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Healing the Broken (Luke 4_14-21)
8 Plays4 days ago
Sunday Message recorded 06 October 2024
by Associate Pastor Josh Shell
First Baptist Church - Columbus, TX, USA
1700 Milam St.
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
Transcript
00:00:06
Speaker
So if you have your Bibles, go ahead and open to Luke chapter four. That's where we'll be spending our time this morning. um I just wanted to start off with this.
00:00:22
Speaker
This past week has been a very interesting week for many of us. It has been heavy in a lot of ways.
00:00:34
Speaker
I know for my family in particular, the week started off with us going back to Orange, Texas or Beaumont, Texas for the celebration of life service for my wife's grandfather. And then while we were there, we also heard news about the student, Alex Madrano. And then many of you guys also know it was a shooting.
00:00:57
Speaker
And then also this past week, we also have a dear brother in Christ, George Barnes, who is currently in the hospital as well. um this is This has been a waiting week. And on top of that, we had the hurricane that came up through the east side of the United States, devastating anywhere from Florida up to Tennessee to North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia. My family was right in the line of that storm. And then obviously things with going on over in the nation of Israel.
00:01:26
Speaker
with the bombings going on over there. There's a lot that is going on in our in our nation. There's a lot going on in our country, in our in our community. And I don't want to act like we, I don't want to be up here today and say good morning and act like everything's okay. um And so if you're in this room today, you you have things that are weighty on you, know that you are not alone.
00:01:51
Speaker
Know that God is not surprised by it. Know that God has not left you nor forsaken you in it. And the Lord is right here with us, walking through it.
00:02:04
Speaker
And that's why i'm i I'm so excited about what's gonna happen this evening at seven o'clock over there at the courthouse with the Knight of Worship, with the Minister of Alliance and those who are also, there's others being involved with it. So I highly encourage you guys, if you're available, to go down there and to support that. Because now more than ever, our community needs it. Of course, there's also that side of me, and you know me, I just like to be blunt and real. There's also that side of me that's like, i hate I hate the fact that it takes something like this,
00:02:32
Speaker
to get the church and the people of God to want to put something together like that. Does that make sense? So, I do pray though that for this evening as we, as they do lead that worship service, that it will truly just be a blessing to those who are hurting and to the to those who need refreshment and those who need hope in light of darkness. Because the darkness is all around us, and I hate to say it, but the darkness isn't necessarily going to leave us.
00:03:05
Speaker
It's only gonna get worse before it gets better. So I pray that we as believers in Christ, as the church, that we will prepare our hearts for that. But now that I've really set the mood for the morning, I'm gonna pray over us and we'll continue on. So let's pray.
00:03:23
Speaker
Father God, as we've just acknowledged, there's a lot going on in our own community right here, not just here in Columbus, Texas, but all across the nation and in the world. things that if we're not preparing ourselves and if we're not sure of our salvation in you, that will really drag us down. That could be weighty. But Lord, I praise you for the fact that in the midst of chaos, in the midst of darkness, that we who are in Christ can have hope.
00:03:56
Speaker
We can trust that you are still sovereignly in control, that everything that is happening is is not out of your control. You were not surprised by it. And Lord, so I just pray that if there's anyone in this room that's worried that is feeling the weight of everything that's going on, that they will surrender it down at your feet.
00:04:15
Speaker
that it will trust in you and for the hope that that we have in you in salvation. But Lord, I do pray over this message as we look at this passage in Luke chapter four, because what we're going to see is is from the very beginning, you set into motion this perfect redemptive plan for your creation for mankind that will ultimately save us from this darkness.
00:04:42
Speaker
And so Lord, I pray that you go before it, that it'll be your words that are spoken and not mine, and that you'll open our hearts and our minds to what you have for us today. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. All right, so we're going to pick up in Luke chapter four. We're going to be looking at verses 14 through 21.
00:05:02
Speaker
And these verses, you know, it's funny, after everything we just talked about with going on in our community, I don't think there is a more timely passage for us to be looking at this morning than this one right here. And as we work through it, you're going to see why, right? Because last week, if you remember, Victor led us through the the first several verses of this chapter 1 through 13 with the temptation of Jesus.
00:05:26
Speaker
And the temptation of Jesus, in a lot of ways, we read through that. We're like, well, that's awesome. And and of course, Jesus could overcome Satan because he's the son of God. But the reality is is that Jesus coming and being tempted and overcoming these temptations is crucial for what is now setting up to be right now what we're going to be looking at this morning in the remainder of this chapter or these next few verses. Because for Jesus to be tempted by Satan,
00:05:53
Speaker
ultimately fulfills what the writer of Hebrews talks about to where now as a result of him overcoming sin, we now have a high priest who intercedes on our behalf, who has experienced every temptation that man has ever faced.
00:06:08
Speaker
And because of the fact that He overcame it, for those of us who reside in Christ, so those of us who have the Holy Spirit within us, we now can overcome the same temptations that He overcame. And then it ultimately comes back to His word. It comes back to the living word of God, this book right here. For it was through these words that He overcame it, and through the help of the Holy Spirit.
00:06:34
Speaker
And so again, what we looked at last week really is setting us up for what we're going to be looking at this morning in these verses in verses 14 through 21. So I would love to read this with you guys. If you're able to stand with me, go ahead and stand. If not, it's okay. We'll go from there. So let's read picking up at verse 14.
00:06:57
Speaker
says, and Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country, and he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. And he came to the and he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.
00:07:16
Speaker
As was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where he was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives.
00:07:39
Speaker
and recovering of sight to the blind, to set ah to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Then he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon him. And he began to say to them, today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. You guys may be seated.
00:08:11
Speaker
absolutely incredible account here in Scripture. One of my favorites to read just because of what it is alluding to and what it's ultimately pointing to.
00:08:24
Speaker
Because again, you got to remember after, so Jesus just went through this 40 days in the will her in the wilderness and being tempted by the devil himself. He didn't had and he that have anything to drink and anything to eat. So you can only imagine how Jesus was during the temptation, by the way. I'm from the southeast. I'm from Georgia. And when people don't eat in Georgia, you know it, right? They get cranky. They get hangry, as some people say.
00:08:47
Speaker
But yet Jesus, even in the midst of this, was able to keep his composure and to remain faithful to the to the Lord and to God and to by the power of the Holy Spirit. and He overcame every temptation that was thrown his way. And it says from there, after verse 13, it says, when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
00:09:09
Speaker
Right, so it wasn't that Satan just left, as as as Victor mentioned last week, it wasn't that Satan just left Jesus and never to ah appear to him again, but rather, Satan left him waiting for the opportune time. Right, so meaning that he's going to experience him again. But in verse 14, we're just going to kind of work our way through this. If Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee,
00:09:35
Speaker
So again, the rider Luke here is reaffirming to us that everything that it was Jesus did in his ministry was not under his own power. Yes, he's God incarnate, and yes, he's in and God in one, three, and one, but yet he relied on the Holy Spirit to get him through these things. So Jesus is setting an example for us as believers, those who walk in him, to to abide in the Spirit as he himself abide, abide in the Spirit. I don't know if abide's the right word, but abide it in the Spirit.
00:10:03
Speaker
So it says, he returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, to Galilee, a region that was not predominantly Jewish. okay these were These were predominantly non-Jews who were swaying away from the the Jewish tradition. They were believing other thoughts and other traditions. So this was a region, in our eyes, they were like, well, why would Jesus go there?
00:10:31
Speaker
But on the flip side, I'm going to challenge you with this. This is why would Jesus not go there? Because there is where every the opportune moments for Jesus to do His ministry were were there, right? Just like here in the States, just like here in our own community. We have a prime opportune region area around us right now who is seeking the who is seeking for truth and for hope.
00:10:55
Speaker
Again, with everything that's going on in our community right now, there there's there's people out there who are seeking hope, who are seeking light. And we as believers in Jesus have the opportunity to do exactly what Jesus did in them and the and the light of what's going on around us in the darkness that Satan is trying to tempt us with that to make us think that we are defeated, that the gospel has no power or no presence. It's the actual is is actually the opposite. And Jesus leads out an example of that.
00:11:25
Speaker
As he goes to Galilee, this region that many of us would think, or back then, in Jewish tradition, without that they were all lost, Jesus went to them, and he he spoke, and when he went with power, and he spoke in truth, and he shared the gospel. And it says this, and in a report about him went throughout all the surrounding country, and he taught there in their synagogues, being what? Glorified by all.
00:11:52
Speaker
So there in itself, Luke is letting us see that work was being done in this region. The gospel was being shared. Jesus' public ministry had begun and it was taking an effect on that entire region to where he was being glorified by all. And then he comes, so this is just a really small picture of the ministry that is actually happening here between Jesus' temptation and him actually returning to Nazareth.
00:12:20
Speaker
Because if you go you can go back to the book of John, you see ah another, and an expounded vision or or expounded picture of Jesus' early ministry and in Galilee, especially when he starts calling the disciples, right? But here, he's given us this condensed picture, the fact that, hey, Jesus, after his temptation, began his ministry and he began it with power.
00:12:43
Speaker
And people started believing in Him. People started recognizing the hope that was being offered to them through the gospel. And all would be He was being glorified by all. Now it picks up in verse 16 to where eventually Jesus, as He's going around to the other synagogues, He eventually returns home. He returns back to His own country, or to His own, I say country, to His own town, Nazareth.
00:13:08
Speaker
where he had been brought up, it says there in verse 16. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read. Now, I do want to take a side note here. This is something that in my mind, when I read this, it really sticks out. If Jesus thought it was important to go to the synagogue everywhere he went, why would it not be important for us today to do the same thing? To make a priority for it.
00:13:39
Speaker
There's so many believers that I encounter who say, yeah, I believe in Jesus, I believe in God, but the church isn't for me. There's too many hypocrites, there's too many of this, there's too many of that. It doesn't operate the way it needs to, yada, yada, yada, right? But the reality is is, one, there's no perfect church out there. Every church has its faults. But two, the church was given to us by God for our own good.
00:14:04
Speaker
for us to be in fellowship with one another so that way, one, we can recognize that we're all imperfect people. Let me tell you this. If you're in this room today, you are imperfect. You don't have to figure it out. This, I love the illustration I've heard about how the church in itself should be seen as a hospital rather than as a place of perfection, right? Because we're all broken. We all need Jesus.
00:14:29
Speaker
So it was given to us so that way we can recognize get our brokenness and our need for dependency on Jesus, because he is the head of the church.
00:14:42
Speaker
So again, and then I'm just gonna read you a quote that was from this commentary that I was reading, the Christ-centered exposition by Tabiti and Abuale. I don't know, I think that's how you pronounce his name. But he says this, how are we going to be like Jesus if we are customarily avoiding the things that Jesus customarily attended?
00:15:04
Speaker
The synagogue of Jesus' day was in worse shape than the churches of our day and the Lord still attended. that's That's very sobering, very humbling, right? But he yeah, it says that it was his custom. He went to the synagogue at Sabbath day and he stood up to read. Now again, you got to remember, Jesus at this point in his ministry, his his his ministry was being well recognized. So his popularity was growing. And so you can only imagine the city of Nazareth, right? Like, oh man, Jesus is coming back home. This is awesome.
00:15:34
Speaker
Right? This is like for us in Columbus, if somebody from the Columbus football team went off to the NFL and they came back. Well, I guess that's Mashover, right? But all that I say is like, he comes back, you're like, oh, wow, he's back. This is awesome. Right? Yeah. So you can only imagine the height that is that is happening within the city of Nazareth when he comes back. And so when he comes back in there, he gets the opportunity to stand up in his own synagogue, his own synagogue to be able to share a message.
00:16:04
Speaker
But for Jesus, the message that he used, the scroll that's fixing to give be given it to him, whether it was he chose it or there was just the the scroll that was happened to be read that morning, I can only imagine how excited he was when he found it, right? Because he says this, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. And he unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written. And guys, these verses give me chills every time.
00:16:32
Speaker
Because you guys you got to remember, so Jesus at this point, right? Isaiah, the the scroll of Isaiah was written over 700 years before he was born. 700 years. Right? So, but yet, listen to these words and how they are described and ultimately how they point to Jesus. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
00:17:01
Speaker
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives in recoverings of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
00:17:16
Speaker
So again, Jesus being the Son of God, you can only imagine what was going through His head when He was handed this scroll, and He came to this particular passage in Isaiah 61, of course, in our Bibles. Back then they didn't have chapter divisions or verse of divisions, right? But when He came to that part of the scroll, He was like, oh yeah, it's about to get good, right? and either Either he was thinking that or he was there either or that or he was heartbroken because he knew the response that was fixing to take place, which we're not going to look at today, but we'll look at next week. But as he was reading these things, you can only imagine the fire that was building up in him as he was reading these verses.
00:17:57
Speaker
Because over 700 years ago, Isaiah wrote these words down as a promise to the nation of Israel for the coming Messiah who will come in to restore their kingdom.
00:18:12
Speaker
So again, with that in mind, as the audience is hearing these words read, you gotta remember, this is a Jewish audience. So when they read this, when they hear this passage, they're thinking, yes, this is the time when the Messiah's gonna come and He's going to reclaim what is rightfully His, and He's gonna rebuild this kingdom, and He's gonna destroy the Romans and every other kingdom that comes against it. But is that what Jesus came to do?
00:18:37
Speaker
Because if you notice, Jesus actually, when you go back to Isaiah chapter 61, he actually leaves out the second part of verse two.
00:18:48
Speaker
Where it says, in the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who mourn. So again, when he says there to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
00:19:00
Speaker
The original scripture says, and the day of vengeance of our God. That's what the Jews were clinging to. And I'm pretty sure that's what they were waiting for him to say. But yeah, Jesus says, no, no, no. I have have come to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. I've come to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. ah So I'm going to stop right here for just a second, because again, there's some of you in this room in our community who are hurting.
00:19:30
Speaker
who who are who are walking through some hard things right now. And the reality is is, though those things will not ever stop coming because we're still in our flesh, we're still in our brokenness, the Lord is here, and He is here to walk us through these things. That's why this passage is so powerful.
00:19:51
Speaker
Because again, just read it. the lord The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. To the poor, right? To good news. And He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery aside to the blind, and set liberty those who are oppressed.
00:20:11
Speaker
If you're hurting this morning, if you're poor, whether it's financially, whether it's spiritually, whether it's whatever, fill in the blank. There's good news. There is a God who loves you. There is a God who loves you so much that He sent His servant, Jesus, His son, to god to come and to die on the cross for your sins.
00:20:34
Speaker
to rescue you from what you think is is overwhelming and and it's gonna keep you captive forever. He has come to set you free from those things, to proclaim liberty to the captives,
00:20:51
Speaker
to to bring healing, when he talks about recovering sight to the blind, to bring healing, to set liberty those who are oppressed. Guys,
00:21:02
Speaker
If there's anything else I want you guys to hear this morning is this. It's that no matter what you're facing, no matter what you're walking through this morning, none of it is too big for God to handle. God is not surprised by the two young men whose lives were lost. Alex Medrano, Ke'Andre Herd. Both lives were taken in two different ways. God is not surprised by that. Is God's heart broken by it? Absolutely.
00:21:33
Speaker
just like we all should be broken by it. But not all hope is lost because God has a divine plan for for situations like this. Their testimonies, their their their examples will go on before them. They will continue on. As you've already seen, the way our community has come to around one another, to support one another in light of this, I believe that God is at work.
00:22:02
Speaker
Because we need hope. People in this community need hope. They need the gospel. And yet God uses lives, like Alex Madrono and Kiandra heard, to bring that to life. And I know it's really hard to say that because it's it's hard for us to understand loss. We don't understand why God would take someone so early, a senior in high school or a 26-year-old kid. But yet God tells us that,
00:22:29
Speaker
He has come to proclaim good news to the poor and to proclaim liberty to the captives, to to bring liberty to those who are oppressed, those who are in need of salvation, those who are in need of hope, those who are in need of healing. God is here and He is bringing those things to us if we allow Him to. So I pray that if that's you this morning, that you allow God to come into your heart and to to Relieve into take that away from you in Matthew chapter 11. This is another verse that's been sticking out to me I wasn't gonna read it at first, but now I'm going to This is one of those verses that I highly encourage all of us to memorize I thought I memorized it and if I try to quote it right now, I will probably mess it up So I'm just gonna read it Bible drill
00:23:25
Speaker
Matthew chapter 11, picking up in verse 25, it says this in Jesus at that time, Jesus declared. Actually, I'm gonna go down just a little bit. Matthew chapter 11 verse 28 says, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.
00:23:42
Speaker
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. That is the Lord's desire.
00:23:59
Speaker
That's his heart. When he is coming to proclaim this right here, when he, in verse 20, 21, where he says that he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the tenant, sat down. And then ultimately in verse 21, where he says, today this scripture has been filled in your hearing. That's what he's wanting to do. He's wanting us to realize that he has come to take away the sins and the burdens by which we carry.
00:24:24
Speaker
we that we don't need to carry, that He's come to be our Savior. He's come to be our Messiah, the one to eliminate and to one who to take away the brokenness in this world.
00:24:37
Speaker
We just have to let Him do that. So again, this is a profound moment in Scripture where Jesus is coming before His own people, those who knew Him as He was growing up and those that He knew as a child.
00:24:54
Speaker
And he says, hey, this picture this this scripture is being fulfilled in me today. Now, as we look ahead next week into this passage, you're going to see how they respond. And they respond in such a way that many of us probably would respond now. Someone came into our own town and and claimed a message like this. But for us here today, I pray that you will find hope in this.
00:25:21
Speaker
that you will find peace in this knowing that Jesus in this moment is fulfilling a prophecy that took place over 700 years before he was born. A promise of hope and redemption for God's people. And as a result of this, it's not even just for the Jews because Jesus also talks about he came for the Gentiles, you and I, he came for all of us.
00:25:47
Speaker
This message of hope isn't just for the nation of Israel. This message of hope is for us. And so I pray, again, if you're here and you have and you're at the the end of your rope, if you will, you feel like there's no hope and that the darkness has consumed all things or or whatever, I pray that you will understand that all hope is not lost because it's already be claimed victorious.
00:26:15
Speaker
Through Jesus dying on the cross, we now have hope eternal. And because of His resurrection and now sitting at the right hand of the Father, we now have this hope that we can cling to and move forward with and proclaim to those around us because we know that God is not dead, but He is alive and He's sitting at the right hand of the Father, right? This is the greatest hope that we can have.
00:26:39
Speaker
So as we wrap up our time, though, again, I don't want to make light of what's going on in our community. I know there's a lot of hurting, a lot of people who are walking through some hard times. And then we, like I said, with our fellow brother, George Barnes, who is still walking through it.
00:26:56
Speaker
I pray that we will continue to be praying for the families who lost loved ones and be praying for George as he is still recovering. And it was even brought to my attention that before the service that they're even doing a barbecue fundraiser for for for George. And so as you see these things in our community, I pray that we will support it because George is a faithful brother in Christ. I work out with him at the gym. We have fruitful conversation all the time, at least we did. And so my heart breaks to see this.
00:27:26
Speaker
But the reality is that in light of situations and momentary afflictions and troubles like this, we can still cling to comfort and peace know that God is there. And that God is fulfilling His word as our Messiah, as our as our Savior. So I'm gonna pray for us. And if you need somebody to talk to, if you need if you are here today and you have never put your faith, hope, and trust in Jesus, I pray that you'll do that today.
00:27:56
Speaker
that you'll trust in Him as Savior and Lord of your life because the reality is is that He did come. He did come to live a perfect life, to die the perfect death for you and I so that way we can walk in newness of life today.
00:28:12
Speaker
So that way we can cling to the hope of what Jesus described and how He came to to liberate the oppressed and the captives and to bring healing and to bring the good news to the poor.
00:28:25
Speaker
So if you need somebody to talk to you, I'll be down front. If not, you can pray right where you're at. But I pray though that as we leave this place today, that we will be comforted knowing that we have a God and that we have a Savior who loves us so much to the point to where He came and died on the cross for us. And that all hope is not lost, but rather victory has already been claimed. May we not be distracted by the darkness that's around us. Will you pray with me?
00:28:54
Speaker
Father God we just come before you now Lord and we just thank you for the fact that you are a God who keeps his promises. We can spend so much more time looking back at Old Testament prophecies and how from the very beginning you're going to send your son Jesus to come a down the cross for our sins.
00:29:16
Speaker
But Lord, we do thank you for the fact that you do keep your promises that you did send your son Jesus, that he did live a perfect life, died the perfect death, and rose from the grave, conquering sin, evil, and death, so that way we can walk in newness of life with you today. And that despite what everything that's going on in our life around us, despite how broken things may be, Lord, you are mending it all together, and one day we'll be with you perfectly.
00:29:43
Speaker
So Lord, if there's anyone here today, though, who does not have the hope in Jesus as Lord, I pray, Father, they'll come to know you in a very real way today, that we can all walk confidently in peace and rest and comfort in you, knowing that you have paid the ultimate price for us. But Lord, we love you, we praise you, we thank you for this time. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
00:30:14
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church, located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.