Sermon from June 27th

JESUS AND THE DEMONS
Luke 4:31-41; 8:26-39; Ephesians 6:10-20
Series on “The Gospel of Luke”

In Luke 4 Jesus is teaching when he is interrupted by a man possessed by a demon. The demon recognizes that Jesus is god and then Jesus casts the demon out of the man. People were amazed at Jesus authority over evil spirits. What are we to think of demons, and evil spirits? C.S. Lewis said, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe and feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” Ephesians 6 and other passages helps put it all in perspective.

• Satan is a created being who because of pride was cast out of heaven along with a legion of angels who are on the earth as evil spirits. The Bible says that we are in a fight with the world (systems of evil within culture), the flesh (our own well developed patterns of sinning), and the devil and his demons.

• There is such a thing as demon possession that even a secular psychiatrist Scott Peck recognized and described in his book Glimpses of the Devil.

• Ordinarily the enemy (Satan) works in more subtle ways called “the schemes of the devil.”

• Most should not fear so much “fangs in the neck” as the “lies in the heart” (Tim Keller).

• Ordinary ways in which the enemy attacks: (1) nursing anger and grudges, Ephesians 4:26, 27; (2) Pride, I Timothy 3:6; (3) Accusations of Satan, Revelation 12:10

• How we are to fight: (1) The fight is the Lord’s, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might”. Christ substantially defeated Satan on the cross and in His resurrection; (2) The battling is ours, “Put on the whole armor of God so you can take your stand.”

• 2 Timothy 2:25 – “God will grant repentance leading them to the knowledge of truth so that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil who has taken them captive to do his will.”

TABLE TALK: Do you believe what the Bible teaches when it describes life as a fight? Do you understand that even though Satan is great, Jesus is greater and won the big victory? What does it mean to put on “the armor of God”? Why is “repenting” and “knowing the truth” (i.e. the gospel of Christ’s forgiveness and power) the key to escaping the trap of the devil?

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Sermon from June 20th

WHAT IS FAITH AND HOW TO GET IT?
Luke 7:1-10
Series on “The Gospel of Luke”

A Roman centurion (commander of 100 men) sent a message to Jesus that his servant was sick asking him to come and heal him.  Then he thinks better about it and says, “I’m not even worthy to have you come under my roof, just say the word and my servant will be healed.”  Jesus is amazed at the centurion’s faith and says, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith in Israel.”  What is faith and how can you get it?

•    Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, Hebrews 11.

•    It is good to ask hard questions, and to be open, but faith is a gift that is given by God, Ephesians 2:8, 9.

•    To receive the gift of faith, regularly expose yourself to God’s Word (the Bible) and God’s people (the church).

•    One mark of real faith is a sense of unworthiness before God and Jesus

•    Another mark of real faith is that it bleeds into everyday life (by becoming more loving toward others).

•    Start to doubt yourself and be open to Jesus, His Word, and way.

•    If your walk with God is dry it could be because you have been disobedient in a crucial part of your life.  Repent and come back to Jesus and his cleansing blood.

TABLE TALK:   Talk with a friend over a meal and discuss the meaning for your life.  What questions do you have about Christianity?  Are you seeking to get good answers?  Are you regularly getting into God’s Word and fellowshipping with God’s people?  What do you think of “doubting yourself” as much as you doubt the claims of Christianity?  If you are spiritually dry, could it be because you have been disobedient in an important area of your life>

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sermon from June 13th

THE PATH OF WISDOM
Proverbs 3:1-13

At this time of year people are graduating, moving into new positions, deciding on relationships or in general facing crossroads where they deeply desire guidance.  Fixing a computer, studying for a test,  planning a vacation are all relatively easy in comparison to the big questions we face like “Shall I marry or not marry, shall I go into this career or that career, shall I speak in this situation or be quiet, shall I overlook an offence or speak to the person?”  How are we to be wise people who find that the Lord is making “our paths straight”?

I.    RECOGNIZE THAT YOU ARE A FOOL

II.    RECOGNIZE THAT THE WORLD IS FOOLISH

III.    THE WORLD’S PATH STARTS BROAD AND ENDS NARROW

IV.    JESUS’ WAY STARTS NARROW AND ENDS BROAD

V.    TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART

VI.    LEAN NOT TO YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING

VII.    ACKNOWLEGE HIM IN ALL YOUR WAYS

VIII.    WISDOM IS JESUS AND THE CROSS

TABLE TALK:  Take someone to lunch and talk about the application for your life today.  Where do you need guidance? Are you serious about following Jesus.  Do you have a vision, a true intention and are you using the means of grace so you are becoming a wiser person and not a more foolish person?

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Sermon from June 6th

WORDS THAT HEAL
Luke 6:37-42
Gospel of Luke

An old saying says, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”  Actually that is false.  It should be said, “Sticks and stones can only break my bones, but words can pollute and defile and distort our very souls.”  If we follow Jesus and his teaching it can change all of our relationships and enable us to have words and thoughts that heal instead of hurt and destroy. 

I.    CRITICAL JUDGMENTS  (THAT DESTROY)
•    How you think about people determines your relationship with them!
•    Condemning thoughts and words are like a forest fire (see James 3:5, 6)
•    Many of you carry wounds in your heart from judgmental words that you have difficulty dislodging.
•    At the heart of destructive criticism is self-deception (“the big log or beam in the eye” that doesn’t allow for clear vision of self or others).  We maximize others sins, and minimize our own.
•    In Leadership and Self-Deception the author talks about a spiral in work and personal environments:  (1) self betrayal where people fail to serve others; (2) self-justification; (3) maximizing others’ failure; (4) treating people as objects; (5) making the job about ourselves.

II.    SELF JUDGMENT (BEFORE THE CROSS)
•    The best antidote for a critical spirit is to stand before the cross.
•    Jesus says we are “blind”, “falling”, “obsessed" with specks in other’s eyes while we don’t see the log in our own eye”, “hypocrites”.
•    He says it was the beam in our eye that caused Him (Jesus) to be nailed to a beam on a cross!
•    Jesus died so we could be healed and to see clearly.  When we see ourselves clearly we know that we are “big sinners (“evil” and yet “beloved children”, see Matthew 7:11)
•    How do you think you would view other people if you saw yourself at one the same time as “evil” and “yet loved”?

III.    MATURE JUDGMENT (SEEING SITUATIONS AS GOD SEES THEM
•    Paul in Galatians gets in Peter’s face for compromising the gospel.  He gets in the Judaizers face and tells them they should go all the way and castrate themselves!
•    John the Baptist called some people “vipers”; Jesus said Herod was a “fox”.  How are we to reconcile these strong judgments with what Jesus has just said?
•    These are mature judgments (seeing things as God sees them) which means that there will be times when we should be as courageous as a lion in confronting evil, injustice and sin.  One of the greatest needs in the world is manly men who speak God’s words with courage and authority when confronting evil.
•    Questions for application:  (1)  Do you regularly encourage other people? (2) Can you praise an equal? (3)  Do you refuse to gossip or listen to gossip? (4)  Are you a wimp or a slasher, or do you exercise humble, mature judgment?  (4) Do you have gospel confidence that causes you to be humble (because you know you are “evil”) and yet courageous (because you are loved in Christ)?

TABLE TALK:  Take someone to lunch and talk about the application for your life today.

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