Luke 4:37-40
I.
Introduction (1 Peter 5:7)
A. When I mention the word, Concern, what do you think about? Anxiety, worry, fear, apprehension, uneasiness?
B. What if I told you that Jesus is Concerned about some things
1. Not that he is worried, or anxious
2. But that He CARES. He gives His attention to some things that maybe we need to be reminded about today.
3. That’s my job – to remind, and instruct so that we get and stay busy for the Lord
4. That’s why 1 Peter 5:7 is written. Not so that we can ignore our problems, and think they will all just go away, but instead so that we can LIVE, and face down our problems, and out-last all our enemies, and our defeats
C. To understand this great truth, the Lord gives us a glimpse of His life when He wasn’t busy preaching, or healing, or feeding.
II.
Background (Lk 4:37)
A. Jesus is very busy – feeding multitudes, kicking devils out of people, healing the blind and crippled, teaching the truths of the word of God!
B. All the disciples, including Peter are having a tough time keeping up with this Man from Galilee
C. On top of it all, peter is married (a pope?), owns his own home, and has dependants that are counting on him
D. With all that the Lord is concerned with (souls, feeding multitudes, calming major storms), does Jesus have any concern for mother-in-laws? AMEN!
III.
Message - The
Concerns of Our Saviour (Luke
4:37-40)
A. Our Saviour Cares for Us WHERE We Are (Lk 4:38)
1. He couldn’t require people to come to Him (Rom 3:23) – too high!
a. Had to come to earth – had to come to where we are
b. Had to put on a human body – so much so that He wanted to look like us, and live with us – no visit – lived 33 ½ years!
2. He came to be a blessing, not a burden – if you were royalty, you would probably require people to work had to make your life easier! Not Jesus!
3. Notice also:
a. He has finished being in the synagogue, and headed to a home
b. This means spirituality is NOT finished when we leave church
c. We are NOT always in church folks – should be all day on Sunday
d. Jesus is concerned for us, and is goes with us home!
e. That is where most of us have MOST of our problems! AMEN!
4. So, the truth is, Jesus wants to be part of your home
a. An invited guest
b. A special guest – hearing every word, and seeing every action
B. Our Saviour Cares for Us AS We Are (Lk 4:38)
1. In comes Peter, with the rest of the apostles and Jesus, and before he can say, “What’s for supper?” he’s told about his mother-in-law being sick
2. Do you know what we really are? We think we are pretty good, but:
a. We are usually in trouble
b. We usually are at the end of ourselves – nothing wrong with that
c. We may not be demon-possessed, but very often we are
1) Fever-possessed
2) Bank-possessed – in-debt to the bank and credit card companies
3) Fear-possessed
4) Job-possessed – having to work long hours just to survive
5) Sorrow-possessed – as was Job, overwhelmed by sorrows & fear
3. Jesus cares – doesn’t over-look us neither WHERE we are, nor AS we are
a. You may say, I is too old – Jesus says NOPE
b. You may say, I is too poor – Jesus says Not with ME around
c. You may say, I is just too dense – Jesus says, Follow Me!
d. That’s why “I” follow Him – because He can fix and use anybody!
C. Our Saviour Cares for Those Dependant Upon Us (Lk 4:39).
1. I want you to see this in the other Gospels also (Mt 8:14,15; Mk 1:29-34)
2. Jesus sometimes wonders just WHAT is important to us
a. The devil thinks we are only worried about our own skin (Job 2:4)
1) Reputation
2) Health
3) Success
4) Only our own future
5) Only our own spirituality
b. How important is:
1) Your WIFE to you?
2) Your HUSBAND to you?
3) Your KIDS?
4) Your PASTOR?
5) Your PARENTS?
6) Your MOTHER-IN-LAW of all people!?
7) Do you want them to die without Christ?
8) Do you want them to die without ever knowing that Jesus cares?
9) Do you not want them to learn how to walk with God and know real joy?
c. Do you remember Jonah? He was more concerned about his own welfare, and a small dead shrub than for the millions of Nineveh who would have died and gone to hell if Jonah had not preached!
3. Here is the principle: Jesus cares about the people WE care about
a. That’s why He promises to lead us with his word – give us wisdom how to raise our kids, love our mate, honour our parents, bless our mother-in-laws
b. That’s why He lives within us from the moment we accept Him – so that He can come to people who wouldn’t accept Him any other way than through someone close!
D. Our Saviour Cares for Us to Pray (Lk 4:38) – doesn’t act without invitation!
1. I think Christ’s greatest concern for people is…
a. For people to look to Him for the supply of their needs
b. For people to learn how to intercede and supplicate
1) Intercede means to pray for someone who doesn’t know HOW to pray, or can’t pray
2) Supplicate is to pray WITH someone, supporting them through prayer
2. Jesus could have been blamed for this like He was for letting Lazarus to die in John 11
3. Jesus acted like He knew nothing about it – sometimes he is very silent – why?
a. So that we get excited enough to do some REAL praying
b. So that we don’t ever get lazy and just expect Jesus to do everything while we go about our busy merry lives
E. Our Saviour Cares for Us to LIVE (Lk 4:39)
1. Christ’s concern was not that He heal a person who would just go back and live their own old lives as they always did
2. His Concern is that we find real life (Jn 10:10) – only found when we:
a. Start with Jesus – doesn’t start in religion class, or in confirmation, or in a church somewhere, but in THE HEART!
b.
Stop looking back
1) There certainly was lots of lost time in all our pasts
2) There were lots of failures
3) What good is looking back and regretting
4) Jesus never regretted transforming:
a) The thief on the cross
b) A murder named Saul of Tarsus who thought he didn’t have many years to live
c) A fisherman who would fail over and over named Peter
d) We shouldn’t, mustn’t ever regret our past as long as we are pressing forward (Heb 12:1,2)
5) Jesus took all our failures, all our sicknesses, all our troubles and infirmities so that we could live (Mt 8:17)
c. Serve – instead of trying to be top-boss, be a top servant!
1) Here is Peter’s wife’s mother – she is a VIP in that home
2) But a greater than the mother was there – JESUS
3) It doesn’t matter WHO you are, Jesus is the Master
4) Serve Him, and Serve all those who follow Him, and serve all those who seek to follow Him!
5) Remember how HE has been such a blessing to us all
a) Saved us – there was a day and an hour
b) Secured us – no way we can miss heaven now
c) Satisfies us – cares for us, is concerned about us always (Ps 139:1-10)
6) Serving others is our chance to show our appreciation
a) Not earning a place in heaven, any more than a child earns their place in the home
b) It is just a part of love and appreciation that few know about these days
3. Do you have any kind of a life? Not just a 16 hour work-wreck of a life, but a life that has been touched by the Lord Jesus, and changed?
a. Sins forgiven – all of them
b. Past buried
c. Failures paid for
d. Burdens and heartaches rolled away
e. Sounds like a fairy-tale? No. Sounds like the Gospel!
A. Christ cares about you, where you are – touch situation? Invite Jesus
B. Christ cares about you AS you are – helpless, hopeless, given-up?
C. Jesus cares about those who are dear to us, or ought to be dear to us
D. Jesus Desires for us to Pray and invite Him into our problems
E. Jesus does all this because he so wants us to learn to live, and I mean live!!!