{"id":2404,"date":"2021-02-10T21:00:34","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T21:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/epiphany-3-january-24-2021-copy\/"},"modified":"2021-02-10T21:15:35","modified_gmt":"2021-02-10T21:15:35","slug":"epiphany-4-january-31-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/epiphany-4-january-31-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Epiphany 4 – January 31, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cPowerful Words\u201d – Mark 1:21-28<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n

1. Three surprising things<\/h4>\n

There are at least 3 surprising things in this brief Gospel reading today. The first surprise is a demon in the synagogue. The second surprise is the brevity and authority of Jesus\u2019 words. The third surprise is the response of the people. I want to talk extensively about the middle surprise, but let me talk about the first and third ones a little bit, too.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0a. A demon in the synagogue<\/h4>\n

OK, so I said the first surprise was the presence of a demon in the synagogue. Actually, it was a demon-possessed man\u2026 but a demon was there, in the man, in the synagogue, in the place where God\u2019s Word was regularly read and discussed and applied to daily living. The last place you would expect a demon to show up would be the Jerusalem temple, for that was considered by the Jews to house the very presence of God. The second last place you would expect a demon to show up would be a local synagogue, where God\u2019s people gathered to worship God and discuss God\u2019s Word and God\u2019s things. You might expect a demon to show up where people were spiritually weak and physically burdened. You might expect a demon to show up where there were a lot of sinful and unbelieving Gentiles. You might expect a demon to show up where business was taking place, where a leaning toward selfishness and greed was rather natural. But in the synagogue, in Capernaum, on the Sabbath Day? No, the presence of a demon in that location was unexpected and surprising.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think I have ever – in over 36 years of being a pastor – had a demonic influence audibly disrupt a public worship service. I have had to speak over a baby\u2019s cry during a Baptism. I have had to sit down to preach a couple of times, because I felt like I could faint. I have had an organist start playing the wrong hymn or had a lector start reading the wrong Bible lesson, but I wouldn\u2019t call ANY of those things demonic. Perhaps the one occasion that I can remember that I would call decidedly demonic was right here in this sanctuary three or four years ago. It was a funeral for someone with a very loose connection with our church. During the message, when I was talking plainly about Jesus, one of the family members made gestures meant for me to see – gestures which indicated that he wanted me to stop speaking about Jesus. A moment later, he and a handful of other people walked out of the sanctuary before I was even finished. That I chalked up to the presence of the devil in that man, and those people.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say that, on any given Sunday, there are not people here in the sanctuary, in the very presence of God, that do not honour God or believe in Him, that are here for show, that resent being here, and that would very well like to disrupt the service and walk out. Whether you kindly leave that in the realm of hypocrisy or call it what it is – a demonic influence, or wolves in sheep\u2019s clothing, as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount – we can\u2019t say that our churches today are immune from that Capernaum synagogue surprise in Jesus\u2019 day.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0b. [Stay tuned\u2026 still to come]<\/h4>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0c. The amazement of the people<\/h4>\n

Now\u2026 surprise number 3 – the surprise and amazement of the people of Capernaum. This is Mark, chapter 1. Jesus had just been baptized by John in the Jordan River, then he had been tempted by the senior devil in the wilderness. He called His first disciples by the Sea of Galilee. But we have to understand that He hadn\u2019t been on the public scene for very long when He began to teach in the Capernaum synagogue. He didn\u2019t have a reputation or a following.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s like me coming to Hope Lutheran ten years ago. Nobody knew me. I didn\u2019t have a reputation or a following. It took a while for people to get to know me, for people to get used to me, for people to trust me. It takes time to earn and develop a good name for yourself.<\/p>\n

Jesus was new on the scene, but people marveled at His teaching, and His authority. No other rabbi taught like Jesus did. And His authority extended beyond His words, all the way to the unclean spirits who obeyed His commands. We heard a couple of weeks ago that Nathanael wondered if anything good could come from Nazareth. These people were surprised that something good, and amazing, and authoritative DID come from Nazareth. And that news spread like a wildfire on the prairie grass.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. Moses\u2019 words<\/h4>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0a. Memorable words<\/h4>\n

Now, let\u2019s direct our attention to the more important second surprise – the power of Jesus\u2019 words. But to give us some background and context, let\u2019s start with Moses in our Old Testament reading from Deuteronomy 18. Oh, and let\u2019s make this interactive, too, so pull up your computer or phone keyboard and get ready to type in a comment. Think about Moses. Remember Moses. He was the main character in 4 consecutive books of the Old Testament. Moses had some pretty powerful and memorable words that he spoke, and some other memorable words that He spoke from God to the people. So, if you can remember some of those Moses-words, why don\u2019t you type them in as a comment right now, and I will read some of them out from my phone. (Oh, and thanks for helping me with my sermon today!!)<\/p>\n

READ some of the comments…<\/p>\n

[Ten Commandments; \u201cLet my people go!\u201d \u201cHear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.\u201d \u201cBe holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.\u201d \u201cWho am I that I should go to Pharaoh\u2026?\u201d \u201cSee I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse\u2026\u201d \u201cFear not, stand firm\u2026 The Lord will fight for you.\u201d]<\/p>\n

Those are great\u2026 thanks!<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0b. \u201cA prophet like you\u201d<\/h4>\n

In our Deuteronomy 18 reading, God says something prophetic and powerful TO Moses. God says, \u201cI will raise up a prophet like you\u2026 and I will put my words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.\u201d<\/p>\n

God promises here to raise up another prophet, a new prophet, like Moses, but better than Moses. This prophet would have a unique relationship with the Lord, one that no other prophet enjoyed, one with a new kind of teaching – namely the Gospel, not the Law that Moses presented. God would put His very own words into the mouth (on the lips) of this new prophet. Those words would be authoritative, powerful, and the people were to listen, for His words would be true! This passage clearly expresses a hope for the great prophet, the Messiah.<\/p>\n

3. The second surprise: Jesus\u2019 words!<\/h4>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0a. The details<\/h4>\n

Now, let\u2019s get back to Mark 1 and Jesus in the Capernaum synagogue. Let\u2019s pay attention to the words. It says, \u201cThey went into Capernaum.\u201d Jesus had just been at the seaside, calling Peter and Andrew, James and John to discipleship. That\u2019s who the \u201cthey\u201d were, and they moved from the seaside into the town proper. Then \u201cimmediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching.\u201d Perhaps the very next day was the Sabbath, and as was His custom, Jesus went to the synagogue with the other men from town to hear and discuss the Torah – the books of Moses. And Jesus was the teacher! There was a custom that allowed visiting teachers to participate in the worship service by invitation of the local synagogue leaders. I wouldn\u2019t put it past God to plan the coincidence of having that Deuteronomy 18 passage as the appointed reading for that day. It would make the \u201cauthoritative prophet like Moses\u201d passage really stand out! Especially after the demon episode.<\/p>\n

But even without that, the people recognized that this rabbi packed some power in his words. Compared to the usual teachers, the scribes, who derived their teachings from human authorities – writings of those who had come before them – Jesus spoke directly and uniquely with the authority of God, His heavenly Father. And that\u2019s what amazed and astonished those who were present that day.<\/p>\n

I had a similar experience a couple of years ago. I was at a conference where a seminary professor – Dr. Reed Lessing – spoke to over 2000 people. His topic was the Isaiah 6 call of Isaiah to be a prophet – where one angel said to another: \u201cHoly, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.\u201d and then Isaiah said, \u201cWoe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.\u201d Dr. Lessing spoke for an hour, without notes, walking back and forth across the stage, and he had those 2000 people – including me – spell-bound with attention. I wish I could remember everything he said. Unfortunately, I can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 b. Memorable words… not here, but elsewhere<\/h4>\n

Unfortunately, in Mark 1, we similarly don\u2019t have the content of Jesus\u2019 powerful teaching that day in the synagogue. We just hear the spell-bound response of the listeners. But at other places in Mark\u2019s Gospel – and in Matthew\u2019s and Luke\u2019s and John\u2019s – we do hear the content of Jesus\u2019 genuine, meaningful, and life-changing messages – messages that are still relevant today. So, cozy up to your keyboard again, and help me out. In the next minute or so, would you write down in the comment section some words of Jesus that were powerful and that impacted people in a dynamic way. Maybe you can remember the exact words – and that\u2019s great\u2026 write them in\u2026 hopefully it\u2019s fairly brief. Or maybe you can summarize a longer section. Or maybe there\u2019s a phrase that is a well-known description of the content of Jesus\u2019 teaching – that counts, too\u2026 write that in. And as they are coming in, I\u2019m going to read a few of them. But the rest of them will trickle in in the next minute or two and hopefully you can read them at home.<\/p>\n

READ some of the comments…<\/p>\n

[(to a paralyzed man) \u201cYour sins are forgiven.\u201d \/ (to wind and waves) \u201cPeace, be still.\u201d \/ (to various people) \u201cYour son is well\u201d or \u201cYour daughter is just sleeping.\u201d or \u201cYour faith has healed you.\u201d \/ (Golden Rule) \u201cDo unto others what you would have them do to you.\u201d \/ (Beatitudes) \u201cBlessed are the poor in spirit\u2026\u201d (Lord\u2019s Prayer) \u201cOur Father who art in heaven.\u201d \/ (Great Commission) \u201cGo and make disciples of all nations\u2026\u201d \/ (Gospel in a Nutshell) \u201cFor God so loved the world\u2026\u201d \/ \u201cI have come to give my life as a ransom for many.\u201d \/ (to His disciples, to us) \u201cThis is my body, this is my blood of the new covenant.\u201d]<\/p>\n

That\u2019s great\u2026 thank you so much for your participation.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 c. To the unclean spirit: \u201cSilence!\u201d<\/h4>\n

So, yes, we have seen so many of Jesus\u2019 powerful and authoritative words. We can\u2019t forget the words we read in Mark 1. Remember this is a man with an unclean or demonic spirit. This isn\u2019t just a rude man making a little bit of a raucous in the synagogue – rustling his gum wrapper, talking to the guy beside him, shuffling his feet on the pebbles. This is a demon who disrupts the orderly processions of the day by saying, \u201cWhat do you want with us, Mr. Jesus? We know who you are!\u201d<\/p>\n

In response, and as a scolding, the Greek New Testament records Jesus saying just five words: \u201cSilence, and come from him.\u201d That\u2019s brief, with the authority of this God-man Jesus. Immediately the unclean spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a loud voice. It shows that a demon has no alternative but to obey the Holy One of God.<\/p>\n

And the people who were there that day – and the Jewish people of Jesus\u2019 day often attributed sickness and disease to sinfulness and demonic influence – the people who were there that day were especially amazed that \u201cHe commands the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!\u201d No one else in their community exercised that kind of authority, or exorcised with that kind of authority.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. Jesus words for our lives<\/h4>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0a. Red Letter words<\/h4>\n

So, let\u2019s bring this story, this message, these powerful words of Jesus home to us today. How does this account impact our own lives?<\/p>\n

Well, first, and quickly, I just want to say how important it is for us to pay attention to the powerful words of Jesus in His teachings and in His interactions with people. A couple of years ago we did some Bible studies and sermons on a book called \u201cThe Red Letter Challenge,\u201d which highlighted some of those influential teachings of Jesus – maybe red letters in your Bible. I want to encourage you to continue reading your Bible and taking to heart those special and authoritative words and messages of Jesus\u2026 for you!<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0b. Jesus purpose: defeating the devil<\/h4>\n

Second – and here we want to acknowledge the very mission and purpose of Jesus coming to earth – we need to see in this passage the living out of what we heard last week. A few verses earlier in Mark 1, we heard Jesus\u2019 first \u201csermon\u201d which included the words, \u201cThe Kingdom of God is near.\u201d Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of God near to people, and an essential part of that was the undoing and dismantling and destroying of the devil\u2019s afflictions in and influence on people\u2019s lives. Casting an unclean spirit out of one man in the Capernaum synagogue was a microcosm of Jesus\u2019 overall mission – defeating sin, death, and the power of the devil for us, for all of us!<\/p>\n

[Maybe that\u2019s what I should have said to the demonic influence of the man who was visibly trying to distract my Jesus message at that funeral, \u201cIf you don\u2019t like what you\u2019re hearing about Jesus, you can just leave.\u201d You know\u2026 \u201cSilence, go out from here!\u201d]<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0c. Defeating the devil\u2019s impact<\/h4>\n

I don\u2019t know if the devil has got a hold of some part of your life – maybe it\u2019s a foul mouth that utters curse words or that too easily criticizes and judges someone; maybe it\u2019s a heart that holds onto money and possessions too tightly; maybe it\u2019s an egotistical spirit that wants others to constantly be serving you; maybe it\u2019s an unrecognized addiction to something – alcohol, pornography, tobacco, painkillers, gambling, internet, video games, food, even work. Any and all of these can be evidence of the devil\u2019s influence on and control over your life – leading you into sin, and leading you away from God.<\/p>\n

Jesus came into this world to say to the devil\u2019s evil impact on every person\u2019s life: \u201cCome out of him, come out of her!\u201d\u00a0 He came to restore us to a right and holy and pure relationship with God.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Jesus brought the Kingdom of God near to us by His suffering and death on the cross. It\u2019s there, and with authority, that He defeated the devil once and for all. It\u2019s there that Jesus says to our sin, \u201cCome out of him, come out of her!\u201d Oh, the memorable words that He used from the cross were, \u201cFather, forgive them…\u201d And the memorable words spoken about Jesus a couple of days later were, \u201cHe is risen from the dead.\u201d And those words are, for us, unspeakable grace, lavish love, inexpressible joy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. Our powerful words<\/h4>\n

What\u2019s left for us? To make our words powerful, too, carrying the authority and blessing of God our Father. In your interactions with others – with your family, with your friends, with your colleagues at work, with your church family here – use your words to affirm people, to offer them encouragement, to remind them of God\u2019s forgiveness and yours, to lift people\u2019s hearts in times of despair, to let your words be life, to let your words be truth, to let your words be the sounds of God\u2019s grace, to let your words bring healing over the heartache and contentment over the fear, to assure them of Jesus\u2019 love for them.<\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 words that day in the synagogue were brief, but they were powerful. Jesus\u2019 words, spoken through you, to others, are also powerful even if they are brief, for they bring the blessing of God to those who need it. Speak those words of grace with confidence and with joy, in the name of Jesus. Amen.<\/p>\n

Why don\u2019t you do one more thing with your computer or phone keyboard today\u2026 would you take a moment and share a few brief but powerful words of encouragement, blessing and love with your sisters and brothers in Christ who are participating today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Three surprising things There are at least 3 surprising things in this brief Gospel reading today. The first surprise is a demon in the synagogue. The second surprise is the brevity and authority of Jesus\u2019 words. The third surprise is the response of the people. I want to talk […]","og_url":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/epiphany-4-january-31-2021\/","og_site_name":"Hope Lutheran Church Port Coquitlam","article_published_time":"2021-02-10T21:00:34+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-02-10T21:15:35+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1010,"height":569,"url":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/01\/Sermon-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"janiceklassen","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"janiceklassen","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/epiphany-4-january-31-2021\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/epiphany-4-january-31-2021\/"},"author":{"name":"janiceklassen","@id":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/3b3af25d25f1533c33671289bc6cba85"},"headline":"Epiphany 4 – January 31, 2021","datePublished":"2021-02-10T21:00:34+00:00","dateModified":"2021-02-10T21:15:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/epiphany-4-january-31-2021\/"},"wordCount":2914,"commentCount":0,"articleSection":["Sermons"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/epiphany-4-january-31-2021\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/epiphany-4-january-31-2021\/","url":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/epiphany-4-january-31-2021\/","name":"Epiphany 4 - January 31, 2021 - Hope Lutheran Church Port Coquitlam","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-02-10T21:00:34+00:00","dateModified":"2021-02-10T21:15:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/3b3af25d25f1533c33671289bc6cba85"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/epiphany-4-january-31-2021\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/epiphany-4-january-31-2021\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/epiphany-4-january-31-2021\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Epiphany 4 – January 31, 2021"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/","name":"Hope Lutheran Church Port Coquitlam","description":"Active in Love, Growing in Christ","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/3b3af25d25f1533c33671289bc6cba85","name":"janiceklassen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e4d860b9949c54efc83021752a6d5f695c249cd481f5ba6a1737b015b6d0a47?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e4d860b9949c54efc83021752a6d5f695c249cd481f5ba6a1737b015b6d0a47?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e4d860b9949c54efc83021752a6d5f695c249cd481f5ba6a1737b015b6d0a47?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"janiceklassen"},"url":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/author\/janiceklassen\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2404"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2406,"href":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2404\/revisions\/2406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}