REVEALING JESUS’ MISSION-II—Luke 4:16-21
Attention:
This morning, there were expectation in our home.
Getting ready for church. Usually wear a suit, so I dress differently on the Lord’s Day.
Even my dog knows that Sunday day is different. She knows that we will never take her ‘for a ride’ on Sunday,(or at least when I’m wearing my suit.) She usually waits with anticipation when she hears the keys jingle...but not on Sunday!
I leave about the same time & go the same direction every Sunday Sometimes I pass the same people who are likewise ‘going to church.’
In this manner we are declaring our mission...to honor God in worship, acting on our belief.
Need:
We all are searching for truth. Some knowingly & others appearing oblivious, resigning themselves to believing, ’it’ll all come out in the wash.’
Truth must be available. Where do I go to find it? Will I know when I’ve found it?
Acts 26:26—Paul to Governor Festus, before King Agrippa—““For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner.”
Luke recorded the public assignment of Messiah’s mission to Jesus.
Jesus’ mission is publicized/revealed.
*For whom is Jesus’ mission publicized/revealed?
Some considerations/dynamics/functions/observations in the public revelation of Jesus’ mission.
We discovered one of these the last time we were in the Gospel of Luke...
that Jesus’ mission is revealed for the...
1. FAITHFUL(:16-17)
2—Jesus’ mission is revealed for the...
POWERLESS(:18a-b)
Explanation: (:18a-b) Shepherdless/Need God’s direction
:18—“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;” ”
Jesus began reading before the congregation that “the Spirit of the LORD was upon Him.” Jesus thus applied the passage to Himself. This is located within the group of ‘Servant Songs’ in Isaiah, & are thereby to be applied to the coming Messiah.
The reason the Holy Spirit was upon Jesus was that His mission might be fulfilled(that the original intent will be accomplished). Messiah’s mission was to be multifaceted, per this very passage.
Jesus was “anointed” of God, by His Spirit who was “upon” Him. This means that Messiah—in speaking of Himself—would be, or rather the One presently before them, Jesus, was being directed by the Holy Spirit as an emissary of God.
Argumentation:
Micah 3:8—“But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, And of justice & might, To declare to Jacob his transgression And to Israel his sin.”
Ezek. 37:1-14—“The hand of the LORD came upon me & brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, & set me down in the midst of the valley; & it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, & behold, there were very many in the open valley; & indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, & say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, & you shall live. “I will put sinews on you & bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin & put breath in you; & you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.”’” So I prophesied as I was commanded; & as I prophesied, there was a noise, & suddenly a rattling; & the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews & the flesh came upon them, & the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, & say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four winds, O breath, & breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’” So I prophesied as He commanded me, & breath came into them, & they lived, & stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, & we ourselves are cut off!’ “Therefore prophesy & say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves & cause you to come up from your graves, & bring you into the land of Israel. “Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, & brought you up from your graves. “I will put My Spirit in you, & you shall live, & I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it & performed it,” says the LORD.’””
*Jn. 15:1-8—““I am the true vine, & My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; & every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, & I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, & I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch & is withered; & they gather them & throw them into the fire, & they are burned. If you abide in Me, & My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, & it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
Isa. 11:1-5—“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch[Jesus] shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom & understanding, The Spirit of counsel & might, The Spirit of knowledge & of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.”
Without Jesus & without His Spirit we have neither definitive “wisdom” nor “understanding” of objective truth established by God. We thus cannot offer reliable “counsel” based on reality & our “might” becomes fleeting & anemic. By the Spirit true “knowledge” fills our heart & brings us to a reverence for God’s magnificent design.
*1Jn. 2:18-21, 27—“Little children, it is the last hour; & as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, & you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, & that no lie is of the truth.”
The anointing of God gives us a powerful confidence that the world given to flesh refuses.
Php. 3:3—“For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, & have no confidence in the flesh,”
1Cor. 15:19—“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”
All these speak of real power, not to the end of performing miracles, but to the end of a personal life surrendered to & lived at God’s beckoning desire & direction.
Illustration:
The hymn—“Without Him”
Without Him I could do nothing Without Him I’d surely fail Without Him I would be drifting Like a ship without a sail.
Without Him I would be dying Without Him I’d be enslaved Without Him life would be hopeless But with Jesus, thank God I’m saved.
Jesus, oh Jesus Do you know Him today Do not turn Him away Oh, Jesus, Oh Jesus Without Him how lost I would be.
Application:
?Does Jesus’ mission inform/energize your POWER/DIRECTION?
?Has Jesus’ mission been revealed for you?
3—Jesus’ mission is revealed for the...
POOR(:18c)
Explanation:
:18—“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;” ”
Jesus was “anointed” to fulfill specific manifestations of the anticipated Messiah.
Jesus said, Jn. 14:6—“...I am the way, the truth, & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” This is offered to all men of every age with no strings attached except faith. Even the “poor” can experience good news, which they can never have on this earth apart from Christ!
1)Jesus’ mission was to preach the Gospel(Good News) to “the poor.” The poor were the focus & recipients of the good news. Anyone who is poverty stricken(either physically or spiritually) needs to know that there is good news for them as they are without creature comforts, due to their poverty. Beggardly people are only the recipients of good sporadically.
We may give “the poor” a little at Christmas but the remainder of the year they suffer as always.
I receive weekly e-mail pleas from the Association calling on others to help those in need of assistance paying bills of all kinds.
Poverty is not fun. Not knowing where your next meal will come from is not just embarrassing, it is frightening, because you must depend upon someone else’s desire & ability to help.
True Poverty keeps much from the poor. Suffering is their lot. Struggle is all they know.
They are never guaranteed creature comforts—warmth in winter, cool in summer, electricity, clean water, comfortable bed, an owned house.
They do not own property or land, but are instead at the mercy of someone prone to sin.
They will not experience rewarding work.
They cannot have an education.
They cannot confidently raise a family.
They cannot live on ‘the right side of the tracks’ or ‘the good side of town.’
Their culture continually reminds them that they are the have-nots.
However, in Christ “the poor” are the recipients of “good news.”
“Poor/Afflicted”—ptwcov—1) Reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms;2) Destitute of wealth, influence, position, honour—2a) Lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues & eternal riches, 2b) Helpless, powerless to accomplish an end, 2c) Poor, needy; 3) Lacking in anything. Denotes one who only obtains his living by begging, as compared to penhv (one who is so poor he earns his bread by daily labor). Strong—from ptwssw, To crouch; akin to ptoew & the alternate of piptw); A beggar (as cringing), i.e. Pauper (strictly denoting absolute or public mendicancy, although also used in a qualified or relative sense; whereas penhv properly means only straitened circumstances in private), literally(often as noun) or figuratively--Distressed.
Argumentation:
God’s people are commanded to aid the poor.
Ex. 22:25-27—““If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest. If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.”
Ex. 23:10-11—““Six years you shall sow your land & gather in its produce, “but the seventh year you shall let it rest & lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; & what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard & your olive grove.”
Deut. 15:7-11—““If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him & willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ & your eye be evil against your poor brother & you give him nothing, & he cry out to the LORD against you, & it become sin among you. You shall surely give to him, & your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works & in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor & your needy, in your land.’”
Lk. 14:11-14—““For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, & he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Then He also said to him who invited Him[a Pharisee], “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, & you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.””
Yet poverty(in spirit) is exactly what everyone needs in order to experience the reality of heaven first-hand...
*Mat. 5:3—““Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
*Lk. 6:20-21—“Then He[Jesus] lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.”
Lk. 16:19-23—““There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple & fine linen & fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came & licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, & was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died & was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes & saw Abraham afar off, & Lazarus in his bosom.”
Illustration:
In America, the rich, middle class, & poor are taxed at different levels/The truly poor(not because of personal sin) are not taxed at all/POOR
Anytime you sit down to share Jesus with a lost person in their home, & they personally open up to you...You discover their spiritual POVERTY
Application:
?Does Jesus’ mission inform/energize your POVERTY...Your Wealth?
?Has Jesus’ mission been revealed for you?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Our preparation for worship on Sundays.
Action:
Jesus’ mission is revealed for the...
2. POWERLESS(:18a-b) Shepherdless/Need God’s direction
3. POOR(:18c)
1. FAITHFUL(:16-17)
Presented 09/29/2012am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
