“The Just Shall Live By Faith”

New King James Version                          Written by: David Hicks

 

Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Galatians 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

“Articles of Faith”

 

An Orderly Account Of The Greatest Story Ever Told

(A Study in Luke)

Chapter 4:31-37:

Jesus found hard-heartedness and rejection in His own city. They rejected His message of salvation; but heard that the Lord suggested that God's message often benefited the undeserving in man's eyes, and those with the greatest need, failed to see !

This caused them to forcefully reject Him and He fled them avoiding His pre-mature death. This brings us to the scene of this lesson; Jesus will once again come to Capernaum . Capernaum was on the North-West shore of the Sea of Galilee and is suggested in the Gospel of Matthew to be His base of operation while in the region of Galilee , note:

Matthew 4:12-17 “Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee . 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet , saying: ( Isaiah 9:1-2 )

15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali ,

By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan ,

Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,

And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death

Light has dawned."

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Capernaum was one of the larger cities in the region at the time of Jesus. There was a tax office ( Mark 2:14 ), an official of Herod-Antipas had a house there and built a synagogue (a Centurion - Luke 7:1-10 ), and is where Jesus preached many sermons ( Mark 9:33 -50 ).

In spite of all that Jesus would do in the region, the people of the region would not repent, and the Lord predicted their complete ruin ( Luke 10:15 ).

In this lesson we will take a look at some of the amazing works that He would do in the presence of the citizens of Capernaum . Remember that the purpose of these signs and wonders were singular in nature; “a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst as you yourselves also know” ( Acts 2:22 ).

Text #1:

Luke 4:31-37 “Then He went down to Capernaum , a city of Galilee , and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. 32 And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. 33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, 34 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!" 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. 36 Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out." 37 And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.”

His Word Was With Authority: At the end of the Sermon of the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, the people claimed that He spoke to them as “having authority” , and not as the scribes ( Matthew 7:29 ); additionally, this is stated in the Gospel of Mark's version of the same event we are studying ( Mark 1:21-28 ). The scribes simply copied and quoted that which was written (as the commands or orders of another). Jesus spoke as the originator of the instruction, command, and orders (this concept of authority is described by a Centurion and recognized by the Lord as an understanding of the authority and command at His disposal – see: Luke 7:8-9 ).

Unclean Spirit: The idea of demonic possession is a difficult subject for many to understand. The King James version uses the phrase “demon possessed”, which comes from the Greek word, ‘ daimonizomai ' or ‘ daimonion ', and are so closely related that they are very seldom rendered any other way. There are many that try to explain these possessions away as mere physical disorders; however, the New Testament as well as the Lord recognized these demons residing in these individuals (even though recognition of these demons usually took place by the presence of illness and mental dementia or disorder).

The presence of this phenomenon can be attributed to a specific need. The need existed in both the Lord and His chosen Apostles to demonstrate that they had power in both heaven and earth. This power over the forces of the great adversary and his servants was proof that Jesus was the Son of God and that His chosen represented that power. In addition, it stood as testimony that the word which they delivered was from God.

As the word was delivered and the testimony of the signs and wonders that followed it made it more sure ( II Peter 1:16-21 ), the need for such events as these dissipated and further mention in the letters dated later in the 1 st century show no mention of such events or their need (except by way of reminder, calling on earlier events – John 20:30-31 ).

The need for such events as these and the other miracles performed by Jesus and His chosen no longer exists; for we have the word once delivered and testified to by the eye witnesses to the mighty events that verify the power behind that word ( II Timothy 4:1-5 ; I Peter 1:22-25 ; I John 1:1-4 ; Jude 3 ).

Let Us Alone: Since these demons represented the servants of the great adversary, the “us” is explained in that definition. The remainder of this verse also stands as testimony that men may not recognize the Son of God and the power of God He commanded, but the demons did! See – James 2:19 .

Authority and Power: As we have already established in this text, Jesus spoke as One having authority . In the casting out of this demon, He not only speaks as One having authority, He demonstrated the power behind the authority (the demons confession of the power behind this event, also spoke volumes concerning His authority).

The Jews of Jesus time were familiar with the signs that followed God's instruction to them. However, just as it was with their fathers in the wilderness, so focused were they on the signs that they failed to obey the simple commands of God.

This will continue to play out in the ministry of Jesus. The leaders of the people will often challenge Him to perform more signs as testimony of who He was; regardless of the signs that were performed in their presence already ( Matthew 12:38-42 ). The people themselves would only follow Jesus to be benefactors of His miracles ( John 6 ).

This stands as continued testimony that it was never God's intent to save man by this means; it would be in the simplicity of the word of God preached that He would select to save man!

1 Corinthians 1:21-25 “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe . 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men , and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

The Report Went Out: Jesus did not perform these signs and wonders to gain notoriety, however, such was the result. This also stands as testimony of the legitimate nature of the signs and wonders done by the Lord.

There were many sorcerers and magicians at this time, which by trickery and cunning fooled the people into believing that they had power (see: Acts 8:9-13 ; 13:6-12 ). However, just as it has been since the beginning, the representatives of God stood out from the deceivers by the true power they commanded. This was always recognized by the people as truly supernatural!

Next: “ Conclusion of Chapter - 4 ”