The Crushing of the Serpent Begins

Notice he laid his hands on them all. This is personal. This is one at a time.

Why? Because he's going to communicate undeniably that the healing is emanating from his person. It is coming from his power. This is his authority. He is not sickened by them.

He is not contaminated, as the rabbis taught, by them. He cures them all. Do you understand fully why Jesus came to earth? He didn't just come to say some good words, perform some miracles, and gain a following.

He did those things, but much more. He came to fulfill a prophecy given thousands of years earlier. Way back in Genesis, God promised Adam and Eve that one of their descendants would crush the head of the serpent, Satan. In today's lesson, Stephen Davey will take you to the Gospel and we'll explore the scene where Jesus first came face to face with one of Satan's demonic followers. This lesson is called, The Crushing of the Serpent Begins. The Bible, as you know, perhaps if you're old enough in the faith, will refer to Satan by a number of names.

One of them is serpent, going back to his possession of that creature in the garden. Second Corinthians chapter 11 verse 3 refers to him as a serpent. You go all the way to the end of the Bible and I think it's ironic that in Revelation chapter 20 the last reference to him calls him the old serpent. Even though the world thinks he's funny, even though the world has a good laugh over him, jokes about him, turns him into a cartoon character that wears a red suit with a pointed tail and usually carrying a pitchfork.

There's nothing about Satan that is funny. He's real. 19 different New Testament books refer to his existence. Jesus will refer to his existence in his preaching 25 times. And in a very tangible manner, even before the victory of the cross, Jesus is now going to begin nothing less than a ministry that begins to crush the head of the serpent.

The serpent crusher has arrived. There's no trickery about Jesus. There's no sleight of hand. There aren't any hidden pipes.

There's no steam. There is only undeniably demonstrable power and authority. And he's going to do it, as his ministry begins, three ways. And they all appear in one very short passage of scripture.

Let me show you where. Go to Luke's Gospel again. We're now in chapter four. And we'll pick it up in verse 31. Jesus begins to demonstrate his authority, first of all, in his speaking. Look at verse 31.

And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and he was teaching them on the Sabbath. And they were astonished at his teaching. That means they were thunderstruck. You could translate it. They were stunned. We would say it this way. They were completely blown away by his teaching.

Why? Notice, for his word possessed authority. They had no idea of this kind of preaching. They knew nothing of this kind of teaching. None of their rabbis or scribes spoke with any inerrant authority. All they did in this day was get up, and they had for hundreds of years, and just quote their predecessors, the rabbis. They would just drone on, one author said, in their tiresome reiteration of rabbinical rules and ceremonial duties.

If you saw any of their sermon manuscripts, it would be nothing but a collection of footnotes. They would speak by saying, well, Rabbi so-and-so said this, and Rabbi so-and-so said that, and this tradition delivers this, and this tradition delivers that. They spoke from authorities. In fact, the prophets, when you think about it, when they spoke, they said, thus saith the Lord.

They had delegated authority. But Jesus spoke with internal authority. Jesus said something shocking. Jesus said, I say to you, there is internal authority. That was stunning to them. In his sermon on the hillside, you remember Jesus repeatedly said, you have heard it said, but I say to you, Matthew 5, verses 21 and 22 and 27 and 28, over and over again, you've heard it said, but I say, you've heard the rabbis say this, you've heard the scribes quote that, but I'm here to tell you this. This was totally new.

It was shocking. Jesus is not quoting some authority. He's not been given some delegated authority. He is authority.

His word is the final word. By the way, any church that has any authority, any power only has authority and power because they adhere to the word of God. Any preacher who has any authority, any teacher today who has any authority, any power, it isn't in them.

It is through them as they preach and teach the word of God. Jesus, by the way, doesn't show up here and deliver his opinion in the synagogue. He's not trying to find out what's politically correct. He isn't coming off some kind of opinion poll.

None of that. He is delivering his word and it's shocking beyond what we could even imagine today. He's exercising his authority in his speaking. Secondly, he exercises his authority over the realm of Satan. Look at verse 33. In the synagogue, there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon and he cried out with a loud voice. Now, stop a moment. This is about to become a rather exciting worship service in the synagogue. Nobody's going to ever forget this one.

Do you remember being there that day when that guy shouted out, don't try it in here, by the way. Here he is, he's demonized, what we would call demon possessed. Now, because I know questions are rising in your mind, it's not the sermon, at least let me pull aside for a moment and address this idea. An unbeliever can be possessed by a demon or demons, but believers who are inhabited by the Holy Spirit cannot be. The spirit of God inhabits you, believer, 1 Corinthians 3, 16. The Holy Spirit isn't about to share a room with the devil.

However, let me add this warning. While believers cannot be possessed by demons, believers can be persuaded by error, demonic error, influenced by demons, tempted by the demonic world. So let me distinguish it this way. Unbelievers can experience demon possession controlling them from the inside. Believers can experience demon or demon persuasion controlling them from the outside. This, of course, is graphically illustrated when Jesus rebukes Peter for following after Satan's agenda and not the Lord's, Matthew 16, verse 23. Now back to this scene in Luke's Gospel. Luke is giving us the first recorded instance of Jesus encountering a demon-possessed man, that is, an unbeliever.

Possession means the demon is in control of this man's personality, his body, his thinking, his speaking, his feelings, his actions. And by the way, don't miss the observation here that this man is in the synagogue. He is attending a worship service. I couldn't help but think, what's he doing in here?

Singing the songs and praying the prayers and saying amen, you know, at the right time? How long has he been just fine and dandy in the synagogue? How old is he?

How long has this been taking place? Who is he? What role does he play? Well, we're not told any of that.

We don't know. But what we do know is that Jesus shows up and suddenly a man has been very comfortable in the synagogue is very uncomfortable. He's not comfortable at all with the person and the preaching of Jesus. In fact, he can't stand the sermon so much that he evidently interrupts Jesus. Jesus is preaching.

Notice verse 33 again. And he cried. Jesus is preaching.

And he cried out with a loud voice. Ha. What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? That word ha doesn't mean he's laughing.

It's a form of derision. Ha. Who are you? It's the idea. Hey, we could translate it. Stop it. Enough of that.

Even in our modern vernacular, he's essentially saying, you know, what are you doing messing around with us? Get lost. Get out of here. Imagine the synagogue. Everything's in order. Jesus is preaching. Suddenly a man speaks. Get out of here.

Wow. What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? In other words, are you going to do it now? They know it's going to happen.

You're doing this now? I know who you are. The Holy One of God. Now, Luke is already made in chapter 1 of verse 35. The connection between the Holy One and the Messiah. I know you're the Messiah.

God had promised Adam and Eve way back in the garden that a redeemer would be born among men who would rise to crush their kingdom. This little demon doesn't know everything. But he knows enough to know that he's not just in the presence of Jesus from that little village of Nazareth, which he starts out by saying sarcastic.

Oh, no. He comes out with the truth. I know you're the Holy One of God. The power of darkness is coming face to face with the power of everlasting light. This here isn't the final crushing of Satan's power, of course, but it signals that the crushing of the serpent's head is beginning. Now verse 35. Jesus rebuked him saying, be silent and come out of him.

When the demon had thrown him down, he collapsed as the demon left him. He came out of him having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, what what is this word for with authority and power? He commands the unclean spirits and they they come out. Let me recommend that you circle the words authority and word in your text there in verse 36. And then draw a line up as I have to verse 32 and circle the same terms.

Word. Authority. See, Luke is emphasizing here the power of Christ's word. The Jewish exorcists. And there were many in the days of Jesus and they had these elaborate rituals and they had incantations and they had incense and they had holy water and they had, you know, prayers and on and on. Jesus, Jesus did none of that. He doesn't conduct an elaborate ritual. He doesn't start a long prayer there.

There's no, you know, incense or smoke, no special incantations. He just speaks the word. Be quiet.

Leave him. He just speaks. And the demon submits.

That's what Luke wants us to get. He just says the word. And this demon is powerless before his word. And finally he is going to reveal his authority over sickness. Look at verse 38 and he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house.

Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever and they appealed to him to Jesus on her behalf and he stood over her and rebuked the fever and it left her and immediately she rose and began to serve them. Now, now Dr. Luke reveals again he's a doctor. He's using medical terminology here to describe this case. The medical world work from what I've learned during this day divided fevers into two classes. They called them either minor or major.

I don't know about you but if I had one it would always be major, never minor. The word major derives from the word mega which Luke uses here. And Luke literally writes she was ill that is in the grip of a major fever, a mega fever, a high fever. In fact the word for fever is the word fire. We would say to this day that she was burning up with fever. Now the medical community as well during these days thought that fever was the disease. They didn't know that it was merely evidence that the body was fighting a disease and fever was the symptom, not the disease. So for the Lord to cure her of fever, understand here that what this means is he cured her of whatever the disease was that was creating in her the fever. And it strikes me as I studied this that the Lord is rather graciously condescending to their limited understanding and instead of explaining to everybody it is the fever.

She's got malaria or she's battling cancer or some virus. Luke says rebuked the fever. By the way don't become mystical as a crazy world that there has unfortunately under the name of Christ that since Jesus rebuked the fever and Luke uses the same word for rebuke that he used for rebuking the demon that fever is the result of a demon. So we're going to go around rebuking all the demons. Now Luke is simply showing us by the repetition of that verb that the Lord has the same authority over disease as he does over demons.

It's all handled by a word, his word. In either case it only takes a word from him to cure this disease and again Luke because he's a doctor actually takes the time to tell us here in verse 39 that not only did her fever go away but she immediately got up to serve them. Luke noted that because that alone is another medical phenomenon. Someone with a major fever who's cured of whatever the disease is might begin to feel better maybe after a good night's rest or a warm bath might feel like getting dressed might feel like sitting up in a chair for a little while.

No, no, no. She is immediately healed and immediately infused with strength. It's as if she was never sick. Luke is stunned by that. She had this mega fever and all of a sudden she's back to serving.

Cooking dinner or whatever she was doing to serve them. This isn't just one miracle. This is a series of miracles.

Now look what happens. Verse 40. Now when the sun was setting Luke tells us now the Sabbath is over which means that people can now carry burdens and travel again. Well look what they're carrying. All those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him.

He uses the perfect tense to indicate this continuous action through the night. So I want you to get in your minds this picture. There is a steady stream of diseased and demonized people arriving here at Peter's house. They're coming from everywhere. The steady stream coming continuously to Jesus. What a picture of our world, isn't it? What a picture of our sin broken world.

We live in a broken world of diseased and demonized and despairing people. But the Messiah has arrived here and he is beginning to demonstrate his divine credentials as the Son of God. He is signaling his ability to eventually and ultimately save, to reverse the curse of a fallen and sinful and diseased world.

Look at his credentials again. Verse 40. Look there again and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. Luke wants us to know that Jesus the great physician was not a specialist. He didn't specialize merely in fever. Hey we got to come to him bring all the people with a fever. No. He could heal anything.

Anyone. And he was an unusual physician because there's no mention here of charging a fee or asking about insurance. And I see your card. There's a copay.

There's no copay. Verse 41 and demons also came out of many crying. You are the Son of God. Adject surrender and all they could do is say we know who you are and Jesus tells them all. He rebukes them. Would not allow them to speak. Jesus isn't going to let them be on his advertising committee. He didn't need their validation.

He didn't want it. Because they knew that he was the Christ that is the anointed one, the Messiah. They knew he was the Messiah. I'll bet they did.

I'll bet they realized. I mean the word is spreading in the underworld that he's here. The serpent crushing Savior is here. And he goes on to preach.

Notice verse 43. The good news of the kingdom of God. The reign of God. Jesus is revealing the glory of the reign of God.

We sang about that. It's just a taste here. It's just a precursor.

Just a little bit. We'll wait until it ultimately arrives. It has yet to arrive but let me show you what it means to have Christ reigning. Jesus is revealing his power to reverse the curse.

That's the bigger issue. He can reverse the curse with a word. Everything that was brought on by sin. All of the brokenness. He's giving us a glimpse of that future glory and what that glorious reign of God is going to be like.

And I'll tell you what it will be like. No more disease. No more death. No more pain. No more sickness. No more guilt. No more sorrow. No more tears of suffering. Revelation 21. Is that possible?

Can that be true? Yes. Look here.

Look here. Can you imagine Capernaum after this one night? Can you imagine? You're in a town where suddenly everyone old and young alike are healed. Healthy.

Restored. There's not a sick person in town. Imagine what that would do to insurance. I mean everybody is healed.

Luke makes it clear. Look again. Any who were sick, that word disease, malady could be internal. It could be physical. It could be anatomical. It could be mental.

It could be psychological. Anything and everything. Here they come. In one door and out the other. Limping in.

Leaping out. I can imagine some of them crawled. Some of them limped.

Can you see it? Coming on carts and being carried on backs. Some walked fast.

Some inched along. Wealthy. Poor. Educated.

Illiterate. And they're all standing in line as equals before Jesus. Is that the gospel or what? And notice he laid his hands on them all. This is personal. This is one at a time. One at a time.

Why? Because he's going to communicate undeniably that the healing is emanating from his person. It is coming from his power. This is his authority. He is not sickened by them.

He is not contaminated. As the rabbis taught, by them. He cures them all.

Everyone. This is just a taste of the coming King. Thanks so much for joining us today here on Wisdom for the Heart.

Stephen Davey has called this message The Crushing of the Serpent Begins. Before we end our time today, I want to share something with you. Stephen is also the pastor of the Shepherd's Church in Cary, North Carolina. This coming Sunday will mark the 35th anniversary of Stephen launching and leading that church.

Those 35 years of Bible teaching provide the basis for this program. If you'd like to send Stephen a note of encouragement or congratulations, you can send an email if you address it to info at wisdomonline.org. If you prefer sending cards or letters in the mail, I'll give you our mailing address. It's Wisdom for the Heart, P.O.

Box 37297, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27627. Thanks again for joining us. We're so glad you were with us, and I hope you'll be with us for our next Bible lesson tomorrow, right here on Wisdom for the Heart. We'll see you next time.