The Soul’s Infinite Worth

How valuable is a soul?  To what length is God willing to go to retrieve a lost soul?  In our text today, we are shown the purpose Jesus had in setting sail from Capernaum in Galilee.  We see why He was willing to encounter the mega storm at sea.  We see why Jesus was willing to go across the great sea even though He knew what was waiting for Him during the trip and on the other side.

Jesus was willing to go to great lengths to save one tortured soul.  How valuable is one human soul?  To God the soul is priceless…

²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? ^[1] 

Jesus is willing to cross land and sea, to endure life threatening storms, to encounter the forces of evil, and to even give His own life for one soul.

Luke highlights two very important points, the Jesus Christ is God and more powerful than all the host of hell combined and the human soul is of infinite worth.

Hear the Word of God…

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon

²⁶ Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” ²⁹ For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) ³⁰ Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. ³¹ And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. ³² Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. ³³ Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵ Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. ³⁶ And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. ³⁷ Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. ³⁸ The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. ^[2]

May we be doers of the Word and not hearers only… Continue Reading

Luke 8.21.25

Even Creation Obeys

Introduction-

I used to go to Lake Erie in the summertime for weekend fishing trips with the guys I worked with. We always had a lot of fun. The burnt suppers, the patches I had to wear for seasickness, and cleaning the fish in the fish houses. We had great fun. It was mandatory for the boats to be equipped with 2-way radios in case of trouble. You could listen to weather reports and you could radio in for help if anything ever went wrong. Whenever the weather began to look the least bit threatening, it was our experience that you had better start heading toward the shore. Often we would be 8-10 miles out and it would take a while to get back. Sometimes the storm would catch us. The last mile or two could be heading into 6-8 foot waves. In those times I was especially glad to step foot on solid land. I know I looked a little pale or maybe even a little green.

Jesus and His disciples were caught by a storm once. This was not a storm on Lake Erie, but rather a violent storm at sea caused by high winds…almost hurricane force and violent shaking caused by some seismic activity almost tsunami force waves. The storm was so powerful that the boat was literally being torn apart.

Please Hear God’s Word…

Lk 8:22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 

Lk 8:23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 

Lk 8:24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 

Lk 8:25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” 

May God cause us to be doers of His Word and not hearers only…

What Luke wants his readers to understand in this account is that Jesus Christ the Son of God has authority over the created world. Jesus is reversing the curse. He commands and creation obeys. In the Book of Genesis we have the account that God commands Adam to be in control of creation.

Genesis 1:26 (ESV)  

    Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

But because of sin this dominion has been lost. According to John, Satan the great usurper is now ruler of this world. Jesus comes to set things right. He is God and man. He is the perfect man the second Adam. Unlike the first Adam who sinned, Jesus stands sinless. He alone can command creation.  We must see in this account that King Jesus is ripping the stolen authority back from Satan and as the Son of Man, Jesus is beginning to restore the created order.  He is in charge and someday He will grant the authority that mankind originally had back to us.

1. The Man to Follow (Luke 8:22)

Lk 8:22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 

In reading through Luke, one discovers that there were some disciples who wanted Jesus for the things He could give them. They were not true disciples. When things got tuff, they fled away. To them, Jesus was less valuable than the things they thought He could give them. They merely want Christ to acquire other more important and more valuable things. True disciples, on the other hand, follow Jesus into any and every situation because He is their portion and treasure. True disciples follow Jesus regardless of the situation. The more we see this truth, the stronger our faith will become. The more we see Christ as our treasure the less our circumstances matter. Paradise is the place where Jesus is. His presence makes paradise. In our text today, paradise was in the middle of the ship in a terrible storm.  Are you willing to follow Jesus no matter what?

1. The Humanity of Christ (Luke 8:23)

Lk 8:23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 

We see a very good example of the humanity of Christ.  Jesus was a man while on earth.  He got hungry and tired.  He was like us in every way except Jesus was without sin.  Here, Luke portrays Jesus as sleeping while everyone else was in panic.

Mt 8:24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 

One thing I’d like to point out is this was no ordinary storm at sea.  We have the word seismos to describe this particular storm. There was a violent earthquake (seismic activity) on the see floor of the Sea of Galilee that day, at the very time they were sailing across. The storm was so fierce the waves were breaking over the sides of the boat.

This accounts for the mega waves but what about the mega wind.  An earthquake doesn’t produce the kind of winds spoken of here.  Turning to the original languages we see that this was hurricane force winds.  It wasn’t a breeze but mega wind.

These disciples were fishermen on this sea, they had no doubt seen bad storms before but they had never endured something of this magnitude.  They were in panic mode.

The disciples had followed Jesus right into the eye of the storm. Jesus had a purpose in all of this. He was teaching His disciples, very vividly, that He is in charge. I don’t think the disciples would forget this occasion too quickly. What a living parable this was in their lives.  While the waves were breaking over the boat, Jesus was sound asleep on a cushion in the stern or back of the boat.

Have you ever placed yourself on the boat with Jesus and the disciples? I would have been tying a rope around myself and holding tightly to whatever was secure. It sounds like that’s exactly what the disciples were doing. They were frantically trying everything first. It seems we as humans try everything else first before we turn to Jesus. They forgot that Jesus has authority over creation.

Why was Jesus sleeping? He was obviously very tired but He was sleeping in essence to show that there is no power on earth mightier than Him. Jesus was safely sleeping in the midst of the storm showing His disciples that He is not afraid of anything or anyone. The power of the raging storm was no cause for concern. He is in charge.

Jesus demands that His disciples follow Him. We are required to follow, no matter where He leads us. Sometimes Jesus leads into days of refreshing calm. Sometimes He leads us into storms. He has a loving purpose in each. In the peaceful times we praise Him and in the storms we depend on Him to save.

3.  The Deity of Christ (Luke 8:24)

Lk 8:24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm.

It’s amazing that Jesus was sound asleep in the midst of this powerful shaking storm. The wind and sea could not wake Him but the cries of His people cause His eyes to open. What’s wrong with this picture? The disciples had already seen the power Jesus has to heal sickness and disease. They saw His power time and time again. His Words commanded obedience.

The cry from the disciples was “Master, Master, we are perishing!”  Upon that cry Jesus woke up. Does the Lord hear our cries as His people? Jesus is on the throne seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for the saints. Jesus hears us when we cry out “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” The problem isn’t that we cry out to the Lord. That is in fact the right thing to do. The problem for us is that we often do it after we have tried everything else first. As the disciples saw the boat filling up with water and as the waves kept coming one after another and as they saw that their bailing water out wasn’t keeping up with the water God was putting in the boat. They became more and more fearful.

An important point for us to see here is that Jesus didn’t run to their rescue immediately. Jesus knew when He boarded the ship what was going to happen. He knew the storm was coming. He is allowing the storm to have its full effect on the disciples so that He can teach them faith. This has often been the experience of God’s people. God doesn’t fix things immediately. He doesn’t answer our prayers the second we pray them. Sometimes He lovingly lets us suffer.

Psalm 10:1 (ESV)  

    Why, O Lord, do you stand afar off?

        Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 

It seems at times that when trouble sets in God is nowhere to be found. Have you ever experienced that in your life? Have you ever come to the end of yourself only to cry out to God and…nothing. You pray and pray and silence.

Mark’s version of this account is really good. Mark reports that the disciples cried out,

“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”  

Jesus does care. He cared enough to leave Lazarus in the grave till four days had passed. He cares enough to let us run out of resources so that we truly turn to Him in trust and obedience. Jesus has to sometimes break us in order to build us up.

Jesus stands up and first rebukes His disciples for not believing in His power and authority. He tells them that their faith needs some work. They had forgotten all they knew. Storms cause us to forget. When we find ourselves in the midst of a trial we often have spiritual amnesia.

The disciples knew the Old Testament very well. They knew verses like,

Psalm 46:1-3 (ESV)  

    God is our refuge and strength,

        a very present help in trouble. 

    [2] Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

        though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 

    [3] though its waters roar and foam,

        though the mountains tremble at its swelling.  Selah 

Psalm 89:8-9 (ESV)  

    O Lord God of hosts,

        who is mighty as you are, O Lord,

        with your faithfulness all around you? 

    [9] You rule the raging of the sea;

        when its waves rise, you still them. 

Psalm 107:23-30 (ESV)  

    Some went down to the sea in ships,

        doing business on the great waters; 

    [24] they saw the deeds of the Lord,

        his wondrous works in the deep. 

    [25] For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,

        which lifted up the waves of the sea. 

    [26] They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;

        their courage melted away in their evil plight; 

    [27] they reeled and staggered like drunken men

        and were at their wits’ end. 

    [28] Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

        and he delivered them from their distress. 

    [29] He made the storm be still,

        and the waves of the sea were hushed. 

    [30] Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,

        and he brought them to their desired haven. 

They knew all these verse and many others. Many times, when disaster strikes people who know God have a lapse of faith. We often forget who is in charge. We forget that the Creator of heaven and earth is with us in the back of the boat. When disaster strikes turn to Christ in faith immediately and seek counsel and strength. Be prepared to endure trials and suffering as a child of God.

Jesus rebukes His disciples for their lack of faith. Panic in any situation shows that your faith is not functioning like it should. You cannot be in panic and have faith at the same time. So Jesus lovingly rebukes His disciples for their lack of trust in Him.

Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  

The Creator of the wind and waves commanded them to be quiet. The sea instantly became like glass. In that moment the verse in the Psalms that declares only God can control the sea came true. Jesus with a word commanded creation and creation obeyed.

Mark’s version tells us the Jesus rebuked the storm by saying, “Peace, be still!” In Matthew and Luke’s account they simply say He rebuked the storm.  We have seen this word numerous times so far in Luke’s Gospel.

Every time Jesus uses this phrase, it has to do with demonic activity…

Lk 4:35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 

Lk 4:41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. 

What we need to see is that this storm was a satanic event.  What are the odds of having an earthquake under the sea and a hurricane on top of the sea at the same time.  Why did Jesus use the same phrase translated for us as Peace be still but which is literally in the Greek, Be Ye Muzzled, which is exactly what Jesus said to all the demons?

The waves disappeared, the wind was gone, the flag on the mast went limp and everyone stood there soak and wet with their mouths opened and their eyes as big as silver dollars. When men are confronted with the power and majesty of God they are astonished to the point of fear and even dread. Isaiah knew this when he encountered the Lord high and lifted up. Paul knew this when Jesus power threw him to the ground as he was on his way to persecute the church. The disciples experienced the same thing when Jesus said a word and the hurricane ceased and the tsunami waves went flat.  Just as this was a mega storm we read there was now a great calm.  The forces of evil and creation are subject to the commands of Christ and when He commands there to be silence the sea went as smooth as glass.

1. The Man with Authority (Luke 8:25)

“Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” 

Again in Mark’s account he writes that the disciples were very much afraid. They had just witnessed the power of God. They were now as afraid of Jesus asa they were of the storm. Isaiah said, Woe is me for I am ruined. Peter saw the power of Jesus and said, “depart from me for I am a sinful man.”

When the disciples realized that God Himself was standing in the boat with them they were completely amazed and freighted all at the same time .

The very same Jesus who stilled the waves on the Sea of Galilee that day by simply speaking a word of rebuke, is the same Jesus who cried out to the Father…It is finished. He died on the cross absorbing the wrath that God had stored up for us. Jesus took our place. He had no sin of His own to pay for and He willingly went to the cross to take our place.

Just as Jesus saved the disciples that day from drowning at sea, He has the ability to save sinners for eternity. Jesus Christ speaks into our dead hearts the good news and we are made to come to life. His words are life giving. His words change everything.

Is Jesus speaking to you today? Maybe like the disciples you’ve been enduring a storm in your life. Maybe the storm is sin and you’ve tried every way to become a good person and to have God like you. However, just as you are trying to do good the flood of sin is overtaking you. You cannot do enough good things to make up for the bad. Perhaps you are enduring a major trial right now and you not sure where to go to seek help. Come to the One who has all authority. Come to the One who commands creation and it obeys. Come to the One who can speak the words of life into your dying heart. Don’t put it off any longer the waves of sin and turmoil are crashing in…turn in faith to the One who command the wind and waves. Run to Jesus, He alone can save.

Hearing God’s Word (part2)

Last time I was with you we learned about the importance of hearing the Word of God.  We saw together as Jesus told us a parable that there are different types of hearts onto which the Word of God lands.  There was the good hearts, hard hearts, shallow hearts, and distracted hearts.  Then as Jesus warned us all with, He who has ears to hear, let him hear challenged all of us to be hearers and doers of the Word because the result of the Word falling into a good heart is that it will produce fruit because the one whose heart has been prepared will submit to and obey God’s Word.

Now our Lord takes us further to show us not only is the Word be submitted to and obeyed but He shows us the benefits in doing so.  There are everyday benefits we enjoy as we submit to the Word of God which is the will of Christ. Continue Reading

Hearing God’s Word (part1)

Last week we looked at a scene of unprecedented extravagance.  The former prostitute who had been forgiven by Jesus of her great many sins and she loved much.  She loved Jesus so much for showing her grace that when she heard He was eating with Simon ran to his house to show Jesus her gratefulness for what He had done for her.  In just a short number of hours, she was beginning to bear fruit.  She was showing everyone present that this man in front of her has all authority and has the authority to forgive sin.

Luke writes this account and then following it gives us the explanation in the beginning of our passage today that there were a great number of women who had been healed of demons and disease, and a great number who have had their sins forgiven.  A great number were following Jesus and showing Him and His disciples love as they cared for their needs while Jesus and His apostles preached and taught the multitudes.

All of these women were bearing fruit.  They heard the Word, understood the Word, believed the Word, and the result was that they began living different lives as the Word changed their hearts.  Fruit for the Kingdom was the result.

Jesus had been healing and preaching for about two years now.  This really marks a shift in Luke’s emphasis from healing miracles to the preaching and teaching ministry of Jesus.  Luke introduces the next section by recording that: Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.

So the thrust in this text is really hearing the Word of God.  In the first 21 verses, the word hearing occurs 9 times.  To really hear means that you will obey what you hear and this will result in fruit.  The type of hearing Jesus speaks of when He says, those who have ears to hear, is a hearing that is deeper than just having sound waves enter you ear but a hearing that results in application. Continue Reading

Pride and Promiscuity

In today’s text, we have before us a tale of two sinners.  Luke paints a wonderful portrait to true repentance and sinful pride.  What would bring these two very opposite people together in the same room?  What was going on behind the scene?  How does Jesus handle this very odd situation?

We are introduced to the first sinner, proud Simon the Pharisee and the second, a former promiscuous prostitute.  The setting is in Simon’s house.  He had invited Jesus to his house for a meal.  Simon’s intentions were not to honor Jesus but instead were a plan to trap Jesus in saying something that could be used against Him later.  When this prostitute enters Simon’s house and heads straight for Jesus, Simon believes his scheme is working out perfectly…but something happens that Simon doesn’t expect.  In this scene we also see two very opposite attitudes toward Jesus Christ: one is coldness born out of a works religion the other a deep warm affection born out of saving grace.  Luke shows us that one is a result of unforgiven sin and the other a result of sins forgiven. Continue Reading

Can We Be Sure of Jesus?

Luke 7:18-35

What do you do when your faith is shaken?  As a believer, what do you do when your belief has collided with a situation that has challenges and tries you?  What do you do when the very foundation of your life has been pulled out from under you, like a magician pulling the tablecloth out from under a setting of dishes?

In our passage today we have two types of doubters: The first is John the Baptist.  John has been placed in Herod’s prison because he did what God wanted him to do.  John was sent to be the forerunner of the Messiah.  John preached what God wanted him to preach.  He called everyone who heard him to repentance and faith in the Messiah.  He did everything God asked, he even told King Herod that he was in a sinful lifestyle having a relationship with his brother’s wife.  John is thrown into Herod’s prison for telling the truth and for saying things that needed to be said, things no one else would say.

John was the forerunner.  He introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Through it all, his faith had been shaken.  He was no skeptic, but where he needed help was could he place his life in the hands of God.  After all, look where trusting Christ had gotten him so far.  John stands as a monument that sometimes God’s will for one of His children is not comfort and security in this life but trials and suffering.

The other doubters are the Pharisees and Lawyers.  They are skeptics.  They have no faith at all but are relying on their own righteousness.  They were disbelievers when it came to John the Baptist, they said that he had a demon and they were skeptics of Jesus calling Him a drunkard and a glutton.  They were offended when John and Jesus preached repentance to them.

How does Jesus restore the faith of John?  How does He restore the people’s confidence in him as a prophet?  What steps can we take when we find our faith is tried by life’s struggles?

Then, I want us to see what Jesus says concerning John and his doubts and what does He say to the skeptical Pharisees? Continue Reading