Mike Bickle explores Jesus' ministry in Galilee, emphasizing the significance of His return to the region filled with the Holy Spirit after His baptism and temptation. He highlights the excitement of the Galileans upon hearing of Jesus' miracles, yet warns that with great advancements come fierce opposition. Bickle illustrates how Jesus' teachings and miracles, including healing a nobleman's son and calling His first disciples, reveal the nature of God's sovereignty and the importance of faith. The sermon also addresses the challenges of ministry, the need for perseverance, and the call to trust in God's leadership amidst trials.

Well, tonight we're looking at session eight in our series on studies in the life of Christ and Mostly we're going to be in Luke chapter 4 and 5 Mark 1 and 2 is parallel passages to Luke 4 and 5 and so you're covering the same territory and the same stories in Mark 1 and 2 and Luke 4 and 5 but I chose to focus mostly on Luke 4 and 5 I'll add a few details from Mark that aren't in Luke Paragraph a in this session We're gonna look at Jesus's ministry in the Galilee region Because in our last session he was down south in Jerusalem. That's where he began His ministry down there for some months and now he's come up north To the region of Galilee, of course Nazareth Nazareth is where he grew up which is in the region of Galilee Capernaum is in Galilee and Jesus most of his ministry was in the Galilee region and so it's We look at about an 18 month period Covering these chapters here Paragraph B it begins in Luke chapter 4 verse 14 He returns in the power of the Spirit to Galilee In other words, he's coming back home he went down south and He fully God but living as a man and he went down south It was baptized in water by John and the power of the Spirit came on him as a man to anoint him in his humanity in his messianic office and So he went through the temptation and the power of God the audible voice of God now, he's coming back home To begin ministry in his own region The Galilee region, but now he's in the power of the Holy Spirit Miracles are now going to be happening after 30 years of silence now it's going to be a continual three and a half year period after his anointing or three-year period of the miracles and all the supernatural activity of the Holy Spirit so verse 14 just to kind of Imagine the excitement You know the son of Joseph the carpenter the young man went down south He came back up and they heard about him doing some miracles when he's down in Jerusalem And so verse 14 he returns of the power of the Spirit. This is a new look I mean, it's a new story about his life. Nobody has seen this part of his life News about him went everywhere Joseph's son, he's back the carpenters boy. He's got power in his life. What happened? I don't know something with John the Baptist down south Verse 15 he taught in their synagogues Again brand new it's his first teaching experiences in terms of going to the synagogue in terms of being anointed as the Messiah And everybody's praising him or glorifying him now it's a great beginning and We're to learn a lesson by the great beginning because Jesus is a realist and he knows that though it begins exciting I mean, I'm not exciting with people's excitement people are excited. He knows it's going to go sour pretty quick and one of the Problems that we have is that we get some good momentum some good things happen in our life And we're kind of imagining for the next 10 20 30 years It's just gonna stay good and get better Well in the ministry in the life of Jesus, it didn't work that way there were tremendous advancements than tremendous opposition and Resistance against him and he knew that would take place and we learned by his the pattern of his life That when great things happen, that is that means often there's going to be in a counter-attack of the enemy That's going to come fiercely and we don't lose heart. We don't thank God abandoned us, but we We set our soul we set our heart to persevere knowing that the breakthroughs have counterattacks and challenges of the enemy Verse 45 going back to John 4 now when he came to Galilee John's puts a little bit different He goes all the Galileans. They're just excited Because they saw the things he did down in Jerusalem a few weeks earlier they heard they saw the miracles they went down for the feast For for Passover and they thought wow, you know a guy from our area. This is a whole new thing here So they went back home and said hey that kid. He's amazing. Well, I don't know what happened, but something big is happening in his life paragraph see so he's John chapter 4 John only takes one episode of this of his Galilean ministry here And then when I get we'll go back over to Luke and Mark and they'll pick it up and develop it So he comes back verse 46 of John 4 he comes back to Cana of Galilee remember he's in Cana the first time and he did the miracle at the wedding But it was a miracle that nobody knew it was a silent kind of deal I mean the waiters knew but the party didn't know and Jesus slipped out of town So it's a miracle that mostly went unnoticed Well, he's back in Cana again And he's gonna do another miracle and it's gonna be the same sort of thing. It's gonna mostly go unnoticed because he's gonna speak the word and someone's gonna be healed 15 miles away and The people in his immediate area don't even know the miracle happened Jesus is content So he began his first two miracles that were kind of non-dramatic In terms of it creating a big stir of excitement to the people around him verse 46 he came to Cana of Galilee There was a nobleman. His son was sick Capernaum now Capernaum is about 15 miles from Cana again, it's all up north in Galilee the Galilee's the region and The nobleman he implored him or begged him Come down to Capernaum and Heal my son He's he's absolutely It's he's at the end. There is no hope for him without a miracle and He's asking this Young man who with this new? Stories going about that he does miracles as people saw him down in Jerusalem. He goes come walk 15 miles Lay hands on my son because from Cana to Capernaum was 15 miles Jesus Gives him a gentle rebuke And he says unless you people see the signs, I mean you've heard the miracle testimony of what I did in Jerusalem But until you see him with your own eyes, you won't believe me. Will you and this nobleman? You know, he's desperate about his son on the verge of death But he tries again verse 49 he goes come down Make the 15 mile walk Lay hands on my son And Jesus said well, let's try it a different way He goes I'm just gonna tell you that time and distance Doesn't hinder me at all because I'm God He says your son's healed. I'm not gonna walk 15 miles Not because of the inconvenience because I have the authority That's greater than time and distance and I don't need to go and if you believe who I am You will know I don't need to go And the nobleman just kind of never heard anybody talk this way before Because Jesus gave him a little rebuke in verse 48 saying you what you you heard the stories to believe who I am Open your heart Verse 50 said go your way. So the man this was a decisive moment He said okay Okay, you know, okay. I'm going with that verse 51 Now as he was going down Actually, this is the next day when you read the whole story. It's the next day. In other words, there's no woman so believes Jesus He doesn't walk home that moment to go make sure his son's healed. He goes, you know what? I'm gonna finish my business then I Believe you I'm gonna spend the night here because it's only 15 miles It's three four-hour walk He could have gone home the day before because Jesus told him this about the seventh hour one o'clock in the afternoon The guy goes I so believe you. I'm just gonna go ahead and finish my business and what I'm here in and Cana for and I'm gonna go home. I'm gonna have peace and know that my son's healed. I'm just gonna go there You know and sometimes that's how the Lord wants us to respond because I said it believe it Peace be still to the storm in your heart Go about your business knowing that it's finished. It's taken care of and that's what this nobleman does Verse 51 as he's walking this 15 miles, you know, three four-hour walk On the way there some a group he meets a group, uh, you know from his team back home Capernaum because your son lives And he goes when verse 52 when it happened they said was about one o'clock yesterday The seventh hour one o'clock because they start counting at 6 a.m. In the morning. So it's the seventh hours 1 p.m The fever just suddenly left The father knew that was exactly when that young man from Nazareth said it I'm so glad I believed him because I only had his word You know often all we have is his word we have no signs no feelings no anything We just have his word and I and often that's how he wants us to respond Paragraph D. So now he goes from Cana to Nazareth He goes to his hometown now, he's anointed now, it's his first time back home since the power of God's on him Again he's always been gone. He's never ceased to be God, but he's never displayed his deity So the folks back home after 30 years, they don't know this about him He's always lived in the limitations of his humanity. But now he has the Holy Spirit touching his humanity It's a whole new game. It's a whole new situation So he wants to go back home and he wants to give them the first opportunity to respond as a city So he goes to the whole city He walks in the synagogue verse 16 of Luke now We're gonna again between Mark 1 and 2 and Luke 4 and 5 We're gonna just tell the story kind of go back and forth because they're both telling the same events He walks in he goes to Nazareth. This is his town the power of God's on him I mean, he's got to be excited, but he knows that town and he knows that they're cynical and they're not responsive to God They have a form of being devout, but they're not really responsive at the heart level and he knows this so he knows This is gonna be a challenge So he goes into the synagogue. It's the Sabbath verse 17 He was handed the book of Isaiah the prophet because often the leader of the synagogue would have different people from the community read give a reading and make a few comments and So the news is kind of buzzing around about Jesus and the so he comes in and the leader's saying like hey She's good to have you back. We're hearing big stuff about you. Hey, would you do the reading today? Jesus goes, yeah, I'd love to So I hand him the book of Isaiah and Jesus like perfect because each book, you know had a different scroll You know the 39 books of the Old Testament like 39 scrolls some would suggest Good you handed me Isaiah perfect He opened it and he found the place. He went right to Isaiah 61. It's his story He had probably read and thought on Isaiah 61 thousands of times through his teen years He got to the place in Isaiah 61 verse 18 the famous verse the Spirit of the Lord is upon me. I Can just imagine him saying the anointings on me I was with John the Baptist a few months ago the powers on me the light the power of God's on me and they're going Wow, this is cool. Homeboy makes it big in Jerusalem No, really, they're excited one in their own because nothing big ever happens in Nazareth. Nazareth is Is that town where people can't wait to get out of high school to move away from? No, for real Nazareth had that negative reputation of not going anywhere and so they thought wow one of our guys He says in verse 18 the spirits anointed me It happened in my baptism a few months ago And here's what I'm gonna do the rest of my days. I'm gonna preach to the poor They're going man. We know that verse Isaiah 61. That's amazing. You're gonna you're gonna do some of that Jesus is thinking no, I'm not gonna do some of it. I am that They don't get this part yet Because they just think you know, he's gonna like if one of us said Isaiah 61 We're really into that the Lord's blessing us with that. We'd go cool. What a great testimony so far That's all they think is happening He goes he sent me to heal the brokenhearted I'm a bound healing brokenhearts Beloved the anointing of the Holy Spirit on him two thousand years ago And then when he rose from the dead ascended to the Father released the Spirit upon the church It's about healing the brokenheart It's about healing your broken heart and it's about the Lord using you to heal the broken heart of others God's in the healing the brokenheart business. That's this is one of the reasons the anointing has been released to the human experience to proclaim Liberty to captives and Jesus proclaimed Liberty to many that were tormented by fear and demons many he liberated them spiritually and emotionally And he said I'm here verse 19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord The acceptable year of the Lord in the Old Testament language was the year of salvation The year of Jubilee when all the debts were forgiven the new beginning It's the acceptable year. It's the year favor and they're going. Yeah again It'd be like someone, you know real devout and the Lord's visited them and they're saying this is what I'm gonna be doing We'd go cool But Jesus means I am this in the absolute sense. Not just one of many participating in this anointing Verse 20 he closed the book Everybody was looking at it because see they've heard the stories of what happened in Jerusalem and they heard the stories Even of what happened to Capernaum with the nobleman son because in a minute he's gonna say you heard what I did at Capernaum I healed that guy from 15 miles away and the story's already getting around Everyone's looking. Okay, the anointing's on you Let's do it. I mean go. Okay, and they're looking at him. They're smiling and I Imagine they are and he says today This scripture is fulfilled and what they probably think he means today this spirit is this scripture is going to have some Fulfillment. They don't know he is the Messiah the one and only Now it's interesting Verse one. I mean not a paragraph one. He read Isaiah 62 now notice he read verse 1 and 2 But only read half of verse 2 He didn't read the rest of verse 2 Very significantly He read the part about being anointed and The focus on the good news They and the people Nazareth they loved it He didn't read the second part of verse 2 when you go back to Isaiah 61 you read the second part He goes and the day of vengeance. I am releasing that to Jesus doesn't say that part because he's not gonna do that till the end of the age because the day of vengeance is the day of the Lord judgments in the Great Tribulation and the the global unprecedented judgment upon the Antichrist and his Empire and When the Lord's cleansing the earth literally from evil the day of vengeance the day of vengeance is a good day for believers Today when God confronts sin on a global level in a radical comprehensive way the day of vengeance And he didn't add that verse because for 2,000 years there's been moments of that But the day of vengeance is an eschatological hour meaning an in time hour it's those final years before the coming of the Lord and involved in the hour of his coming But paragraph 2 verse 21 today The scriptures fulfilled we're living in the 2,000 year period called today Paul the Apostle quoted it here in 2nd Corinthians 6 Paul quoted this he goes we're in the today Yes, we are believing God for a breakthrough one of our assignments in the Lord as a house of prayer. We're contending with many many other groups Across our nation for a third great awakening. I mean a massive breakthrough in our nation of the Holy Spirit We are contending for breakthrough. That's part of our assignment. That's part of our DNA something Dynamic something bigger than before is coming But though we're contending for something bigger some people make the mistake in the contending for something big historic They let go of the today Because for 2,000 years today's the day of the anointing we can get breakthrough in our individual lives We may not get breakthrough in the nation. We may not have a historic revival But we can have our own life get touched today every believer. It's today So though I'm believing God for a lot breakthrough tomorrow in our nation and the nations of the world actually But I never want to let go of pressing in with faith for today For my own heart to get touched to lead people to Jesus to see people filled with the Holy Spirit people get healed today Not in just a great revival. I've seen people they let go of today while they're contending for tomorrow But I've seen a lot of people so rejoicing and today they don't contend for tomorrow. I want to do both I'm gonna press in today with gratitude and faith But I don't want to ever let go of the vision of the historic breakthrough that I don't think is far away top of page 3 Well verse 22 so far so good They're going good. It goes. Hey, you're anointed Today it's fulfilled man. We're gonna see big stuff We heard what you did in Jerusalem We heard about that nobleman in Capernaum that you healed his son and you didn't even go you just spoke it the power hit that kid Come on, man. Let's do it. We're here Starts good and tell Jesus the prophet starts speaking Because Jesus is gonna now speak and he's gonna touch the real issue In their heart, they're not dealing with They don't like this part. He makes four statements. I mean so far everything was positive Liberty broken hearts the poor the anointing. I'm here. It's happening. Yes Suddenly he shifts He's gonna talk about something He's gonna make four negative statements because he's gonna talk about where their heart really is And what these statements are really about is God's sovereign leadership Because they're taken you're an azureth boy Nothing good happens in azureth. You're back home, man Maybe we're gonna make this the New Jerusalem the new Revival Center. Maybe this is it and Jesus is no no no, my father is sovereign and Though you think you have a claim on me for this city because I grew up here. I am loyal to my father And his ways are different than everybody's ways so he starts off with a Proverb that insults them He says verse 23, you'll surely say this proverb to me physician heal yourself In other words, that was a proverb that was going around to that day, which you know heal your own limp Jesus get things right with you and this town. I mean, let's get things right here You fix things here and get connected and Then we'll go from there So they're thinking that's a little bit of a negative beginning because he's saying no, I'm not gonna I'm not going to be your boy here. That's what that's not what's gonna happen Then he goes on he goes I know what you're saying Let us we've heard what happened in Capernaum when the nobleman's son was healed from a 15 miles away. We heard that Maybe you know, you'll do great things here in Nazareth Verse 24 and he goes no, I'm not gonna do it that way either Third statement. He says I say to you no prophet is accepted in his own country He goes I'm talking prophetically now. I'm talking about issues gonna touch your heart Because you really got an animosity against God. You don't even know about and I'm gonna bring it to the surface and you're not gonna like me They're looking at him saying oh, wait a second man, what's going on here? Why do you think you're some hotshot or something? Cuz no, I think the sovereignty of God is what I'm committed to not to your hometown sentimentality, that's not what I'm committed to He says I want to tell you verse 25 it really gets negative He goes back in the days of Elijah. That was about almost a thousand years before Christ He goes there were a lot of widows in Israel, right? They go. Yeah, and there was the heavens were shut up for three and a half years a drought That's in first Kings 18. It's a well-known story the drought in the years of Elijah. Yeah a Lot of widows were really suffering Jewish widows great famine verse 26 But to none of those widows did God Sovereignly send the Prophet Elijah, but he sent them to a place to a widow in Sidon that's up north Phoenicia to a pagan country to Gentiles to people that were pagan God sent mercy outside of Israel to the Gentiles They're going we don't like that we don't like God helping the Gentiles when we want help He goes well a few years later verse 27 with Elisha the next guy after Elijah Elisha came right after him He's most of you know There were many lepers in Israel None of them were cleansed in the in the days of Elisha, but one guy was a Syrian the captain of the Syrian army the Syrians hated Israel the Syrians were attacking Israel and Bringing destruction and God healed a leper who was the captain of the Syrian army And they're going They don't like that, you know be like World War two You know a prophet in France saying what if God wants to bring blessing to France by touching the Nazis in Germany? I mean it was that kind of intensity. They're going Who do you think you are? And he's going you don't understand. I'm the Messiah and it's the same message He had to his mother. I'm under the sovereignty of God things are different now. I'm not your little guy That's not how it's working. I'm God and I'm under the authority of my father. Will you? Want my leadership if I don't do it the way you want on your time frame in your way That's really what he's saying and the people in answer said no We want you if you're gonna be our guy and we're gonna be a new Revival Center and it's gonna get exciting We want you Jesus said doesn't work that way Because God's ways are so different and so as I read this passage what if God leads us Differently, what do we go through? more bigger challenges before bigger breakthroughs What if God and his sovereignty is leading in a way in perfect wisdom? Will we say now we're only in it if it gets exciting and easy We're in it if it gets hard and there's a delay we're out and then you bless the bad people over there the people who shouldn't get blessed from Sidon and from Syria the Gentiles the pagans the enemies you can't bless them and not bless us the Lord says I'm the leader I know what I'm doing Well verse 28, they got really mad filled with wrath rose up They wanted to take this hometown boy the favorite Throw him over a cliff. I mean they meant it. I mean they grew up Jesus grew up with him They were the elders when he was a boy and they were the young men his age They are so angry at him And all he did was say if God is sovereign and doesn't do it on your time frame and the way you want will you still follow him and he spoke as a prophet and their their Agendas and their basic mistrust of God's leadership came to the surface with anger Verse 30 he passed through the myths I'm gonna go throw him off the cliff and just by the spirit of God and the sovereignty he walked through them Maybe stared right at him. I don't know how he did it, but he walked through the crowd and he got away Let's go to paragraph F so now He goes down to Capernaum Now it always when it talks about Capernaum, they always say it you'll notice when you're reading The Gospels they're always going down to Capernaum Because Capernaum is right next to the Sea of Galilee And the Sea of Galilee, by the way has several different names has four different names, but it's the Sea of Galilee every time Four different names because of the thousands of years of Jewish history and different people and different reasons They have different names for different locations He goes to a Capernaum Verse 31, but he settles there. He decides I'm not making Jerusalem my headquarters and I'm not making Jerusalem. I'm in Jerusalem or Nazareth. I'm going to Capernaum and The reason he went to Capernaum. I don't have this on the notes because Isaiah chapter 9 said a great light would shine an afterlife zeppelin and That is Capernaum, that's the area Isaiah chapter 9 it was prophesied by Isaiah where Jesus would actually Base for a season. So that's why he's in Capernaum. It's the God's perfect design But Capernaum is down 700 feet below sea level because where the sea is I mean, it's way down deep So all the surrounding area is like 500 feet above sea level or a thousand feet Nazareth is 1200 feet So everything is downwards to Capernaum. So every time you read it, you'll notice I went down to Capernaum Somebody will say because it's really settled in there. Well, the old cycle is Begun to happen again He's in Capernaum and Capernaum is so excited there I mean undoubtedly they've read Isaiah 9 where it says he's gonna base there in essence if you read it and read between the lines Isaiah said he would be there a great light would shine in that area So he's there and they are so excited verse 32 astonished Wow miracles power, but they don't realize Jesus knows it that in a number of months. They're gonna turn on him, too Because people want his power and his blessing. They don't want his message Because his message he wants the father's Agenda to happen and the father's agenda is not politically correct in man's thinking What the father thinks is best for cities and nations and where he's leading history the way he's bringing history to freedom None of us would choose that we would choose a easier path but the father knows exactly what he's doing and and so everywhere Jesus went They liked him for a minute because of the power and the blessing and the presupposition things We're gonna get really easy and fun and then his messaging came out and they went up bah humbug We're not interested in your power. If this is what you're gonna promote this kind of ideology paragraph G Well, we're moving from Luke over to Mark because remember Luke 4 and 5 and Mark 1 and 2 are all covering the same area It's Jesus's first call of the four fishermen the four main fishermen. They were all partners two sets of brothers Peter and Andrew were brothers Peter the older brother James and John were brothers James the older brother and They all worked together in Capernaum and in a fishing business together and so Mark chapter 1 there's Jesus calls them two times He met them back in John 1 a few months earlier and they they got it We're getting acquainted, but he had not called them to be his disciples They they wanted to I mean they were kind of hanging around. Hey, could we hang out with you more? You know, you're amazing Jesus says well, we'll get there. We'll get there. And so this is the first time Verse 16 mark chapter 1 he saw Simon and Andrew those two brothers now notice they're casting Annette Into the sea because in a minute He's gonna call him again, but you're gonna notice it's different situations This time Andrew and Simon are casting Annette into the sea and Jesus says follow me in verse 18 The real point is instant response because they've been thinking about it for some months because they've known him They've been in conversation with him More than anybody else probably I mean quite a bit But they were still keeping their profession as fishermen They've been thinking about it, but when in Jesus verse 17 actually made the call Verse 18 instant response now when the Lord calls you to a challenging assignment I don't mean to just something new and Exciting but even something that's challenging and even gonna be hard because it's gonna be a very hard assignment is there a Yes in your spirit and most of you that in your in this room, which yes you do I'm saying Lord. I want whatever assignment you give me. I want it And the assignments that he gives us they always have challenges in them, and they always have work in them They always have setbacks in them, but they have breakthroughs and they have goodness in them as well But I like that verse 18 the the point of this first calling immediately they respond Then verse 19 he Jesus walked a few yards further Then the next set of brothers James and John they were mending the nets So Simon and Andrew verse 16 they were casting the nets James and John they were mending the nets because in the second calling we're gonna get it in a minute in Luke 5 That's not what they're doing. It's a very different setting so it's two different callings, and there's very different points of emphasis in them Top of page 3 well he's still in Capernaum verse 21 These four guys they've said yes to him we're with you They haven't given up everything they said yes We'll follow you anywhere, but they're still going to work the next day and thinking we don't exactly Know how this works because you're based in our town So we're gonna get up and still do our fishermen stuff Because you know you just live a you know down the road here, and we can be with you throughout You know parts of the day verse 21 he's still in Capernaum and he enters the synagogue and Right in the middle of the service verse 23 The guy starts screaming out with a demon verse 23. He cried out. Let us alone You know this here. You know you're in the synagogue service and one guy said What no are we bothering you it's something wrong What do we have to do with you Jesus of Nazareth and then the leader of the synagogue is going? You know I do this young guy things are gonna get little Interesting around here, they're screaming at Jesus in the church service Did you come to destroy us the demon says I know who you are you're God Now Jesus doesn't want demons affirming his deity Because down that the enemies are gonna say no the demons are promoting you you guys are working together You got some deal you got them as your promo team Jesus is saying Shut up. I was gonna say in the name of Jesus. Shut up. I don't he probably didn't say that verse 25 he rebuked him Because we can rebuke a demon And we don't have to scream at a demon. We don't get the demon to listen because of our tone We get the demon to listen because we have the authority of Jesus the day we're born again We could use the authority of Jesus, but many people don't use it And we rebuke demons. That's what we do with them We rebuke them when they're tormenting somebody and we rebuke them when they're tormenting or challenging us. We rebuke them We don't endure the storm. We rebuke them Verse 25 and he told the demon be quiet He told the the demon spirit to come out because some demons are inside of people Some demons are alongside of people tormenting and some are inside of people Someone says, how do you know? I said I don't care if they're close by or in we want him out far away No matter what in the name of Jesus far away and be done Though the demons come back over and over again, so it's not always just a one-time challenge But I want you to know that we rebuke demons in people around people tormenting us and demons can talk through people and We can tell them to be quiet I've been in a number of delivered sessions over the years and first couple times You know, it's all young guys in our 20s and we're casting demons out. The demons are like I'm You know, and we just are so interested in what they're saying. Well, how do you know that? You know like you don't hold conversations with demons. You always tell them to shut up because they're gonna lie no matter what But here they're actually telling the truth, but they're telling the truth to hurt Jesus's purposes Because they want the people to thank Jesus is somewhere in league with them somehow Even though he's casting them out, but somewhere there's some connection verse 26 the unclean spirit Had convulsed him. I mean that means the man had a you know, the the physical manifestations of a convulsion and That happens sometimes but the man's getting set free You find out earlier down in Luke chapter 4 this very same story It says verse 35 When the demon threw him it didn't hurt him So the Convulsion that the demon caused actually didn't hurt the person when in the name of Jesus the demon is being driven out Jesus did not want his Messiah ship proclaimed prematurely Because the Jewish people in that hour had a view of what the Messiah was and it was a political deliverer against Rome and He is a political deliverer ultimately at the second coming but he's first a spiritual deliverer setting people free from guilt of sin Compromise spirit of loss demonic activity. He's a spiritual deliverer, but Israel didn't want a spiritual deliverer They wanted a political deliverer. So the news of the Messiah Jesus didn't want because that term meant Revolution against Rome with weapons And he was gone. No, that's not where we're going. Yeah, I'm gonna do that when I come the second time I'm gonna come against the kings of the earth. I'm gonna kill them Luke chapter 9 9. I mean a revelation 19. He says I'm gonna kill the kings of the earth I'm gonna get intense before it's over I'm gonna change the whole leadership of the earth in one day Revelation 19 verse 19, it's really dramatic but he goes not now not in this hour. That's not what I'm doing. So he didn't want people Spreading the news. He was the Messiah because it would create the conflict ahead of time. He wanted to preach around the nation He wanted to sow the seed of the truth all over Israel and then bring the confrontation He wouldn't afraid of the confrontation but he wanted a little bit of time to sow the message himself in all the villages as The Messiah before the confrontation came to a head that's why it's constantly telling demons or people don't tell them who I am Because they'll have the idea. I'm a political leader that will stir up all kinds of animosity It will create the conflict before I want it I'm not afraid of the conflict but it's all in its right timing and he didn't want demons introducing him paragraph. I Well, he's still in Capernaum. There's all most of this happens at Capernaum He rose from the synagogue verse 38 of Luke 4 Simon's mother-in-law. He goes to Simon's house and the mother-in-law sick with a high fever. I Mean with a high fever it's an internal problem and I'm it could be deadly or very very dangerous to her health long-term consequences Verse 39 he rebuked the fever just like he rebuked the demons we can rebuke sicknesses. We can rebuke spirits Sometimes he'll speak to a sickness to command the sickness to leave Then when part of what he's doing is showing his power and compassion, but part of it. He's modeling how humans Anointed by the Spirit or to participate with the Spirit with the Holy Spirit again He's not only showing us his power. He is not only showing us his compassion He is but he's giving us a model of how we by the Holy Spirit Operate together with the Holy Spirit. So whatever Jesus did he rebuked the storm He rebuked the fig tree he rebuked inanimate objects he rebuked sickness he rebuked demons Paragraph J Now the Sun was setting News is going out everywhere all over it says in Mark 1 the whole city now gathered Now it's interesting Verse 40 I'm in paragraph J Luke 4 verse 40 when the Sun was setting because it was the Sabbath Now that the Sabbath is over and the Sun is setting now Everybody can gather in a in a more public way outside of the synagogue because now the Sabbath is over That's the significance of of giving the timing of that all that were sick anyone that was sick and the whole area of Capernaum and the whole region he laid hands on every one of them now. He's I mean he's going late into the night verse 41 many demons Or demons came out of many You think what was going on at Capernaum that so many people had demons in them But they were regularly Identifying him as the Christ because we know Christ and Messiah is the same. You're the Messiah. You're the Messiah You're the Messiah and Jesus is rebuking them. Stop. I Don't want the Messiah stuff out right now Everybody misunderstands it again. Jesus is not being humble and gee whiz don't draw attention to myself He's not afraid of the earth worshiping him. That's where it's going He's being very strategic in this and of course, he didn't want demons being his promo team paragraph K Now he's gonna move outside of Capernaum on his first Galilean tour, it's gonna go to all the villages It's gonna take place for about four months and look again, you're gonna see Luke 4 and Mark 1 They're kind of going back and forth telling the story Look at verse in Mark chapter 1 verse 35 Now Jesus In the morning, he's been up all night remember healing everybody He's been you know The mother-in-law was sick and then when it became after sunset the Sabbath's over the whole town came he's late into the night Verse 35 now in the morning having risen long before daylight. I Mean must have slept an hour or two or not at all He went out to a lonely place where he prayed Verse 36 Peter Simon and Peter is the same. Obviously, you know that Peter Was searching for him Jesus I mean to bother his prayer time Jesus. Where are you hiding? Jesus it's me Jesus is tucked over there in a hot hiding place Verse 37 I can just picture this They found it Peter here, he starts off at the very beginning Instructing Jesus with a little tone of correction. Where have you been? Everyone's looking for you. They need to be healed Peter chill Me and the father are connecting in a way that's critical you don't get all that right now It doesn't work out there Except I'm flowing in the overflow of what or mean the father connecting and Jesus said and by the way verse 38 I'm not interested and doing what everyone in Capernaum wants me to do They're not leading me by their demands. I Am obeying my father And we're gonna go to other towns No Peters I grew up in this town. Everybody's their expectations. It goes. No. No, we're not doing it that way I think you know, I get I do Q&A's people say what's One of the biggest challenges in ministry and in 40 years of ministry. I'll tell you when the biggest challenges top of the list For me and I think for any leader The ability to say no and to live in your limitations. I Am so tempted as are all most leaders To respond always to need and the father saying I'm not even leading you in that I Want you to talk to me right now? You have limited strength limited time and what people want Leaders they buy into this the Messiah complex. They're the one that meets the needs They're the one that delivers everyone. They can't bear anybody being disappointed in them So three years later, they're spiritually burnt out and they can't help anyone that Jesus said no Peter. We're not doing it that way. I Know they're all looking for me. But not only am I not going back to Capernaum? I'm gonna stay in my prayer thing with the Lord for a season and then I'm gonna go to another city Because I'm not following what their cry is right now I'm following the father's wisdom because everywhere he went the people wanted more and Jesus compassionate There's this lie. I've heard it all over over the years. It's kind of really silly But I've heard it so many times. They said Jesus had time for everyone That is the absolute craziest thing if you've studied the life of Jesus One of the most the reason I'm bringing it pointing it out One of the most profound things about Jesus's life was his ability to say no to stay on target with the father he didn't Go everywhere that everybody wanted at every flim of every request He was on a pathway. He was on a journey. He was following he had marching orders from the from above So I just saying that to leaders that are currently leaders and would-be leaders Don't buy into the sentimental idea that Jesus had time for everybody he turned way more people away after a momentary encounter when he prayed for them and had power and Moved on to the next city the next town and stayed on his journey I'm not advocating coldness, but I'm not a but I'm advocating human leaders Acknowledging their weakness and their limitation don't buy into the Messiah complex and And stay in the race for 40 years not for three or four years and then burn out And you'll see that all through Jesus's life It's one of the hardest lessons that I've had to learn and I still lose what lose my way on that top of page four now it's Excuse me It's the second call of the same for fishermen Here the lessons are Different that are being emphasized This is the call where they didn't go back to fishing again until after Peter denied the Lord and Jesus rose from the dead Then he went to Galilee and found Peter fishing back in John 21, but that's that's months away before we get to there Peter went fishing that was bad because Peter was giving up And saying I can't deal with my failure. I might get by the boats back and rev up the fishing business. Then anyway, that's For next April we'll be there in John 21, okay Paragraph a Luke 5 the second calling He stood by the lake Gennesaret, which is Sea of Galilee. It's the same thing as Sea of Galilee. It's got four different names this time there's two boats and They're washing the nets They're not casting the nets or mending the nets like they were back in in Mark 1, but they're washing them Verse 3 and Jesus Set in the boat went a few yards out and spoke to the multitude gave this gave a sermon then verse 4 He told Peter Simon After the sermon that he gave to the crowd Because he got a little bit, you know, just the acoustics they say the acoustics if they're just right in the right, you know in the in a Lower area surrounded by mountains and the sea and if it's just right, you know I don't really know how that works, but they said the acoustics can be quite astounding Where he could sit in a boat and talk to a large group of people verse 4 He said Peter Let's go out to the deep. Let's go out to the Sea of Galilee Let your nets down verse 5 Peter said Well Lord, we toiled all night now again They were called in Mark 1 a month or two earlier and they said yes, and they're really in but Jesus is living a grouper And I'm with them so they don't give up their day job yet So Simon says that we've toiled all night Jesus said Peter What I'm asking you to do, you know and Andrew Peter's little brother Pear he knows something. You don't know Peter just do what he says So they went out verse 6 had a great catch of fish Now Here's one of the points that God is making to Peter Jesus is making to Peter and it's a point we can make that in our Mission to be fishers of men Which is to lead people to Christ and not just to lead them to Christ initially to bring them to Christ in fullness I mean we're leading Unbelievers to Jesus and we're leading believers to Jesus We're even fishing for men or women even as believers bringing them out of bondage bringing them into greater liberty We're still fishing for them in that regard. It's not only Unbelievers that we're fishing for we're bringing people to the goodness of God into a place of Liberty Here's the point verse 5 Peter said I worked all night. I didn't I didn't have any breakthrough Jesus said don't ever forget that Peter That just because you work all night and there's not a breakthrough doesn't mean a mighty breakthrough isn't coming suddenly and Peter was to know this all of his days. He would remember it's hard. No fish. It's hard work No fish setback. No fish. No fish. No fish. Suddenly a great fish more than I can contain in a suddenly things can turn in a moment and this This calling of Peter the second calling actually was a lesson to him as well and it's for us as well Don't give up because you toil and in the natural there's no point Jesus said well, you don't know when I'm gonna get in the boat with you And when there's no fish over and over and over suddenly everything is different Verse 8 when Peter saw the great fish Catch he fell down. He was awestruck He was aware that he was in the presence of Majesty See another guy would have seen the great catch. It thought man. We just made enough money, which they did To give us I mean we got a lot we got some room to economic room here to you know Go launch our ministry. I mean them that great fish had an economic impact to their families Undoubtedly but Peter could have said boy, there's favor. There's miracles. There's excitement. I'm in the inner crowd with a guy with miracle power But Peter sells something else verse 8. He goes that's great, but I'm in the presence of God This is about me getting more money or in the inner circle or having a powerful ministry. I'm in front of God And he fell down and worshiped boy, that's what made Peter a Reliable Apostle when he sorted things out after a while. He went through a few more bumps because he was interacting with God not just a professional ministry So he could get more stuff and establish his own niche and then verse 11 all four of them Peter and his brother Andrew and James and John the two brothers they forsook everything Paragraph B the next was a leper and The key message to the leper. I'm just gonna gun. I go rapid-fire through this the key issue with the leper He said Lord verse 12 if you're willing Cleanse me and the Lord settled it. I am willing Beloved it's settled forever. He never changes. I'm the God who heals I'm willing Jehovah Rafa the God who healeth thee the covenant God who heals But he tells the leper verse 14 same thing don't tell nobody the leper told everybody Because the leper was so excited Because he had a disease a skin disease that isolated him socially and kept him in incredible poverty. So now he's Liberated from this terrible skin disease if you will He's not isolated socially and he's not stuck in poverty. I mean everything is changing his life and Spiritually as well. He's met the Messiah I mean he is so excited and the reason Jesus doesn't want him to tell again He doesn't want the message of the Messiah the political deliverer Against Rome to win the narrative because he's a spiritual deliverer first But they're not even thinking of a spiritual deliverer. They want a conqueror to beat up Rome and Jesus wants to define Who the Son of Man is and what the Messiah does? and he wants to sprinkle seed all the villages of Israel and Then he'll let the conflict come to the place where he ends up getting crucified Top of page 5 paragraph C Now the Great Convention verse 17 Luke 5 17 look at this Pharisees the top brass Religious leaders from every town. I mean all the denominational heads were in town from Judea Which is the whole province the whole region Galilee the whole region from Jerusalem I mean the main city all the top brass or not But the big guys were in town the power of God Was present to heal They don't really like him He hasn't Really got in their face just yet. He did it to Nazareth, but he hasn't disturbed them just yet But there they remember he's the guy that messed up the temple the first day. He went down to Jerusalem They're going we don't know about this guy Suddenly They're in a house. Jesus got a crowd and all the top leaders Many of the top leaders in the nation religious leaders are there verse 18 All of a sudden the tile of the house starts dirt It's coming down and what's going on a big crowd and I imagine Jesus probably on the porch You know the roof over it There's a young man that's paralyzed and his four friends are Digging through the roof to bring the paralyzed boy Jesus looks at him verse 20 and he goes Your sins are forgiven Now he's doing that knowing the top brass. The top leaders are there again. Not all of them many of them. That is so offensive The top leaders who know the Bible really well They go verse 21 You can't forgive sins unless you're God That's blasphemy. Jesus goes. You're right. Only God can forgive sins. I forgive you I Jesus asked a question He goes what's easier to say? Your sins are forgiven because nobody can verify it Or tell a paralytic walk right now because you can verify it instantly. I Can tell you you're forgiven, but you don't really know till you die. I Could get oh, you know 50 more years and nobody could hold me accountable. They don't know till the guy dies and The answer is it's way easier to say you're forgiven. He's okay I'll say the hard one rise and walk and the guy just breaks forth out of his Paralytic condition and is walking. I mean the you would naturally have so much atrophy in your body That even if your muscles and the nervous system was restored You couldn't walk But I mean carries his bed it's like the muscles are rejuvenated I mean the miracles remarkable The whole place is filled with fear paragraph D Then one of the top sinners in town Levi He's got two names He's called Levi and he's called Matthew It's interesting the tax collector cuz they're tax collectors. The reason everybody hated him the tax collectors Joined the team of the Romans the pagan foreigner oppressors The Romans go, you know, we don't know your guys Jewish customs in your streets and all your language in ways If you will muscle them Get the money from them. We'll give you a cut of it So the tax collectors they would just go really be rough on people Use the whole force of the Roman state to enforce it and the tax collectors would pocket a bunch of it And the Jewish people said you sell us out and oppress us economically and you live rich by taking our money Because you get a percent of it. They hated the tax collectors Jesus Looks at Matthew Levi and says I want you on my team The other people go what he goes now I can see there's something bigger than That man's sin right now. I can see there's a cry in his heart Beloved God could see the cry in a person's spirit and a sincerity and even a desire to be faithful Long before they ever break through. I mean he was still wheeling and dealing when Jesus called it for a paragraph II He was so grateful Matthew was or Levi He had a big banquet He was man. I love you. Could you love me? You believe in me? I really do want you I'm gonna do this right Jesus cuz oh, I know I know Well, you don't know Matthew's your names on one of the foundation stones in the New Jerusalem That's gonna shock you when you see that, but I'll tell you that some other day He goes, I'll get all my friends. Well, all of his friends were harlots and tax gatherers and sinners Jesus goes, this is awesome. Bring them all in because they all have a destiny They don't know about they have a cry to belong to God to be real to have a new beginning to be forgiven To have a new start with God and reality and I'm gonna give it to him No Religious leaders did not like this at all top of page six But interesting Matthew You know, Jesus makes the famous sentence. I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners There are no righteous people by the way, that was a hypothetical He didn't come to call righteous one reason there aren't any Now the Pharisees put their chest out the oh you didn't come to call us and Jesus goes. No, you really misunderstood There aren't any there's none righteous Your righteousness is like a filthy rag But notice paragraph F top of page six, I'll just bring this to an end here Notice Matt I mean Mark and Luke tell the story of Matthew's party the banquet But Matthew when he tells his own story, he adds one other part that Mark and Luke don't add Look at this paragraph paragraph. It's in Matthew Matthews. Let me tell you I was there. He's writing the gospel of Matthew He goes and Jesus said those who are well don't need a physician. I called Sinners not the righteous, but listen, he added one more phrase verse 13 Hey Pete Matthew goes. I remember when Jesus told everybody go and learn this. I desire mercy Not sacrifice He goes when Jesus said go learn this to the Pharisees. I want people who understand mercy Not animal sacrifices mercy, that's what I'm into I Can imagine Matthew going when he said that at my dinner at my party. He was talking to me. I Wrote it down. I am the picture of his mercy. Oh, yes Lord Mark and Luke didn't even put that in there You know up in the New Jerusalem Matthew's gonna go up to him and say guys Why didn't you put that was the main sentence of the whole party? Well paragraph G The disciples of John They go to Jesus John has been killed And they said hey How come your guys don't fast? How come they're not dedicated our guys are Every time you see the disciples of John, they're almost always in a debate whenever they show up in Scripture I don't know how that all that works, but I like John a lot verse 34 Jesus says you see my guys. They're friends of the bridegroom. I'm the bridegroom The disciples of John are going wait a few months ago. That's the term John used before he went to prison He said he was a friend of the bridegroom John 3 29 and Jesus is now saying no my guys are I am the bridegroom God They are presenting my message as the bridegroom God Because the day is coming. I Will be taken away He meant his death. They didn't know that's what he meant because I will be taken away My guys will fast Because what fasting does it? positions you For your spirit to be tenderized you don't earn anything fasting you position yourself To receive more to receive it faster because your spirit is tenderized they'll long for me the bridegroom God And they'll fast because they'll remember how close I was to them when I was with them day by day but by the Holy Spirit my Presence by the Spirit will touch their heart and by fasting it will accelerate in their life Where's your team? Go ahead. Come on up and Then he ends this Portion by the parable of the new wine in the wine skin and in essence You can read it on your own He's telling them That the new way of the Spirit is not going to work in the old Legalistic structures, that's really the message There's a new way coming and it's here now Jesus would say I'm here and it's going to intensify the new way Won't work in the old Judaism structures and over the years of even church history the structures start weighing down the life of the Spirit over Generations and the Lord, you know, you know in every generation or so There's breaking in of God and new Expressions of Christianity new breakthroughs of God's way because the principle is true When the Lord's doing a fresh work, I don't mean Every week or every month, but I mean in the course of a generation or in a even a century a long period of time He breaks in and the old structures that were useful at one time are now not they can't contain the move of the Spirit the new move of the Spirit and Even now the Lord's preparing worldwide to invoke this principle yet again, there's gonna be a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit a Great response to God and it's gonna look different. There's gonna be a new expression It's gonna be a new understanding of Christianity There's gonna be new wine and wineskins in the generation the Lord returns that doesn't fit in any other generation And Lord, we're saying we're ready We're looking for it. We're looking for it Jesus name. Amen Let's stand before the Lord Well, excuse me the leper said are you willing he said I am willing A Demon oppressed person Lord says I came to set you free torment I'm gonna pray for the sick tonight He's here in our midst Today is the day. Yes. We're looking for a big breakthrough. But today's the day Today is a day of salvation right now I invite anybody in the room that you need your body to be healed Or your mind or heart is being attacked by the enemy In an intensified way, there's a heightened attack of the enemy against your mind or your body Maybe it's in the night being disturbed in the night in dreams, etc. I want to ask the Lord For the spirit of Liberty and healing You say Lord, are you willing he goes? Yes, I'm willing I've settled it I am willing I came to set the captain free That's what I'm here for Today is the day of salvation So come let us turn to the Lord Lord here we are before your presence for he's Called us Some of you've toiled for years in ministry and have never seen a great catch or a breakthrough For he's a beloved the suddenly of the Lord Okay, today's the breakthrough bigger than you imagine You Some of you are gonna lead many people to the Lord in the days to come and this is my prayer It's my soul With all that I am with all that I have I will love you I will love you I invite the ministry team to come up And anybody in leadership at FCF I hope you So What asked for healing tonight What asked for Liberty from demonic attack For your jealous Oh Lord here we are before you right now today My I Take authority Demonic activity To leave I cancel your assignment. I break your assignment right now in Jesus name Least power Lord right now tonight Oh We rebuke you You cannot torment their body or their mind Authority of the spirit of fear right now Oh In the name of Jesus We pronounce liberty now Jesus in the name of Jesus healing I Am the Lord that heals my people that he would be Jehovah Jireh For God walk in our midst as the healing God tonight Skin diseases Structural deformities injuries The spirit of the Lord God is upon me spirit is in our midst tonight Oh the spirit of the Lord God is upon me he is here tonight to speak Good news Pronounced Liberty over your body your mind your economics To heal the broken-hearted your pain to bind up the And Upon us for the spirit For the spirit For the Spirit of the Lord God is among us For the Spirit of the Lord God is among us The Spirit of the Lord God is among us The Spirit of the Lord God is among us For the Spirit of the Lord God is among us For the Spirit of the Lord God is among us To set me the captives For the Spirit of the Lord God is among us To wind up the broken To set me the captives Will you wind up the broken Can you set me the captives To wind up the broken To set me the captives To wind up the broken To set me the captives Thank you, God, for your presence God's not blind when you receive him For the Spirit of the Lord God is among us Today, today, today, today Today is the day of the breakthrough, the healing Today is the day of deliverance, it's right now You are God You are God We want freedom, freedom, freedom Freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom Freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom Cause nothing ever changed It's who you are, it's who you are It's your name You set free the captive Do what only you can do Come and walk among us Lord Come and break every chain in Jesus It's who you are It's who you are We trust your leadership Jesus We trust your leadership We love your leadership Jesus And you bind up the broken And you set free the captive Oh you bind up the broken You set free the captive And you bind up the broken You set free the captive You bind up the broken You set free the captive You bind up the broken You set free the captive You bind up the broken You set free the captive Freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom For the spirit of the Lord God is among us For the spirit of the Lord God is among us Today The spirit of the Lord God is among us The spirit of the Lord God is among us Today This is my prayer It's my soul and vow With all that I am With all that I have I will love you I will love you With all of my heart My soul and my mind I pour out an offering of worship and cry I will love you I will love you And this is my prayer It's my soul and vow With all that I am With all that I have I will love you I will love you With all of my heart My soul and my mind I pour out an offering of worship and cry I will love you I will love you Jesus, I am yours And forever I want nothing more Than to be with you Jesus, I am yours And forever I want nothing more Than to be with you Jesus, I am yours And forever I want nothing more Than to be with you Jesus, I am yours And forever I want nothing more Than to be with you Oh, to be with you Oh, Jesus Just to be with you Oh, to be with you Oh, to be with you This is my prayer This is my prayer It's my soul and vow With all that I am With all that I have I will love you With all of my heart I will love you With all of my heart My soul and my mind I pour out an offering of worship and cry I will love you