REVEALING JESUS’ MISSION-IV—Luke 4:16-21
Attention:
Vacuum Manure
A little old lady answered a knock on the door one day, only to be confronted by a well-dressed young man carrying a vacuum cleaner.
"Good morning," said the young man. "If I could take a couple of minutes of your time, I would like to demonstrate the very latest in high-powered vacuum cleaners."
"I’m sorry, I really can’t afford your vacuum young man" said the old lady." & she proceeded to close the door.
Before she could get the door closed, the young man wedged his foot in the door & pushed it wide open. "Don’t be too hasty!" he said. "Not until you have at least seen my demonstration."
And with that, he emptied a bucket of horse manure onto her hallway carpet.
"If this vacuum cleaner does not remove all traces of this horse manure from your carpet, Madam, I will personally eat the remainder."
"Well," she said, "I hope you’ve got a good appetite, because the electricity was cut off this morning."
The lady was Declaring her Mission...that she could not buy the vacuum!
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.
*Why is Jesus’ mission publicized/revealed?
*For whom is Jesus’ mission publicized/revealed?
10 considerations/dynamics/functions/observations in the public revelation of Jesus’ mission.
1. FAITHFUL(:16-17)
2. POWERLESS(:18a-b) Shepherdless/Need God’s direction
3. POOR(:18c)
4. BROKENHEARTED(:18d)
5—Jesus’ mission is revealed for the...
CAPTIVES(:18e)
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;” ”
Of Who &/or What can we be captives?
Physically— Relationships (Marriage, Dating, Friendships)
Spiritually—Philosophy, Morality, Religion, Works(deeds)
“Proclaim”2X—khrussw—1) To be a herald, to officiate as a herald—1a) To proclaim after the manner of a herald, 1b) Always with the suggestion of formality, gravity & an authority which must be listened to & obeyed; 2) To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done; 3) Used of the public proclamation of the gospel & matters pertaining to it, made by John the Baptist, by Jesus, by the apostles & other Christian teachers. Strong—of uncertain affinity; To herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel).
“Liberty/Release/Freedom”—afesiv (Compare “Set free”—apostellw; See “Anointed”)—1) Release from bondage or imprisonment; 2) Forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty. Strong—Freedom; figuratively--Pardon.
“Captives/Prisoners”—aicmalwtov—1) A captive. Strong—from aicmh(a spear) & a derivative of the same as 259; properly--A prisoner of war, i.e. (genitive case)A captive. Used 1X in NT though common elsewhere.
Argumentation:
2Cor. 3:17—“Now the Lord is the Spirit; & where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
Heb. 2:14-15—“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh & blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, & release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
Jn. 8:21-24—“Then Jesus said to them[Pharisees] again, “I am going away, & you will seek Me, & will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?” And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.””
Jn. 8:31-36—“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, & the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, & have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Rom. 8:1-14—“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin & death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life & peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
Jn. 3:16-21—““For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, & men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light & does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.””
*2Cor. 10:3-6—“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments & every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, & being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
Illustration:
By what are you held captive?
a.)Those who are compelled by constant affirmation/Cannot bear to live life solely responsible for their own actions/CAPTIVES
b.)Those who are compelled by constant self-sufficiency/Convince themselves that they need no one/CAPTIVES
Chemical Addictions—Makes you ‘feel...not good but different.’ Merely a mask for a life of misery lived outside of God’s will/CAPTIVES
Food Addictions—Rather than ‘eating to live’ you ‘live to eat,’ for ‘pleasure.’/CAPTIVES
Relationship Addictions—We don’t have the backbone to break off a bad relationship OR to engage a new one/CAPTIVES
Lack of commitment to:
—Marriage....‘Its just a piece of paper!’—Many have convinced themselves this is true!/CAPTIVES
—Being Single/CAPTIVES
—Church membership/CAPTIVES
—Baptism/CAPTIVES
—Jesus/CAPTIVES
Application:
?Does Jesus’ mission inform/energize your CAPTIVITY?
?Has Jesus’ mission been revealed for you?
6—Jesus’ mission is revealed for the...
BLIND(:18f)
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;” ”
4)Jesus’ mission was “to proclaim the recovery of sight.” Likewise, “The blind” were to regain their ability to see. Any thinking person who is physically “blind” would want to see again. What is the purpose of eyes if they cannot be used? The blind may learn to live without sight but their innermost desire is to possess sight. To use all of their senses rather then have even one missing is life changing.
In Jesus’ time, “blindness” would have reduced most anyone to begging for sustenance. Blindness is so devastating that Jesus uses its shock value to emphasize the significance of avoiding hell at all cost.
Mat. 18:9—““And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out & cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.”
As my father used to say...“I see said the blind man.”
*This phrase is present in the NT but is NOT original to the canonized Hebrew texts. It is present in the LXX, which Jesus quoted on other occasions.
Again, Luke may be “summarizing textual material used by Jesus in His synagogue address, since a normal synagogue reading would not mix passages quite like this, & the description of Jesus’ remarks here is decidedly brief & dramatic....”—D. Bock
“Recovery of sight”—anableqiv—1) Recovery of sight. Strong—Restoration of sight. Used 1X. Anablepw—V. is used more often.
“Blind”—tuflov—Adj.—1) Blind; 2) Mentally blind. Strong—Opaque(as if smoky), i.e. by analogy--Blind(physically or mentally).
Argumentation:
Rev. 3:17-18—[to Laodicea]““Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, & have need of nothing’--& do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, & naked-- “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; & white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; & anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”
Jn. 9:1-11, 28-34, —“Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When He had said these things, He spat on the ground & made clay with the saliva; & He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam”(which is translated, Sent). So he went & washed, & came back seeing. Therefore the neighbors & those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat & begged?” Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.” Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” He answered & said, “A Man called Jesus made clay & anointed my eyes & said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam & wash.’ So I went & washed, & I received sight.””.....“Then they reviled him & said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. “We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.” The man answered & said to them, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God & does His will, He hears him. “Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. “If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.” They answered & said to him, “You were completely born in sins, & are you teaching us?” And they cast him out.”.....“And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, & that those who see may be made blind.” Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, & said to Him, “Are we blind also?””
If you are spiritually blind you cannot see truth. You will not accept truth. You will not accept that God is the Setter of moral standard.
Jn. 12:44-50—“Then Jesus cried out & said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words & does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, & does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say & what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.””
1Cor. 2:9-14—“But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Ezek. 12:1-2—“Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying: “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, & ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.”
Rom. 11:7-8—“What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, & the rest were blinded. Just as it is written[Isa. 6:9-10]: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.””
3Jn. 9-11—“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, & forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.”
*Mt. 13:10-16—“And the disciples came & said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered & said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, & he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, & hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah[Isa. 6:9-10] is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear & shall not understand, And seeing you will see & not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes & hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts & turn, So that I should heal them.’ “But blessed are your eyes for they see, & your ears for they hear;”
Illustration:
A huge part of my testimony—My former blindness—Unaccepting of God’s truth/BLIND
Our place in Wesley Chapel, FL/Cookie-cutter neighborhood/everyone had fences/Our back border was a brick wall separating us from the road & the pond & swamp/A fence entirely enclosed our backyard/I was forever stretching to see what was beyond the fence but wasn’t tall enough!/BLIND
The hymn, ‘Amazing Grace’ incorporates the spiritual aspect of this concept/BLIND
Sitting at table on our patio/Table has an umbrella in the middle/We gather around the table & talk/However most of us will eventually have to strain to see the person they’re talking to because the umbrella is in the way/We remove the umbrella/BLIND
Application:
?Does Jesus’ mission inform/energize your BLINDness?
?Has Jesus’ mission been revealed for you?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Vacuum cleaner salesman’s demonstration.
The lady was Declaring her Mission...that she could not buy the vacuum!
Action:
Jesus’ mission is revealed for the...
5. CAPTIVES(:18e)
6. BLIND(:18f)
1. FAITHFUL(:16-17)
2. POWERLESS(:18a-b) Shepherdless/Need God’s direction
3. POOR(:18c)
4. BROKENHEARTED(:18d)
Presented 10/28/2012am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
