Back Home in Nazareth, Part 3

Okay, I like that song You know, I you know, I I might have to come back sing it again because you guys are walking out here and such long faces, you know, but That's a great song and Anybody's got amen for that or something? All right, maybe you guys don't think as great as I do, but I love that song. That's a great song I'm gonna sing it twice in the second service.

So if you want to hear it again twice more come back second service All right, let's pray together father.

We thank you for today and all that you do. You are so amazing To save us from our sin. We are unworthy We do not deserve Any place in your kingdom, but your grace and your mercy has reached down Out of the greatness of your love to save our souls For that we are thankful We praise you for opening our eyes To see the glorious light of the gospel in Jesus name we pray Amen Ten days from now We will be in a city called Nazareth And I've preached in that little synagogue in Nazareth many many times And the amazing thing about that is always to my right is my guide Mark Sugarman He sits right here to my right and here's the exact sermon that you have heard over the last two weeks and we will conclude today Except on that day in Nazareth It takes me about 20 minutes to preach through these verses in Luke chapter 4 You have the great privilege of hearing it over three weeks so you can get all the details to the message But people have asked me over the years.

Why is it your guide? Does not believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah Yeah Why is it your Jewish friends and for those of you who know me I've got my friend Ezekiel in Jerusalem that I meet with regularly known him for over eight years now and we Communicate regularly on the phone and we have a great friendship. I've been to his home for for Dinners and it's been a great experience to talk to him about the gospel But he doesn't believe that Jesus is the Messiah either No matter how many times I take him to the Old Testament to explain to him why I believe that Jesus Christ is God in The flesh our Messiah his Messiah.

He doesn't see it And he continues to reject the the obvious truth. Just like our guide Mark Sugarman rejects the obvious truth So the question comes why is it these people and you know Marcus heard over a hundred of short sermons that I preached and every sermon I preach in Israel focuses in on Jesus the Messiah and why Jesus Christ can only be the true Messiah and why it is Jesus Christ is the only one who can Save us from our sins And so he hears that over and over and over and over again. Sometimes six times a day And yet he doesn't believe that Jesus Christ is The Messiah and yet he knows the Bible verses about Jesus Christ being the branch or not Jesus but the Messiah being the branch or the Messiah being the Star that comes out of Jacob or Messiah being the son of righteousness who rises with healing in his wings But he doesn't understand that Jesus Christ is that star is that son is that scepter out of Genesis chapter 49?

Is that king of kings and Lord of lords? Why? How come Well, the reason he rejects the reason Ezekiel rejects is the same reason anybody who's not saved rejects the gospel It's the same reason And we are privileged to know that in Luke chapter 4. We have that reason and We understand Why it is people reject the gospel and This is why this scene in Luke chapter 4 is the first scene that Luke gives us Luke sees it as paramount Luke sees it as foundational to the ministry of Christ he tells us in verses 14 and 15 that the that the ministry of Jesus has now begun and And this is what it's like in and popularity about him has grown immensely Everybody was in all of this Jesus from Nazareth And so what he does is that he doesn't want us to be confused about the identity the Messiah so he uses a scene from a synagogue in Nazareth to help you understand the identity of the Messiah and the ministry of that Messiah and He uses this as the key event To springboard the rest of his discussion in the book of Luke So he's saying if you miss this part of the identity of the Messiah who he is What is about then the rest of it you're going to miss out on too.

You've got to get this. This is foundational This is who he is and that's why Luke uses this event Above all the other events to begin the Galilean ministry of Jesus Christ our Lord He wants you to understand listen carefully he wants you to come to grips with what Simeon has already said 30 years earlier He's recorded he's the only one who's recorded what Simeon said in the temple after Christ had been born eight days into it When Simeon that man who was satisfied by just seeing the Savior where the Holy Spirit said to Simeon you will live Until you see the Messiah So he had that confidence that he was going to live Until he was able to hold the Messiah in his arms in his arms and on that day in Luke chapter 2 When he held the Messiah in his arms listen to the words that he says to Mary and to Joseph words that are extremely profound he says Verse 34 and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother behold This child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel in other words, some will fall and some will rise because of your son and For a sign listen to be opposed The Messiah will be opposed and A sword will pierce even your own soul To the end listen to this that the thoughts from many hearts May be revealed So when Luke now has a chance to write about the very first event of the Galilean ministry of Christ He chooses this one because it shows us the prophetic words of Simeon coming to fruition Some will rise some will fall he will be opposed and it's the Messiah who will reveal the hearts and thoughts of people and That's exactly what Luke chapter 4 is all about In Luke chapter 4 we begin to understand Why it is the Messiah is opposed How it is he reveals the hearts and thoughts of man for all to see How many will fall and some will rise?

Because of this man the God-man Jesus Christ our Lord We've already looked at the maturation of Jesus back home in Nazareth. We've already told you this is the place he grew up They've known him for over 30 years now These people listen in the synagogue on this day you have his friends You have his relatives Sitting in the synagogue Listening to him speak listen for the very first time He's never preached in Nazareth before They've never heard him preach This is his first sermon in Nazareth.

That's why they're taken by the graciousness of his words This is the place he grew up. This was the place of his maturation and then we looked at point number two the reception of Jesus You can imagine what must have been going through the hearts and minds of many people as they realized that the hometown boy was home Again, and they had already heard about the miracle in Cana of Galilee where he turned the water into wine They've already heard about the cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem And they've already heard about the nobleman son and Capernaum who had been healed when Christ was in Cana of Galilee all he was speak a word and The boy of the nobleman was healed They've known all that It's already taken place.

It's in John chapter 2 and John chapter 4 and That happened before this event in Nazareth And so now Jesus is back and the reception as the Bible says is tremendous it says and news that brought him spread throughout all the surrounding district verse 14 and he began teaching in the synagogues and was praised listen He was praised by all By all But Luke is quote quick to point out that you need to understand that that praise Soon turns to persecution And what we would like to see happen doesn't happen Because Luke wants us to get the true picture of the Messiah His ministry what he came to do And so we saw the maturation of Christ.

We saw the reception of Christ there in Nazareth We also saw the proclamation of our Lord. Our Lord is is so amazing The Bible says in in verse number 17 in the book of the Prophet Isaiah was handed to him Why was the book of Isaiah the Prophet handed to him because that was the reading of that day in Nazareth?

That was the reading of the haftara That was a reading that was scheduled for that day in a synagogue in Nazareth and the attendant takes the book He gives it to Jesus and Jesus now is gonna read these words 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 the release of the captives and recovery of sight to the blind and to set free those who are downtrodden to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and he closes the book and sits down and it says these words in The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon him and he began to say to them that phrase in the Greek He began to say to them lets us know that he did more than just read what is here and say today It's been fulfilled in your eyes because in the synagogue there would be a reading and then there'd be an explanation of the text Luke lives leaves out what Christ explained about the text concerning him and just tells us what he read and that He said today this is fulfilled in your eyes So what we have here is Christ making this proclamation Which is the proclamation of the gospel How the Messiah would come the Spirit of God would be upon the Messiah and he would preach the good news To those who are poor to those who are blind to those who are imprisoned to those who were oppressed This is the gospel message and That leads us to our fourth point and that is point number four the revelation of Jesus For Jesus says in verse 21 these words today this scripture Has been fulfilled in your hearing Christ now reveals himself as the Messiah of Israel Because we've told you that all the rabbis When they would speak in the synagogues would teach people about the great hope and salvation of Israel That would come from the Messiah And in the Jews knew about the Messiah they understood what what happened when Messiah would come They knew that the Spirit of the Lord would be upon him because it was prophesied in Isaiah's prophecy Isaiah chapter 11 Isaiah chapter 61 Isaiah chapter 42 So they knew that the Messiah would come and the Spirit of God would be upon him and he would preach the good news to the poor the blind the imprisoned and the oppressed So these people would hear as Jesus Christ Revealed himself now think about this You're in the audience You're in Nazareth You are the most blessed village in all of Israel Because you have the Messiah the king Living in your village He's been there for 30 years And on this day he gets up to preach They've never heard him preach before and now he begins to speak the Word of God He explains to them the Word of God.

He says now today. This is fulfilled in your hearing as he sits down and So as Christ reveals himself to them All kinds of questions begin to go about in the minds of those Who are sitting in? the audience listen There had never been a greater Sabbath than this one This is the greatest Sabbath day in the history of Nazareth Right here. This is it. This is the best ever why Messiah shows up Messiah Reveals himself to them Messiah shows that he is the anointed one That he will set them free He will cause them to see He will allow them to experience the riches of glory This is the greatest Sabbath in the history of Nazareth at the same time it becomes the most tragic Sabbath in the history of Nazareth the most tragic Sabbath Why?

Well, let me read to you the story and then we'll explain it It says in verse 22 and all were speaking well of him and wondering at the gracious words Which were falling from his lips and they were saying is this not?

Joseph's son stop right there This is the fascination with Jesus They are absolutely Dumbfounded They are amazed at this one Jesus who now is speaking in their synagogue having revealed himself as the Messiah and They are wondering about the gracious words that fall from his lips Is this not Joseph's son Is this not the carpenter's boy Is this not the boy who were who was raised in in our town? Now some of them must have been thinking why he stopped in Isaiah 61 where he stopped Because you know, it says to proclaim the favorable year of our Lord and the day of the vengeance of our God So I'm sure some of them in the audience are wondering well, how come we didn't finish the verse Because you see if Messiah comes listen if Messiah comes in the Jewish mind Not only does he bring the favorable year of our you of our Lord Which is the day of redemption or the day of salvation, but he also brings Retribution He condemns that which is false.

He deals with the oppressors of Israel See, they know that and so some of them are probably wondering why isn't he stopped there and didn't go on if he's if he's the Messiah Why wouldn't he also bring the day of vengeance it's because in order to bring the day of retribution There must first be the day of redemption And this was the day of redemption.

This was the favorable year of our Lord You remember John the Baptist in Luke chapter 7? He's in prison and Herod has him held there in the bars and Herod sends some of his men some of his disciples I'm sorry, John sent some of his disciples to Jesus the Messiah and asked this question. Are you the expected one? John the Baptist Who was the greatest man who ever lived according to Jesus who was the first to point to the Messiah and say behold the Lamb Of God who takes away the sin of the world Says you need to go to Jesus and ask him if he is the expected one Now why would John ask his men to go ask Jesus that question It's because when John preached and everybody in Nazareth knew this that when John preached he said I baptize you with water but there's one coming after me who baptizes you with the Spirit and with fire and Fire in the Old Testament is representative of judgment So here's John he's in prison he's trying to figure out wait a minute if he's the Messiah which I Said he was so I assume he is why is it I'm still in prison How come the day of vengeance is not happening?

How come he doesn't come and let me out of prison. I got to be set free And the Jews having heard all those sermons by John Knowing that when Messiah comes he will baptize not only with the Spirit of God but with fire Have got to ask themselves. Why did he not? finish the phrase in Isaiah 61 about the day of vengeance So I'm sure that because you know, please don't sell the Jews so short They know their Old Testament They know what it says And so they understood Isaiah 61 And yet on the flip side of that You must understand You know, you've heard many preachers in your life.

I've heard oodles of preachers I've sat under great preachers great ones But nobody ever spoke like Jesus spoke Speaking about orators and preachers folks. We don't know what it's like to sit in and listen to a sermon by Jesus I mean you poor folks got to come here on Sunday. Listen to me But could you imagine being in the synagogue and listen to Jesus preach? I mean he is the embodiment of the word and he is preaching the truth and nobody ever That's why at the end of the Sermon on the Mount people were in awe because no one ever spoke like this man spoke Speaking about orators communicators preachers.

Nobody was as great as Jesus. Nobody could say it like he said it Nobody could do it like he did it. He was the greatest of all preachers and So here was the people here were these people in the audience thinking wow, this guy could preach Did you know Jesus could talk like that? He's amazing. This is it's not Joseph's boy. I Mean if we would have known that Joseph's boy was like this, we would never let him get away I mean he can really preach man. He is on fire And he heard him and he wondered But think about it.

They said is this not Joseph Sunday have already forgotten What took place just a year earlier? when all those people in the Jordan heard that voice out of heaven say This is my Beloved son in whom I am well pleased remember that voice and his baptism This was his father's son They'd already forgotten about that voice They'd already forgotten about his true identity Is this not Joseph's son, but they were fascinated with him There there you have to understand that you know, he's coming back This is his first sermon.

He can say it like nobody else has ever said it or could ever say it after him he was just the most amazing individual and they were Fascinated with his words the Bible says His words were were gracious words gracious words And that fascination Would soon turn to rejection Those who all praised him and Were wondering at the gracious words, which he spoke Would soon turn to rejection Because as they sit in the audience they must think but no wait a second we're not poor We're not blind We're not oppressed Imprisoned Who's he talking about?

That's not us. We're Jews What we're the covenant people We're Abraham's children Were as the prophets have said the people of God poor blind downtrodden oppressed He must be mistaken He must be mistaken and As he speaks and as they contemplate about what he said the wall in their hearts slowly rises Against the words that he spoke and so verse 23 and He said to them No doubt you will quote this proverb to me physician heal yourself Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum do here in your hometown as Well Now this is amazing Because remember what Simeon said?

Simeon said he will reveal the heart or the thoughts of many people He will reveal what's in their hearts Jesus knows exactly what they're thinking How did Jesus know that? Jesus is God, right? Remember John chapter 2 verse number 42. There are many people believing in him. Remember that But he was not entrusting himself to them because he knew what was in their hearts already He knew why they were following him. He knew what was in their hearts He wasn't going to entrust himself to them, even though they might have believed for a moment That he was the Messiah Because he knew their heart see And so Jesus says no doubt you can imagine the audience you are saying to yourselves Physician Heal yourself no doubt you are saying in your heart, you know what if you're the Messiah You got to prove to us You're the Messiah You got to do some kind of miracle thing.

You got to elevate your something man, you know or levitate Do something that will show us that that you're the Messiah You just can't come in here and start speaking and think that we're gonna be Convinced because of what you say you've got to do something to prove the fact that you're the Messiah because we don't really get it Christ knowing their hearts Says listen, I know what you're thinking You're thinking if I was to do some miracle if I'm really truly the physician I got to perform some healing miracle For you to be convinced that that I am the physician.

Let me tell you something Nobody was ever saved because of a miracle And just because Jesus did a miracle did not prove he could save them The only thing that would save them was for them to believe in what he said and Entrust themselves to him.

That was it and that's the way it always is and Yet these people are thinking to themselves You know, we're Jews And because we're the people of God we're not oppressed in prison blind and downcast And yet you're coming here telling us you're here to proclaim the fable of a year of our Lord If so do some kind of miracle thing There's something that will show us and prove to us that you're the Messiah because you know, we're not convinced. I mean My kid babysat you when you was just a baby Well, we went to the mall and Nazareth together while we were teenagers and now you're telling us you're the Messiah You've got to be kidding me.

Do some kind of miracle thing. I mean after all Did it Capernaum? Ah He's already done the miracle thing hasn't it See the whole miracle thing was a smokescreen It was it was a form of rejection They didn't want to believe what he said So they use as a self-defense mechanism say, you know what if you're waiting was I do do something Incredible and Christ knows the thing it says, you know, no doubt you'll save yourself physician heal yourself do something that you did like in Capernaum So evidently he had done other miracles in Capernaum by other than just heal the nobleman's son They knew about the water and the wine They've known about the miracles of Jesus They've already heard him some of them have already seen them Yet they want more proof Let me tell you something at the time of Christ's crucifixion when his ministry was complete Listen carefully all disease had been banished from the land of Israel Everybody who was sick was healed Everybody basically he was blind could see those the leprosy were healed Christ had this ministry as we go through the book of Luke.

We'll see people scores of people couldn't have he healed them all Healed them all And he would go from village to city to city to village to village to city to synagogue to village to city to synagogue Healing all these people. I mean when you think about it at the end of his ministry Disease had been banished from Israel. Everybody was well But they didn't believe did they Because miracles don't save people The miracles don't prove that Jesus could save you The only thing that proves that Christ can save you is if you give yourself to him in trust that what he said about your condition was true and Trust him to save your soul And that's how you know, Jesus is gonna save you But Christ knowing their thoughts And even in verse 24, he says Truly I say to you.

No prophet is welcome in his hometown. You know, that's just kind of so gracious Because you know, it's like a bit of a concession by by Christ Because I know that no prophet really is welcome in his hometown. I I understand that I know why you could be thinking that I'm already way ahead of you. I love that about the Lord The Lord's way down the road when it comes to thinking about what we're thinking about, right? And so he goes, you know I know that a prophets not welcome his own home to understand that and I understand where you're from and so now now Christ Makes this beautiful transition.

Remember he's the ultimate preacher. There's no one like him. Nobody can say it like him Nobody can do it like him. Nobody can illustrate it like him because he is a master master preacher And so he makes this incredible transition. Oh It's just amazing And whenever I think about the story I think of my my friend Mark Sugarman our guidance who sits right here on my right hand side when I preach a sermon Because you see this is what he says I Know a prophets not welcome in his own hometown In fact, let me give you an illustration about one of our own Elijah and Another one Elisha Two prophets two great prophets of Israel both rejected by Israel both hated by Israel Prophets who were not welcome in their own hometown So I'm way ahead of you.

Let me give you an illustration about Elijah and about Elisha So Christ already knows they're thinking and what he's gonna do is this is called what I call the provocation of Jesus He's gonna provoke them to a point of action That will reveal the true condition of their hearts this is so astounding as Christ the master preacher says let me tell you something about Elijah And of course every Jew would know about Elijah.

I Mean, come on every Jew knows about the story of the 450 prophets of Baal and Mount Carmel and the Brook Kishon where he would slay all those prophets we in ten days We'll be there on top of Mount Carmel We'll review the story in first Kings chapter 18 and talk about this man Elijah this great prophet of God Who just kind of burst on the scene?

I mean when you read first Kings 17 like it just kind of appears there We don't know anything about him before first Kings 17.

He just is there. He's a prophet of God Elijah Jehovah is my God. What a great name Elijah Jehovah is my God and He is the one Who speaks for God? Listen to the illustration that Christ uses Verse 25, but I say to you in truth There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was shut up for three years and six months when a great famine came over all the land and Yet Elijah was sent to none of them But only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon to a woman Who was a widow Now we read that story and we think okay, what's the big deal?

Ah, but to a Jew It's a huge deal You see at that time of Elijah's ministry Ahab was the king he was the most wicked king in Israel He was the king. He had married a Gentile Baal worshipper Jezebel. Nobody names their daughter Jezebel anymore, right? Who named your daughter Jezebel? Hi, this is my daughter Jezebel a Gentile pagan idol worshipper Okay, no one does that but this was Jezebel. She was a Gentile She was a worshipper of Baal and and and she was married to Ahab and Ahab had led Israel into pagan worship into Baal worship And God says you know what?

It's time for judgment So like since Elijah on the scene Elijah says I'm gonna let you know, it's not gonna rain Three and a half years It's not gonna rain. There's a famine in the land People were dying. They were dying right and left And there were widows in the land of Israel at the time Widows who were suffering greatly and if you're a Jew, you know what Psalms 68 says and Psalm 140 6 says yeah, Psalm 68 8 Psalm 146 9 About God's care for widows and they know about the instructions in his Exodus chapter 22 and Deuteronomy chapter 10 What God said Israel about taking care of widows?

Widows have a special place in the heart of God a very special place and So the Lord uses this illustration as a real clincher Says remember Elijah Came on scene He prophesied about the judgment of God upon Israel because they had gone off into apostasy They were worshiping Baal a false God And God says, you know what?

That's it No rain for three and a half years And of all the widows that were suffering in Israel listen Elijah wasn't sent to them Elijah on the other hand was sent to a Gentile widow Who lived in a town called? Zarephath which is between Tyre and Sidon on the north coast of Israel It was the home listen of Jezebel He says and Elijah was sent to a Gentile widow That's where he was sent Not to any Jewish widows in the land of Israel And you know the story maybe you don't let me review it for you to the first King chapter 17 There's this widow.

She has one little biscuit. That's all she's got. She has nothing. She knows she's gonna die There's a famine in the land There's only one way for her to live and that's one more day Because she has one biscuit and Elijah's the man of God and Elijah comes to her and says would you fetch me some water? She says sure because I know that you're a man of God He said by the way while you're fetching me some water, could you make me a meal, please? She's well, I've only got one meal left If I give it to you, I'm gonna die today If I fix it today, I'll live today, but I'll die tomorrow Hmm, let me see.

What should I do? I'm gonna die either way So what I'm gonna do is because you're a man of God and because you said fix me a meal I'll fix your meal So she does And guess what her jar never empties again Why Because she believed in what the man of God said and She trusted him and the word of the Lord When she had nothing else to trust him she was destitute She was oppressed She was physically poor she had nothing But she did believe in the Lord God of Israel And when the man of God came to her she believed what he said She took it at face value believed it and God made sure that her jar never went empty and she had a son member her Son died and Elijah raised him from the dead The Jews in the audience that day begin to boil God is the God of Israel God loves the Jewish widows How dare God send Elijah to a Gentile widow?

How dare our God do that to us But you see the Gentile widow recognized she was in need See what Jesus was saying was this you may be the covenant people of Israel But God will save an outcast Gentile widow who admits her spiritual destitution before he ever saves you The reason people reject the truth is Because they refuse listen carefully to see themselves as poor blind oppressed and imprisoned in Israel wasn't about to see themselves that way We are the people of God And Christ says no, you're poor you're blind you're oppressed You're depressed you're destitute.

You have nothing And they say we have everything we've got our ceremonialism. We've got our ritualism. We've got our tradition we've been doing this for years and now you're coming here and tell us that we we mean nothing and Jesus says yeah Because what you have means nothing to God All that you've done at this point means nothing Because it's not about you.

It's about the saving grace of Almighty God But but he doesn't want to end it there so it gives another illustration about Elisha Elijah was about 850 BC Elisha was between 850 and 790 BC Elisha followed Elijah And he gives another illustration listen to this one Luke chapter 4 first number 27 and there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha and there were leprosy was rampant in Israel people were dying right and left because of this hideous disease it says these words and None of them was cleansed But only Naaman the Syrian whoa Now now that you if you're Jewish you're like, oh This is I can't stand this why because you see Naaman was a was a leader in the in the Syrian army and they would they would come over to Israel and they would raid the different towns and villages in Israel and they would plunder the cities and take back goods and one time Naaman came over and they got this little girl from one of the villages and you can read about this in 2nd Kings chapter 5 And they and he takes this girl back as one of his slaves and Naaman's got leprosy I mean, he's miserable man.

He is he is infected He is he is infested with all kinds of gooey ooey ooey stuff and he's just he's about to go and the servant girl says, you know I wish my my master would go see Elisha Because Elisha could heal him and so through a roundabout series events Naaman begins to believe in the Lord God of Israel and the power of the God of Israel and So he goes to Israel. He meets Elisha and Elijah says, okay You want to be cleansed of what you got to do? You got to go down to the Jordan River dip yourself in there seven times when you come up You'll be cleansed and Naaman says you've got to be kidding me.

I'm not doing that. That's ridiculous. I'm a noble man. I Am a man of dignity And you want me to go down into the Jordan River a dirty Jordan River and dip myself? Listen, let's go back to Damascus where we got springs of clear clean water and I'll dip there I can get cleansed there just as good as I get cleansed down here and Elijah says no you can't No, no right here in Jordan River. This is where it's got to be Naaman's furious, but he swallows his pride He goes back and listens to the man of God dips himself seven times in the Jordan.

It comes up sparkling clean Clean as a driven snow And now the Jews and in Nazareth man They're furious because you got all these lepers in Israel, but Elisha didn't go to any of them and heal them See Israel was still an unbelief. Israel was still under Idolatrous worship Israel still refused to submit to the Living God And you got all these people who are who are sick and dying and Elijah doesn't heal them But he heals the one man who believes in what the man of God says Because he has nowhere else to go.

He is desperate. He is destitute. He is oppressed. He needs Someone to rescue him and all he has is his pride so he swallows it forgoes it humbles himself And says whatever the man of God says I will do He's cleansed.

What a powerful illustration that our Lord gives and Now you have our next point point number eight and that is their indignation with Jesus They are now Outraged So you're telling us That we the people of God the covenant people of Abraham we the Jews the Chosen Ones are worse than a Gentile woman who's a widow who's an outcast and Naaman the leader of the Syrian army army who also was a Gentile filled with leprosy and was cleansed We're worse than those people and Jesus says yes That's right, that's what I'm telling you And that says and all in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things We have spent our whole life in the synagogue We come here regularly We are committed to doing our ceremonial rituals every single day You mean to tell me that we're poor blind destitute oppressed and in prison You've got to be kidding me like the Pharisee in Luke 18.

I am so glad I'm not like the adulterer I'm so glad Lord God. I'm not like the swindler. I am so glad Oh Lord I'm not like this tax gatherer over here because I fast Twice a week and I'm here all the time And the poor task gatherer wouldn't even look up at the heaven but beat upon his breast Because he knew he was poor. He knew he was destitute He understood how God saw him and he couldn't even begin to look up and see the face of God because he was so unworthy But the but the Jewish guy That Guy the publican, oh man he was right because he did all the right things and Jesus says it's not about the things you do It's not about how right you think they may be because in your eyes if they're right in God's eyes, they are wrong Because they cannot save you from your sin.

They can't cleanse your leprous soul They can't take away the chains that bind you and hold you to Satan's Domain can't do that. Only Jesus Christ can do that. They were indignant Their rage began to boil greatly They couldn't see their own Sin and Because they couldn't see their own sin They missed the Savior when he arrived Why aren't people saved today Because they don't see themselves as Jesus sees them They don't see their condition as Christ has explained it thoroughly They see themselves as pretty good They see themselves as a great addition to the kingdom of God because after all they're talented.

They're beautiful. They're rich they're fine and Yet those people will never be saved because they don't see themselves as God sees them poor imprisoned blind and oppressed And so it says the verse 29 and they rose up and cast him out of the city and Led into the brow of the hill on which their city had been built In order to throw him down the cliff You ever been so angry at somebody you want to kill him I hope not The Jews were on this day They were so angry They were so furious They wanted to kill Christ why because he told the truth These listen these were his best friends growing up These were his relatives his aunts his uncles his brothers his sisters He revealed the hearts of those closest to him and what was their reaction let's kill him How dare you come into my house?

My synagogue and tell me I'm a sinner and I'm separated from God when a reality I am a Jew a Covenant child of Abraham I'm one of the people of God Nobody not even the self-proclaimed Messiah of Israel is gonna say that to me You will die And that was their response And look at verse number 30, this is the protection of Jesus But passing through their midst He went his way Now do you understand that This folks is a miracle They wanted a miracle in their own hearts.

They wanted a miracle do something miraculous these people they picked him up They took him to the brow of the cliff and next thing, you know Where'd he go? You seen Jesus? No, where'd Jesus go? They where was he? He slipped Away, how did Jesus just slip away from a crowd who grabbed him took him out of the city to throw him off a cliff They wanted a miracle they got one they still didn't believe why because miracles don't save you Either you believe the message or you don't believe the message If you believe what God says about your condition and realize you can't save yourself and throw yourself upon him His mercy and receive his salvation or you don't you either believe what he has said and entrust yourself to him and say okay, God if you're gonna save me you got to do it because I can't save myself and trust him to save you or you don't and They would not trust him to save them They would not believe in the word that was taught how about you What do you believe today Do you believe about what Jesus has said about your life?

You're poor. You're blind. You're naked. You're destitute. You're oppressed. You have nothing in and of yourself Nothing that will ever gain favor in my eyes nothing You're nothing But I am everything in today is a favorable year of our Lord And if you believe what I have said, I will cause your poorness To become riches in my kingdom. I will cause your blindness To be removed so you can see the truth. I Will cause your oppression To lead you into greatness in my kingdom. I Will take your imprisonment.

I will unlock the key. I will set you free from the power the power in the penalty of death But you got to believe What I've said Let's pray Our most gracious heavenly father we want to thank you for today and the truth of your word and all that's there Thank you Lord that it's through your work on Calvary's cross that we can truly be saved I Pray for anybody who who's here today It does not believe in what you have already said about them and about what you will do for them That today will be the day of their salvation in Jesus name.

Amen