Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Second Sunday in Lent - 02/21/16 Sermon - “He throws out demons and heals people” (“Why Jesus is the Savior” series: Part 2 of 6)

Sunday 02/21/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “He throws out demons and heals people”

(“Why Jesus is the Savior” series: Part 2 of 6)          

                            

Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 27

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Philippians 3:17-4:1

Gospel Lesson: Luke 13:31-35

          Welcome again my friends, my brothers and sisters. Welcome on this, the Second Sunday in this season of Holy Lent. The second Sunday of this season of holy preparation. This season where we prepare our hearts and our minds for the coming death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For as Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for forty-days, we have this forty-day period of Lent. We have the opportunity over the next forty-days then, to shed anything from ourselves that separates us from God. We have the opportunity to grow in generosity, in compassion, and in love, as we continue moving toward being made in the image of Jesus Christ. Holy Lent then, is an opportunity to become more like Jesus Christ.

          In this season of Holy Lent, in this forty-day period of spiritual preparation for the coming death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I began a six-week preaching series last week called, “Why Jesus is the savior.” What I mean with this series title, is why do we as Christians make the claim the Jesus Christ is the savior? What has led us to this conclusion? Well on Good Friday during Holy Week every year for example, we gather for worship and remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The day before that we celebrate the Last Supper, the washing of the feet, and the commandment or “Maundy” to love one another. Some churches also have Holy Week services every single day of Holy Week. Historically speaking, the reason that we have Holy Week services, is because we are making special claims about who we say Jesus Christ is.

          In this way, the historic Christian Church believed, as I believe still, that Jesus Christ came to earth as God in the flesh, to proclaim the gospel or “good news,” to heal and forgive, and then to die for the sins of humanity. The reason then that we call the Friday of Holy Week Good Friday for example, is because it is good for us that Jesus died for our sins. For in doing so, the savior of the world, Jesus Christ, has offered us an opportunity to be reconciled to God. The historic claim that Christian Church has made then, is that Jesus was and is the savior of the world, and that he died for us. In espousing this truth, in each week of this six part preaching series on “Why Jesus is the savior,” I will continue introducing another reason or example that we can come to the conclusion that Jesus Christ was and is the savior of the world.

          Last week, I introduced the idea that “Jesus is the savior,” because “he outsmarts and resists the devil.” For forty-days Jesus goes to toe to toe with the ultimate force of evil. He is offered a variety of grand things, and he resists them all, and overcomes evil and darkness. Only God can do that. For Jesus must be the savior then, if he could do that.

          In today’s gospel of Luke reading, I have “fish hooked” out of the scripture that Jesus “throws out demons and heals people.” The idea that Jesus is the ultimate doctor, the ultimate physician. For there was no ailment, no condition, no hurt, and no pain, according to the gospels, that Jesus could not cure and or alleviate. Jesus even rose the dead, as he rose Lazarus from the dead.

          If we are assuming that anything in the gospels is true, as I do, then how could anyone but the savior of the world do the things that Jesus Christ did? This is to say, the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, make some very high claims about who Jesus Christ was and is. The gospels claim that Jesus could resist the ultimate form of evil, and among many other things, today the gospels makes the claim that Jesus had command over all human sicknesses and ailments. It is as if on this day, that Jesus is the ultimate Urgent Care facility. Jesus could heal anything and anyone. In this season of Holy Lent then, as we are reflecting upon our faith, as we are reflecting upon Jesus Christ, do we believe that anything that he did the things that the gospels claimed he did? If our answer is yes, then how could he have done all of the things if were only a man? He must have been God in the flesh, the savior.

You know I have meet some impressive and talented doctors during my time at the Upstate University Hospital. Yet, I don’t think that any of them can do all of things that Jesus did and does. So if the gospels are true on any level, which I think they are, who do we say on this day that Jesus Christ is? I say, that he is the savior of the world, because only the savior could do what he did. No man, no person, only God in the flesh could do what he did. The Apostle Paul wrote in his Epistle or letter to the Colossians in 1:19, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Col. 1:19, NRSV). The Apostle Paul then, was saying that Jesus on earth had the fullness of God dwelling in him. This means that according to the Apostle Paul, Jesus was God on earth. This is also why the church traditionally believes in the Holy Trinity, claiming that God the Father and the creator, that Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are all God, but that they been revealed to us in different forms. This is to say three in one, or one in three. One God, that is in three persons.

Now some of us might struggle with believing that Jesus was God in the flesh, and therefore some of us might also struggle with believing in the Holy Trinity. The reality though, is that if we are making any claims that any of the gospel accounts about Jesus Christ are true, then what does that mean for us? By this I mean, if we to make the claim that Jesus Christ was God on earth, what do we do about it in this season of Holy Lent? In this season of Holy Lent, what if we took this faith that we have, these biblical claims that we make, and what if we continued to transform the world with their power. What if we give more away, what if we become more generous, more loving, and more caring?

What we believe about Jesus, should be more than just ours beliefs, but also our actions. Our faith in our savior, Jesus Christ, should bubble up within us, so that we desire to make the world a place of love, justice, and equity. For in Psalm 27:1 it says, “The LORD is my light and my salvation,” but do we believe that (Ps. 27:1, CEB)? Do we believe that there is really power in the name of God? Or do we just have our beliefs about God, about Jesus Christ, and about the Holy Spirit, and do little with them? I realize as your pastor that I have a very high and historic view of Jesus Christ, but in addition to what I believe, Jesus also commands me to live my faith. I must love my neighbor, even though presently I don’t have a literal next door neighbor. I must feed the poor, and clothe the naked. For if I claim in this season of Holy Lent that Jesus is the savior that he was God in the flesh on earth, I better live up to those claims that I am making. If I do not, I am just someone who preaches a sermon on Sunday, then goes home. What we need in this era of uncertainty though, is a powerful and a lived faith, where not only know what we believe, but a faith that is lived. This is the fullness of the gospel, of the “good news” of Jesus Christ.

This morning in our scripture reading from Philippians, the Apostle Paul is telling the church in Philippi that he has grown closer to Christ. Since this is true, he tells the church, “Brothers and sisters, become imitators of me and watch those who live this way—you can use us as models” (Phil. 3:17, CEB). The Apostle Paul goes on tell the church in Philippi, “Our citizenship is in heaven. We look forward to a savior that comes from there—the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform out humble bodies so that they are like his glorious body, by the power that also makes him able to subject all things to himself” (Phil. 3:20-21, CEB).

The Apostle Paul then ends this reading by saying, “Therefore, my brothers and sisters whom I love and miss, who are my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord” (Phil. 4:1). Now again, making the claims that historic Christianity makes, about Jesus being the savior, God in the flesh are big claims. Yet what do we do with that faith in the season of Holy Lent? If we truly believe that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world, as I do, has it changed us? Are we seeking to be more like Christ in this season of Holy Lent, and are we seeking to live the gospel of love, kindness, compassion, empathy, and joy?

Historically then, in this season of Holy Lent, we awaiting the death and the resurrection of the savior of the world. Since today, we have been given our second example of how Jesus is indeed the savior, since “He throws out demons and heals people,” let’s look at the gospel of Luke reading from this morning more closely.

This reading begins by saying, “At the time, some Pharisees approached Jesus and said, “Go! Get away from here, because Herod wants to kill you” (Lk. 13:31, CEB). In response, Jesus says, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I’m throwing out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and the third day I will complete my work” (Lk. 13:32, CEB). Jesus, according this verse of scripture has command over sickness, aliments, and evil. This is something to me, that only the savior would be capable of, only God. Jesus also uses the imagery here of three days, as he so often does in the gospel, as he says, “and the third day I will complete my work” (Lk. 13:32b, CEB). What I believe that Jesus Christ is saying here, is “I have come to love, heal, and forgive, and on the third day, I will rise from the dead.” This is, I believe, why Jesus said that “and the third day I will complete my work” (Lk. 13:32b, CEB).

Jesus then says, “However, it’s necessary for me to travel today, tomorrow, and then next day because it’s impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem” (Lk. 13:33, CEB). Jesus was crucified under the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem. Was Jesus predicting here, that he indeed would be killed in Jerusalem? Was he saying that hadn’t yet gone to Jerusalem, as he knew it would mean his death? I believe he was doing both of these things.

Jesus then says, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who were sent to you! How often I have wanted to gather your people just as a hen gathers her church under her wings. Look, your house is abandoned. I tell you, you won’t see me until the time comes when you say, Blessings on the one who comes in the Lord’s name” (Lk. 13:34-35, CEB).

Powerful words, from the one whom so many Christians proclaim to be the savior of the world. For he resists evil, he overcomes the devil, he throws out demon and heals people. It is clear to me then, that this Jesus, had power and authority on earth like no other.

          In this season of Holy Lent then, what do we do with this reality of who Jesus Christ is? For if he is truly the savior, how does it change us in this season of Holy Lent? Further, if we proclaim that Jesus is the savior of the world, how does our faith get lived out, each and every day, so that we may love and transform the world around us?

My brothers and sisters, I believe that Jesus Christ was and is the Messiah. I believe that when we proclaim his gospel of hope, love, joy, and justice, and when we live that gospel out, that the world changes for the better.

I would like to leave with you a quote that I authored a couple of days ago. This quote says: "In an era of violence, of corruption, of injustice, and of grave inequality, how should the Christian Church respond? The answer is, the Christian Church much proclaim the gospel. When things are dark, the Christian Church must proclaim the gospel. When things are great, the Christian Church must proclaim the gospel. When things are average, the Christian Church must proclaim the gospel. No matter what the circumstances are, the Christian Church must proclaim the gospel. For we are called to shine light into the darkness."

          Brothers and sisters, in this season of Holy Lent, let us proclaim bold the gospel of Jesus Christ, which call us to turn away from anger, to turn away from violence, for Jesus is the light of the world. Amen.