Luke 8:1-3, #042
“Jesus, the good news and women in the scriptures” 3/28/12
Last week we looked deeply in the account of the woman with a bad reputation who lived loosely and sinfully, and yet, had experienced the forgiveness of Jesus, and came to Him, and expressed love to Jesus by falling on her face and wiping His dirty feet with her hair, tears, and precious oil. Simon the Pharisee was so disgusted by this, like all religious people are, because he though that he was righteous because he kept the rules, but it’s not keeping rules that saves us from sin, it’s trusting in what Jesus did on the cross for our sins that saves us, forgives us, and frees us.
Tonight as we move on in the scriptures, we will get some great insights into Jesus’ mission and the people that hung out with Jesus as He ministered here on earth, and how their own lives were changed.
Let’s pray.
Luke 8:1-3
1 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,
Jesus Christ came to this earth on a mission. He was born of a virgin, came to earth in human form, and became the God-man, God made flesh, and dwelt among us. He didn’t come to be a political leader, to overthrow the Roman government...He didn’t come to start a new religious denomination, and give us a new set of rules to follow...and He didn’t come to make people miserable, bummed out, and ruin all their “fun.” He came on a rescue mission.
See back in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, God created man, his name was Adam, then He created Eve, and they lived in perfect paradise where there was no hunger, sickness, sorrow, suicide, or war. God said, eat and enjoy everything I’ve made for you, but don’t eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, because in the day you eat it, you will die.
But there was also an enemy among them...Satan, that great deceiver, and he lied to Eve that day and said in Genesis 3,“ Did God really say that?...You won’t really die....God is holding out on you, because He knows that if you eat it, you’ll be like Him.”
And Eve saw the fruit, grabbed the fruit, ate it, and along with Adam, and from that day until today, we are living in the fallout of their disobedience- sin, its impact and it’s force is felt everyday in our lives and this world.
But in that garden, God made a promise that He would one day send someone to bruise the serpent’s head and rescue His fallen race, the race of man, Gen. 3:15, this Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Spoken about through out the entire Bible, over 1000’s of years, a Prophecy of a great King and Savior, and it has come to pass.
1
As Jesus entered His ministry and mission on earth, we have seen Him do amazing things in the lives of people. Healing the sick, raising the dead, showing mercy, compassion, and bringing comfort, but the greatest of all miracles that Jesus did then and is doing today is forgiving people of their sins.
As Jesus walked from village to village and touched people, He also taught them. He taught them what the word of God said. See the nation of Israel, had the word of God for many years. It recorded their history and the faithfulness of God, as well as their rebellion and seasons of judgment.
But the religious leaders, who were entrusted with teaching the word, had complicated the commandments and made the word of God and the message of God a burden instead of a blessing. They began to make what they “did for God” the basis of their righteousness, instead of what God did for them.
That is the problem with religion. It is always focused on outward appearance, outward performance, and outward approval. It is always asking you to do more, give more, and try harder to be accepted by Jesus. It is frustrating and futile.
Jesus Christ came to this earth on a rescue mission for sinners...He came for you and me.
V1 says that He came with “glad tidings of the kingdom of God.” It doesn’t say “mad tidings” or “bad tidings” or “sad tidings”...it says GLAD!
This means that Jesus came to bring us “good news...joyful truth” Good news about His kingdom, His coming, and the salvation obtained through Him alone.
So Jesus came to this earth on a rescue mission...to bring good news...what is the good news? It is meeting the greatest need of the human heart. It isn’t physical, like food...it isn’t material like clothes...it isn’t relational, educational, mental, or emotional...it’s spiritual. It’s where you can’t see, and it can’t be x-rayed, or operated on by a doctor. It is the place in your heart that needs the greatest work and it is to be forgiven for our sins.
We will all agree that we are sinners. By nature and by choice we all have sinned. Some people try to ease the guilt of their sin by doing “good things.” They get involved in causes like feeding the hungry, housing the poor, environmental issues, saving the whales, saving the rain forests, etc. They get involved in helping others, and those works somehow make them feel better, and hopefully their good deeds will out weigh the bad. There is nothing wrong with doing good things- but they can never be the basis by which we receive God’s forgiveness or favor. They will flow after we’ve been forgiven.
The good news of the gospel is this...you and I have sinned...that sin has separated us from a holy God...this holy God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to pay for our sins by dieing on the cross, His death paid the price for our sins, and by receiving in our lives what He did for us, and repenting of our sins, telling God we’re sorry, and choosing to go in the opposite direction of this world and our sins, we receive the forgiveness He offers.
THAT’s GOOD NEWS! You can be free! You can be forgiven! You can be cleansed! The life you’ve ruined can be made new! The mistakes you’ve made can be your past, not your present. That’s what Jesus does and is doing!
2
Satan is still lieing today...he tells people, “God doesn’t love you...He hates you....God doesn’t care about your problems...your pain...your pressures....God could never love you...God could never forgive you...if nobody eles like you why would God? You’ve gone to far....you’ve fallen to much...there’s no turning back...you’re in it to deep...you could never let that go...why try?...he’s not listening...cut yourself! Drug yourself! Sleep around! Pop the pill! Smoke it anyways...you might as well kill yourself!
LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! The good news is that Jesus came to seek and save the lost, Luke 19:10 The good new is that Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil, 1 John 3:8 The good news is that Jesus is calling out to you tonight, Matt. 11:28
Sin is like a prison. All the things people call “freedom” only make them more bound. They say they could stop anytime but they can’t...the partying...the porn...the revolving doors of relationships where you are just being used...the hurt in your family, the sins against you, and the sins you’ve committed against others all have you locked up.
And Jesus comes to us offering freedom...His hands are pierced, His side is pierced, His head has a crown of thorns, His back is shredded from being scourged and whipped, His feet are pierced, His beard was plucked out, and He was physically gang beaten and assaulted...all for you and me!
He doesn’t stand their as a victim...He stands there as the Savior with a key to your prison...
He is the King of the Kingdom of God, He reigns on the throne of the Kingdom of God, and this Kingdom is coming again and it is calling out to bring forgiven people to it! That’s what He came to do!
2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.
Here we have an amazing list of women whose lives Jesus touched and they were forever changed. Jesus healed them emotionally and physically, but their greatest healing was their souls as he brought forgiveness to them.
First mentioned is Mary Magdalene, probably mentioned by this last name because she came from the area of Galilee from a town called Magdala. She was possessed by 7 demons. We did a pretty in depth teaching on the topic of Jesus’ authority over demons in Luke 4:33-37, teaching #22, but Mary here, was a woman who was out of control, controlled by many demons and Jesus rescued her.
Joanna was a woman who followed Christ, and her husband worked for King Herod, and another woman Susanna. All of these women “provided for the needs of Jesus.” Food, clothing, details of ministry etc..3
This was very unusual in Jesus’ day, because Jesus, as a Rabbi had these women as disciples who followed Him and took care of certain things. Rabbi’s in those days did not have women as disciples. But Jesus did.
Women in those days were treated like property. They were not valued, they had no rights, and they were seen to merely be pleasure for men...but that is not how Jesus looks at women. That is not how the Bible looks at women.
Woman play significant roles in the Bible in addition to the women mentioned here.
Esther who saved a nation, Deborah who lead a nation, Hannah who raised the prophet Samuel, Elizabeth the godly mother of John the Baptist, Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus, Priscilla in the Book of acts who helped with her husband plant churches and minister to the church, the woman who were the first ones to see Jesus after He rose from the dead, and countless others.
Women with their value, their roles, and their contribution’s are huge in the scriptures. The Bible goes to great lengths to put on display the great love and treasure that woman are.
No so in other religious writings or cultures. Mormonism promises that woman will eternally pregnant...in India and China, and other nations woman are considered a drain on society, many female babies are aborted because a dowry is to expensive and boys are more valuable...in Muslim dominated countries the women have no rights, can be murdered, called “honor murders” if they’ve shamed the family, and some even endure being circumcised to prohibit promiscuity.
Jesus comes along to set women free, and in Him they are free!
Our culture is equally attacking what women were created for, their roles, their gifts, and their natures. I mentioned this last week, the “women’s lib. Movement has done more damage to woman than could very be imagined. Yes, we’ve seen good things from woman like Susan B. Anthony and others, but the gender- blending blur of what it means to be a woman is tragic and damaging.
There is an assault on women today, and it comes in the forms of culture, peer pressure, and satanic lies.
Someone once said about when the first woman was created that “ A woman was taken out of man; not out of his head to top him, nor out of his feet to be trampled underfoot; but out of his side to be equal to him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be loved.”
The differences between men and woman are not issues of “equality” they are issues of functionality. Men and women were made different...men are always trying to prove themselves...conquer something...they want to blow things up, be adventurous, be protective...they just want the facts, they are content with back slapping and grunting to communicate...we are just wired differently.
Women are relational...they want to tell you how they feel...they want to tell you the whole story...they want to feel secure, loved, appreciated...they are nurturers, they have motherly intuition, they are caring.
4
That is the problem with homosexuality...it’s not just the physical limitations of sex, but it’s the emotional and spiritual wiring that will not work between 2 men or 2 women. That is why people who are caught in this battle have so much inner turmoil. It’s against nature as the Bible says, Rom. 1.
Not only does this gender-blending bring heartache, but it also brings confusion. I know its cool in school to be a lesbian, for some reason guys think it’s a turn on if a girl has been with a girl, and some girls will do that just to get a guy. There are physical, emotional, and spiritual damage to this lifestyle. Is it a sin?...yes...do some people gravitate towards that sin?...yes....did Jesus die for that sin?...yes...is there freedom and forgiveness?...yes, just like any other sin...
* I want to invite every woman here, to come up and take 1 rose and 1 card from this stand and return to their seat. That card is for you to take home and open tonight before you go to bed and talk to Jesus.
The women here in Luke 8:2, had not only been touched by Jesus, but had been loved by Jesus... There are many men who like to touch a woman- but their intent is selfish and destructive. Men think that sex is love...”if you love me then you’ll have sex with me” Woman give sex to get love..” If I sleep with him or do this or that, “then” he’ll love me...but often, they were simply being used...and they get discarded for the next girl on the guys hit list.
As you hold that rose I want to tell you a few things.
Jesus will never use you...He will never hurt you...He will never lie to you. His touch is tender and His hands are full of mercy and compassion.
Jesus thinks you are beautiful...you may look at the movie stars, the rock stars, the magazines, the hippest and hottest woman according to People magazine, and you compare yourself to them, and you think you’re ugly...you’re not.
Jesus wants to forgive you...you may have made some bad choices, been in some bad places, been in some terrible relationships, lost all hope, have no joy, and see no way out. You might feel dirty, discarded, and beyond help and hope. Jesus will forgive you.
Jesus loves you...He died on the cross for all of your sins, no one else has ever done that for you...He knows all the things you’ve done and He still loves you...He wants to make all things new in your life if you will respond to His grace...He knows you don’t deserve it, and neither do I...that’s why it’s called grace! You are valued...you are treasured...you are loved.
Here is the Big idea:
The Good news is for you and me, you can be forgiven and free by what Jesus did on the cross for you. Your life can be changed like these women in the Bible.
You need to respond in some way...maybe you need to come up after for prayer, maybe you need to pray with a friend or a Jr. leader before you go...you know what you need to do.
Pray, Q & A.