Darkness Or Light Series

SERMON OUTLINE:

(1). Slander (vs 14-28)

• Accusation (vs 14-16).

• Refutation (vs 17-22).

• Application (vs 23-28):

(2). An interruption (vs 27-28):

• A blessing (vs 27)

• A response (vs 27)

(c). A History Lesson (vs 29-36):

• (illustration #1). Jonah (vs 29-30 & 32)

• (illustration #2). Solomon (vs 31).

• (illustration #3). Light (vs 33-36).

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

• The brightest star ever found in the universe goes by the catchy name R136a1.

• It is 165,000 light years away from planet Earth.

• It is big, I mean big!

• It is more than 300,000 times bigger than Earth

• It would take 300 of our Sun to equal the mass of this star.

• This star is not just twice as bright as our sun,

• It’s not 10 times brighter,

• It’s not a hundred times brighter,

• It’s not a thousand times brighter,

• And it’s not even a million times brighter.

• R136a1 is a full ten million times brighter than our sun!

• I don’t know about you but my retinas hurt just thinking about it.

• TRANSITION: There are two types of light in the world.

• We can perceive one, or both, or neither!

• When we are born into this world, most of us could observe physical light,

• However, the Bible speaks of another Light,

• A Light so important that it took the Son of God to come into this world,

• In order to both declare it and impart it to human beings.

• Woven through our passage today, is darkness and light,

• Jesus is the light for the world and we see him encountering darkness, evil.

• In fact our passage starts with out with a healing,

• Jesus has driven out an evil spirit that had caused a man to be mute.

• Note: Obviously this does not mean that every person who is mute has a demon;

• It simply means that on this occasion;

• The way the demonic spirit affected the man was by making him mute.

• When the demon left the man who had been mute, he began to speak,

• And the crowd was amazed.

• But notice, instead of rejoicing with the man who has been set free;

• The healing is soon put to one side and ignored.

• And an argument regarding how the healing was done takes centre stage.

• And so the source, the root, the power of the healing is the main agenda in these verses.

(1). Slander (vs 14-28)

• When the enemies of Jesus were unable to oppose him by fair means;

• They resorted to unfair means – slander!

Ill:

• In the 18oo’s William Ewart Gladstone was a British Liberal Party statesman;

• And four times Prime Minister;

• Gladstone is also famous for his intense rivalry;

• With the Conservative Party Leader Benjamin Disraeli.

• The rivalry was not only political, but also personal.

• e.g. Gladstone's nickname was GOM (which stood for ‘Grand Old Man’,),

• Disraeli publicly said it really stood for "God's Only Mistake".

• When Gladstone was interested in the reformation of prostitutes;

• His opponents said he was interested in them for very different reasons!

• Unable to oppose Gladstone by fair means;

• His opponents resorted to unfair means,

• They slandered his character and tried to destroy his reputation.

• TRANSITION: Just as Gladstone was slandered in the hope to discredit him,

• So too the enemies of Jesus would question his motives and source of power.

Accusation (vs 14-16).

14Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15But some of them said, "By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons." 16Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.

Verse 15: “The some of them said”:

• These people Luke calls ‘some’,

• Are identified for us by Matthew and Mark in their gospels,

• They are the Pharisees and scribes, the political and religious heavyweights of their day.

• They are opposed to Jesus and that is seen in how they accuse him;

• They respond to this exorcism performed by Jesus;

• By claiming that it was accomplished by the power of the devil.

So, this exorcism – this miraculous act of mercy:

• Causes two very different reactions:

• Amazement from the crowd,

• And accusation from the religious leaders.

• Who claim that it was accomplished by the power of Beelzebub.

Question: Who or what is Beelzebub?

Answer:

• Beelzebub was one of the names of the Philistine God Baal.

• We read about him in the Old Testament (2 Kings chapter 1 verses 1-3).