Preaching Christ (Luke 4:14-30)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:09.630 Our scripturreting from Luke for beginning in verse a fourteen. Listen, for this 2 00:00:09.669 --> 00:00:15.630 is the word of the Lord and Jesus returned, in the power of the 3 00:00:15.830 --> 00:00:20.629 spirit, to Galilee and report about him went through all the surrounding country and 4 00:00:20.750 --> 00:00:24.739 he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. And he came to 5 00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:27.660 Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and, as was his custom, 6 00:00:27.699 --> 00:00:30.820 he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath Day and he stood up to 7 00:00:30.859 --> 00:00:35.060 read the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the 8 00:00:35.100 --> 00:00:39.369 scroll and found the place where it was written. The spirit of the Lord 9 00:00:39.530 --> 00:00:43.530 is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. 10 00:00:44.170 --> 00:00:48.490 He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight 11 00:00:48.649 --> 00:00:53.759 to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim 12 00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:59.200 the year of the Lord's favor. And he rolled up the scroll and gave 13 00:00:59.240 --> 00:01:03.479 it back to the attendant and sat down and the eyes of all in the 14 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:07.109 synagogue were fixed on him and he began to say to them. Today, 15 00:01:07.629 --> 00:01:14.590 this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing, and all spoke well of him. 16 00:01:14.590 --> 00:01:17.670 And marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And 17 00:01:17.790 --> 00:01:22.459 they said, is this not Joseph's son? He said to them, doubtless, 18 00:01:22.859 --> 00:01:26.379 you will quote to me this proverb. Physician, heal yourself. What 19 00:01:26.540 --> 00:01:29.739 we've heard you, what we have heard you did at Copernam, do hear 20 00:01:29.819 --> 00:01:33.689 in your hometown as well? And he said, truly, I say to 21 00:01:33.769 --> 00:01:37.890 you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I 22 00:01:37.930 --> 00:01:40.489 tell you, there are many widows in Israel. In the days of Elijah, 23 00:01:40.849 --> 00:01:42.849 when the heavens were shut up three years and six months and a great 24 00:01:42.849 --> 00:01:47.560 famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them, 25 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:49.640 but only to Zarifith, in the land of Sidon, to a woman 26 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:53.519 who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time 27 00:01:53.560 --> 00:01:57.280 of the Prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only naming 28 00:01:57.840 --> 00:02:04.510 the Syrian. When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled 29 00:02:04.670 --> 00:02:07.669 with wrath. They rose up and drove him out of the town and brought 30 00:02:07.669 --> 00:02:10.069 him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so 31 00:02:10.189 --> 00:02:15.780 that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, 32 00:02:15.300 --> 00:02:20.020 he went away thus far the reading of God's word. May He bless it 33 00:02:20.099 --> 00:02:31.610 to us he may be seated in this passage we just read. A Luke 34 00:02:31.770 --> 00:02:40.969 describes a relatively normal event. Jesus goes to a synagogue on the Sabbath Day. 35 00:02:42.849 --> 00:02:50.840 Jesus reads scripture, he teaches. Now an event of this normal in 36 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:54.080 loose gospel sort of stands out of it. It's it's a bit out of 37 00:02:54.159 --> 00:02:59.750 the ordinary for what this Gospel has scared so far. Up until this point, 38 00:02:59.909 --> 00:03:07.069 Luke's Gospel has been anything but ordinary, anything but normal. Luke has 39 00:03:07.110 --> 00:03:13.259 been describing extraordinary thing after extraordinary thing. His first two chapters have recorded the 40 00:03:13.300 --> 00:03:19.300 events surrounding Jesus's miraculous birth. How is birth was prophesied, how he was 41 00:03:19.379 --> 00:03:23.580 born to a virgin who tells us that even as an infant, Jesus was 42 00:03:23.780 --> 00:03:29.210 recognized as the coming Messiah there in the temple. As a boy, Jesus 43 00:03:29.330 --> 00:03:32.050 stowed away in the temple for several days. While his parents were searching for 44 00:03:32.129 --> 00:03:38.490 him, he was busy amazing the elders with his understanding. As an adult, 45 00:03:38.169 --> 00:03:43.000 when Jesus was was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a 46 00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:46.840 dove. A voice from heaven called out, you are, my beloved son, 47 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:53.599 with you, I am well pleased. Chapter four itself begins with Jesus 48 00:03:53.680 --> 00:04:02.030 being out in the Wilderness tempted directly by Satan. So far, the life 49 00:04:02.030 --> 00:04:10.740 of Jesus has been anything but ordinary. Luke causes us to expect something even 50 00:04:10.740 --> 00:04:16.139 more extraordinary here to take place, something even more out of the usual. 51 00:04:16.660 --> 00:04:21.420 Look at what verse, Verse Fourteen, says. Jesus Returns to Galilee in 52 00:04:21.540 --> 00:04:28.810 the power of the spirit. This same Holy Spirit was present in Jesus is 53 00:04:28.889 --> 00:04:31.689 baptism. The Same Holy Spirit is described as leading Jesus into the Wilderness to 54 00:04:31.730 --> 00:04:36.930 be tempted by Satan. So what new and exciting thing is Jesus about to 55 00:04:38.009 --> 00:04:41.399 do now? Well, it's a Sabbath Day, so he goes to the 56 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:46.399 synagogue, as was his custom. And after all these amazing things, Luke 57 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:50.319 tells us that Jesus returns in the power of the spirit and it's a day 58 00:04:50.519 --> 00:04:57.069 like any other day. Okay, but we've just been told that he's gone 59 00:04:57.069 --> 00:05:00.509 to Galilee with the power of the Holy Spirit. So we're all asking the 60 00:05:00.550 --> 00:05:05.509 question what what is he going to do with this power? The anticipation has 61 00:05:05.550 --> 00:05:12.699 been building. Jesus's ministry is starting to take off. Reports are spreading throughout 62 00:05:12.699 --> 00:05:17.860 the country side. He's attracting all his attention. He's been teaching in synagogues 63 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:23.569 and people are liking what he says. As Verse Fifteen says, he's glorified 64 00:05:23.610 --> 00:05:29.850 by all, he's honored. He's being praised throughout Galilee. And now Jesus 65 00:05:29.930 --> 00:05:34.879 returns to the very city where he was raised, to Nazareth. What's the 66 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:44.800 first thing Jesus does here? He preaches a sermon, and that's it. 67 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:50.069 I mean, words are Nice, right, but but don't actions speak louder 68 00:05:50.110 --> 00:05:55.709 than words? On that Sabbath Day, did Jesus did not show up the 69 00:05:55.790 --> 00:06:01.029 great display of His Majesty, a great outpouring of the spirit. He came 70 00:06:01.069 --> 00:06:05.540 to Nazareth with just a few words to say. He didn't do anything out 71 00:06:05.540 --> 00:06:12.860 of the ordinary. He simply preached a sermon, and it nearly got him 72 00:06:12.860 --> 00:06:21.649 killed. What could Jesus have said to stir up such anger from a synagogue? 73 00:06:24.089 --> 00:06:28.610 Right, Jesus isn't speaking to a mob of looters. This was a 74 00:06:28.730 --> 00:06:36.079 congregation gathered for worship. What could Jesus have said to turn church goers into 75 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:44.279 a murderous mob. Loop tells us exactly what he said. The first thing 76 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:47.470 out of Jesus's mouth is a reading from scripture. This is what you would 77 00:06:47.470 --> 00:06:51.550 expect. This was ordinary for a synagogue. This is how the teaching would 78 00:06:51.550 --> 00:06:56.269 take place. was very basic. A passage of scripture would be read and 79 00:06:56.310 --> 00:07:01.019 then it would be interpreted. The one who reads it would offer some insight 80 00:07:01.139 --> 00:07:06.259 into the passage. He would give a public devotional based on that text. 81 00:07:08.660 --> 00:07:12.100 And so Jesus has handed the scroll of Isaiah and he finds these few verses 82 00:07:12.180 --> 00:07:16.290 from Isaiah Sixty one. He reads the spirit of the Lord. God is 83 00:07:16.370 --> 00:07:21.250 upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the 84 00:07:21.329 --> 00:07:26.769 poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of 85 00:07:26.850 --> 00:07:30.839 sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to 86 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:38.439 proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. As he finishes, every eye is 87 00:07:38.519 --> 00:07:44.550 upon him. They've all heard the reports. Jesus is a gifted speaker. 88 00:07:46.069 --> 00:07:49.550 The first century culture was was very interested in speakers. They didn't have movies 89 00:07:49.589 --> 00:07:53.990 right, they didn't have moving pictures that even books were quite rare. A 90 00:07:54.189 --> 00:08:01.060 gifted speaker could draw an enormous crowd. Luke here even draws out the tension 91 00:08:01.100 --> 00:08:05.779 right the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. They are 92 00:08:05.939 --> 00:08:13.209 ready to be dazzled and to be amazed. A blockbuster movie has just come 93 00:08:13.290 --> 00:08:16.689 to town. You've read the reviews, you know it's going to be good, 94 00:08:16.730 --> 00:08:20.810 and the opening credits have just finished. That's the anticipation of this crowd. 95 00:08:22.889 --> 00:08:24.930 Is he going to be as good as the reviews said? Is he 96 00:08:26.050 --> 00:08:31.080 going to be better? What's he going to say? But Jesus speaks. 97 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:41.830 He delivers a one sentence sermon and it amazes everyone. The same crowd will 98 00:08:41.830 --> 00:08:46.549 eventually be angry enough to kill, but not because of this statement. Jesus 99 00:08:46.549 --> 00:08:54.710 simply says today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. Look at the 100 00:08:54.740 --> 00:09:01.179 reaction this creates. All spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words 101 00:09:01.500 --> 00:09:09.500 that were coming from his mouth. Jesus delivers this incredibly short sermon. No 102 00:09:09.700 --> 00:09:15.730 one would have drifted off during this message. Even the shortest of attention spans 103 00:09:16.250 --> 00:09:22.169 would not have missed this statement. He isn't being elaborate or complicated. It's 104 00:09:22.169 --> 00:09:26.799 a very simple sentence, but the implications are are incredibly deep and rich. 105 00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:33.320 Let's look at Isaiah Sixty one to a closer look at this passage to see 106 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:39.070 what Jesus is actually saying. These few verses come from much larger section, 107 00:09:39.110 --> 00:09:43.710 where Isaiah is talking about the Messiah, the anointed one. The Prophet has 108 00:09:43.789 --> 00:09:48.470 been much of the book rebuking and warning Jerusalem about the coming exile. Because 109 00:09:48.509 --> 00:09:52.019 of her sin, she will be cast out of the land. But here 110 00:09:52.059 --> 00:09:56.659 Isaiah is comforting the people. Though they will be cast out, the Lord 111 00:09:56.740 --> 00:10:00.259 is not finished with them. In the later part of the book, The 112 00:10:00.740 --> 00:10:05.779 Lord says that he will send his servant, he will bring salvation deliverance to 113 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:11.769 his people. We read about the prophesied servant and Isaiah Forty two behold my 114 00:10:11.970 --> 00:10:16.850 servant, whom I uphold, my chosen in whom my soul delights. I 115 00:10:16.929 --> 00:10:22.120 have put my spirit upon him. He will bring forth justice to the nations. 116 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:26.919 And in Chapter Sixty one, the passage Jesus reads, Isaiah's words become 117 00:10:28.039 --> 00:10:31.759 the servants words. For now, he says, the spirit of the Lord 118 00:10:31.240 --> 00:10:37.590 is upon me. And what is it that this servant will do? He 119 00:10:37.710 --> 00:10:43.870 will proclaim good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, for you 120 00:10:43.950 --> 00:10:50.220 see, in her exile, Israel is poor. They've been taken from their 121 00:10:50.340 --> 00:10:56.419 land, stripped of their possessions. In military defeat, the nation was taken 122 00:10:56.419 --> 00:11:01.419 captive by foreigners. This act of recovering sight to the blind is elsewhere, 123 00:11:01.460 --> 00:11:05.970 in Isaiah and, as I have forty two seven, used metaphorically for the 124 00:11:05.210 --> 00:11:11.330 act of bringing prisoners out of their dark dungeons, restoring their site where they 125 00:11:11.370 --> 00:11:18.169 were trapped in the dark. Now we all know these are some things that 126 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:22.039 this, especially this recovery of sight to the blind, is something Jesus literally 127 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:26.720 does. He literally fulfills this in his ministry. He brings sight, brings 128 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:31.120 healing to the blind. Yet when he's performing these miracles, he's always revealing 129 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:35.629 something more about about who he is and more about what his mission is. 130 00:11:37.710 --> 00:11:41.950 Here we're getting that mission statement. This is why he heals the blind, 131 00:11:41.149 --> 00:11:45.990 because this is what he's been this way, but he's been called to do. 132 00:11:46.110 --> 00:11:48.700 This is what he came to do. Gives sighting, giving sight to 133 00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:52.419 the blind, The servant to the Lord, will set at liberty those who 134 00:11:52.460 --> 00:11:58.340 are oppressed. Again, this language of restoration is being used, though they 135 00:11:58.379 --> 00:12:03.730 are carried off in exile, though they suffer great oppression, the Lord will 136 00:12:03.769 --> 00:12:09.970 set them free, for he will proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. 137 00:12:11.409 --> 00:12:18.679 These words would have resounded with every single Israelite. He summarizes the salvation that 138 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:24.080 will come to Israel with this statement the year of the Lord's favor. But 139 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:28.440 what is it what he's talking about? What year is he describing here? 140 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:33.110 The book of levinicus tells us. Moses describes the calendar that the Israelites were 141 00:12:33.149 --> 00:12:37.470 to keep. Their calendar was made up of many feasts and times for religious 142 00:12:37.470 --> 00:12:43.580 celebration. Every seven years they would celebrate a sabbath year. On the seventh 143 00:12:43.620 --> 00:12:46.779 day of every week, the people were to rest from their labors, but 144 00:12:46.899 --> 00:12:50.179 on the seventh year they were to give the land arrest. They were not 145 00:12:50.220 --> 00:12:56.299 allowed to plant any crops that year. So their years followed the same pattern 146 00:12:56.379 --> 00:12:58.850 as their week. They were to work six days and rest on the seventh. 147 00:12:58.889 --> 00:13:01.970 The land was the Labor for six years and rest on the seventh. 148 00:13:03.769 --> 00:13:11.570 But then Leviticus tells us that after seven Sabbath years, something extra special was 149 00:13:11.690 --> 00:13:16.159 to happen. Takes Forty nine years right to get through seven sets of seven. 150 00:13:18.440 --> 00:13:20.679 So after the forty nine year the Lord says, you shall consecrate the 151 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:28.470 fifty year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all inhabitants. It's the same 152 00:13:28.509 --> 00:13:33.470 wording here use in Isaiah. Proclaim Liberty. For the Israelites, every fifty 153 00:13:33.710 --> 00:13:39.669 year was to be a year of jubilee. They were to proclaim liberty this 154 00:13:39.750 --> 00:13:43.379 year because the people would be liberated. If someone had been so poor that 155 00:13:43.419 --> 00:13:48.379 they had to sell the land given to their fathers, on the fifty year 156 00:13:48.419 --> 00:13:52.379 they'd get it back. If someone had become so poor that they had to 157 00:13:52.460 --> 00:14:00.289 sell even themselves into slavery, on that fifty year they'd be released. On 158 00:14:00.450 --> 00:14:03.889 this year of the Lord's favor, they'd be freed from slavery. They get 159 00:14:03.929 --> 00:14:11.120 to return to their father's land. They'd return to the blessing intended for them 160 00:14:11.559 --> 00:14:16.080 that God promised to their fathers. What a wonderful promise this makes for those 161 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:20.320 Israelites who would have been carried off into exile, that a servant will come, 162 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:24.549 he will proclaim the lear of the Lord's favor. He will bring a 163 00:14:24.629 --> 00:14:31.750 year of jubilee and return all Israel toward true inheritance. Now Jesus is telling 164 00:14:31.870 --> 00:14:41.299 this first century audience today, today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. 165 00:14:41.379 --> 00:14:48.580 He's telling them the spirit of the Lord is upon me. You can 166 00:14:48.620 --> 00:14:54.730 see why they would marvel at these words. He is describing something amazing here. 167 00:14:54.889 --> 00:15:01.850 He uses this ordinary setting of an ordinary worship service to make an extraordinary 168 00:15:01.929 --> 00:15:07.960 claim. He's claiming to be the Promised Messiah. He's proclaiming these words of 169 00:15:07.039 --> 00:15:13.639 incredible blessing, good news to the poor, liberty and freedom to those captives. 170 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:24.470 Then he says the people are astonished and they say, isn't this Joseph's 171 00:15:24.549 --> 00:15:30.990 son? Jesus responds, doubtless, you will say to me, physician, 172 00:15:31.389 --> 00:15:35.669 heal yourself. Well, we've heard you did at Copernam. Do here in 173 00:15:35.779 --> 00:15:41.980 your home town as well. He reads their hearts, doesn't he? He 174 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:46.740 knows what they're thinking. Jesus knows they'd heard a report of his miracles in 175 00:15:46.820 --> 00:15:52.009 Copernam. So it turns out they weren't here just to listen to his teaching 176 00:15:52.090 --> 00:15:58.529 after all. Remember how every eye was fixed upon him before his sermon. 177 00:16:00.250 --> 00:16:06.600 This anticipation of theirs takes on a much more sort of selfish tone now that 178 00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:10.879 he knows their hearts, now that he read their intentions. For you see 179 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:14.399 it turns out they gathered for more than just the promise of a good sermon. 180 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:21.190 They came for a show. For what's their assumption by saying, isn't 181 00:16:21.190 --> 00:16:25.830 this Joseph Son? There's something that if he's done great things, it could 182 00:16:25.830 --> 00:16:32.980 burn him. Surely, surely he'll do even greater things here. This is 183 00:16:33.139 --> 00:16:37.620 his hometown, isn't it? This is where he grew up. He's taking 184 00:16:37.659 --> 00:16:44.019 the show back to his hometown. This is going to be amazing, and 185 00:16:44.179 --> 00:16:51.049 the passage Jesus reads from Isaiah really ramps up their expectation. Isaiah's prophecy describes 186 00:16:51.090 --> 00:16:56.129 amazing and physical things. The Year of the Lord's favor is being fulfilled. 187 00:16:56.409 --> 00:17:00.519 Now recovery of sight to the blind, liberty to those who are pressed. 188 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:06.720 Truly, they felt oppressed under the hand of Rome. Surely they've felt poor 189 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:14.119 giving all their taxes to Roman dictators. But Jesus also knows their doubts. 190 00:17:15.269 --> 00:17:18.390 He knows they want to show. He knows they don't believe his words. 191 00:17:18.430 --> 00:17:22.789 They want to see what he's going to do, and with a few more 192 00:17:22.869 --> 00:17:32.420 words he reveals the rejection that's in their hearts. They're not confused about who 193 00:17:32.420 --> 00:17:40.940 he is. They hate him and all it takes is a further illustration to 194 00:17:40.980 --> 00:17:44.650 show that he says truly. I say to you, no prophet is acceptable 195 00:17:44.890 --> 00:17:48.849 in his hometown. He already knows their hearts, he already knows of their 196 00:17:48.009 --> 00:17:56.089 rejection. So he uses a couple of illustrations to draw out their spiritual rejection, 197 00:17:56.369 --> 00:17:59.880 to reveal their spiritual rejection, which turns into a very physical rejection. 198 00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:06.759 He uses this theme of rejected prophets. He cites two examples from Israel's history. 199 00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:10.240 He says there were many widows in Israel and the days of Elijah, 200 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:12.230 when the heavens were shut up three months, three years and six months, 201 00:18:12.789 --> 00:18:17.430 and a great famine came over the land and Elijah was sent to none of 202 00:18:17.470 --> 00:18:21.470 them right, none of the ones in Israel received this blessing, but only 203 00:18:21.509 --> 00:18:22.869 to Zarifith, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a 204 00:18:22.910 --> 00:18:27.660 widow. Elijah did great miracles for this widow inside and during the famine. 205 00:18:27.700 --> 00:18:32.900 He blessed her jars of oil and flower so that they never ran out until 206 00:18:32.900 --> 00:18:36.819 the famine was over. When her son became ill and died, Elijah raised 207 00:18:36.859 --> 00:18:42.450 him from the dead. Elijah performed these great miracles and this widow wasn't even 208 00:18:42.450 --> 00:18:48.210 an Israelite. Likewise, Jesus recalls how the Prophet Elisha heals a leper, 209 00:18:49.049 --> 00:18:53.569 not just any leper. Israel head many lepers to choose from. He healed 210 00:18:55.009 --> 00:18:59.599 a Syrian, not in Israelite and actual enemy of the people of God. 211 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:06.480 And with these illustrations Jesus reminds his heroes of a sobering fact from Israel's own 212 00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:11.750 history. When Israel has rejected God's prophets, he has sent them elsewhere, 213 00:19:11.349 --> 00:19:17.390 even to the gentiles. And it's at these words, then, that the 214 00:19:17.509 --> 00:19:22.309 people lash out. All in the synagogue were filled with wrath. They rose 215 00:19:22.309 --> 00:19:26.500 up and drove him out of town, brought him to the brow of the 216 00:19:26.660 --> 00:19:29.740 hill on which their town was built so they could throw him down the cliff. 217 00:19:32.460 --> 00:19:36.220 What was it that Jesus had said to fill them with such anger and 218 00:19:36.539 --> 00:19:42.769 wrath? He basically says that if they reject God's Messiah, God will reject 219 00:19:42.769 --> 00:19:48.890 them. It's because of this rejection that Jesus will not perform great miracles for 220 00:19:49.049 --> 00:19:56.400 them. He doesn't give them what they want. In fact, the only 221 00:19:56.480 --> 00:20:00.119 miracle perhaps that they see is found in verse thirty. Though they were in 222 00:20:00.119 --> 00:20:06.000 rage enough to throw him off a cliff. We read that, passing through 223 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:10.509 their midst, he went away, perhaps by some miraculous means, perhaps not. 224 00:20:11.269 --> 00:20:15.430 Their own efforts to murder him fail. The town of Nazareth fails to 225 00:20:15.509 --> 00:20:23.339 accept and receive God's promised servant, even though he came proclaiming such good news. 226 00:20:27.140 --> 00:20:30.539 But this is similar to Jesus Ministry elsewhere, isn't it? Jesus came 227 00:20:30.859 --> 00:20:36.970 proclaiming good news to Israel, to the nation, and how did they respond? 228 00:20:37.009 --> 00:20:41.769 Will Ultimately, they crucified him. Jesus came to the world and in 229 00:20:41.849 --> 00:20:45.650 its blindness, it would not receive him. As John says in the beginning 230 00:20:45.650 --> 00:20:48.730 of his Gospel, he was in the world, the world is made through 231 00:20:48.849 --> 00:20:51.759 him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own 232 00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:57.440 and his own people did not receive him. Let's look one more time at 233 00:20:57.480 --> 00:21:03.079 this passage from Isaiah. This time notice the Servant of the Lord's emphasis. 234 00:21:03.430 --> 00:21:07.910 What is it that the servant will do? What type of activity will the 235 00:21:07.029 --> 00:21:15.549 Messiah Perform? He is sent with this very specific task of of proclaiming. 236 00:21:15.630 --> 00:21:18.180 He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent 237 00:21:18.259 --> 00:21:22.980 me to proclaim liberty to the captives, to proclaim the year of the Lord's 238 00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:29.980 favor, to the Promised Messiah will come and do great and gracious things. 239 00:21:30.539 --> 00:21:36.529 But how will he accomplish them? He will accomplish them with a word. 240 00:21:38.210 --> 00:21:42.130 In fact, right after going leaving Nazareth, Jesus goes to Copernham and there 241 00:21:42.210 --> 00:21:45.609 he casts out a demon. How does he cast out the demon? With 242 00:21:45.730 --> 00:21:52.079 a rebuke, with a word. This what he's just done to Satan, 243 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:57.839 rebuking him with a very word of God. They're in Copernam. The people 244 00:21:57.839 --> 00:22:00.359 are so amazed they say to one another, what is this word for? 245 00:22:00.470 --> 00:22:04.710 What Authority and Power? He commands the unclean spirits and they come out. 246 00:22:07.950 --> 00:22:15.670 Isn't it appropriate, then? The the Messiah's Arsenal is verbal. The Lord 247 00:22:15.710 --> 00:22:21.700 himself created the world by speaking. God said, let there be light. 248 00:22:22.819 --> 00:22:25.980 Now the son, the very word of God incarnate, will bring about a 249 00:22:26.059 --> 00:22:29.500 new heavens and a new earth, and he'll do it with the power of 250 00:22:29.619 --> 00:22:34.609 his words. For we see that, ultimately, Christ came not with a 251 00:22:34.730 --> 00:22:40.690 message just for the poor in Israel. He came not just to release the 252 00:22:40.809 --> 00:22:48.839 Israelites from captivity and depression. He came to release a human race plunged into 253 00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:53.440 servitude to Satan. It's no coincidence, then, that Jesus a sermon here 254 00:22:53.720 --> 00:22:59.430 comes on the heels of his victory over Satan in the Wilderness, where he 255 00:22:59.470 --> 00:23:03.430 withstood the temptation that Adam could not. He took the full force of Satan's 256 00:23:03.470 --> 00:23:08.750 lies and Satan's twistings of God's word. And now he preaches a sermon not 257 00:23:08.869 --> 00:23:15.099 just to Israel but to the whole creation, one that the creation itself has 258 00:23:15.140 --> 00:23:19.900 been longing to hear. And is it any surprise that when Jesus Christ preaches 259 00:23:21.140 --> 00:23:29.569 a sermon, it's Christ's centered? WHAT DOES JESUS ONE SENTENCE SERMONS SAY? 260 00:23:30.049 --> 00:23:33.730 Does he say? This scripture will be fulfilled. And what I'm about to 261 00:23:33.849 --> 00:23:41.519 do? He says today, just now, in your very hearing, this 262 00:23:41.599 --> 00:23:51.160 scripture has been fulfilled. This is the power of Christ's word. By simply 263 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:55.680 reading this passage, Jesus is saying he has fulfilled it. The Year of 264 00:23:55.710 --> 00:24:00.589 Jubilee, the liberty, the blessing promised in this passage, Jesus says it 265 00:24:00.630 --> 00:24:06.430 has begun. This new creation, this Kingdom of Liberty, liberty from Satan, 266 00:24:06.470 --> 00:24:11.019 Liberty from sin, liberty from death, itself, this new creent, 267 00:24:11.180 --> 00:24:17.099 creation, this new kingdom, has already been inaugurated. Jesus preaches the sermon 268 00:24:17.140 --> 00:24:22.619 to an audience so blind to the truth they try to kill him. But 269 00:24:22.740 --> 00:24:26.289 it's for that very reason that Christ came, to bring sight to the blind, 270 00:24:26.849 --> 00:24:30.529 to set free the captives, to liberate those so oppressed that they don't 271 00:24:30.529 --> 00:24:37.690 want to be free. This is the reason Christ came. It's for this 272 00:24:37.769 --> 00:24:44.079 reason that Christ overcame Satan. For this reason Christ overcame death itself, even 273 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:48.240 death on a cross, for he has earned the inheritance that Adam failed to 274 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:56.349 grasp. And now, through the mere announcement of this victory, the Holy 275 00:24:56.430 --> 00:25:02.829 Spirit is at work. where the good news is proclaimed, enemies are turned 276 00:25:02.869 --> 00:25:08.099 into allies, where this simple word of Christ is preached, blind rebels are 277 00:25:08.140 --> 00:25:14.059 turned into sons and daughters. It's this good news, it's this Gospel that 278 00:25:14.140 --> 00:25:21.930 Paul Calls The power of God unto salvation. When Jesus preaches a sermon, 279 00:25:22.930 --> 00:25:30.970 his word has an effect. His word does not return void. For just 280 00:25:30.089 --> 00:25:36.559 compare with me, verse eighteen to verse fourteen, the beginning of Isaiah. 281 00:25:36.599 --> 00:25:40.279 Sixty one says, this spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has 282 00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:48.599 anointed me. But how did our passage begin? Jesus returned in the power 283 00:25:48.359 --> 00:25:56.430 of the spirit. When we think of Jesus being anointed, we're drawn to 284 00:25:56.549 --> 00:26:02.230 imagery of King David. David was anointed right. The kingly office is one 285 00:26:02.269 --> 00:26:07.460 of an anointing. Or perhaps we think of a priestly office, like Aaron 286 00:26:07.539 --> 00:26:11.980 and his sons were anointed for service of the Lord in the temple. But 287 00:26:12.099 --> 00:26:18.140 what do we find here? The spirit of the Lord is upon me because 288 00:26:18.180 --> 00:26:22.569 he has anointed me. But to do what? We know that Christ is 289 00:26:22.569 --> 00:26:26.250 a king, of course we know the Christ as a priest. Here we 290 00:26:26.289 --> 00:26:32.960 see that he's being anointed as a prophet as well, to proclaim good news 291 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:37.839 to the poor. He then further compares himself to the Prophets of old, 292 00:26:38.559 --> 00:26:44.000 saying a profit is not welcome in his own hometown. And we would look 293 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:48.829 at this rejection that Christ experiences and we would call it a hindrance art. 294 00:26:48.869 --> 00:26:51.670 The Christ is is rejected, as is a road block, isn't it? 295 00:26:51.750 --> 00:26:56.309 It's an obstacle. It's an obstruction to the building and establishing of the Kingdom 296 00:26:56.309 --> 00:27:00.190 of God, the very thing Christ came to do. And yet this stumbling 297 00:27:00.230 --> 00:27:08.059 block is exactly a part of God's building plans. It's this rock of offense, 298 00:27:08.099 --> 00:27:14.019 it's this rock of stumbling that has become the cornerstone. Peter tells us 299 00:27:14.059 --> 00:27:18.490 in First Peter too, as you come to him a living stone, rejected 300 00:27:18.650 --> 00:27:22.849 by men, but in the sight of God chosen and pressions. You yourselves, 301 00:27:22.930 --> 00:27:27.009 like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house, to 302 00:27:27.130 --> 00:27:32.759 be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. Through Jesus 303 00:27:32.839 --> 00:27:41.839 Christ. His rejection is not a hindrance, for this very red is this 304 00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:48.349 for this very rejection that Christ came to proclaim liberty, to proclaim sight, 305 00:27:48.789 --> 00:27:55.230 to give freedom and forgiveness to his people. And in perhaps the most miraculous 306 00:27:55.309 --> 00:28:00.859 thing of all, Christ uses the foolishness of words, the foolishness of the 307 00:28:00.940 --> 00:28:06.339 gospel, to bring shame to the wise, as Paul tells us in First 308 00:28:06.380 --> 00:28:11.859 Corinthians, for since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not 309 00:28:11.980 --> 00:28:15.009 know God. Through wisdom, it please God, through the folly of what 310 00:28:15.130 --> 00:28:22.089 we preach, to save those who believe. And yet we, we ourselves 311 00:28:22.170 --> 00:28:26.759 find ourselves in similar position to these Israelites when we are distracted by what is 312 00:28:26.839 --> 00:28:37.119 so worldly we want to tell Jesus, physician, heal yourself. When we 313 00:28:37.279 --> 00:28:44.869 see suffering among God's people. In Our worldliness, we too often cry out 314 00:28:44.869 --> 00:28:49.750 to Jesus, physician, heal yourself. Especially as the body of Christ, 315 00:28:49.869 --> 00:28:56.299 the temptation is that much more real for us to look for a worldly demonstration 316 00:28:56.460 --> 00:29:02.059 of Christ's power when we look at ourselves, when we look at Christ's beloved 317 00:29:02.259 --> 00:29:11.730 church, and we see weakness and frailty and sin and death. Well, 318 00:29:11.809 --> 00:29:18.690 we look at the world and we see power and success and wealth. Just 319 00:29:18.849 --> 00:29:26.039 this weekend we dissolved the cottonwood mission work after many, many years of faithful 320 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:38.309 service. Does that mean that Christ's kingdom is not advancing? We look at 321 00:29:38.309 --> 00:29:42.789 what draws success in this world and so often we want that for ourselves and 322 00:29:42.990 --> 00:29:47.390 we say, Jesus for heal yourself. Right, why can't you'd work those, 323 00:29:47.710 --> 00:29:53.140 those great demonstrations of power in and among us? And yet look at 324 00:29:53.180 --> 00:29:57.220 what Christ has given you. Look at the power that Christ has given you. 325 00:29:57.380 --> 00:30:00.740 Through the weakness of his word, through the weakness of his cross, 326 00:30:03.099 --> 00:30:08.690 he overcomes powers and principalities of this world. He nourishes us by his word. 327 00:30:11.930 --> 00:30:15.970 Praise God. Then that his word reients our priorities, draws us away 328 00:30:15.009 --> 00:30:21.130 from from worldliness. Our prophet calls us out of our own selfishness, our 329 00:30:21.170 --> 00:30:26.119 own desires for for power and wealth and superiority, and he does this through 330 00:30:26.240 --> 00:30:30.119 the weakness of his Gospel, through the weakness and the meekness of his word, 331 00:30:30.240 --> 00:30:38.509 to through ordinary things like preaching, like eating and drinking, he nourishes 332 00:30:38.589 --> 00:30:42.309 our soul to find our true and ultimate rest not in the things that he 333 00:30:42.430 --> 00:30:48.950 gives but in himself. Praise God, then, that his word not only 334 00:30:48.990 --> 00:30:52.579 calls us to have faith, but his word creates that faith in us as 335 00:30:52.660 --> 00:30:57.099 well. And let us respond, then, in faith and in trust, 336 00:30:59.180 --> 00:31:03.450 believing his good news, and let us rest in the sufficient work of our 337 00:31:03.490 --> 00:31:06.410 savior, Amen.