Part 4 - Jesus and His Hometown

SCRIPTURE READING

Luke 4:14 – 31

“14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.

23 Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.' "

24 "I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian."

28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”

INTRODUCTION

I. Jesus returned to Galilee being led by the Holy Spirit

a. He taught in the Synagogues

b. Fame spread because of His teachings and Miracles

c. He was praised by all!

II. He was back in Nazareth

a. Where He was brought up (Shows His humanity)

b. He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day as was the custom (means He was faithful…slang)

c. He stood to read (Jesus read the Word!!! So should we!)

d. He read a passage from Isaiah;

Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Rolling it back up He gave it to the attendant, and sat down. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Jesus!

III. Jesus said “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing…”

• The spirit of the Lord is upon me –
• He speaks of the Holy Spirit
• Received BEFORE His ministry began
• Jesus followed the leading of the Spirit!
• Followed Him back to Nazareth
• Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary!
• Because He has anointed me –
• Jesus was the ultimate anointed one
• Because of the Cross, all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Him
• The anointing of the Holy Spirit we receive is by Christ alone!
• To preach the Gospel to the poor –
• Poor in Spirit
• KJV – He sent Me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners –
• Prisoners of SIN
• Freedom from eternal damnation
• Freedom from the penalties of sin
• Freedom through Christ – Salvation
• PROCLAIM – Jesus preached the Gospel but the Cross was where the freedom was fulfilled
• Recovery of sight for the blind –
• Sight for the Spiritually blind
• RECOVERY (they could once see) speaking of the Jews
• To release the oppressed
• Who is oppressed? A lot of us…
• Many are imprisoned mentally or spiritually
• Jesus Christ alone, through what He did at the Cross, can open that prison door!
• To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor –
• Many scholars believe that this message was given by Jesus on the first day of the year of Jubilee.
• Every 50 years, according to the book of Leviticus, on Jubilee year, the slaves and prisoners were released, debts were forgiven, & the miracles of God manifested.
• Catholics in 1300 (Pope Boniface 8^th) evoked the “Holy Year”, and added a required pilgrimage to a sacred site of your choice, usually the City of Rome, and in 1450 the Catholics decided every 50 years was not enough, and started celebrating every 25 years.

By Jesus saying, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing…” He is saying “I am the messiah.”

22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.

23 Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.' "

24 "I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown.

25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years (also the length of Jesus’ Earthly ministry) and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.

Many were in need in Elijah’s time, but God sent him to another land.

27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian."

Again, many in Israel were in need of God, but God sent His prophet to another land where He would be received.

And we see it was the same in Jesus’ time, Israel, the Jews, did not accept Him, and God’s Holy Spirit sent Him to other lands, the Gentiles.

28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.

29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”

CONCLUSION

Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s Word.

Jesus came so that you could be freed from your captivity.

That freedom is by Christ alone.

And the Holy Spirit is given by Christ alone.

When the Word is proclaimed, and the Spirit of God comes to your heart, will you receive Him, or turn Him away as so many have done?

The Heavens were opened up on the day Jesus received the Holy Spirit, and they will also be closed as in the days of Noah when the ark was closed by God, and no more was there salvation for those from the coming floods.

The Rapture is going to be that day, and we do not know when it will come, but once it does, as in the days of Noah, the doors to Salvation will be closed, and the time of tribulation and Jacobs’s trouble will begin.

Don’t wait, receive Jesus now into your heart and allow His Holy Spirit to descend upon you.

Altar Call