Chapter # 4 Paragraph # 3 Study # 5
November 19, 2006
Lincolnton, N.C.
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<298> Thesis:  Jesus was campaigning for our ultimate love. Introduction:  In our extended studies of the "authority" issue we have seen that Luke considered this a very fundamental problem area for all who would "live". There are multiple "problems". Perhaps the two greatest of them are the fear-driven lack of love that causes men to pull back from obedience, and the qualifications-driven lack of faith that enables them to "justify" their pull-back. How many times have we witnessed someone who claims to love God deliberately refuse to obey His Word simply because of "vested interests" ("love-substitutes"), and then turn around and "explain" their lack of love with words that boil down to one basic reality: the use of "facts" to "qualify" the meaning of God's Word so that it does not "mean" what is being refused? These seem to be the real issues when "authority" is on the table. In Luke's record of the recognition of Jesus' "authority" by the people, there is a presentation of two facts that address these twin issues. On the one hand, the text tells us that the demon did not hurt the man when he came out. On the other hand, the text tells us that a "report" about Jesus began to circulate in the entire region. What is the point? I believe these are two "seeds" that we need to allow to be planted deeply in our hearts. This morning I want to pursue the nature of these two seeds.