Luke 4:14-30
1. RECHARGED to Go
2. HOMECOMING is not fun sometimes.
3. THE FIRST DROP THE MIC
4. IT’S HARD TO REASON WITH NAYSAYERS
14Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
1. Recharged to GO;
40 DAYS of fasting and being taunted, harassed and bothered by the devil are gone. Now the Lord JESUS is full of the Spirit.
His wilderness time led him to be restored and recharged.
Are we getting Recharged during Covid?
I have been working out again and my energy level is awesome right now.
My Study and quiet times are more focused.
Seeing things clearer and learning some things that I thought I would never have learned before.
I think some of us in the church are learning more things with technology. We are all growing and getting recharged.
What’s the real purpose of being recharged?
Have you ever thought, “what I am supposed to do when I am Recharged”?
A Simple way to remember!
To Share; To Care; To Sow; To Go.
Prayerfully we will consider all these as we get closer to having some sort of plans about doing life again. We know that church is part of our lives. My prayer is that we have become closer and more in love with Jesus. My desire is that we would connect in all of our surrounding areas of life with more love and grace than we ever have before.
Jesus connected in His surrounding areas being full of the Spirit.
One of my sincere prayers is that we give God glory for all the new things we have learned.
You know, one of our core values at Refresh is to show up. Showing up not only at church, but showing up as a Christian-to be the feet on the street for Jesus. Showing up at zoom meetings to love your brothers and sisters. Showing up is so so important.
Jesus went into their synagogues; Did you see it was noted as THEIR synagogues? These buildings were not this new testament church that he birthed by his life-giving sacrifice. Again, the church is the Ekklesia and that is the people of God in a bod.
The church is you and me.
You and me are the agents of grace in this place.
Following Jesus also means following his example.
I know not everyone is an evangelist or a teacher.
I understand, But I know you’re loved and I know you know how to show the Love of Jesus that’s in you.
I know we know how to do kind things because of the Spirit of God that lives in us
I know we know how to do something for someone else just because it’s the right thing to do.
Stepping out isn’t that scary when you do it for Jesus; He’s already done the hard work.
We get to pass his promises on and show His love to others.
GO!
16So, He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.
2. Homecoming is not fun sometimes
Have you had the chance to go back where you lived as a Christian?
Where you lived is not who you are, don’t forget that. There are many awesome things about remembering our childhood. Some may say, there are not many things that are good from where I am from. Hey you came from that place so it can’t be that bad! Some things are forged in us. Some things need to be melted out by the fire of the Holy Spirit. But remember that we are being built up and brought up in Jesus. Jesus Is our home.
So now the story unfolds
Jesus walks in. let’s read on..
And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me [i]to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are [j]oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
3.THE FIRST DROP THE MIC.
Jesus walks into their synagogues as noted to be a good Jewish man go to their type of church. He stood up to read.
A learned visitor or someone who was a guest would be the person to read the scroll.
Since this was His hometown, we would think that Jesus would have been that man who would read and share this day.
However, Jesus did it a bit different and that’s what leads us to the drop the mic analogy.
One commentator notes the following. “It was Jewish practice, and still is, to go through the Mosaic Law each Sabbath throughout the year. It is divided into 54 sections, and the same part would be read no matter what synagogue one attends anywhere in the world. The books of the prophets are likewise read in such a fashion, correlating with the reading of the Mosaic Law. A minimum of three verses would be read. Jesus broke this tradition by not reading the full three verses, only half the passage. This passage of Isaiah 61:1-3 was recognized as being Messianic.
Jesus stands up to read this; “The Spirit is on me, God has anointed me”.
Super bold statement, right?
Giving good news to the poor… Poor people need good news, and what a truth!
“I have been given the right to heal the brokenhearted”. Massive statement.
Big over the top TRUTH being spoken by Jesus here.
He going to set people free. “Blind people will see”.
All this truth. Jesus closes the book and then he says a jaw dropper for all time next.
He says, all this stuff I just read, it’s all coming to pass and I am the one this written about. Could you just imagine all the air in the room being sucked out there? It would have been one of those times that you would look at somebody to your right and left and say, “what did this guy just say?”
Wait a minute, what?
So, Jesus steps up into his calling now fully. He does it in his hometown.
He does it where people might have known or as we can see, someone said, “is this not Joseph’s son”. The people would literally not get it. It’s true. It’s true today also.
I would have marveled at these words myself.
I would have been sweetly confused and my inquisitive mind would have been working on overload.
I would have thought, this guy is either crazy or the real deal.
I think I would have had to follow him to see if he was the real deal. Would you be in the same camp as me?
Nowadays we would have a social media blitz. I love that God used the means of verbal and written communication to spread the Gospel. He used people; people with changed lives. He used people who were broken-hearted who heard of, and were changed by King Jesus. What an account of powerful grace. Grace always allows you to drop the mic my friends. Grace allows you always to love everybody. Even when you know they’re wrong, even when you know there’s a better way for them. Even when you know there’s a better way.
23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum,[k] do also here in Your country.’ ” 24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to [l]Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
28So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with [m]wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.
4. IT’S HARD TO REASON WITH NAYSAYERS.
Jesus continues to talk to the naysayers. Even Jesus had a hard time reasoning with the negative Nellies of life.
We all have them; it’s a real struggle my friends.
He tells them what they are most likely thinking.
This is not a Jedi mind trick.
He uses the Word proverbs also. We all know about the Christian Word proverb, right? For those out there who don’t know, Proverb or proverbs are writings as defined that “compare one thing with another to show a point or bring out a truth”.
We know that Solomon, the wisest man ever (save Jesus), wrote the book of Proverbs.
Did you know that there are 31 chapters in Proverbs? Proverbs are a great way to get wisdom and a great place to read a chapter of proverbs daily since there are usually 31 days in a month.
You can read a chapter of proverbs daily.
I find the word choice interesting.
Parable in the Hebrew-“pa-ra-bo-le” is how its pronounced.
Another definition is given-
parable: an earthly story with a heavenly meaning
He then tells that story about the woman who took care of Elijah and saved his son.
Then he tells them about the leper who was healed. That story of Naaman is an amazing account. One of my favorite accounts. So good.
Point is this; He is saying this to make them think.
You should have remembered the stories of your past to realize that you’re not seeing what is right in front of you. I am (Jesus) the healing in those stories. I am (Jesus) the one who provided the resources to keep Elijah alive and led him to the widow.
He’s telling him he’s the answer to those problems that were given in the past on those accounts. He’s the answer to the question today my friends.
So, these guys did not listen and go, “oh wow, what an amazing truth and how do we get some more of this great information from this man”.
They were boiling over, fuming, mad. It says “wrath”. Wrath is hate and disgust with some sort of violence in the end of it. They are not happy with our King.
Most naysayers are not happy with Jesus. Don’t forget that. Same then, same now sometimes.
Look at it; they led him down, like they grabbed Jesus and they were going to kill him, throw him off a hill. Don’t forget he was just on the hill with the devil being tempted and now he’s on a hill led by men to be thrown off because they believe him to be blaspheming and accusing these men of being not on the right path of God.
So just like Jesus, he slips through the mob that was supposed to kill and slips away like He’s a Ninja. Isn’t it ironic that Jesus would not be killed by men over a cliff at their will? Rather He would willingly lay down his life for these guys!
What an example of love!
He doesn’t fight back when being condemned.
No dialogue exchanged with these naysayers.
He lets them think they are leading him, but in the end, he will be led by his own freewill to die for them and die for you and me.
Another drop the mic moment and a loving naysayer; Jesus slips away and is gracefully gone.
And that is the best way to deal with Naysayers. Just slip away quietly. Don’t forget we are called to be rivers of, not reservoirs of hate. Just let your flow go, don’t get caught up.
So in review.
1. Look at how being filled with the Spirit will empower you to be Recharged.
2. How do you deal with your homecomings? (Even if it’s not the best homecoming ever)
3. Spiritually speaking, we don’t drop the mic because we have the victory of Jesus in us. He is the victory; He is the victor for us all.
4. Being filled with Spirit also allows you to speak the truth in love and also lets us deal with naysayers. I know that all of us have naysayers in our lives.
If you’re a believer in Christ however, maybe you don’t know what it’s like to have power to live and walk out this life. You have a tough time at home. You can’t see that you have any victory.You have naysayer.
Listen, Jesus is here to give you the power by faith now and forever.
I have a big naysayer in me, but I can’t even trust myself.
Just like the Apostle Paul said in Romans 7. “The things I don’t want to do, I do, the things I do want to do, I don’t, oh wretched man”.
But Jesus…
Do you want to know Jesus? Have you been a Naysayer? You can be forgiven and have the hope, grace, love and forgiveness that only Jesus offers. Pastors are here to pray with you and for you. Let us know how we can help.
Comments