Luke 9:37-43 Bring him to Me.

The passage we are looking at today is an interesting one - because it involves a situation, a problem that parallels many in our day & age

  1. As we look at this story we will gain some insight into some of the problems our society is facing today -
  1. But more importantly we will gain some Insight into the REASON for the problems / Also insight into the REMEDY for those problems .

SET SCENE : We saw Jesus last week on the Mt. Of Transfiguration/ Mt. Herman - Peter ….John.

  1. Where He was transfigured before them / seen in an aspect of His glory w/ Moses & Elijah.
  1. It was an awesome experience - to which Peter blurted out - Lord it is good for us to be here - let me build …..
    1. Basically what Peter was saying was Lord this is neat - lets just hang out here - Let’s stay here.
  1. Now Just think if Jesus said - OK - Peter you start building & we will just stay right here .

Or what if Jesus decided to just launch off that MT. & go back to glory

    1. What if He said I’m out of here Enough of this flesh & blood stuff - I’m going home

PRAISE THE LORD HE DIDN’T DO EITHER OF THOSE THINGS FOR WE READ IN v.37 THAT HE CAME DOWN FROM THE MT.

  1. He came down from that Mt. / So He could climb another Mt. / Calvary - died for our sins / so we could experience forgiveness guilt removed

1) And Partake of His GLORY / Be w/ Him in Heaven.

Mountain top experiences are always wonderful experiences

  1. those are the times in our lives where God seems to approach us in a

    2. more tangible way than ever before

  2. Times when We sense the presence of God.../ When God speaks to our hearts in a very distinct and clear manner.....

1) Like He does so often at retreats

C) Whenever we have those kinds of experiences we do what Peter did

"Lord.. I don't want to go... I don't want to leave here"

  1. BUT - They were NOT to stay there- Waiting at the foot of that mountain was reality: In the Valley there were needs / hurting people

"God never allows His people to build their tabernacles in the place of glory when the world still is in flames!"

 

  1. So they came down / The disciples were going to learn that mountain-

top experiences are to prepare us for living in the valleys.

 

As Jesus comes down the Mt. He comes upon this scene - there are 5 Characters that play prominent roles in this scene - rest are backdrop

  1. Crowd & the Mt. - back drops to the 5 main characters

Disputing leaders - Pharisees / Despairing Father / Demon Possessed Son/ Dynamic Lord / Disturbed Disciples

 

1st DISPUTING LEADERS - SEEN IN MRK. V. 14-18

 

 

 

14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?" 17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 "And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."

  1. So Jesus comes down the Mt. & finds His disciples arguing w/ these scribes & asks what were they arguing about ?

  1. The man answers the question in v. 17 / it was his demon possessed son.

This mans son was troubled & they didn’t know what to do.

  1. The scribes & the disciples were wondering - what do we do about this situation- how do we deal w/ this situation / what caused this situation.

 

I think our leaders today dispute, argue, disagree over the same problem today - our youth are troubled - & were not sure what to do.

A) How do we deal w/ the problems w/ Gen. X

  1. When upwards to 20,000 teens gather in a field in Great Britain to trip

out on LSD / & Dance to music /

  1. When the Same thing happens in abandoned warehouses in L.A. - S.D. / San Francisco. & Florida - WHAT DO WE DO?

  1. Drug use is once again on the rise w/ teenagers today / problem - drugs are becoming more hard Core . & more readily available.

  1. Drug of choice in our area - Crystal Meth. Can be purchased for $5.00

keep spinning - radically addictive - stays in system 90-120 days

  1. Paper - drug shacks in S.D. - walk up arm through the window - injection of your choice.

LEADERS WONDER WHAT DO WE DO ?

When they see that Crime is on the Rise amongst teens / that Every 2 hours a child dies from a gunshot wound in America.

  1. Between 1979 and 1991 nearly 40,000 15 to 19 year olds died from firearms here in America. -(40,000 that is a medium sized city )
  1. When we see 1.2 million juveniles were taken into custody. -
  1. When the FBI declares that The homicide rate in the U.S for males between the ages of 15& 24. is 4 times higher than the next highest country
  1. Our Leaders wonder - what do we do?

 

When they see that there are 360,000 unmarried teenager giving birth each yr. / & over 500,000 have abortions

  1. When they see that 3 Million teenager will contract a sexually transmitted Disease each yr.

B) When Aids becomes the #2 killer of teenagers in this country

    1. They scratch their heads in bewilderment - WHAT DO WE DO?

C) Our leaders dispute discuss debate but have no real answers why ?

They fail to look at the scriptures /

    1. Passages like this one where we see THE REASON & THE

REMEDY of these problems

D) WHAT DO WE SEE ?

 

LET’S CONSIDER - DESPAIRING FATHER & THE DEMON POSSESSED SON

  1. Here we see the REASON & the REMEDY - for many of the problems in our culture today especially amongst youth.
  1. We Are told here in Luke’s account that this was the mans only son

& he was demon possessed

1) this man was devastated by what was happening to his son

Luke 9:39 tells us what the man told Jesus that a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.

Matt. Tells us in his account that the Demon would actually throw the boy into fires to be burned & into water to drown.

Mark - demon causes him to foam at the mouth & Gnash his teeth- Lit. this boy became animal like .

C) It had to be DEVASTATING for this father to watch this superhuman

entity destroy his child

D) This man was in utter turmoil & great despair/ Because He was helpless /

there was a power at work in the life of his son he couldn’t deal w/.

    1. A power that he knew nothing about .

  1. Think of DESPERATION on this man's face & in his voice when He cried out Look on my son

  1. To his father / the boy must have seemed obsessed w/ destroying himself.

 

Once again we see this parallel in our culture today /

  1. Every yr. Thousands of teenagers die not from cancer or from

illness but by their own hands -

B) Teen suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among teenagers today

behind drunk driving & Aids

C) It is the 6th leading cause of death among those 5 to 14 years of age. 5

year old children, killing themselves!

Cc) It is estimated that 600,000 teenagers try to kill themselves every

year, and about 6000 succeed.

  1. That is a 300% increase since 1961 / 300%

  1. It is estimated that there are 300 to 400 teen suicides that occur in Los

Angeles County; per year

1) that is equivalent to one teenager lost every day.

  1. I read a recent report that stated 53% percent of young women and 37% of young men rate their lives as stressful.

1) This is supposed to be the best time of their lives

 

And then they see media figures like Chris Farley & Michael Hutchence- lead singer of the group INXS - taking their lives

  1. Guys who look like they have everything - yet have no reason to live any more
  1. In an interview in the O.C. Reg. W/ Farley before he died -

"I have a tendency towards the pleasures of the flesh," "It's a battle for me, as But I'm curbing them because I want to continue to do comedy, and the two don't mix. So I try to fight those demons."

  1. He also said in that interview that he didn’t want to end up like his hero John Belushi - but - exactly what happened.

Michael Hutchence-who was reportedly worth - 30 million dollars

"Sometimes you just get to a point where everything is so black and dark. You're just looking for ... that thing that keeps you going, that keeps you believing."
  1. Wasn’t in Drugs / or sex or Rock’n Roll or Money - He had all those things but it didn’t do the Trick.
    1. And kids look at these guys & think if they don’t have anything to

live for then why do I .

WHY ARE SO MANY KIDS OBESSED W/ TRYING TO DESTROY THEIR LIVES - SAME REASON THE BOY IN THIS STORY WAS A) There is a demonic presence in our youth culture today

  1. Now am I suggesting that all these troubled teenagers today are Demon

possessed ? No

  1. But is there a Demonic influence today at work in the lives of many

young people ? The answer is yes.

    1. Maybe not possession / although definitely true in some cases // not possession - but oppression. / INFLUENCE
  1. There is a spiritual battle that is going on & the devil & His demons are real - their powerful & their influential .

 

Lets Consider what the Bible says about Satan - Angel of light / meaning he has the ability to appear to be very cool.

  1. He comes on the scene like your best friend - promising the world - using all those things that appeal to the flesh. - LOOKS SO GOOD.
  1. ANGEL OF LIGHT
  1. But the Bible also says that he is a LIAR & ATHIEF & ROBBER who’s

real desire is to kill Rob & Destroy.

B) That is the thing that our leaders fail to take into account - that is the thing - psychologist - just don’t understand

    1. They are dealing w/ a mindset - a force that has its origin in Hell .
  1. Now much of the Church has gone over board in this area - Demons in everything - I am not taking about that -

D) But I do think it is important that we wake up to the battle & realize

that the Devil has a big influence in our culture / directly & indirectly

1) Especially in Entertainment

 

RECENT ADD IN - TIME - MARILYN MANSON - very popular rock star - Goth - groups - personally has visited w/ Anton Levey

A) Add shows these guys - looking like death - read Cultism -Suicide & torture - themes of his songs - but you can dance to it.
  1. Interview - "Each time someone listens to the new album, or comes to the show, it's one step closer to being the individual that they really want to be. Which is, to Christian America, the apocalypse. Because in their eyes, being yourself is really forsaking God. That's the way I see myself, and our fans, as an Antichrist figure. Antichrist to me is not only one person, but the collective disbelief in Christianity."

He has an album entitled "Antichrist Superstar" which chronicles the personal & spiritual rebirth of Marilyn Manson, as he learns to stop crawling on his belly in the darkness, and is transformed by the swirling forces of change that have gathered around him.

"I've taken elements from the Bible, from Satanism, from Nietzsche, from Freud, from Darwin, from Dr. Seuss, I couldn't narrow it down to one thing. My whole take on anything is, I find it completely boring to be one person."

He also talks about - being influenced by supernatural forces that are at work in his life - that just sort of make things happen. -( Demonic )

 

Now am I suggesting that all Rock music is of the devil & Demonically inspired - No - not all but a lot.

A) Demonic influences behind the scenes - directly & indirectly in our world

B) And because of that influence There are many parents even Christian

parents at this time who are just as miserable & devastated about their

children as this man.

C) Because The son in whom their lives were bound up, turns away from God to pursue a life after the flesh.

  1. Or The daughter who was once the joy of the family becomes self willed, worldly minded, and a lover of pleasure more than a lover of God.

  1. Their hearts are broken despairing because The devil has robbed

them of their most precious treasures.

E) WHAT DO WE DO ?

 

This part of LUKE'S Gospel tells us what a father or mother should do in a case like this / REMEDY for problems w/ youth today.

  1. Do what this Father did & bring their son, their daughter their kids to Jesus . BRING HIM TO OUR DYNAMIC LORD .

B) Lets pick up the story at this point in Marks account .

  1. 21 So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"

C) What was the reason for this question- what did it matter ?

  1. Answer is it magnified the need - this man had been suffering through this for a very long time. And he said, "From childhood.

  1. How long have you been dealing w/ your situation ? - TOO LONG / Is your Patience wearing thin? / Have you given up

  1. Notice this FATHER he didn’t give up - even though Jesus’ disciples

could not deal w/ it the man didn’t give up.

  1. I often meet parents who say - we went to this counselor / that Pastor / this place / that place - we quit - DON’T GIVE UP . - GREAT PAIN

  1. This mans persistence was about to pay off.

 

So this man comes to Jesus & says in v. 22 Marks gospel -But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."

  1. If it is at all possible - could you have compassion on us - please show us some compassion - Did He ? He sure Did.

  1. Are you the parent of a prodigal ? Are you suffering because of what your son or daughter / or friend or brother or sister is into.

  1. Know this Jesus has great compassion for you.

  1. Compassion = to get into someone else’s skin & feel their pain.

  1. Guys that is exactly what Jesus did. - He left glory & took on flesh & blood - He got into our skin - felt our pain.

  1. But He felt even before/ what this man was going through w/ his son - Jesus had witnessed w/ man in general / since the Fall.- 2,000 yrs

  1. seeing man whom He made & loves - living in rebellion - following

Satan. - Doing His own thing

  1. That is why He left the glory of Heaven - & came down to this earth was

so He could be the REMEDY - free man - sin -

1) He didn’t just feel our pain He took our Pain. He bore it - all of it

 

23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Just believe all things are possible.

  1. Don’t give up - keep on going - keep on moving - keep on working

keep on trusting .

  1. I love this man’s response . 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

  1. He was honest - Lord I have faith - but it is weak faith - and Jesus doesn’t rebuke the man - doesn’t say - sorry that is not good enough.

  1. Just a measure of faith is all that is needed - Jesus met this man right

where he was at .

  1. Now understand - you might feel like this man - Lord my faith is so weak - He can work w/ weak faith - He will meet you where your at.

1) but know this Jesus doesn’t want us to stay in that place

He wants to see our faith INCREASE - How increase?

FAITH COMES BY HEARING & HEARING BY THE WORD

  1. Come out to B.S. on Wed. nights - / mens & womens

  1. Pick up your Bible each day & read it - allow the Lord to speak to you,

C) How did Jesus respond - pick up in Luke v.42 Bring your son here." and as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

  1. I love this - No fan fare / No hoopla - Jesus commanded & the Demons

were obligated to respond. No choice.

  1. Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to

his father. HE GAVE HIM BACK TO HIS FATHER.

JESUS LEFT HIS FATHER - SO HE COULD COME TO EARTH & DO THIS WORK OF GIVING THIS SON BACK TO HIS FATHER

A) That is the work of Jesus/ Restoring families and relationships

that were destroyed by Satan

1) Jesus GIVES BACK that which Satan robs

So what is the REMEDY - for people who are Lost - people who are getting beat up / ripped off by this world - Satan.

  1. Be like this man & Bring them to Jesus - HOW - WHAT WAYS

  1. Bring them to the outreach tonight at Amphitheater.

  1. Bring them to the fellowship - Sundays / on Wed. / Bring kids to Wed. night youth group. ( Once a month Concert)

  1. If they tell you it is boring & they don’t like it - go w/ them & check it out - see what is happening .

  1. See Something - that we so often forget is that God works through the teaching of His word - His word is shared - pierce even the hardest heart.

  1. Best things I can do is to get people to where the word is being preached .

  1. Word of God is living & powerful - penetrates deep & changes lives

Bring them to Jesus in PRAYER - Intercede -

"The power of prayer & intercession is mighty because it is brought before a mighty Savior"

(Samuel Chadwick)

" One Chief concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray."

"I would rather teach one man to pray than 10 men to preach." Spurgeon)

 

LASTLY - DISTURBED DISCIPLES

A) These guys were disturbed because they couldn’t do anything.

  1. Now this is really interesting to me because we read in the Beginning of the chapter That Jesus sent them out - gave power over demons

  1. But now they can’t do anything - WHAT IS UP ?

  1. Great Lesson for us all here - we can’t live on our past - Victories - listen it is not where you were at 2 weeks ago / or 10 yrs ago that matters

  1. Where are you at now ? - What is going on now ? That’s what matters

  1. Great Lesson - WE CANNOT LIVE ON PAST VICTORIES

  1. When Jesus declared in v. 41 "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?

  1. Matt. Gospel makes it clear that Jesus was speaking to the Disciples / gentle rebuke for their unbelief & lack of being prepared.

F) How long is it going to take you guys to get it down . Learn your need to be totally dependent on the FATHER

 

Apparently these Disciples had stopped praying & fasting & as a result their faith was weakened -

  1. Jesus tells them in Marks gospel - this kind can only come out through prayer & fasting . they might have responded - How could we know?

  1. ANSWER IS YOU DON’T - SO PRAYER & FASTING NEEDS TO BE A REGULAR PART OF YOUR LIFE.

  1. Because you never know the needs that are going to ARISE.

  1. Need to be ready because you never know when the opportunity to minister is going to arise

IN CLOSING - Do you have a friend or Loved one who is lost / who is being deceived - ripped off by the world - Bring them to Jesus.

A) be persistent in sharing Jesus / in praying / & in bringing to fellowship

  1. Don’t make the mistake of saying well I brought them - last week / month & nothing happened - GOD’S WORD …. RETURN VOID.

  1. Personally has Satan ripped off your Joy - Listen Jesus can restore it

 

Are You here today - - Satan foothold / Bondage/ lost deceived into thinking that the life you are living is really where it is at?

  1. Come to Jesus today -

  1. Come to the one who came down from the MT. Of Transfiguration. So He could climb up MT. Calvary & die in your place.

  1. Take the punishment that was meant for you

  1. So that you could be totally set free / FREE FROM SIN / GUILT / POWER OF SATAN/ FEAR OF DEATH

  1. Free to walk in a newness of Life - living in a relationship w/ God

and having the assurance of eternal life.

 

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO ? RENOUNCE YOUR SIN -Lord I am turning from my sin -& turning to you - COME

  1. Perhaps you have walked away from the Lord - played the prodigal - doing own thing - living in rebellion -

  1. Satan has been lying to you telling you - that you can never come back -

Jesus says COME TO ME . BELIEVE IN ME -

  1. MAYBE YOU SAY LORD I BELIEVE BUT I HAVE SOME DOUBTS

1) Jesus says come & I will deal w/ your unbelief.