According To Luke: Completely Healed

According To Luke: Completely Healed 

Illustration: Beauty in the Broken

On January 24, 1975, the world-renowned pianist Keith Jarrett played in front of a live audience in the Cologne opera house. The album for the concert recording was released in the autumn of 1975 to critical acclaim, and went on to become the best-selling solo album in jazz history, and the all-time best-selling piano album.

But all of this didn't come easy. Jarrett had originally requested the use of a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial concert grand piano for the performance. But there was some confusion by the opera house staff and instead they found another Bösendorfer piano backstage—a much smaller baby grand used for rehearsals—and placed it on the stage. According Vera Brandes, the concert's organizer, the substitute piano was "was completely out of tune, the black notes in the middle didn't work, the pedals stuck. It was unplayable." "Keith played a few notes," recalls Brandes. "Then [Jarrett's producer] played a few notes. They didn't say anything. They circled the instrument several times and then tried a few keys. Then after a long silence, [the producer] came to me and said, 'If you don't get another piano, Keith can't play tonight.'"

Despite the obstacles, Jarrett decided to go ahead with the concert. The minute he played the first note, everybody knew it was magic. The audience hushed into awed silence. That night's performance began with a simple chiming series of notes, then quickly gained complexity. Standing up, sitting down, moaning, writhing, Jarrett didn't hold back in any way as he pummeled the unplayable piano to produce something unique. One music critic noted, "Mr. Jarrett turned the banal and familiar into something gorgeous and mysterious."

Point:

Only a master can take something broken and turn it into something beautiful. We know this to be true. Each one of us has find ourselves in a state of brokenness haven’t we? Sure we have. All of us have experienced suffering, harm, hurt, and abuse. There is nothing fun or exciting about being broken. Nothing. 

However, God often uses the broken things in life to bring about beautiful results. He can rearchitect broken marriages, broken relationships, and broken circumstances. Jesus is King of the Broken and He is Lord of the broken people. 

Point:

So, where do you go when you are broken? Perhaps you are in this sanctuary this morning and you are feeling like an old, out of tune piano. If that’s you, where can you go to be fixed? Where can you go to be repaired?

The answer is of of course…Jesus!

Where Do You Go When You Are Broken?

Background and Context:

We are moving slowly through Luke 6. We have traveled verse by verse to where we are today. If you remember, the past two weeks we focused on the same piece of Scripture. Two weeks ago we see that Jesus prayed. He prayed because He was coming to a critical decision in His ministry. Remember, if prayer was important to Jesus, it should be important to us. Last week, we see that following a night of prayer, Jesus calls forth from His disciples 12 men to be His apostles. Remember last week we discussed the markers of a disciple. A disciple is a learner, a pupil, a follower. An apostle is a messenger. The disciples were carrying out the mission of carrying the Gospel message to the world at large. 

This week, we see that the crowds are back. They are wanting more of Jesus. These crowds are different that what we might imagine. They are full of sick people. They are full of trouble people, people who were battling the demonic forces of the Devil. So Jesus gets to work ministering to the masses. He begins to make something beautiful fo the broken. 

Let’s read together from Luke 6, verses 17-19. 

Luke 6:17-19 ESV

17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

Jesus Call To Healing Is For YOU and ME!

I. Jesus Refueled vs. 17

Luke 6:17 ESV

17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place…

Point:

Jesus comes from the mountain and is greeted by a great multitude of people. In my imagination I see Jesus walking down the mountain, seeing the mass of people that were before Him, He then takes a deep breath and then gets to work. He is strong. He is ready. 

Bring. It. On.

How would you feel in that moment? You have just come from a place where you have communed with God. You are feeling good about things. Life is good. Then, all at once, every problem that could ever be shows up at your door. 

I would feel overwhelmed. 

I would feel discouraged.

I would run.

Most of us would feel the exact same way. Not Jesus. Jesus cracks His knuckles and gets to work. How is this possible? Why is Jesus not overwhelmed? Why is He not discouraged? 

The answer is simple my friends. Jesus, in verse 12 we see these words, “In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” 

Jesus found the power, the strength, and the encouragement that He needed from prayer. Jesus was literally refueled for ministry by flexing His prayer muscles. 

Point:

I often equate prayer to exercise. You have to plan to pray just like you plan to exercise. You have to be discipled to pray just like you have to be disciplined to exercise. You have to prepare to pray just like you have to prepare to exercise. To maximize your prayer life, you have control your daily appetites. If you want your prayers to work to their fullest potential, then we should not fill our lives with worldly things, sites, and hungers. The same works with exercise. What good comes from exercise if we eat oatmeal creameries and Mountain Dew before we start. Nothing.  

You see, exercise done the right way, can bring about strength, energy, and health. The same is true for prayer. If we pray daily, watch our worldly intake, we can receive strength, energy, and encouragement. 

Jesus was refueled for ministry because He was a dedicated prayer warrior. 

Point:

One cannot do ministry to it’s fullest without engaging in a period of prayer first. 

Quote: Prayer For Beginners 

In his book, Prayer for Beginners, Peter Kreeft says this concerning the subject of prayer, “Prayer is the hospital for souls where we meet Doctor God.”

Question:

Are you feeling burned out?

Are you feeling like there are just to many problems for you to handle?

Are things at home, at school, at work falling a part?

Are you frustrated, upset, discouraged, and ready to quit?

The answer to these questions is to start flexing your prayer muscles, cut off your worldly appetite, and daily discipline yourself to prayer before your efforts. I promise you, prayer will not let you down. 

Point:

If prayer refreshed Jesus for ministry, it will refresh you as well. Take that to the bank! 

Jeremiah 31:25 NIV

“I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

II. Nobody Refused vs. 17

Luke 6:17 ESV

17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon…

Point:

So, Luke is unpacking a lot of things in verse 17. First, clearly Jesus is ready for ministry. That is pretty obvious. Next, we have lots of people that need healing. We understand this right? Lot of people need healing. This is so true even of today. There are lots of broken, hurting, and suffering people all around us. Even in this room, the sanctuary of a church, there are people struggling with addiction, past abuses, viewing patterns on the internet, and alcoholism. We also have kids that are bullied, people who are just confused, people who struggle with their identity, and others have have self esteem issues. I believe that it is time for the church to stop playing church games and get real about our burdens. There is not one person in this room that does not carry the burden of sin. We all do. 

Now, instinctually, we know this to be true. Everyone has a burden or a struggle. 

But Luke explains it in such a revealing way. Look at the people who came to see Jesus. He first mentions those from Jerusalem and Judea. These were Jews. God’s chosen people. The first to hear the Gospel. Then he mentions those from the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon. These cities were a long way from where Jesus was currently. They traveled great distances to be where Jesus was. These individuals would have been Gentiles. They would not have been considered God’s chosen people. 

Truthfully, those from Jerusalem and Judea would have looked down on those coming from Tyre and Sidon simply because they were Gentiles. I know this because the Jews of Jesus’ day didn’t care for…well…anyone who was not Jewish. They judged others purely on their ethnic identity. 

To make things more interesting, Tyre and Sidon are in current day Lebanon. That may not seem significant to us, but it should be. Lebanon is the modern day site of Canaan. Do you remember the Canaanites of the Old Testament? The Canaanites were one, if not the very first, enemy to Israel. The possessed the promised land of God before God gave it to His people. So, even in Jesus’ day, there was no love for the people of Tyre and Sidon from the Jews. They were enemies.  

However, Jesus came for them too. He came for the Jew and the Gentile.  

Point:

Isn’t it amazing that there are those that still believe that the Gospel message only exists for some and not for others? Isn’t it amazing that there are some who believe that the church is only for some an not for others? We generally make this distinction on the dividing line of race or common belief. 

The truth is that the Gospel is for everyone.

Healing is for everyone.

Salvation is for everyone.

Peace is for everyone.

The church is for everyone. 

God does not throw people away because of the region they come from, past conflicts, or the color of their skin. Jesus was prayed up and His arms were opened up. Come one, come all, healing is yours. 

Galatians 3:26-29 ESV

26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

III. Everyone Refreshed vs. 18

Luke 6:18 ESV

18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 

Illustration:

When I was a kid, Michael Jordan was my favorite basketball player. I loved the Bulls and watched nearly every game that came on TV. I loved watching Jordan play because he played so ferociously. Jordan had several sponsors and one of those was Gatorade. I can still remember the jingle…

Sometimes I dream

That he is me

You've got to see that's how I dream to be

I dream I move, I dream I groove

Like Mike

If I could Be Like Mike

Like Mike

Oh, if I could Be Like Mike

Be Like Mike, Be Like Mike

Again I try

Just need to fly

For just one day if I could

Be that way

I dream I move

I dream I groove

Like Mike

If I could Be Like Mike

I wanna be, I wanna be

Like Mike

Oh, if I could Be Like Mike

So, how could you be like Mike? You drink the thirst quencher, Gatorade. Simply drinking what Mike drinks makes me like him. 

Point:

Oh if that were always true. Yet, in the case of Jesus, it is true. Jesus was the only person, the only place to go if you wanted to be refreshed. If you want to be like Jesus, we better drink what He serves. Jesus even says that he is the “living water” that we drink from Him that we will never thirst. Jesus is the original thirst quencher. 

Point:

Friends, do you know that it has never been in God’s will for you to live and a dry and barren land? Did you know that God wants to refresh you in the same what that Jesus refreshed these sick and hurting people. 

Just listen to these Psalms:

Psalm 19:7 NiV

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

Psalm 68:9 NIV

You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance.

What about some other verses?

Proverbs 11:25 ESV

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

What about an Old Testament prophet?

Jeremiah 31:25 NIV

 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.

Point:

What do you find most refreshing? A cold drink on a hot day? An afternoon nap? Listening to praise and worship music?

The biblical theme of refreshing has a variety of physical and spiritual meanings. In Scripture we read of refreshment by resting on the Sabbath (Ex. 23:12), with cool water after physical activity (Judg. 15:18-19), by soothing music (1 Sam. 16:23), and with encouraging fellowship (2 Tim. 1:16).

The apostle Peter describes a time of spiritual refreshment that took place on the Day of Pentecost. He exhorted his listeners to repent and respond to the gospel “that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). The apostle’s statement was especially meaningful to the Jewish audience with its reference to the millennium when Messiah would rule. But the good news of spiritual life would also be extended to the Gentiles (Acts 10).

Even now as believers we can experience a time of refreshing by quieting our hearts in a devotional time of prayer and Bible reading. When we spend time alone with the Lord, we can experience His peace and joy which renew us in spirit.

Point:

Friends, Jesus wants to refresh you. How?

3 Ways Jesus Refreshes Us

A. His Word

B. His Works

C. His Winning

Acts 3:19

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…

IV. Everyone Reformed vs. 19

Luke 6:19 ESV

19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

Illustration:

A deacon is driving and he’s stopped for speeding. The state trooper smells alcohol on his breath, and sees an empty wine bottle on the floor, and he says, “Sir, have you been drinking?” And the deacon says, “Just water.” The trooper says, “Then why do I smell wine?” And the minister looks down at the bottle and says, “My goodness, he’s done it again!”

Point:

Its a funny joke, but Jesus really is in the transformation business, even today!

Point:

So, we are back to the foot of the mountain. Jesus is confronted with sick people, demon possessed people. However, when they touch Jesus, they are transformed, they are reformed into something new. 

I love the fact that Luke puts in the Scripture that everyone was healed. Jesus didn’t just heal a few, or most, He healed them all. That’s what happens when we encounter Jesus. We don’t just walk away somewhat changed. We are totally different. Just ask Saul. Just ask the Samaritan woman at the well.  Just ask Peter. Everyone that had a real confrontation with Jesus walked away a different human being. 

Point:

Are you looking for healing and hope this morning? You won’t find it in me. You won’t find it in a  Life Group teacher. You won’t find it anywhere but Jesus. 

Point:

Jesus came for everyone, for you and for me and He will heal us. Our healing may come in a different way that He healed those people, but it will come. 

Quote: 

“God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.” (Max Lucado, Just Like Jesus).

Galatians 2:20 ESV

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Are You Broken…Come To Jesus!