Luke 4:43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
INTRODUCTION:
• As I sit here in Jamaica today, working on this message that I will be delivering Sunday morning back home in Florida, I am reminded once again of the International/Global heart of Jesus. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world…”
• This is a Global Gospel (Gospel of God’s Love for the WHOLE WORLD)
• A Life Transformative Gospel (His LIFE, LEGACY & LORDSHIP) is seen throughout the Scriptures)
• A Gospel of Endless Love - John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
• Today we will once again see the heart of Jesus as He Loves Locally & Reaches Globally.
I. Luke 4:31-37 (35) Satan will always oppose the work of God but Jesus did not allow this to hinder Him.
A. Jesus taught the people of Capernaum with power! (V 32)
1. Satan cried out with a loud voice.
2. A couple of things to notice:
a) Satan recognized Jesus as the Son of God even when the people in Jesus own home town refused to recognize Him.
b) Satan recognized the power that Jesus had!
c) Satan is afraid of God! (If God really lives in us then Satan should be afraid of us!)
B. Jesus responded to the devil with 8 words, “Holy thy peace, and come out of him.”
1. Jesus did not engage in long conversations with the devil. We see Him rebuking Satan in the wilderness in Luke Chapter 4 and we see Him rebuking Satan here.
a) Satan will try to engage you in conversation. If you engage Him he will confuse you, twist the truth and bring chaos into your life.
b) Do what Jesus did… Rebuke him. - James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
2. One word from God can change your life forever!
3. Let God fight your battles. (Romans 12:19 “…Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”)
C. The fame of Jesus spread throughout the countryside. (V 37)
1. Jesus was able to perform many miracles and deliverances because the faith of the people ran high! (V 38-41)
a) Could you imagine what Jesus could do through us today here in America and around the world if our faith in Him ran high?
b) I dare you to believe God and take Him at His Word!
2. People were hungry for a move of God.
3. People are hungry for an authentic move of God today!
4. We are living in the beginning of the “GREATEST REVIVAL”.
• Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
II. The International - Global Heart of Jesus.
• Luke 4:43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
A. The Kingdom of God speaks of God’s Systems and God’s ways of doing things.
1. God operates by faith. - Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
B. Jesus identified “cities”.
1. Jesus was where the people were.
2. Jesus knew that if He could communicate the Kingdom of God to the “cities" that the message would filter into the country around those cities.
3. Jesus continues His calling through us. We are His partners in the Global Communication of God’s Love!
4. We must be strategic in the proclamation and the dissemination of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
C. 4 End-time strategies for Global Impact
1. Global Prayer Force - Praying for revival, Praying for missionaries and Praying for effective Global Strategies to reach the world.
2. The #1 tool for Global Impact today is the Internet. (Television used to be where it was at but not anymore)
3. Supporting Global Efforts (prayer, finances, resources etc.) to share the Gospel with the world.
4. Social Media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, etc) is the strongest platform today for spreading the Gospel.
a) Why not use your social media influence for God?
b) If Jesus was to examine your social media pages what would He find?
c) Can people tell, by looking at your social media pages, that you are a Christian!
d) Become a Social Media Witness for Jesus! (If Jesus would have come in our generation He would have been an Instagramer, etc!)
e) Post “Life Giving Content.” (Explain hashtags, keywords etc.)
5. Loving Locally… Reaching Globally
CLOSING:
• Salvation
• Reaffirming our commitment to Global Evangelism
