Jesus returns to Nazareth (3 things)

• The power of the Spirit… vs. 14-15
  • The 1^st year of Jesus’ ministry…
    • The Gospel of John 1-4 gives us the most detail on the 1^st year of Jesus’ ministry…
    • Jesus initial encounter with the 1^st disciples / 1^st miracle of water into wine…
    • 1^st time Jesus ‘cleansed’ the Temple / Nicodemus / and the Samaritan woman…
    • But Luke follows the same abbreviated timeline as Matthew & Mark…
    • Luke overviews the 1^st year of Jesus ministry as He returns from the wilderness…
  • Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit…
    • Jesus came back from the temptation – full of the Power of the Holy Spirit!
    • The word power – is the word ‘dynamite’ – LOTS of power / explosive power!
    • We are all clay pots – and are going to be full of something – Holy Spirit or ourselves…
    • If we are full of ourselves – then there is no room left for the Holy Spirit….
    • The purpose of trials is to teach us not to depend on ourselves – instead be full of God…
    • To be emptied out – so God can fill us up – then we can be powerfully used!
    • * II Corinthians 4:7-9 – “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”
  • The result of going out in the Power of the Holy Spirit…
    • The fame of Jesus went out throughout the whole region – miracles…
    • Jesus was teaching (imperfect) from Synagogue to Synagogue in the Galilee…
    • His teaching was admired (glorified) by everyone who heard Him…
    • I know many churches today that try and ‘promote’ and ‘advertize’ to get the word out…
    • They spend thousands of pesos and hundreds of hours – with little lasting effect…
    • People might rush out for an event/concert – but they rarely come back…
    • But when God is the one doing the work – the POWER of the spirit – lives are changed…
    • When the Word of God is being taught – there is lasting change!
    • People take notice – and word quickly gets around…
    • The best advertizing – the best promotion – is a Spirit filled /Bible teaching church!
      
• 2^nd – Jesus mission – Isaiah 61:1-2… (2 thigns) vs. 16-21
  • 1^st – Jesus came to Nazareth – His ‘home town’ (only recorded here in Luke)…
    • After His 1^st year of ministry – Jesus returned to the place where He had been raised…
      • This isn’t the trip recorded in Matthew 13/Mark 6 – that was a 2^nd trip later on…
      • As was His custom (Perfect) – He went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath…
      • This was nothing unusual for Jesus – He had the habit of regularly attending ‘church’…
      • We all have habits – repeated daily patterns in our lives – some good / some not…
      • Building Godly habits into our lives is a key to following/living for Jesus!
      • Having a habit for a time to pray / time to read our Bible / time to go to church…
      • Parents teach your kids at a young age to have these Godly habits…
      • A child who learns at a young age to go to church – read their Bible…
      • Will grow up to be a young man/woman who goes to church and reads!
    • Jesus stood up to read – the Word of God…
      • It is a common custom in Jewish services to have ‘readings from the Word’…
      • Usually someone of importance – or a special guest – would be given the honor…
      • This was something new for Jesus – He had not read in His ‘home church’ before…
      • Jesus was after all just the son of the local carpenter Joseph – ‘no one special…’
      • Perhaps like Paul in Acts 13:15 – He was asked by the Rabbi/leader to share…
      • Having been gone for at least a year – perhaps it was a homecoming request…
      • Or more likely the fame of Jesus’ teachings from Galilee had spread to Nazareth…
    • Jesus was handed the scroll of Isaiah…
      • In Jesus’ day there were no ‘books’ – God’s Word was written on long scrolls…
      • A complete scroll of Isaiah was found (Dead Sea) measuring 60’ feet long!
      • The handwritten scrolls were VERY expensive – costing more than a years wage…
      • Individuals rarely owned one – were kept at the local ‘church’ for public reading…
      • There was no New Testament yet – there were only the 39 books of the OT…
      • Jesus ‘conveniently’ was handed the perfect book to read from – Isaiah…
      • There are no coincidences in Christ – God often gives us those ‘chance’ opportunities
      • To share a verse / a smile / a kind word – with someone at just the right moment…
      • A number of years ago I was going through a really hard time…
      • I needed to know that God knew – that He was listening – that He cared…
      • Just as I was praying – an old friend walked up out of nowhere…
      • He told me God had put me on his heart – and he knew he needed to find me…
      • He did not know why – he just knew – I needed to know God did know!
  • 2^nd – Jesus turned to Isaiah 60:1-2…
    • There were no chapter or verse marks in Jesus’ day – He had to find the passage…
      • Jesus knew the Bible – He knew where to go to find the verse He wanted…
      • When we first started going through the Word – we announced page numbers…
      • What a blessing now to be able to share a verse – and just hear the pages flipping!
      • We need to be students of God’s Word – ready to give an answer if we are asked…
      • Get to know you Bible – know how to find important verses – be prepared…
      • I Peter 3:15 – “If you’re asked about your… hope, always be ready to explain it.”
    • The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me – He (the Holy Spirit) has anointed Me…
      • Anointed – Chriso – were we get the word ‘Christ’ – Jesus is the Anointed One!
      • To preach the Gospel to the poor…
        • Not so much those who are physically poor (though they are certainly included)…
        • The Good News is to those who are ‘poor in spirit’ – sinners!
        • The Gospel message is that sinners can be saved – we don’t pay for our sin – hell…
        • God has provided a way – thought the cross of Christ – to get to heaven!
      • To heal the broken hearted…
        • Those who know they are sinners – broken over their shattered lives…
        • Sometimes the consequences of our actions make our sin VERY apparent…
        • A life that lies in pieces – devastated by sin – hopelessly lost…
        • Jesus came to put those pieces back together – to give hope to the hopeless!
      • Recover the sight of the blind…
        • Not so much the physically blind (though Jesus did heal them as well)…
        • He came to open the eyes of the spiritually blind – those who think they’re ‘good’…
        • There are many people who think they are ‘good’ people…
        • Thinking God will let them get into heaven because they are ‘not that bad’…
        • If we could get into heaven by being ‘good’ then Jesus died for no reason!
        • * Galatians 2:21 – “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
        • Jesus came to open our eyes to see our sin – so we could receive His salvation!
      • Set at liberty the captives…
        • Not so much the prisoners (as John the Baptist learned the hard way)…
        • Jesus came to set us free from the bondage of sin!

• * Romans 6:6 – “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.”
• Before we were saved – before we had faith in Jesus – we were slaves to sin…
• We had no choice – we did not know any better – we were by nature – sinners…
• We did not think about God – think about righteousness – we were bound to sin…
• And when we sinned  – we did not care – sin did not bother us…
• The Good News is we have been set free (Perfect/Passive/Indicative) from sin!
• Our sinful man died with Jesus on the cross – we are no longer bound to sin…
• We have been set free – free to no longer sin – free to live for God!
• To proclaim the Year of the Lord – referring to the Jewish ‘Year of Jubilee’…
  • Every 50 years (after 7 Sabbath Years) was the Year of Jubilee – Leviticus 25:8-17
  • The priest would blow the trumpet to proclaim the blessings of the Lord…
  • All debts were forgiven – all borrowed land restored – all slaves set free…
  • Jesus came to proclaim the Jubilee – to tell us we have been set free!
  • All our sin debt is forgiven / we are not longer slaves to this world – we are free!
  • John 8:36 – “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
• Jesus closed the scroll – and sat down…
  • Jesus was taking the position to teach the people on the passage He just read…
    • In Jewish custom – the teacher would be the one to sit down – others would stand…
    • Every eye was fixed upon Him – there was energized anticipation…
    • Jesus had only read God’s Word – but that was all that was needed!
    • Romans 10:17 – “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
    • The power of God is not in men’s words – it is in God’s Word!
    • The power to challenge hearts – the power to save us from sin!
    • The reason why we spend so much time in God’s Word – it is all that is needed!
  • This scripture is fulfilled in your ears…
    • There can be no doubt – Jesus was claiming to be the promised Messiah!
    • The people there in the Synagogue understood it immediately…
    • They marveled at his ‘Words of Grace’ – but said ‘is this not Joseph’s son?’
    • They all knew Mary & Joseph – they knew Jesus’ – they had ‘changed his diapers’…
    • They could not accept that He was the ‘Anointed One’ – the Christ…
      
• 3^rd – Rejection… vs. 22-30
  • Jesus seeing their disbelief – gives them a parable…
    • An old proverb – a physician who heals others – should also be able to heal himself…
      • The people of Nazareth expected the Messiah to do great miracles…
      • They had heard rumors of what Jesus had done in the Galilee – power of the Spirit…
      • They wanted to see Him do the same things there – prove He was the Messiah!
    • A godly man is respected – except in his own country…
      • It is always interesting for me to return to my hometown…
      • I have been a pastor for almost 10 years – traveled to more than 25 countries…
      • But in my hometown I am still the little boy who always got into trouble…
      • The problem is that they saw me grow up – they know who David was…
    • What people so often do not want to see – is who God has made us to be!

• The hardest people to reach – are your family and friends…
• The problem is they know you to well – your mistakes / flaws / and sins…
• When we share Jesus with them – they are quick to remind us of them all!
• What they miss is that all that we were is gone – Psalms 103:12
• We are no longer defined by our past/mistakes – instead by Jesus who is in us!
• II Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
• Don’t give up on your family and friends – they might give you a hard time…
• But in due time – as they see Jesus in you – they might just ask what happened…
• Then you can give them the same hope that God has given to you!
• The examples of the prophets Elijah & Elisha…
  • There were many widows in Israel in days of Elijah – I Kings 17:1, 12-14…
    • There was a drought & famine in the Land for 3 years because of Israel’s sins…
    • Elijah told the king – Ahab – it would not rain until he gave the word…
    • Elijah was sent to hide in Sidon – at the home of a widow named Zarephath…
    • She only had enough food for one last meal – then she and her son would starve…
    • Elijah asked to eat first – then promised there would be enough left for them…
    • The Lord miraculously provided each day – just enough – till the rain came again…
    • A despised gentile – was the only widow Elijah ever helped in the famine!
  • There were many lepers in Israel in the days of Elisha – II Kings 5:1…
    • Naaman – the commander of the armies of Syria – enemy of Israel – had leprosy…
    • He heard about the Prophet Elisha and went to see him in Israel…
    • Elisha had him bath 7 times in the Jordan River – and his leprosy was cured…
    • The enemy of Israel – was the only man Elisha ever cured of leprosy!
  • Nazareth was no better…
    • The prophets fed a gentile / healed a enemy of Israel – rather than their own people…
    • The point Jesus was making – Nazareth was no better than Galilee…
    • Jesus was under no special obligation to do miracles just because He was raised there
    • At that answer – the people were immediately filled with rage!
    • Romans 2:11 – “For God does not show favoritism.”
    • There is no cutting in line with God – there are no special perks…
    • It does not matter if you are rich/poor – man/woman – short/tall – Galatians 3:28
    • God does not ignore anyone – and He has no favorites – we are all sinners!
    • And He freely gives to us all the same hope of salvation through Jesus Christ!
• They led Jesus to the edge of a cliff…
  • To this day there is still a tall cliff in one corner of the town of Nazareth…
    • They intended to throw Him off headfirst – they meant to kill Him…
    • But Jesus just past through the middle of them – and went on His way!
  • Jesus time had not yet come – this was just the start of His ministry…
    • But already people were trying to kill Him!
    • We have been ‘anointed’ – called by Jesus to go and spread the Good News!
    • People need to know – Jesus came to save them – we need to proclaim the Jubilee!
    • But when we stand up for Jesus – we can be certain – people will get upset with us…
    • If they hated and tried to kill Jesus – they will not treat us much better…

John 15:18 – “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”