Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome to the March 22 sermon from Clifford Baptist Church, 635 Fletcher's Level Road in Amherst. Today's scripture is Luke, chapter 4, verses 31 through 44. And the sermon is entitled Thy Kingdom Come, delivered today by Pastor Jeffrey Campbell. And we are grateful to remind you that God is working on something beautiful.
[00:00:20] And I'm grateful that as part of his church, as the gathered believers in Jesus Christ, we come before him and before his holy word today. So I ask, ask you to take your Bibles, go to Luke chapter number four. Luke chapter number four. Today, as we open God's Word together and as we finish out Luke chapter four, I'm just going to give you a little glimpse of the finish line. We are 1/6 complete of the book of Luke.
[00:00:48] Five, six to go. But we're 1/6 of the way complete in this book. I know it may seem like it's going to take us forever, but we'll be through it before we know it. I'm grateful that as we look toward God and look to His Word, the fourth chapter has really challenged me in a lot of ways. And today, as we close that chapter, and it culminates around this, as Jesus proclaims that he has more work to do because he's about the kingdom's business.
[00:01:22] Have you ever watched a child take a sip of soda for the first time?
[00:01:28] I don't know if it's the carbonation or the sugar, but those two things packed together put a reaction on a child's face that is unimaginable. I got a little niece, and I held a glass of sweet tea to her lips when she was about a year old.
[00:01:46] At first I had her daddy's permission, but I took that glass of iced tea. Now, iced tea, it does reach the soul. I do believe that it ministers to your soul. But that sweet tea, as I held it to her lips at the last second, my brother said, no, no, no, no, no. And I jerked that glass back like I thought I was doing something bad, right?
[00:02:07] And for two years, that child hates me.
[00:02:12] She blames me for the reason that she couldn't get the sip of sweet tea right.
[00:02:18] Maybe you're here today and you like the taste of adrenaline, and you feed that adrenaline rush by bull riding or bungee jumping or skydiving or bow hunting or roller coasters. You've gotten a taste of something and you desire more.
[00:02:38] Well, today, that's what our scripture's about.
[00:02:41] What about the Kingdom of God?
[00:02:43] Have you gotten a taste of something eternal that you know that will last forever, and you desire more of it.
[00:02:53] That should be our relationship with Jesus.
[00:02:58] We've gotten a taste. We've seen what he can do. And we desire God to do more, not only in us, but through us in his world.
[00:03:13] Taste creates desire, desire creates pursuit.
[00:03:22] And pursuit leads to transformation.
[00:03:27] I'm gonna say that one more time because it's the crux of our message today. Taste creates a desire.
[00:03:34] The desire creates a pursuit, and the pursuit leads to transformation. David sums it up best in one verse in your Bible. It comes from Psalm 34, verse number 8. O taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
[00:03:56] As we think today about our prayer life and what God is doing and our relationship with Jesus Christ, we pray that that has created a desire that leads to a transformation in our own lives. You know that part of the Lord's Prayer, the model prayer in which we just. Wayne, just read. Thy kingdom come.
[00:04:22] That's part of that prayer. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:04:29] Do we truly want that?
[00:04:32] Do we truly desire, Lord, your kingdom come, your kingdom come to my life. The reign of you in my life, Lord. I need that.
[00:04:43] I want that. I've tasted of that. I'm going to surrender to that. And I'm going to live my life for it.
[00:04:49] All right, that's the sermon. Y' all ready to go home?
[00:04:53] I preached my sermon right there.
[00:04:56] Let's look to God's word. So you know, it's not Jeffrey. It's God's desire.
[00:05:02] Luke, chapter number four. Look at verse number 31 and 32.
[00:05:09] Now, remember, I'm gonna stop right here. I'm gonna set the scene. Remember, they have tried in his hometown to throw him off headfirst off the cliff. That's where we left off last week. And he walked. He passed through them. He left the city. And in verse number 31, it says this. He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath days.
[00:05:28] And they were astonished at his doctrine, for his word was with power.
[00:05:34] I've titled this message, thy kingdom come. And that is the prayer that we certainly want Jesus to rule in our lives. And we want Jesus not only to see his power, but we want to see him to work in our own hearts first and then through us. But as we think about that, there are three points. And the first point today is this. When we think about thy kingdom come, we need to see Jesus authority to teach. You need to see the authority that Jesus has to teach, and we cannot miss that.
[00:06:08] He's been run out of his hometown and threatened to be killed. And it's not a good start to ministry. You know, if a pastor has that kind of start to ministry, they're probably throwing in the towel and saying, I don't want any more of this. Right? But Jesus is different than any other man. He is. He's God. And so as he comes, he just moves along to a different city. And so he travels some 15 or 20 miles north, northeast to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, to Capernaum. Now, this area is going to be home to Jesus. It will be home base for him. He will minister a majority of his time here to the people there. But he's giving them a taste of what is to come. And in verse number 31, it tells us that Jesus begins by teaching them. And what we see there, he taught them on the Sabbath days. So that days plural means that he is there teaching. He's spending, giving them a taste of the teaching of His Word. And we see that as he leads in that way, Jesus always starts with Scripture. Now listen, anything that you believe or any way that you live your life or any thought that you have, it should be traced back to Scripture.
[00:07:20] Now, we are free people. We can think what we want and we can believe what we want, but it should be able to be traced back to scripture, to what God wanted.
[00:07:30] And so what we see here is as Jesus takes the holy word, he begins to teach.
[00:07:35] He begins to teach in that city, and it begins with the Word of God. Now, it's very different. If we were in that day, I would be sitting, you would be standing.
[00:07:46] So we've kind of flipped the roles there. So picture Jesus sitting, everybody listening.
[00:07:54] He has everybody's attention.
[00:07:56] And then what we see here is something happens as people begin to listen to him teach day after day after day, the people become astonished at what he taught and how he taught. Now, listen, I know that some of you have favorite preachers. I have people that I love to listen to, people that made a tremendous impact in my life. It started back when I was in a little Methodist church. There was a guy who was old as dirt when I was a teenager, and. And he said yes to come preach in a tiny little church as a retired man. His name was Earl Martin. Earl Martin invested in me. He was in his 70s. I was in my teenage years. But he invested in me, and he showed me what it means to love Jesus.
[00:08:43] Then I was able to come to Clifford Baptist Church. And Mike Fitzgerald and Clyde Moyer showed me what it meant to teach the word of God and love God and let the Word of God lead your life.
[00:08:56] And there are many people that I continue to listen to. The late Adrian Rogers and God bless his soul. Steve Gaines passed away this week. That man, I listened to him over and over. But whether it's David, Jeremiah or Jeff Redland or Herschel York or Gary Hamrick or HB Charles or Scott Pauly or Stephen Rummage, these names may not mean anything to you, but. But that's who I listen to every single day, over and over and over. What keeps you going back to the same preacher? Don't answer that right now. Don't answer.
[00:09:31] But we gotta realize you want to hear the Word of God. That should be the sole purpose. You might like their style, you might like the way they use illustrations. You might like them in certain ways. But what it boils down to, it's got to be the Word of God. And so as Jesus teaches, he teaches the Word of God in such a way that the truth of God is revealed. People desire to hear it and they want more.
[00:10:00] You see some teachers in Capernaum, the rabbis, they would teach, and they would do it in such a way that they would always reference other rabbis. It would be like me preaching a sermon to you and saying, oh, oh, this is what Pastor Mike said. And this is what Pastor Mike said. And this is what Pastor Mike said. Before too long, you were sitting there saying, well, bring Pastor Mike back to preach. Right?
[00:10:22] Well, that's what the rabbis would do. The rabbis would teach, but they would not lean on the Word of God. They would lean on other great teachers.
[00:10:31] But when Jesus comes, Jesus is teaching in ways that the people that have heard about God recognize. There is something different here. And the word that is used in the King James in verse number 32, it says, they were astonished at his doctrine, for his Word was with power.
[00:10:53] The way that Jesus preached, they realized this.
[00:10:58] His words are like God's words.
[00:11:03] His insights and his teachings, his interpretations, his illustrations are unmatched.
[00:11:10] The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, chapter 7, verses 28 and 29. Here's what those words say. When people heard Jesus, one of his greatest sermons, it says this. The people were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as having authority and not as the scribes.
[00:11:28] So a scribe knew the Bible, the scribe would copy the Bible. He knew what God's word said. But the scribe could, could not teach and could not communicate the Word as much as they knew it. Like Jesus could.
[00:11:42] And so what we realize very quickly as Jesus makes this move to Capernaum, and as he is beginning to teach, he is not like any other man, any other teacher, any other church worker in history. This man carries power.
[00:12:00] And the people identify that authority that he carries.
[00:12:05] Now, later on, you all know this.
[00:12:08] Jesus would show authority over the storms and the spirits and forgiveness of sin and judgment. He would ask, or excuse me, he would say, in the Great Commission, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me that authority.
[00:12:27] As Jesus comes in Capernaum, the authority to teach the word of God stands out. The people are noticing. This is different. This man is different. It has power. It is almost like he is God. Look at the next couple of verses. Look at verse 33. And in the synagogue there was a man which had a spirit of an unclean devil and cried out with a loud voice saying, let us alone. What have we to do with thee? Thou Jesus of Nazareth, art Thou come to destroy us?
[00:13:01] I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, hold thy peace and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him and hurt him not.
[00:13:15] They were all amazed and spake among themselves, saying, what a word is this. For with authority and power he. He commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. And he arose out of the synagogue and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with great fever. And they besought him for her. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and ministered unto them. And when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him. And he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. Verse number 41.
[00:14:02] And the devils also came out of many, crying out and saying, thou art Christ, the Son of God. And he, rebuking them, suffered them not to speak, for they knew that he was Christ.
[00:14:16] Point number two today is this.
[00:14:20] Jesus has authority over demons and sickness in the synagogue. Jesus continues to show his authority. And as he encounters these demons, remember we hear that he has authority over heaven and earth.
[00:14:36] But he's going to give us what that looks like, a little taste of it, what it looks like.
[00:14:41] And really, in this section, it's boiled down to three miracles.
[00:14:46] And the first miracle involves a man. The second one involves Simon's mother in law. And the third one involves the many.
[00:14:53] Let's look at the man real quick.
[00:14:56] That man has a demonic spirit.
[00:14:59] Now listen, church, I want to say something maybe that gives us the heebie jeebies.
[00:15:03] We go back to our memory. Maybe you've watched crazy movies.
[00:15:07] I did when I was younger. The exorcist pops out in mind and I'm like, oh, gosh.
[00:15:14] Here's my question. Do demons still exist?
[00:15:16] Your pastor says, yes, they do.
[00:15:19] I believe they are still here.
[00:15:21] Jesus has not returned.
[00:15:23] Jesus has not banished them.
[00:15:25] They are still at work.
[00:15:28] And so when we understand that Jesus has authority over heaven and earth, we see that he is going to show that authority in a physical way. So we know that he has authority to teach and preach the word of God and to teach it like nobody else.
[00:15:43] But then the miracles start to happen. There's a man that shows up and he has a demon within him.
[00:15:52] And as Jesus encounters this man, we see that his demonic influence in his life is real and it has taken over this man. And it's like the demon is communicating with Jesus. That's exactly what's happening. And through this situation, this demon acknowledges who who Jesus is.
[00:16:13] You cannot miss this. The demon acknowledges that you are the Son of God. Do y' all see that?
[00:16:21] The demon acknowledges that. That demon acknowledges what the people have seen in this man's life as he torments him and as he wrestles with him day and night. And simply the demon asked Jesus this. Have you come to destroy us?
[00:16:38] You don't have anything to do with us. You're not our boss.
[00:16:42] Quietly, they realize this.
[00:16:44] Jesus does have the power. They're trying to deter him and steer him in ways that he does not come to action against them.
[00:16:54] But have you come to destroy us?
[00:16:57] You don't have anything to do with that. In reality, the demon doesn't want anything to do with Jesus.
[00:17:03] Jesus orders this demon to be silent, to come out of this man. And in one last action of rebellion, the demon throws this man to the ground, leaves him lying there. The man is unarmed, and he goes away.
[00:17:19] Now, you may say that's just a fun Bible story, but look at verse number 36.
[00:17:24] It says they were all amazed and spake among themselves saying, what a word is this? For with authority and power, he commanded the unclean spirits and they come out. And the fame of him went about every place of the country roundabout. Don't get focused on the fame.
[00:17:41] What you need to be focused on is Jesus has authority to cast even the demons out of this man.
[00:17:49] And those demons, at one word of Jesus, they must obey and they flee. They get out of this man and they flee at Jesus command.
[00:18:02] And so when we see that work of Jesus, it begins a firestorm of what is going on in the lives of those around him. Now, Simon Peter. Now I put Peter in there. We see Simon's name here, but it is Simon Peter.
[00:18:17] The second thing that Jesus does here is he enters Simon Peter's home and Simon's mother in law is sick with a fever.
[00:18:26] And as we read that account, I'm not going to reread it again. But that second miracle, they go into Simon Peter's home. The mother in law is sick.
[00:18:35] So much so that they call for Jesus.
[00:18:38] We're not told what's wrong, but they call for Jesus. Jesus comes and he rebukes the sickness. And that sickness leaves. And here's the miracle. Not that she is made well, but the miracle in that is immediately she gets up and serves like this is a miracle that happens instantly.
[00:18:58] When you and I go down with sickness, it takes us days to recover.
[00:19:02] No, no, no, no. This happens immediately. She gets up and she begins to serve them. Now what would happen if a sick person served you a meal when you went to their house?
[00:19:11] Many of you would leave that house. I know you would. I know you would.
[00:19:15] You've been sick. Don't touch me. I know that. Well, that's the miracle.
[00:19:20] Look Jesus at one word. The demon has left and the sickness has left. And here's what you can't miss.
[00:19:27] He rebuked them both.
[00:19:30] So the demon and the sickness in Jesus mind got the same word to leave.
[00:19:37] And the people are amazed at the authority and the power that Jesus has.
[00:19:44] At the end of the this section we read about the many that would come as those people run to Jesus, bringing sickness and disease and demons. Jesus puts his hands on them, he heals them, showing them where the miracle comes from and also showing authority over any disease that was brought before him.
[00:20:05] Many could have labeled him unclean, but they didn't. The demons were cast out and they left. And they acknowledge Jesus Christ as the son of God.
[00:20:16] Can I say this? What you see in scripture today, Demons acknowledge what man won't. Jesus is not just a good man.
[00:20:27] He's not just a miracle worker. He's not just a life changer. He is God.
[00:20:33] And that's what the demons say. This man is the son of God.
[00:20:40] And with those words, the news rings out to the hillsides.
[00:20:46] And I'm grateful that as we. Whether we are in the house or whether we are in the synagogue and we are looking at these healings. Luke gives us a great personal side of a very powerful God.
[00:21:00] The power that Jesus has, the authority that he has over sickness and disease and demons and is vital to his ministry to show that he truly is the Son of God. So now listen. Jesus is teaching.
[00:21:16] He's healing and casting out demons.
[00:21:19] And everybody recognizes this man is different. He's got an authority that no one else has. They got a taste of what the kingdom of God is looking like as Jesus comes on scene and he begins ministering and he. He begins teaching and he begins touching people's lives.
[00:21:39] Many of us sit in churches and we want a taste of what's to come. We long for the kingdom of God that truly is in the future.
[00:21:50] We read verses like Revelation 21, that God will wipe away all our tears. There's no death and no sorrow, no crying.
[00:21:58] There's no pain. It's all passed away. Behold, all things are new. You know that verse.
[00:22:04] But what about here?
[00:22:06] What about while we are alive?
[00:22:08] Here's what I want you to know. Church Jesus. Kingdom is in the future and is for eternity. But the kingdom work is now.
[00:22:18] And that's what you and I, as believers are called to be a part of. We're not called to twiddle our thumbs and wait one day on the hope of that kingdom. We're to take part in the work that God is doing today.
[00:22:33] And so what we see, he's got authority to teach.
[00:22:37] The demons are listening to him, the diseases are leaving people, and people are excited. Look at verse number 42 through 44. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place.
[00:22:50] And the people sought him and came to him and stayed him that he should not depart from them.
[00:22:56] And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, for therefore I am sent.
[00:23:03] And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. The third point today, he's got authority in the kingdom of God. We see Jesus trying to get to a quiet place, to a desert place, away from the people in his own desire. Here's what he desires in that quietness. Simply to get close to God the Father. Jesus wants to get close to His Father.
[00:23:25] Now, I know there are times that you and I need a quiet place. Maybe it's to get away from the kids or the wife or the husband, whatever. We all need that. But we need quiet places to get with God. And I pray that you take advantage of Quiet times and quiet places.
[00:23:41] But as Jesus goes to that quiet place, the people are now begging him, please stay, please stay, please stay. There's many more sicknesses, there's more work to do here. And he said, no, I've got to go to another city because I've got work to do and I've got to preach the kingdom of God. Now that gets people. Those three words, the kingdom of God get people worked up. And my very limited understanding, I'll be the first one to tell you I don't know it all, but here's how I want to describe the kingdom of God. When we think about the kingdom of God, a kingdom has to have a king, right? When we think of kingdoms, they have a king.
[00:24:18] And in order for the kingdom of God to work and to be active, Jesus must sit on the throne. And here's what I want to tell you church I'm grateful for. Clifford Baptist Church and I'm grateful for the kingdom work that we are doing. But in order for that to continue on, Jesus must sit at the head of that.
[00:24:36] So we understand, look, the kingdom is any place that Jesus sits on the throne.
[00:24:43] And so God can work. The kingdom of God can be working in your life. If Jesus is on the throne and he's on the throne in our church. But we look at our world and what do we think when we look at the world? Is Jesus on the throne of our world? No, when we think about the kingdom of God, it is the place where Jesus serves as king.
[00:25:05] And when Jesus began using this, it's going to work the people up to eventually ask him to be their king.
[00:25:13] You're talking about a kingdom, Jesus, you be our king and you see a little glimpse in that. And Jesus did not come to overthrow any rulers as far as a political party. He did not want to be a political king, but he came. His sole mission was to preach the kingdom of God had come and then go fulfill his father's will by dying on the cross. When we think about the authority in the kingdom, he had business to do, he had to go take care of that.
[00:25:43] He had to sit on the throne and obey his father to make sure he was in his father's will as the promised Messiah. As he proclaims the kingdom of God, he is really saying the kingdom has come. I'm here to fulfill the prophecy, the beginning to show that I am king. Now listen, when we think about the kingdom in the future, I'm all about that.
[00:26:10] I'm all about a place where there's going to be no more sickness and no pain and no sorrow, no hurting. I want to be there. But here's the reality. Before we get there, we must be obedient down here.
[00:26:23] Let me ask this. This morning, have you tasted and seen that the Lord is good? Have you tasted and seen that the Lord is good?
[00:26:32] When I look at the future, man, I can't wait for a kingdom where there is no Satan. How many of you know in the future he's going to be cast into a bottomless pit? Nevermore. Oh, we want that. We want that in the future. But here's my question, Church, as I close this message, do you want him to reign in your heart today before you get to that place of eternity? Jesus must reign and his work must be done in your life today.
[00:27:00] He wants to sit on the throne of your heart. I'm not asking you if you've, if you've prayed the prayer to ask Jesus to come into your heart. I'm not asking you, do you think he's a good man? Here's what I'm asking you. Have you tasted him? And do you desire? Do you pursue him with your life? And will you let your life be transformed by Jesus? I got one question, and here's that question.
[00:27:26] Do you think all of these people that we've read about this morning, whether it's Simon's mother in law or the man that held the demon or the many that were healed, do you think they ever got sick again? Can I tell you what's wrong? Some of us are mad at God because God hasn't done what we've asked him to do. You've prayed for somebody to be healed and you're mad at God because God didn't heal that person. Well, God healed many in the Bible. But listen, those people got sick again and those people had to die. He was temporarily showing his authority over the word, over demons, over sickness, that he was different, that he indeed was the Son of God. And so today, when we bring our needs before him, I believe that we need to do that. I pray that if you were not here, you go back and listen to that message from Wednesday night. Ask, seek and knock.
[00:28:15] Pray that Jesus will help you absolutely. But here's what you need to be okay with that. Jesus, you're on the throne of my heart today.
[00:28:24] That no matter what happens down here, that you're working through me and in me insomuch that I will one day spend an eternity with you forevermore. That's what the kingdom of God is like. Luke is Going to tell us about the Kingdom of God. So you've got to get familiar with that. And so I just end with this.
[00:28:43] Who's on the throne of your heart? People saw that Jesus was good, that he was doing good things.
[00:28:50] They wanted more of him. They wanted him to stay longer. They wanted him to do more miracles. But would they make Him Lord? Would they make him king of their kingdom? We have our little world and we have our little bubbles and we have our plan. And if we don't let Jesus be king there, he won't be king for eternity. So today, that's the Kingdom of God.
[00:29:13] Jesus has come to give just a taste what it's going to be like forevermore. And as we read this scripture together, my prayer is this.
[00:29:25] That Jesus reigns in your heart. That by that taste of salvation will lead to surrender and pursuit and laying down your life in transformation. That you indeed will be a child of. Of the Kingdom of God today. What do you need? Some of you just need to come. You're believers. You need to bow down and say, lord, allow me to pursue you more. Change me more. There may be somebody in here today that have heard about the good things that Jesus has done. The casting out of demons, the powerful preaching the great teaching. He establishes his kingdom. But here's what you failed. You failed to recognize your need. And so my prayer today is only God can do this. He would peel back the scales off of your eyes. That you see more than just a good man or a miracle worker. That you see that Jesus truly is the son of God and that you need him as savior. Let's pray. Father. God. Lord, thank you for your word, God, as we come to a moment of invitation, God, I pray, Lord, that you will meet every heart and every need in this moment. God, you're God. We trust that you can do that.
[00:30:43] And Lord, you know what every need is in this room. And Lord, as we lay them before you right now, God, I pray that you will hear the prayers of the saints, God, that you will draw us closer to you, Lord. That you will not only give us a taste, but give us that pursuit that that leads to transformation.
[00:31:04] Oh God, I pray for that one that needs you, A savior.
[00:31:09] God. That you will work in that heart and that that life that they will be able to allow you to sit on the throne of their heart.
[00:31:18] God. Thank you, Lord, that we recognize that we are sinners and that we need the touch of your powerful and mighty hand, Your saving grace upon our lives by the old rugged cross and the empty tomb. You can bring hope and life to anyone who will come to you in faith.
[00:31:42] God, I pray that you begin your work in your church, in your people, that this work will last for all eternity.
[00:31:53] Lord, I pray for that work that needs you as savior, that you would work.
[00:32:00] Oh, God, we pray thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:32:09] Amen. Clifford Baptist Church invites you to join us for worship every Sunday morning at 11am for more information about our church, please call our church office at 434-946-0555.
