Sermon Central
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There Were Others Sent Series
Contributed by John Bright on May 24, 2022 (message contributor)
Summary: Working through the Gospel of Luke using consecutive expository preaching. Teaching sheet included at end of text.
"There Were Others Sent"
A sermon for 5/15/22 – Fifth Sunday of Easter
Pastor John Bright
Luke 10 “17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”
Pause right there. Those words I just read; they were “Breathed by God”! God wants you to hear His Word right now! So, what is your response? Do you want to transformed by that Word or do you want to be informed about the words? You have to choose.
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Luke began chapter 9 with Jesus sending out the 12 disciples. Now, he starts off chapter 10 with the sending out of whole bunch of “normal folks.” What I mean – Jesus was setting up lots of folks to do ministry… NOT JUST THE PREACHERS!
As Jesus speaks to them, we read familiar words from the other Gospels:
v 2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
v 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.
v9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
He also gives them the same instructions that He gave the disciples in Luke 9:
• Travel light – v4
• Stay in one place – v7
• If a place does not receive you – shake off the dust – v.10-11
Jesus also gives another, very clear, rebuke of those places where He had been rejected – Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. I want to make sure we don’t miss what Jesus said about that rejection: v.13 “For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.” Jesus had done miracles in the places He was rejected and He is sending out a whole bunch of normal folks to do what they had seen Him already do.
Jesus tells them - “v9 And heal the sick there”. When the disciples went out, we have this summary – Luke 9:6 “So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.”
Get this – Jesus was healing physical bodies and the disciples were healing physical bodies and the normal folks were told to be healing physical bodies. Period. Now before your whine and complain – I KNOW God does the healing. God decides who will be healed now and who will be healed later. God is in control… but God uses people in this work to go to those who need healing. Let me paraphrase this for you - the need for healing is great, but the healers are few. What about you and me? Wait right there – will you say YES to God?
The Normal Folks Set Others Free v17-20
“17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Who remembers the reason I told you that we never need to fear satan and his demons? (Anybody notice how I skipped right past asking you if you believe they are real – we are way past that!)
