Back Home in Nazareth, Part 2

Let's pray together father God we thank you for today and we thank you Lord that as we come before you today our lives would be that offering a sacrifice Given to you Devoted to serving our wonderful King because of his great love for us Teach us Lord through your word that we might grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ We pray in your name Amen Sir, I mean your Bible to Luke chapter 4 Luke chapter 4 Jesus is back home in Nazareth Luke chapter 4 Luke tells us about the first event in the Galilean ministry of Jesus Christ There might have been other events.

We don't know but we know that this is the first event that Luke himself records for us We know that the Bible says in verse 14 of Luke chapter 4 That Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit and news about him spread through all the surrounding District and he began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all Before he returned to Galilee.

He was in Judea for about a year of ministry Luke doesn't record any of those events for us. Mark doesn't neither does Matthew John is the one who records those events for us in John chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 and chapter 4 Now Christ is back in Galilee And this is the event the first event that Luke records in his gospel About the ministry of Jesus Christ our Lord.

So it must be to Luke a very Significant event and it is Because it clarifies the fact that Jesus Christ is the Messiah It identifies for us the ministry of the Messiah he had a preaching teaching kind of ministry and Christ would go from synagogue to synagogue teaching about the Old Testament Concerning the coming of the Messiah because he was the fulfillment of that Messiah ship because he was the Messiah and he would preach the gospel and we told you last time that there were some 240 different towns and villages in the Galilee and Each of them had a synagogue.

Some of them had more than one synagogue Historians tell us that Nazareth had about 20,000 people in it at the time that Jesus ministered in Galilee So there was more than one synagogue in Nazareth there was probably several Synagogues there in Nazareth and we told you that synagogues were born out of the Babylonian captivity They began in the captivity when those like Ezekiel would sit and instruct people in the ways of God After the dispersion of the Jewish nation throughout the Mediterranean world Synagogues began to spring up all over the place.

They became houses of instruction And we told you that churches Were birthed out of synagogues Why because those first Christians who were Jews would gather together in what was commonly called now a church gathering?

instead of a synagogue gathering and What would take place in that church gathering? Acts tells us Luke tells us in the book of Acts the second chapter that they would gather together to hear the Apostles teaching They would gather together to have fellowship to break bread and to pray But I want you to notice something when the early church gathered together to receive instruction about the Apostles teaching they did it because they were rejoicing in the coming of the Messiah and The reason they gathered together for fellowship is because as a body they had experienced new life in their Messiah and They would break bread to remember the coming of Messiah in his death and resurrection how he became their substitute and they would begin to pray for the salvation of their fellow Jews and the second coming of the Messiah But Because the first church and other churches were born out of a synagogue mentality remember this that the early churches like the synagogues were houses of instruction Isn't it sad to note that there are many churches today who no longer are houses of instruction And The thing that synagogues instructed people about was the hope and the coming of Messiah It was all about the hope of Israel that was wrapped up in the coming of one the anointed one the Messiah of Israel That's what they were instructed about and that's what their hope was all about.

That's why the synagogues always faced Jerusalem So whenever the speaker got up to speak he would be facing the holy city of God and when people left the synagogues they would leave facing the holy city of God because their instructions centered around the coming of Messiah and When those first churches began The Apostles teaching was about the second coming of the Messiah Now you think about that How many churches do you go to that talk about the coming of the Messiah?

How many churches do you go to that focus on the teaching about the Messiah You see everything in the synagogues everything in the early church was about God today. It's about me. It's about my marriage It's about my relationships. It's about my conflicts. It's about all the problems. I'm having as a person It's not about God anymore And we've gotten off of what the Bible teaches us to teach one another about who God is And that's what synagogues are about and that's why Jesus would be a preacher and that's why he would teach in the synagogues because he wanted people to know the truth about the Messiah and the gospel And on this day in Nazareth Jesus would go to the synagogue.

We told you that this was his place of maturation. This is where he grew up Can you imagine? Jesus coming back to his hometown People have already heard about his years ministry in Judea. He had grown up there. He'd been there for 30 years But they heard about the cleansing of the temple at the first Passover during his ministry They had heard about how he had gone through Samaria and Samaritans had given their lives to Jesus Christ the Messiah They had heard about his miracle at Cana of Galilee where he turned the water into wine So his press clippings had gone before him and now he was back in Nazareth and now he was in one of the synagogues in Nazareth and news about him had spread we we see in verses 14 and 15 how the Popularity of our Lord had spread all throughout the deris the district and people now had heard about Jesus Christ So you can imagine what the people?

Thought about their hometown boy coming back and Would be speaking in the synagogue on this day And of course the reception for Christ was a great reception. I mean after all I mean he was the favored boy He was the one who grew up there. He was the one who everybody knew and so there was great praise all around Because of Jesus Christ and what he was doing and what he was teaching and on this day He would begin to preach the message and that's why Luke records this event Because he wants you to know What the message was that the Messiah came to preach?

and on this day he identifies himself as their Messiah he clarifies to them the ministry of the Messiah and calls them To turn from their sin and follow the one true Messiah Now you must understand the setting of Nazareth You must understand the context because so many times we we just read a passage But don't understand the surrounding issues of that passage Nazareth is on a slope in the Upper Galilee it's on the northern tip of the Jezreel Valley and Nazareth kind of slopes down into the Jezreel Valley The Jezreel Valley is it has another name called the Valley of Ezdralon or the Valley of Megiddo it's a huge vast Valley and Because it's on what the the historians call us the the the the via Morris It was a major trade route during the time of Christ.

And so Multitudes of people would shuffle by this little village of Nazareth Without any understanding of what this village was all about and so this city and its location is very telling as to the coming of Messiah and future prophecy Because Jesus was always known as Jesus of Nazareth Jesus the Nazarene he was born in Bethlehem But he was called Jesus of Nazareth and you recall at the end of his ministry in John chapter 18 when they came to get him There in the in in Gethsemane. He asked him whom do you seek?

What do they say? Jesus the Nazarene remember that and Christ says I am and they all fall over backwards they get back up again He says now who is it you're seeking they say Jesus the Nazarene You see we forget about the importance of Nazareth Nazareth in the Hebrew is net seer Whenever we go to Nazareth our guide is quick to point out to us that Nazareth is the village of the branch or the people of the branch Because that's what net seer is all about the Hebrew word And yet that Hebrew word is a word to describe the Messiah in the Old Testament Go back with me if you would to Isaiah chapter 4 verse number 2 you need to understand this because it sets the context for what Christ is going to say as He reads Isaiah 61 it says in Isaiah 4 verse number 2 in that day the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and Glorious the branch is the name of the Messiah go over with me if you would to Isaiah chapter 11 Isaiah chapter 11 Verse number 1 it says then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse and a branch From his roots will bear fruit and the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him Now the Jews know that the branch is from David The branch is the name of the Messiah and the Spirit of the Lord will rest on the branch on the net seer Jeremiah chapter 23 Tells us these words Jeremiah 23 verse number 5 behold the days are coming declares the Lord when I shall raise up for David a righteous branch and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land in his days Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely and this is his name by which he will be called the Lord our righteousness So listen the Jews knew that the name of the Messiah was the branch the net seer These people in Nazareth were the people of the branch You with me so far We know from Isaiah chapter 11 that the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon the branch or will rest upon the Messiah That's what it says over in Isaiah chapter 42 Isaiah 42 verse number 1 behold my servant whom I uphold my chosen one in whom my soul delights I have put my spirit upon him every Jew knows that the servant of the Lord in Isaiah 42 is the Messiah and The Spirit of the Lord will be upon him So when you come over to Isaiah chapter 61 verse number 1, it says these words The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me.

Who is the Spirit of the Lord upon? Well, whoever the Spirit of the Lord is upon is the Messiah because the Spirit of God is upon the branch than its seer Which is called the Messiah in the Old Testament Because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord Now that is the exact same text that was the prescribed reading in Luke chapter 4 in the synagogue on that day and Jesus is the guest speaker in the synagogue and that's the passage he quotes or he reads from in the book of the prophets on this day in the synagogue So he is telling them by virtue of reading that when he says today This is fulfilled in your eyes.

He is telling them that he is the branch Listen, he's telling the people of Nazareth or the people of the branch That he himself is that branch the Messiah with whom the Spirit of God rests upon and God has a specifically anointed him to preach the good news to those people who are poor Those people who are imprisoned those people who are blind and those people who are downtrodden or oppressed He says today This is fulfilled in your eyes Why do I tell you all that it's because the people should have known They had to put two and two together They had to have gotten it.

They didn't and it the Bible would tell us why in a moment But you see the context is very important because Nazareth is strategically located in the land of Israel Because you know as well as I do that in Revelation chapter 16 that the armies of the world will gather on the plain of Megiddo Which is below Nazareth The despised city What good thing comes out of Nazareth? Well the branch the net seer the Messiah. He's the one who comes out of Nazareth And that's why you have in Psalm 2 these words verse number one Why are the nations in an uproar and the people's devised in a vain thing the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers?

Take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed the Messiah Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens Laughs the Lord scoffs at them. You see the people of Israel scoffed the Nazarene they laughed at the Nazarene they laughed at him continuously and Now the Lord laughs at them as all the kings of the earth gather in the valley of Megiddo below the little village of Nazareth He laughs at them He scoffs at them Because they will all be destroyed with the breath of his word You see all that's important to understand Remember way back at at the crucifixion of Christ when it says on Description above the cross Jesus the Nazarene Jesus Yeshua the net seer the branch Why is it you think the religious leaders were so upset and went the pilot and said you changed that inscription?

We don't want it to read Jesus the branch We don't want it to read Jesus the Messiah We want you to say this is what he said about himself and pilot said what I have written I have written That's just the way it is The reason they were upset is because that title itself Proclaimed Yeshua as the branch as the Messiah of Israel the king of the Jews See it was true That's who he was Now that helps bring into Context for you all that's going to happen on this day in Nazareth as this one this one who grew up in the city Or this village for 30 years is now back to preach in the synagogue on this day And this is what he says in Luke chapter 4 He says the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and a recovery of sight to the blind To set free those who are downtrodden to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord They closed the book and gave it back to the attendant Sat down and the eyes of all the synagogue were fixed upon him and he began to say to them today This scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing today It has been fulfilled now Jesus was a preacher and Jesus was a preacher of the gospel and What he gives is four phrases three from Isaiah 61 one from Isaiah 58 three phrases around four infinitives listen that describe the condition of the unconverted The unconverted is poor Imprisoned blind and Down trodden oppressed He is ascribing for us the condition spiritually of the unconverted Now this is important.

Why? Because how do unbelievers see themselves? They don't see themselves as poor do they they see themselves as rich well to do They certainly don't see themselves as imprisoned. They see themselves what? free to do whatever they wish They don't see themselves as blind physically. In fact, they don't see themselves with any physical ailments They see themselves as well to do well off physically fit not blind And certainly they don't see themselves as oppressed and down trodden. They see themselves on top of the world That's exactly why the unconverted stay in their unconverted state They do not agree with the assessment of the Messiah upon their condition and Here's the point Unless you come to grips with what Messiah says about your spiritual condition.

You will never be saved and That's why people don't get saved today. They don't see themselves as blind imprisoned down trodden oppressed They don't see themselves as people Who are poor and yet that's exactly how Christ Describes them So let me look with you at those four infinitives to help you understand the condition of the spiritual people Once you understand these four infinitives, you're gonna begin to understand The response of the Jewish people to Christ this day in the synagogue, but that will be next week But they become very angry very upset so much so that they want to kill him Why is it the nation of Israel?

That is these particular Jews in the synagogue on this day want to kill him. It's because listen he preached the true gospel When you preach the true gospel people hate you despise you Ridicule you don't want to associate with you because you confront their sinfulness You confront their spiritual condition you expose their true reality of their lives and they don't want that exposed And that's exactly what Jesus did on this day to people who in their mind were religious To people who in their mind were the people of God Described him as poor That's how he begins I've come to preach the good news.

Why is the good news so good? Because it takes the poor man and gives him the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven It takes the imprisoned man and sets him free It takes the one who was blind and causes him to see the truth It takes the one who was oppressed and gives him inner joy that causes him to rejoice over what God has done That's why it's good news See and Christ says I've come to preach to you today the good news of the gospel Good news to the poor now The word used for poor is not penance, which is the normal word use for poor, but it's Patokos Patokos is a word that is used in classical Greek to describe the beggar in a way that causes him to put one hand over his face and Look downward and to raise his hand to receive something because he has absolutely nothing It it pictures a man in total destitution Penance is a word that describes the widow who was poverty stricken Luke 21.

She had two mites Remember that well, the one who is Patokos is one who has no mites at all. He has nothing he has nothing by which to hold on to and so he has to beg he is a Beggar same word used of Lazarus in Luke 16 verse number 20 to describe the one who begged at the table and the reason it's used in classical Greek as a word picture of one who would cover his face is because he wants to hide his identity because he's so ashamed of where he is It's used in Luke 18 of the tax gatherer who beats upon his breaths and remember that what the Bible says He will not even look to heaven He won't even look up to heaven because he knows he did he doesn't deserve heaven He knows he deserves nothing from God.

And so he looks down. He beats upon his breasts and he says, oh God be merciful unto me a sinner You see the people who get saved Listen are the ones who see themselves that way If you don't see yourself that way You are not saved That is if you in any way are trusting in your religion if you in any way think you're good enough or that you're morally good enough or That you've done enough good things to gain favor with God You don't see yourself as the Bible describes as the poor man or as Matthew says in Matthew 5 verse number 3 when Christ preached The Sermon on the Mount the poor and spirit.

You don't see yourself that way and The only ones who are saved are the ones who see themselves. Listen as God sees them Not as you see yourself, but you see yourself as God sees you That's the person who gets saved. He realizes that he has nothing in and of himself to gain any favor with God Religiously, he has nothing Spiritually he has nothing Materially, he has nothing To gain favor with God. That's why the Bible says that all of our righteousness is as filthy racks remember what it says over in Revelation chapter 3 verse number 17 to describe the church at Laodicea Because you say I am rich and have become wealthy and have needed nothing and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked You are not and will not be saved They saw themselves as wealthy.

They saw themselves as well-to-do. They sell them saw themselves as okay And they didn't see themselves as blind poor wretched miserable and naked They didn't see themselves as having nothing before God nothing that will commend them to God God says I will not save a person who thinks he has anything spiritually won't And now you can begin to understand the tone of these religious people who saw themselves as God's chosen people, right?

Who saw themselves as the religious elite who who banked on their religiosity who banked on their ritualism who banked on their ceremony? Realism they banked on all that good stuff thinking that this was going to get them to heaven and Christ comes and says listen if you think that what you're doing in any way is going to gain favor with God and get you to Heaven I want to you know, you're wrong Because if you can trust in those things you will be damned for eternity See that that's so important listen Let me illustrate to you this way this past week.

My son and I drew were About to go to bed and we decided to watch one of those TV preachers on TV. That's why we do that for humor in our home So we turned on Joel Osteen and we were watching him Relax, relax folks Listen to this here was the title of a sermon. Okay, the title of a sermon was how to have confidence in yourself Now that's the title of a sermon Turn me to Philippians 3 verse number 3 for a moment Listen to this Title the sermon is how to have confidence in yourself Listen to what the definition of a true Christian is Philippians 3 verse number 3 as As Paul was comparing those of the false circumcision with those of the true circumcision The circumcision is another word for the marked ones The marked ones are the chosen ones the marked ones are the saved ones So he compares the false ones with the true ones this way says in verse number 3 For we are the true circumcision.

In other words, we are the true marked ones Who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and what's the next phrase? And put no confidence in the flesh Now, how do you compare that with a sermon title that says how to have confidence in yourself So we're sitting listening to this thing and trying to somehow hope that he goes to the Bible and opens his Bible somewhere down the line and he goes on talking about how all the people in the arts were made in the image of God and Because they're made in the image of which is true.

Every man's made in the image of God, right? But because they're made in the image of God They see themselves as the apple of God's eye The problem with that is there's only one nation. That is the apple of the eye of God and it's not us Americans It is the nation of Israel Israel is the apple of God's eye when you touch Israel you touch the most sensitive part of God So he takes verses out of context and tells everybody Hey, listen, you're made in the image of God and you know what? The most amazing thing is as he's talking they're not saying anything at all the people in the audience are like This is so great This they're like, yeah It's like the light was turned on Okay, and they're thinking this is it I got to change the tapes of my negative thinking and begin to think positively about myself.

You're right That's what I got to do all the things that I've been taught for my childhood are wrong I gotta believe and what the fact that I'm in the image of God and everything is gonna be okay and and how to have confidence in myself Where was the message that says you're poor? You're destitute You're miserable You're wretched You're dark You're oppressed You're blind You're imprisoned That wasn't the message Why? Because nobody had come here that message We'd be there He loses audience He loses TV station He lose all that money right But that's the truth So it'd be like Jesus coming to the synagogue standing at the preach and saying listen He maybe stayed with a big smile on his face Listen you're the nation of Israel You're the chosen people of God and Because you're God's chosen people.

You need to see yourself as God's chosen people You need to see yourself as the apple of God's eye Which you are you need to see yourself as God sees you his chosen people and you can imagine what would happen that day Hey, man, Jesus right on you are so true to form That's not what he said Because that wouldn't have been true see He told them the truth He says I won't let you know you're poor Because the Anointed One the Messiah comes to preach the good news to those who realize they have Absolutely, nothing spiritually to commend themselves before God nothing And not only are they poor He says in Luke chapter 4 That they are prisoners The Messiah has come to preach the good news to those who imprisoned now now they're in the synagogue, right?

So they don't see themselves as prisoners They don't see themselves in jail But they are They're imprisoned He says He has sent me to proclaim release or to or forgiveness to those To those who are captive to those who are in prison and So the Messiah is going to come with a freeing message The reason listen someone is in prison is because they are what? Guilty right Why else would you go to prison? unless you are guilty and They're guilty as charged Because they're filled with sin and so they are in prison listen because of their sin They're also in prison because They're taken captive by Satan to do his will second Timothy 225 remember that They have been taken captive by Satan Satan has imprisoned them because they have been taken captive by him to do the Satan's will we like to talk about free will right?

We got free will nobody's got free will folks You either captive to do Satan's plan or you're captive by Christ to do his plan One of the two you're a slave to one or the other And if you're taken captive by Satan you then fulfill his will and his plan Because you are in prison by him you are taken captive by Satan you are taken captive by your sin and listen God holds you in prison God holds you in prison And the only way you get out is if you receive a pardon from the king if you receive forgiveness from the king The only way you get out of prison is to obtain forgiveness from the one who holds you accountable and That's the King of Kings and that is the Lord of Lords read Hebrews 2 14 and 15 It talks about how Satan holds us in the snare of the fear of death all our life long because of our sin Phaethon's to talks about how Satan holds us captive to walk in disobedience Psalm 79 11 and Isaiah 42 5 speak about how Messiah holds us captive because of our our sin and we deserve to be punished and Unless there's forgiveness of sin unless there's some release from that captivity We will die in our sins and be eternally separated from God forever That's why Charles Wesley Wesley wrote he breaks the power of Cancelled sin and sets the prisoner free Because only the Messiah instead is free from the bondage.

We find ourselves in that Spiritual bondage that keeps us imprisoned So Christ comes and says I've Spirit of God is upon me. I mean the I'm the net seer. I'm the branch and God's Spirit has anointed me to preach the good news and The good news centers around those people who are poor Who are destitute who realize they have nothing to commend themselves before God? There is nothing they have done. There's no place. They have been born. There's no family They are a part of that will ever commend them before God.

They have nothing they are beggar poor spiritually speaking And they are imprisoned. They're in prison because of their sin They're in prison because Satan holds them captive and they're in prison because God keeps them there Until there is a forgiveness to free them from that sin to free them from their captivity And then he says These words and recovery sight To the blind. Yeah in Nazareth that day there might have been a blind person there but for the most part Jews don't see themselves as blind They can see but spiritually speaking They are some of the most blinded people there are Especially the people in Nazareth the people of the branch Who didn't recognize the branch when he arrived nor the Spirit of God upon him when he preached?

but he says recovery of sight to those who are blind Those who specifically are in darkness that is spiritual darkness Remember Zachariah's song and in Luke chapter 1 when he said these words about the Messiah He's going to give to his people the knowledge of salvation But the forgiveness of their sins because of the tender mercy of our God with which the sunrise from on high shall visit us to shine up on those who sit in Darkness and the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace When the Messiah comes he's gonna shine down upon us That we who are in the shadow of death who are in the darkness of life will see the light and be saved So Zachariah knew the Old Testament about how we as the people walk in darkness.

He knew that the Messiah listen to this He knew the prophecy of Malachi 4 verse number 2 The prophecy of Malachi verse 4 verse number 2 is that the Messiah is called the son s-u-n of righteousness who will rise with healing in his wings and every rabbi before the time of Christ always said that the Son of Righteousness is the Messiah who will come to shine light on people who are in darkness every rabbi taught the same thing about Malachi 4 verse number 2 up until the time of Christ and Every rabbi taught the same thing about numbers 24 verse number 17 Which says these words numbers 24 verse number 17.

I see him but now but not now I behold him but not near a star shall come forth from Jacob and a scepter shall rise from Israel and shall crush through the forehead of Moab and tear down all the sons of Sheth Listen very carefully to what I'm going to say numbers 24 17 is the first prophecy about the Messiah being listen a star And Every rabbi would teach that the star was the Messiah who would shine down on the darkness of people As they lived in their dark deep shadows of life one rabbi wrote That's recorded quite voluminously before the time of Christ these words the Messiah Will shine as a star down upon the place That will mark the birth of The star don't think for one moment that the Jewish people don't know who the star is It's the Messiah and The only one who can cause blind people to see is the one who sheds light on their darkness And that would be the star that would be the Messiah That's why there's that great comparison in the Old Testament about people who walk in darkness shall see a great light, right?

And they will have their sight recovered and they will be able to truly see you must understand that people are in darkness Naturally, right? They're in darkness naturally because of their sin They're also in darkness speak satanically Second Corinthians 4 for that satan has blinded the mind of the unbeliever So he does not see the glorious gospel of christ Okay We also need to realize That people are blinded judicially That when a man because the foolishness of his heart turns himself away from the true light And is further blinded by satan Christ confirms him in his darkness and judicially blinds him That's what john says over in john chapter 12, which is a quotation of isaiah chapter 6 john chapter 12 verse number 38 When it says lord who will believe our report and to whom has the arm of the lord been revealed?

For this cause they could not believe for isaiah said again He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart lest they see with their ears and perceive with their heart And be converted and I heal them So people are blinded judicially as well that christ blinds them In their unbelieving state because they refuse to believe the light that shines in their darkness Christ comes and says Those who are blind I've come to recover Their sight Folks this is important You need to understand it A few weeks we're going to go to israel in israel.

There's a synagogue in capernaum It's a second century synagogue. It's built over the first century synagogue So you can really see the synagogue that christ actually preached in in capernaum As well as the second century synagogue that's been built over it And in that second century synagogue there is a piece that has fallen off that has the star of david on it And the guides like to point to that star as that being the star of david But you see it goes way beyond that Because in the city of jerusalem on mount zion, there's a place called david's tomb In the courtyard below where david's tomb is there have been eight pieces of pottery discovered eight pieces On one of those pieces there was a symbol a symbol of a menorah in the middle of star of david Underneath that the sign of the fish or the ichthys It was a messianic symbol to show that the star the messiah Is it any wonder why there's a star on the flag of israel?

It's the shield of david It's a representative that a branch from david a shoot from david will be the messiah who is representative as a star according to numbers 24 17 18 And that star that messiah is the link between the menorah menorah, which is a symbol for judaism and the ichthys Which is a symbol for christianity And that was found in the excavations On mount zion improved messianic jews in the first century Who believed the messiah was truly a star and the star had come and that star was the link between judaism and christianity And christ comes on this day in nazareth and says i've come to recover Sight to those who are blind i've come to shed light in your darkness And then he says these words as he quotes from isaiah 58 To set free those Who are downtrodden Those who are oppressed Why would they be oppressed?

Listen every jew in that day was oppressed Why because of their sin and the guilt of their sin it weighed them down And why did it weigh him down because they couldn't do enough good things to ever gain entry into heaven No matter what they did. It wasn't good enough. No matter how many times they did it wasn't good enough It wasn't the right way They were weighed down because of their sin and because of the guilt of sin it oppressed them it depressed them Why because they knew they were guilty and no matter how many sacrifices they offered no matter how many things they did to please their god It wasn't ever enough And folks, let me tell you something people in a false religion Are always oppressed There is no joy in the false religion religion You know, that's what concerns me so much about our roman catholic friends They're they're in in deep so much of doing this and and doing that and doing this sacrament and accomplishing that sacrament And you know what when it's all said and done there is no security of eternal salvation None There can't be any eternal security in a false system There is that one false system that guarantees you heaven because they can't guarantee it because you might not ever be good enough And so you got to go to purgatory in the catholic system And pray that one day you'll get out of purgatory and get to heaven, but you never know you're going to get there Listen in christianity, we know we're going to heaven.

There's no question about it Because you see Our christianity is not based on what we've done It's based on what god accomplished at calvary's cross, right? Our faith is built in him All that he's done nothing that i've done. I believe in what he's already accomplished for me at calvary's cross And so here comes the lord and says remember matthew 11 28 29 take my yoke upon you Learn from me for I am meek and I am lowly in heart. He said that the people who were oppressed Why because they were so burdened because of their sin And they could never gain an advantage.

They could never be good enough and you know what? That's true It can never be good enough But because we have a good god Who died in our stead Then we can be granted his righteousness And therefore that allows us entry into heaven because of his work on calvary's cross And christ concludes and says this These words in luke 4 I've come to proclaim the favorable year of our lord What is the favorable year of our lord the favorable year of our lord is the day of salvation or the day of redemption The favorable year had already began It began with the woman at the well in samaria in john 4 before he ever went back to galilee.

Remember that? In john 4 this woman who was a who was an adulteress. She was immoral She had had several husbands and the one she was living with wasn't her husband, right? And she was the one who gave her life to christ. You see that was a favorable year of our lord It was the day of salvation. It had already began and on this day in the synagogue in nazareth Jesus says this is the favorable year of our lord and let me tell you something that favorable year has continued until this very day Because this is the day of salvation This is the time of regeneration and christ stopped the sermon right there He did not finish isaiah 61 that says and the day of vengeance because it is not yet the day of vengeance It will be when christ returns there will be the day of vengeance But because god is long-suffering because god is forbearing because god is patient because god is merciful This is the favorable year of our lord He's allowing you one more day One more day to respond If you're here today And you see yourself as god sees you As spiritually bankrupt Poor and destitute When it comes to your spiritual condition Imprisoned because of your sin because of satan And because god holds you there That you might receive the punishment do your sin until or unless you repent He sees you as one who is blind who cannot see the truth You've been blinded because of your sin naturally you've been blinded because of satan and his influence in your life Or you've been blinded judicially by god He has come to restore the sight to the blind And if you're here today You see yourself oppressed Under burden of all of your sin Totally guilt-ridden because of all the sin you've committed christ says I will release you from all that guilt I will forgive you of all your sin I will set you free from your imprisonment And I will make you an inheritance make you receive an inheritance of my great and glorious kingdom If you fall down before me recognize me as the star of jacob Recognize me as the messiah of israel as the branch of israel The one who substituted for you on calvary's cross You'll be set free How about you?

Are you free today? Are you still imprisoned? Can you see Or you're blind Do you have joy? Or are you oppressed? Are you rich? Because you're a child of the king Or you poor Because you are still trusting in your righteousness in your works To get you to heaven Today is the favorable year of our lord today is the day of salvation. Let's pray Our most gracious heavenly father we do thank you for the word of god What a blessing it is to know that you are so concerned that people hear the truth That your son the messiah preached the gospel So people would come to a saving knowledge of who he was Our prayer today is for all those who are here If there be one Who does not know you May they recognize their poverty May they recognize their blindness May they recognize their imprisonment May they recognize their oppression And may they see themselves as you see them Fall on their face before you and repent of their sin That you might set them free They might know the truth They might see the truth They might experience heaven's glories In jesus name