Sermon Central
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When You Have To Say No Series
Contributed by Jim Butcher on Jul 14, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: Right after the violently negative response at Nazareth, Jesus finds adoration at Capernaum. But that doesn't mean everything is good there.
TALK OF THE TOWN: After rejection at Nazareth, Jesus finds adoration at Capernaum.
- Luke 4:31-37 (especially vv. 32 and 36).
- cf. vv. 24-30.
THE PROBLEM: Two missions were in conflict.
- Luke 4:32, 36, 38-39, 42-43.
- What a great situation in many ways:
a. They were amazed at His words.
- v. 32.
b. They were amazed at His miracles.
- v. 36.
c. He had a nice place to stay.
- vv. 38-39.
d. They want you to stay.
- v. 42b.
- But the other mission:
a. Time alone with His Father.
- v. 42.
b. Preaching the good news in many places.
- v. 43.
- This insight may have directly come from His time alone with His Father.
- There was a choice. There were two missions in front of Him, both compelling in different ways.
TWO BIG QUESTIONS: From where would Jesus get his “who” and “what”?
- Two of the biggest questions in anyone’s life are “who am I?” and “what is my life’s mission?”
- There are many options for where we get those answers from.
- “Who am I?”
- Some get the answer from social media.
- Some get the answer from their parents.
- Some get the answer from their friends.
- Some get the answer from their ego.
- Some get the answer from their insecurities.
- “What is my life’s mission?”
- Some get the answer from the world.
- Some get the answer from their job.
- Some get the answer from culture.
- Some get the answer from their parents.
- Fortunately for us as Christians, we have those questions definitively answered for us.
MAKE A CHOICE: Doing God’s mission required Jesus to say “no.”
- There is a point in all this that I want to close with because it’s an important one and easily overlooked.
- It is simply this: Jesus had to say “no.”
- Our passage doesn’t have Jesus literally saying that to them, but it has that effect. They want Him to stay and He tells them that’s not His mission and He has to do something else.
- Jesus told them “no.”
- This shows up in a number of ways today:
a. People pleasing.
b. Lack of awareness that the Kingdom of God has an agenda different from the world.
c. Wanting to ride the fence.
