Luke 4 shows us some things the Holy Spirit does in Jesus’ ministry.
In fact, Luke talks about the Holy Spirit twelve times in the first four chapters of the gospel, and then suddenly he stops talking about the Holy Spirit. He is only mentioned four more times in the entire rest of the gospel. Then in the book of Acts the Holy Spirit is the main character of the book, 53 times.
Luke and Acts are a two volume work. But notice these parallels: When Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. In Acts 2:38 Peter tells us that we need to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins and we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus in Luke is filled with and lead by the Holy Spirit and the Church in Acts is filled with and lead by the Holy Spirit. In fact, there are so many similarities about Jesus ministry and the churches ministry that it becomes clear that the Church is the body of Christ and continues Jesus’ ministry in the world after he ascended. Here in Luke 4:14-21 Jesus claims to be the fulfillment of Isaiah 61’s prophecy. I don’t think we can begin to understand what a bomb shell that was to make that claim. Jesus is saying what we know to be true and have become so familiar with, we miss the shock of his message. Their response to his claim was first amazement, and then disbelief, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
He’s saying that he is the fulfillment of the Hope of Israel! And to whom is Jesus called to minister? It is the poor, the broken hearted, the captive, the blind and the oppressed. What does he proclaim? The gospel, to heal the broken hearted, freedom to the captive, to open the eyes of the blind, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable (favorable, welcome) year of the Lord!
Now, a couple of things are immediately important for us to catch here. It is true that we are familiar with the idea of Jesus being the Messiah, the Christ who has come to do these things in fulfillment of prophecy, but we must not miss who Jesus is sent to. Let me go over that list one more time.
The poor, the broken hearted, the captive, the blind, and the oppressed, right? Did I leave anyone out? Now think about this with me. Look around this room. Does anyone else here see what I see? Where are the poor? Where are the broken hearted? Where are the captive, the blind, the oppressed? Would that describe the make up of this group here today?
Now think about this with me. Who is Jesus anointed by the Holy Spirit to minister to? Do I need to go over that list again? Who here in this assembly today qualifies? How many of us here make this list? Just to push this envelope a bit further, lets turn in our Bibles to 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. Read that with me.
26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;
27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
28 and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are,
29 that no man should boast before God.
30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,
31 that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD."
Let’s go back to Luke chapter 4 now and think about that list in Isaiah again: poor, broken hearted, captive, blind, and oppressed.
Now think about us here today. How many of us would like to be somebody in this world? How much of our time and energy is spent trying to achieve status and worldly comforts? How much do we value security, success, status and stuff? How much of this world has captivated our hearts and minds? We work hard to live like we do and if we’re honest about it, we try hard to avoid being on that list, don’t we? I mean, who wants to be poor, broken hearted, captive, blind, oppressed? Do you? I don’t! But let me tell you something and I want to say this sincerely, if I have to be on that list to be somebody Jesus came to save, then may God make it so!
I’d rather be on that list and know Jesus as my Lord and Savior than be off of it and miss him, wouldn’t you?
Who was Jesus anointed to preach to and serve? What does this passage say? I tell you, there’s a message in this for us. God has a word here to you and me and we need to hear it. What is it? Can you hear God’s voice in these words? Is he speaking to you and me through this scripture about Jesus today? Are we able to humble our hearts and open our ears and hear what God wants to say to us? Are we willing to hear it even if God has a word of correction or rebuke, even if he says things that are hard to hear?
Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to fulfill God’s prophecy as the Messiah and bring God’s message to us. Listen to what happens in Luke 6:17 and following as Jesus preaches his first recorded sermon in Luke’s gospel. Think about the fulfillment of Isaiah 61 as we read this. Just listen to it and think about it. (Read 17-26)
Is there anything in there for us? What is the Lord saying to us through those words?
While I’m on a roll let’s just look at a two more: Luke 12:13-21. What does God tell us in that parable? Finally, Luke 16:19-26. Nobody wants to be Lazarus in this life, but everybody wants to be Lazarus in the next one, right?
God inspired Luke to make a point here. Remember what we noticed earlier about how Jesus in Luke continues his ministry as the church in Acts? The Holy Spirit anointed Jesus and the Holy Spirit anoints the church. If we are in Christ, we are to be doing what Jesus did, going to those Jesus would go to, teaching what Jesus would teach, helping those Jesus would help.
Do you know why the Lord has given us so much here at this church on Signal Mountain? So that we will glorify him with it and reach out to those on the list. We have been given so that we can give. We have been blessed so that we will bless others. God didn’t pour out all these resources on us so that we would become like the rich fool who stored up just for himself. God didn’t make us affluent so that we would live sumptuously and ignore Lazarus at our gate.
Jesus was rich. The Bible says so. Listen to 2 Cor. 8: 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
But Jesus, who was rich, didn’t cling to his riches and let us rot in sin at the gate! Jesus became poor. He gave up so that we could become rich and be with him. Isn’t that an amazing message for us?
The truth is there are a lot of people in this world that are on that list of Isaiah 61. There are a lot of Lazaruses in our world. God has anointed his church with the Holy Spirit and commissioned us by the command of Jesus Christ to bring the good news to them and to minister to their needs. The first place we need to look and the first ones we need to serve are those in our own Christian family, remember, Lazarus was a fellow Jew to the rich man. Our first duty is to serve the saved who are in need. God’s word says, “Do good to all men, especially the household of faith.”
Nothing proves our faith in Jesus Christ and our anointing by the Holy Spirit more than when we release our claim on material possessions and share them with others in need. Not long after the church was born listen to what God’s word says about it in Acts 4:31-35.
What happens when greed and selfishness get in the way of glorifying God with what we have? Just look at the rich fool and the rich man and Lazarus stories.
Jesus calls us to a radical recreation. He redeems us from this world but puts us to work in this world to represent Him to this world and to one another in Christ. We dare not let material things blind us from the light of God’s glory and the call of ministry as the body of Christ.
