SERMON #4
THE CHURCH CHRIST IS BUILDING
1. THE MISSION OF CHRIST.
A. LUKE 4:14 21
14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit; and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.
15 And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.
16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.
17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book, and found the place where it was written,
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are downtrodden,
19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.
20 And He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon Him.
21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
JESUS STARTED HIS MINISTRY WITH THE DECLARATION THAT GOD HAD MADE HIM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RIGHTING OF THE WRONGS OF ALL THE IMPRISIONED AND DISTRESSE OF THE EARTH. THIS PROPHECY SETS FORTH IN PHYSICAL TERMS WHAT JESUS SHOULD DO IN BOTH THE PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL REALMS. WHEN CHRIST WAS HERE IN THE PHYSCIAL BODY, HE WORKED THROUGH THAT BODY. BUT, WHEN HE WENT TO HEAVEN IN HIS GLORIFIED BODY, HE CREATED THE CHURCH AS HIS BODY THROUGH WHICH TO CARRY HIS ENTERPRISE OF SALVATION AND REDEMPTION TO COMPLETION IN THIS PHYSCIAL WORLD.
B. I CORINTHIANS 12:27
27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.
CHRIST AS HEAD OF THE CHURCH HAS PLACED HIS BUSINESS IN THIS WORLD INTO THE CARE OF THE CHURCH, WHICH IS HIS BODY NOW HERE ON EARTH. AS CHRIST WAS ANNOINTED BY GOD,
ACTS 10:38
38 "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.
SO THE CHURCH WAS ANNIONTED ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST. SINCE THAT DAY THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH HAS BEEN, OR SHOULD HAVE BEEN, THE SAME AS CHRIST’S.
2. SO WHAT IS OUR MISSION?
A. LUKE 4:18
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
THE GOSPEL, THE GOOD NEWS
(a). I CORINTHIANS 15:1 4
4 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
TO THE POOR I BELIEVE HERE MEANS BOTH THE PHYSCIAL AND THE SPIRITUAL. SPIRITUAL BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES THAT NEED THE HELP OF THE GOOD NEWS. THE PHYSICAL BECAUSE THEIR JEWISH RELIGION HAD BECOME THE RELIGION OF THE RICH, MUCH AS IT IS TODAY. CHRIST PREACHED THE GOOD NEWS THAT GOD LOVED THEM.
(b). LUKE 12:6 7
6 "Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? And yet not one of them is forgotten before God.
7 "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.
B. THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH IS TO.
LUKE 4:18
He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
THE MOST HEALING THING FOR THE BROKENHEARTED IS THE PRECIOUS PROMISES OF CHRIST.
(a) HEBREWS 13:5 6
5 Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,"
6 so that we confidently say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?"
THE BROKENHEARTED FEEL THEY ARE ALL ALONE IN THIS WORLD, BUT WITH CHRIST WE ARE NEVER ALONE
C. THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH IS TO SET FREE THE CAPTIVES
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
(1) FREE THE CAPTIVES OF LIES
JOHN 8:32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
(2) FREE THE CAPTIVES OF SIN
(a) ROMANS 7:13 15
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.
(b) JESUS SAT US FREE
2 CORINTHIANS 5:21
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
(c) GOD WANTS TO FORGIVE US
2 PETER 3:9
9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
D. THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH IS TO RETURN THE SIGHT TO THE BLIND.
(a) 2 CORINTHIANS 4:1 6
1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart,
2 but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.
6 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
(b) l CORINTHIANS 2:11 14
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
E. To set free those who are down trodden, THAT ARE OPPRESSED
ACTS 10:38
38 "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.
ONLY THE WORDS OF GOD CAN FREE US FROM THE OPPRESSION OF THE DEVIL AS IT DID CHRIST WHEN HE WAS TEMPTED. THIS
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE WORD OF GOD TO HELP OURSELVIES AND OTHERS.
F. To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. The time when God is willing to accept of people, or to receive sinners coming to him. The gospel assures us that the guilty "may" return, and that God will graciously receive them. There is, perhaps, here, an allusion to the year of jubilee the fiftieth year, when the trumpet was blown, and through the whole land proclamation was made of the liberty of Hebrew slaves, of the remission of debts, and of the restoration of possessions to their original families, LEVITICUS 25:8 13.
The phrase "the acceptable year" means the time when it would be acceptable to God to proclaim such a message, or agreeable to him under the gospel.
(a) 2 CORINTHIANS 6:1 2
1 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain
2 for He says," At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you"; behold, now is "the acceptable time," behold, now is "the day of salvation"
(b) MATTHEW 28:18 20
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. "
TO TELL THE WORLD THAT NOW IS THE TIME AND TO BRING THEM TO GOD WITH WHAT?
PLAN OF SALVATION
ROMANS 10: 17
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
HEBREWS 11:6
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
ACTS 2:38
38 And Peter said to them, "Repent,
ROMANS 10:9 10
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved;
10 for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
ACTS 2:38
38 And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
MATTHEW 7:21
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, Will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
