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The Reason for the Invasion (Part 1)

Luke 4:14-23

We invite you to worship with us each Sunday morning at 9:30. You may also download our service on I-tunes by clicking on Baptist-Christian. Last week we focused on the Incarnation of Jesus, or God taking on human form and flesh. We learned God controls all time and at the perfect time He calls us to enter His kingdom. When we are asked “why did Jesus come?” we answer “to die for our sins and offer us complete forgiveness.” That’s true, but Jesus also offers so much more. In our passage this week notice first

  1. MESSIAH’S PREPARATION! His anointing by the Holy Spirit is significant. Throughout the OT anointing was most important and distinctive act recognizing a king. Anointing was regarded as an act of enablement. When done or instructed by God, the king became a representative of the people to and before God. The prophets were also anointed as a sign of power to discharge a specific task given them by YHWH. By the time of the Incarnation the Jewish expectation of the Anointed One as God’s Messiah was the norm. All th gospel writers give an account of Jesus’ baptism, but only John records the human response. Read 1:15-18 and 29-34. Throughout the OT God shows us how He selects and prepares His delegated anointed ones for His service. Jesus is no exception, but He is exceptional!
  2. MESSIAH’S PREACHING! In the OT poor meant “a position of inferiority in the face of one who demands an answer.” The best example is “who told you, you were naked?” God made provision that there should be no permanent hopelessness or poverty in Israel through the liberation of such every seven years. In the NT poor has the same concept but goes further in the light of the Incarnation to include spiritual poverty and destitution. Do you see the consistency in that Jesus came into the world a poor man to evangelize those who were themselves destitute? One of Jesus’ most powerful messages was that spiritual wealth and material poverty is what creates and maintains peace and contentment in this life; while material wealth and spiritual poverty create and sustain hardship and heartache in this life. Since we are all born into spiritual poverty His message is applicable to every human being. Jesus used the word “evangelize” in verse 18. It is an interesting word that means “to proclaim the good news.” It is most often used in the OT to speak of the acts of YHWH! In Matt. 11:1-5 and today’s passage Jesus quotes the OT to verify He is God’s Messiah. Jesus uses the OT prophecy to verify and prove NT reality. The Jews had no problem accepting the OT Law, Prophets, and Psalms as God’s Truth and Law. We know the Jews weren’t expecting what Jesus offered. They were expecting a King who would deliver them politically! So they drove Him out of town. Is Jesus what you expect in a Messiah/Deliverer? Are you as prepared for Him as He is for you? When He sends His Holy Spirit to preach the good news to you, do you understand that He recognizes your utter poverty and hopeless destitution? Will you drive Him away, or will you welcome Him?

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