A Day in the Life of Jesus Christ

Let's get right to it. To our afternoon study, we are here to look at God's Word and be edified by it. So the title of our message today, A Day in the Life of Jesus Christ. A Day in the Life of Jesus Christ. And I invite you to open your Bibles, and we can turn together to the Gospel of Luke, Luke chapter 4 verses 31 through 44. Luke 4 verses 31 through 44 as we return to our study series in the Gospel of Luke. Luke, at this point, at this point in his recordings, has moved very quickly. In beginning his Gospel, he has first introduced his readers to Jesus Christ, his birth, his beginnings on earth. John the Baptist has come. He has proclaimed Jesus Christ coming. We have quickly seen in Luke's recordings that Jesus has now been baptized. He was ushered off into the wilderness to be presented with temptations. Last time we watched in awe as Luke recorded the beginnings of Jesus Christ's public ministry. You remember Jesus Christ stood there in the synagogue after the wilderness temptations were presented. He was handed the book of Isaiah, and he opened the book and read the prophecy there in the synagogue. He's now moving on into the purpose to proclaim the good news which the Father has given him to preach.

That good news is that all of the Old Testament prophecies and all the Old Testament prophets, all of them were speaking of him. So he reached back, he grabbed all those prophecies, placed it squarely upon his own shoulders, and said, I am the fulfillment of those prophecies.

He has now declared all these things have reached fulfillment in me. So now he is moving on from that proclamation into essentially displaying the evidence of that fulfillment of that prophecy. That brings us to verse 31 through 43 here. He and his disciples now are arriving at a lakeside community in Capernaum. This is a new day. A new day has dawned here for Jesus Christ. Luke 4 beginning in verse 31.

Then he, Jesus, went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath.

And they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority. Now in the synagogue there, this is in Capernaum, was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, let us alone. What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. But Jesus rebuking him, saying, be quiet and come out of him. And when the demon had thrown down him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.

Then they were all amazed and spoke amongst themselves, saying, what a word this is. For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out. And the report about him, Jesus, went out into every place in the surrounding region. Verse 38, now he arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house. But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made requests of him concerning her. So he stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she immediately arose and served them. Verse 40, when the Son was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to him.

And he laid his hands upon every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying out, saying, you are the Christ, the Son of God. And he rebuking them did not allow them to speak, for they knew he was the Christ. Verse 42, now when it was day, so a whole 24 hours have passed, he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought him and came to him and tried to keep him from leaving.

But he said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent. And he was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee. So back into the synagogues there. Let's stop there. So we do see here in this little section that we just read that there in verse 31, Jesus begins with his disciples there in the morning time in the synagogue in Capernaum. And then fast-forwarding all the way down to verse 40 and 41, we have the sun setting and this picture of him moving into the next morning into a synagogue into Galilee.

So essentially what we do have here is a 24-hour period. A, if you will, day in the life of Jesus Christ. Various scenes are painted for us here as he moves through the day. Again, beginning in a synagogue, then he moves to a private home. The scene then of a sun setting and he's back amongst the crowd. Morning breaks, he's out by himself, and then he moves to teach again in the synagogues.

So a day in the life of. And it's really a day in the life of a day, the Sabbath day, in the life of Jesus Christ. So today we want to travel through this day. I believe it's a remarkable day and it's full of many lessons for us. And then in the end, we should be spurred to pattern our days after this.

So getting started, we notice very quickly that this morning starts quite abruptly here. Verse 31 again, the Sabbath had come, Jesus in the synagogue there in Capernaum. Teachers would have invited Jesus Christ to teach. You know, they would have had their normal teachers, but perhaps word had gotten out regarding Jesus Christ. So they extend the offer to him to teach. There's anticipation. Verse 32, they had been astonished at his teaching because the word came with authority.

So his teaching is astonishing. It's standing out from the other teachers. Other teachers would have read the law. They would have given interpretation. They would have explained it. They would have quoted the different prophecies and such. But now Jesus stands and there is authority with it.

Authority which they had never heard before. Again, why is that? Well, again, he reaches back, takes prophecies, says, today is the fulfillment of, I am the fulfillment of those prophecies. And they had never heard anything like this before. His words were marked with authority. And I think it is that very authority which now gives rise to this dramatic outburst which is described here in verse 34.

A crying out of a man with a demon. This man, verse 34, shouts in the synagogue, let us alone. So he's speaking on behalf of others, on behalf of other demons. What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You're the Holy One of God. If you've ever experienced something like this, I've never experienced it personally. I've been in the vicinity.

I've been in areas where we've had these kind of outbursts. You know, you're not sure if it's just mental illness or, you know, exactly what it is. But if you've experienced something like this, you will remember it. Certainly there is a chill that will come down the individual spine that witnesses something like this. A man in a synagogue who's possessed with a evil spirit here. He yells out right in the middle of Christ's teaching. So this man, you know, there's a couple of possibilities here.

Either this is his first time in a synagogue, you know, perhaps he was moved by and with evil influence to be here on this day, to try to disrupt. We know there at the wilderness temptation that Satan left for a more opportune time. You know, so we see these opportune times that Satan's influence comes and confronts Jesus Christ. Perhaps it was his first time. Perhaps also another possibility is that this man had been there. He had been at the teachings on the Sabbath at these synagogues. And somehow from those teachers, he was never moved to feel so disrupted inside to have an outburst like this. That's possible. So that when Jesus comes and speaks a word of authority, well, it stirs in this man who has this unclean spirit something that causes this outburst. And, you know, I think it really points to the fact that if that is the case, it points to the fact that the gospel, particularly the gospel that Jesus Christ brought from his father, it is by nature offensive. It's offensive. The gospel in and of itself is it's offensive. There's an offensive aspect to it. Why? Well, it challenges. It confronts. It cuts like a dagger. In fact, if you'll keep your marker here, I want to just show you a place in the Bible that speaks of that aspect of God's word and the gospel that does cut and is offensive. And it's found in Hebrews 4.12. So if you'd like to keep your marker here, we'll come back. Hebrews 4.12. Here we find just a moment, the part in the Bible that speaks most clearly to this very fact that the true gospel will pierce and divide. Look at this. Hebrews 4 verse 12. I'll just read one verse here.

Hebrews 4.12. For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Let's stop there. So that's quite an offensive word there, you know, a two-edged sword. So the true gospel that Jesus Christ brought, the one that we hope we are communicating as well, it comes with authority and it is to have this very effect on men and women, even today. And so if you and I come to Sabbath, Sabbath in, Sabbath out, and there's not something of this stirring nature that God's word gives, there may be something wrong. And you may want to pray that God's word does cut, and you could pray that God would mercifully and gently cut down to the marrow, to the joints.

This is what God's word is to do to us, because we're going to get to a moment that our response to this word has to be dramatic. It has to radically transform us. There's nothing that's going to radically transform us that doesn't actually get to the inside, to our intent. You know, we're not talking about possibly outward displays of sinful behavior. We're talking about intent, as it says, and thoughts, and motive. Often we can move into a relationship with God, have more success as what we're displaying outwardly, but inside is where we need work, and it's the hidden things. That's what this is talking about, what God's word can do.

And so then, with that, ultimately it's impossible for the absolute clarity and authority of God, it's impossible for it not to confront the hidden dimensions of evil, because it is so radically different, so in contrast, it's light and darkness. There's such a radical opposition between God and the devil here. A total contrast. They're in opposition with one another. And the demon in this man immediately recognizes it, and this individual is described as being possessed with an unclean demon, an evil spirit. And so, a day in the life of Jesus Christ, well, it begins in this dramatic way here. Right at the beginning of the day, we see this dramatic confrontation between the righteous, kingly rule of Jesus Christ, His purity, and now confronting the powers of darkness. And so, really, it would be surprising if this outburst didn't happen, wouldn't it? That somehow Jesus Christ could move through the community and move through all this demonic activity, and there not be a confrontation. That would be surprising. Because ultimately, Satan knows, the demons know, that Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. That is why He came. I'm gonna give you one other cross-reference here. We'll come back to Luke 4 in just a moment. Let's turn to 1 John 3.8. I'd like you just to see this. 1 John 3.8.

I want you to, your eyes to look over this as I read this. 1 John 3.8. Because the activity of Christ's kingly rule is to ultimately destroy the works of the devil. And that includes the demons, and includes all, everything that's in opposition to God's way. All evil. 1 John 3.8.

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. Now here it is, the quote.

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Okay, stop there. So the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

So if we go back to Luke 4, if you kept your marker there, Luke 4, look again at what the demon says and asks. Luke 4 verse 34. Again, let us alone, what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? And then here's the question. Did you come to destroy us?

Did you come to destroy us? The demon understands, doesn't he?

And look at this statement. This is chilling. I know who you are, the Holy One of God. So the king steps forward into this demonic activity here. These satanic forces recognize that in this moment, what they were experiencing is the beginning of the end. That's what's happening here. And you'll notice that this man's person, his self, has been so disabled that the demon is able to usurp his words, almost his consciousness here, and speak through them. And so that's why Jesus Christ speaks directly to the demon. Verse 35, we see that Jesus rebuked him, saying, to the demon, be quiet, come out of him. And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. So quite a moment. Be quiet, he rebuked this demon, come out of him. So Jesus Christ, earlier in this chapter that we reviewed last time, he stands up on the stage of human history, and he says, the time is fulfilled. The purpose by which I came as the Son of God is so that I can destroy the works of the devil. And here in this moment, right at the beginning, this first morning, at the beginning of his ministry, is the evidence of that very fact. He is the authoritative one. And the demon knows. He knows. Knows who he is. I know who you are. You are the Holy One of God. And I know what you've come to do.

So the demon believes, doesn't he? The demon believes that Jesus Christ is, in fact, the Holy One of God. And that's amazing to think about. There's something counterintuitive about that thought. The fact that the demon believes that Jesus Christ is, in fact, the Holy One of God.

You remember, there's actually another moment I'm going to take you to. So we're going to have a few cross-references today. But there's another moment in the Bible that speaks exactly to a demon's belief. A demon's belief in Jesus Christ and in God. So still keep your marker there. Let's turn over to James 2.19. I want to show you this powerful phrase regarding a demon's belief. It's found in James 2.19. James now, here in this moment, is going to speak to the listeners of his day. And I just want to show you what he says here. A statement with regards to the fact that demons believe. James 2.19, he says to the group, you believe that there is one God, you do well, even the demons believe and tremble. Okay? So even the demons believe and tremble. Even the demons believe. So the demons believe, but I can tell you they don't trust. They believe they don't trust. And if anything, a demon's belief is a grudging belief. Grudging belief in a God and his Son who is an unwelcome reality for them. It is the awareness that it's undeniable that God exists. It's undeniable that he has power. It's undeniable that his Son, Jesus Christ, has overcome. It's undeniable that he has come to establish his kingdom, but a demon doesn't rejoice in that belief, do they? They don't trust in that. It's a grudging acceptance of that.

And this really speaks to us today. We know for quite some time there has been a false gospel, and what it really is, it's an incomplete gospel that's being proclaimed by many of the world's Christian pulpits, so-called Christian pulpits. And it is the incomplete false gospel that says, just simply believe, and you are saved. So they're scrambling around to get people to just acknowledge their belief in God and in his Son, and they can move on. Why is that a why is that a false gospel? Why is that an incomplete gospel?

Well, it's just the first step, really. Because once an individual has been called, they must believe, yes, but they must respond to that belief, you see. Once an individual is called, they must believe, but they can't just merely stay in this belief area only. No, that belief must move the individual somewhere. It must move them to change. And when we talk about repentance, that's all we're talking about. You are called, you believe, now you move to changing yourself. That belief changes you, and that's repentance.

Why do we need to move after belief? Why do we need to move to God? Find out the kind of people we should be. Why does grace need to have this effect on us? Well, because even the demons believe.

So we have to have a belief that produces change.

And what you find in the gospels, and I believe what you find most often in these crowds that are following Jesus Christ, is so many of them have attraction, but they don't have conviction. It's a big difference. These kinds of incidences, casting out demons, we're going to see later on, healing, all kinds of healings of individuals. These things will draw people. There are incredible moments to read about. There's attraction, but it's not the same as conviction.

We must, as men and women, believe and then begin the hard work of showing evidence of that belief. How do we show evidence that we believe? We banish evil in our lives, just like what Jesus Christ is doing. So we participate in this exact activity that Jesus Christ is doing this morning here on this day. We believe, and then just like Jesus Christ is doing, and he's showing us this example, we then banish. We go to the Father, we go through the Son Jesus Christ, and we ask that He'll banish these things in our lives that show our unbelief, because we want to show evidence of our belief. So we participate in this. We want to destroy the works of the devil in us as well. So this is our day. This is a day that we pattern ourselves after.

Because can you be attracted to the gospel without repenting? Yes. Can you join a crowd without repenting? Yes. Can you sit here in church services, Sabbath in Sabbath out without repenting, without change? Yes. And are you still a believer? Yeah, you could still believe without change, but you're going to be in the same space as a demon if you stay there, you know? It's kind of chilling to think about.

Demons believe, but they don't repent. They don't change. They don't trust.

So we understand that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and all that opposes God's holiness. And so it is the hard work which it begins after we believe in the Holy One of God, which moves us beyond simply belief. And in that we're fulfilling the purpose to which Jesus Christ came. And we're fulfilling in our own lives. So you see how much bigger this is? This is cosmic. This is huge than just merely belief. And I just have to think that deep down inside those well-meaning, well-intentioned men and women that sit in those congregations and the world's pulpits that just preach this surface gospel. Oh, I just got to think that they recognize there needs to be something more. If you're entering into a relationship, you know, I believe I'm married to my wife, but I got to move beyond that. I got to change with her and she changes with me. And we're learning what it means to be in a relationship with each other. This is big. This is big. We believe. And then we begin to destroy the works of the devil in our lives.

What a start to the day. Turning back to Luke 4, verse 37. This report, these reportings began to go out all over the region about Jesus Christ. There was a buzz now happening there in verse 37. Luke 4, verse 37, we see that it was that word of Jesus Christ was going out. And then we move to this other dramatic scene. Now, I guess we're moving into the afternoon of the day. It's a dramatic scene, a little bit quieter scene here as we discover Simon's mother-in-law is in bed with a fever. So upon hearing this, Jesus Christ arises and he goes to her. This is his next activity on this day. Verse 38 and 39. Verse 38, now he arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house, but Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever and they made requests of him concerning her. So he stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them. Let's stop there. So moving into the afternoon, it's a remarkable day already.

This is a wonderful progression here. Of course, Dr. Luke, we've seen this pattern of him. He's very clinical and making sure everything's in order with his details. He entered the house, he stood over her, he rebuked the fever, the fever left. She arose and began to serve them. That's amazing. So there is an immediacy here. She is restored.

And this is a pretty remarkable little scene here. She's restored, you'll notice, and she begins to wait upon that. Okay? So I imagine she is restored to do what she loves to do.

Restored to do what she customarily did here.

And I suggest in this little scene here that this is a small indication of what Christ and his kingly rule means in an individual's life. Because what is taking place here with this woman? It's a radical restoration. She is restored. This sickness had been pressing down on her.

Now, you know, this isn't just a fever. Dr. Luke says it's a high fever, you know. That's debilitating. Absolutely debilitating. She's being pressed down and oppressed by this sickness. No longer able to do what she loved to do. Jesus comes in a demonstration of his power, makes her whole, makes her healthy. And this is an indication, just a small microcosmic indication of what Jesus Christ is doing and will do ultimately by destroying all darkness. You know, Jesus Christ comes so often to the disfigured, to the debilitated, to the all that hinders us, all that hampers, and he restores, and he transforms, and he redeems, and he brings back wholeness back to us. Think about this spiritually, you know. And spiritually and physically, you know, one day Christ is going to wipe away every tear from our eye. So the ultimate fulfillment of what's happening in this little scene of Simon's mother-in-law, it's indicative of what is being fulfilled and what will be ultimately fulfilled one day, when there will be no more sickness, there will be no more death, no more crying, no more pain. But someone says, well, wait a minute. There's a lot of crying. There's a lot of pain now. Yes. Hold on. Hold on. Be patient. The ultimate fulfillment, this is just evidence. You know, Christ is so lovingly giving us evidence of what he's going to fulfill and pour out onto the whole earth one day. All shown in this little moment here. You know, some of us are suffering. We wish it was different. What do we speak into those lives? What word do we give into those lives? One word of comfort. Even if we've suffered our entire lives, it's a moment. It's a moment in comparison to eternity. Eternity. So lift your eyes. Think about what's coming in eternity. You'll be whole and healthy and healed. We do live with debilitating illnesses. In our questions and in our trying to figure these things out, bring your thoughts that in the mystery of God's providences, he has chosen that path for some of us. And all of it will, in the end, be for good toward his eternal purposes for us. You know, you'll be brought back to service one day. I hope in this lifetime, for those that are really suffering. If not this lifetime, it's coming. Hold on. If I can just say a word about domestic service here. I just find it so absolutely profound, the response of this lady here in this scene. And she's restored to wait upon them. You know, I think this is a moment in the history of the world where we're all in this together. And she's restored to wait upon them. You know, I think this little moment also exalts the routine duties of domestic life. You know, she is healed to perform this special task for Jesus Christ right after her healing. So notice it doesn't say she's healed and she heads off to the synagogue to preach on the acts of the apostles. Or it doesn't say she went out and performed some grand public display. You know, no, he raised her up and she waited upon them. Insinificant, trivial.

I hope that we would never view an act like this as insignificant or trivial ever. This is divine service here. When could a well-prepared meal ever be insignificant? You know, this is serving. This is love. In many ways, this is indicative of true service. This kind of act here. So we never want to fail to exalt domestic family life. The privileges of that. The divine service of that. I hope that's a word to domestic moms and dads out there. You're not involved in insignificant service. This is divine service. Jesus heals her and she rises to wait upon them. What would you like me to do now that I'm healed? I would like to make you this wonderful meal, you know.

Well, there they are. We are now reaching the sun. It's setting this moment in the day.

They're at the meal here in Simon's house. They're around the dinner table.

Someone locked the door. Let's close the shades. What a day this was. It was a good day, you know. But certainly the sun's setting. We'll call it a night. Turn in. No, that's not what we find. Verse 40 and 41. Verse 40 and 41. When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to him. Now, I can make a whole sermon on that. Who do you know that is sick that you're not bringing to be healed to the Gospel of the coming kingdom of God? You know, I love this phrase here. I hope we're engaging and as the opportunity arises to bring, like it says, those with various diseases to be brought to Jesus Christ through your word, your example. And he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.

And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, you are the Christ, the Son of God. And he rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that he was the Christ. You know, Jesus wasn't going to allow them to speak on his behalf there. So the report went out. They gathered at the door here.

It doesn't say it, but I would imagine we see this throughout the Gospels. The disciples are constantly trying to push away individuals from getting to Jesus Christ, you know, pushing away the children. Jesus Christ says, please bring the children. Okay, let's bring the children. You know, Jesus is eating. Let's not bother him. You know, no, bring him. I'm coming out. You know, okay, everybody, let's gather together. You see that. And they were learning, the disciples were learning from this example. So, into verse 40, he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. So you can just see the silhouette of Jesus Christ here in this evening, laying hands on every one of them.

You know, what does Luke want to inform us of here by this?

Well, we could say that Jesus Christ never will ultimately rest until he heals every one of them. Yeah. You know, God's will is that none should perish. So God's will is that all would be healed. Every one of them. Every one of them. It's a wonderful picture here. He's rescued them. He's lifting them up. And, you know, if you have been oppressed yourself, physically, spiritually, don't give up. This Jesus Christ is fulfilling why He came. He is lifting. He wants to heal. Never, never give up. Even if you feel like the day is ending for you. You know, in my life, the sun's going down. I don't. I'm hopeless. There He is out there. He comes to the people where they are. Lays hands upon them, heals them. This is what's His pattern. This is His day.

It's beautiful. Beautiful. So the day, the new day dawns here in verse 42 and 44, verses 42 through 44. Here we are. 24 hours passed. Now, when it was day, a new morning has come, He departed and went into a deserted place, and the crowd sought Him, came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving. And He said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, because for this purpose, I have been sent. And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee now. So from one synagogue to another this day. And the other gospel writers record at this moment, He actually did pray to His Father. So this is Sunday morning. He gets up and talks to His Father. You know, I think sometimes we think Jesus Christ prayed just solely as an example to us. And it is an example to us, but make no doubt He needed His Father. What did He pray? We don't know, but if you look at the gospel accounts, it would sound something like this, I'm sure. Father, I want to talk to you about what happened yesterday. I want you to bless what happened yesterday. I preached this word. I fulfilled what you sent me for. And I pray that you will bring these individuals to repentance. I declared your power to them. Now make them grow. Move them to you. They tried to keep them from leaving. You know, news was spreading. And by our wisdom, this would have been an indication to stay for a while. You know, things are going really well. Let's stay. So the disciples would have said, let's stay here for a while, Jesus. No, let's go. No, you don't understand. Everybody's looking for you. Yeah, I know. Let's go. You know, I must preach also. That's why I've been sent. You know, it is a beautiful, major part of Christ's ministry that he came to heal in this way. But the fact is, he came to proclaim. He came to point men and women's eyes to the ultimate healing that is to come. And that's the truly good news here. That he would go out to all communities and proclaim this gospel. And that's our duty as well. We are not finished by simply drawing crowds. You know, I would love it if we had the problem of bringing out more chairs and, you know, getting people in the very corners and such. That would be a wonderful problem to have. And we should preach to that extent, according to God's will. But, you know, there's all kinds of just... if we just want to gain crowds, there's all kinds of ways to do that. Good, bad, and different. But Jesus looks out onto the scene and he says, I came to tell the people to believe in me and to turn to me and to trust in me and to prepare them for the coming kingdom of God.

So we will preach this word. And it's a very encouraging word. It's very graceful, but it will get down into the marrow of ourselves and into those joints. And it will get into those deep places of the individuals who hear this gospel. So we understand that. So, ultimately, our goal is conviction, not attraction. Conviction. Conviction. We need to proclaim this good news to the world. So as a new day dawns here, we will conclude as well. Jesus has concluded his day here. Again, this is our pattern. This is our pattern. I pray that we can banish evil in our lives, cast it out so that we can be a clean vessel to help others to do the same. And I pray that we can provide comfort and healing in this way. Compassion. Show the compassion to those who are sick, physically and spiritually. Come to them. Let them know that there's hope in a day's coming where the ultimate healing, the fulfillment, will be here. Well, this is our pattern and our day. And this has been a day in the life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.