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Jesus returns to Nazareth (3 things)
- The power of the Spirit… vs. 14-15
- The 1st year of Jesus’ ministry…
- The Gospel of John 1-4 gives us the most detail on the 1st year of Jesus’ ministry…
- Jesus initial encounter with the 1st disciples / 1st miracle of water into wine…
- 1st time Jesus ‘cleansed’ the Temple / Nicodemus / and the Samaritan woman…
- But Luke follows the same abbreviated timeline as Matthew & Mark…
- Luke overviews the 1st 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!
- The 1st year of Jesus’ ministry…
- 2nd – Jesus mission – Isaiah 61:1-2… (2 thigns) vs. 16-21
- 1st – Jesus came to Nazareth – His ‘home town’ (only recorded here in Luke)…
- After His 1st 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 2nd 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!
- After His 1st year of ministry – Jesus returned to the place where He had been raised…
- 2nd – 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!
- There were no chapter or verse marks in Jesus’ day – He had to find the passage…
- 1st – Jesus came to Nazareth – His ‘home town’ (only recorded here in Luke)…
- * 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…
- Jesus was taking the position to teach the people on the passage He just read…
- 3rd – 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!
- An old proverb – a physician who heals others – should also be able to heal himself…
- Jesus seeing their disbelief – gives them a parable…
- 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!
- There were many widows in Israel in days of Elijah – I Kings 17:1, 12-14…
- 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…
- To this day there is still a tall cliff in one corner of the town of Nazareth…
John 15:18 – “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”
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