Description

Reception Without Repentance
Sunday, March 29th, 2026
Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Luke 4:31–44

Prayer

O Father, we thank you for the power of Christ’s Word, to teach us the kingdom of heaven, to heal us from all our diseases, and to cast out from us the demons of uncleanness. Fill us now with Your Holy Spirit, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction

This morning we are picking back up in Luke’s gospel, and since it’s been a few weeks since our last sermon in Luke, let me briefly remind you of where we are in the story.

• The Lord Jesus has just begun his public ministry. And the first scene that Luke gave us was of his homecoming and return to Nazareth. And so just before our text, in Luke 4:14-30, we considered the dangers of being familiar with Jesus, without loving Jesus. We said that the people of Nazareth, Jesus former neighbors, committed a sin called “fatal familiarity.” They knew a lot about Jesus, they had watched Jesus grow up living a perfect life among them, but when Jesus comes to preach to them, to confront them about their sins, they are moved from amazement, to indignation, to attempted murder. All in one sabbath sermon.
• The people of Nazareth rejected the true diagnosis that the Great Physician was giving them. And because they rejected that bad news about their sinful terminal condition, that they are the problem, and not someone else or something outside of them, they also closed their ears to the good news that would save them.
  • Jesus read to his former neighbors the words of Isaiah 61, which goes on to say, that he came, To comfort all that mourn…To give unto them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they might be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
  • This is the good that God would do for them if they would receive Him. This is the great exchange that is offered to all who will repent and believe on Christ.
    • It says in 1 Timothy 2:4, God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
    • But the people of Nazareth, like the Pharisees and lawyers, rejected the will of God for themselves(Luke 7:30). They denied and cast out and even tried to murder the very God who gives them life.
    • It says of Christ in John 1:10-11, He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
• So Nazareth becomes for Luke, the first cautionary tale in how not to respond to the preaching of the Word. Don’t kill the preacher who is telling you the truth. That is the lesson of Luke 4:14-30, Fatal Familiarity.
• And now here, in verses 31-44, Luke gives us a contrast to Nazareth,a counterexample of how Jesus is received by the people of Capernaum.
  • So while Jesus was disowned by his own countrymen, he does find a welcome reception in the city of Capernaum. And it is here in Capernaum where the power of Christ goes on display, and as it says in verse 37 one of the results is that, the fame of [Jesus] went out into every place of the country round about.
  • Capernaum becomes the central ministry hub for Christ, and from that epicenter, the shockwaves are felt all around.

Outline of the Text

• And so this morning I want us to the consider the power of Christ and how we as disciples of Jesus should respond to such power. Luke highlights for us here three aspects of Christ’s power, and this is how we’ll divide our text:
  • In verses 31-32, we see The Power of Christ to Teach.
  • In verses 33-37, we see The Power of Christ to Conquer Demons.
  • In verses 38-44, we see The Power of Christ to Heal.
    • Christ has the power to teach, to conquer demons, and to heal all who will come to him.

Verses 31-32 – The Power of Christ to Teach

31And [Jesus] came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

32And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

• First observe that Jesus teaches on multiple sabbaths, sabbath days in the plural. Whereas in Nazareth he preached only once and was never invited back, in Capernaum they welcome him week after week after week after week to hear him expound his doctrine.
• And what is the effect of Jesus’ regular preaching to them? It is that they are astonished. And what astonishes them most is that he speaks to them with power, with real authority. Whereas the priests and prophets of old would say, “Thus saith the Lord,” Jesus says, “Truly Truly I say to you.”
  • This is the difference between Jesus and every other preacher. We speak in the name of the Lord, Jesus is the Lord who speaks. We say, “this is what God says in His Word, so do it,” Jesus says, “I am the Word. Whoever loves me keeps my commandments.”
• So Jesus is the source of all power because He is divine, whereas every other prophet, preacher, apostle, evangelist, derives their authority from God. Jesus is the source, because Jesus is God. Jesus is the Word made flesh, Jesus is the Eternal Word from the Father, He is the Word that created all things and continues to uphold them by the word of his power (Heb. 1:3).
  • And so as the officers say in John 7:46, No man ever spake like this man.And in Matthew 7:29 it says of Him, For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
• So Jesus speaks with power, and his power astonishes. Perhaps you have had a similar experience reading and hearing the Word of God. There is special power here unlike anywhere else. Well, that is good to be astonished at Christ’s power, but BEWARE, lest you confuse astonishment with repentance and faith.
  • We learn from Luke’s gospel that many people were amazed by Jesus’ teaching and authority, but the vast majority of them in Capernaum did not repent as a result.
  • We know this because Jesus will later condemn Capernaum for their unbelief. He says in Luke 10:13-16, Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes…And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. And in Matthew 11:23-24 Jesus expounds on this saying, for if the mighty works which were done in [Capernaum] had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.
• So as you hear of Capernaum being astonished at Christ, be warned, they are also a cautionary tale of unbelief.
  • Unbelief can come in many forms. Capernaum is proof that Jesus can do mighty works amongst you, preach and heal and cast out demons, and yet all that demonstration of divine power is for nothing but your judgment. Unless you repent in sackcloth and ashes, unless you like Simon Peter fall down at Jesus’ knees and say, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord (Luke 5:8), all that power is for nothing if you do not repent.
  • The disciples are the few in Capernaum who believe and follow Jesus, while the rest just enjoyed the show, but never changed.
• So does your astonishment at Christ lead to real repentance and confessing of your sins to Christ? If not, then it doesn’t matter who the preacher is. Capernaum is proof that God himself could preach in your church, stand in this pulpit, and still you would not believe. And Jesus says, it will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for many people sitting in churches today.
• Be warned Christ Covenant Church. You are blessed to hear the Word of God week by week. At home, you have full access to full Bibles. You have a complete New Testament with four gospel accounts, and 23 other new covenant books to instruct you in The Way. Moreover, you have the whole Old Testament law, the prophets, the Psalms, wisdom and history and proverbs to meditate upon. You have far more access to Christ’s doctrine and power than even Capernaum had, for you are living on this side of his resurrection and ascension on high. And so what will be the judgment for us if we do not repent at so great a light, at so many a testimony to the truth of Jesus?
• Astonishment is useless, even damning, if it does not produce in you repentance and faith.
  • There is the sin of Nazareth to hear and get angry and drive Jesus away. And then there is the more “respectable” sin of Capernaum, to give Jesus a warm welcome, to receive him as a preacher week after week, but still to go unchanged.
  • So what kind of hearer of Jesus are you? What kind of church are we?
• This brings us a second demonstration of Christ’s power.

Verses 33-37 – The Power of Christ to Conquer Demons

33And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,

34Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.

35And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.

36And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

37And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.

• First observe that there is a devil in this synagogue. An unclean devil, in the place that is supposed to be pure, holy, and set apart for the worship of God. We see this pattern throughout the gospels and on into the book of Acts, that demonic activity is frequent in the places where the saints are supposed to gather.
  • So don’t think, that just because you are in a church, that this is somehow a safe space cordoned off from demonic activity. No, this is the place that demons target. This is the place where demons would love to divide, conquer, and rule. Recall it was from heaven that Satan was cast down.
  • And this is why the Apostles are constantly warning the church about Satan and demonic attacks.
    • For example, James 4:7-8 says to Christians, Resist the devil, and he will flee from you…Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
    • Peter says likewise to Christians in 1 Peter 5:8, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
      • Where there are sheep, wolves, cayotes, lions prowl.
    • If devils did not attack Christians, then Paul would not have said in Ephesians 4:25-27, Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.
  • Think about this. How do demons enter the church? They enter through people, through us. We are the ones who track them in. We give them space in our life to do mischief by letting the sun go down on our anger. By not resolving grudges in our marriages and families and friendships. We give the devil a foothold by complaining and murmuring. We don’t forgive people or seek forgiveness from those we sinned against. And this how churches can become what Jesus calls in Revelation 2:9, and Revelation 3:9, synagogues of Satan.
    • Entire churches, entire denominations, can become so corrupt, divisive, bitter and devilish, that God removes their lampstand altogether. They are no longer places where God is worshipped, they are places where the idols of man’s heart are enthroned. And this is many a church in our day, and we as a church must guard against this!
  • Recall this is a major theme of the prophets, especially Ezekiel. In Ezekiel, God shows him in a vision the true spiritual state of the temple in Jerusalem and why it will be destroyed, why the glory will depart.
    • It says in Ezekiel 8:9-10, 12, And He said to me, “Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they are doing there.” So I went in and saw, and there—every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed all around on the walls…“Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.”
• This is how the synagogues in Jesus’ day, and many churches in our day, became haunting places for demonic activity. Men and women worship the god they imagine in their hearts, not the God who calls them in righteousness, and then that idolatry and uncleanness provides a space for the devil to gain a foothold.
  • And so we need in our day, what Capernaum needed in Jesus’ day.We need the power of Christ to expel our wickedness, to topple our idols, to overthrow the power of the devil. And this is what Jesus comes to do, to liberate those who are in bondage to the evil spirits of this age.
• Notice in verse 34, the fear this demon has in the presence of Christ. He cries out in a loud voice, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
  • Here we see what James 2:19 also tells us, You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
• How powerful is Jesus? He makes the demons to quake with fear. And they fear him because they know he can destroy them. As we sing in that great hymn, I Know That My Redeemer lives, “He lives to the crush the fiends of hell, Glory Hallelujah! He lives and doth within me dwell, Glory Hallelujah!” Can you sing that song in truth? Does Jesus dwell within you, because he has cast the devil from you?
  • It says in 1 John 3:8, For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
  • And how does Jesus destroy the devil’s works? It says in verse 35, And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
  • Jesus silences and casts out this devil with a word. And the devil has no choice but to obey.
• So fear not demons, fear the one who can destroy demons. Fear the one whom the demons fear!
• This also means that no matter how enslaved you may feel to sin and uncleanness, defiled by your past, abused and ashamed, Jesus has the power to save you, to purify you, to make you His prized possession. He is the one who gives beauty for ashes, if you will give your ashes to him. Christ is more powerful than the devil’s lies.
• And if you doubt this, consider, Who was the first witness to Jesus’ resurrection? It was Mary Magdalene. It says in Mark 16:9, Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
  • Luke will tell us in chapter 8 of his gospel that this Mary also followed Jesus, and ministered to him from her own substance. She supported the ministry of Christ early on.
• And so if there’s hope for Mary Magdalene there is hope for you, if you trust in Jesus, and follow Jesus, and cling to Jesus, if you hope in his power and love him like Mary did. Jesus lives to crush the fiends of hell, Glory Hallelujah.
• This bring us to the third revelation of Jesus’ power, and that is his power to heal our bodies.

Verses 38-40 – The Power of Christ To Heal

38And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.

39And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.

40Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.

• First observe how Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law. He heals her with a word. Earlier he rebuked the unclean devil, now he rebukes this great fever. And just like the devil had to depart, so also this sickness must depart.
  • Jesus has power and dominion over spiritual things and physical things alike. Jesus can cast out, bind, and destroy spirits. And Jesus can cast out sickness, and bind up our bodies with a word.
• And then we see in verse 40 that as night approaches, all the sick are brought to Christ, and he lays his hands on every one of them and heals them.
  • This is real personal care, physical touch, from the Great Physician of body and soul. And then in verse 41 he does the same for all who are demon possessed.

Verse 41

41And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

• We may wonder, Why does Jesus silence these devils? Because he knows they are liars at heart. The devil was a liar from the beginning and the father of lies. And as it says in Psalm 31:18, Let the lying lips be put to silence.
  • And so because these demons would only use the truth to deceive men and mingle with it their errors, Jesus does not permit them to announce who he is.
  • Truth should come from those who love the truth, whereas the devils hate the truth that they know and rage against it.
• So do you love the truth? When other people are walking away from the truth because they find it offensive, and Jesus says to you, Will ye also go away? Do you say in return with Simon Peter, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? (John 6:67-70).
• Jesus calls Judas Iscariot a devil, because he dwelt with Jesus, heard the truth from Jesus, but loved the darkness more. That is the sin of the devil. To prefer darkness to light. To prefer one’s own opinion to the Word of God.
• So be not deceived, physical proximity to Jesus is insufficient to save you. Membership among the people of God is insufficient to save you. Many people heard and saw and marveled at Christ’s power, and some like Judas were intimate with him, but unless you repent and believe it is all for nought.

Conclusion

The sign of love is that you desire to be and remain with your beloved. And we learn from the crowds in Capernaum that there are many other reasons besides love, that people seek for Jesus and want him to remain.

• And so what separates the elect soul from the reprobate? What separates the Simon Peters from the Judas Iscariots? It is that the elect soul clings to Christ in love, and although we may wander at times, stumble and fall like Peter, we always return to the One our soul is married to. We return to the One whose grace abounds wherever our sins have abounded. We return to the One whose mercies are new every morning, and who has loved us with an everlasting love.
• And so are you resolved to follow the Lamb wherever he goes, even to the slaughter?
  • It says of the 144,000 virgin souls in Revelation 14:4-5, These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
  • How can a man stand faultless before the throne of God? Only by the blood of the lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. Only by real repentance and faith in the blameless one, in whom no deceit or guile was ever found.
  • It says earlier in Revelation 5:12-13 that all creation worship this Lamb was slain and now lives evermore saying, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
• May God grant you to follow this Lamb wherever he goes, that you be found faultless on the day of Judgment, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.