WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.480 You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama. 00:00:06.980 --> 00:00:09.540 Our passion is to experience and express grace. 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:10.620 Join us. 00:00:11.919 --> 00:00:15.120 Turn with me this morning to Luke chapter 4. 00:00:16.339 --> 00:00:17.339 Luke 4. 00:00:18.760 --> 00:00:26.839 We have seen recently in Luke's gospel, Jesus as the promised Messiah, the beloved Son of 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:27.260 God. 00:00:27.940 --> 00:00:33.100 Seen Him confirmed in that identity through His faithful obedience and temptation, right? 00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:40.540 As He succeeded in the wilderness and the places that we have failed. 00:00:41.260 --> 00:00:44.960 Ron did such a great job with that, walking us through that. 00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:50.560 This morning we look at a passage where Jesus lays out His plan for public ministry. 00:00:51.260 --> 00:00:55.200 He gives the blueprint for kingdom ministry, you could say. 00:00:55.200 --> 00:01:01.420 This is what I'm going to do as the anointed deliverer, moving the kingdom of God forward. 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:02.760 Here's what it's going to look like. 00:01:03.800 --> 00:01:08.240 It's a really helpful outline and list of priorities that the gospel story bears out. 00:01:08.320 --> 00:01:12.760 We're going to see themes we talk about this morning time and time again through the gospel 00:01:12.760 --> 00:01:13.379 of Luke. 00:01:13.379 --> 00:01:14.019 Luke. 00:01:14.019 --> 00:01:20.759 And Jesus sticks to His promises in His ministry as Luke 4 becomes a consistent pattern for 00:01:20.759 --> 00:01:21.179 Jesus. 00:01:21.899 --> 00:01:25.359 And of course then for His church as well. 00:01:26.119 --> 00:01:28.359 What does kingdom ministry look like for us? 00:01:28.420 --> 00:01:33.539 If we're to be His followers, then our role is to see His kingdom advanced. 00:01:33.739 --> 00:01:38.000 And He's the one who shows us and tells us what that's going to look like, right? 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:43.760 What things should characterize the ministry of Southwood Presbyterian Church? 00:01:44.180 --> 00:01:46.900 What things should characterize the lives of her members? 00:01:48.120 --> 00:01:49.859 That sounds easy and exciting, right? 00:01:50.219 --> 00:01:51.319 What's it all going to be like? 00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:52.079 Tell us the plan. 00:01:52.180 --> 00:01:52.739 Let's go. 00:01:54.019 --> 00:01:59.319 Well, listen as we read because some of the people who first heard the plan were excited 00:01:59.319 --> 00:01:59.700 too. 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:06.599 By the end of the day though, they wanted to kill Jesus rather than follow His plan. 00:02:06.599 --> 00:02:11.419 Read with me this remarkable day, Luke 4 at verse 14. 00:02:12.599 --> 00:02:14.099 This is God's holy word. 00:02:14.780 --> 00:02:20.000 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee and a report about Him went through 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:21.459 all the surrounding country. 00:02:22.180 --> 00:02:25.319 And He taught in their synagogues being glorified by all. 00:02:25.740 --> 00:02:30.340 And He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up and as was His custom, He went to the synagogue 00:02:30.340 --> 00:02:32.620 on the Sabbath day and He stood up to read. 00:02:33.359 --> 00:02:36.019 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. 00:02:36.020 --> 00:02:39.380 He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:44.900 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to 00:02:44.900 --> 00:02:45.340 the poor. 00:02:46.020 --> 00:02:50.460 He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, 00:02:50.820 --> 00:02:55.320 to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. 00:02:55.319 --> 00:03:00.479 And He rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. 00:03:01.079 --> 00:03:03.739 And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 00:03:03.799 --> 00:03:05.280 And He began to say to them, 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:09.699 Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. 00:03:10.780 --> 00:03:15.560 And all spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from His mouth. 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:16.139 And they said, 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:17.500 Is not this Joseph's son? 00:03:17.500 --> 00:03:19.879 And He said to them, 00:03:20.020 --> 00:03:22.180 Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 00:03:22.520 --> 00:03:23.919 Physician, heal yourself. 00:03:24.699 --> 00:03:28.280 What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well. 00:03:28.979 --> 00:03:29.840 And He said, 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:31.199 Truly I say to you, 00:03:31.419 --> 00:03:33.819 No prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:35.159 But in truth, 00:03:35.240 --> 00:03:38.259 I tell you there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah 00:03:38.259 --> 00:03:41.180 when the heavens were shut up three years and six months 00:03:41.180 --> 00:03:43.540 and a great famine came over all the land. 00:03:43.939 --> 00:03:45.960 And Elijah was sent to none of them, 00:03:46.340 --> 00:03:49.159 but only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon, 00:03:49.659 --> 00:03:50.840 to a woman who was a widow. 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:55.500 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha. 00:03:55.840 --> 00:03:57.360 And none of them was cleansed, 00:03:57.439 --> 00:03:59.520 but only Naaman the Syrian. 00:04:01.219 --> 00:04:02.500 When they heard these things, 00:04:02.600 --> 00:04:05.180 all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 00:04:05.340 --> 00:04:07.819 And they rose up and drove him out of the town 00:04:07.819 --> 00:04:10.719 and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:12.780 so that they could throw him down the cliff. 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:15.439 But passing through their midst, 00:04:16.339 --> 00:04:16.939 he went away. 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:19.899 Thus far, God's holy word. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:21.540 Let's pray and ask for His help. 00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:26.199 Father, that is our heart. 00:04:26.339 --> 00:04:29.459 That is the posture in which we come to Your word, 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:31.920 needing Your help. 00:04:33.420 --> 00:04:37.639 We don't just need help to understand the words 00:04:37.639 --> 00:04:39.819 and to make sense of them. 00:04:39.819 --> 00:04:42.060 We need Your help, Holy Spirit. 00:04:43.099 --> 00:04:47.480 That they might have their intended impact on our hearts. 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:51.480 That they might show us our sin. 00:04:51.599 --> 00:04:53.779 That they might show us our Savior. 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:57.079 That we might see and hope in Him. 00:04:57.199 --> 00:05:01.719 That we might be changed as a result of meeting with You. 00:05:02.060 --> 00:05:03.560 Holy Spirit, speak. 00:05:03.560 --> 00:05:07.959 Would You speak even through one such as me, 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:11.319 who wrestles and struggles with this passage, 00:05:11.459 --> 00:05:13.620 perhaps more than anyone else in the room. 00:05:14.740 --> 00:05:16.980 Would You use me to speak? 00:05:17.340 --> 00:05:19.259 Would You speak to me by Your Spirit 00:05:19.259 --> 00:05:20.600 and also through me, 00:05:21.259 --> 00:05:23.220 that we might hear Your voice. 00:05:24.379 --> 00:05:25.540 That's our need, 00:05:25.620 --> 00:05:26.540 to hear from You. 00:05:26.540 --> 00:05:28.319 And so we ask it in Jesus' name. 00:05:29.180 --> 00:05:29.500 Amen. 00:05:33.260 --> 00:05:36.640 So Jesus begins His public ministry here, 00:05:36.760 --> 00:05:39.120 traveling around to different towns. 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:41.340 And regularly when He gets there, 00:05:41.379 --> 00:05:42.240 He's teaching, right? 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:47.199 Particularly His habit is going to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. 00:05:47.400 --> 00:05:49.300 That's where you find Jesus. 00:05:49.500 --> 00:05:50.960 He's showing up to teach. 00:05:51.100 --> 00:05:52.280 So many sermons, 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:54.660 Luke doesn't record all of them, 00:05:54.759 --> 00:05:58.160 but He gives us one particular account here from Nazareth, 00:05:58.300 --> 00:05:59.759 Jesus' hometown. 00:06:01.019 --> 00:06:03.800 So this first sermon kind of sets the agenda, 00:06:03.960 --> 00:06:04.860 is the blueprint, 00:06:05.960 --> 00:06:08.360 His priorities for His ministry, 00:06:08.699 --> 00:06:10.639 how God's kingdom is going to come. 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:13.599 There are priorities that are to be hopeful and exciting, 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:17.360 just as we've been promised already in the Gospel of Luke. 00:06:17.419 --> 00:06:18.599 There's good stuff coming. 00:06:18.759 --> 00:06:19.360 Jesus says, 00:06:19.699 --> 00:06:20.439 here's the message, 00:06:20.620 --> 00:06:21.979 the time has come. 00:06:22.300 --> 00:06:23.719 What you've been waiting for, 00:06:23.819 --> 00:06:26.099 those last days you've heard promised 00:06:26.099 --> 00:06:27.979 through the Old Testament Scriptures, 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:29.259 they're here. 00:06:30.139 --> 00:06:31.519 Salvation is coming, 00:06:32.120 --> 00:06:32.659 now, 00:06:32.939 --> 00:06:33.699 through me. 00:06:34.719 --> 00:06:36.219 That's what He's declaring. 00:06:36.479 --> 00:06:37.839 It's really exciting, right? 00:06:38.379 --> 00:06:39.740 What they've all been waiting for. 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:43.659 Don't forget these priorities as we go through Luke, 00:06:43.719 --> 00:06:47.139 because this is the paradigm that Jesus is setting up. 00:06:47.379 --> 00:06:49.240 Priorities for kingdom ministry. 00:06:49.599 --> 00:06:49.899 First, 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:52.479 the ministry of His kingdom begins, 00:06:52.779 --> 00:06:53.459 and ends, 00:06:53.919 --> 00:06:56.259 with a Christ-centered focus. 00:06:57.300 --> 00:06:59.419 Look what He selects from the prophet Isaiah, 00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:00.719 verse 18. 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:03.480 He opens to Isaiah 61, 00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:04.240 and says, 00:07:04.460 --> 00:07:06.540 the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, 00:07:06.740 --> 00:07:09.760 because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. 00:07:10.160 --> 00:07:12.300 He sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:14.020 and recovering of sight to the blind, 00:07:14.140 --> 00:07:16.060 to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:18.500 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. 00:07:19.200 --> 00:07:20.720 And Jesus reads that, 00:07:21.420 --> 00:07:23.680 and then He rolls up the scroll that He's been given. 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:25.800 He gives it back to the synagogue leader, 00:07:25.900 --> 00:07:27.060 as He would every week. 00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:29.100 And then this is what happens. 00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:30.579 In these synagogues, 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:33.379 you stand for the reading of God's Word, 00:07:33.540 --> 00:07:36.139 and then you sit down to give the sermon. 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:38.319 I'm not going to put that into practice this morning. 00:07:38.400 --> 00:07:39.319 You might feel a little awkward. 00:07:39.800 --> 00:07:41.560 But you sit down to preach. 00:07:41.699 --> 00:07:42.939 So that's what Jesus does. 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:44.040 And everyone's looking to Him. 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:45.160 What's He going to say now? 00:07:45.840 --> 00:07:47.120 And He began this way, 00:07:47.960 --> 00:07:48.400 today, 00:07:49.860 --> 00:07:52.720 this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. 00:07:53.520 --> 00:07:57.280 Notice what He's saying in the passage that He selected from Isaiah. 00:07:57.760 --> 00:08:00.100 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. 00:08:00.320 --> 00:08:01.840 He has anointed me. 00:08:02.100 --> 00:08:03.720 He has sent me 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:06.480 to do all of these things. 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:08.240 And Jesus, having read that, 00:08:08.340 --> 00:08:08.600 says, 00:08:08.980 --> 00:08:09.480 today, 00:08:10.120 --> 00:08:12.160 this Scripture about me, 00:08:12.700 --> 00:08:14.140 fulfilled in your hearing. 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:17.439 That's where the kingdom begins, right? 00:08:17.960 --> 00:08:19.180 The anointed one, 00:08:19.460 --> 00:08:20.680 the promised Messiah, 00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:23.340 the King has come. 00:08:24.400 --> 00:08:25.600 And the ministry of the kingdom 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:28.640 never goes forward apart from the King. 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:30.760 That sounds obvious, right? 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:32.080 Well, that was really profound. 00:08:32.279 --> 00:08:35.180 But we can never lose sight of that. 00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:37.399 Churches can do lots of things. 00:08:38.100 --> 00:08:40.860 We can have a lot of fun doing a lot of things. 00:08:41.779 --> 00:08:45.040 But if we're not about the worship of King Jesus, 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:48.120 the proclamation of King Jesus, 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:53.600 the demonstration of the impact of King Jesus on our lives and our world, 00:08:54.079 --> 00:08:57.779 then it's not kingdom ministry that we're doing. 00:08:58.740 --> 00:09:01.379 You can't have the kingdom without the King. 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:02.839 He sets the agenda. 00:09:03.240 --> 00:09:04.500 He provides the grace. 00:09:04.819 --> 00:09:05.839 He gets the glory. 00:09:06.179 --> 00:09:07.039 And no one else. 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:12.319 Everything we do and say corporately must point to Him, 00:09:12.939 --> 00:09:13.879 not the preacher. 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:19.099 Everything we do and say individually must point to Him, 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:20.740 not the church member. 00:09:21.879 --> 00:09:24.659 We live in His strength rather than our own 00:09:24.659 --> 00:09:28.259 and for His glory rather than our own. 00:09:28.259 --> 00:09:36.819 Secondly, the ministry of the kingdom features both word and deed. 00:09:37.740 --> 00:09:41.360 Constantly, the kingdom has a message to proclaim 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:44.159 and an impact to make. 00:09:44.659 --> 00:09:49.360 It sounds like something and it feels like something. 00:09:50.100 --> 00:09:54.899 Maybe the most obvious parallel is in the descriptions in verse 18. 00:09:54.899 --> 00:10:00.759 You'll see right there Jesus has been sent to proclaim liberty 00:10:00.759 --> 00:10:06.039 and then later to provide liberty, to set at liberty. 00:10:06.600 --> 00:10:10.539 He is both announcing it and bringing it. 00:10:11.079 --> 00:10:13.620 He's announcing that there's good news 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:17.319 and He's actually bringing it into existence to reality. 00:10:17.320 --> 00:10:20.600 The word aspect of the kingdom, 00:10:20.780 --> 00:10:23.660 constantly present as Jesus, as He is here, 00:10:23.740 --> 00:10:24.800 preaches and teaches, 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:26.500 calls to repentance, 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:28.540 offers eternal hope, 00:10:28.780 --> 00:10:30.820 proclaims the good news of salvation. 00:10:32.120 --> 00:10:35.260 And the deeds accompany the words. 00:10:36.020 --> 00:10:38.300 He actually cures sick people 00:10:38.300 --> 00:10:40.080 while promising healing. 00:10:40.540 --> 00:10:42.700 He actually feeds hungry people 00:10:42.700 --> 00:10:45.420 while proclaiming Himself as the bread of life. 00:10:45.419 --> 00:10:48.719 He actually eats with the poor and the oppressed 00:10:48.719 --> 00:10:51.339 while teaching love for a neighbor, right? 00:10:51.839 --> 00:10:54.419 Do you see the priority of word and deed together? 00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:57.219 There's a message to proclaim here. 00:10:57.299 --> 00:10:59.339 Good news, the King is here. 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:01.599 Forgiveness for the worst sinner. 00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:04.519 Freedom for those in bondage. 00:11:05.059 --> 00:11:07.539 Jubilee for the biggest debtors. 00:11:07.620 --> 00:11:08.639 That's a strange word, right? 00:11:08.719 --> 00:11:10.000 Jubilee, where'd you get that? 00:11:10.240 --> 00:11:13.179 That's what the hearers in that Jewish synagogue 00:11:13.179 --> 00:11:15.259 would have heard when Jesus read 00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:17.120 the year of the Lord's favor 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:19.319 at the end of verse 19. 00:11:19.639 --> 00:11:20.519 Jubilee, right? 00:11:20.899 --> 00:11:23.379 Every 50 years, debts forgiven. 00:11:24.059 --> 00:11:25.139 Slave set free. 00:11:25.319 --> 00:11:27.519 Land returned to the owner. 00:11:29.599 --> 00:11:31.479 All of those things happening 00:11:31.479 --> 00:11:33.899 because the message must be accompanied 00:11:33.899 --> 00:11:37.379 by an experience of the same thing. 00:11:37.459 --> 00:11:39.500 A foretaste of glory. 00:11:40.179 --> 00:11:41.319 Let me say it this way. 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:44.020 Forgiveness as the message 00:11:44.020 --> 00:11:48.200 can feel like a friend or a family member 00:11:48.200 --> 00:11:51.160 who finds you in shame and hiding 00:11:51.160 --> 00:11:52.960 and patiently accepts you 00:11:52.960 --> 00:11:55.820 and stays with you even in the midst of your struggle. 00:11:57.100 --> 00:11:58.860 Forgiveness can feel like that. 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:03.500 Freedom can feel like societal systems 00:12:03.500 --> 00:12:05.180 that treat you equally 00:12:05.180 --> 00:12:07.540 regardless of your race or your background. 00:12:07.539 --> 00:12:11.719 Jubilee as the message can feel 00:12:11.719 --> 00:12:14.099 like communities who welcome a refugee 00:12:14.099 --> 00:12:15.519 or an outsider 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:17.899 and help him find a place to fit in. 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:21.139 Hearing about King Jesus 00:12:21.139 --> 00:12:24.480 and experiencing the reality of King Jesus 00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:26.519 must go together. 00:12:27.899 --> 00:12:30.379 Think about the priority of word and deed 00:12:30.379 --> 00:12:33.559 together in terms of marriage reconciliation. 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:35.639 We know that this would be true. 00:12:35.799 --> 00:12:37.739 It's a good picture of it for us. 00:12:38.139 --> 00:12:40.419 Imagine Billy and Sally are married 00:12:40.419 --> 00:12:42.339 and Billy has an affair 00:12:42.339 --> 00:12:44.059 and Sally finds out. 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:46.259 But they want to work things out. 00:12:47.299 --> 00:12:50.359 And so the message Billy needs to communicate 00:12:50.359 --> 00:12:51.559 is love. 00:12:52.299 --> 00:12:52.500 Right? 00:12:53.599 --> 00:12:55.599 But we know talk is cheap. 00:12:56.799 --> 00:12:57.939 That's what we say. 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:00.959 If Billy just begins to say 30 times a day, 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:03.480 I love you, I love you, I love you. 00:13:03.680 --> 00:13:06.440 But nothing ever changes in the way he acts. 00:13:06.540 --> 00:13:08.820 He's doing all of the same things 00:13:08.820 --> 00:13:10.300 that he has been doing. 00:13:10.680 --> 00:13:14.060 His words, the message won't be believed, will it? 00:13:14.660 --> 00:13:15.980 It'll fall on deaf ears. 00:13:16.620 --> 00:13:18.440 But the opposite is true too. 00:13:18.560 --> 00:13:21.420 If Billy starts washing the dishes all the time, 00:13:21.460 --> 00:13:22.639 even when they're not dirty, 00:13:22.860 --> 00:13:25.320 and he starts doing everything that Sally wants 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:27.280 and trying to be this perfect husband, 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:30.939 and yet he still spews hatred towards her 00:13:30.939 --> 00:13:33.740 and says hateful things all of the time, 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:36.379 it won't work. 00:13:36.500 --> 00:13:37.779 The deeds will fall flat. 00:13:38.220 --> 00:13:39.279 They'll seem fake. 00:13:40.699 --> 00:13:42.639 In fact, even if he's just silent 00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:44.919 and never once says, 00:13:45.299 --> 00:13:45.919 I love you, 00:13:45.980 --> 00:13:47.799 she'll start to wonder about the message 00:13:47.799 --> 00:13:50.139 all these kind deeds are communicating, 00:13:50.319 --> 00:13:50.699 won't she? 00:13:50.860 --> 00:13:51.879 If she says to him, 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:52.819 I love you, 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:54.959 and his response is to ignore it 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:57.259 or just to smile and carry on, 00:13:57.320 --> 00:13:58.420 she's going to begin to wonder, 00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:00.740 what's this game? 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:02.740 What's he up to with all these things he's doing? 00:14:02.780 --> 00:14:04.940 He won't even tell me that he loves me. 00:14:06.660 --> 00:14:08.440 If the message is love, 00:14:08.840 --> 00:14:11.019 word and deed must go together. 00:14:12.160 --> 00:14:13.820 You can't neglect either. 00:14:14.580 --> 00:14:15.660 In Jesus' kingdom, 00:14:15.820 --> 00:14:18.700 it's always word and deed. 00:14:18.900 --> 00:14:20.000 We're going to see that 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:21.500 throughout the Gospel of Luke. 00:14:21.500 --> 00:14:24.100 So one last priority of kingdom ministry 00:14:24.100 --> 00:14:25.440 here in this passage. 00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:29.440 It runs graciously toward the needy 00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:31.100 to provide help. 00:14:32.220 --> 00:14:33.940 Whether it's words or deeds, 00:14:34.039 --> 00:14:36.559 who's the object of all of these things 00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:38.299 that Jesus is doing in his ministry 00:14:38.299 --> 00:14:39.379 here in this passage? 00:14:39.779 --> 00:14:41.200 Look at verse 18 again. 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:43.720 Who is it that's going to receive 00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:45.700 all of the things Jesus is doing? 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:48.899 Proclaim good news to the poor. 00:14:48.899 --> 00:14:52.379 Proclaim liberty to the captives. 00:14:52.699 --> 00:14:55.139 Recovering of sight to the blind. 00:14:55.939 --> 00:14:56.759 Set at liberty, 00:14:57.079 --> 00:14:58.539 those who are oppressed. 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:00.120 The poor, 00:15:00.699 --> 00:15:01.539 the captives, 00:15:01.659 --> 00:15:02.620 the blind, 00:15:02.899 --> 00:15:03.720 the oppressed. 00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:05.179 Later in the conversation, 00:15:05.340 --> 00:15:07.799 he'll use examples of a hungry widow, 00:15:08.419 --> 00:15:09.639 a desperate leper. 00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:13.039 This is the reality of the jubilee 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:14.460 Jesus is proclaiming. 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:16.500 The playing field is leveled, 00:15:16.699 --> 00:15:16.960 right? 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:17.700 It's reset. 00:15:18.980 --> 00:15:19.879 It's another evidence 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:21.860 of what we've been talking about 00:15:21.860 --> 00:15:23.500 as the theme of Luke. 00:15:23.900 --> 00:15:26.540 Good news of great joy for whom? 00:15:27.220 --> 00:15:29.300 For all people. 00:15:30.379 --> 00:15:31.540 And that's exciting, right? 00:15:32.220 --> 00:15:33.759 Hopefully you feel a little bit 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:35.060 of what Jesus' audience 00:15:35.060 --> 00:15:37.300 apparently felt when they heard it. 00:15:37.379 --> 00:15:37.759 Awesome! 00:15:38.100 --> 00:15:39.100 The Messiah is here. 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:40.440 Good things are happening. 00:15:40.900 --> 00:15:42.100 Needs are being met. 00:15:42.340 --> 00:15:43.500 This sounds great. 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:45.800 Good news for all sorts of people. 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:47.459 I'm so excited, Jesus. 00:15:48.199 --> 00:15:50.219 They all responded that way. 00:15:51.699 --> 00:15:52.819 But apparently, 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:55.639 this is also the tipping point 00:15:55.639 --> 00:15:57.379 for the Jews in the synagogue. 00:15:58.339 --> 00:16:00.059 They're riding high, right? 00:16:00.299 --> 00:16:02.559 Excitement is palpable in the pews. 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:04.439 I'm sure they had pews in the synagogue. 00:16:05.019 --> 00:16:05.639 In fact, 00:16:05.779 --> 00:16:07.579 the guy behind all of this 00:16:07.579 --> 00:16:09.039 is Joseph's son, right? 00:16:09.379 --> 00:16:10.120 This is our guy. 00:16:10.139 --> 00:16:10.779 We know him. 00:16:10.819 --> 00:16:11.719 He grew up here. 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:13.200 All of a sudden, 00:16:13.620 --> 00:16:15.080 here's our hometown hero. 00:16:15.800 --> 00:16:17.480 We're gonna be on the inside. 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:19.259 You used to say, 00:16:19.700 --> 00:16:22.620 what good could possibly come from Nazareth? 00:16:22.840 --> 00:16:24.300 You won't say that anymore. 00:16:24.840 --> 00:16:26.420 The guy we've all been waiting for, 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:27.480 he's our guy. 00:16:27.720 --> 00:16:28.840 We're gonna be connected. 00:16:28.840 --> 00:16:33.240 This is our big chance. 00:16:33.860 --> 00:16:34.940 They're so excited. 00:16:35.139 --> 00:16:36.480 He's got them right there. 00:16:36.540 --> 00:16:37.820 He could say anything he wanted. 00:16:37.920 --> 00:16:39.220 They'd do anything he asks. 00:16:39.780 --> 00:16:40.820 And all I can think is, 00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:42.139 Jesus must have passed 00:16:42.139 --> 00:16:43.720 the magical 30-minute mark 00:16:43.720 --> 00:16:44.340 in his sermon, 00:16:44.540 --> 00:16:46.360 and they all just turned against him. 00:16:47.019 --> 00:16:47.139 Like, 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:49.080 that's not what happened. 00:16:49.080 --> 00:16:52.100 It's actually something 00:16:52.100 --> 00:16:53.080 much more intentional 00:16:53.080 --> 00:16:54.720 in Jesus' words, 00:16:54.980 --> 00:16:56.080 because he senses 00:16:56.080 --> 00:16:58.120 this opportunistic desire 00:16:58.120 --> 00:16:59.160 from the crowd. 00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:01.360 He can tell they're thinking, 00:17:01.540 --> 00:17:01.879 yes, 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:04.299 good news of great joy 00:17:04.299 --> 00:17:06.220 for all of us. 00:17:07.620 --> 00:17:09.620 All of us who've been waiting. 00:17:09.779 --> 00:17:10.700 We've been promised 00:17:10.700 --> 00:17:12.920 that there was something exciting coming. 00:17:13.299 --> 00:17:14.779 That's what we've been waiting for, 00:17:14.900 --> 00:17:15.180 Jesus. 00:17:16.120 --> 00:17:16.660 And he says, 00:17:16.740 --> 00:17:17.660 you need to understand, 00:17:17.660 --> 00:17:20.680 I mean all people. 00:17:23.060 --> 00:17:24.460 Gentile dogs, 00:17:25.180 --> 00:17:26.060 as you call them. 00:17:26.380 --> 00:17:27.019 Outsiders. 00:17:27.860 --> 00:17:29.920 I'm not here to fulfill Scripture 00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:31.160 only in Nazareth, 00:17:31.340 --> 00:17:32.279 but all over, 00:17:32.500 --> 00:17:34.440 and you won't like me for it, 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:35.580 he says. 00:17:35.880 --> 00:17:37.940 Let me make sure you're hearing me. 00:17:39.060 --> 00:17:40.600 Like the prophet Elijah 00:17:40.600 --> 00:17:41.519 bringing the kingdom 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:42.800 to the Gentile widow. 00:17:43.140 --> 00:17:44.620 Like the prophet Elisha 00:17:44.620 --> 00:17:45.680 bringing the kingdom 00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:47.180 to the Gentile leper. 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:49.460 I'm here to run toward 00:17:49.460 --> 00:17:51.539 those kind of needy outsiders. 00:17:52.060 --> 00:17:53.560 And it sends them over the edge, 00:17:53.620 --> 00:17:53.940 doesn't it? 00:17:55.580 --> 00:17:56.759 They can't take it. 00:17:57.500 --> 00:17:59.279 When Jesus runs graciously 00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:00.799 toward needy outsiders, 00:18:01.380 --> 00:18:03.019 some who want to be insiders 00:18:03.019 --> 00:18:04.920 feel left out. 00:18:06.580 --> 00:18:08.700 They're so outraged, in fact, 00:18:08.779 --> 00:18:10.840 at this priority of Jesus' kingdom 00:18:10.840 --> 00:18:12.799 that they go from cheering him 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:14.539 to chasing him out of town 00:18:14.539 --> 00:18:15.580 in order to kill him. 00:18:15.579 --> 00:18:18.899 You see, these Jews lived 00:18:18.899 --> 00:18:21.659 in a culture of a hierarchical 00:18:21.659 --> 00:18:22.619 social order. 00:18:23.539 --> 00:18:24.759 Some people were in, 00:18:25.559 --> 00:18:26.859 others were out. 00:18:27.139 --> 00:18:28.240 Even in the synagogue 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:29.079 where they're sitting 00:18:29.079 --> 00:18:30.079 listening to Jesus, 00:18:30.439 --> 00:18:32.159 where you sat in the synagogue 00:18:32.159 --> 00:18:33.039 was determined 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:34.079 based on your gender, 00:18:34.819 --> 00:18:35.439 your birth, 00:18:35.919 --> 00:18:36.659 the qualifications 00:18:36.659 --> 00:18:38.319 that you had achieved 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:39.299 in your life. 00:18:39.299 --> 00:18:42.579 This structure of society 00:18:42.579 --> 00:18:43.919 and your social rank 00:18:43.919 --> 00:18:46.279 determined where you sat to eat, 00:18:46.659 --> 00:18:48.159 to whom you spoke 00:18:48.159 --> 00:18:49.599 or didn't speak, 00:18:49.940 --> 00:18:51.500 what kind of work you did 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:53.099 or didn't do. 00:18:53.399 --> 00:18:54.279 This is the world 00:18:54.279 --> 00:18:55.619 in which they lived. 00:18:55.980 --> 00:18:56.740 And they, 00:18:56.940 --> 00:18:58.279 those listening to Jesus, 00:18:58.539 --> 00:19:00.579 they were the religious insiders, 00:19:01.379 --> 00:19:01.940 weren't they? 00:19:02.759 --> 00:19:04.180 They were there in the synagogue 00:19:04.180 --> 00:19:06.840 and that religious insider status 00:19:06.840 --> 00:19:08.140 must be maintained. 00:19:09.340 --> 00:19:11.000 So they'd been rejoicing, right? 00:19:11.140 --> 00:19:12.539 After all these years, 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:13.720 I'm finally getting 00:19:13.720 --> 00:19:15.320 what has been coming to me. 00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:18.600 And they are finally getting 00:19:18.600 --> 00:19:21.180 what has been coming to them. 00:19:22.500 --> 00:19:23.600 And then they realized 00:19:23.600 --> 00:19:25.980 it was all social outsiders 00:19:25.980 --> 00:19:27.440 that Jesus mentioned 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:28.940 coming to bless. 00:19:29.180 --> 00:19:30.799 And it wasn't just an accident, 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:32.639 He really meant it. 00:19:34.059 --> 00:19:34.899 It was no accident 00:19:34.899 --> 00:19:36.039 that Jesus left out 00:19:36.039 --> 00:19:37.879 that verse at the end 00:19:37.879 --> 00:19:39.460 in Isaiah 61 00:19:39.460 --> 00:19:40.940 to proclaim the year 00:19:40.940 --> 00:19:41.899 of the Lord's favor 00:19:41.899 --> 00:19:43.379 and they know what was next 00:19:43.379 --> 00:19:45.879 and the day of vengeance 00:19:45.879 --> 00:19:47.339 of our God. 00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:49.259 The Jews were ready 00:19:49.259 --> 00:19:50.680 for all the outsiders 00:19:50.680 --> 00:19:52.700 to get what was coming to them 00:19:52.700 --> 00:19:54.039 that day of vengeance. 00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:55.240 And Jesus says, 00:19:55.559 --> 00:19:56.419 that day is coming, 00:19:56.539 --> 00:19:57.279 but not yet. 00:19:57.720 --> 00:19:59.819 First, I'm running with grace 00:19:59.819 --> 00:20:01.480 towards them. 00:20:01.879 --> 00:20:03.700 And the Jews can't stand it. 00:20:06.099 --> 00:20:07.399 They're outraged. 00:20:07.919 --> 00:20:09.759 They run Him towards a cliff 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:10.879 in order to kill Him. 00:20:12.279 --> 00:20:14.339 When I first read this passage, 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:15.299 I thought to myself, 00:20:15.419 --> 00:20:15.919 oh, that's good 00:20:15.919 --> 00:20:17.240 because I don't struggle with that. 00:20:17.740 --> 00:20:18.899 And neither does Southwood. 00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:21.720 We love God's grace. 00:20:22.139 --> 00:20:24.000 We love to see Him work. 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:25.960 We love needy people 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:27.179 to hear and feel 00:20:27.179 --> 00:20:28.659 the reality of the kingdom. 00:20:28.660 --> 00:20:29.560 Of course, 00:20:29.640 --> 00:20:30.740 we would never begrudge 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:31.779 the kingdom moving 00:20:31.779 --> 00:20:33.100 somewhere over there, 00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:33.519 would we? 00:20:35.460 --> 00:20:37.620 But I love to be an insider. 00:20:38.560 --> 00:20:41.160 I love to get special treatment, 00:20:41.300 --> 00:20:42.480 even if it's free food 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:43.560 at a football game. 00:20:43.740 --> 00:20:44.860 It makes me feel special 00:20:44.860 --> 00:20:45.740 and important. 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:48.140 And most of us 00:20:48.140 --> 00:20:49.240 are like the people 00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:50.000 in the synagogue, 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:53.180 religious insiders. 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:55.759 We were either born that way 00:20:55.759 --> 00:20:57.559 or we've become that way. 00:20:58.200 --> 00:21:00.099 How do we as insiders 00:21:00.099 --> 00:21:02.740 struggle with the priorities 00:21:02.740 --> 00:21:03.920 of kingdom ministry 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:06.299 when Jesus runs graciously 00:21:06.299 --> 00:21:07.859 toward needy outsiders 00:21:07.859 --> 00:21:09.819 and we feel left out? 00:21:10.059 --> 00:21:10.920 How does that happen 00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:11.500 in our hearts? 00:21:11.539 --> 00:21:11.960 Does it? 00:21:13.980 --> 00:21:15.019 Often in my heart, 00:21:15.099 --> 00:21:15.799 it's comparison. 00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:17.920 Here's one example 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:18.819 from your pastor 00:21:18.819 --> 00:21:20.680 that I struggled with this week. 00:21:20.680 --> 00:21:22.840 I noticed kingdom ministry 00:21:22.840 --> 00:21:24.400 happening somewhere else. 00:21:24.560 --> 00:21:26.180 Even at another church in town, 00:21:26.519 --> 00:21:27.960 people flocking there 00:21:27.960 --> 00:21:30.080 and baptisms all over the place 00:21:30.080 --> 00:21:32.400 and the spirit seems to be moving 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:34.560 and I say, 00:21:34.700 --> 00:21:36.980 man, I don't feel excited about that. 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:38.019 Instead of rejoicing, 00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:39.880 I'm resentful 00:21:39.880 --> 00:21:41.779 because you see, 00:21:41.820 --> 00:21:43.360 they have bad theology 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:46.699 and I have good theology. 00:21:47.959 --> 00:21:49.240 God, why are you blessing them 00:21:49.240 --> 00:21:50.619 with all their bad theology 00:21:50.619 --> 00:21:51.979 when I've got better training 00:21:51.979 --> 00:21:53.719 and better understanding 00:21:53.719 --> 00:21:54.719 of your word? 00:21:54.979 --> 00:21:55.699 All of a sudden, 00:21:55.779 --> 00:21:56.479 I'm not happy 00:21:56.479 --> 00:21:58.019 Jesus is being praised 00:21:58.019 --> 00:21:58.619 over there 00:21:58.619 --> 00:22:00.339 because I'm not. 00:22:02.519 --> 00:22:03.519 And God says, 00:22:03.639 --> 00:22:04.179 oh, by the way, 00:22:04.219 --> 00:22:04.779 did you want to talk 00:22:04.779 --> 00:22:05.579 about theology? 00:22:06.819 --> 00:22:08.299 Because your idea 00:22:08.299 --> 00:22:10.500 that my spirit works 00:22:10.500 --> 00:22:11.319 only in places 00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:12.619 with more accurate theology, 00:22:12.619 --> 00:22:13.679 there's maybe the first bit 00:22:13.679 --> 00:22:15.079 of bad theology you have. 00:22:16.099 --> 00:22:17.359 Maybe your theology 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:18.219 is not so good 00:22:18.219 --> 00:22:19.419 as you thought it was. 00:22:20.899 --> 00:22:22.199 I think in comparison 00:22:22.199 --> 00:22:23.019 to someone else, 00:22:23.099 --> 00:22:24.719 I deserve more from God 00:22:24.719 --> 00:22:26.059 and I don't. 00:22:27.019 --> 00:22:28.879 And I resent Him for that. 00:22:29.819 --> 00:22:30.659 So did the Jews 00:22:30.659 --> 00:22:31.779 with the Gentiles. 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:34.399 Imagine, ladies, 00:22:34.579 --> 00:22:36.059 that girl you competed with 00:22:36.059 --> 00:22:37.059 all through high school. 00:22:37.719 --> 00:22:38.239 Academically, 00:22:38.479 --> 00:22:39.219 athletically, 00:22:39.479 --> 00:22:39.919 socially, 00:22:40.139 --> 00:22:41.339 you know who I'm talking about. 00:22:41.339 --> 00:22:43.480 Y'all were always rivals 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:45.099 and competing for things. 00:22:46.119 --> 00:22:47.480 But she was a mean girl 00:22:47.480 --> 00:22:48.720 and you were the moral girl. 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:50.819 You always had that on her. 00:22:51.459 --> 00:22:52.079 She did things 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:53.359 you never would have spoken of 00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:54.659 and you stayed clean. 00:22:55.379 --> 00:22:55.819 In fact, 00:22:55.919 --> 00:22:56.759 she edged you out 00:22:56.759 --> 00:22:57.819 for valedictorian 00:22:57.819 --> 00:22:59.339 because she did some bonus work 00:22:59.339 --> 00:23:00.500 while you were on a mission trip. 00:23:01.159 --> 00:23:02.079 It's terrible. 00:23:02.579 --> 00:23:03.519 You've always kind of 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:04.500 held that against her. 00:23:04.500 --> 00:23:06.660 But then someone at your church 00:23:06.660 --> 00:23:09.359 took the idea seriously 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:12.240 of going and sharing Jesus 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:13.099 with everyone, 00:23:13.240 --> 00:23:14.420 especially outsiders. 00:23:14.920 --> 00:23:16.160 And they talked to her 00:23:16.160 --> 00:23:17.579 and she met Jesus. 00:23:18.839 --> 00:23:20.460 And she came to your church 00:23:20.460 --> 00:23:21.920 and everybody got so excited 00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:22.599 about her. 00:23:22.920 --> 00:23:24.339 Like it was such a big deal. 00:23:25.339 --> 00:23:25.880 In fact, 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:27.339 when she came to Jesus, 00:23:27.460 --> 00:23:28.359 part of that process 00:23:28.359 --> 00:23:29.299 was watching God 00:23:29.299 --> 00:23:30.720 heal her mom of cancer. 00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:33.640 And you lost your mom 00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:34.779 to cancer. 00:23:35.799 --> 00:23:37.079 Even though you prayed. 00:23:37.620 --> 00:23:38.140 Way more. 00:23:38.819 --> 00:23:40.500 Not fair, God. 00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:44.039 If you're not frustrated yet, 00:23:44.120 --> 00:23:45.299 she has a fourth grade daughter 00:23:45.299 --> 00:23:46.400 just like you do. 00:23:46.620 --> 00:23:48.539 And when she and all of her other 00:23:48.539 --> 00:23:49.720 unchurched friends 00:23:49.720 --> 00:23:50.839 came to heyday, 00:23:51.100 --> 00:23:52.440 they took all the candy 00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:53.559 so your kid didn't get 00:23:53.559 --> 00:23:54.700 to go home with any. 00:23:55.299 --> 00:23:56.819 But you were actually okay with that 00:23:56.819 --> 00:23:57.839 because not a big deal. 00:23:58.299 --> 00:23:58.700 Their health, 00:23:58.839 --> 00:23:58.980 you know, 00:23:59.039 --> 00:23:59.860 kids are going to be healthy 00:23:59.859 --> 00:24:01.199 so they didn't really need the candy. 00:24:01.619 --> 00:24:02.619 But what's worse is 00:24:02.619 --> 00:24:04.319 she came to their Sunday school class 00:24:04.319 --> 00:24:05.779 and now your daughter's coming home 00:24:05.779 --> 00:24:06.899 from church complaining 00:24:06.899 --> 00:24:07.919 because she's lonely. 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:09.539 And the other girl 00:24:09.539 --> 00:24:10.979 has taken all her friends. 00:24:12.099 --> 00:24:13.319 And you're outraged. 00:24:13.959 --> 00:24:16.000 God, this was my church. 00:24:16.959 --> 00:24:18.099 I prayed more. 00:24:18.359 --> 00:24:19.579 I've served longer. 00:24:19.919 --> 00:24:20.699 I deserve. 00:24:21.079 --> 00:24:21.599 I ought. 00:24:23.259 --> 00:24:24.779 It's there in our hearts too, 00:24:24.839 --> 00:24:25.240 isn't it? 00:24:26.419 --> 00:24:27.619 When we see ourselves 00:24:27.619 --> 00:24:29.079 compared to others 00:24:29.079 --> 00:24:30.539 and we think we deserve 00:24:30.539 --> 00:24:32.259 something more than they do. 00:24:32.919 --> 00:24:34.939 It shows up not only in comparison 00:24:34.939 --> 00:24:36.799 but in my consumerism. 00:24:37.839 --> 00:24:39.139 It's what the Jews say 00:24:39.139 --> 00:24:39.720 when they're saying, 00:24:39.799 --> 00:24:40.839 physician, heal yourself. 00:24:41.159 --> 00:24:42.419 Jesus, do miracles. 00:24:42.619 --> 00:24:43.960 Heal people here. 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:47.419 We want our issues handled. 00:24:47.799 --> 00:24:49.839 Defeat the Gentiles ruling over us. 00:24:49.919 --> 00:24:51.059 Don't rescue them. 00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:53.619 You're supposed to be conquering them. 00:24:53.619 --> 00:24:56.479 It's about us. 00:24:57.959 --> 00:24:59.519 And we today are so trained 00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:00.719 to be consumers, right? 00:25:01.179 --> 00:25:02.339 Constantly evaluating 00:25:02.339 --> 00:25:03.399 what I'm getting out of 00:25:03.399 --> 00:25:04.919 wherever I spend my time 00:25:04.919 --> 00:25:05.619 and my energy 00:25:05.619 --> 00:25:06.579 and my resources. 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:07.759 And so naturally, 00:25:07.919 --> 00:25:08.839 I do that at church. 00:25:09.919 --> 00:25:10.899 Church becomes about 00:25:10.899 --> 00:25:12.479 getting my desires fulfilled, 00:25:13.359 --> 00:25:14.719 my needs met, 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:16.179 and becomes about complaining 00:25:16.179 --> 00:25:17.959 or leaving when I don't. 00:25:18.879 --> 00:25:19.879 And we've already violated 00:25:19.879 --> 00:25:21.579 the first priority of the kingdom. 00:25:21.579 --> 00:25:24.779 That it has a Christ-centered focus. 00:25:25.059 --> 00:25:26.519 That it's about Jesus, 00:25:26.779 --> 00:25:27.720 not about me. 00:25:28.679 --> 00:25:30.539 My questions need to change. 00:25:30.859 --> 00:25:31.559 It's no longer, 00:25:31.679 --> 00:25:33.319 do I like how this sounds 00:25:33.319 --> 00:25:35.039 or how that is organized? 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:36.939 But rather, 00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:38.119 does it glorify Jesus? 00:25:38.899 --> 00:25:40.179 Does it exalt His name? 00:25:40.399 --> 00:25:41.639 Does it advance His kingdom 00:25:41.639 --> 00:25:42.619 in someone's life? 00:25:42.679 --> 00:25:43.879 And if so, I rejoice 00:25:43.879 --> 00:25:45.299 because it's about Him. 00:25:47.899 --> 00:25:49.759 One more way I have this struggle 00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:51.839 is in regards to community. 00:25:53.160 --> 00:25:55.819 There's a reality about community 00:25:55.819 --> 00:25:57.379 and the family of God 00:25:57.379 --> 00:25:58.759 that Peter has actually 00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:00.279 helped me learn a lot about 00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:01.559 in the past few weeks 00:26:01.559 --> 00:26:02.660 and understand better. 00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:05.240 And the reality of that community 00:26:05.240 --> 00:26:07.079 is that when someone comes 00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:08.140 into a community, 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:10.700 when an outsider comes in, 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:12.759 that existing family 00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:14.099 changes its shape. 00:26:15.059 --> 00:26:15.319 Right? 00:26:15.859 --> 00:26:17.339 It's no longer the same. 00:26:17.339 --> 00:26:19.220 The Jews wanted no part 00:26:19.220 --> 00:26:21.259 of these uncircumcised 00:26:21.259 --> 00:26:22.859 lower class Gentiles 00:26:22.859 --> 00:26:25.399 getting worked into their community. 00:26:26.099 --> 00:26:27.119 Think of the analogy 00:26:27.119 --> 00:26:28.720 with adopting a new child 00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:30.500 into your family. 00:26:31.799 --> 00:26:33.439 Some family principles 00:26:33.439 --> 00:26:34.480 and practices 00:26:34.480 --> 00:26:36.059 may stay the same, right? 00:26:36.939 --> 00:26:39.559 But you may now have bunk beds 00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:40.319 in your room 00:26:40.319 --> 00:26:42.220 and you may not get your own room. 00:26:42.639 --> 00:26:43.939 The family may not be able 00:26:43.939 --> 00:26:45.379 to do some things 00:26:45.379 --> 00:26:46.319 or go some places 00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:47.059 in the same way 00:26:47.059 --> 00:26:47.960 because it's grown 00:26:47.960 --> 00:26:49.439 and the shape of the family 00:26:49.439 --> 00:26:50.480 has changed. 00:26:50.539 --> 00:26:51.720 You may have to share the remote. 00:26:52.919 --> 00:26:54.259 You may have to do some things 00:26:54.259 --> 00:26:54.939 that are important 00:26:54.939 --> 00:26:56.119 to your new brother 00:26:56.119 --> 00:26:58.059 and are part of his background 00:26:58.059 --> 00:26:59.700 and his experiences. 00:26:59.980 --> 00:27:01.399 And that can be hard. 00:27:02.679 --> 00:27:03.819 And it can be beautiful. 00:27:05.740 --> 00:27:06.899 I can hear the words 00:27:06.899 --> 00:27:08.259 coming out of my own mouth. 00:27:09.240 --> 00:27:11.200 Oh, small group is just 00:27:11.200 --> 00:27:12.179 so much harder 00:27:12.179 --> 00:27:13.299 now that they come. 00:27:13.299 --> 00:27:16.279 You may have said, 00:27:16.379 --> 00:27:18.059 my church just doesn't look 00:27:18.059 --> 00:27:19.099 or smell 00:27:19.099 --> 00:27:21.039 or sound the same anymore. 00:27:21.259 --> 00:27:22.359 It's too big. 00:27:22.759 --> 00:27:23.599 It's too small. 00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:24.599 It's too young. 00:27:24.819 --> 00:27:25.619 It's too old. 00:27:27.079 --> 00:27:28.339 Think back to the mean girl 00:27:28.339 --> 00:27:29.399 who met Jesus. 00:27:29.899 --> 00:27:31.279 Imagine that she was living 00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:32.059 out of town, 00:27:32.200 --> 00:27:33.079 nowhere near you 00:27:33.079 --> 00:27:34.680 and you read on Facebook 00:27:34.680 --> 00:27:36.480 that she'd met Jesus. 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:39.240 You might genuinely rejoice, right? 00:27:39.240 --> 00:27:41.700 You love that God works that way. 00:27:41.940 --> 00:27:43.279 That He runs graciously 00:27:43.279 --> 00:27:45.240 towards needy outsiders. 00:27:45.440 --> 00:27:47.019 That He loves them 00:27:47.019 --> 00:27:49.480 until she shows up in your church. 00:27:50.059 --> 00:27:51.579 That's where the rub is, isn't it? 00:27:52.059 --> 00:27:54.000 Until she shows up there 00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:56.640 and the shape of your family changes. 00:27:58.019 --> 00:27:59.200 It can be hard. 00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:01.740 And it can be beautiful. 00:28:03.160 --> 00:28:04.940 Don't you love older people? 00:28:04.940 --> 00:28:08.140 That God has graciously run 00:28:08.140 --> 00:28:11.240 toward crazy young people 00:28:11.240 --> 00:28:12.340 in the next generation 00:28:12.340 --> 00:28:14.100 who don't think like you do 00:28:14.100 --> 00:28:15.279 or look like you do 00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:16.340 and He's brought them 00:28:16.340 --> 00:28:17.200 into your family 00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:18.400 here at Southwood? 00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:19.380 Don't you love that? 00:28:19.380 --> 00:28:20.400 I know that you do. 00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:21.860 Even though it's disruptive 00:28:21.860 --> 00:28:23.100 to you sometimes, 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:24.279 I know you love it 00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:25.779 because you tell me you love it. 00:28:26.400 --> 00:28:28.120 You love seeing God do that. 00:28:28.340 --> 00:28:30.160 Even if things change 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:31.259 and the shape of your family 00:28:31.259 --> 00:28:31.980 looks different, 00:28:32.059 --> 00:28:32.640 you rejoice. 00:28:33.279 --> 00:28:34.640 You see the beauty in that. 00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:36.020 because y'all have learned 00:28:36.020 --> 00:28:37.500 what we struggle to learn. 00:28:38.200 --> 00:28:39.940 Wouldn't it be beautiful, Southwood, 00:28:40.200 --> 00:28:43.160 if God brought so many new members here 00:28:43.160 --> 00:28:45.000 that we had a budget crisis 00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:46.920 because the new members coming 00:28:46.920 --> 00:28:48.900 were those who needed 00:28:48.900 --> 00:28:50.040 financial assistance 00:28:50.040 --> 00:28:51.160 rather than those giving 00:28:51.160 --> 00:28:52.340 financial assistance? 00:28:54.000 --> 00:28:55.160 Wouldn't it be beautiful 00:28:55.160 --> 00:28:57.140 if we started singing different songs 00:28:57.140 --> 00:28:58.600 because they kept being suggested 00:28:58.600 --> 00:28:59.940 by all the new members 00:28:59.940 --> 00:29:00.820 who'd come from different 00:29:00.820 --> 00:29:01.740 ethnic backgrounds? 00:29:02.400 --> 00:29:03.140 Wouldn't that be beautiful? 00:29:04.640 --> 00:29:07.520 Southwood Kingdom Ministry 00:29:07.520 --> 00:29:09.500 that focuses on Jesus 00:29:09.500 --> 00:29:11.860 constantly follows Him 00:29:11.860 --> 00:29:14.740 in sharing and showing the kingdom 00:29:14.740 --> 00:29:16.780 to those who are outside 00:29:16.780 --> 00:29:19.480 and different from us. 00:29:20.180 --> 00:29:22.120 It must be absolutely 00:29:22.120 --> 00:29:24.980 and exclusively focused on Jesus 00:29:24.980 --> 00:29:27.460 and so it must be 00:29:27.460 --> 00:29:28.980 intentionally inclusive 00:29:28.980 --> 00:29:30.380 of the outsiders 00:29:30.380 --> 00:29:32.160 for whom King Jesus has come. 00:29:32.160 --> 00:29:35.660 who else needs to be in 00:29:35.660 --> 00:29:37.220 here? 00:29:39.220 --> 00:29:41.160 In your home? 00:29:41.960 --> 00:29:43.540 In your life? 00:29:43.820 --> 00:29:45.080 And then maybe even later 00:29:45.080 --> 00:29:47.580 in these pews? 00:29:48.160 --> 00:29:49.759 Think this morning of a person 00:29:49.759 --> 00:29:52.200 or group of people. 00:29:53.500 --> 00:29:55.700 How will you welcome them in? 00:29:55.700 --> 00:29:57.519 How will they experience 00:29:57.519 --> 00:29:59.440 the welcome of King Jesus 00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:01.960 in relationship with you? 00:30:03.559 --> 00:30:04.460 All of that. 00:30:04.700 --> 00:30:05.559 All these outsiders 00:30:05.559 --> 00:30:06.900 being welcomed in 00:30:06.900 --> 00:30:07.779 would be beautiful 00:30:07.779 --> 00:30:09.920 but perhaps hard 00:30:09.920 --> 00:30:11.660 for our hearts. 00:30:13.120 --> 00:30:14.319 That's the scary reality 00:30:14.319 --> 00:30:15.100 of this passage. 00:30:15.259 --> 00:30:16.420 We can't avoid it. 00:30:17.140 --> 00:30:18.340 How quickly they seek 00:30:18.340 --> 00:30:19.420 to get rid of Jesus. 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:20.900 Verse 28. 00:30:22.080 --> 00:30:23.299 They heard all these things. 00:30:23.299 --> 00:30:24.419 All in the synagogue 00:30:24.419 --> 00:30:26.119 were filled with wrath. 00:30:26.599 --> 00:30:27.139 They rose up 00:30:27.139 --> 00:30:28.460 and drove him out of the town 00:30:28.460 --> 00:30:29.039 and brought him 00:30:29.039 --> 00:30:29.980 to the brow of the hill 00:30:29.980 --> 00:30:31.119 on which their town was built 00:30:31.119 --> 00:30:32.159 so they could throw him 00:30:32.159 --> 00:30:32.919 down the cliff 00:30:32.919 --> 00:30:34.759 but passing through their midst 00:30:34.759 --> 00:30:35.460 he went away. 00:30:36.700 --> 00:30:37.799 They had him there. 00:30:38.099 --> 00:30:39.980 Jesus do all these amazing things. 00:30:40.059 --> 00:30:41.059 We're so excited. 00:30:41.339 --> 00:30:42.299 Here's the big moment 00:30:42.299 --> 00:30:43.619 and they chase him out 00:30:43.619 --> 00:30:44.240 to kill him 00:30:44.240 --> 00:30:45.700 and he walks away. 00:30:45.700 --> 00:30:49.140 We are tempted 00:30:49.140 --> 00:30:50.920 to get rid of Jesus 00:30:50.920 --> 00:30:53.160 to maintain 00:30:53.160 --> 00:30:55.500 our preferred status quo. 00:30:56.120 --> 00:30:57.180 That's scary, isn't it? 00:30:58.180 --> 00:30:59.759 We're capable of that 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:01.220 just as they were. 00:31:01.400 --> 00:31:02.000 And we may not 00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:02.960 throw him off a cliff 00:31:02.960 --> 00:31:03.680 and stone him 00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:04.740 as a false prophet 00:31:04.740 --> 00:31:07.360 but we might ignore 00:31:07.360 --> 00:31:08.100 his commands 00:31:08.100 --> 00:31:09.680 for my life. 00:31:10.860 --> 00:31:12.840 We might rationalize away 00:31:12.840 --> 00:31:13.580 his agenda 00:31:13.580 --> 00:31:14.480 for his church 00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:16.019 when it doesn't suit ours 00:31:16.019 --> 00:31:18.259 or doesn't seem comfortable to us. 00:31:19.420 --> 00:31:21.079 We may do whatever it takes 00:31:21.079 --> 00:31:22.220 to stay comfortable 00:31:22.220 --> 00:31:23.599 on the inside. 00:31:24.339 --> 00:31:25.860 Even keeping Jesus 00:31:25.860 --> 00:31:27.160 at arm's length. 00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:28.799 Oh, I would never do that. 00:31:29.360 --> 00:31:30.880 Even keeping Jesus 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:32.000 at arm's length 00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:33.299 possibly because 00:31:33.299 --> 00:31:35.259 we so want to be comfortable 00:31:35.259 --> 00:31:36.220 on the inside. 00:31:37.160 --> 00:31:39.220 God, may it never be here 00:31:39.220 --> 00:31:40.620 that we would pursue 00:31:40.620 --> 00:31:41.480 our agenda 00:31:41.480 --> 00:31:42.779 and our glory 00:31:42.779 --> 00:31:43.920 and practically 00:31:43.920 --> 00:31:45.720 get rid of Jesus. 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:49.059 Might we more and more 00:31:49.059 --> 00:31:49.940 share the heart 00:31:49.940 --> 00:31:51.399 of Jesus? 00:31:52.399 --> 00:31:52.619 You see, 00:31:52.680 --> 00:31:54.480 the beauty of Jesus' kingdom 00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:56.660 is its inclusive 00:31:56.660 --> 00:31:58.460 exclusivism. 00:31:58.799 --> 00:31:59.359 It's a phrase 00:31:59.359 --> 00:31:59.879 I'm borrowing 00:31:59.879 --> 00:32:00.799 from my friend 00:32:00.799 --> 00:32:01.799 Dane Ortlund. 00:32:01.940 --> 00:32:02.980 Let me explain briefly 00:32:02.980 --> 00:32:03.740 as we close. 00:32:04.799 --> 00:32:05.859 Our world, 00:32:06.099 --> 00:32:07.399 the culture in which we live 00:32:07.399 --> 00:32:08.200 is inclusive. 00:32:09.379 --> 00:32:10.639 Living under an ethic 00:32:10.640 --> 00:32:11.500 of tolerance 00:32:11.500 --> 00:32:12.660 where everyone 00:32:12.660 --> 00:32:13.680 and everything 00:32:13.680 --> 00:32:14.680 is in. 00:32:15.300 --> 00:32:16.340 Unless, of course, 00:32:16.420 --> 00:32:17.020 you believe 00:32:17.020 --> 00:32:18.180 that there's right 00:32:18.180 --> 00:32:19.000 and wrong 00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:20.040 or things that should 00:32:20.040 --> 00:32:20.900 or shouldn't happen 00:32:20.900 --> 00:32:21.860 and then 00:32:21.860 --> 00:32:23.040 there might be 00:32:23.040 --> 00:32:23.680 an outsider. 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:24.860 So the inclusion 00:32:24.860 --> 00:32:26.500 is actually rather empty, 00:32:26.700 --> 00:32:27.160 isn't it? 00:32:28.860 --> 00:32:29.420 Religion, 00:32:29.620 --> 00:32:30.360 on the other hand, 00:32:30.400 --> 00:32:31.240 is exclusive. 00:32:32.320 --> 00:32:33.900 Because only the initiated 00:32:33.900 --> 00:32:35.680 or those who measure up 00:32:35.680 --> 00:32:37.080 or meet all the requirements 00:32:37.080 --> 00:32:38.300 and perform well enough 00:32:38.299 --> 00:32:38.799 are in 00:32:38.799 --> 00:32:39.879 and everyone else 00:32:39.879 --> 00:32:40.559 is out. 00:32:41.899 --> 00:32:44.220 Jesus is entirely different 00:32:44.220 --> 00:32:46.059 from either of those. 00:32:46.659 --> 00:32:47.980 It's an inclusive 00:32:47.980 --> 00:32:49.379 exclusivism. 00:32:49.799 --> 00:32:50.980 He as always unites 00:32:50.980 --> 00:32:52.079 word and deed. 00:32:52.299 --> 00:32:52.940 He doesn't merely 00:32:52.940 --> 00:32:54.440 talk about salvation. 00:32:54.859 --> 00:32:56.639 He actually achieves it. 00:32:56.940 --> 00:32:58.779 He meets all the requirements 00:32:58.779 --> 00:32:59.819 to be in 00:32:59.819 --> 00:33:01.919 and then He's treated 00:33:01.919 --> 00:33:03.839 as one who doesn't 00:33:03.839 --> 00:33:05.419 and is left out. 00:33:05.839 --> 00:33:07.319 When He goes to the cross 00:33:07.319 --> 00:33:08.079 in our place 00:33:08.079 --> 00:33:08.859 where we deserve 00:33:08.859 --> 00:33:10.279 ultimate rejection, 00:33:10.819 --> 00:33:11.879 He is left out 00:33:11.879 --> 00:33:13.240 away from the Father 00:33:13.240 --> 00:33:15.059 so that we can be welcomed in 00:33:15.059 --> 00:33:16.679 with all our debts paid, 00:33:17.059 --> 00:33:18.579 all our sins forgiven. 00:33:18.919 --> 00:33:20.779 That's what He does for us, right? 00:33:21.799 --> 00:33:24.740 That's inclusive exclusivism. 00:33:25.220 --> 00:33:26.319 We are in 00:33:26.319 --> 00:33:28.659 only through Jesus. 00:33:29.619 --> 00:33:32.200 And Jesus graciously invites 00:33:32.200 --> 00:33:34.240 all to come in 00:33:34.240 --> 00:33:35.299 through Him. 00:33:35.299 --> 00:33:37.059 You don't have to measure up. 00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:38.680 He's done that. 00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:40.500 You don't have to get it right. 00:33:40.639 --> 00:33:41.919 He has done that. 00:33:43.259 --> 00:33:44.819 All can come in 00:33:44.819 --> 00:33:46.079 because of Him. 00:33:46.220 --> 00:33:47.299 Lifelong outsiders, 00:33:48.460 --> 00:33:50.639 those who long to be insiders, 00:33:50.940 --> 00:33:52.099 all are welcomed 00:33:52.099 --> 00:33:53.319 into His family 00:33:53.319 --> 00:33:55.319 because of Him. 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:56.319 May we rejoice 00:33:56.319 --> 00:33:58.299 in that gracious welcome. 00:33:58.440 --> 00:33:59.559 May we extend it 00:33:59.559 --> 00:34:00.799 to many others. 00:34:01.579 --> 00:34:02.579 Pray with me to that end. 00:34:02.579 --> 00:34:08.079 Father, that's 00:34:08.079 --> 00:34:09.420 Your heart. 00:34:09.579 --> 00:34:11.039 So often it's not 00:34:11.039 --> 00:34:12.440 ours. 00:34:14.940 --> 00:34:16.980 Thank You for being a God 00:34:16.980 --> 00:34:18.559 who consistently 00:34:18.559 --> 00:34:19.259 and in 00:34:19.259 --> 00:34:20.519 book after book 00:34:20.519 --> 00:34:21.619 and page after page 00:34:21.619 --> 00:34:23.099 and story after story 00:34:23.099 --> 00:34:24.880 chases graciously 00:34:24.880 --> 00:34:26.099 after those 00:34:26.099 --> 00:34:27.139 who are far away, 00:34:27.599 --> 00:34:28.840 who don't deserve 00:34:28.840 --> 00:34:30.059 His love. 00:34:30.059 --> 00:34:31.279 Because if You weren't 00:34:31.279 --> 00:34:31.920 like that, 00:34:32.019 --> 00:34:33.539 none of us would know You. 00:34:34.900 --> 00:34:35.679 Thank You. 00:34:37.299 --> 00:34:38.480 Father, may it not 00:34:38.480 --> 00:34:39.440 stop there. 00:34:39.559 --> 00:34:40.380 May Your grace 00:34:40.380 --> 00:34:41.719 that You have poured out 00:34:41.719 --> 00:34:42.139 on us 00:34:42.139 --> 00:34:42.799 overflow 00:34:42.799 --> 00:34:44.420 to many. 00:34:44.559 --> 00:34:45.820 May we never begrudge 00:34:45.820 --> 00:34:46.820 Your generosity, 00:34:48.279 --> 00:34:49.739 but may we rejoice 00:34:49.739 --> 00:34:51.099 in getting to share 00:34:51.099 --> 00:34:51.860 with others 00:34:51.860 --> 00:34:52.759 what You have shared 00:34:52.759 --> 00:34:53.340 with us. 00:34:53.659 --> 00:34:54.679 Do it in our hearts 00:34:54.679 --> 00:34:55.440 this morning. 00:34:56.000 --> 00:34:57.179 Make it change 00:34:57.179 --> 00:34:58.119 the way we approach 00:34:58.119 --> 00:34:59.039 this afternoon 00:34:59.039 --> 00:35:00.779 and every day 00:35:00.779 --> 00:35:02.399 for the rest of our lives. 00:35:02.539 --> 00:35:03.500 We ask that You would 00:35:03.500 --> 00:35:04.199 do that work 00:35:04.199 --> 00:35:05.099 for Your glory. 00:35:05.960 --> 00:35:07.279 We ask it in Jesus' name. 00:35:07.819 --> 00:35:08.059 Amen. 00:35:12.519 --> 00:35:13.659 For more information, 00:35:14.039 --> 00:35:14.960 visit us online 00:35:14.960 --> 00:35:16.259 at southwood.org.