Sweet, sweet child of Jesus, the bread of life has
been, sweetest form of forgiveness. His grace we can endure, for
all his doings. At the word of the Lord be thou,
no place within the mind. But here in Jesus' pure eyes,
see His spirit divine. Okay, cheers. I think you'll know why in a
few minutes. Luke chapter 9. I started studying
this And it just grew and grew and grew. And before I knew it,
I ended up in Revelation 12, doing a whole exposition of that
chapter. And I looked up and started counting
notes, and there was 11 pages of notes. And I thought, stop.
So I went back and took out about five pages and started over again. But there's much here. A very
helpful and meaningful message, hopefully God-honoring, Christ-exalting. All right, let's read verse 1
again. We continue this study through Luke. Then he called his twelve disciples
together and gave them power and authority over all devils
and to cure disease. This was right after The Lord
raised the daughter of the man, the ruler. And you remember up
there in verse 56, where he charged them, charged her parents and
others, that they should tell no man what was done. Now, the
Lord did this quite often. I went back and looked at several
miracles, and after each one, he told them, don't go out and
tell anybody. You should go home and show them
what a great thing the Lord has done for you. And this is significant,
because the next verse of this first chapter, or ninth chapter,
first verse, says, Then he called his son. and gave them power and authority
and so forth, and sent them out. And while we are witnesses, our
chief witness is to tell what the Lord does for us. People
who are going to hear the gospel are going to hear a good preacher. That's the way the Lord has chosen
us. You see the significance there?
The very next verse. He called his disciples. He did the calling. He did the
choosing. His disciples. It says, And he
gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases. Devils and diseases. Christ chose these twelve men
and endued them with power and authority, it says, over all
devils and able them to cure diseases. And there are many
examples of them doing just that throughout the Book of Acts.
Through the Book of Acts, there are several examples of the disciples
casting out devils and curing different diseases. Now, what
relevance does this have to us? There has to be something relevant
to us, doesn't it? How can this help us? There are
no more apostles today. You know that, don't you? Everyone
in here knows that. I believe you do. I believe you
know the reason why there are no more apostles, because we
have the completed book. The completed... there are no
more prophets. Because Christ is that prophet. After all he said, and instructed
his disciples to say, there's nothing more needs to be said,
nothing more needs to be revealed, nothing more needs to be prophesied,
besides Christ's fulfillment of all things. No more apostles,
and no more healings by the laying on of hands like this. Look at
2 Thessalonians chapter 2, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Now, I am well aware
of what James wrote up, that it says the prayer of faith. Prayer is a different thing altogether than what these disciples, they
pray, yes. You'll see the point I'm trying
to make here. 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 9, it says, Satan, him
whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and
signs, and lying, wandering, and all deceivableness and unrighteousness
in them that perish, because they receive not the love of
the truth. That's the gospel, isn't it? Some who do not receive
the gospel. that they might be saved. And
for this cause, God shall send them, now Paul is speaking of
it in the future, God shall send them strong delusions that they
should believe a lie. Those who do not love the truth,
those who think there's something more than the gospel, that they
want to see something, that they want to experience something
other than the gospel. The word, plain old preaching
of God's Word is not good enough. God says, OK, I'll send you something.
Lying wonders. And there's no doubt that some
things go on today. Some miracles are occurring.
And by a spirit, but it's not the Spirit of God. You know why
I know that? Because there's no gospel being
preached. No gospel? It's not of God. No gospel. It's not of God. And furthermore,
you'll not see these things in all these miracles, crusades.
You'll not see the blind healed. You've never seen a blind person
healed. You'll not see the deaf healed. You'll never hear it. You'll never hear of that. You'll
not see the lame walk. You'll not see that. I mean the
really like, born lame, born blind, born deaf, born lame.
You'll not see the dead raised. And all of those are typical
of salvation. And you'll not see those things.
All right? But these twelve men now actually, actually healed
blindly. Deadly. Raised the dead. And it says, cast out all sorts
of, all devils, all devils, and cure diseases. Now, what's the
relevance of this to us? Like I said, Acts. Well, the
power and authority which was given to these disciples is still
at work, at least in the casting out of devils. The power and
authority, do you know how they cast out devils? Martin Luther
wrote of it. He said, one little word shall
fail me not. The disciples, devils were cast
out by the preaching of the gospel. There's nothing that will cast
out a devil except a stronger entity. They said someone else
take up rest. Not a cleaning, not a sweeping
of the house. You remember Christ spoke of
that? Sweeping the house, you know,
and got it all garnished and decorated and hung pictures and
all that. And then seven more came in. No, no. Somebody else has got to take
up rest that's stronger than that demon. That's where I went,
just went off, looking at Casting out of Devils and went over into,
like I said, Revelation 12 and so forth and went back to Isaiah
where the Lord cast down Satan to the earth and on and on it
went. And maybe we'll look at that
another time, but not tonight. It says that he gave them power
over all devils, verse two, and he sent them to preach the kingdom
of God and to heal the sick. See, the first thing he sent
them to do, their primary mission, was to preach. What did they
preach? The kingdom of God. Well, look
down at verse 6, and they departed and went through the town preaching
the gospel. It's one and the same. The gospel
is the gospel of the kingdom, or rather, the dominion of God's
kingdom. So they went preaching the gospel
and healing. And these devils were cast out
by preaching of the gospel. Alright, turn to 1 Corinthians
chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Romans 1, 16. You need to remember
these passages. We quote this quite often, Romans
1, 16, Paul says, The gospel is the power of God, and the
salvation of everyone who believes. It's the power of God. It's said
there that Christ gave them power to cast out death. What power?
The gospel. Power of the gospel. Power of
the word. And this same power is at work today. It sure is. The gospel. In 1 Corinthians
1, Look at beginning with verse 18. The preaching of the cross
is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God. No less so than it was to Mary
Magdalene. We were no less possessed than she was. You know that. We think of Mary
Magdalene as, you know, she was demon possessed as well as that
man in the tombs and others. And we think of somebody just
like the man in the tombs that was running wild. It doesn't
say that Mary Magdalene was. It doesn't say she was running
wild. It doesn't. But her life revealed that she
had a death wish. And the Lord cast them out of
her, removed them, delivered her. And so He has with many
of us. No less so than her. No less
was it. Now in verse twenty-one. After in the wisdom of God, the
world by wisdom knew not God. He pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believed. Preaching chapter two
of the chapter two all said in verse two I've determined not
to know anything among you and this is the gospel Christ. Christ crucified. And he said
in verse five that your faith should not stand in the wisdom
of men but in the power of God. You see what the power of God
is? Huh? The disciples weren't, they
weren't filled with some mumbo-jumbo, you know, incantation or magic,
white magic of some sort. It just didn't understand. In the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, come at me. The same thing is true with us. The same thing. There was a time,
and now is, when God powerfully worked on you through the preaching
of the gospel, and preaching a sovereign God, preaching a
helpless, condemned sinner, preaching a sovereign substitute for sinners
with a full, final, free, effectual, complete redemption. And the
Holy Spirit showed you your need of Christ, and you came to Him
for healing, and you were healed. And look over at 1 Corinthians
6, 1 Corinthians 6, 1 Corinthians 6, look at these, look at these
works of the flesh, verse 9. I'll be not deceived, neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminates,
nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of
God." Nobody like that is going to inherit the kingdom of God.
But verse 11 said, And such were some of you. You're washed, but you're sanctified. God chose you, set you apart,
but you're justified. In the name of the Lord Jesus,
from all things, from which you could not be justified. Hallelujah. With a word, Christ
said, come out, come out. And they do. And the power of
God overshadowed you one day, and planted in you and brought
forth a new creature, created in Christ Jesus unto you in a
good way. Look at Ephesians chapter 2.
All of us will still have to be here. I said it is at least
five of those possible. I will decide to do that. We want to grow. Matthew, Peter, John, James,
Paul, they're all still casting out the preacher of the gospel. This is my story, Ephesians 2,
and you, hath he quickened who were dead and in trespasses and
sin, wherein in time past ye walked according to the course
of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
a spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,
who fills all these people throughout the world,
verse 3, among whom also we all had our same life, lived the
same life, in time passing the lust of our flesh, fulfilling
the desire of the flesh and the mind, were by nature devil-possessed,
children of wrath even as others." But here again, here's the gospel,
here's the deliverance from but God, who is rich in mercy. For His great love wherewith
He loved us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us,
raised us together with Christ. How do you say? By sovereign
grace. By hearing the gospel of sovereign
grace. They're still casting out devil. Still casting out devil. You
know, believers can still be plagued at times by the devil. We looked at Peter, didn't we?
We talked about Peter. At one minute, he was confessing
Christ, and Christ was commending his profession of faith, and
then turned right around, and Christ called him a devil. One minute, Peter was just as
bold, you know, took out his sword and was going to defend
the Lord before a whole multitude of enemies. And then the next
minute, he was cowering before the Lord. But even believers
can still be plagued at times. Martin Luther, who wrote that
song right there, the story has it that he was sitting in his
desk one day, trying to study to preach. And he was so beset
behind the four by evil thoughts and whatever it says, he took
his inkwell and threw it at the devil. And they say you go over
there now and do his little study there and you'll still see he's
called the wolf. That's the reason he wrote that
psalm. We're not the right man on our side. A man of God's own
choosing. One little word from him shall
fail him, not an inkwell from me." Believers are still plagued,
but now they're not ruled. There's a difference. And I warn you, I warn all of
us, I warn young people, I warn everyone, myself included, from
these verses of Scripture. Believers, while believers may
fall into sin, they don't live in it. While believers may succumb
to temptations of time, they don't live a life of sin. And
Romans 6 says, Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants
to obey his servants, ye are to whom ye obey? Whether of sin unto death or
of obedience unto righteousness. And Peter said this too. Paul
warned of that, and then Peter warned of this over in 2 Peter
2. Listen very carefully. These
are solemn warnings. Believers don't live in sin.
Believers are new creatures. Old things pass away. I am very
suspicious of the person whom the Lord has not given grace. and there's no subduing of the
passions. Because this is what Peter says,
if after they've escaped the pollutions of the world through
the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are
again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse for them
than the beginning. It had been better for them not
to have known the way of righteousness than after they had known it
to turn away from the holy commandment delivered unto them. It's happened
unto them, according to the proverb, the dog is turned to his mammoth
again. And the sow that was washed is
watering in the moon. So let that be a solemn warning
to me and all of us included. No deliverance, no salvation. All of that was. You're looking
at a young man who was totally beset with things. And I'm here
to tell you, there's deliverance. I'm not what I ought to be, what
I'm going to be, but I'm not what I used to be. All right? All right, Ephesians
6, what's the answer? What is the answer for demons
who plague people, devil-plagued sinners? Ephesians 6. Ephesians 6, and this is the
gospel pictured in verse 10. Ephesians 6, brethren, be strong
in the Lord and the power of his might. What's the power of
his might? We've been saying that. It's
the gospel. Put it on. Put it on. The whole armor of
God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. Why? Because you're not wrestling
with flesh and blood. but against principalities and
powers and rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places who have the mastery over human nature. But you've got mastery to go
to, wherefore it's taken of you the whole armor of God, that
you may be able to withstand an evil day, having done all
to stand, or used all the means. Stand therefore, having your
loins girt about with truth, And all of this is Christ, the
gospel, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the gospel. Above
all, take that shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to
quench the fiery dark, the helmet of salvation. Wear it, the sword
of the Spirit. Take it, the Word of God. Pray
in all ways, calling on Him who must apply this gospel. All right, so there's the remedy.
There's 16 for devil-plagued sinners, I think. There it is. Now back to Luke 9, Luke chapter
9. Now notice here, and like I said, I went from there into
several areas and forgot about Luke 9. But let's go back to
Luke 9 and stay in contact. And all of that is so very needful,
very helpful, and perhaps we'll pursue that a little further
later on. Devils and demons, that is, the
different types and the casting out and so forth. But back in
Luke 9, back in the context, notice it said the Lord sent
them to preach. That was their main mission.
He sent them to preach. And he sent these disciples out into
unknown territory to preach, places they'd never been. They
were total strangers, places they didn't know the name of.
Places they didn't know anybody, no relatives, no friends, all
that, just sent them out. All right? There were no notices posted anywhere that
they were coming. No promotionals went out. Didn't
advertise. Didn't put flyers in the mailboxes.
Didn't, no front runners. Didn't advertise a big meeting,
big healing meeting. The apostles, Peter and James
and John, are coming. The apostles are coming. The
apostles are coming. I've actually seen that today. Down in Winston-Salem. No, no. None of those things.
Because if the Lord sends a man to preach the gospel, He'll open
the door for him to go in and preach the gospel. And if he
raises up a preacher, this is the thing about it. If he equips
a preacher, he's got somebody to hear him. If he's got a preacher, he can
count on somebody to hear him. And God will supply all that
preacher's needs. Look at this, verse 3. He said
unto them, take nothing for your journey. Don't take staves, script,
bread, money, two coats, take nothing. You ever heard the word
deputation? That's a missionary term that
if you're going to go to the mission field, you stand about
six months or a year or however long it takes you to get you
a nice nest egg. You go around to different so-called
churches and you try to drum up support. Deputation is what
I think that's what they call it. I may be wrong. It doesn't
matter what they call it. It's bagging is what it is. And
they go around. I've seen, I've known many men
that do this, and it always came to naught. There was no mission
board behind these fellows. There was no savings account
built up to support them. That's just the way God does
things. We're going to Mexico. When Walter
Gruber first went to Mexico, he didn't have a dime of support. Not one church. Didn't know the
language. Is God in it? He is God in it. Bill Clark? Not a bit of support. She took off. She took off. God was flabbergasted. That's
how you know God's in it. You see? If men are putting the
bill, how can you say God's in it? But if they go without any
human assistance or aid, then you know God's in it. Right? Men who get on TV and the radio
and say, now we can't stay on the air without you, they ought
to get off then. Right? They don't need to be
on the air. God didn't send them. Right?
They can't stay on the air without me. I want you to turn over to Ezra
chapter 8. Look at this again. Ezra 8. Do you remember the story
or I'll refresh your memory. After the temple was built. That's
right. After the temple was built, Ezra
led many of the former captives back to Jerusalem. It was a parade
of people. And he led them up to Jerusalem
to worship and to inhabit the land. Now, there was a great
flock of people, huge, strong, former captives. No way they
were led captives. He led them back to Jerusalem
to worship God and to dwell in the city and to worship in the
temple. And they had many needs. You
can imagine what a whole, like the children of Israel in the
beginning, that left Egypt with many needs. God supplied them.
God did. Ezra wisely, Ezra said, the first
thing we need is ministers about the sanctuary. And verse 18 said,
By the good hand of our God, They brought us a man of understanding
and his sons, ministers. That's the first thing God provided
was preachers. Preachers, that's the first thing.
Before we need a bite to eat, we're going to have to have some
gospel. And then, look at, this is the
verse, these are the verses I wanted you to see. Verses 21 through
22. Ezra said, I proclaimed the fast there at the river of Hathor
that we might afflict ourselves before our God to seek of him
a right way for us and for our little one, to pave the way,
that is, and for all our substance. We had needs. We needed substance. We needed provision. He said
in verse 22, I was ashamed to require the king, a band of soldiers
and horsemen, to help us against the enemy in the way, because
we've spoken unto the king, we've said unto the king, the hand
of our God is on us. We don't need your help. God
reigns. And so we're not asking man for
anything. And that's just exactly how Christ sent these out. Don't
ask anybody for anything. My God, Jehovah-Jireh. Jehovah-Jireh. Christ sent Him,
and He's Jehovah-Jireh. The Lord will see to it. The
Lord will provide. The Lord will provide Himself. And so, all these, and I say
it, I can't say it strongly enough, all these places that have to
sell capes and pies to make ends meet, God ain't in it. Guaranteed. Anybody that's selling
anything, God's not in it. Right that time. They must not have the God of
all riches. They wouldn't need to sell banana bread. How ridiculous
can you get? Their God must be a poor man. Our God is the provider
of all things. And right here is a good picture
of how He provides everything for us in Christ, too. All these
things He listed here. In verse 3, He said, Take nothing
for your journey. And this thing of eternal life,
we don't take anything. Oh, this journey of life, eternal
life, this journey to God, we don't take anything. In my hands, no Christ-sacrifice,
simply through the word of Christ-sacrifice. Don't take staves, or sticks,
or a staff. We don't need anything laid on
for Him. His rod and His staff will come to us. He says, don't
take a script, that's a purse or a wallet or something to carry
everything in. You don't have to have something
to hold on to everything. No, he'll provide everything
to you every morning. You don't need something to have
bags that wax old. Don't need to save anything.
It is mercy anew at the moment. Don't need to keep anything.
He'll provide fresh manna. Need the bread? Christ is the
bread. Man doesn't live by bread alone. I bet you'd say these fellas
could have gone a long period of time without eating and been
full. Need the money? Don't need money.
Huh? Do we need money on the journey?
Oh, we're not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold
from our vain conversation. But with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a man without spot, without blemish. Look at this.
You don't need two coats. One's enough. Don't take two
coats. The one you're wearing will never
wear out. It's a good one. The Lord provided him with a
coat. What do you reckon that coat was like? It was a good
one. It was a good one. And it doesn't
say anything about shoes here, but I just imagine he shot them
well. And they would never wear out. And he says in verse four,
whatever house you enter into, there abide. What about a place
that's going to need a place to stay? Well, let's call ahead
and see if there's a hotel. Oh, there'll be plenty of places.
They'll just be begging you to stay with them. And you'll feel right at home.
You'll feel right at home. I know you gave up your home,
but I told you, didn't I? You'll have plenty of home. And
they'll give you one if you need it. You'll feel right at home
there. And there abide, abide, till it's time again. And verse
five, now whosoever will not receive you, don't beg, don't
plead, don't stay around and argue. Get out. And shake the dust off
your bare feet for testimony. Not sent to argue, but to declare. He said, my sheep will hear my
voice. Don't stand around and strive with pot sherrys. This
is good advice to all of us. Don't stand around and strive
with pot sherrys, and continue to cast this beloved pearl before
swine. Shake your dust. Try that sometime.
If you're talking to somebody for a while, and it's obvious
that they don't want anything to do with your gospel, just
go. They'll think you're crazy, but
if they ask you, what are you doing? Apprehensive? Oh yeah, they're
men. They're just men. Fishermen. They ain't even preached
before. Barber? Peter? He'd been talking
to fish all this time. Go, preach. Explain it. Just like Moses, just like Jeremiah,
just like all of them. Just like Elijah, Elijah the
cloud boy. John, Elisha, out there flyin'
on twelve yoke oxen. But I can't preach. It's gonna
make Yoda a souvenir. I'll teach you. I'll teach you. So that
is it. Amen? Preach it. This is God. cast out devils and heal the
many." On down a little further it says, "...heal everybody that
hath need of healing." Heal everybody that hath need of healing. So
he's still in the devil casting out and the heal of many. The same power. The very same
power. Nothing else. Nothing more. Nothing less. All right, let's
stand. Our Heavenly Father, we thank
You so much that Your mercy and grace saw fit to cross our paths
with the gospel, with the Apostles' gospel, Paul's gospel. Now we claim it as our gospel,
my gospel, my God. This grace wherein we stand.
We thank You, Lord. We thank You. We see it. We see our calling. We know it
is the very power of God and wisdom of God. We're nothing. We're nothing. Christ is all. We thank Him. And so it is to
Him that we give all praise and honor and glory for all things. Power and strength, honor and
glory, salvation belongeth unto our God. It's in Christ's name
we've made it. Amen.