In Acts 2:36-47 we see the beginning of the true Christian church. In verse 47 we see the goal and result of a truly redeemed and biblical Church, ‘And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.’ At Bible Community Church, our desire is not just to grow numerically but growing with true saved believers. There is no guarantee of growth because God causes the growth (1 Cor 3:6-7) but there are timeless principles from the early church we be good for us to follow.

How did the early church start?

The church started with repentance. Repentance is the most important thing. In Acts 2:36 Peter indicted the people as murderers. They were perpetrators in Christ’s crucifixion. We are also murderers. In Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus teaches that any type of anger is a murder. Romans 5:12, Eph 2:1. We are all sinners, that’s why we sin, and why we must first repent.

When they heard, they were pierced to the heart. Their sin was exposed and they felt their guilt and shame by the Holy Spirit. Like a water balloon pricked with a needle, their sin came bursting out. The cried out in desperation, ‘What shall we do?’ This wasn’t a fleeting guilt or a guilt easily brushed aside. It was a guilt wrought by the Holy Spirit. ‘What shall we do?’ was an admission of guilt and a surrender to the consequences.

Peter said to them, ‘Repent’. True repentance is an act of the heart. (Psalm51:16-17) Repentance means turning away, which consists of realizing your old ways are evil (Isaiah 55:7, Ephesians 2:2-3) and forsaking them. However, repentance is not just stopping immoral deeds, that’s just moral reform. True Repentance is turning away from sin and turning into Christ. Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins. Jesus took our sin and gave us His righteousness. Repentance is trusting the work and person of Christ. Our sin demands our death, yet Jesus died on our behalf, so our repentance can only redeem if it is in Christ. (1 Cor 15:1-4) The fruit of repentance is a change from before and after. The repentant no longer live for self but live for Christ. By the process of repentance, a true Christian knows the true horrifying nature of sin and will turn to the one who saves them from it, Jesus Christ.

How was the early church built?

After a genuine repentance, the early church was devoted, committed, even risking their lives for the following principles. The following four principles never change for the church.

1. The Apostles’ teaching (God’s word): The true believer loves God’s word and experiences their relationship through the reading and practicing of it (Psalm 119:2). The Holy Spirit uses God’s word to build the Church. You must see God Himself in the written Bible to sustain your faith.
2. Fellowship: Fellowship comes from the Lord, from the relationships in the Trinity. As a church, Biblical fellowship comes from Biblical understanding. Fellowship is companionship, sharing and being united, working together, being transparent, and stewardship of one another.
3. Breaking bread (Lord’s supper): The table is the picture of Christ and the church remembers its Savior. It reminds us that Jesus is with us and convicts us to live for Him pursuing sanctification because of His redeeming sacrifice.
4. Prayer: Knowing that God is omnipotent, omniscient sovereign and good, then we should always pray. Prayer is our humility and walking according to God’s will. This is how our Lord prayed (Luke 5, Psalm 116:3-4, Luke 18:7). We must realize God hears our prayers and answers them (Matthew 15:27-28). The church is full of the weak and helpless which is why we devote ourselves in prayer to the almighty God.

How did the early church live?

They enjoyed holy fear and wonder (Acts 2:43). But how are we to experience this exciting environment without miracles? By faith through the Bible. The willing Christian can see what God is doing every day as they read God’s word. The Bible is more exciting and more powerful than miracles because miracles cannot save people but God’s word does. This is a serious problem in the church. How long will church remain routine without the awe of God? People are changed by the presence of God and His word.

The early church also practiced what they learned (Acts 2:44-45). They helped each other (Acts 2:46) and they were of one mind. They wanted to be together and they risked their lives worshipping together. Unlike what is going on in the current lockdown where churches are willingly keeping their congregations at home without any community. The early church shared everything together, truly loving one another.

The early church was always praising God; it was their lifestyle. Their praise was such a stark contrast to their lives before repentance. They went from shame to praising God because in this world, there is no comparison or competition to the gift of redemption (Romans 8:32). As believers, we too, must be satisfied with Christ and have lives filled with praise, otherwise we debase God and His complete salvation.

The early church had favor in the sight of everyone. Not they were worldly or like the world, but because of their genuine love and sanctification. They were so different from the world that the world was interested.

At Bible Community church, we desire to be a part of the growing Church. It is our desire to apply the principles here and experience the work of God.

Jesus Christ is our Savior – our caring Savior who is mighty, forgiving, and is ever calling His own.

“Behold, there was a man covered with leprosy…” (v. 12).

In the time of Jesus, lepers had to be isolated so as to not pass their infectious disease onto others. They had to cry out, “Unclean!” as they approached the city so that others might stay away from them. In the Bible, leprosy is a symbol of sin – it spreads all over the body and brings with it terrible consequences. Sin, like leprosy, begins small. Leprosy often may start off as a skin blemish, but it eventually leads to multiple skin lesions and nerve damage. In the same way, Adam and Eve’s disobedience of eating the forbidden fruit may seem small and inconsequential, but it was through this one small act of rebellion that their relationship with God was broken.

Leprosy starts from within, by a bacterial infection. We have a similarly viral sinful nature, which causes us to sin. We all sin because we are all sinners (Mark 7:21-23) endowed with sinful nature. We have no basis for self-righteousness.

Leprosy damages the brain and spinal cord leading to numbness. Likewise, when we are overtaken by sin, we become spiritually numb to sin, and it becomes difficult to distinguish between good and evil.

Leprosy, however, is curable, though it often it leaves permanent deformities and scars. Unlike leprosy, sin is incurable – and the permanent consequence of sin is death. This is why all of humanity faces death – except for Jesus, who was sinless and faced death as a choice, conquering death through resurrection. If we receive salvation through Jesus, we are not left with permanent deformities and scars of sin; we are cleansed perfectly.

Jesus came to save sinners and defeat sin, because it is only through Christ that sinners will receive salvation through repentance. As we repent of our sin, we will receive salvation – but how can one identify a sinner who is genuine in his desire to be rescued form his life of sin unto salvation? Sinners who want to be rescued consider Jesus as God (Jn 1:1,3; Col 2:9). “And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing…” (v.12). They also consider Jesus as the Lord of lords and the King of kings. They surrender everything to the Lord in every moment of their lives, realizing that they are undeserving. “Lord, if you are willing…” (v.12). They leave everything up to God; they are humble (Lk 18:12-14). They know and recognize that Jesus is the only object of their saving faith.

Jesus healed the leper in a unique and unprecedented method – Jesus touched the leper. “And He stretched out His hand and touched him…” (v.13).  The healing came through a divine intervention in which God answered Jesus’s prayer for the healing of the leper, which displayed the power of God to all those around Him. Just as He willingly intervened for the salvation of the leper, Jesus willingly died on the cross for our sins. (Isa 53:4-5). He bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Pet 2:24). Jesus touched the leper. “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21). Having been saved, we sinners can be cleansed and sanctified by the Word of God.

Jesus came as Messiah to fulfill the Old Testament. It was prophesied that the Messiah would drive away demons, heal the blind, and cleanse lepers. Jesus came and drove out demons, healed the blind, and cleansed lepers. He came to rescue sinners, spiritual lepers, by His crucifixion and resurrection.

With the close of a year that for some, was incredibly difficult, many are hopeful and optimistic that this new year will be better. But just like any other year, this year will be unpredictable and undoubtedly filled with difficulties that may include sickness, affliction, loss, and death. This may even be the year that Jesus returns. How can we be prepared? Luke’s account of Peter’s encounter with Jesus shows us how. As we begin a new year, we can be confident because of our election, conversion, and commission. In Christ, we can be ready to face all that God has ordained for us in 2021.

We are chosen by God. Jesus was getting increasingly popular because of His authoritative teaching and miracles. In Luke 5, crowds gathered to hear Him speak, leaving Him no room to stand, so He chose Simon’s fishing boat to preach from there. (Lk 5:3) This illustrates God’s election.

Election is God choosing who will be saved purely on the basis of His sovereignty. Many don’t like the doctrine of election, claiming it is unfair, but it is a biblical and wonderful doctrine. Without election, there can be no salvation because no man deserves salvation. If God acted strictly on the basis of fairness, we would all be condemned because of our sin. Election is the cause of our salvation. Without it, we could never be assured of salvation. God is the One who began the work of our salvation, and He is the One who will complete it. (Eph 1:4, Phil 1:6)

How do you know you are elect? Just as Jesus spoke to Peter, commanding him to let down his net for a catch, and Peter obeyed, the elect will listen to Christ and obey Him. (Lk 5:4)

We are converted to Christ. Conversion is to turn away from sin and unbelief and to turn to Christ in faith. Peter’s response to Jesus illustrates his pre-converted state, his conversion, and the effects of his conversion.

Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing…This describes what life is like without Christ. We can do nothing without Jesus. All our works are futile and full of hardship and toil.

…but I will do as You say…The sign of conversion is surrender. We put ourselves in Jesus’ hands and let Him do as He pleases.

..they caught a great quantity of fish…But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”Peter became humbled before God. He knew that he was a sinful man before a holy God. He immediately recognized Jesus as Lord.

We are commissioned. Believers are sent by Jesus to be fishers of men. When our work here is done, we will be called home. In fulfilling this great commission, we do not have to fear anything, because we have faced the greatest fear of all- the holiness of God- and have been preserved by being in Christ. We must leave everything by entrusting all things to Christ our Lord. Lastly, to fulfill Jesus’ commission, we must follow Him. Those who follow Christ daily will naturally become effective fishers of men.

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.