Bible Text: Luke 7:24-28a | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke | Above are the
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February 5, 2023
“The Greatest Earth Man to Ever Live”
Luke 7:24-28a

 

Read Luke 7:24-28a…  Last week we studied how Jesus demonstrated His Messiahship in the presence of John’s disciples, who had come from John (himself in prison at Herod’s summer palace).

Luke 3:19-20, “When Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by [John] because of [his affair and unlawful marriage to] Herodias, his brother [Phillip’s] wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.”

Read Luke 7:24…  As soon as John’s disciples left to tell John what they had seen and heard, Jesus began to speak about John, asking a rhetorical question, and by doing so, saying that John was not like some reed being blown back and forth by the wind; he was a man of God, and quite frankly, he didn’t care what popular opinion or majority consensus was in Israel or the rest of the world.  John had been born for this sovereign mission.

In Luke 1:15-17, the angel Gabriel comes to Zacharias at the temple and says, “He [your son John] will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

In Luke 1:67, we read, “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying” at John’s birth, (vv. 76-80), “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Jesus was the promised Messiah, who would fulfill all the promises and Covenants of God: His blood would be shed and His life would be given to pay for our sins; He would be buried, but He would rise from the dead on the third day to demonstrate eternal life for all who believe in Him; everyone who believes Jesus to be God’s Son, Lord, and Savior, becomes a child of God and is eternally indwelled by God’s Holy Spirit, free from all condemnation for sin, forever!

 

Jeremiah 31:31-34, “‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord. ‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’”

Hebrews 10:14-18, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

See Luke 3:2-18…  Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people traveled 40-80 miles through the wilderness, to the Jordan River, north of Jerusalem, where John the baptizer was calling people to acknowledge their sin before God and repent, to turn away from sin and to turn to Jesus Christ the Savior for the forgiveness of sin.

Read Luke 7:25…  Jesus poses another rhetorical question to the people in order to tell them something about John, he did not wear clothing that was “soft” from the Greek word “malakos,” which is translated “effeminate” in 1Corinthians 6:9, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals.”

When the word malakos is used in reference to clothing, it brings to mind the lacy, frilly, puffy, effeminate clothing of royalty, like the English Kings gone by.

In direct contrast to the soft effeminate look, John was a rough and tough man’s man, not a wimpy male who, at a glance, could be taken for a woman.  John was a wilderness man; he didn’t live in luxury like the nobles who lived in “royal palaces.”  No doubt, this was a criticism of Herod who had incarcerated John for speaking out against Herod’s adultery, incest, fornication and other evil deeds.

 

John didn’t wear fine tailored clothes or eat a diet of expensive foods served on silver platters (Matthew 3:4), “John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.”  John was the last of the Old Testament Prophets, and by Jesus’s own commendation, John had the most preeminent duty of any prophet, for although Isaiah, Daniel, and Malachi foretold the coming of the Messiah, John His cousin, witnessed, prepared the way for, talked with, and baptized the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Read Luke 7:26-27…  Jesus now speaks to the prophetic fulfillment of John’s calling and mission, saying to the people, “what did you go out into the wilderness to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’”

The coming of John was foretold in the Scriptures, for John was God’s prophet who would declare that the Messiah was now among men (Isaiah 40:3), “A voice is calling, clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God,” (Isaiah 40:5), “the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

John was so full of the Holy Spirit that many of the people thought maybe he was the Messiah (Luke 3:15), “Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ,” and so they came asking him (John 1:19-23), “when the Jews sent to John priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’ They asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ And he said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

Malachi had prophesied the words of the Lord saying (Malachi 3:1), “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me,” (Malachi 4:5), “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.”

 

Was John actually Elijah somehow resurrected and returned before the coming of the Lord?  No!  Any erroneous confusion about John and Elijah is cleared up by comparing Scripture with Scripture, where it becomes apparent that John is the fulfillment of an Elijah-like prophet.  In Luke 1:17, Gabriel tells Zacharias that his son John, who is to be born to Elizabeth in her old age, “will go as a forerunner before [the Messiah] in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

John was not a reincarnated Elijah, but a prophet of God who came in the “spirit and power of Elijah.”  Jesus declared (Matthew 11:13-15),“For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

John is the last Old Testament prophet, meaning that he was the last messenger to come from God before the commencement of the ministry of Jesus Christ, through whom the covenant of God’s Grace would replace the covenant of God’s Law (Hebrews 10:8-10), “‘sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the Law), then He said,‘Behold, I have come to do Your will.’He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Israel had disobeyed, turned away from, and rejected God’s authority, the priests offered defiled sacrifices, and the people worshipped pagan deities; therefore, God removed His presence and didn’t send a messenger to Israel for 400 years, not until the coming of John the baptizer, who would proclaim that God’s Salvation, the Messiah, had come, and John called all Israel to repentance.

From Genesis to Malachi, the Law and the Prophets tell of God’s plan, purpose, and provision of the Messiah. Up until John came and broke the silence between God and Israel, the prophets had written, “the Messiah is going to come!”  But when John came as the forerunner of Christ, He declared, “The Messiah is here!”

John’s mission was foretold by the prophets long before his birth.  The last words written by Malachi (Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6) tell us that God is going to send Elijah before the great and terrible Day of the Lord; Luke tells us (Luke 1:15-17) “that [John] will go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah!”

I

 

John wasn’t Elijah, in fact, he himself (cf. John 1:21) declared that he was not Elijah, nor was he the Christ.  But Jesus tells us that John “came in the spirit and power of Elijah.”  And as we read earlier (cf. Luke 3:18), it was John the baptizer who first, “preached the gospel to the people.”  John was the last of the Old Testament prophets, and yet he is the first preacher in the New Testament to proclaim the Gospel of Christ!  No wonder Jesus said to the crowds (Matthew 11:14), “if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.” And then Jesus said (Matthew 11:15), “He who has ears, let him hear.”

The phrase, “He who has ears, let him hear,” is quoted three times in Matthew, once in Mark, and two times in Luke, and each time, Jesus is testing the spiritual responsiveness and heart understanding of those who are there to hear what He just said, but more than that., too understand the deep meaning of what He said.  John was the last of the Old Testament prophets, and he came in the spirit and power of Elijah.  John came to fulfill God’s purpose and to display God’s presence and power, just as Elijah had done about 1,000 years earlier.

Listen! Jesus is saying that John came preparing the way for the Messiah, calling people to repent of their sins and believe in Him alone for forgiveness, as John declared (John 1:29-34), “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water. John testified saying, ‘I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me,’ ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.’”

John knew his priority was to present the Savior (John 1:15-18),  John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

 

It is all about Jesus Christ: Crucified, Resurrected, and Coming again.  Have you called upon Him to forgive your sins and save your soul?  Do you have the assurance of eternal life (Romans 3:23), “all have sinned,” (Romans 6:23), “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 5:8), “in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” (Romans 8:1), “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 10:9-10), “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” 13 “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Jesus provides forgiveness for all your sins: past, present, and future].

Don’t leave here today without being absolutely sure that you have received forgiveness for your sins and that you spend eternity in heaven with God..

1John 5:11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

 
Pastor Mike
>’(((>

Bible Text: Luke 2:25-38 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke, Luke | Above are the
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January 15, 2023
“Simeon and Anna Testify About Jesus”
Luke 2:25-38

Last week we studied

 

Luke 2:22-24,

22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD”),

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”

 

where we learned how Mary and Joseph had brought Jesus to the temple to pay the required five-shekel redemption price for Jesus and to dedicate Him to God, since he was their first born son.  They had also come to offer the proper sacrifice since Mary’s 40 days of purification was completed, i.e., it had been 40 days since Jesus’ birth.

 

Read Luke 2:25-32… 

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,

28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,

According to Your word;

30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES,

And the glory of Your people Israel.”

 

Simeon is not spoken of anywhere else in the Scriptures, only here; but we know that his name means “God has heard.”  We are told that Simeon, a righteous and devout man, has come to the temple, led by the Spirit of God, in order to see the consolation of Israel [the One who would console and bring comfort to Israel = the Messiah, God’s Son, Savior and Lord].

 

Simeon who was elderly, is told that he would not die until He sees the Messiah, the Savior, the One who would  fulfill the Abrahamic and David covenants given to Israel.

 

Jeremiah 29:11-13,

“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.’”

 

Jeremiah 31:31-34,

“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord. ‘>>>>>>>>>>

“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, ‘or I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’”

 

Hebrews 10:10,

“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

 

Hebrews 10:14-18,

 “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

 

In Jesus’ first synagogue appearance in Nazareth

 

(cf. Luke 4:16-19)

16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,

BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.

HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,

AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,

TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

 

He stood up and read from

 

Isaiah 11:1-2,

1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,

And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,

The spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The spirit of counsel and strength,

The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

 

which is a Messianic passage that foretells the fulfillment of the Messiah’s coming, saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.”

 

When Simeon came into the temple and saw Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus, moved by the Spirit of God, he knew Jesus was

 

(cf. Luke 2:25-26)

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

“the consolation of Israel,” “the Lord’s Christ”[Messiah]. 

Taking Jesus into his arms he proclaims that he has now seen the fulfillment of God’s Salvation [Immanuel] who has come to earth, Simeon could now die in peace

 

 

(cf. Luke 2:29-30).

29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,

According to Your word;

30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

 

Read Luke 2:33-35… 

33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed–

35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul–to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

 

Joseph and Mary are amazed at Simeon’s words, especially considering all that has happened prior to this meeting at the temple. 

 

Joseph and Mary had been personally selected by God, to care for His Son.  God’s angel had independently told Mary, and also Joseph, that Mary was to conceive and give birth to God’s Son, and Joseph was to take Mary as his wife, and to raise God’s Son, as his very own. 

 

Mary was in her ninth month of pregnancy when they traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem (4-day journey) to register in a census, in the hometown of their ancestors. 

 

In Bethlehem they find no suitable lodging and are forced to shelter at a place where animals are feed, when the time came for Jesus to be born.  Some shepherds soon show up with a fantastic story of how they were watching over their sheep when an angel of God proclaimed to them that the Savior, who is Christ the Lord, had been born in Bethlehem, and they were to go find and worship Him. 

 

The shepherds return to their sheep, telling everyone they see what has happened, that the Savior, who is Christ the Lord has been born, and God’s peace has now come to all those who will believe in Him.

 

Eight days after Christ’s birth, Mary and Joseph have Him circumcised and give Him the name Jesus [God’s Salvation], as they were told to do.  According to the Law, they paid five-shekels to redeem Jesus, and made the appropriate sacrifice

 

(Leviticus 12:8)

8 But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

so that, “the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.”

 

About 40 days after Jesus had been born, with everything else that had happened, Mary is now being told by Simeon that her son is

 

(Luke 2:32),

“A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

 

(Luke 2:34-35)

“Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

 

Wow!  Simeon

 

(cf. Luke 2:34)

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—

 

prophecies that many Gentiles will come to be saved through their belief in God’s Son, and many Jews will stumble over Him, rejecting Him, bringing judgement upon themselves. 

 

1Corinthians 1:21-24,

“For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

 

Ephesians 2:11-22, 

“Remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the common-wealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off [non-Jews] have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups [Jews and non-Jews] into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.  And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

 

Galatians 3:26-29,

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

 

Most of Israel would reject Mary’s Son, opposing Him to the point of crying out for Him to be crucified

 

(Luke 2:35a),

“and a sword will pierce even your own soul.”

 

How painful it would be for Mary when Jesus began to distance Himself from her, in order to fulfill the purpose of His coming. 

 

Matthew 12:48-50

48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”

49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!

50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

 

(Jesus was speaking to the crowds when someone told Him that His mother and brothers had come to see Him, and He responded) “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?’ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, ‘Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.’’

 

Mary would witness most of the Jewish world turn against her beloved Son, rejecting the very Salvation He provided

 

(Luke 2:35b),

“to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

 

In John 19:25-30,

25 Therefore the soldiers did these things.

But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”

27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.”

29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.

30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

 

it is recorded that Mary was standing by the cross when Jesus said, “It is finished!” Then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit..

 

Early in the Gospel of John we learn the reason for Christ coming into the world; but also, that most people will reject Him

 

(John 3:16-19),

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”

 

Read Luke 2:36-38…

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,

37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.

38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

 

Just as Simeon finishes giving testimony about Jesus as the Messiah, Anna, a woman in her 80’s, from the tribe of Asher, comes up to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus; and she begins giving thanks to God for Jesus, the Savior.  We are told that she continued to speak to all those “who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” 

 

It is possible that Simeon and Anna knew each other, for Simeon, being a righteous man, frequently came to the temple; and we are told that Anna most likely lived in the temple complex (there were rooms in the outer courts, where priests stayed while fulfilling their two weeks of annual service in the temple); Anna may have been allowed to stay in one of these rooms, since she was a godly elderly widowed woman who served at the temple day and night with “fasting and prayers.”

 

At the moment Anna came up to Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and Simeon, she began to give thanks to God for baby Jesus.  All her years of fasting and praying at the temple gave way to an outburst of praise, which she continued to proclaim to everyone who was waiting for God’s Salvation to come, through Whom the Abrahamic, Davidic, and Final Covenant (through the death and resurrection of this Child), was made effectual

 

(cf. Hebrews 1:1-3).

1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

 

Both Simeon and Anna testified that Jesus was indeed God’s Son, the Savior. 

 

How about you? 

 

Do you believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life? 

 

Are you proclaiming the marvelous message of God to others, like Simeon and Anna did at the temple? 

 

If not, why not? 

 

Eyewitnesses give testimony and history confirms all this to be true

 

 

(Romans 3:10-12,

10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;

THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

 

Romans 3:23;

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

 

Romans 5:8;

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Romans 6:23;

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Romans 8:1;

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

 

Romans 10:9-10,

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

 

Romans 10:13)   

13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

 

Everyone is guilty of sin, but anyone who asks God to forgive their sin, believing in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, will be saved.

 

 
Pastor Mike Hale

Bible Text: Luke 6:12-16 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke, Luke | Above is the
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July 31, 2022
“Jesus Calls the Twelve: Part Two”
Luke 6:12-16

 

Last week we studied about six of the Twelve Disciples, whom
Jesus named as apostles: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, and
Bartholomew. Today we will study about five more of the Twelve
Disciples: Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who
is called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

 

Next time we will study about Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

 

Read Luke 6:15-16…

15 and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and
Simon who was called the Zealot;

16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a
traitor.

 

The first apostle in our list today is Matthew.  We read about his calling in

 

Luke 5:27,

27 After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi
sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.”

 

where he is called Levi, using his Hebrew name, as does

 

Mark 2:14;

14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in
the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up
and followed Him.

 

but here in

 

Luke 6:15

15 and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and
Simon who was called the Zealot;

 

he is called Matthew, his Greek name.  Several of the
Twelve had two names, e.g., Simon>Peter;
Bartholomew>Nathanael; Judas, the son of
James>Thaddaeus; Thomas>Didymus.

 

Matthew, as a tax collector, would have been hated by his
own countrymen the Jews, who would have considered
him an enemy of Judaism; tax collectors weren’t allowed to
worship in the Temple or synagogue, nor were they
permitted to testify in court, for the Jews considered them
to be liars, swindlers, and traitors.

 

See Luke 3:12-13,

12 And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they
said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have
been ordered to.”

 

where people were coming out to John the Baptizer at the
Jordan River, “And some tax collectors also came to be
baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we
do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you
have been ordered to.”  You see, Tax collectors bought a
franchise from the Roman Governor, in order to collect
certain taxes (for many different things) for Rome.
Anything the tax collector was able to get above what was
required to be paid to Rome, he could keep for himself;
therefore tax collectors practiced extortion, larceny, and
loan sharking (loaning out money with very high interest
rates), of which nonpayment ended with prison.

    

When Jesus called Matthew, he obeyed and followed Him;
in fact, Matthew was so excited to follow Christ that

 

(cf. Luke 5:29)

29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there
was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were
reclining at the table with them.

 

he held a special dinner at his house and invited his friends
to come and meet Jesus.  There were many tax collectors
and “other people” at that dinner, to which the Pharisees
and scribers complained to Jesus’ disciples

 

(Luke 5:30),

30 The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His
disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax
collectors and sinners?”

 

30 Why does your teacher [Jesus] eat with tax collectors and
‘sinners’?

 

The word “sinner” is used by the Pharisees of anyone who
refuses to follow the Mosaic Law as it was interpreted by
the Pharisees, and for Jesus to sit at a table (in the ancient
world a sign of intimacy) with such “sinners” was too
much for the Pharisees (the teachers of the law) to keep
quiet about.

    

Jesus responds to them

 

(Luke 5:31-32),

31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are
well who need a physician, but those who are sick.

32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to
repentance.”

 

In Luke 18, Jesus told the people a parable that illustrates what
He means in

 

Luke 5:31-32

31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are
well who need a physician, but those who are sick.

32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to
repentance.”

 

means

 

(Luke 18:10-11,

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and
the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I
thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust,
adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

 

Luke 18:13-15),

13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even
unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast,
saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the
other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he
who humbles himself will be exalted.”

15 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He
would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began
rebuking them.

 

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and
the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this
to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people:
swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.”  “But
the tax collector, standing some distance away, was [not] even
[willing] to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast,
saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’”

    

When Matthew left his profession to follow Christ, unlike
the other disciples who could have returned to fishing or
farming, Matthew could never return to tax collecting, for
Rome would never allow it, and most likely, Matthew
would be arrested and sent to prison for abandoning his
post as a Tax Collector for Rome.

    

Matthew believed in Jesus as the Messiah and followed
Him for three years; and then after receiving the Holy
Spirit at Pentecost, Matthew was sovereignly equipped and
moved to write twenty-eight chapters about the King of
Kings and Lord of Lords, this is the Good News of Jesus
Christ according to Matthew.

 

 

Next in this list is Thomas,

who it is often called the “doubting” disciple; but honestly, that is
just not true

 

(see John 10:22-33;

22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at
Jerusalem;

23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the
portico of Solomon.

24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him,
“How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell
us plainly.”

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the
works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.

26 But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow
Me;

28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and
no one will snatch them out of My hand.

29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and
no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

30 I and the Father are one.”

31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.

32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from
the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?”

33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone
You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make
Yourself out to be God.”

 

John 11:1-16).

1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of
Mary and her sister Martha.

2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and
wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he
whom You love is sick.”

4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end
in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be
glorified by it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days
longer in the place where He was.

7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea
again.”

8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now
seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”

9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If
anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees
the light of this world.

10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the
light is not in him.”

11 This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend
Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out
of sleep.”

12 The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep,
he will recover.”

13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He
was speaking of literal sleep.

14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,

15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you
may believe; but let us go to him.”

16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow
disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”

 

Bethany was near Jerusalem, a dangerous place for Jesus
to be at that time, nearing His final entry into Jerusalem,
when He would be arrested and crucified.  Thomas (called
Didymus, meaning twin) understood the danger, and yet
he was willing to go with Jesus even if it meant his own
death, he was not a coward!

    

When the disciples were in the upper room, that last night
with Jesus, before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus
explained that He was going to leave them

 

(John 14:1-7);

1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also
in Me.

2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not
so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

4 And you know the way where I am going.”

5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are
going, how do we know the way?”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no
one comes to the Father but through Me.

7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also;
from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

 

Thomas feared he would not be able to go where Jesus
was going, and he did not want to be separated from the
Lord. 

    

Just before going to Bethany (as we read earlier), Thomas
declared he was willing to die with Jesus, he doesn’t want
to consider being without Him; but Thomas, like the other
disciples, didn’t understand about Jesus‘ death and
resurrection, let alone His return to the Father in heaven.

    

After Jesus’ death, Thomas was broken hearted and
probably feeling abandoned, because His Lord was gone.
When 10 of the Twelve (Judas being dead) told Thomas
that the Lord had appeared to them it was probably more
than he could bear; he said he wouldn’t believe it until he
saw the Lord for himself. 

    

One week later Jesus again appeared to the 10, and this
time Thomas was present and he genuinely believed that
the Lord had risen from the dead

 

(see John 20:19-29).

19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week,
and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear
of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to
them, “Peace be with you.”

20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands
and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father
has sent Me, I also send you.”

22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to
them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven
them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with
them when Jesus came.

25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the
Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint
of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put
my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas
with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in
their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and
see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side;
and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you
believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

 

Without the resurrection we would have no hope for
salvation, but He did rise from the dead, as Paul repeatedly
declares

 

(see 1Corinthians 15:17-20).

are still in your sins.

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have
perished.

19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men
most to be pitied.

20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits
of those who are asleep.

 

Next in our list is James, son of Alphaeus,

who never said anything or wrote anything, that is
recorded in the Bible.

 

In Mark 15:40

40 There were also some women looking on from a distance,
among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James the Less and Joses, and Salome.

 

he is called James the less [mikros, i.e., smaller or minimal
in stature, age or influence].  This reminds us that Jesus
didn’t call prominent, prestigious, or powerful men to
serve Him, He chose those who would follow; and so James
the less will sit on a throne reigning over one of the tribes
of Israel in the millennium, just as the other Apostles will;
not because of who they were but because of who called
them and set them apart: Jesus Christ the Lord Who uses
ordinary people to do extraordinary things

(cf. Hebrews 11:1-40, Hall of Faith).

 

 

Next in this list is Simon, the Zealot…

Simon is only mentioned in the New Testament, where the names
of the disciples are listed, other than the, there is no information
given about him.

 

We do know that, as a Zealot, he was an activist and militant
extremist who was passionate and zealous for the Law of God for
Israel, until he met and followed Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

 

There were several dominant groups within Judaism at the
time of Christ:

 

The Pharisees [separated ones], were religiously pious
fundamentalists, legalistic separatists, keeping strict observance
to the traditional and written law

 

The Herodians were mostly a political group that supported King
Herod Antipas, the Roman Empire’s ruler over much of the land of
the Jews from 4 B.C. to A.D. 39.

 

The Sadducees, were a powerful religious-political group in
Israel; they confronted Jesus, and later opposed the preaching of
the apostles.

 

The Essenes were mystics, who lived in caves and practiced
severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence.

 

The Zealots [like Simon] were anti-Rome terrorists; in fact, one
group of zealots was known as the Sicarii [sword]; they were
assassins who didn’t give a thought to murdering a Roman, or
any Jew who sided with Rome.

 

The Zealots held up in a an almost impenetrable fortress
called Masada, situated on top of an isolated rock plateau
overlooking the Dead Sea.  From there they deployed their
guerrilla-warfare against Rome, until the Romans
conquered Masada in 73 A.D., only to find that the Zealots
had killed their wives, children, and then themselves, so as
not to become slaves to Rome (960 died, and it is said that
two women and five children escaped by hiding in a cave). 

 

 

Next in our list is Judas, the son of James… 

Depending on the translation you are using, it may say
Thaddaeus, Lebbaeus, Lebbaeus called Thaddaeus, or Judas, son
of James.   Let’s refer to him as Thaddaeus, from here on out, so
as not to confuse him with the other Judas who betrayed Jesus.

 

We don’t know much about Thaddaeus, but we do know he
asked a great question

 

(John 14:22),

22 Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose
Yourself to us and not to the world?

 

In other words, why are you showing Yourself to us and
not to the rest of the world?  Why aren’t they able to see
and to know that You are the Messiah?

 

The Bible records

 

(John 1:10-11),

10 He [Jesus, the Messiah] was in the world, and though the
world was made by Him, the world didn’t know Him.

 

11 He came to His own [the Jews], and those who were His own
did not receive Him [i.e., they rejected Him].

 

 

Jesus only reveals Himself to those who believe in and
receive Him; only those who are willing to repent, believe,
and follow Him

 

(Mark 1:14-15),

14Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into
Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,

15 and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand; repent and believe in the gospel [the good news].’ [and
then come]

 

Mark 1:17,

“Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

 

What is the good news?  Please turn in your Bible to

 

1Corinthians 15:1-4,

1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I
preached to you, which also you received, in which also you
stand,

2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I
preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures,

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important
event in all of Christianity, without it Christianity is nothing
more than just one of the many religious programs or
organizations that are based on human philosophy and
tradition.

 

1Corinthians 15:17,

17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you
are still in your sins.

 

1Corinthians 15:20,

20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits
of those who are asleep.

 

“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you
are still in your sins,”

 

1Corinthians 15:19-20,

19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men
most to be pitied.

20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits
of those who are asleep.

 

Jesus repeatedly taught His disciples about His coming
death and resurrection,

 

(Mark 8:31-32),

31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer
many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests
and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him
aside and began to rebuke Him.

 

Peter’s first sermon was about the death and resurrection
of God’s Son

 

(Acts 2:21-24,

21 ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME
OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a
man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs
which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you
yourselves know–

23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and
foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of
godless men and put Him to death.

24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of
death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

 

Acts 2:32-34,

32 This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.

33 Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and
having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He
has poured forth this which you both see and hear.

34 For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself
says:

‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,

“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,

 

Acts 2:36).

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God
has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you
crucified.”

 

Without Christ’s death (full payment for all our sins), and
His resurrection (demonstration of eternal life), we have
no hope of forgiveness or eternal life. 

 

Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the grave to set us
free from sins’s curse and condemnation, apart from that
there is no salvation

 

(John 14:6),

6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one
comes to the Father but through Me,”

 

(John 3:16),

16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
eternal life.

 

Acts 4:12,

12 There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name
under heaven that has been given among men by which we must
be saved.

 

Romans 10:9-10,

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe
in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved;

10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in
righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in
salvation.

 

We are all sinners, but only those who trust in the saving
work of Christ on the Cross and the evidence of the empty
tomb, are forgiven sinners.  Like the men we have studied
these past two Sunday’s, the Apostles of Christ, what you
are before coming to God is not important, for God makes
you a new creation when you trust and believe in Jesus
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior. 

 

God takes the weak, foolish, dull-minded, intelligent,
apathetic, zealous, and the seemingly insignificant from
among mankind, and turns them into willing workers,
supernatural servants who bring the light and the salt of
the gospel of God into this darkening and decaying world.

 

2Corinthians 5:17,

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old
things passed away; behold, new things have come.

 

Galatians 2:20,

20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up
for me.

 

1John 5:1-5,

1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and
whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love
God and observe His commandments.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments;
and His commandments are not burdensome.

4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is
the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.

5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God?

 

 

 

Pastor Mike

>’(((><

Bible Text: Luke 6:1-11 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke, Luke | Above is the
Sunday AM video
and audio recording

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July 17, 2022
“Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath”
Luke 6:1-11

    

Read Luke 6:1-5… 

1 Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a
Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing
them in their hands, and eating the grain.

2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful
on the Sabbath?”

3 And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read what
David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him,

4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated
bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and
gave it to his companions?”

5 And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the
Sabbath.”

 

The Pharisees are accusing Jesus of breaking the law.  First, let’s have
a short refresher on the Law of God that was given to Moses.  There
were ten commands given to Moses in

 

Exodus 20:1-17.

1 Then God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.

5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God,
am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children,
on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,

6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and
keep My commandments.

7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the
LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you
shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or
your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with
you.

11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea
and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the
LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be
prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet
your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his
ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

 

Eight of the Ten Commandments are NOT TO DO Something:

 

Don’t have other Gods.
Don’t serve idols.
Don’t misuse God’s name.
Don’t commit murder.
Don’t commit adultery.
Don’t steal.
Don’t lie.
Don’t covet;

 

One of Ten Commandments is TO DO Something:

 

Honor your parents.

 

One of the Ten Commandments is purely ceremonial:

 

Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy. Sabbath
commemorated God’s rest after creation

 

(Exodus 20:9-11),

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is
a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or
your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your
cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord
made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and
rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day
and made it holy.”

 

Sabbath observance was specifically given to Israel.  Sabbath
observance is never commanded or even recommended to Christians;
and it is the only one of the Ten Commandments that is not repeated
in the New Testament.

 

God did not require Adam, Noah, or even Abraham to observe the
Sabbath.  Keeping the Sabbath was a binding ceremonial obligation for
Israel that didn’t even begin until Moses brought them out of Egypt.

    

In our reading today

 

(Luke 6:1-5),

1 Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a
Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing
them in their hands, and eating the grain.

2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful
on the Sabbath?”

3 And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read what
David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him,

4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated
bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and
gave it to his companions?”

5 And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the
Sabbath.”

 

Jesus reminds the Pharisees of what David did (a story they knew very
well); David and his men broke ceremonial law in order to meet their
physical needs, but God did not discipline the priests, David, or his
men, for eating the sacred bread meant only for the priests.

 

Jesus’ disciples were hungry on a Sabbath, so they picked grain to eat;
this didn’t violate God’s Law; however, the Pharisees taught that
although eating grain on the Sabbath was lawful, but rubbing the
heads of grain between your hands was considered work, and
therefore was unlawful.

 

In Matthew’s narrative of this event he records Jesus as saying

 

(Matthew 12:5),

“Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in
the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?”

 

They killed animals for sacrifice.
They touched [lifted the] dead animals up onto the alter.
They offered double sacrifices for the Sabbath [twice as many
animals].

 

Even the most orthodox and legalistic Pharisee would not consider the
priests guilty of violating the Sabbath, for doing the work of the
priesthood.  Similar to pastors, Sunday school teachers, singers,
musicians, ushers, refreshment servers, etc., who “work” on Sundays.

 

Sacrifices offered at the Temple were symbols of the debt owed to God
for sin; these looked forward to the time when the eternal sacrifice
(the Lamb of God) would be offered.  Sabbath observance was a time
to remember God’s finished work at creation, to pause and reflect
(Selah) on what God had done.

 

Sacrifices and Sabbath rituals were never meant to supersede God’s
merciful plan to offer forgiveness and eternal life to everyone who
trusts in God’s plan, purpose, and provision, fulfilled in and through
God’s own Son.

 

To the Jews, the Temple (the ultimate place of worship) was second
only to God Himself (Who alone was worthy of worship).  Jesus tells
them

 

(Matthew 12:6),

“That something greater than the temple is here,” i.e., He is Messiah,
Immanuel [God in the flesh].

 

Even so, Jesus kept all of the Law of Moses, commanding others to do
the same.  He attended Jewish festivals and He ate the Passover lamb;
but all of these were purely ceremonial, they had no lasting value
toward righteousness.

 

Matthew 5:17-18,

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I
have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth,
until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least
stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until
everything is accomplished.”

 

See Matthew 12:7-8,

7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION,
AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

 

Matthew 12:11-13…     

11 And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a
sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of
it and lift it out?

12 How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is
lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it
out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.

 

Deeds of mercy and necessity were permitted on the Sabbath even in
the OT, and so Jesus made it very clear

 

(Mark 2:27-28),

“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. So the
Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

 

Jesus, the Son of God was not the servant of the Sabbath, He was the
Lord of it; in fact, He made it and could use it for whatever He desired.

 

Read Luke 6:6-11… 

6 On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching;
and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

7 The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He
healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.

8 But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with
the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and
came forward.

9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do
harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?”

10 After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your
hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.

11 But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together
what they might do to Jesus.

 

Man-made Sabbath laws were many: one stated if a person became ill
on the Sabbath, only enough treatment could be given to keep him
alive; to help him improve was declared work and was therefore
forbidden.

 

Not only did Jesus continually break Jewish laws concerning “Sabbath
keeping” but His own disciples (those who repented, believed in and
followed Him) made Sunday, instead of Saturday, their corporate day
of worship and offering giving: Christ’s Resurrection, His appearance
to the Disciples two weeks in a row , and His Ascension, all occurred
on a Sunday, the first day of the week.  Pentecost, the birth day of the
church, occurred on a Sunday.

 

The earliest Christians worshiped on Sunday in honor and celebration
of the Lord’s victory over sin, death and judgment; God’s free gift of
Salvation.

 

Prior to Christ’s advent, the law brought only judgment and death, for
no one has ever been justified by keeping the Law.

 

The New Testament does not require Sabbath observance; nor are we
ever commanded to worship on any certain day, for ritualistic worship
and work based religion is not pleasing or honoring to God: The
Pharisees gave to the poor (for all to see), prayed (out loud, as if
giving a convincing speech), and fasted (twice a week); but Jesus
made it quite clear that their religious acts were without value in the
eyes of God.

 

Matthew 5:20,

“I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the
kingdom of heaven.”

 

Sabbath keeping, sacrifices, rituals and ceremonies, were only a
“shadow” of what [WHO] was to come.

 

Colossians 2:8,

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive
philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles
of this world rather than on Christ.”

 

Colossians 2:16-17,

“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or
with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a
Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the
reality, however, is found in Christ.”

 

Romans 14:5-6,

“One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man
considers every day alike.  Each one should be fully convinced in his
own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.  He
who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he
who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.”

 

The Ten Commandments (the Law) were written on stone; our
relationship with God is through Grace, written upon our hearts by the
Holy Spirit.

 

The content of each of the Ten Commandments is restated in another
context in the New Testament; that is, every one except keeping the
Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, holy.   That command was for
Israel alone, under the Law, not for the Bride of Christ, the Body of
Believers called Christians, who live under Grace.

 

The Pharisees were legalists, strict law keepers who refused to accept
the Grace of God that comes by Faith, not by works.  The Pharisees
trusted in their own traditions and their own works, rather than God’s
Son Jesus Who came to save us.

 

Jesus

 

(Luke 6:10)

10 After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your
hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.

 

healing this man on the Sabbath, hadn’t broken any of God’s Laws, but
to the Pharisees, He was guilty of breaking Jewish law and tradition, as
recorded in the Talmud [Israel’s sacred book of do’s and don’ts]; and
so, the Jesus hating Pharisees wanted to kill Him

 

(Matthew 12:14),

“But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they
might destroy Him,”

 

(Luke 6:11),

“But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together
what they might do to Jesus.”

    

They Pharisees wanted to kill Him, for He was an obstacle to their
control over orthodox Judaism, and He had defied their man-made
rules in front of the people.

 

Trusting in tradition, religious works, or ancestral heritage rather than
in Christ, will leave you separated from life with God.

 

Matthew 7:13-14,

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is
broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through
it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and
there are few who find it.”

 

Luke 13:23-24,

“And someone said to Him, ‘Lord, are there just a few who are being
saved?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door;
for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.’”

 

John 10:9,

“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved.”

 

John 14:6,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father
but through Me.

 

Hebrews 9:27-28,

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this
comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the
sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference
to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

 

Hebrews 10:10,

“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all,”

 

Hebrews 10:12,

“He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the
right hand of God,”

 

Hebrews 10:14,

“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are
sanctified.”

 

Hebrews 10:16-18,

“‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says
the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will
write them.’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will
remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things,
there is no longer any offering for sin.”

 

Jesus Christ took our punishment, paying the full and final price for
our sins on the cross, validating His authority by the empty tomb.
Jesus is not only the Lord of the Sabbath, He is Almighty God, the
Creator, Sustainer and Judge over all, Who put on flesh and gave up
His own life for you and for me; so that we might know Him now and
live with Him forever.

 

John 11:25-26,

“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even
if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.

John 14:1-3,

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I
would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself,
that where I am, there you may be also.”

 

Revelation 1:8,

“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who
was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”

 

Revelation 1:17-18,

“I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and
behold, I am alive forevermore.”

 

And what should be our response to this wonderful and glorious truth?

 

Revelation 4:11,

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor
and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they
existed, and were created,”

 

Revelation 5:12-13,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and
wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. And every
created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth
and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who
sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory
and dominion forever and ever.’”

 

 

 

                                   Pastor Mike Hale

Bible Text: Luke 5:27-39 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke, Luke | Above is the
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July 10, 2022
“Jesus Came to Save Repentant Sinners”
Luke 5:27-39

 

Read Luke 5:27-29…
27 After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.”

28 And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.

29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.

 

Jesus says to Levi [“united” or “joined,” the original Levi was the son of Jacob and Leah, from whom came the Levites or Priesthood]; he is also called Levi in

Mark 2:14 [Levi son of Alphaeus].

 

Jesus says to him, “Follow me” and he leaves the tax collector’s booth and everything behind.  We know Levi better as Matthew, the name the Lord gave him, perhaps to separate him from his old life [Matthew 9:9, “Matthew” means, gift of God].  Matthew was a tax collector, despised by the Jews as a traitor.

 

(Matthew 9:9).

9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

 

When Jesus called him, he obeyed; in fact, Matthew was so excited to follow Christ that he (cf. Luke 5:29) held a special dinner at his house and invited his friends to come and meet Jesus.  Perhaps this was a farewell dinner, for Levi, now Matthew would be leaving his job in order to follow Jesus.

 

There were many tax collectors and “other people” at this dinner.  In Luke 5:30, the Pharisees and scribers were grumbling at Jesus’ disciples, “Why does your teacher [Jesus] eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”  So, we learn that the “other people” in verse 29 are “sinners”.

 

The word “sinner” is used by the Pharisees of people who refuse to follow the Mosaic Law as it is interpreted by the Pharisees, and for Jesus to sit at a table (in the ancient world a sign of intimacy) with such “sinners” was too much for the Pharisees (the teachers of the law) to keep quiet about.

 

Jesus responds (Luke 5:31-32) to the very heart of why He has come, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.

In Matthew 9:13, concerning this same event, Matthew adds Jesus’ words, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

 

The self-righteous Pharisees were unwilling to admit their need for forgiveness

 

John 5:39-40,

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;

40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

 

Jesus came to save all who genuinely acknowledge their need for the Savior, for everyone is alienated from life with God because of sin (cf. Romans 3:23; 6:23)!

 

What separates Christ’s teaching from the Judaism taught by the Pharisees is the alarming doctrine that God saves sinners as sinners, not after they attain some level of righteousness or acceptance by religiously keeping the law and/or traditions of men (cf.Romans 5:8).

 

When Jesus said to Matthew, “follow me,” there wasn’t any hesitation; in fact, Matthew brought all his sinning friends together for a special dinner, so that they could be exposed to the Savior who had come not to the healthy, but to the sick; not to the righteous, but to sinners.

 

Is there anyone who is not a sinner?  NO!

 

Romans 3:10-12,

10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;

THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

 

In other words, there is no one who is considered righteous by God, apart from the salvation that comes to those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ.

 

Is there anyone who, if they asked God to forgive them, He would turn away? NO!

 

(Acts 2:21;

21 ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

 

Romans 10:13).

13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

 

quoted from Joel 2:32, c. 500 B.C.).

 

We are all sinners, but only those who come to God through Christ have their sins forgiven; all sins, past, present, and future.

 

Jesus (cf. John 14:6) is the only way to, the only truth from, and the only life with, God; when we repent of our sins, we receive forgiveness, being granted eternal life, as a child in the family of God!

 

If you know you are a sinner, and you want to be right with God, there is indeed hope for you, because Jesus came to save repentant sinners.  However, the only way to be healed of sin’s penalty is to personally call upon Jesus Christ, by faith, repenting of your sins, believing in and trusting Him to save you.

 

Jesus came that we might be saved and called by His name [Christians = adherents of Christ; those who believe in and follow].  As Christians, our purpose is to bring other sinners, like yourself, to the Savior, where they might repent and believe in God’s Son for the forgiveness of their sins and eternal life.

 

Matthew 28:18-20,

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

 

Read Luke 5:33-35… 

33 And they said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.”

34 And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?

35 But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”

 

The Pharisees fasted twice a week, with false humiliation and contrition, not that it impressed God’s Son, as His words express:

 

Matthew 6:16-18,

16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face

18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

 

The Pharisees were the greatest of hypocrites.

Jesus confronted them

 

(Matthew 23:25-28),

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.

26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

28 So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

 

 

Luke 18:9-14,

9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 

The OT Law, given through Moses, only required religious fasting one day of the year, on the Day of Atonement.  The NT does not teach fasting for religious purposes as a doctrine to be followed or an act to be practiced.

 

Although Jesus doesn’t state any disapproval of the practice of fasting, neither does He say anything to commend its practice.  The main point here being the true reason for fasting.  The Pharisees fasted religiously, to be showy and bring attention to themselves, for all to see; However, John’s disciples (Luke 5:33) were fasting as they mourned John’s arrest, imprisonment, and subsequent execution.

 

Fasting for the purpose of seeking God’s will is definitely recorded in the Scriptures

 

(Acts 13:2-3),

2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

 

(Acts 14:23),

23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

 

Jesus changes the subject (cf. Luke 5:34) but continues to rebuke the Pharisees likens Himself to a bridegroom and His followers to that of the attendants or guests of the bridegroom, at a wedding party.  Why would the guests [His disciples] be mourning, when in fact it should be a time of celebration.

 

The Pharisees had let their religion get in the way of receiving God’s blessings through Christ.  The Pharisees practiced ritual without reason; for them, everything was a matter of law keeping and rule following, they lived for the letter of the Law, unable to comprehend the Spirit of the Law, because they didn’t believe Jesus was God.

 

Read Luke 5:36-38…

36 And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined.

38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

 

The old covenant (Law) and the new covenant (Grace) can’t be combined or merged: i.e., a patch of new cloth must be shrunk before use, so that it won’t shrink and tear away from the old garment; likewise, new wine can’t be placed in old wineskins, for it will ferment, expand, and cause the skins to burst.

 

Jesus is talking about much more than repairing garments and bursting wineskins.  He is teaching about the difference between the gift of Grace He brought and the burden of the Law taught by the Pharisees.

 

New wine must be poured into new wineskins, i.e., Christ’s teachings on Grace must be placed in new hearts and minds in order to be accepted.  Unsaved hearts and minds cannot contain the truth.  Jesus uses the metaphor of a new patch being sewn on an old garment, and of new wine being poured into old wineskins, to illustrate how any attempt at a relationship with God apart from the Gospel [to repent, believe, and follow Christ] will leave your heart, mind, and soul torn and empty, instead of healed, and filled with life from God.

 

Read Luke 5:39…

39 And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’”

 

The Pharisees’ hearts were hardened by their own ritualistic observance of manmade religious law (diet, dress, behavior, rituals of worship, etc.) that was expressed in every aspect of Jewish life.

 

Jesus came offering for anyone and everyone to become a child of God

(Mark 1:15, 17) to repent of sin, believe in Him, and be saved; for salvation cannot be attained through ancestral heritage, works, law-keeping, rituals, sacrifices, or religion.

 

(Mark 1:15,

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

 

Mark 1:17)

17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

 

Jesus fulfilled all of the requirements of the Law, all the teachings of the Prophets; God’s plan, purpose, and provision was made complete in Him.

 

It is belief in Jesus Christ alone that brings salvation

 

(Ephesians 2:8-10),

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

 

The proof of salvation is displayed through a new life in Christ

(cf. 2Corinthians 5:17).

 

The Pharisees were comfortable with Judaism’s religious adherence to the Law, so they rejected Christ’s authority and His offer of forgiveness by God’s grace through faith in God’s Son.  Don’t be like them!  We are all sinners, but only sinners who repent and believe in Jesus Christ to forgive their sins, will be saved.

 

1John 5:11-13,

11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

 

 

 
Pastor Mike
>‘(((><
 

Bible Text: Luke 5:12-26 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke | Above is the
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June 26, 2022
“Jesus Demonstrates His Authority to Forgive Sin”
Luke 5:12-26

 

Read Luke 5:12-14…
12 While He was in one of the
cities, behold, there was a man
covered with leprosy; and when
he saw Jesus, he fell on his face
and implored Him, saying,
“Lord, if You are willing, You
can make me clean.”

13 And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I
am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.

14 And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself
to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as
Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Jesus is going about Galilee, preaching, teaching and
healing.  Today we find Him in an unnamed city, where a
man with leprosy approaches Jesus and asks to be
healed.

This most likely got the people’s attention, because
leprosy was one of the most feared diseases of the
ancient world, as there was no cure.  According to the
World Health Organization, over 200,000 people
worldwide are infected with leprosy today (most of them
in Africa and Asia); but today leprosy is treatable and
most people lead a normal life during and after
treatment.

Note:
Leprosy attacks the skin, peripheral nerves (especially around
the wrists, elbows, knees), and mucus membrane.  It forms
lesions on the skin, and can disfigure the face by collapsing the
nose and causing folding of the skin (causing a lionlike
appearance of the face).  Leprosy does not eat away the flesh;
but instead, due to the loss of feeling (especially the hands and
feet), lepers wear away or injure their extremities, even their
face, without knowing it.  God cursed certain evil men in the OT
with leprosy (Ghazi, 2Kings 5:25-27; Uzziah, Chronicles
26:16-23), and therefore a person with leprosy was considered
cursed by God.  Leprosy was first recorded c. 500 B.C., named
Hansen’s disease c. 1800’s, after a Norwegian scientist who
discovered the bacteria responsible for the disease.

Any person with leprosy was forbidden to be among non-
infected people; and according to God’s Word

(Leviticus 13:1-14:57)

there were very strict regulations and expectations to be
followed by lepers, e.g., they would have to cry “Unclean!
Unclean!” wherever they went, so no one would be
exposed to the disease (by touch or breath).

Leprosy is somewhat like sin, in that it infects and
contaminates the whole person and was, until the 1800’s,
incurable. 

The leper came to Jesus

(Luke 5:12),
12 While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man
covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face
and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can
make me clean.”

“covered with [full of] leprosy.”  It wasn’t normal for the
leper to approach Jesus; but he bowed down, calling Him
Lord and saying, “if You are willing, You can make me
clean.”

Jesus responded to the man’s faith, reaching out and
touching Him saying, “be cleansed,” and immediately the
leprosy left the man and he was healed.  Jesus tells him
not to tell anyone about this, but to go to the priest, in
order that his healing could be confirmed according to the
law.

The leper could be admitted back into society by doing
what was commanded by Moses

(Leviticus 14:1-20):

A priest would examine the man to verify the leprosy was
gone, then the man would shave, bathe, wash his clothes,
and offer multiple animal sacrifices, along with an
offering of grain and oil.  This process took eight days,
and it was

(Luke 5:14)
14 And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself
to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as
Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

a testimony that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.

Read Luke 5:15-16… 

15 But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and
large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of
their sicknesses.

16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness
and pray.

Word was spreading rapidly about Jesus, and the crowds
were coming to find Him

(Mark 1:45),
45 But he [the healed leper], instead of going to the priest as he
was instructed, began telling people about the healing, and the
news spread to such an extent that Jesus could no longer
publicly enter a city, but stayed in unpopulated areas; and they
were coming to Him from everywhere.

Jesus slips away from the crowds to have intimate time
with God; evidently, He often went off to find a quiet
place to talk with the Father.

Matthew 14:23,
23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the
mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was
there alone.

 

Mark 1:35,
35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left
the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying
there.

Luke 6:12,
12 It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray,
and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

Read Luke 5:17… 

17 One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees
and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every
village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power
of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.

Some Pharisees and teachers of the law had come to
check out what Jesus was doing, and they were sitting
and listening to Him, as He taught.

Note:
In the 1st century, scribes and Pharisees were two mostly
distinct groups, although some scribes were also Pharisees.
Scribes had knowledge of the law and could draft legal
documents (contracts for marriage, divorce, loans, inheritance,
mortgages, the sale of land, and the like). Every village had at
least one scribe. Pharisees were members of a party that
believed in resurrection and in following legal traditions that
were ascribed not to the Bible but to “the traditions of the
fathers.” Like the scribes, they were also well-known legal
experts: hence the partial overlap of membership of the two
groups. It appears from subsequent rabbinic traditions,
however, that most Pharisees were small landowners and
traders, not professional scribes.

Jesus is going to perform a miraculous healing

(Luke 5:17) it says,
17 One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees
and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every
village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the
power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.

 

“the power of the Lord was upon Him,”

(Luke 6:19),
19 And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was
coming from Him and healing them all.

(Luke 8:46),
46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that
power had gone out of Me.”

Read Luke 5:18-24…
18 And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was
paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him
down in front of Him.

19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the
crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the
tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of
Jesus.

20 Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven
you.”

21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who
is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but
God alone?”

22 But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to
them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’
or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

24 But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority
on earth to forgive sins,”–He said to the paralytic–“I say to
you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.”

Jesus is now proclaiming the good news in a crowded
room, when four men

(cf. Mark 2:3-4)
3 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four
men.

4 Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they
removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an
opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was
lying.

carry in a paralytic, but can’t get to Jesus through the
crowd, so they go up the outside stairway to the roof, dig
through the thatch and earth, remove the roof tiles, then
lower the man through the exposed beams to the room
below (as dirt, no doubt, showered all those underneath).

Luke 5:19-20 says,
19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the
crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the
tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of
Jesus.
20 Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven
you.”

 

Jesus “saw their faith,” and said to the paralytic, “Friend,
your sins are forgiven you.”

It probably seemed clear to most everyone that the man’s
biggest need was to be able to walk.

The paralytic and his friends believed Jesus could heal
him. And so Jesus exposes the condition of the man’s
heart which can’t be seen, and forgives his sins. This man
has just been saved, receiving forgiveness for sin, but he
still can’t walk. 

See again Luke 5:21,
21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who
is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but
God alone?”

Isaiah 43:25,
25 “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for
My own sake,  And I will not remember your sins.

Isaiah 44:22,
22  “I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud

And your sins like a heavy mist.

Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

 

Jeremiah 31:34,
34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each
man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know
Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares
the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin
I will remember no more.”

The Pharisees who witnessed this were thinking in their
wicked hearts that Jesus was blaspheming, for only God
can forgive sins.  These religious leaders, for the first
time in the Biblical record, directly oppose Jesus, as they
would many times.

Turn to John 8:51-59…
51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will
never see death.”

52 The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon.
Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone
keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’

53 Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who
died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to
be?”

54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is
My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’;

55 and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if
I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do
know Him and keep His word.

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it
and was glad.”

57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and
have You seen Abraham?”

58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before
Abraham was born, I am.”

59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus
hid Himself and went out of the temple.

The Jews respond to Jesus statement, “if anyone keeps
My word, he will never taste death,” saying, “Are you
greater than Abraham, than the prophets, all who died… Who do you think you are?”

Jesus says

 

(John 8:56-57),
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it
and was glad.”

57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and
have You seen Abraham?”

 

 “Abraham rejoiced to see the day of My coming,”
they respond,
“You are not yet 50 years old, and you have seen
Abraham?”

There is no way Jesus was alive when Abraham lived, and
Abraham is definitely dead, how could Jesus possibly see
him

(see Matthew 22:32,
32 ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND
THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead but of the
living.”

pp Exodus 3:6),
6 He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses
hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

When Jesus says

(John 8:58),
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before
Abraham was born, I am.”

This is a direct claim to deity, to equality with God, for
this is the sacred name for God, the “I AM” title God gave
Himself in

Exodus 3:14,
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus
you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

This is also expressed in

Revelation 1:8,
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is
and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

 

i.e., “I AM, I always have been and I always will be,
because, I AM GOD.”

The Jews responded to Jesus’ statement

(John 8:59),
59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus
hid Himself and went out of the temple.

 

These religious leaders know Jesus is saying He is equal
with God the Father, so they pick up stones to kill Him

(Leviticus 24:16),
16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put
to death. The entire assembly must stone him.

Jesus claimed to be God, because He was God, He could
not not captured or put to death at this time, or any other
time, until God allowed them to do so

(cf. John 7:30;
30 So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand
on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

John 8:20;
20 These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the
temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet
come.

John 10:39;
39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He
eluded their grasp.

John 13:1),
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His
hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the
Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved
them to the end.

“because His time had not yet come.”

No one could take Jesus by force

(John 10:17-18),
17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My
life so that I may take it again.

18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My
own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have
authority to take it up again. This commandment I received
from My Father.”

Read John 10:30-33… 
30 I and the Father are one.”

31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.

32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from
the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?”

33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone
You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make
Yourself out to be God.”

Jesus plainly and publicly states His equality with God the
Father.  This angers the Jews and they pick up rocks to
stone Him; saying to Him, it is because He has
blasphemed against God.

Read John 10:39…
39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He
eluded their grasp.

The Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah, instead they try to
arrest Him and bring Him before the Sanhedrin, but He
continually escapes them.

    
Jesus had strongly warned the Jews

(John 8:24),
24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for
unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

“I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not

believe that I am [the one I claim to be, the Messiah],

you will indeed die in your sins.”

But the Jews vehemently opposed Him and were not
willing to consider the truth

(John 14:6),
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Back to Luke 5:22-24…
22 But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to
them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’
or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

24 But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority
on earth to forgive sins,”–He said to the paralytic–“I say to you,
get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.”

It was easy to say “your sins are forgiven,” for who could
verify as to whether or not it had happened?  But to say,
“Get up and walk,” that could indeed be seen and the
healing could be witnessed by all.

    
Healing and forgiving are impossible for mankind, but
easy for God, and Jesus is God!  By healing the paralytic,
Jesus was verifying His claim to grant forgiveness for sin;
for just as healing had taken place, so also had
forgiveness.

    
The emphasis in this narrative is not on healing this
man’s crippled body, but on forgiving this man’s sin and
healing his crippled spirit.

    
Read Luke 5:25-26… 
25 Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he
had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.

26 They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying
God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen
remarkable things today.”

Matthew 9:8,

8 But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and
glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

 

It says the people “were all struck with astonishment
[Matthew 9:8, awestruck, displaying reverence] and
began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear,
saying, ‘We have seen remarkable things today.’”

Hebrews 1:1-2,
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in
many portions and in many ways,

2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He
appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the
world.

 

Hebrews 9:26-28,
26 Otherwise, He [Jesus Christ, God’s Son] would have needed
to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once
at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put
away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and
after this comes judgment,

28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of
many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference
to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

Hebrews 10:10,
10 By this will we have been sanctified [made holy]  through
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 1:3,
3 When He [Christ] had made purification of sins [paid in full
our debt for sin, taking our punishment, satisfying God’s
righteous penalty], He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty
on high.

Hebrews 10:12,
12 He [God the Son], having offered one sacrifice for sins for all
time, sat down at the right hand of God.

Hebrews 10:16-18, God says,
16  “THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM

AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:

I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART,

AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,”

He then says,

17  “AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS

I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.”

18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no
longer any offering for sin.

The presence of God was among men: Jesus was God

(Acts 4:12),
12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other
name under heaven that has been given among men by which
we must be saved.”

(Romans 10:13),
13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD

[for the forgiveness of sin]  WILL BE SAVED.”

Jesus Christ came to save sinners!  He became the one
time sacrifice, for all time, for all sin, for all people who
believe in Him alone for the forgiveness of sin

(1John 5:11-13),
11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in His Son.

12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the
Son of God does not have the life.

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name
of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal
life.

The question you have to answer is this: Do you believe
in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of you sins
(past, present, future) on earth, and for eternal life with
Him in heaven?

 

 

 

                                 Pastor Mike

                                     >’(((><

Bible Text: Luke 5:1-11 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke | Above is the
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June 12, 2022 (full sermon notes)
“Respect, Reverence, and Response Toward Christ”
Luke 5:1-11

Read Luke 5:1-3…
1 Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of
God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;

2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them
and were washing their nets.

3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way
from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat.

The phrase at the beginning of verse 1, “Now it happened,” is a means of indicating
that a period of time has passed since the events occurring in Capernaum, as recorded
in the previous chapter, i.e., preaching, teaching, healing,
and casting out demons.

 

Jesus “was standing by the lake of Gennesaret” [meaning, garden of the prince,
named for the fertile plain on the NW side of the lake]. It was more commonly
known as the Sea of Galilee, although it had several names; in fact,
John the apostle

(John 6:1;

1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias).

 

John 21:1)
1 After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias,
and He manifested Himself in this way.

calls it Sea of Galilee and Sea of Tiberias, being named for the city of Tiberias
(on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee) that was founded by Herod Antipas
and named after Emperor Tiberias

(cf. Luke 3:1).
1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor
of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,

 

Note: The Sea of Galilee is actually a freshwater lake that is formed by the
Jordan River from the north, the headwaters of which begin near Mount Hermon
[9200’], and eventually run south into the Dead Sea, after passing
through the Sea of Galilee [13 miles wide, 7.5 miles long, and at 700’ below sea
level, it is the world’s lowest freshwater lake].  It was an excellent
source for fishing, and still is, with over 30 species of fish.

It is no wonder that the crowds continue to follow Jesus throughout Galilee,
for the kingdom of God has come down to earth in the person of Jesus Christ.
There were around three million people living in the region of Galilee
at the time of Christ, according to the Jewish historian Josephus.

And so, the crowd in today’s passage is pressing in to get closer to Jesus, to hear
His marvelous words, “the word of God.”  When Jesus spoke, it was as if God was
speaking, and in fact, God was speaking in and through His Son.

Jesus, in fulfillment of

Isaiah 61:1-2
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

Because the LORD has anointed me

To bring good news to the afflicted;

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to captives

And freedom to prisoners;

2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

[cf Luke 4:18-19],
18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,

BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.

HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,

AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,

TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

had brought the kingdom of God to earth and was proclaiming the good
news of the gospel, i.e., those spiritually captive to sin were released, those
spiritually blind were given sight, those spiritually poor were made rich,
and those spiritually oppressed were comforted and elevated.

 

John 5:24,
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me,
has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

 

John 7:16,
16 So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.

 

John 8:31-32,
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word,
then you are truly disciples of Mine;

32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

 

Notice again in

Luke 5:2,
2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them
and were washing their nets.

as the people are pressing in around Jesus, He sees two fishing boats near the
waters edge.  There are other similar occurrences where, because of a growing
crowd, Jesus uses a boat to separate Himself from them.

Mark 3:9-10,
9 And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crowd Him;

10 for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed
around Him in order to touch Him.

(Mark 4:1),
1 He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him
that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea
on the land.

In Luke 5:3,
3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little
way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat.

we are told that the boat belonged to Simon, used in his fishing business.
These fishing boats common to the Sea of Galilee were large enough to hold
Jesus and the Twelve, as we are told in several passages

(cf. Matthew 8:23-24;
23 When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered
with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep.

Matthew 14:22-33;
22 Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other
side, while He sent the crowds away.

23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray;
and when it was evening, He was there alone.

24 But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the
wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.

26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!”
And they cried out in fear.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him,
“You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.

33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

Mark 6:31-32;
31 And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.”
(For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)

32 They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.

Mark 8:10).

10 And immediately He entered the boat with His disciples and came to the district of
Dalmanutha.

So, Jesus get’s into Simon’s boat and asks him to put off shore a bit to get away
from the crowd.  This would also allow the people to see Him better, and it is
believed that the acoustics would have been much better for the crowd to
hear Him, as His voice would bounce off the flat surface of the water.

Jesus now sits down and begins to teach the people the meaning of the things
He has been preaching.  As I mentioned, when we studied

Luke 4:20,
20 And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in
the synagogue were fixed on Him.

rabbis normally stood to read the Scripture, then they would sit down to teach
or explain its meaning.

Read Luke 5:4-7…
4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let
down your nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will
do as You say and let down the nets.”

6 When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to
break;

7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And
they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink.

Jesus finishes teaching, then tells Simon to take the boat into deeper water and
let down the nets. 

There were several methods of fishing used on the lake.

Line, hook, and bait were used to catch one fish at a time.

A circular one-man net carried over the shoulder, thrown over a school of fish
or a large fish, weights helped the net sink around the fish; a cord attached to the
center of the net was pulled causing the net to close around t
he fish, like a sack.

A large net (dragnet) was used to cover a large area of water from bottom to
surface, with floats on the top and weights on the bottom allowing the net to
be slowly pulled toward the boat and then into the boat or dragged
back to the shore, where the catch could be sorted.

Notice Simon’s response to the Lord in verse 5, “Master [Lit. commander or chief;
this is a title of respect for one in authority, not a recognition of Christ’s deity], we
worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as
You say and let down the nets.”

It would appear that, as soon as they got the nets set in the water, they began to
fill with fish, “a great quantity of fish,” and this was happening in the middle of
the day, the worst time to try and catch fish. 

This was a most amazing catch, and so Simon calls to John and James to bring
their boat over alongside his so that the fish can be off loaded into two boats,
notice it says (verse 7), “they filled both of the boats, so that they
began to sink.” This is no doubt, the largest catch ever to happen on the lake,
and the nets were starting to come apart under the great quantity of fish.

This is interesting, at the very beginning of the relationship between Jesus
and His first four disciples (Andrew, Simon, James, John), all of whom were
fisherman, Jesus gives a display of His omnipotence and omniscience;
He is the Creator of all things, including fish, and He knows exactly where the
fish are in the lake.

In one of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, at the Sea of Galilees,
Jesus again allows Peter and six other fisherman disciples to experience a
display of His omnipotence and omniscience

(see John 21:3-11).

3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come
with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.

4 But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did
not know that it was Jesus.

5 So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered
Him, “No.”

6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will
find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great
number of fish.

7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when
Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped
for work), and threw himself into the sea.

8 But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but
about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.

9 So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed
on it, and bread.

10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.”

11 Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three;
and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

Read Luke 5:8-10a…
8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me
Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish
which they had taken;

10a and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners

with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”

Simon falls down at Jesus’ feet, ,saying, “Go away from me Lord, for
I am a sinful man!”  Peter realizes that nothing like this miraculous catch
of fish could happen by itself; this was not a coincidence; only God could
do such a thing, which meant that Peter was in the presence of God,
Immanuel [God with us].       

This was overwhelming to Peter, and no doubt to James and John as
well (cf. verse 10) all that had happened in the last two days: the marvelous
teaching of Jesus at the synagogue on the Sabbath, along with casting a
demon out of the man; then there were all the people being healed by Jesus,
one of whom was Simon’s mother-in-law; and now Jesus gives Simon,
Andrew, James and John, the largest catch of fish anyone had ever seen,
and this takes place in brood daylight, when the common practice on
the Sea of Galilee was to fish at night.

Simon is feeling unworthy to be in the presence of God the Son,
for he is very aware of his own sinfulness, like the repentant tax
collector in

Luke 18:10-13,
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other
a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that

I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to
lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful
to me, the sinner!’

Read Luke 5:10b-11…
10b  and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with
Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be
catching men.”

11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

God in Christ is both holy and righteous, and therefore He must judge
sin, and we are all sinners

(Romans 3:23),
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,.”

None of us are good, let alone righteous

(Romans 3:10-12),
10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;

THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

God loves us so much, even though we deserve death

(Romans 6:23a),
23a  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.

But God grants us forgiveness for sin and eternal life

(Romans 6:23b),
23b For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.

Only Jesus can set us free from sin’s penalty, because He alone was able
to take upon Himself our punishment for sin

(Romans 5:8),
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.

God’s Son offered Himself as full payment for all sins, for all people,
for all time

(Hebrews 10:12,
12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE
RIGHT HAND OF GOD,

Hebrews 10:14,
14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

Hebrews 10:16-18),
16 “THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM

AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:

I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART,

AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,”

He then says,

17 “AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS

I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.”

18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

“He [Jesus], having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the
right hand of God,” “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those
who are sanctified.” “This is the covenant that I will make with them after
those days, says the Lord: ‘I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind
I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless
deeds
I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things,
there is no longer any offering for sin,”

(Romans 8:1),
1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Jesus came to proclaim the good news of salvation, i.e., the forgiveness for sins
committed on this earth and the hope of eternal life in heaven with God.  Jesus c
ame to set us free from sin’s curse and condemnation, to provide
all we need for this life and the life to come

(2Peter 1:2-4),
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;

3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and
godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that
by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world by lust.

When Simon realized that he, a sinful man, was in the very presence of
the Holy and Righteous God of Creation

(Revelation 1:8),
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” [the First and the Last]  says the Lord God,
“who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Simon was afraid.  But Jesus said to him, “Do not fear, from now on you
will be catching men.”  Simon Peter, James, and John spent their lives catching
fish that would ultimately die; but since meeting Christ, and
believing in Him, they would spend the rest of their lives fishing for the
souls of men, women and children of age, so that they might live forever
with God.”

Look again at

Luke 5:11,
11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

it says they gave up everything to follow Christ.

Gave up everything?  Really?  Like the consequences of sin’s curse?
Eternal condemnation in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where there
will be darkness and loneliness, pain and weeping, torment, and the gnashing
of teeth forever and ever.

So, to follow Christ, you have to give all of that up in order to receive
forgiveness for all your sins and eternal life, in order to live with God
in a new and perfect universe, where there will be new heavens and a
new earth.

Revelation 21:1-5,
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth
passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made
ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is
among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God
Himself will be among them,

4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any
death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

 

Pastor Mike Hale

 

Bible Text: Luke 4:31-44 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

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June 12, 2022
“Jesus Came to Proclaim the Kingdom of God”
Luke 4:31-44

Read Luke 4:31-37… 

31 And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He
was teaching them on the Sabbath;

32 and they were amazed at His teaching, for His message was
with authority.

33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of
an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,

34 “Let us alone! What business do we have with each other,
Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You
are–the Holy One of God!”

35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of
him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of
the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm.

36 And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking
with one another saying, “What is this message? For with
authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they
come out.”

37 And the report about Him was spreading into every locality in
the surrounding district.

 

Jesus provided forgiveness for sins and eternal life.

 

Mark 1:14-17,

14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into
Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon
and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for
they were fishermen.

17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you
become fishers of men.”

 

Matthew 4:13,

13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in
Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and
Naphtali.

 

 

Wow!  Jesus’ presence and preaching “with authority,”
freaked out the demon in this man, who cried out.  Jesus
came to conquer the kingdom of darkness that Satan ruled,
and this demon served. 

 

Colossians 1:3,

3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
praying always for you,

 

Colossians 1:13-20,

13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and
transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all
creation.

16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
rulers or authorities–all things have been created through Him
and for Him.

17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will
come to have first place in everything.

19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to
dwell in Him,

20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having
made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say,
whether things on earth or things in heaven.

 

(2Corinthians 4:6),

6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the
One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

 

Note again in

 

Luke 4:34…

34 “Let us alone! What business do we have with each other,
Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You
are–the Holy One of God!”

 

The demon knows who Jesus is. 

 

1John 3:8b,

8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has
sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this
purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

 

Matthew 25:41,

41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me,
accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for
the devil and his angels;

 

See Revelation 20:1-3,

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key
of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the
devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over
him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until
the thousand years were completed; after these things he must
be released for a short time.

 

Revelation 20:7-10…

7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released
from his prison,

8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four
corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for
the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.

9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and
surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire
came down from heaven and devoured them.

10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are
also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

 

Jesus rebukes the demon

 

(see Luke 4:35-36),

35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of
him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of
the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm.

36 And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking
with one another saying, “What is this message? For with
authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they
come out.”

 

Luke 4:37

“And the report about [Jesus] was spreading into every locality in
the surrounding district”

 

(cf. Matthew 9:33),

33 After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the
crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has
ever been seen in Israel.”

 

Luke presents an orderly and historically accurate account
of the life of Jesus.

 

Read Luke 4:38-39… 

8 Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s
home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high
fever, and they asked Him to help her.

39 And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her;
and she immediately got up and waited on them.

 

Jesus goes to the house of Simon Peter (Greek) or Cephas
(Aramaic), later to become a disciple of Jesus.  Originally
from Bethsaida

 

(cf. John 1:35-44),

35 Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,

36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the
Lamb of God!”

37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

38 And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them,
“What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated
means Teacher), where are You staying?”

39 He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and
saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day,
for it was about the tenth hour.

40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

41 He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We
have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ).

42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You
are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is
translated Peter).

43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found
Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.”

44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and
Peter.

 

Simon moved to Capernaum for his fishing business with
brother Andrew

 

(cf. Matthew 4:18-22),

18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two
brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother,
casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

19 And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers
of men.”

20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son
of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their
father, mending their nets; and He called them.

22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed
Him.

 

and also the brothers James and John

 

(cf. Luke 5:1-11).

1 Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him
and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of
Gennesaret;

2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the
fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.

3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked
him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and
began teaching the people from the boat.

4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into
the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night
and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the
nets.”

6 When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish,
and their nets began to break;

7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to
come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats,
so that they began to sink.

8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet,
saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because
of the catch of fish which they had taken;

10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were
partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from
now on you will be catching men.”

11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left
everything and followed Him.

 

Simon’s mother-in-law has a high [Greek, mega] fever.
Jesus holds her hand

 

(cf. Matthew 8:15;

15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up
and waited on Him.

 

Mark 1:31),

31 And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand,
and the fever left her, and she waited on them.

 

then rebukes the fever; she is healed, gets up and serves
the Sabbath meal to her guests

 

(cf. Luke 5:10).

10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were
partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from
now on you will be catching men.”

 

Read Luke 4:40-41…

40 While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were
sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His
hands on each one of them, He was healing them.

41 Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the
Son of God!” But rebuking them, He would not allow them to
speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.

 

Sabbath was ending, restrictions on travel, work, etc.,
would end, so many people brought their ill family
members to Simon’s house for healing, as Mark records

 

(Mark 1:33),

33 The whole city had gathered at the door.

 

Jesus didn’t want demons declaring He was “the Son of
God,” there was much enmity between the Son of God and
Satan’s demons

 

(Mark 3:22),

22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, ‘He
is possessed by Beelzebul [2Kings 1:3, Baal-zebub] and ‘He casts
out the demons by the ruler of the demons.’

 

Because the Pharisees couldn’t deny Jesus’ miracles,
accused Him of doing His miracles by the power of
Beelzebub [Satan himself]. 

 

Read Luke 4:42-44… 

42 When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and
the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to
keep Him from going away from them.

43 But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to
the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”

44 So He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

 

Jesus goes off to have some time with the Father. 

 

Mark 1:35,

35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left
the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying
there.

 

The crowds found Him, pleading for Him not to go away
from them. Jesus had come from the Father

 

(cf. John 1:14)

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw
His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of
grace and truth.

 

full of grace and truth, to show us the Father

 

(John 1:18),

18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who
is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

 

and to “take away the sin of the world!”

 

(John 1:29).

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold,
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

 

Jesus came to proclaim forgiveness for all those who
believe in Him.

 

The kingdom of God is the realm of salvation for all who
repent and believe in God’s Son..  At the beginning of
Jesus’ ministry, He said

 

(Mark 1:15,

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

 

Mark 1:17),

17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you
become fishers of men.”

 

Jesus came to preach the Good News of Salvation, and
teach the truth of God’s Word to all who will believe in
Him, becoming His witnesses in order to proclaim Jesus
Christ

 

(John 14:6)

6 Jesus said to him, “I [He is] am the way, and the truth, and the
life; no one comes to the Father but through Me [Him].

 

Romans 10:9-10,

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe
in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved;

10 for with [your] the heart [you] believe, resulting in
righteousness, and with [your] mouth [you] confess, resulting in
salvation.”

 

Romans 10:13-15,

13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD [for
the forgiveness of sin] WILL BE SAVED.”

14 How then will they [who have not heard] call on Him in whom
they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they
have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written,
“HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD
NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”

 

There is no better news than forgiveness for all your sin
and eternal life in heaven with God.  Jesus is not here to
proclaim the gospel, so those who belong to Him must
bring the good news of salvation to all who will listen. 

 

 

 

Pastor Mike

>’(((><

Bible Text: Luke 4:14-30 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

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June 5, 2022
“Jesus is Rejected in His Home Town”
Luke 4:14-30

 

 

 
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Pastor Mike Hale

Bible Text: Luke 4:1-13 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

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May 29, 2022
“Satan Fails to Tempt Jesus”
Luke 4:1-13

Read Luke 4:1-2… 

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan
and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness

2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate
nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He
became hungry.

 

 

After His baptism, Jesus was led [compelled] by the

Spirit into the wilderness, where He was tempted by the

devil [diabolos = accuser, slanderer], i.e., by Satan [adversary],

 who was originally called Lucifer [meaning bearer of light,

 morning star,

 

 

Isaiah 14:12].

12 “How you have fallen from heaven,

O star of the morning, son of the dawn!

You have been cut down to the earth,

You who have weakened the nations!

 

 

Ezekiel 28:12,

12b “You had the seal of perfection,

Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13a “You were in Eden, the garden of God;

Every precious stone was your covering:

 

 

Ezekiel 28:15,

15  “You were blameless in your ways

From the day you were created

Until unrighteousness was found in you.

 

 

There are other names in Scripture for Satan,

 or the devil:

 

 

(John 12:31;

31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this
world will be cast out.

 

 

John 14:30;

30 I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of
the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;

 

 

John 16:11)

11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this
world has been judged.

 

 

the ruler of this world;

 

 

(Ephesians 2:2)

2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
of the spirit that is now working in the sons of
disobedience.

 

 

the prince of the power of the air;

 

 

(2Corinthians 4:4)

4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the
minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the
light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image
of God.

 

 

the god of this world,;

 

 

(Revelation 9:11)

11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss;
his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has
the name Apollyon.

 

 

angel of the abyss;

 

 

(Revelation 12:9)

9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of
old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the
whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his
angels were thrown down with him.

 

 

the great dragon, the serpent of old, the devil and Satan.

 

 

Satan’s plan is to try to destroy the work and plan of God,

 that being, to provide forgiveness for sins and eternal life.

  Satan attempts to thwart the mission and ministry of Christ

 by trying to deceive Him into performing for the devil, as if

 the devil could dissuade the Son of God from God’s purpose

 and plan.

 

 

Read Luke 4:3-4… 

3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God,
tell this stone to become bread.”

4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL
NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’”

 

 

The word translated “If,” here in

 

 

Luke 4:3,

3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God,
tell this stone to become bread.”

 

 

is better translated “since,” i.e., “Since You are the
Son of God,” and you are very hungry after 40 days
without food, the Father wouldn’t want you to remain
hungry; so go ahead, turn the stones into bread, after
all, Your Father would want you to eat.

 

 

The thing is, Jesus had willfully set aside His own majesty to put on the flesh of a man

 

 

(Philippians 2:5-7),

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ
Jesus,

6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not
regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant,
and being made in the likeness of men.

 

 

Jesus was in full submission to the Father, and He knew very well that the Holy Spirit would care for Him and provide what He needs.  Notice Jesus’ response to the devil

 

 

(Luke 4:4;

4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL
NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’”

 

 

pp Deuteronomy 8:3),

3 He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you
with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers
know, that He might make you understand that man does
not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that
proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.

 

 

The rest of that verse

 

 

(from Deuteronomy 8:3)

3 He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you
with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers
know, that He might make you understand that man does
not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that
proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.

 

 

tells us clearly that it is not physical food that sustains

 spiritual or eternal life, “but man lives by everything that

 proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” 

 

 

Christ’s most important work was to do what pleased

the Father, to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth

 

 

(Matthew 6:31-33),

31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or
‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’

32 For the Gentiles  [Pagans, unbelievers] eagerly seek
all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you
need all these things.

33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and
all these things will be added to you.

 

 

At a later time, Jesus reiterates this truth to His disciples

 

 

(John 4:34),

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him
who sent Me and to accomplish His work.

 

 

1John 5:5,

5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

 

 

 

1John 5:11-13,

11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us
eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not
have the Son of God does not have the life.

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the
name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you
have eternal life.

 

 

(Matthew 6:10),

10 ‘Your kingdom come.

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

 

 

for “God’s will to be done on earth, as it already is

being done in heaven.”  Only then will we know true

happiness and fulfillment in this life.

 

 

Read Luke 4:5-8… 

5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of
the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this
domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me,
and I give it to whomever I wish.

7 Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be
Yours.”

8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘YOU SHALL
WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’”

 

 

Satan now leads Jesus up onto a high mountain and points out the kingdoms of the world, saying he will give all these to Jesus if Jesus will worship him, because all of this “has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.”  Really?

 

 

Concerning the Messiah God says

 

 

(Psalm 2:7-8),

7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:

He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You.

8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your
inheritance,

And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.

 

 

Daniel 7:14,

14 “And to Him was given dominion,

Glory and a kingdom,

That all the peoples, nations and men of every language

Might serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away;

And His kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed.

 

 

Everything belongs to God, the Creator, Sustainer,

 and Judge over All.  Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is

God the Son

 

 

(Colossians 1:16),

16 For by Him all things were created, both in the
heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things
have been created through Him and for Him.

 

 

(Colossians 2:9),

9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

 

 

Jesus forcefully rejects Satan’s blasphemous

suggestion by quoting

 

 

Deuteronomy 6:13,

13 You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall
worship Him and swear by His name.

 

 

Scripture refers to Satan as the spirit of those who

disobey God, and as the god/ruler of this world, meaning

 the evil world system that rejects God’s Son and God’s

Word, in order to serve the desires of the flesh.      

 

 

In Ephesians 2:2-3,

2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
of the spirit that is now working in the sons of
disobedience.

3 Among them we too all formerly lived…   …indulging the
desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature
children of wrath, even as the rest.

 

 

Satan is referred to as, “the prince of the power

 of the air, the spirit that is now working in the

 sons of disobedience. Among them we also formerly

 lived… …indulging the desires of the flesh and of the

 mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the

 rest.”

 

 

God declares judgement on Satan and all who follow

 him; also declaring enmity between all those who

 reject Christ (following Satan) and all those who follow

 Christ

 

 

(Genesis 3:15),

15 “And I will put enmity between you [Satan] and

the woman [Eve], and between your seed [offspring]

and her seed [offspring]. He [Christ] shall crush your

[Satan’s] head [authority or power], and you [Satan]

shall bruise him [Jesus] on the heel.”

 

 

Jesus Christ is the “seed” [offspring] through

 whom all the blessings of Abraham will be realized

 

 

(Galatians 3:16),

16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his
seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to
many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is,
Christ.

 

 

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem to offer Himself

 up as full and final payment for our sins, He said to

 His disciples

 

 

(John 12:23-24),

23 And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has
come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls
into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it
bears much fruit.

 

 

(John 12:31-32),

31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this
world will be cast out.

32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all
men to Myself.”

 

 

(John 3:14-15),

14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of Man be lifted up;

15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

 

 

(2Corinthians 4:4),

4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the
minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the
light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image
of God.

 

 

Satan was thrown out of heaven along with the rest

 of the angels who rebelled against God’s authority

 

 

(Isaiah 14:13-14),

13  “But you said in your heart,

‘I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne above the stars of God,

And I will sit on the mount of assembly…

14  ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High.’

 

 

Satan was kicked out of heaven and so he came

 to earth, in the form of a beautiful serpent, where

 he beguiled and deceived Eve into distrusting and

 disobeying God; thus bringing sin’s curse upon all

 mankind.

 

 

Read Genesis 3:1-6… 

 

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the
field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the
woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from
any tree of the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the
trees of the garden we may eat;

3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of
the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or
touch it, or you will die.’”

4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!

5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes
will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good
and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food,
and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree
was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit
and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and
he ate.

 

 

Notice in

 

 

Genesis 3:6,

6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food,
and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree
was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit
and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and
he ate.

 

 

good for food, delight to the eyes, desirable to make

one wise.  Satan’s deception worked.

 

 

 

In Genesis 3:7-19,

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they
knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together and made themselves loin coverings.

8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the
garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife
hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God
among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him,
“Where are you?”

10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and
I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you
not to eat?”

12 The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with
me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.”

13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this
you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent
deceived me, and I ate.”

14 The LORD God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

Cursed are you more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you will go,

And dust you will eat

All the days of your life;

15 And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her seed;

He shall bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

16 To the woman He said,

“I will greatly multiply

Your pain in childbirth,

In pain you will bring forth children;

Yet your desire will be for your husband,

And he will rule over you.”

17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to
the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree
about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat
from it’;

Cursed is the ground because of you;

In toil you will eat of it

All the days of your life.

18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;

And you will eat the plants of the field;

19 By the sweat of your face

You will eat bread,

Till you return to the ground,

Because from it you were taken;

For you are dust,

And to dust you shall return.”

 

 

God’s curse comes upon all the living, starting with

 the serpent [Satan incarnate], then upon Eve, then

 upon Adam, and then upon all life; there would be

 no hope for mankind except that which would come

 through the seed [offspring] of Eve [the mother of al

l the living].

 

 

Eve’s future offspring, a descendant through the

womb of Mary, would be God’s Son, Jesus Christ

, the One through Whom all God’s blessings are realized,

 but only to those who believe in Him.

 

 

Read Luke 4:9-13… 

9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the
pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the
Son of God, throw Yourself down from here;

10 for it is written,

‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO
GUARD YOU,’

11 and,

‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP,

SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A
STONE.’”

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘YOU
SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’”

13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left
Him until an opportune time.

 

 

Satan has twice attempted to deceive, even to entice

 Jesus to not trust in God’s provisions.  Now Satan moves

 to his final attempt, taking Jesus to the highest point of

 the temple, he says, “If [since] You are the Son of God,

 throw Yourself down from here.”  [They are probably standing

 on the pinnacle, at the southeast corner of the temple,

 overlooking the Kidron Valley, which is several hundred feet

 below them.] 

 

 

Notice that Satan now quotes the Bible, saying,

“It is written,” just as Jesus had done in His two

 previous responses to the devil’s attempts to trick

 Him.  Satan quotes from

 

 

Psalm 91:11-12,

11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you,

To guard you in all your ways.

12 They will bear you up in their hands,

That you do not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.

 

 

This is clearly from God’s Word, but the devil has

 twisted its meaning, taking it out of context; for

 we know God’s Word never contradicts itself.

 Jesus brings clarification by countering Satan’s

 quote, with a quote from

 

 

Deuteronomy 6:16,

16 “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as
you tested Him at Massah.

 

 

Luke tells us

 

 

(Luke 4:13),

13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left
Him until an opportune time.

 

 

Satan would, at a later time, in fact, at the Last Supper,

 make his final attack.  Jesus warns His disciples

 

 

(John 13:21),

31 Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me,

 

 

(John 13:25-27),

John asks, “‘Lord, who is it?’ to which Jesus answered, ‘It is

the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.’

So when He had dipped the morsel, He gave it to Judas, after

[which], Satan entered into him [Judas].to whom Jesus then

said, ‘What you do, do quickly,’”

 

 

(John 13:31),

31 Therefore when he [Judas] had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now

is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him,’

 

 

2Corinthians 5:21,

21 He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on

our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him.

 

 

1Corinthians 10:13,

13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is
common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow
you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with
the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so
that you will be able to endure it.

 

 

Jesus is our example of how to handle temptation

 

 

Hebrews 4:15,

15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been
tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

 

 

 

(Hebrews 12:2),

2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of
faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand
of the throne of God.

 

 

1John 5:5,

5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

 

 

 

1John 5:11-13,

11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us
eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not
have the Son of God does not have the life.

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the
name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you
have eternal life.

 

 

 

                       Pastor Mike

                           >’(((><