Luke 10:17-24

There is no greater freedom than to be freed from the demands and attention that living for ourselves requires. Having a relationship with Jesus not only means eternal salvation. It means we get to share with others the love, and peace, that only comes from knowing Him.

He says, now, listen, we’re gonna spend some time on this because we need to, it’s going to encourage us.
I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven for 2000 years. Church. Listen up, scholars have agreed on this.
That verse 18 is one of the most difficult verses in all of the Bible to properly interpret.
Why is it because it’s unreliable? No. Is it because it’s confusing? No. Is it because it’s vague? Oh, no.
Is it because it’s, there’s a lack of biblical so support behind it. No way. The exact opposite is true.
Check this out for 2000 years. The scholars have bickered about this thing because the statement is so global.
It is such a vast declaration that Jesus makes that the words that he used are very, very present at all times.
What I mean by that is what he said was true. Then it was true before then.
It’s true now and it will be true forever.
It’s an amazing collection of words that Jesus uses very, very powerful.
Number one, you might want to jot it down if you care. I hope you do.
Number one, the scholars say this regarding the past, there was uh Satan’s original fall before the Garden of Eden.
That’s what Jesus is referring to.
Some scholars say that when Jesus who is eternal said, I saw Satan fall from heaven, the word means that he saw he is seen and he will continue to see.
Let’s see how complex it is in the Greek. It’s that pregnant with meaning.
So some scholars say Jesus watched and made announcement about the fall of Satan out of heaven.
When Lucifer, he rebelled against the Lord got that title, Satan and was booted from his glorious uh position.
You can read about that in Isaiah 14 in Ezekiel chapter 28. It’s about the past.
Well, it is, but some scholars regard it concerning the present that Jesus watched this literally in his spiritual ability to see in the spiritual realm.
Jesus saw watch. Satan fall from heaven While the Ministry of the 70 were was uh enacted while they were serving while they were mining, while the 70 were out there doing ministry.
Satan fell he lost his grip is what the word means. Isn’t that cool? I like that.
He lost his grip. That’s what some scholars say. Another group. This is the final understanding.
Another group says it’s regarding the future.
It has to do with Satan getting hit finally uh at the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the culmination of the age finally culminating in the book of Revelation, where Satan is thrown into the bottomless pit, the lake of fire forever and ever Could.
It mean that yes, it could.
Do you know what I think these guys sometimes spend too much time in their theological towers.
You know what I think it means for 2000 years, we haven’t been able to figure out how does it apply?
I think maybe all of the above All of the above is not each of these true. Yes.
Is not it awesome that Jesus at the return of these 70 disciples, Jesus announces I saw Satan fall from heaven all of a sudden when I look at it now, knowing that Satan has been defeated, I get pretty excited because all of a sudden now I want to ask this question, how could this have happened?
I want to know Satan has lost his grip.
Jesus almost in a sense in a very romantic way declares to us as ministry comes out the believer’s life.
Satan loses his grip.
You guys, I wish I had the ability to put maybe on the, on the wall here.
Um Make it a chalkboard and, and in my minds, I forgive me.
I don’t mean to offend anybody but I take a cat, a black cat and I throw the cat at the chalkboard.
What would you see going all the way down the chalkboard?
Scratches of a cat trying to hang on for your dear life as it just goes down that chalkboard.
That’s the picture Satan’s losing his grip when, when the ministry is done by the believer.
Go, no wonder why Jesus said go. Are you there for all the world and preach the gospel?
Let me add this because it gives Satan a headache. Why souls are redeemed? People are rescued.
Life is encountered by those who are lost. He’s losing his grip when you pray and share Christ with somebody.
Satan is losing his grip. Why is it so hard for us to share with people?
Because Satan is gonna lose his group. You guys, if it was so easy, it would mean nothing.
We are involved in a battle, a spiritual battle.
Next time, I want you to keep that picture in your mind’s eye.
If your mind is perverse as I am, you can see a cat just hanging on, going down the wall.
Satan’s losing his grip when, when the gospel goes out.
Second Corinthians 10 verse three says for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war.
We do not throw cats at chalkboards according to the flesh.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, that is of this world but mighty and God for pulling down cats.
I mean strongholds casting down cats.
I mean arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought that is a wayward thought alienated from God under the captivity of the obedience of Christ.
And then Ephesians six, beginning in verse 12. Ephesians six, verse 12.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood that ought to get your attention.
Then what are we wrestling against?
You don’t want to see it against Principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly spiritual realm.
Therefore, here’s what we do take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, the day that you’re under attack.
Having done all to stand, stand there for having girded your waist with truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness and having shot your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
And above all here it is taking the shield of faith which is able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one that is Satan.
And he says to take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit.
Every time you and I obey Jesus, every time we pray, read the word of God worship, participate in this thing called church.
Satan is wounded, don’t you want to wound him more? He can’t stand it. That’s why many great puritans.
When you read about their writings and their diaries like Martin Luther, by the way, how they would be under deep dark depression and they would even Luther even reports as Spurgeon reports, hearing voices and, and all this stuff that’s driving them crazy and they would, they’d start praising the Lord and it would flee.
Remember King Saul when King Saul was freaking out?
And he said, man, this demons tormented me, call for a musician, not a magician, call for a musician and who guess who they found they brought David in and he starts playing the harp and it says that the music, the worship that David offered up to the Lord drove away the evil spirit.
Wow. I wonder how much depression the believer goes through when it’s not really that someone hurt our feelings or we don’t know why.
I don’t know why I’m so bummed.
Hey, maybe you know what, maybe we ought to just start to worship and praise the Lord.
If you get better, then chalk it up to throwing a cat at a chalkboard.
Satan is losing his grip.
The beautiful thing is how could these demons be subdued like this?
Jesus in Verse 18 announces it, I saw their boss fall from Heaven. Think of that.
Look, our boss is falling from heaven. What chance or hope do we have?
Love that? You’re listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs.
You know, to hear more episodes and maybe catch up in the series. Just go to Jack Hibbs dot com.
That’s Jack Hibbs dot com. And for now let’s get back to our teaching.
Once again, here’s pastor Jack Romans 1 16 for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ says Paul for it is the power of God to salvation, to everyone who believes they were losing their grip.
Why would the spiritual realm be affected by the Gospel three things? Because the gospel attacks satanic powers. The gospel.
Number two, because the Gospel Awakens men’s minds to think. Think about it.
If you can think, think about that. Number three, the gospel revives men’s hearts to life.
You ever seen those things clear when they put the defibrillators on somebody clear by the way in the in the TV program, they go Claire and the guy goes, you man, when they do that in real life, the guy comes off the ground, man, why they’re trying to get life back into him?
The gospel goes out and when we proclaim the gospel minds start thinking clearly, Satan’s realm is under attack and while that attack is going on, the person starts thinking about what you’re giving by way of gospel and then their heart begins to awaken you guys.
It’s amazing. Think about that as someone wrote in one of the letters.
Thank you for the challenge to have us deployed to the community. I like that word deployed.
It’s a militant word. What an amazing battle assessment.
Jesus gives that Satan’s realm is under attack by all those who follow Jesus.
And this had never happened before. By the way, Jesus commissioned these 70 to go out.
It never happened before. Yes, there was, there were, there were prophets before this and yes, there were kings that knew God before them, but never like this.
70 people, no names sent out with great power. What made the difference in these people’s lives?
They had been commissioned by Jesus Himself. So have you empowered by the Holy Spirit?
So have you ordained by the Father to do this? So have you, it’s an awesome thing.
And so we also look at this, a new life in Christ means that we’ve arrived in Jesus.
I want to explain that that we have arrived in Jesus and I don’t mean arrived like we’ve, you know, all right, we’ve arrived.
That’s not what I mean, arriving like you pull up to something like you come to something verse 20 says, nevertheless, do not rejoice in this.
You guys don’t get all happy about throwing demons around, but rather rejoice because please mark this.
Someone in this church must mark this, but rather rejoice because your names are written down in heaven.
That is the greatest thing. Hey, listen, let’s be honest, mark it down.
I didn’t give it to you, but uh comes to my mind.
Matthew chapter seven, beginning in verse 21 terrifying verse. Think about it.
Jesus said in that day of judgment, there will be those standing in front of me who will say to me, Lord, didn’t we cast out demons in your name?
Didn’t we do great miracles in your name? Didn’t we do all these fantastic things in your name?
And Jesus said that he’ll turn to them in that day and say, depart from me.
You workers of sin. I never knew you. So how can that be?
Church going to heaven is not through casting out demons going to heaven is not by preaching the gospel going to heaven.
Listen, those things should be a result of knowing Christ, but they’re not the requirements.
There can be those according to Jesus Matthew chapter seven verse 21 22 that you can do all kinds of signs and wonders and never know Christ at all.
Church. Are you awake? You need to hear this. I hear it too often.
Even by people who attend this church. Well, what do you think about this guy?
What do you think about that guy? His doctrine is absolutely aberrant anti Christ doctrine. Yeah. But you know what?
He’s funny and he does miracles.
Oh, well, then golly, gee, let’s just roll over and let him come on in and teach all of us.
What are we doing? Jesus said, watch out. It’s not what somebody can do.
It’s what they believe. Satan mimicked works before Moses and Pharaoh did he not?
Jesus said in the last days, there’s gonna be things so fantastic done by strange people that if it were possible, even God’s very elect would be deceived.
Wow. No, the truth is what we’re saying, arriving in, in Jesus.
This is what we mean. He says, rejoice that your names are written down in heaven.
This is a monumental theological announcement that Jesus gives. It’s wild.
Jesus is saying, you guys can be rest assured church. Listen, you guys can be encouraged.
Your names are written down in heaven, but Jack, uh I don’t think I can know that.
Well, that’s your problem. Why don’t you read your Bible and rejoice in the fact that if you trust Christ, your name is written down in heaven.
Think about it. Jesus said, think about this. You guys, hey, praise the Lord.
Don’t get all excited about casting out demons. You ought to be happy about this.
This should be your, your source source of happiness and joy is that your name is written down in heaven?
He tells them not to encourage them. I’m telling you that now to encourage you. Let’s be bold.
Let’s be excited. Let’s go. Why? Because our names are written down in heaven.
If you do not know that you need to make sure of that because the scripture says that these things have been written that you might know you have eternal life.
And if you know it, you got to tell somebody if you know it, you got to go do it.
No one needs to set a fire to you. You can’t wait.
Wow, your name is there, my friend Kent Hughes.
Says in his commentary that if our names are written down in heaven and heaven is our home, then we ought to act like it.
How’s that? I love it. Have you ever been invited to something really nice?
You get this invitation and it’s reserved, there’s a place reserved for you.
What do you do? Well, I know what my wife does.
I gotta get a dress and she’ll buy a dress, but she has to buy a tie and a shirt.
Not for her for me. Why? Because we’re going to something big.
A dear friend of this church who attends this church just became uh by Schwarzenegger’s um appointment.
He just became a judge on Friday. That’s awesome. Wonderful brother has been coming here for some 13, 14 years.
Loves Jesus. Thank God. A righteous judge has been put in place in California. Thank God England.
And you get an invitation. You get an invitation to this, to this thing. What do you listen?
You’re excited because there’s a place at the table with your name.
Jesus is saying there’s a place at the table with your name and we need to be dressed up as it were in the righteousness of Christ because we are a believer.
You have been clothed with the righteousness of Jesus.
The moment you said, Lord come into my life, cleanse me from my sins and save me, God imputed to you his righteousness.
It’s a divine act. He does it Yeah, I don’t feel like it doesn’t matter how you feel, the just shall live by.
Huh? Let’s try it again. The answer is faith. The answer is faith. Ok? It’s Habakkuk.
The just shall live by faith. Um Not feeling faith, the just shall live by. That’s right.
Not feelings because our feelings rob us every time and rip us off.
Heaven is a grand event and we’re to be arriving at that.
So try to see this in your mind’s eye though.
You and I are living on this time mark along the age of the church.
And eventually we’re gonna be checking into heaven.
Know this that everything every day, please, every day, everything, every moment is it not possible that God wants to be working in our lives?
Because you and I as we walk this walk, you know, it’s called the walk.
You know, it means that you obviously eventually get somewhere. Where is it heaven?
When you pull up to the desk, I’m checking in. Oh yes.
Your name’s right here since that’s true.
This walk of faith in Christ Jesus, we should be moving in such a way living in such a way with the reality of heaven.
Soon to come. We are arriving at our prescribed destination and there’s a placard with your name.
How cool is that going to be?
There’s a seat there for you says the scripture reserved in heaven for you.
Point number two this morning checking in checking into a new relationship with Christ.
This is what these guys found out.
And it’s this understanding, a new relationship with Christ brought them to a place of a new understanding.
Listen to this understanding how the nature of God church, listen carefully, be blessed.
You’re going to get a picture of the nature of God in verse 21 And 22.
It says in that hour, will you circle that in that hour?
What does that mean in that time frame in that moment? What does it mean?
Jesus as he was listening to the 70 report in, watch this while they were reporting?
This is what was going on with Jesus smiling. We’re going to find out he was actually smiling.
We’re getting a peek into the nature of God right now.
It’s almost like we should take off our sandals, right?
And our shoes because we’re on holy ground here as they begin to share as they begin to report.
Now, I took my shoe off and I can’t get the thing back on as they, as they were sharing during that time frame as they were sharing during that time frame while they were announcing, jesus’ heart is getting stirred up and he’s going.
Yes, I saw Satan fall like a lightning from heaven. Yes. Yes. Yes.
And here’s the word in the Greek. It search a crescendo during the course of that hour.
Every report, Jesus heard. Awesome. He couldn’t say praise the Lord, he was the Lord.
But you know what he means.
So watch in that hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit, by the way, that’s Holy Spirit there.
See the capital s in your Bible.
And he said, I thank you father, Lord of heaven and earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent a reference to the professional religionist right there.
I thank you God that you’ve hidden this from those who think they know you who can quote everything about Moses, quote everything about the Old Testament.
It’s their profession, but they don’t even know you and you’ve, you’ve revealed them into babes even so far.
It seemed good in your sight. Church.
Listen, Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit in that hour when he hears them report in and the word in Greek is a galeo.
Why is that important? Very rare only here used in the Bible rejoice. A galeo.
It means that Jesus Christ himself. Are you sitting down? Are you listening? He was filled with glee.
The word means to be reveling. It means to be filled with exceeding gladness resulting.
And I kid you not to move about or to jump for joy or to spin Jesus Christ when he’s listening to the report.
Yes. Yes, I saw Satan fall like lightning. Yes.
Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs here on real life radio with his message called checking in.
Thanks for joining us today. You know this message is part of Pastor Jack’s series called The Gospel of Luke.
It’s a series on the book of Luke and the unveiling of Jesus Christ to this world.
And we’ll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio. Everybody. Pastor Jack here.
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