to read is Thomas Watson because he's just biblical,
18:37: Christ -centered and easier to read. Here's what Watson said and I agree with him and I bet you do too. No action of Jesus's has fallen short of the ideal.
18:48: He's full of surprises but they're surprises of perfection. You're never amazed one day by his greatness, the next by his littleness.
18:56: You're quite amazed that he's incomparably better than you could have expected. And that's what this miracle here is supposed to have you do.
19:06: You're going to say to yourself, oh, he's better than I thought. He's better than I thought. Now here we see the
19:14: Lord Jesus dealing with an individual and we realize that Simon had a house.
19:19: By the way, when he had to leave everything to follow Jesus, he certainly had things to leave. We also realize that it's okay for Simon to have been married.
19:29: The first Pope was married. Did you know that? I thought that would give a bigger laugh or smile but that's okay.
19:36: It's okay to have a wife. Paul had a wife. 1 Corinthians chapter 9 talked about it. But that's not really what we're after here.
19:44: We're after Jesus being kind to people. Jesus being gentle to people.
19:52: Jesus caring about people. Of course, power, authority, majesty.
19:58: Shut your mouth, demon -possessed people. Zip your lip. Be muzzled, actually, it said earlier in the text.
20:04: But this same transcendent, Holy One of God, how does He deal with people? Hurting people.
20:11: People that need kindness and compassion. People acquainted with grief. How does
20:16: He deal with those people? Does, in fact, Jesus receive sinners? So Jesus leaves the synagogue.
20:24: He goes to the house and Simon's mother -in -law was ill with a high fever so they're asking
20:29: Jesus, of course, do something about it. He stood over her and rebuked the fever, verse 39, and left her and immediately she rose again to serve them.
20:41: Now, we have four gospels, four good news accounts of Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
20:48: They all talk about Jesus from different perspectives, maybe His humanity, maybe His servanthood, maybe
20:53: His deity. But three of them are kind of the same. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the same and so we call those what kind of gospels?
21:02: Synoptic gospels that kind of look the same. And so you can get some information from Matthew and Mark if you're in Luke.
21:10: And so Mark gives us a little bit more information and Mark says she's lying sick with a fever.
21:17: It's like she's thrown down on the bed. She's got such a bad fever. Maybe you felt so bad before.
21:22: You just like cast yourself on the bed. You're too weak. You're too tired. You're too hot. You've got such a big temperature, fever.
21:31: This is not a small little deal. This is not just, you know, you'll be better in the morning. The language is where we get the word fire.
21:39: She's got a fire. She's got some kind of fever. We're not told. It could be dysentery. It could be sweats, shivering, suffering from a high fever.
21:52: What do you do back in those days? You can read about all the ways they would try to heal people and it's really not too good.
22:00: Medical quackery, really. And here, what would Jesus do? What would Jesus do? There's a great fever.
22:07: What would the great physician do? I think probably
22:12: Luke knew about bedside manner. Ever been to a doctor with a bad bedside manner? I wonder what
22:18: Jesus' bedside manner is. I mean, he's transcended. He's great. He's glorious. He can do whatever he wants. He's got power.
22:24: He's got authority. I had a cancer treatment years ago in 2017 in New York and I thought it was the right one.
22:31: I had ten options. I did the one. I came back. I needed a Boston doctor. I told this particular Boston doctor about what I had done.
22:37: He thought it was a bad idea and told me I was really dumb to do that. I told him my copay was dumb too.
22:52: I mean, here's Jesus. She's got a hot, burning fever. What does
22:59: He do? Luke, the physician, sees Jesus and writes it. He stands over her. Not proud and arrogant and boastful, but like a doctor would come over.
23:08: Not sitting at the chair. Not far off, but He comes right over. And Matthew and Mark both say
23:13: He touched her. Matthew 8, He touched her hand. Mark 1,
23:19: He took her by the hand. Now did you know that for Jewish men especially, dealing with Gentiles is one thing.
23:32: And by the way, Jesus just talked about the widow of Zarephath and leper Naaman from Syria.
23:39: Gentiles, they're low. But also, if you were a rabbi, if you were a man even, you wouldn't be touching a woman.
23:47: Jewish teaching said sometimes that you aren't to have contact with a woman's hand, men. Not even to count money from your hand to hers.
23:57: You have to be very, very careful. And all of a sudden, Jesus, the great physician, the great healer, touches her.
24:03: He didn't have to. He cast out demons with a word. He doesn't have to touch. Why does
24:08: He touch the leper in the next account? Why does He touch Simon's mother -in -law?
24:16: He goes over to her and heals her with a touch. Tenderly, compassionately.
24:28: 2 ,500 years ago, here's one account that the
24:33: Greeks had for bedside manners. The physician ought to be confidential, chaste, sober, not a wine -bibber.
24:41: He ought to have an appearance and approach that is distinguished. Everything ought to be in moderation.
24:47: Be solicitous in your approach to the patient. Not with head thrown back arrogantly or hesitantly with a lowered glance, but with the head inclined slightly as the art demands.
24:57: The physician ought to hold his head humbly and evenly. I like this part. His hair should not be too smoothed down, nor his beard curled like that of a degenerate youth or reformed
25:09: Baptist pastor. Oh no, sorry. I'm just kidding.
25:18: Gravity signifies breadth of experience. He should approach the patient with moderate steps, gazing calmly at the sickbed.
25:26: He should endure peacefully the insults of the patients. Can you imagine?
25:33: You watch the Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God, power, authority, majesty, glory coming back on the clouds.
25:41: How does He act with people? And to give us insight into the
25:48: Lord Jesus, I'd like you to turn to Matthew 12. Jesus heals that mother -in -law.
26:01: Jesus heals a daughter. Jesus raises people from the dead. Should we be surprised?
26:08: There was another healing in Matthew 12, and this was said after the healing because I want you to see the
26:15: Lord Jesus and His compassion. Of course He's sovereign. Of course He's transcendent. Of course He's holy.
26:21: Of course He's righteous. But that's not all because He's the perfect man.
26:27: He's the true man. Matthew 12, verse 15. Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there.
26:36: And many followed Him, and He healed them all. And He ordered them not to make Him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet
26:43: Isaiah. This is what we read last week from the pulpit. Isaiah 42. Behold My servant whom
26:49: I have chosen, My beloved with whom My soul is well pleased. This is about Jesus. I will put
26:54: My Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles, he will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
27:04: A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory, and in his name the
27:13: Gentiles will say, Behold My servant.
27:21: The Father calling Jesus the servant. Can you think about all the service projects in all the world?
27:27: All the service opportunities you have in the world? And here is the servant of the servants with the most important service ever given.
27:36: God's choice. God's Son to go on this service project. And to make sure you pay attention, the first word of verse 18 is,
27:44: Behold. So often I think about myself when I start thinking about my problems,
27:51: I need the word behold. I need to have my eyes lifted up by faith instead of concentrating on me, myself, and my problems.
28:00: Behold, remember, this is the one in whom God is well pleased, and if you are in Christ, He is well pleased with you.
28:07: And I specifically want to talk about verse 20 this morning. Bruised reeds, smoldering wicks.
28:15: Now if you think of generals, you think of conquerors, what do conquerors and generals do with the feeble and the frail and those that contribute nothing to the cause?
28:33: What would Alexander the Great do? What did he do? What did Napoleon do? What did Cyrus do?
28:38: What did Nebuchadnezzar do? What did Belshazzar do? What did Stalin do? How do conquerors conquer with the strong and with the mighty?
28:47: They're ruthless. They crush. When Jesus comes, the
28:55: Holy One of God, is He different? How does He deal with people? Well, here the text talks about two things, bruised reeds and smoldering wicks.
29:09: Now what were reeds? By the way, they were just everywhere, any kind of marsh, any place where water was.
29:16: You can get them by the river banks and you'd just cut them and you could use them for all kinds of things. You could use them as a toothpick, you could use them as a writing instrument, you could use them as something to measure something, or you could use them for a flute.
29:29: They're thin, they're fragile, they're tiny, they break, they get worn, and when they're worn out, you throw them away and it's no big deal.
29:41: No one would ever confront you. The elders would not call you into my office and say, you just threw away a bruised reed.
29:49: I mean, they're everywhere. Shepherds used them all the time. I mean, they're just fragile.
29:56: They don't work at all. Well, there's smoldering wicks as well. What do smoldering wicks do?
30:04: They smolder. Last night we had some folks over to our house before the ladies went out and we had candles there and we blew out one of the candles and that thing just kept smoldering.
30:16: I mean, it's bugging me. I mean, what do I do? And I'm not even Alexander the Great. You lick your fingers to make sure you don't get burned and snuff that thing out.
30:25: Would you be offended if I did that to the candle? I mean, flax is cheap. Remember back in the old days you'd have a little kind of lamp and it'd be olive oil and you'd have that little flax there and that little wick would go in there.
30:38: And by the way, do you see what Jesus is doing here when he's quoting what Matthew's doing?
30:44: I don't know. Do you feel like you're strong in the faith and strong bodily and emotionally and you just are on top of your game all the time?
30:52: Or is there some bruising in your life? Do you feel fragile? Do you feel broken? Do you feel down?
30:59: Do you feel... I mean, seasons in life, that's how we all feel. What can you contribute when you're like that?
31:07: Does Jesus really need to have people in the Lord's army? Remember when you were a kid? I'm in the Lord's army. Yes, sir.
31:13: Well, what if I'm not in the Lord's army because I'm in the infirmary? I'm in the Lord's infirmary.
31:21: I know we have some visitors today. I don't usually sing. Smouldering wicks, they cause trouble.
31:30: They cause smoke. They don't help. They hurt. They take away time, effort, money.
31:40: You know how long it would take for me to get that smouldering wick to fan up into a light last night? Forget it. Snuff it out.
31:46: Go to Marshall's and buy another candle. It's supposed to light stuff up.
31:54: It's not supposed to make smoke. You know, when it comes to people, a lot of people, and I'm talking about just not you, but me, seem to create more problems than what they're really worth.
32:07: Especially Jesus doesn't need to use people. Snuff it out and throw it away.
32:14: Who cares about that little flack? It's going to take more time and patience and effort and care to get that thing going.
32:23: Jesus said, Come to me all who labor and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart.
32:35: Does Jesus take the bruised reed and just say, You're done. You're out. Does Jesus take the smoldering flax and the wick and just snuff out?
32:44: Now, when I was a Lutheran child, I was an acolyte. How many people here were acolytes in one kind of denomination or another?
32:50: Several were. And I was trained how to be an acolyte. And I was to hold the, I think there's a technical name for them, the taper, like this.
32:58: And at the end of the taper, they had a wick. And on the flip side of the taper, they had a bell that was a snuffer.
33:05: And I was to put my robe on and everything my white robe. And I was to walk out, elbow up.
33:12: I still remember that. And to start the service, I was to light the six candles up on the altar. And I always remember this because it was a panic attack.
33:22: It was second service at Calvary Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska. And the acolyte before me did what they're not supposed to do.
33:32: They took the bell to end the service, to snuff everything out. And they snuffed it really hard.
33:37: And broke off the wick. And so, I have six candles to light.
33:44: One, two, everybody's there, the congregation, three, four, five, six, it won't light.
33:49: And I just stood there trying, trying, trying to light that thing. You do not feel my pain, obviously.
33:58: I just want to hang up the taper and go back. What do I do? Somebody snuffed that out too hard.
34:08: Isaiah 42, Matthew 12. It's not about reeds and wicks.
34:14: It's a figure of speech to talk about weak and helpless people.
34:21: People that are seemingly of no use, who struggle, who've been abused, who are burnt out, who can't seem to do much.
34:32: And seeing the multitudes, Matthew 9, he felt compassion for them, Jesus did, because they were distressed and downcast like a sheep without a shepherd.
34:41: How does the Lord Jesus act? Of course He's powerful. He's the King of kings and Lord of lords.
34:47: But a real man, a true man, a perfect man is compassionate and kind and gentle.
34:54: Aren't you glad for that? You watch Jesus and how He deals with people. Peter's freaked out as Jesus raves from the dead.
35:04: Go your way, tell His disciples and Peter. The unbelief of Thomas.
35:10: Jesus could just say, get over it. And He stoops to Thomas' level. Here, put your fingers in My side.
35:19: One writer said, If thou wilt, thou canst, said one poor man in the Gospel. If you can do anything, another said.
35:25: Both were smoking flax. Neither of them were quenched. If Christ had stood upon His own greatness,
35:31: He would have rejected them. If... But Christ answers His if with a gracious and absolute grant,
35:38: I will be clean. As Richard Sibbes says,
35:44: There is more mercy in Christ than there is sin in us. Aren't you glad?
35:50: You think to yourself, Well, maybe you're having some good days. You're walking in the Spirit. But there are days where you're just thinking, I am a bruised reed.
35:57: And I am a smoking flax. And I'm hurt. And I'm broken. And I've had things happen to me.
36:03: I'm in a state of emotional or spiritual or physical. I'm hurting. Lord Jesus, I don't really seem like I'm helping you in the
36:11: Kingdom. How is the Lord acting towards you? What is His demeanor? How does He act?
36:17: Throw you away? Of course not. Snuff you out? Absolutely not.
36:25: Now let's go back to Luke chapter 4 and see what happens when the great physician with his great bedside manner does the great healing because of His greatness and compassion.
36:38: Who is Jesus? Who's like Him? That's what worship service is supposed to be. Let's learn more about Jesus.
36:47: And it's only the self -righteous person that says, I've had enough of the compassion of Jesus and how He deals with broken people and people with burdens.
36:56: We don't want to talk that way. We don't want to think that way because we know deep down nobody's looking at what we're like and how we need a
37:03: Lord like this. What does the text say in Luke after Jesus heals her?
37:10: He stood over her, verse 39 of Luke 4, and rebuked the fever and it left her. And immediately she rose and began to serve
37:17: Him. I mean, it's Sabbath. It's a big meal. It's like Sunday meal.
37:22: And of course, when I finally feel better, like I'm almost over this sickness, but I'm still tired. I'm still lethargic.
37:29: I still kind of have a headache. When Jesus heals, it's instantaneous. It's organic. It's perfect.
37:35: And she doesn't say, I need to rest a little bit. She gets up. She's perfectly healed.
37:41: Completely healed. No lingering sickness. She's not wiped out. When Jesus heals, the negative is gone, fever, and the positive is there, power and ability to serve.
37:54: She's strong. It's supernatural. And what do you do if you've been healed? It's the guilt, grace, gratitude paradigm.
38:01: She's thankful to serve. Now, when the sun was setting, because Jesus has compassion not just for an individual, but a group.
38:12: All those who had, verse 40, who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him and He laid
38:18: His hands on every one of them and healed them. There's the compassion of the
38:24: Lord Jesus. Laying His hands. Don't miss it. He just could say, you're healed. But again, the divine touch.
38:34: And demons also came out of many crying, you are the Son of God. But He rebuked them, would not allow them to speak because they knew
38:39: He was the Christ. Sabbath is about over. More and more people showing up.
38:47: And Jesus casting out demons with a word.
38:54: One after another after another. Bringing burdens. People.
39:01: News spread like wildfire and they were bringing Jesus. Everyone was sick. Everyone that was sick, He healed.
39:06: No antibiotics. There were probably a lot of sick people. By the way, do you notice what Luke does? He makes sure you realize that there's sickness and there's demon possession.
39:15: He's not saying all sickness is demon possession or vice versa. Was there any disease beyond Jesus' power?
39:24: All sickness. Was there any illness that Jesus said, well, you know what? Can't figure that out.
39:32: Can't figure out that fever. That cancer. And then, of course, the demons shout out, but He wouldn't allow them.
39:46: It's like they knew who He was and just knee jerk just had to yell it out and Jesus said, no. Well, pastor, what's the point?
39:52: What's the point of the sermon? What's the so what? The so what is Jesus is powerful. Jesus is
39:59: God in the flesh. Jesus has authority. And aren't you glad Jesus has compassion?
40:06: Like I'm lonely. No one understands. Can't figure this out. I don't know who to turn to.
40:12: I've already been to the Lord 50 times over this same sin and will He accept me anymore or will
40:18: He just snuff me out? I'm sure I probably deserve to be snuffed out, but Lord, you don't snuff out those people because you came to rescue those very people.
40:29: Aren't you glad? I'm so glad. There's more mercy in Jesus than there is sin in you.
40:37: Let that settle in. I thought about that for a long, long time two days ago. I know there's a lot of sin in me and if there's a lot of sin in me, even as a
40:46: Christian, I'm glad there's more mercy in Jesus than sin in me. By the way, that's why we're able to take the
40:54: Lord's Supper. Because there's more mercy in Jesus than there is sin in you. It's a lie to think there's not sin in us, but could it be a bigger lie that there's not more mercy in Jesus than there is sin in us?
41:09: One area we're lying about ourselves. The other area we're lying about Jesus who's gentle and compassionate.
41:17: Yes, powerful, holy and righteous, but kind and merciful. That's the true man.
41:24: That's the true person. That's the true Father. That's a true Christian friend.
41:31: There's more mercy in Jesus than there is in my sin. We love grace.
41:38: We also love mercy. We love Jesus' power, but we also love, hallelujah, what a
41:46: Savior. Bow with me, please. Father, I thank You for Your Word today. I thank
41:51: You for sending such a Son. Could there be anyone like Jesus on this earth? And to think that He's ours.
41:58: He's our friend. He's our High Priest. He's our brother. He's our
42:04: Good Shepherd, our Chief Shepherd, our Great Shepherd, our Prophet, our Priest, our
42:09: King. And from power to compassion. We've experienced that.
42:15: I know there are many here today. Some might not want to admit it, but they are very, very much a bruised reed and a smoldering wick.
42:27: Would You minister to them in such a way that they would understand again that You seek and save the lost and come alongside, like the