2.3.7 1.14.2024 Luke 4.14-30 Certain About His Mission
Luke: Certain about Jesus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Start:
Entice: As children we were asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” In this sense the question is vocational. A part of growing up is aligning childhood expectations with adult realities.
Engage: “What did you want to be when you grow up?”
Astronaut!
Astronaut!
You understand that an astronaut requires math,
engineering,
courage,
a military background
or a concentration
in some necessary research science.
It’s not all fun and games—and one more thing…it’s dangerous.
“What did you want to be when you grow up?”
Fireman!
Fireman!
It takes a steady hand, strength, and courage to be a fireman.
You see some things that are tragic—and some that are magic, and you witness life-saving acts for other. And one more thing, it’s dangerous!
Other choices…
A ballplayer!
A ballplayer!
It takes natural talent, luck, and good health.
A doctor!
A doctor!
10 years of school.
Lawyer
Lawyer
7 years of school…and they will tell jokes about you.
Did someone ever ask Jesus?
What do you want to do when you Grow up?
If He would have replied “Messiah! Savior of the World!” Would anyone have understood how the wish and the reality would align themselves?
Expand: Luke tells us that after His baptism and temptation Jesus began to minister. He plunged head-on into His mission which He unwaveringly pursued until the moment of His death…and then beyond with His resurrection. He was confident because He knew He was sent for this purpose——redeeming humanity. And like every other vocation He would meet both fans and doubters.
He would be cheered
and booed.
He would be welcomed
and rejected.
We read all of this and more the very first time Luke records His missional words and actions.
Excite: Jesus was certain about His Mission and His example should inform how we embrace our role in that mission and how we live our life of discipleship.
14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.
15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.
17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘ “Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ”
24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.
25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land,
26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.
29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.
30 But passing through their midst, he went away.
Explore:
Certainty comes from conviction, clarity, and courage.
Certainty comes from conviction, clarity, and courage.
Expand: How did Jesus express His certainty about His mission, even when others were skeptical, dismissive, or oppositional?
Body of Sermon: He relied on a
1 Strategic Vision.
1 Strategic Vision.
14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.
15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
1.1 Spirit Led.
1.1 Spirit Led.
1.2 Message Forward
1.2 Message Forward
1.3 Attractive.
1.3 Attractive.
Reputation and Assessment.
he expressed His vision with a
2 Sense of Vocation.
2 Sense of Vocation.
2.1 Biblical.
2.1 Biblical.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.
17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
2.2 Bold.
2.2 Bold.
20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
2.2.1 There may have been similarities to how other prophets and wise men taught but Jesus was boldly unique.
2.2.2 Like Jesus, we must learn how to keep the bigness of our mission from stifling our own bold, unique, personal, contributions.
Finally, Jesus expressed His vocation with
3 Sturdy Vitality.
3 Sturdy Vitality.
23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘ “Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ”
24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.
25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land,
26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.
29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.
30 But passing through their midst, he went away.
Sturdy vitality
3.1 Handles praise with perspective.
3.1 Handles praise with perspective.
Sturdy vitality
3.2 Handles criticism with resolve.
3.2 Handles criticism with resolve.
Sturdy vitality
3.3 Handles hostility with courage.
3.3 Handles hostility with courage.
Shut Down
The vision,
the vocation,
and the
vitality
of the Church are defined by and demonstrated by Jesus at the very outset of His public ministry. He has set the tone ever since. The message of Jesus was very attractive until it questioned the motives or presuppositions of those confronted with His new Gospel. When they chose to respond with violence, He passed peaceably out of town and recognized that He would not be welcome among those who thought they already knew Him too good to ever really learn from Him.
The shame is, Jesus was known as a Nazarene for the rest of His life and ministry, but never really went back to Nazareth—a small village that proved to be too small-minded for His Messianic message.
It was not “easy” for Jesus and no own ever said it would be easy for us. To be as certain as He was about the mission of the Church requires us to share
His vision,
His vocation,
and
His vitality.
When we partner with Jesus, when we know He stands with us—it doesn’t have to be easy for God to be glorified in our lives of faith.