Luke 4:14-22
THE MISSION OF THE MESSIAH
Intro: Ill. The context. Jesus here declares Himself to be Messiah. He
proved this fact several times throughout His ministry. He raised the dead,
He healed the sick, took authority over demonic spirits, took authority over
the laws of nature. Even in His birth, death and resurrection, He proved
repeatedly who He was. Just the hundreds of prophecies that were fulfilled
to the letter serve to prove that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and the Savior
of the world.
Still, men failed to recognize Him for Who He was. Look at verse 22, "Is not this Joseph's son?" Look at what they said about Him in John
8:19, 41. You see, He was and is far more than men could or can see. He
is the Son of God. He is the fulfillment of all the types and prophecies of the
Old Testament. He is the Son of Man, but He is so much more. He is:
- •Abel's Lamb
- •Noah's Ark
- •Abraham's Sacrifice
- •David's Good Shepherd
- •God's Tabernacle
- •The Perfect Sacrifice
Here, Jesus makes certain claims regarding why He came. He quotes Isaiah 61:1-2, and applies this scripture to Himself and His ministry. All of
these things Jesus quotes were fulfilled in His lifetime. Yet, they continue
to be fulfilled everyday that the world stands. What He was doing then, He
is still doing! He will never die again, he will never rise from the dead again.
No more will men beat Him and spit in His face. But, there are still portions
of His ministry that He continues to carry out daily in your life and mine. As
we draw nearer to the celebration of our Lord's birth into this world, let's
think for a little while today about just why He came in the first place. These
verses tell us something about the Mission Of The Messiah.
I. V.18a THE MYSTERY OF HIS MISSION
A. During His life, men marveled at what he did - Ill. Mk. 2:12; Matt.
9:33. Five times people said they were astonished at His doctrine,
His teachings and His ways.
B. No man will ever be able to duplicate all that Jesus did. (Temptation,
opposition, rejection, separation from God, crucifixion, sinless life,
etc.) (Note: His coming to this world was for one singular purpose:
He came to die - John 18:37; Mark 10:45.)
C. However, all that Jesus did, He did not as God, though He was God.
All that He did, He did as a Spirit-filled man! (Ill. Phil. 2:5-8) (Ill. His
ministry began after the Holy Ghost came upon Him! (Matt. 3:16-17)
Jesus was able to do all He did because the Spirit had "Anointed
Him". He came upon Jesus in total filling that He might accomplish
great things for His Father. That is the MYSTERY of His mission!
D. This is good news for us! We are commanded to be Spirit filled,
Eph. 5:18. And, when we are totally filled, we can experience the
fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus Christ concerning His people, John 14:12! (Note: Too much of what is done in the church can be
accomplished without the agency of the Holy Spirit. Eternity is
impacted only when we lay down the control of our lives at the feet
of the Master and allow Him to assume His rightful place as the Lord
of all of life!)
II. V.18b-19 THE MAJESTY OF HIS MISSION
A. Jesus came to this world with a job to do. A job that He still
performs!
B. He came to:
1. Preach The Gospel To The Poor - To herald the good news
to those who were destitute of wealth, position, influence
and honor. Those who, literally, cower before a great God.
Jesus came to the needy, financially and spiritually! (Matt.
11:28; Isa. 55:1; Rev. 22:17.) (Ill. Where did He find you?)
2. To Heal The Brokenhearted - To cure those who have
suffered extreme sorrow! Speaks to those who's spirit has
been crushed. Literally, "to be under the foot of a conqueror".
(Ill. Jesus knows! - Job 23:10; Jesus cares! - 1Pet. 5:7; Jesus
is There! - Heb. 13:5; Jesus is Working! - Rom. 8:28) Don't give
up, the Lord is on your side! (Ill. Ever been there?)
3. To Preach Deliverance To The Captives - Literally: "Those
held at spear point") To declare that there is freedom to
everyone held captive by Satan's spear! Ill. Sinners are held
captive, they are in bondage to Satan. Jesus can set them free! Note: Some saints are held captive - Ill. Samson - Blinds,
Binds, Grinds! (Ill. Pro. 13:15) Jesus can set the sinning saint
free! To be free, a person must submit under God's mighty
hand! (1John 1:9) (Ill. Where did He find you?)
4. Recovering Of Sight To The Blind - To give sight to those
blinded by smoke. Literally, the mentally and spiritually blind.
Ill. Satan's power to deceive - 2 Cor. 4:4; 2 Co. 3:14; 2Co.
11:14; 1 Tim. 4:1. Jesus can open the eyes blinded by Satan!
(Ill. Blinded to hell, consequences, dangers, etc!) (Ill. Where did
He find you? Ill. Ever been there?)
5. To Set At Liberty Them That Are Bruised - To release from
bondage those that have been crushed, or oppressed.
Satan is having a great time at the expense of God's children!
He has no right to trash your life! He has no right to infiltrate
your mind, he has no right to devastate your life. You have the
authority over him, Eph. 4:27; James 4:7; Rev. 12:11) (Here is
the secret - 2 Cor. 10:5) You do not have to be continually
beaten up! Jesus has promised you the victory, 1 Cor. 15:57.
But, it is up to us to walk in it! (Ill. Don't you need to be set
free?)
6. To Preach The Acceptable Year Of The Lord - To proclaim
that the doors of salvation have been opened, the doors of
healing and ministry have been opened. To remind us that
there is coming a blessed time when God's people will be with
Him in Heaven, Rev.21:4. To remind us that there will come a
day when righteousness and blessing will reign on the earth!
(Now is the right time to have God move in your life! Regardless
of your need!)
(Note: His would be a ministry of compassion for all those who were
injured by sin, the devil and the battles of life. He promised to deal
tenderly with all who needed His touch, Isa. 42:3, "A bruised reed
shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he
shall bring forth judgment unto truth.")
III. V.20-21 THE MESSAGE OF HIS MISSION
A. Here, Jesus declared Himself to be the One, the Christ, the Messiah!
He told them that what they had waited for was there. All they had
to do was accept Him. Ill. Their reaction - verses 28-30. They
rejected Him and tried to kill Him.
B. Jesus is still the Messiah! What He promised then, He can do
tonight! All He is seeking is for some to believe Him and His
message, Mark 9:23.
C. What will you do with the claims of Jesus? Make them yours and
live in victory? Or, ignore them and live in defeat? It's totally up to
you. He is still Messiah, and He still cares for you, regardless of
where you have been.
Conc: There's more to Jesus than meets the eye! He is far more than a
babe in a manger or a pale, dead figure on a cross. He is the risen Lord this
evening and He is seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. He is
making intercession for you right now, Heb. 7:25. He loves you and wants
to help you if there is a need in your life. Don't do like the people of
Nazareth did and try to push Him away. Bow to Him and let Him have His
way in your life.
