Sermon Iv - Series Loving People Into The Kingdom Series

CATLETTSBURG SOUTHSIDE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE

AM MESSAGE

SUNDAY- FEBRUARY 23, 2014

SERIES: “LOVING PEOPLE INTO THE KINGDOM”

SERMON IV

TEXT: LUKE 10:17-21a

OPENING STATEMENT

This is the last Sunday in a series that we have been preaching through the month of February about “Loving People into the Kingdom.” Sub-title, “Don’t Just Go To Church But Be The Church.”

REVIEW

First Sunday we looked at the story of the Good Samaritan found also in Luke 10.

Second Sunday we looked at Jesus Mission Statement found in Luke 4, His first sermon He preached when He declared that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him and had anointed Him to:

• Preach the gospel to the poor

• To heal the brokenhearted

• To proclaim freedom to the captives

• To recover sight to the blind

• Set at liberty those that were oppressed

• To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord or what was known as the Year of Jubilee.

• The key to that sermon was this, “Jesus looks at people with compassion.”

Last Sunday night we looked at two of Jesus Parables, in fact they are the two shortest parables that Jesus told; the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Leaven, found in Luke 13.

Jesus teaching that it is not always the big things that matter. Bigger is not always better. God sees little things that are done with the right motive than the big things that are done for vain glory.

Location or size of service has little to do with how God measures our service. Obedient service is always in response to what Christ has already done for us.

Our small acts of compassion are in reaction to Christ’s redemptive actions at the cross.

TEXT - LUKE 10:17-23

BACKGROUND

THE SEVENTY SENT OUT

Jesus has sent 70 disciples out to visit every city and place where He Himself was about to go.

The ordination for these 70 disciples to be honest wasn’t very encouraging. Jesus made statements to them like:

• You will drive a new Cadillac?

• You will live in a great big mansion with an air conditioned dog house?

• You are going to be rich and have everything you want?

No! That is not what Jesus said at all.

• I am sending you out like lambs among wolves

• Don’t take anything extra with you like purses, suitcases or extra shoes. Some of you ladies would be saying, “Oh wait just a minute.”

• Don’t get attached to people along the way.

• Stay with the people who receive you and eat and drink what they set before you.

THE SEVENTY COME BACK

When the 70 came back they are pumped. They are into this ministry.

VERSE 17

“Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."

They were probably whooping and hollering, excited, talking about all the things that had happen on their evangelistic crusade.

TAKE HOME TRUTH #1- FAITH WITH GOD’S POWER MAKES AN IMPACT!

Jesus said something to them, which has always bugged me until I prepared for this sermon.

VERSE 18

“And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

Jesus is saying I saw more than you saw. Jesus is saying, I saw the battle going on in the Heavenly Realms.

ILLUSTRATION

How many remembers when we had Steven Manly for revival a couple of years ago and we spent a month talking about the Heavenly Realms?

Paul writes much in the book of Ephesians about the “Heavenly Places” or the “Heavenly Realms”

Paul mentions the Heavenly Places or Heavenly Realms four times in his Ephesians’ letter.

Ephesians 1:3

Ephesians 1:20

Ephesians 2:6

Ephesians 3:10

• It is where all the battles are fought this morning.

• It is why when you start coming to church with your family disunity sometimes sets in.

• You are running late and you can’t find the kids shoes. Sometimes you can’t find the kid.

• The devil starts long before you ever get here to fight in the heavenly realms against you.

• While I am preaching in the principalities and powers of the air there is a battle raging.

• One minute your mind is on the service and the next minute you are wondering how big the line is down at Golden Corral right? Wonder if the Baptist church is already down there? Wonder if we get there before the Pentecostals?

Jesus is saying, you are rejoicing because the devils are subject to you, but if you could just see what I saw. If you could just see what was going on in the spiritual realms. “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

My friend let me tell you, Satan has power but he does not have power over our God. Jesus is saying to these disciples when you were out doing the work that I sent you to do, I saw Satan falling.