Jesus demonstrates that He is the ultimate rescuer over the physical and spiritual realms. Moreover, He demonstrates His power and kingship over the eternal realm.  In this week’s text Jesus shows in three ways He is the ultimate rescuer in the eternal realm to redeem sinners from eternal damnation.

Jesus’ method of preaching

Jesus’ method is through preaching the Word. Not only did He preach God’s Word to save the lost, but He also demands His disciples to follow in His way by continuing to preach the Word. Therefore, preachers are called to be the mouthpiece of God to deliver the word of God to the spiritually dead. The whole man is dealt with when the preacher delivers the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Why is preaching significant? Preaching the word of salvation is the only means to deliver sinners from their sin and eternal damnation. What set Jesus apart from other so-called preachers that focused on miracles primarily is that He often secluded Himself to prayer because He always sought the Father’s will; that is, to preach the word (v. 42; Mk. 1:35; Lk. 6:12; Jn. 6:15). Jesus wanted the hearer to focus on the word and the gospel rather than Himself. Jesus only exercised His power to perform miracles to verify and validate His preaching. Christianity is the religion of hearing of who God is and what He has done. Therefore, the Christian must preach the word of Christ as He Himself exemplified (Matt. 24:14).

Some might think preaching is only applicable to pastors and leaders. This notion cannot be further from the truth as all Christians must preach the word of Christ as we are all called to share the gospel. One of the greatest tragedies is when the Christian is silenced. Thus, may the Christian have Christ’s attitude when He said “I must also preach…”

Jesus’ ultimate message of salvation

The ultimate message Jesus preached was regarding the kingdom of God. Jesus mentioned the kingdom of God during His ministry over 30 times in the New Testament. Christians are foremost kingdom citizens in their identity.

What is the kingdom of God? This is where God reigns and wherever salvation occurs. The kingdom of God is itself the gospel message. And Jesus Himself is the kingdom of God; therefore, the message of Christ only saves.

Everyone belongs to either the kingdom of God or the kingdom of Satan. Jesus descended from Heaven to earth to draw people into His kingdom. How did Jesus draw sinners to the kingdom of God? By preaching the message of the gospel (i.e. kingdom of God). Sinners must hear the preaching of God’s word to repent, believer and enter into the kingdom.

How do we know we are in the kingdom of God?

• Our spiritual taste becomes different (Rom. 14:16). Before Christ, we are driven by the world in terms of eating and drinking and enjoying the pleasures of the world. But as we transition from worldly citizens to kingdom citizens, we pursue righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit to please God, not ourselves.
• Our value system changes (Matt. 13:44). The value system of the things of world to the things above. Believing in Christ can cost us to lose valuable people and things, but to value Christ is worth losing.
• Our goals change (Matt. 11:12). Christians pursue growth in sanctification to see Christ more clearly. When we are in the light, we are able to see the Lord with clear eyes versus when He seems to be distant in times of darkness.

Jesus is the ultimate messenger

“… because I was sent for this purpose” (v. 43). Jesus was sent by the Father for a specific purpose. In other words, the Father anointed Christ by sending Him into the world to rescue sinners. God did not send anyone else but Jesus for the purpose of saving the world from sin and death.

Jesus was unique as He Himself becomes the message.

• Jesus is the center of the gospel message (Acts 16:30-31)
• Jesus’ approach is different from others because it requires suffering
• Jesus’ origin is different as the pre-incarnate God who resided in Heaven (Jn. 1:1-3, 14)
• Jesus’ death and resurrection for the purpose of forgiveness, reconciliation, and propitiation

We would not be able to be saved if God was silent. But God, being rich in love, preached a clear and powerful message of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the work of Christ has been transferred to Christians to continue the same work (Jn. 20:21). We must remember that Jesus Himself is sending us to preach the gospel of Christ to save the lost.

Jesus demonstrates that He is the ultimate rescuer over the physical and spiritual realms. Moreover, He demonstrates His power and kingship over the eternal realm.  In this week’s text Jesus shows in three ways He is the ultimate rescuer in the eternal realm to redeem sinners from eternal damnation.

Jesus’ method of preaching
Jesus’ method is through preaching the Word. Not only did He preach God’s Word to save the lost, but He also demands His disciples to follow in His way by continuing to preach the Word. Therefore, preachers are called to be the mouthpiece of God to deliver the word of God to the spiritually dead. The whole man is dealt with when the preacher delivers the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Why is preaching significant? Preaching the word of salvation is the only means to deliver sinners from their sin and eternal damnation. What set Jesus apart from other so-called preachers that focused on miracles primarily is that He often secluded Himself to prayer because He always sought the Father’s will; that is, to preach the word (v. 42; Mk. 1:35; Lk. 6:12; Jn. 6:15). Jesus wanted the hearer to focus on the word and the gospel rather than Himself. Jesus only exercised His power to perform miracles to verify and validate His preaching. Christianity is the religion of hearing of who God is and what He has done. Therefore, the Christian must preach the word of Christ as He Himself exemplified (Matt. 24:14).

Some might think preaching is only applicable to pastors and leaders. This notion cannot be further from the truth as all Christians must preach the word of Christ as we are all called to share the gospel. One of the greatest tragedies is when the Christian is silenced. Thus, may the Christian have Christ’s attitude when He said “I must also preach…”

Jesus’ ultimate message of salvation
The ultimate message Jesus preached was regarding the kingdom of God. Jesus mentioned the kingdom of God during His ministry over 30 times in the New Testament. Christians are foremost kingdom citizens in their identity.

What is the kingdom of God? This is where God reigns and wherever salvation occurs. The kingdom of God is itself the gospel message. And Jesus Himself is the kingdom of God; therefore, the message of Christ only saves.

Everyone belongs to either the kingdom of God or the kingdom of Satan. Jesus descended from Heaven to earth to draw people into His kingdom. How did Jesus draw sinners to the kingdom of God? By preaching the message of the gospel (i.e. kingdom of God). Sinners must hear the preaching of God’s word to repent, believer and enter into the kingdom.

How do we know we are in the kingdom of God?

• Our spiritual taste becomes different (Rom. 14:16). Before Christ, we are driven by the world in terms of eating and drinking and enjoying the pleasures of the world. But as we transition from worldly citizens to kingdom citizens, we pursue righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit to please God, not ourselves.
• Our value system changes (Matt. 13:44). The value system of the things of world to the things above. Believing in Christ can cost us to lose valuable people and things, but to value Christ is worth losing.
• Our goals change (Matt. 11:12). Christians pursue growth in sanctification to see Christ more clearly. When we are in the light, we are able to see the Lord with clear eyes versus when He seems to be distant in times of darkness.

Jesus is the ultimate messenger
“… because I was sent for this purpose” (v. 43). Jesus was sent by the Father for a specific purpose. In other words, the Father anointed Christ by sending Him into the world to rescue sinners. God did not send anyone else but Jesus for the purpose of saving the world from sin and death.

Jesus was unique as He Himself becomes the message.

• Jesus is the center of the gospel message (Acts 16:30-31)
• Jesus’ approach is different from others because it requires suffering
• Jesus’ origin is different as the pre-incarnate God who resided in Heaven (Jn. 1:1-3, 14)
• Jesus’ death and resurrection for the purpose of forgiveness, reconciliation, and propitiation

We would not be able to be saved if God was silent. But God, being rich in love, preached a clear and powerful message of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the work of Christ has been transferred to Christians to continue the same work (Jn. 20:21). We must remember that Jesus Himself is sending us to preach the gospel of Christ to save the lost.

Just as Jesus showed His power over the physical realm through His miracles of healing, He proved His power over the spiritual realm through His authority over demons.

The presence of demons is a reality. They are near us, and they are able to influence us. It is not superstitious to acknowledge their existence and activity. The Bible tells us that they are fallen angels who were driven out of heaven with Satan. Demons commonly are objects of worship in many cultures and false religions, and they heavily influence the world andIts systems. They are powerful, yet they are nothing before Christ. In all things, Christ is the solution because nothing is impossible in Him.

Believers who have put their trust in Jesus can not be possessed by demons, but they can be influenced by them. When and how do demons influence Christians?

When Christians lie. (Eph 4:25)Believers must not take lying lightly. It was by Satan’s lie in the Garden if Eden that Adam and Eve fell. Lies can damage the health of the church because fellowship is impossible without trust.

When Christians get sinfully angry. (Eph 4:26-27)It is sinful to get angry because of our temper. Sinful anger is violent and uncontrolled. We must hate sin and be angry at sin, but we must guard ourselves from being sinfully angry.

When Christians steal. (Eph 4:28)Like Judas who pilfered money from what was contributed towards Jesus’ ministry, when you take what does not belong to you, you are under the influence of demons.

When Christians do not communicate properly and biblically. (Eph 4:29)Believers must say what is good and loving in truth. Those who follow Christ must speak like Christ.

When Christians grieve the Holy Spirit. (Eph 4:30)We grieve the Holy Spirit by word when we express disappointment in God through complaining and doubt. We grieve the Holy Spirit by thought when we practice unbelief by not seeking God in His Word and questioning whether He is truly with us. In times of hardship, God delights in our striving to remain faithful.

When Christians fail to mortify the flesh. (Eph 4:31)Flesh is to declare yourself king; it is to be anti-God. Flesh no longer rules over us, but it remains in us until we die. Believers must therefore continually refuse it, starve it, and reject it in order to mortify it.

When Christians are slow to forgive. (Eph 4:32)We must always remember that we are forgiven people. Whatever happens, God has promised that His love for us endures. The gospel causes us to practice forgiveness to others. Like Jesus, we must always seek good for others.

Introduction

Sickness is a common and painful reality of the world today. There are many charlatans, so called faith healers who claim to have the power of healing. Jesus is the healer. He is God and the only one with the power to truly heal. In this pass we see, Jesus was standing over Peter’s mother-in-law. This signifies his authority over all things, including diseases and also his role as healer.

Christian’s also get sick because sickness is a universal problem. Due to the fall of creation through Adam’s sin and man’s sinful nature, everyone faces sickness and eventually death. However there are other more specific reasons for illness. Christian’s might get sick because of unrepentant sin. (Deut 28:22, Ps 119:67 ). Sometimes God afflicts Christian’s and we don’t know why but we know that is for God’s glory. (Exodus 4:11, John 9:3) Sometimes we are sick due to our neglect. Christians have a responsibility to take care of their body as well as their soul. Both the body and soul are connected and related and whether it is sin or physical harm it can cause sickness.

Even though there is sickness, Jesus heals miraculously. By one sentence Peter’s mother-in-law was fully healed. No matter the illness, it only takes a word from the Lord to heal it completely. God’s healing is his power and his miracle.

There are those that claim to heal in God’s name, we call them faith-healers, but it is not true healing. Let’s compare God’s true healing versus man’s faith healing. We will see man’s healing is a gimmick.

God’s healing is instantaneous and complete

The first difference is that Jesus heals instantaneously (John 4:52-53). Every time Jesus healed it was immediate, without delay or need to do something else or wait for something to happen. Secondly it was a complete healing, there was nothing else needed. Peter’s mother immediately got and waited on them as if she had never been sick. She went back to her duties and fulfilled her obligations as host. There was no further recovery, no physical therapy or rest required.

God heals everyone

In addition, Jesus healed everyone according to his will, whether they were Jew or Gentile, whether they believed or not, whatever sickness they might have had. Jesus can heal everyone with no effort at all. All healing happens according to his will. Doctor’s send the bill, but it is Christ who heals, meaning the doctors do what they can through their abilities but it is ultimately God who either heals or does not (James 1:17)

God’s purpose in healing

Another difference versus God’s healing and man’s faith healing is the purpose. Why does God heal? Is it to make those who are healed into believers? No. Most people who promised to believe if they are healed never actually do. Out of the ten lepers that were healed and sent to the temple, only two returned to Jesus to give thanks. The true purpose behind Jesus miracles was to confirm that Jesus is the Messiah. Miracle mainly happened in four parts of the Bible, the time of Moses, Elijah, Jesus and the Apostles. In all periods, miracles happened to confirm God’s Word, to confirm the authenticity of the gospel.

God cares more about our souls than anything else. Being healed from sin is the primary issue, not from sickness. (Mt 10:28) There were many who were healed physically but eventually went to hell. God wants to save your soul, which is why Jesus so determinedly went to the cross and even laid down His life for the forgiveness of our sin. Therefore it is in Christ we receive spiritual healing, we are made new, we are adopted, we are saved (2 Cor 5:17, Phil 1:21, 1 Pet 2:24)

God’s healing is not limited

Jesus even healed organic illnesses or illness that weren’t artificial but born defects or natural causes. For example, Jesus healed a withered hand (Lk 6:10). Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:39,43-44). The Apostles also raised people from the dead. But now, no one can heal like Jesus and the Apostles did. Faith healers do not claim to heal these sorts of illnesses nor are they able to.

God alone heals

Even today Jesus heals and He alone heals. The timing when Jesus healed Peter’s mother was ‘when the sun was setting’, when they were hopeless, the night was coming. Man is truly hopeless. No one is righteous and so no one can heal another, instead they are in need of healing. Only God has the right and the power to heal.

We must realize that God’s desire is not our physical healing which is temporary, but our salvation. So when you get sick, we must be confident in our salvation first. After Lazarus was raised from death, many denied or disliked what happened. (John 11:45-46) Faith does not com from healing but faith comes from hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).

Some questions around healing

Some people might misunderstand and ask if sick Cristian’s should go to doctors. Is going to a doctor for help a lack of faith? No. Go see a doctor! Even Jesus said it is the sick who need a physician (Mt 9:12). Luke, the writer of the gospel, was a beloved physician (Col 4:14**)**. Doctor’s do not replace God, but they do their work and God does the healing.

Sometimes God doesn’t heal and we might never know the reason why. Joni Erickson Tada, who is a quadriplegic, encourages everyone, “As many have said so eloquently, sometimes He delivers us from the storm, and at other times He delivers us through the storm. And even if the storm happens to take our earthly life, He delivers us safely into the best and most joyous place we could ever wish for in our most agonizingly beautiful dreams.” Whether God heals or not, the result and the end is the same. The believer will be safely taken home to heaven and all circumstances are for His glory. (2 Tim 4:18, 2 Tim 4:7-8) Life can’t be perfect and it won’t always go according to our wishes. But God’s gift is eternal hope and it is a gift worth much more than healing.

What to do when you get sick?

• Pray to God. James 5:13-15. Don’t hide your sickness but ask mature believers to pray for you.
• After praying, rest in the will of God. (Ps 23:1-3) God’s will is good for your soul. His will might not be what we wanted but it is good for our soul. This is the greater blessing and gain. A mature soul that rests in the will of God knowing God’s will is good.
• Expect challenges. We will never be free from all sickness but instead endure and rejoice through the trials. (Ja 1:2-5,Ja 4:7)
• Give glory to God. The most important thing in a Christian life is God’s glory. We are his masterpiece created to give Him glory (Ro 8:18).

Conclusion

Give glory to God now with the heavenly perspective, knowing our future glory be revealed. (Col 3:1-4) Do not enjoy the world too much but expect that there will be sicknesses and trials coming. During the time given to us, we are to give glory to God like a light (Mt 5:14-16). In the word of Martyn Lloyd Jones, “In our daily lives we must remember that the Christian does not call attention to himself. Self has been forgotten in this poverty of spirit, in the meekness and all the other things. In other words, we are to do everything for God’s sake and for His glory. Self is to be absent, and must be utterly crushed in all its subtlety, for His sake, for His glory.”

Authority denotes rule, influence, power, and the power to fulfill one’s desires. An example of authority is the executive power that is possessed by the president of the United States. That is, the president has certain authority to make decisions that impact the country. Like so, there are many local, state, and federal authorities in this world, but no authority is as high as the divine authority of God (Ps 2:4-6). The Scripture states that God places people in positions of power and gives them authority. He gave authority to Adam (Gen 1:28) when God created him. Because God has the highest authority, He is also the source of all authority that is possessed by man in any level of government and position of power.

This divine authority is seen in Jesus. As is shown in the passage, Jesus uses this authority to teach. Unlike the teaching of the Hebrew teachers at the time, Jesus’ teaching is refreshing and new. As the author of the Old Testament, which is the revelation of the Word of God, He speaks to the people about the will of God, sin, kingdom of God, peace, faith, and sacrificial love. As the eyewitness and partaker in Creation, Jesus teaches with the authority of the Author of Creation in full knowledge of all things.

Jesus has authority because He is God. However, he willingly condescends to man by being born as a man. Jesus descends from Heaven to the earth to reach men and offer salvation, and one may say that His teaching ministry is an example of this condescension. In a way, He is condescending from heaven to Capernaum for the purpose of teaching (v.31). Jesus does not teach as a professor or a scholar; He teaches as the Son of God (Col 2:9). His teaching has the power to save people from their sins (Mt 1:21), and because God alone can forgive sins (Mk 2:7), one can be sure that Jesus is God and, therefore, has the divine, truthful authority.

Although He has the power to speak unadulterated truths independent of the Scriptures, Jesus speaks through the Word of God. This shows that the authority of Jesus’ teaching comes from the Word of God (v.32). He does not speak independently, but He expounds upon the Word of God. Because Jesus uses the Scripture for His teaching, one can be sure that it has the “stamp of approval” from God; that is, the divinely inspired writings of the Scripture is approved by God. Because of this, Christians know that the Word of God will be fulfilled (Lk 24:44).

The authority of Jesus is universal; His authority extends even over demons (v.36). Demons are real (Eph 6:12), powerful, and unclean (Mk 5:3-4). They attack sinners and struggling Christians to keep them away from Jesus. However, Jesus has the power over demons, and He will one day destroy all the demons. So as to fend off demonic spiritual attacks and fight against the kingdom of darkness, Christians are called to be holy like Jesus (1 Jn 1:9, 1 Pet 5:8-9, Jam 4:7) and defer to Jesus’ divine authority in times of spiritual attacks.

Jesus’ ministry of teaching, preaching, and sharing continues in authority, even today (v 37). We must continue spreading what we’ve seen and heard (Acts 4:19-20) if we truly understand the authority of Jesus (Mt 28:18-20). 

The sin of unbelief leads to harsh consequences. We see in the OT, Abraham’s unbelief resulted in his first child, Ishmael, by Tamar, brought forth in sin. While Isaac, Abraham’s second son by Sarah was brought forth through the God’s promise. Ishmael is a major element in the Arab genetic line. Old records clearly link the north Arabians with Ishmael’s descendants. Abraham’s disobedience and distrust of God’s word resulted in disaster for Ishmael and generations to follow (Gen. 15:18). Unbelief have always existed since sin entered the world until present day.

What is unbelief?

“In short, to refuse to admit the truth of God’s Word; not depending on God as we ought to” (J.C. Ryle). Unbelief is distrusting, disobeying and denying Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, always associated with non-Christians. Another form of unbelief is practiced by Christians when they test God. God has given His very best, namely His one and only Son, but sometimes Christians hunger and thirst for something less rather than finding contentment in Christ alone. The Israelites who were in the wilderness were the same way even though God redeemed them from Egyptians. True belief is finding freedom in Christ alone.

Why unbelief is disastrous

And all were speaking well of [Jesus], and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” (v. 22). Despite Jesus’ preaching was amazing those in the synagogue did not consider the person of Jesus as the promised Messiah, born of the virgin Mary. They knew Jesus and his family; therefore, their conclusion was it was impossible that He can be the Christ unless He was able to prove He could heal Himself. In other words, His words were not enough for them to believe, but they sought signs. The disastrous end of their unbelief is blindness to the true source of eternal life (Jn. 1:3-5, 10-11). This type of unbelief is universal.

Unbelief is blind to reality (v. 25-27)

Unbelievers do not realize why they’re living in sin and unbelief. The sin of unbelief leads often to deny the reality of hell. Unbelief also prevents people from total surrender and removing their pride in order to see the reality that Jesus is the only way, the truth, and the life (Jn. 14:6a). What Jesus requires is total surrender to Him in humility to receive spiritual healing. And obedience is impossible without humility as exemplified in Christ’s obedience to the point of death on a cross. Are we willing to take up the cross and Christ’s disciples and follow Him?

Moreover, unbelief is murderous and ultimately hatred towards God (v. 28-29). Christians often do not take seriously those that profess their unbelief. But we need to recognize the reality of unbelief; that is, it appears innocent, but it is murderous. The rage of unbelief revealed in the NT shows that not believing in the gospel is not enough, but a true portrait of unbelief is they want to get rid of and remove Christ completely (Acts 7:56-59). This is because it comes down to confronting their sin before the holy God; the chief sin being unbelief.

Unbelief is the primary issue for all mankind. Only the power of the gospel of Christ is able to deliver us from unbelief to faith in Christ as demonstrated in His power in v. 30. Again, the only solution and master key to the problem of unbelief is to know Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2).

Understanding the depth of our sin helps us to realize the greater grace God gives in saving us. And to share this truth to others as the only means of their salvation.

What makes the message of Jesus so extraordinary that it would have the ability to change us?

The message of Jesus is powerful.
The message of Jesus is for the spiritually poor- those who know they desperately need God. We can identify three enemies of the poor from v.18- captors, that which causes blindness, and oppressors. Ultimately, the enemy is Satan, who holds all those who are without Jesus under captivity. Christ alone is powerful to overcome Satan, and He frees us not only from Satan’s bondage, but from spiritual blindness to see Jesus clearly and worship Him. The message of Jesus frees us from the guilt, penalty, and power of sin, which formerly oppressed us in misery. It is God’s grace that works behind the message of Jesus, and herein is its power. Those who are saved are free- free from Satan’s captivity, free from spiritual blindness, free from the oppression of sin.

The message of Jesus is exceptional.
Jesus’ message is exceptionally good. His message is all about the year of Jubilee, an Old Testament event when all debts were forgiven and slaves were set free. Jesus’ message is exceptionally absolute. The message is the Word of God, which never changes. By His Word, we are permanently in Christ.

The message of Jesus is reliable.
When Jesus began to speak, His words indicated that salvation has come. Jesus’ message is reliable because He spoke Scripture, which can not be broken. Jesus Himself fulfilled Scripture; we can therefore depend fully on the message of Jesus.

How can we be changed by the message of Jesus?
We are changed as we hear the message with faith. The message of Jesus comes with power, and it is by the Holy Spirit that we are changed. Jesus warns us that those who do not hear His Word with faith but are guided by self-law will not be received by Him. So do not worry about eating and drinking- our Heavenly Father knows all that we need. Instead, be concerned about your sanctification and seek the Kingdom of God. Take heed how you listen.

Introduction

The goal for the Christian is to be like Jesus Christ. They follow Jesus and through obedient sanctification they become like Jesus. One of the purposes of the gospel of Luke is to reveal the humanity of Jesus, so that the goal to be like Jesus seems more attainable. (1 Corinthians 11:1) We realize who Jesus is as a man, we see the example He set for us and therefore the goal for us to be like Him.

The message of Jesus Christ is a matter of life and death. It’s not a suggestion or spiritual advice. John 5:24. To misunderstand or mistreat the message has dire consequences. If you hear and respond properly then you will have life but if you reject then it will result in death. So why is Jesus’ message so necessary ad why do we need it?

The power of the Holy Spirit

Jesus spent most of his 3 year ministry in the region of Galilee. Between verse 13 and 14 of Luke 4 there is a one year gap. Jesus was led by Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. The ministry of Jesus from beginning to end was led by the Holy Spirit. In verse 14, we see Jesus return to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was fully God and yet all of His miracles were done not by His own power or deity but in the power of the Holy Spirit. As a man, he surrendered his power but did He did not abandon His deity (Phil 2:6-7). When accused of using Satan’s power for His miracles, Jesus clarifies that His power is not of Satan but of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:24,31-32). In life, Jesus depended fully on the Holy Spirit. And what of you? Do you depend on the Holy Spirit? Do you merely profess without actually living by the power of the Holy Spirit? Without the Holy Spirit you will have no power in your Christian life.

The necessity of Jesus’ message

When in a region, Jesus’ custom was to go into the synagogue to read God’s word and teach. During the time of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, the people practiced Judaism (Romans 9:6-8). Unfortunately Judaism and the Law cannot save you. The purpose of the Law is to reveal your sin and cause you to repent, not to save. Even though they were passionate and zealous for Judaism they were still in the flesh. To be in the flesh is to be self-righteous. There is no way to tame the flesh or remove the guilt of sin in the flesh. That is why everyone will die according to the flesh, and after death comes judgement. Only in Christ can we forsake our old sinful flesh and be made new. (2Corinthians 5:17) Mere religion cannot accomplish this salvation, only Jesus can.

Can this message save?

Isaiah 61:1-2 is the message:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord anointed me, To bring good news to the humble; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim release to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

God providentially provided this message to Jesus. The scroll was handed to Jesus and Jesus found the spot of Isaiah 61. This passage was not something Jesus made up or claimed as His own teaching but He fully understood that this was the Word of God. This shows that the Bible is sufficient. If you have the Bible, then you have everything you need. Use the Bible just as Jesus did. He didn’t seek outside truth but sought the truth in the Bible.

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me‘ shows the Trinity in perpetual fellowship. Jesus is not acting or claiming of His own volition but in perfect harmony with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. ‘Anointed me‘ The word anointed means chosen, set apart for and empowered for ministry. Jesus is the only anointed one as Savior. He is appointed to bring the good news of salvation. No other message can save because no other message has been put forth by God, but only the message of Jesus Christ. The message of Jesus is most necessary not just because it can save but also because all other messages cannot.

Who is qualified to receive the saving message?

Preach the gospel to the poor. The poor does not mean physically or financially poor. More then 90% of the region of Galilee was poor. Was Jesus referring to all of them? The poor is not someone who just doesn’t have money, but truly poor means someone who cannot help themselves but is dependent on another to live. The poor are beggars. (Acts 3:2)

Just because you are poor doesn’t mean you are righteous. God even teaches the humble. Psalms 25:9. In Matthew 19:23-24 Jesus says the rich cannot enter the kingdom, not because they are rich, but they do not recognize their spiritual poverty. Even for the poor, if they do not recognize their spiritual poverty, they also cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. The ones qualified to receive the saving the message are the poor in spirit, who understand they have no righteousness and are unable to save themselves.

The poor recognize that there are no other gods before God (Exodus 20:3). You cannot depend on anything else but God (Matthew 19:21). You cannot depend on the world but you must give it all up to follow Christ. Luke 21:2-4 The widow gave up everything to depend on the Lord. She truly understood her real poverty. The prodigal son also had the attitude someone poor in spirit. Luke 15:17-19 He realized he was a sinner who didn’t deserve anything but went to his father to beg for mercy and grace. This is the true attitude of the poor

Conclusion

Jesus preaches the gospel to the poor. The poor accept the gospel because they know nothing else can satisfy their need. Their is true salvation in Jesus and His message. It’s not wealth and health, its not comfort or success. It is forgiveness from sins, adoption as sons and daughters, freedom from sin, a holy calling and eternal life. This wonderful salvation is found in God’s word. If you are not hungry or thirsty for God’s word then you are not poor yet. To those who are truly poor, God’s message makes sense and they receive salvation through it.

Christians are continually being sanctified and made holy in a fallen world and therefore cannot avoid temptations to sin. They are, however, able to overcome these temptations through the Word of God.

In the third temptation of Jesus, Satan tempts Jesus to presume upon God by way of a public stunt. He attempts to convince Jesus to not fulfill the will of God and instead follow Satan’s will. Having failed in the first two tries to have Jesus disavow God, Satan leads Jesus to the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem. As they stand overlooking the city, Satan tells Jesus to jump down from the temple, reasoning that God will not let His Son die but send angels to His catch him from his fall. Of course, Jesus, being fully man, would die upon impact from such a fall. Satan’s desire is for Jesus to die from the fall, thereby dying without defeating death and redeeming mankind. If Jesus follows Satan’s will instead of God’s will, Jesus would undo the promises of God in the Scriptures of a redeemer, making God a liar. This action would also force God to choose between letting Christ die and intervening with a divine miracle for Jesus’ salvation.

Satan even tries to use the Word of God in this third effort to tempt Jesus by saying “for it is written” to misquote Scripture out of context. As he quotes Scripture, Satan purposely omits parts of Scripture to try to confuse Jesus. However, Jesus does not fall for Satan’s scheme nor does he not test God. Instead, He responds to Satan by saying, “It is said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST,” accurately quoting Scriptures to counter Satan’s distortion of the Scriptures.

As we look to Christ in this third temptation, we are shown that we must know God’s Word thoroughly so that we handle the Word of God properly through diligent study (2 Tim 2:15). Otherwise, even the choicest Christian will be in danger of falling away. Studying the Word simply requires passion and diligence on our part, because Christians are supernaturally equipped with the Holy Spirit to help them study and understand the Word of God properly.

How are Christians to overcome the temptation to trust God presumptuously? They should check their motives to make sure they are doing all for the glory of God. They must also live by faith. Christian faith is a living faith because they serve a living God. Faith is a supernatural gift of God for every believer.

God allows Jesus to be tempted by Satan a third time in this passage. This particular temptation displays Jesus’ readiness to preach and teach in His ministry. Jesus is convinced that the Word of God is true and powerful. He overcomes temptation by using the Word of God, and because of this, we know that we can be confident in and sanctified by the Word of God, which will never fail us.  

And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 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. Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

Cf. Matthew 4:4 – “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

As Jesus went through His temptation in the wilderness, He was able to empathize because of his true humanity. Although He was unable to sin, He faced temptation as a true man and understands fully what all mankind deals with regarding temptation.

Three parts for today’s message:

• Who is the tempter, Satan?
• What is the nature of temptation?
• How did Jesus overcome temptation?

Who is Satan?

Satan describes his malignant and brutal character (Jn. 8:44). He was an angel (i.e. cherubim) but fell as he sinned against God wanting to be above God. Currently, he still seeks to make his throne above God. Satan has many other names but is also famously known as the devil, which means “slanderer”.

What are the Satan’s goals? Submission and worship of him. In verse 8, this is the moment of truth for Jesus, but He chooses to worship and obey the Father rather than Satan. Satan also desires as many sinners to be die and be forever separated from God. And he will not cease to accomplish this goal until God puts an end (1 Pet. 5:8). The reality is that everyone of us either belongs to God’s kingdom or of Satan’s.

Even though God is allowing at this time for Satan to tempt mankind to be separated from God, his ultimate end is already laid out as written in Scripture to be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).

What is the nature of temptation?

Satan’s goal of tempting Jesus was to alter the path Jesus came down from heaven to do; to convince Him there is an easier path to achieve the Father’s goal, which was a lie. Satan has always lied and is the father of lies (Jn. 8:4) and it’s no different in this first temptation we read. A major example of this lie we see today is the lie about abortion; that is, it is not a big deal getting rid of the “fetus” inside the womb because it is not a human yet. Another reason would be to delay having a child out of selfish motives to live a comfortable life.

How did Jesus overcome temptation?

In Jesus’ response, we witness his humanity fully trusting in God’s Word above anything. Jesus refused what Satan was tempting Him with, put His trust in the Father and His word, and protected His mind from outside influence. In the same manner, if we trust in the word of God as Jesus did, God’s truth has the power to save and sustain our faith. Therefore, as Jesus had confidence in the word, we too, must have confidence in it to grow in sanctification and proclaiming the gospel to others.

It is important to note that outside influence, apart from God’s word, must be limited and done away with as much as possible. Protecting our mind to live in obedience to God is to fill it with His word. Put simply, Jesus feared the Father and worshipped Him. Do we fear God? What is the condition of our heart when we worship God (i.e. heart attitude)?

Moreover, God-fearing Christians are able to resist the onslaught of temptations from Satan, the flesh, and the world as a living sacrifice unto the Lord. There is nothing else Christians love more than the way of the cross. Thus, there is no temptation we cannot endure, and we are able to be faithful as He is faithful.