579. Gospel of Luke - Chapter 9 (#5) - Jesus Delivers a Boy From an Unclean Spirit - June 20, 2024

[00:00:06] Welcome to Wisdom Today. My name is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. In this podcast we will be exploring the book of Proverbs.

[00:00:42] 1. Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler and whoever has let us stray by it is not wise. The wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion, whoever provokes him to anger since against his own life.

[00:01:01] It is honorable for a man to stop striving since any fool can start a quarrel. The lazy man will not plow because of winter he will beg during harvest and have nothing.

[00:01:16] 2. Council in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. Most men will proclaim each his own goodness that who can find a faithful man. The righteous man walks in his integrity, his children are blessed after him.

[00:01:40] 2. A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters all evil with his eyes. Who can say I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin.

[00:01:55] Diverse weights and diverse measures they are both alike and abomination to the Lord. Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right.

[00:02:10] The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both. Do not love sleep, less you come to poverty, open your eyes and you will be satisfied with bread.

[00:02:25] It is good for nothing cries the buyer, but when he has gone his way then he boasts. There is gold and a multitude of reviews, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

[00:02:41] Take the garment of one who is surety for a stranger and hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress.

[00:02:51] Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel. Plans are established by council, by wise council wage war.

[00:03:07] He goes about as a tale bear reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips. Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in deep darkness.

[00:03:27] An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end. Do not say I will recompense evil, wait for the Lord and he will save you.

[00:03:42] Divers waits are an abomination to the Lord and disonest scales are not good. A man's steps are of the Lord. How then can a man understand his own way?

[00:03:58] It is a snare for a man to devote rationally something as holy and afterward to reconsider his vows. A wise king sits out the wicked and brings the threshing wheel over them. The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart.

[00:04:24] Mercy and truth preserve the king, and by loving kindness he upholds his throne. The glory of young man is their strength and the splendor of all men is their gray head. Blows that hurt cleanse away evil as do stripes the inner depths of the heart.

[00:04:49] Friends today I'd like to take a closer look at verse 24 and prodded 20 verse 24 says this, a man's steps are of the Lord. How then can a man understand his own way?

[00:05:08] Friends we will come back and revisit that verse prior to closing today, but what I'd like to do is continue in our study of the gospel according to Luke.

[00:05:21] And on yesterday's podcast we spoke about Jesus being on the Mount of Transfiguration. He was on the mountain, on the top and he had been visited by both Moses and Elijah.

[00:05:38] Peter, James, and John were all there to witness it. In addition to that a cloud came in which they entered into, and the cloud was basically the presence of God coming in to this meeting between Jesus and the two prophets of old.

[00:06:01] And it's scared the three disciples, but finally God spoke and declared for the second time that Jesus was indeed his son.

[00:06:14] And friends that was the greatest takeaway that we need to take from yesterday's podcast and I invite anyone that did not get a chance to listen to yesterday's podcast to take a peek at that, I think it would be a blessing to you.

[00:06:31] Today we are going to begin where we left off yesterday beginning in chapter 9 verse 37.

[00:07:01] They would flock to Jesus and it really didn't matter what town it was in. He had that charisma about him that people simply wanted to listen to what he had to say, remember that Jesus's primary ministry was both preaching the kingdom of God as well as the healing ministry.

[00:07:29] And so many people had made of healing that is why they went to him as well. Let's continue with verse 38, suddenly a man from the multitude cried out saying, teacher, I implore you look on my son for he is my only child and behold a spirit sees us him and he suddenly cries out.

[00:07:59] He convulses him so that he foams at the mouth and it departs from him with great difficulty bruising him. So I implored your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.

[00:08:17] The first point I would like to bring up in today's lesson is a man asks Jesus to heal his son. Now before I look at the commentary for this passage, what I'd like to do is to pretend that this son that this man has is your son.

[00:08:41] Let's look at this and what is really happening. A spirit ceases him and he suddenly cries out it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth and it departs from him with great difficulty bruising him.

[00:09:05] Now imagine that this is your son and this has happened. Let's say 50 times over the last two to four years. What would you do? You have heard about Jesus and you know and have heard that he is right here and you know that he has healed many people.

[00:09:32] Of course you are going to go to him. You're going to do everything that you possibly can to ensure that your son will be healed. Let's go to verse 41.

[00:09:48] Then Jesus answered and said, oh, faithless and perverse generation. How long shall I be with you and bear with you bring your son here.

[00:10:04] And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit healed the child and gave him back to his father. So friends, my second point that I'd like to bring up today is that Jesus heals the boy.

[00:10:31] But now I want to talk in detail about the commentary found on verse 41. This rebuk suggests that the disciples lacked the faith to cast out the spirit described in verses 38 through 40.

[00:10:53] There is also a hint of a competitive spirit among the disciples and we will find out more about that comment on Monday's podcast. Now friends, Jesus is rebuking his disciples here. I want you to think about this. Jesus has been healing many many people.

[00:11:22] The disciples has been first account witnesses of this. They have seen Jesus heal all types of people. So when the disciples had an opportunity to heal this boy, they were unable to do it.

[00:11:42] So Jesus is rebuking them and listen to how he addresses his disciples. Oh, faithless and perverse generation.

[00:11:54] Now friends, I don't know much about you but I would say this. I don't think I would like for Jesus to address me that way. Now I know that he had a habit of addressing the scribes and the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the time in that way.

[00:12:16] But the disciples are not used to him rebuking them with these types of words. So let's go to verse 43 and they were all amazed at the majesty of God.

[00:12:34] So they have just basically witnessed another miracle. And friends, a lot of times we overlook the healings that Jesus did in the gospels.

[00:12:48] But if you sit there and think about today in today's society and how often people go up to prayer and want to be healed and many people today are not healed.

[00:13:07] And yet in the time that Jesus was on the earth every single person that went to Jesus was healed. I want you to think about that. It's so hard for us to grasp that concept and I believe that every single person that needs healing today can be healed as well.

[00:13:31] And yet many people are not. And I think that the key if you really delve into the scriptures is because of a lack of faith.

[00:13:46] Jesus a lot of times administered healing and then he said, your faith has made you whole. Your faith has made you well. Jesus walks us today to have the faith that this father had bringing his son to Jesus believing in his heart

[00:14:12] that Jesus is going to get rid of the spirit once and for all. And that his son is going to be healed. And I believe if you have that in your heart, in your mind, I believe that you can be healed as well.

[00:14:31] In second Peter it says, by His stripes we are healed. Now let's go to verse 44 and these words are in red, meaning these are the words of Jesus. And listen to what he says. He said, let these words sink down into your ears for the son of man is about

[00:15:01] to be trade into the hands of man. I want you to listen to this. Listen to Jesus is words again. Let these words sink down into your ears for the son of man is about to be trade into the hands of man.

[00:15:23] Friends my third and final point of today's lesson is Jesus again predicts his death. Let's look at the commentary for the verse 44 note that Jesus predicted that he, the son of man would be betrayed even when many were still marveling at his ministry.

[00:15:53] I want you to picture that you are in this scene. You have just seen this boy healed. The spirit is inside of him, it convulses him, it throws him to the ground. Jesus goes to that spirit and cleanses him and delivers him from that spirit. The people marvel. They are amazed at what they see. Jesus has once again

[00:16:23] healed someone and then the very next words of Jesus is a prophetic announcement that he is going to be delivered into the hands of people and they are going to kill him.

[00:16:44] They did not understand what he was telling them. Let's listen to the commentary for verse 45. The indication here is that the disciples still had much to learn.

[00:17:03] Their fear shows that they understood something about what Jesus said, but they did not understand how and why Jesus could say the things about himself.

[00:17:19] Since he was the Messiah and that they could not make that connection. The suffering of the Messiah was something that disciples did not yet understand. He would continue to be confused in their understanding of how such suffering fit in the God's plan until Jesus's death and resurrection.

[00:17:54] Friends, this entire account of Jesus, him coming down to earth as the Son of God. He emptied himself and became as a man and yet he had the ability to heal anyone who came to him.

[00:18:17] That is awesome. But I love the declaration of Jesus that he tells us today as his disciples that we should be able to do everything and even more that he did on earth. We have that ability inside us today.

[00:18:42] Before we close, I'd like to go back to our verse of the day and take a quick peek at verse 24 of Proverbs 20. A man's steps are of the Lord. How then can a man understand his own way?

[00:19:21] Life itself is God's gift only a fool assumes he knows it's full meaning.

[00:19:31] Friends, I just want to give an example of this verse how many times have you heard of someone who was doing something. They were in the act of doing something and then they had a heart attack and they died on the spot.

[00:19:54] Now I don't like bringing that up, but it happens on vacation and that basically is what his first is talking about.

[00:20:04] Man's steps are of the Lord. How then can a man understand his own way? Friends, we never know when our time is going to come up out of the blue things happen and sometimes we are devastated by what happens or what can happen in our life.

[00:20:30] So I am going to suggest that anyone that doesn't have Jesus in their heart as of right now that they make that very important decision today. If there's anyone listening today and I'm speaking to you please repeat a simple prayer after me right now.

[00:20:54] Father God, thank you for sending Jesus to earth. Jesus, thank you for coming to earth. Thank you that you were willing to die on a cross knowing that you were sent to earth to die on that cross for the sins of the entire world.

[00:21:14] Jesus, thank you for forgiving me of all of my sins. Yet I ask that you come into my heart. I ask that you lead me and guide me from this point forward in my life.

[00:21:28] I make you my Lord and Savior. Now, may the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make us face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord liftoff is countenance upon you and give you peace. Friends, please join me again tomorrow as we close out the week with wisdom today.