DISABLING/Dismantling JESUS-II—Luke 4:22-30
The congregation at Nazareth(hometown synagogue) would not believe Jesus’ ability to fulfill Scripture’s mandate for the Messiah.
Religiosity thinks it implausible/absurd to believe that Jesus can save.
Religiosity thinks it implausible/absurd to believe that Jesus is Messiah.
What results from holding/viewing Jesus ability as absurd?
8 fruits/assessments of disabling Jesus.
We previously found that:
Disabling Jesus produces...
1. ADMIRATION(4:22a)
2. FAMILIARIZED BLINDNESS(:22b)
3—Disabling Jesus produces...
BLIND CONTEMPT(:23a)
Explanation: (:23a)Disdain
:23a—“He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’””
Decisions made from the standpoint of incomplete information.
Argumentation:
Mat. 7:1-7—““Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; & with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; & look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, & then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, & turn & tear you in pieces. Ask, & it will be given to you; seek, & you will find; knock, & it will be opened to you.”
Mat. 23:15-28—““Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land & sea to win one proselyte, & when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ “Fools & blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? “And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ “Fools & blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it & by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it & by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God & by Him who sits on it. Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint & anise & cummin, & have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice & mercy & faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat & swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup & dish, but inside they are full of extortion & self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup & dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones & all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy & lawlessness.”
Isa. 5:20-21—“Woe to those who call evil good, & good evil; Who put darkness for light, & light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, & sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!”
Jn. 15:20-25—““Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come & spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen & also hated both Me & My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”
1Jn. 3:13-15—“Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, & you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
Illustration:
*Many people hate what they are ignorant of/There was a woman in a former church who would not allow playing cards in her house—they were ‘of the devil’ in her mind/But some of the most fun I have is when I play ‘Spite & Malice’(a card game) with my wife!/Cards do not equal gambling & avarice!/BLIND CONTEMPT
Do your best to stop a Fire raging thru a southern lowland pine bog/However, the fire is necessary to remove weeds & open the pine cones so the pine seeds can germinate/Releases nutrients which fertilize/BLIND CONTEMPT
Application:
?You Disabled Jesus as absurd thru a BLIND CONTEMPT?
?You see Christ Jesus as implausible/absurd?
4— Disabling Jesus produces...
INCONCLUSIVE PROOF(:23b)
Explanation: (:23b) Unconvincing
:23b—“He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’””
“Please, we would like to believe in You, prove You’re Messiah...we would like to believe that You can take the spiritually poor & make them rich, the spiritually bound & make them free, the spiritually blind & make them see, the spiritually oppressed & fearful & deliver them, we’d like to believe that, could You please spin up in the air & do a cartwheel or two in space & come back down? That doesn’t prove anything.”.....
“And what they’re saying is...You know, it’s not our fault that we don’t believe, Jesus, it’s Your fault, it’s all in Your control, it’s Your fault if we don’t believe, You just haven’t done enough here to prove this, we just need more evidence.”.....“no miracles can prove that Jesus can save the sinner from hell.”—John MacArthur
*Personally witnessing miracles will not cement one’s trust. They will cause the religious unbeliever to scrutinize the miracle itself thru reason, leaving them unconvinced.
*Jesus’ purpose was not for signs but for salvation!
Argumentation:
Luke 16:19-31—““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. Then he cried & said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, & send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water & cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, & likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted & you are tormented. And besides all this, between us & you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ “Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses & the prophets; let them hear them.’ “And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ “But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses & the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’””
Mat. 12:38-45—“Then some of the scribes & Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered & said to them, “An evil & adulterous generation seeks after a sign, & no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days & three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days & three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation & condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; & indeed a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation & condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; & indeed a greater than Solomon is here. When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, & finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, & put in order. Then he goes & takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, & they enter & dwell there; & the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.””
The only ‘sign’ or so-called proof you need is the resurrection of Jesus!
But even the resurrection is explained away as the Jews did & do:
Mat. 28:11-15—“Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city & reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders & consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night & stole Him away while we slept.’ “And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him & make you secure.” So they took the money & did as they were instructed; & this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.”
Illustration:
If you had an on-site video of Jesus performing a miracle...would you believe He is who He is?...Would it make any difference?/The video could have been doctored in some way/Maybe that particular miracle you could explain away thru some scientific means/INCONCLUSIVE PROOF
I finally realized(after 28 years) that the overall testimony of Christianity was true/I have never witnessed a miracle & it doesn’t matter if I do/I recognized Scripture’s testimony about the emptiness caused by my personal sinful nature was absolutely true!/I turned my life over to God thru faith in Christ Jesus/INCONCLUSIVE PROOF(of miracles)
The woman who lived just beyond Wake Cross Roads BC/When presented with the Gospel & pressed for a reason for her unbelief, responded with the honest statement that she wouldn’t be able to believe unless something threatening to her mortality occurs—Car wreck, Disease, etc./INCONCLUSIVE PROOF
Application:
?You Disabled Jesus as absurd thru a INCONCLUSIVE PROOF?
?You see Christ Jesus as implausible/absurd?
5— Disabling Jesus produces...
REJECTION Of REALITY(:24)
Explanation: (:24)Truth
:24—“Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.”
Jesus reminded those of Nazareth that a prophet is never welcome in his hometown(where he has been raised...the fullness of his development has been witnessed). The respect due the message is lost to an arrogant disregard/disrespect of the person’s worthiness to carry it.
This statement is repeated 3 times in Scripture—Mat. 13:57, Mk. 6:4, Jn. 4:44, & here.
?Why is a true prophet deemed unworthy of the privilege to be used of God by those closest to him?
We somehow equate our ‘human concept of goodness’(which is always subjective) with worthiness. To declare a universally accepted message, or at least one of seemingly major importance, demands a perceived adherence to a much higher personal(yet fleshly perceived) standard(seen in wealth, position, education, etc)...Jesus’ lowly/humble circumstances afforded none of these.
They rejected the presence of the Prophet!
“Prophet”(See :27)—profhthv—1) in Greek writings, An interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things; 2) One who, moved by the Spirit of God & hence his organ or spokesman, solemnly declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially concerning future events, & in particular such as relate to the cause & kingdom of God & to human salvation; 3) A poet(because poets were believed to sing under divine inspiration). Strong—A foreteller("prophet"); by analogy--An inspired speaker; by extension--A poet.
“Accepted/Welcome”—dektov—Adj.—Thayer—1) Accepted, acceptable. Strong—Approved; figuratively--Propitious. Used 5X.
“Country”(See :23—“Country/Home town”)—patriv—Thayer—1) One’s native country. Strong—from parashmov; A father-land, i.e. Native town; figuratively--Heavenly home—1a) One’s fatherland, one’s own country, a fixed abode or home, 1b) One’s own native place i.e. a city.
Argumentation:
Mk. 6:4-5—“But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, & in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people & healed them.”
Mat. 13:10-17—“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 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; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets & righteous men desired to see what you see, & did not see it, & to hear what you hear, & did not hear it.”
Heb. 1:1-4—“God, who at various times & in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory & the express image of His person, & upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”
Acts 3:19-26—““Repent therefore & be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, “& that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. ‘And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ “Yes, & all the prophets, from Samuel & those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets, & of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ “To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.””
Jer. 7:21-28—“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices & eat meat. For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, & I will be your God, & you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ “Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels & the dictates of their evil hearts, & went backward & not forward. Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early & sending them. Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers. Therefore you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not obey you. You shall also call to them, but they will not answer you. “So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished & has been cut off from their mouth.”
Illustration:
A hometown boy’s spiritually viable words are only ‘accepted’ as so much drivel/Not taken seriously/REJECTION Of REALITY
My mother would not hear me after I got saved/She could never justify my undergoing believer’s baptism/I had been christened in the Methodist church as a child/REJECTION Of REALITY
Talk around supper table/Cutting down people we think we know/“He’ll-She’ll never amount to anything”/We’ve stopped believing in the power of God to change a life!/REJECTION Of REALITY
Application:
?You Disabled Jesus as absurd thru a REJECTION Of REALITY?
?You see Christ Jesus as implausible/absurd?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Disabling Jesus produces...
3. BLIND CONTEMPT(:23a)
4. INCONCLUSIVE PROOF(:23b)
5. REJECTION Of REALITY(:24)
1. ADMIRATION(4:22a)
2. FAMILIARIZED BLINDNESS(:22b)
Presented 01/27/2012pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
