Luke 7:22

Pastor Jacob talks about an interesting fact that Jesus categorized along with the Miracles that proved His divinity. Originally given on Sept. 6th 2020

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Today is the first Sunday of the Month, and here at Christ Community that means we will be taking Communion together.

Now because of everything going on with Covid, we have been asking you all to bring your own Communion Elements.

But if you forget, don’t worry, we have a cracker and juice for you.

And we have some volunteers that will help get those to you.

So, Communion.

This may be confusing or weird for some people, you may not really know what it is you are actually doing while you take Communion……..and in fact were going to be doing a sermon or two about Communion in the coming months, and really trying to wrap our heart around what it is and what it means.

But the short version is this:

We are doing something with our bodies, that lets everyone around us know what we believe.

We do this to remind ourselves of who Jesus is, and what He did for us.

It’s a tradition that was first instructed and given by Jesus himself….and carried out for thousands of years, all the way through time, across numerous wars and cultures and continents…….until today.

I doubt they had Dollar General Oyster crackers back then, but nevertheless, it remains true.

We are participating in a tradition that is given to us as an instruction by God, to remind us of who Jesus is, and what His body and blood mean to us.

1st Corinthians 11:23-29 says this:

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

This bread, represents the Body of our God--------

It was the breaking of His body on the cross, that opens the door for us to live full meaningful lives, and see Him when our time comes.

Let us partake together

25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

This juice, represents the blood of our God------

And it is the shedding of His holy blood, that is the punishment that our sins earned, poured out on Him instead of us.

I pray we never forget this, no matter what is going on in the world and in our lives.

Let us partake together

Amen.

Now, before we get into our message today, we have just a few announcements.

Sunday School is starting back up on September 13th

Our wonderful and amazing Sunday School teachers are excited to mold and shape the hearts and minds of the young

And were asking that because of the size of the Sunday School rooms, you have your child wear a mask if theyll be going.

September 13th ----- Sunday School

Were planning on having a Free Community Dinner on Saturday April 26th

hotdogs, mac salad, and salt potatoes, baked beans

But September 26th, around 5pm, we’ll be having a drive up free community dinner

Last announcement

Sermon Survey

We’ll be getting into some of these topics in about 2 weeks, and im excited to talk about all these things that are on your hearts and minds

So if theres a certain Bible Story that always leaves you wantig more, or a certain verse that leaves you with questions, or maybe theres a life issue that you are wondering what the Bible has to say about it, there are some blank forms in that back pew for you.

Alright, now, todays message is going to be a sort of conclusion to the Sermon Series that we have been working through.

For the past month or two, we have been talking about the Miracles of Jesus.

All the different things that He did

Why He did them

What they mean

What they mean to the people who were then and there

What they mean to us

Last week we talked about how Jesus was using all different areas of this world to prove who He was.

He used a sick man and a sick woman, to prove that He has authority over sicknesses----

He used those same sicknesses to prove that He has authority over the culture that said they were unworthy

He used a storm to prove He has authority over nature

And he used Lazarus to prove that He has authority over life and death.

All of this, as we said multiple times over the past few months, was to prove that Jesus is God.

If someone were to ask themselves the question:

“How do I know that Jesus is God?”

The miracles written here in Scripture would be the answer to that question.

And this morning, were going to talk about another fact that I have been teasing.

It comes to us in:

Luke 7:18-23

18 John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’” 21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 23 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

( → → Opening Prayer ← ← )

Awesome. Lets do this thing.

So….ive stated a bunch of times now, so much so that you're probably getting sick and tired of hearing me say it……...Jesus performed miracles to prove who He was.

He was telling everyone who saw it back then, and everyone who reads about it now:

I can do these things because I am God.

And if we do a little digging, we can see that these miracles not only proved that He is God….they proved what kind of God He is.

You see everyone has an image of God in their mind and in their heart, about how He should be.

God should be

A,B,C,D

And if God isnt those things…..I am going to get angry

We see on the news and on social media….and even in some Churches…..the person of Jesus, His words and His works, being used to further someone’s own personal agenda.

We here people claim:

“Oh If Jesus was here, He would support this person and not that person”

“If God was real, He would hang out with THESE people, and not those people”

“If Jesus was here today, He would further this side of the political divide thats currently vomiting all over our country….. and be opposed to the other side.”

Another one that people may hear, and one that Churches have been abusing for thousands of years is:

“If you just have enough faith...and say the right words….then Jesus will bless your life and you'll be rich and wealthy and happy like me.”

They feed us this nonsense, and force us to think that:

“God is only for the nice, happy, rich, wealthy, attractive, well clothed, holy and religious and important people.”

Everyone out there has an image in their mind of who God would go after to be a part of His kingdom….but all of that crumbles when we read what Scripture actually teaches:

James 2:5

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?”

The God of all the universe, is one who cares, deeply and immensely for the broken hearted and abused.

He cares for the victims and the lost

The depressed and anxious are those whom He goes after

The healthy have no need for a Doctor

But it is the sick who seek help

What im about to say, may sound wrong, like I’m going against Scripture….. but im going to slather on a big thick layer of sarcasm so that the truth can come through.

He is not a God for kings and emperors

He is not a God for the rich and powerful

For the wealthy, righteous and holy

He is a God for the homeless and broken

The sick and lost

The hurt and betrayed

Yes--------He is the God of everyone.

Yes--------He is the God of the entire universe.

He holds reality in the palm of His hands, He rests His feet on galaxies-----

He owns and has authority over every molecule and thought that has ever existed----

Jesus Christ is God of all reality----------and

----when pure love poured out of his holy veins ----- He directed that flow not toward the arrogant and proud ------ but to the broken and low.

The people left in the gutters of this world, are those whom He showers with the diamonds of grace and mercy.

The people whose hearts hurt more and more with every beat because their own beating hearts remind them of someone else’s whose isnt still beating------

---------are the ones who He lowered Himself to, and says here I am….come to me

He cries out not in thunderous rapture the words of Matthew 11:28…..but with a whisper.

With a soft and loving and tender voice, He says to us:

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

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You see in our verses this morning, John the Baptizer sent people to learn who Jesus was------

He had been preaching and teaching all about the coming Messiah that the OT talked about

All through the OT the prophets and priests were telling people about the Messiah who would be coming into the World

And now….He is here. The fulfillment of hundreds of years of prophecies and teachings is walking among the people, and John is in prison for telling people that same thing.

To keep teaching his people this truth…..as much as he can from a prison cell…..he sends people to ask Jesus directly, to his face…..are the one the Old Testament taugh us about.

And what did Jesus say to their question? He didnt say “yup thats me. Take it or leave it”

He told them all about the things He did, that were evidence of Him being God.

Jesus gave them a list of things that can only apply to the real God of the world.

Pretend and fictitious gods cant give sight to the blind

Pretend and fictitious gods cant make the paralyzed walk

Pretend and fictitious gods cant heal the diseased

Pretend and fictitious gods cant give life to the dead

And pretend and fictitious gods cannot give hope to the hopeless

They don't love the unlovable

They don't save the low and depressed

They don't rescue the broken and hurt

When our hearts cry in agony at the events in our life, no matter how they happened or how long ago or how recently they may have happened-----

-----when our hearts scream at the pain of our life

Only God can respond.

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Yes counselors can help---- don't twist my words

Yes our parents and friends and family and teachers and loved ones and coworkers and all the people we have in our life that love and support us can help us-----

Yes psychiatrists and counselors can do wonderful things in our life

But only God can speak to the inner longing of our hearts to have meaning and purpose in this world.

Only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can we escape the filth of our past

Escape the filth of the present

Live a life that has meaning beyond the garbage that this world can throw at us

Only God can make us whole.

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You see, in our verses this morning, Jesus is giving a list of all the different things that can be used as evidence to believe He is God.

Those men who asked that question can now say:

“I know He is God, because He has given sight to the blind”

“I know He is God, because He made the deaf to hear, and the paralyzed to walk.”

“I know that He is God because He has brought the dead to life”

and

“I know that He is God, because His offer of salvation is open to everyone who believes….not just the holy, righteous, and well off people.”

We can know that Jesus is God because His offer of salvation is not limited to the good, nice, holy, righteous people of this world. His offer is for everyone who believes.

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You see, the logic of this world….and even other religions….. Teaches us that we need to get right FIRST, and then we can be accepted.

We need to get clean first-------

We need to get our act together, get our ducks in a row, get our life focused and under control-----

And THEN we can go to Church

And THEN we can go to see our parents

And THEN we can go to see our kids

And THEN our spouse will love us

And THEN our families will accept us

This world teaches us that we need to get clean and right and holy

And then God will accept us

James 2:5

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?”

God calls those who this world casts aside and forgets

Washes them off, and makes them new

He puts together the pieces of our broken hearts-----

He takes us as we are, stained and lost----

And by the blood of His soon He makes us clean and found

And when He does, we can rest on the reality that nothing can ever drive us away from Him

Nothing will cause Him to reject us or turn His back

And every time we think we are too far gone------

Every time we think that the thoughts we've had or the actions we done, can separate us once we have been saved, then I would encourage you to look at the words of Galatians 2:20….. and repeat them to yourselves over and over and over again, until no other thought can stand.

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me.”

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In closing-----

If none of this applies to you:

If you are healthy and happy and only good things happen to you, and everything in your life is in order and put together------then ignore me.

Dont pay attention, dont read the Bible, dont push for some deeper meaning in life

Because you already have it all figured out

But if it DOES apply to you------even a little bit

If there is hurt in your past--- in your childhood---

If there is hurt in your PRESENT---

If society has failed you-----and left you behind

If your family has failed you------and left you behind

If a Church ------ has failed you-----and left you behind

If your spirit is broken and your heart is anything but whole

Then I would encourage you to listen carefully to the words of Isaiah

Isaiah 61:1

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,”

Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, and cares for the lost and hopeless.

So much so, that He put on a human body, came to earth, and took on the role of a servant

------the lowest of the low

------to prove that He is God

And if your trust is in Him, then you can repeat to yourself….over and over and over again, the words of Galatians 2:20

( → → Closing prayer ← ← )