WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.660 Welcome again. 00:00:02.980 --> 00:00:04.820 If you're just joining us, my name's Tommy. 00:00:05.060 --> 00:00:06.060 I'm a pastor here. 00:00:06.540 --> 00:00:09.779 This is normally a time in our service when we turn our 00:00:09.779 --> 00:00:12.419 attention to God's word and somebody comes up here to 00:00:12.419 --> 00:00:15.540 preach, to help us understand what the word says, what it 00:00:15.540 --> 00:00:17.879 means, and what it means for us personally. 00:00:19.480 --> 00:00:23.480 Wouldn't it be wild if at this point in the service, Jesus 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:24.480 came up to preach? 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:29.240 If it was Jesus himself and he came up here and he opened the 00:00:29.239 --> 00:00:32.479 Bible and he read from the scripture and then he began to 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:32.920 preach. 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:37.859 I think I'm probably not alone in thinking I would long for such 00:00:37.859 --> 00:00:38.579 a thing to happen. 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:45.019 I've long wondered what that would be like ever since the first 00:00:45.019 --> 00:00:46.079 time I read this passage. 00:00:46.500 --> 00:00:50.560 And a lot of people have said to me over the years, you know, I'm 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:54.299 not a Christian but I'm just not convinced. 00:00:54.840 --> 00:00:56.539 And I say, well, what would it take to convince you? 00:00:56.539 --> 00:01:02.100 And they say, well, if Jesus himself were to appear to me and 00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:05.799 if I could see him and hear him with my own eyes and ears, then I 00:01:05.799 --> 00:01:06.319 would believe. 00:01:06.659 --> 00:01:09.680 And then alongside those people, many Christians have said, you 00:01:09.680 --> 00:01:13.200 know, I really struggle with doubts and questions and a lot of 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:13.659 uncertainty. 00:01:13.819 --> 00:01:15.960 I'm just, everybody believes something different and how do I 00:01:15.960 --> 00:01:16.980 know that this is the thing? 00:01:17.159 --> 00:01:18.280 How do I know that this is true? 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:22.180 You know, if I could just see Jesus and hear Jesus for myself, then 00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:23.259 my faith would be stronger. 00:01:23.260 --> 00:01:27.620 And I felt that way many times when I'm struggling with deep 00:01:27.620 --> 00:01:27.920 doubt. 00:01:29.340 --> 00:01:31.160 So that's our question this morning. 00:01:31.820 --> 00:01:32.620 Is that true? 00:01:34.859 --> 00:01:39.580 If you're here and you're not a Christian, if Jesus appeared to 00:01:39.580 --> 00:01:45.600 you face to face and you could see him and you could hear him and 00:01:45.600 --> 00:01:51.140 you could touch him, would that be sufficient for you to put your 00:01:51.140 --> 00:01:51.700 faith in him? 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:54.579 If you're here and you're a Christian, you're struggling with 00:01:54.579 --> 00:01:55.600 doubt like many of us are. 00:01:56.719 --> 00:01:58.600 Would that strengthen your faith? 00:02:00.020 --> 00:02:03.240 To answer these questions, we're going to look at this passage from 00:02:03.240 --> 00:02:04.200 Luke chapter 4. 00:02:04.920 --> 00:02:08.439 Jesus preaches in a synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. 00:02:09.060 --> 00:02:12.039 And this passage is really important because it shows us something about 00:02:12.039 --> 00:02:14.099 what you might call the dynamics of faith. 00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:17.719 Why some people believe and why other people don't. 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:22.919 And this is not Jesus' first sermon ever, we don't believe, but this is the 00:02:22.919 --> 00:02:26.039 first one that Luke records in his account. 00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:30.819 And the most interesting thing about this passage is the response that Jesus 00:02:30.819 --> 00:02:32.379 gets from the crowd. 00:02:33.340 --> 00:02:35.539 People who knew him growing up. 00:02:36.460 --> 00:02:40.300 And their response kind of progresses through three phases. 00:02:40.300 --> 00:02:45.540 At first, there's a kind of superficial interest in who Jesus is. 00:02:46.820 --> 00:02:50.100 And then their expectations are challenged. 00:02:50.860 --> 00:02:53.160 And then that brings them to a moment of crisis. 00:02:54.320 --> 00:02:56.240 So there's a superficial interest. 00:02:56.939 --> 00:02:59.840 But then there's a challenging of some of their expectations. 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:02.280 And then there's a moment of crisis. 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:05.919 And so what we're going to do is we're going to walk through the story to try to 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:06.979 understand what's happening here. 00:03:07.300 --> 00:03:10.680 And then we're going to talk a little bit about how this looks in our own lives. 00:03:10.740 --> 00:03:11.400 So let's pray. 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:13.099 And then we'll open the gospel together. 00:03:14.259 --> 00:03:15.900 Lord, we thank you for your word. 00:03:16.020 --> 00:03:22.139 And we thank you that our hope does not rely on merely the preaching or the 00:03:22.139 --> 00:03:26.159 thoughts or the insights of pastors and commentators. 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:32.579 But rather, Lord, your promise is that your spirit speaks to us through your word. 00:03:33.340 --> 00:03:37.819 And so as we sit here this morning, may it be your words that we hear. 00:03:38.340 --> 00:03:39.280 May you be the preacher. 00:03:40.099 --> 00:03:44.719 May you move us out of the way so that you can say what you need to say to our hearts. 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:46.960 We pray this in your son's holy name. 00:03:47.519 --> 00:03:47.780 Amen. 00:03:50.139 --> 00:03:52.780 So let's look at the story in a little more detail. 00:03:52.780 --> 00:03:56.319 By this point, there's a serious buzz about Jesus. 00:03:56.900 --> 00:04:00.439 Jesus has been going all through the region over in Capernaum. 00:04:00.699 --> 00:04:03.259 He's been saying wild, amazing things. 00:04:03.560 --> 00:04:06.000 He's been doing wild, amazing miracles. 00:04:06.139 --> 00:04:07.280 He's been casting out demons. 00:04:07.620 --> 00:04:08.759 He's been healing people. 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:12.340 He's been speaking and teaching with a kind of authority nobody's ever seen. 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:14.460 So there's a huge buzz about Jesus. 00:04:15.219 --> 00:04:19.759 And it's a big deal when Jesus comes to his hometown of Nazareth. 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:29.000 I don't know if you guys ever used to watch American Idol, but at some point after the contestants in American Idol got famous enough, part of the show would be what's called the hometown visit. 00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:35.839 Where the idol goes to their hometown and then they would film it and then they would work it into their episodes to kind of heighten the drama. 00:04:36.019 --> 00:04:44.399 And so there would be parades and they would go into restaurants and there would be the little, you know, the teachers saying, I taught you when you were in first grade and I always knew you'd be a great singer. 00:04:44.620 --> 00:04:46.279 And, you know, it's really sweet. 00:04:46.279 --> 00:04:48.019 And that's kind of what's happening here. 00:04:48.119 --> 00:04:49.359 Jesus is a hometown hero. 00:04:49.719 --> 00:04:50.959 He comes back to Nazareth. 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:52.419 Everybody's excited to see him. 00:04:52.699 --> 00:04:56.099 His custom was to go to the synagogue every week and to worship. 00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:58.579 And so as was his custom, he does so again. 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:06.039 And he gets there and he stands to read from the scripture. 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:10.019 And everybody realizes that Jesus is going to be the preacher. 00:05:10.679 --> 00:05:12.279 Because it wasn't always the same person. 00:05:13.219 --> 00:05:15.319 And they said, Jesus is going to be the preacher this week. 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:20.379 And so it says in verse 20, the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:25.000 And at this point, their interest is fairly superficial. 00:05:26.139 --> 00:05:29.800 They've heard about some of the amazing things that he's done and said. 00:05:30.199 --> 00:05:34.899 And they're here in synagogue and realizing that Jesus is going to preach. 00:05:34.980 --> 00:05:40.839 Their interest is primarily in the question of whether he's going to do something or say something amazing in their midst. 00:05:40.839 --> 00:05:45.019 Probably most people are at this point hoping to see a miracle. 00:05:45.019 --> 00:05:50.159 But then Jesus does something that's completely unexpected. 00:05:51.819 --> 00:05:57.879 And many of their underlying assumptions and expectations are deeply challenged as a result. 00:05:59.159 --> 00:06:00.279 Jesus comes up front. 00:06:00.379 --> 00:06:01.879 He takes the scroll from the attendant. 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:05.319 He unrolls it because at this time we don't have Bibles. 00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:06.699 We just have a long scroll. 00:06:06.699 --> 00:06:12.639 So you have to roll, roll, roll to the place where Isaiah the prophet is recorded. 00:06:13.459 --> 00:06:15.599 And he reads from this place in Isaiah. 00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:18.060 It comes from Isaiah chapter 61. 00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:25.039 He reads, the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:27.699 You can imagine Jesus up there reading this. 00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:28.719 Everybody watching him. 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:33.620 He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind. 00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:38.900 To set at liberty those who were oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. 00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:43.480 This is Isaiah 61 with a little bit from Isaiah 58 kind of lumped in. 00:06:43.620 --> 00:06:50.180 What this may mean is that he read a larger section and Luke is summarizing the core of what he read here. 00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:57.000 This passage that Jesus chooses to read is all about God's promise that he made to his people. 00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:00.680 That one day he's going to send this divine deliverer. 00:07:00.899 --> 00:07:06.100 And this deliverer is supposed to usher in this new age of deliverance and renewal. 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:10.459 It's likened to the Old Testament custom of the Jubilee year. 00:07:10.600 --> 00:07:15.920 So every 50 years there would be this year where all debts would be nullified. 00:07:16.019 --> 00:07:18.079 And all slaves would be set free. 00:07:18.220 --> 00:07:21.740 And everything would sort of be restored to the way it was originally. 00:07:21.740 --> 00:07:29.500 And so this passage is about God's chosen deliverer who's going to bring about a kind of ultimate Jubilee for the world. 00:07:29.879 --> 00:07:30.720 For his people. 00:07:31.639 --> 00:07:34.639 And so Jesus reads this passage of all passages. 00:07:35.560 --> 00:07:39.840 And you need to understand this really intensifies the drama in the room. 00:07:40.019 --> 00:07:41.540 People are already fixed on him. 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:42.560 And then he reads this. 00:07:42.660 --> 00:07:46.780 And you can imagine kind of nudging each other like what in the world is he going to say? 00:07:46.779 --> 00:07:53.239 Because at this time in history the Jews are placing an enormous amount of hope in promises like this. 00:07:53.979 --> 00:07:59.919 One day God's going to send a deliverer who's going to do what they believed they most needed. 00:08:02.159 --> 00:08:03.759 End the Roman occupation. 00:08:05.139 --> 00:08:07.699 Restore Israel to her former glory. 00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:09.739 That's what they're waiting on. 00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:11.759 That's what this promise means to them. 00:08:11.979 --> 00:08:13.899 That's what they most desire in their hearts. 00:08:13.899 --> 00:08:18.639 And so then Jesus sits down and he begins to preach. 00:08:18.719 --> 00:08:20.199 You can imagine he's kind of clearing his throat. 00:08:20.719 --> 00:08:21.639 Getting ready to talk. 00:08:22.199 --> 00:08:24.139 And everybody's craning their necks. 00:08:24.359 --> 00:08:27.879 And they're straining their ears to hear what he's going to say. 00:08:28.979 --> 00:08:36.419 And Jesus says, today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. 00:08:38.019 --> 00:08:40.639 And you can just imagine this moment of utter shock. 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:45.139 And then somebody says what everybody's thinking. 00:08:46.960 --> 00:08:47.439 You? 00:08:49.620 --> 00:08:51.620 Is this not Joseph's son? 00:08:53.439 --> 00:08:55.699 Aren't you the kid I knew in first grade? 00:08:57.379 --> 00:09:03.120 Aren't you the kid that I used to see running around in the alleys, the streets, playing with the other kids? 00:09:04.980 --> 00:09:05.460 You? 00:09:05.460 --> 00:09:14.259 In other words, they're saying how could the son of a poor peasant possibly make such lofty claims? 00:09:15.680 --> 00:09:19.040 What we need, what we're expecting is a great military captain. 00:09:20.220 --> 00:09:21.300 You're a carpenter. 00:09:22.560 --> 00:09:26.540 What we need, what we're really expecting is a conquering king. 00:09:27.379 --> 00:09:28.400 You're a commoner. 00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:35.279 There's this incredulity that rises to the surface. 00:09:35.459 --> 00:09:36.860 This deep skepticism. 00:09:38.179 --> 00:09:39.519 And the point of the passage is this. 00:09:39.899 --> 00:09:42.980 Jesus is not the kind of savior they want. 00:09:43.959 --> 00:09:46.220 Because they know exactly who they want. 00:09:46.980 --> 00:09:50.379 They can picture the savior that they want in their mind. 00:09:50.659 --> 00:09:52.299 And Jesus is simply not it. 00:09:52.340 --> 00:09:54.220 He falls way short of their expectations. 00:09:54.220 --> 00:10:03.700 But what they don't realize is that even though Jesus is not the kind of savior they want, he is the kind of savior they need. 00:10:04.259 --> 00:10:06.740 And that's what this passage is really about. 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:10.500 And the next thing that Jesus says shows us why. 00:10:10.600 --> 00:10:12.860 Why he's the kind of savior we need. 00:10:13.060 --> 00:10:16.360 And it brings this whole situation to a crisis point. 00:10:16.500 --> 00:10:19.279 Because Jesus knows that what they really want is proof. 00:10:19.480 --> 00:10:20.639 They're like, just stop talking. 00:10:20.980 --> 00:10:21.540 Do a miracle. 00:10:21.539 --> 00:10:23.879 Heal his foot. 00:10:24.819 --> 00:10:25.539 Clear up my psoriasis. 00:10:26.980 --> 00:10:27.179 You know? 00:10:27.459 --> 00:10:28.959 Fill my bank account with money. 00:10:29.599 --> 00:10:31.599 If you do that, then we'll believe in you. 00:10:31.719 --> 00:10:33.099 But just do something amazing. 00:10:33.439 --> 00:10:33.620 Right? 00:10:34.120 --> 00:10:35.699 But look what Jesus says instead. 00:10:37.099 --> 00:10:38.759 First he says in verse 24. 00:10:39.259 --> 00:10:42.439 Truly I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 00:10:43.439 --> 00:10:44.439 What's he talking about? 00:10:44.500 --> 00:10:45.679 He's not just talking about Nazareth. 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:51.939 When it comes to recognizing divine prophets sent from the Lord, Israel does not have a good track record. 00:10:53.319 --> 00:10:54.979 And that's what he's talking about. 00:10:55.879 --> 00:10:56.079 Right? 00:10:56.599 --> 00:10:57.919 Pretty bad track record. 00:10:58.859 --> 00:11:00.819 So why should anyone, here's Jesus' point. 00:11:00.820 --> 00:11:07.280 Why would anyone believe that they would be able to recognize God's own son if he were to come? 00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:12.640 They don't have a very good track record realizing what's true and what's not. 00:11:12.900 --> 00:11:19.800 And then he goes on to remind them of two events from their past that are kind of sore spots in their collective memory. 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:27.559 These are the things, you know, when grandpa's sitting around the fire telling stories of the good old days to the grandchildren, this is not one of the stories they tell. 00:11:28.179 --> 00:11:32.240 The great prophet Elijah, during a famine in Israel, many are dying. 00:11:32.379 --> 00:11:34.779 There are many widows because people are starving to death. 00:11:34.859 --> 00:11:35.979 It went on for years. 00:11:36.819 --> 00:11:39.859 When God sends help, he sends Elijah, but not to them. 00:11:40.319 --> 00:11:43.299 He sends Elijah to bless a woman in Zarephath. 00:11:43.299 --> 00:11:53.099 And then Elijah's successor, Elisha, though many in Israel had leprosy, God doesn't send Elisha to them. 00:11:53.419 --> 00:11:56.799 God sends Elisha to heal a Syrian named Naaman. 00:11:57.139 --> 00:11:58.179 What's the big deal here? 00:11:58.240 --> 00:11:59.259 Why do they get so upset? 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:01.719 They aren't Israelites. 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:08.319 There were times of great need in your history when faith was really low and there was an enormous amount of skepticism. 00:12:08.620 --> 00:12:10.699 When people were turning away from the Lord in droves. 00:12:10.939 --> 00:12:13.000 And when God sends help, he doesn't send help to you. 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:15.100 He sends help to the Gentiles. 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:18.759 The people who, by definition, are not blessed by God. 00:12:20.700 --> 00:12:30.100 And what this brings to the surface are these deeply held expectations of what the Messiah should be. 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:32.820 Who the Messiah should care about. 00:12:34.139 --> 00:12:35.639 Here's what Jesus is saying. 00:12:36.059 --> 00:12:41.779 You assume that because you're Israelites descended from Abraham, that you're already in good with God. 00:12:41.779 --> 00:12:45.860 And you think that your biggest problem is political. 00:12:46.179 --> 00:12:51.339 You think that your biggest problem is that the wrong administration is in control of your life. 00:12:51.340 --> 00:13:00.440 But here's two examples from your own history of times when God chose to show mercy to Gentiles instead of you. 00:13:00.600 --> 00:13:03.680 He showed mercy to the wrong people, not the right people. 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:07.960 In other words, God doesn't show you mercy because you deserve it. 00:13:09.019 --> 00:13:13.899 He shows mercy because his eternal nature is to have mercy. 00:13:13.899 --> 00:13:17.199 He doesn't love you because you deserve his love. 00:13:17.199 --> 00:13:19.259 He loves you because he is love. 00:13:19.699 --> 00:13:21.439 Because that's what he does. 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:23.699 He can't not love. 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:33.919 That's the reason that Jesus is the kind of Savior that we need rather than the one that we might want. 00:13:33.919 --> 00:13:36.120 Because here's the rub. 00:13:37.479 --> 00:13:40.000 We don't actually know what we need. 00:13:41.139 --> 00:13:42.659 We don't know what we need. 00:13:43.740 --> 00:13:47.459 My kids believe they need to stay up all night watching movies. 00:13:47.839 --> 00:13:55.699 My kids last night at our dinner that we had, men's ministry dinner, they believe that they need to light everything that they could find on fire. 00:13:55.700 --> 00:14:01.840 They believe that all they need to eat is sugar and candy. 00:14:01.920 --> 00:14:03.360 That's what they believe they need. 00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:09.680 And it's my job as their dad who loves them to help them understand that what they think they need is maybe not always what they actually need. 00:14:09.980 --> 00:14:11.940 Especially in the case of last night and the fire. 00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:15.820 And it's the same with us and God. 00:14:16.640 --> 00:14:24.280 And if I was contractually obligated to fulfill the desires of my children, I don't think they would last a week. 00:14:25.700 --> 00:14:26.340 Or a day. 00:14:27.240 --> 00:14:30.140 Certainly Laura would never go out of town and leave me in charge. 00:14:32.140 --> 00:14:33.800 So we don't know what we need. 00:14:34.780 --> 00:14:41.640 And so what we need is the kind of Savior who knows what we need and will give us what we need in spite of what we want. 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:43.300 If that's what it takes. 00:14:43.740 --> 00:14:49.379 And so when Jesus is saying this, he's forcing the crowd to choose between two Saviors. 00:14:49.780 --> 00:14:51.620 Do you want the Savior that you want? 00:14:51.780 --> 00:14:53.980 Or will you choose the Savior that you need? 00:14:54.259 --> 00:14:55.580 This is the moment of crisis. 00:14:55.700 --> 00:14:56.620 What will they choose? 00:14:56.620 --> 00:15:01.080 The image that they had in their mind or the reality sitting right in front of them? 00:15:01.340 --> 00:15:06.480 And of course it says in verse 28, when they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 00:15:08.780 --> 00:15:12.520 When you set your heart on what you believe you most need. 00:15:14.460 --> 00:15:16.120 And Jesus doesn't give it to you. 00:15:17.379 --> 00:15:18.740 Sometimes we hate him for it. 00:15:19.720 --> 00:15:21.320 And that's exactly what happens here. 00:15:21.320 --> 00:15:28.040 So they drive Jesus out of the synagogue, out of the town, up to the edge of a cliff where they intend to throw him off and kill him. 00:15:29.280 --> 00:15:29.420 Right? 00:15:29.720 --> 00:15:33.180 Peter's first sermon at Pentecost, 3,000 convert on the spot. 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:37.480 Jesus' first recorded sermon in Luke, they want to throw him off a cliff. 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:40.160 Now that is something worth thinking about. 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:42.299 But we don't have time to get into it now. 00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:46.519 But Jesus is able to mysteriously pass through their midst. 00:15:46.959 --> 00:15:47.659 There's the miracle. 00:15:48.419 --> 00:15:50.439 And he goes away to Capernaum. 00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:51.179 Right? 00:15:51.179 --> 00:15:55.899 So here's the progression that I want to look at with you all as we think about our own lives. 00:15:56.019 --> 00:15:56.139 Right? 00:15:56.279 --> 00:15:58.539 There's this progression from superficial interest. 00:15:58.639 --> 00:15:59.299 What's he going to do? 00:15:59.359 --> 00:16:00.059 Something amazing? 00:16:00.919 --> 00:16:02.939 And then their expectations are challenged. 00:16:03.459 --> 00:16:09.159 And then that brings them to this crisis where they have to make a very hard choice about what kind of savior they want. 00:16:09.899 --> 00:16:13.079 And this is how we grow in our relationship with Jesus. 00:16:13.080 --> 00:16:26.440 When we go through this cycle, sometimes again and again and again, where we navigate expectations being challenged and having to decide, what kind of savior am I following? 00:16:27.060 --> 00:16:29.460 The one that I want or the one that I need? 00:16:30.400 --> 00:16:34.440 I think everybody starts out coming to Jesus for superficial reasons. 00:16:34.700 --> 00:16:39.920 Some of us grow up in church and all of our parents and friends, they're all believers and so we just adopt the beliefs. 00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:43.479 And it's more about fitting in than what we really believe. 00:16:43.599 --> 00:16:44.360 Kids are like that. 00:16:44.539 --> 00:16:44.679 Right? 00:16:45.179 --> 00:16:54.579 Some of us come to Jesus because, you know, you maybe had some wild years but then you get married, you get a stable job, you get a house, you start having kids and you think we need a little religion in our lives. 00:16:54.659 --> 00:16:58.079 So you start going to church because you think it will be a good influence on your kids. 00:16:58.559 --> 00:16:58.639 Right? 00:16:58.819 --> 00:17:03.019 Some people just, they didn't really have any interest in religion but then they come on hard times. 00:17:03.019 --> 00:17:09.899 You know, they lose their job or they go through a hard breakup or something happened and they're feeling kind of dark and empty and they're just reaching out for something. 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:11.480 That will offer comfort. 00:17:11.600 --> 00:17:12.720 You know, that was my story. 00:17:12.840 --> 00:17:20.560 I mean, the only reason I was even interested in Jesus in college is because I was pretty depressed and kind of hopeless and going through a really hard time. 00:17:20.600 --> 00:17:24.240 And I was just kind of looking for anyone or anything that would be of any comfort. 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:28.380 But everybody starts out with a kind of superficial interest in Jesus. 00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:33.920 And when you're at that place, you have what you might think of as a kind of low resolution snapshot. 00:17:35.040 --> 00:17:39.200 It's like a low res snapshot of who we believe Jesus to be. 00:17:39.800 --> 00:17:43.640 And for a lot of people, that low res image is enough. 00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:50.840 And there are people who spend their whole lives going to church every week and they never move past that low resolution snapshot. 00:17:51.300 --> 00:17:52.420 And they're comfortable with that. 00:17:52.420 --> 00:18:01.019 But the problem with a low res Jesus is that a low resolution Jesus is so fuzzy and so hard to define. 00:18:01.140 --> 00:18:05.400 You know, you imagine looking up on the screen, this image is so fuzzy and so pixelated. 00:18:05.960 --> 00:18:07.740 You can't really make it out. 00:18:08.460 --> 00:18:17.960 And so a low resolution image, you can really kind of see whatever you want to see in that kind of fuzzy pixelated kind of, you know, chaos. 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:23.799 And so people feel free to redefine that low res Jesus however they want. 00:18:25.100 --> 00:18:29.720 And so this is why in our society we have so many different definitions of who Jesus is. 00:18:29.840 --> 00:18:40.519 You know, you talk to people around town and some people say following Jesus, what that really means is devoting yourself to love and tolerance and inclusion no matter what. 00:18:40.700 --> 00:18:41.579 Period. End of sentence. 00:18:41.579 --> 00:18:50.019 Some people say following Jesus is primarily about moral conformity and holding to the traditional morality that we have been handed from our forefathers. 00:18:50.379 --> 00:18:54.460 Some people think that all we should be doing is evangelizing the lost. 00:18:54.539 --> 00:18:56.559 That's all the church should be focusing on, right? 00:18:56.799 --> 00:19:01.839 Some people think that evangelism is closed minded and even a form of bigotry. 00:19:01.919 --> 00:19:06.939 And that what we should really be doing is focusing on social justice and loving those around us. 00:19:06.940 --> 00:19:12.519 All of these are low resolution snapshots of Jesus. 00:19:12.980 --> 00:19:18.539 They all capture part of the truth but it's so pixelated that it's incomplete. 00:19:18.779 --> 00:19:19.940 We're not seeing it clearly. 00:19:21.380 --> 00:19:24.299 So you can go your whole life with a low res Jesus. 00:19:25.860 --> 00:19:28.620 But your growth as a Christian will be stunted. 00:19:28.619 --> 00:19:33.799 Because by definition what it means to be a Christian is to know Jesus. 00:19:34.659 --> 00:19:39.939 And you'll be limited for the rest of your life in how well you're able to actually know him as a person. 00:19:40.779 --> 00:19:44.119 So then the question, you know, arises, how do we get to know Jesus? 00:19:45.719 --> 00:19:49.319 In this sermon that Jesus gives, he shows us the answer. 00:19:50.059 --> 00:19:50.459 Right? 00:19:50.539 --> 00:19:51.899 Preaching in the synagogue in Nazareth. 00:19:51.900 --> 00:19:58.800 He reads the scripture and then he says, I am the fulfillment of this scripture. 00:19:59.820 --> 00:20:03.240 And here he's talking about Isaiah 61 with part of Isaiah 58. 00:20:04.759 --> 00:20:14.100 But what he also says is that all of scripture is about him and points to him and reveals him. 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:16.840 All of scripture is that which he fulfills. 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:20.220 And so he's giving us a way of reading scripture. 00:20:20.920 --> 00:20:21.400 Right? 00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:24.019 If you read scripture through that lens. 00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:33.620 If you're reading anywhere from Genesis to Revelation and you are reading it with the expectation that this is going to teach you something about the character and the heart of Jesus Christ. 00:20:33.940 --> 00:20:35.040 The mission of Jesus Christ. 00:20:35.180 --> 00:20:35.820 Why he came. 00:20:36.140 --> 00:20:37.160 Why we can trust him. 00:20:37.940 --> 00:20:45.360 If you're reading through that lens, you will begin to develop a higher and higher and higher resolution image of who Jesus really is. 00:20:45.580 --> 00:20:47.680 The pixels will start to clear up. 00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:50.500 You'll start to see the lines more clearly defined. 00:20:50.600 --> 00:20:51.759 The textures and the nuances. 00:20:51.940 --> 00:20:53.120 The lights and the shadows. 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:56.120 You'll begin to make out his face more and more and more clearly. 00:20:56.299 --> 00:21:02.880 But the problem with that is when that happens, some of your previously held expectations will be challenged. 00:21:02.880 --> 00:21:05.260 And that's hard. 00:21:05.260 --> 00:21:05.800 Right? 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:08.100 You begin to read scripture. 00:21:08.220 --> 00:21:13.960 You begin to realize, you know, Jesus is incredibly loving towards sinners and outcasts and outsiders. 00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:19.600 And yet Jesus has a higher view of personal holiness even than the religious leaders. 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:27.579 You read in one place, Jesus prays this beautiful prayer that all would be one, all would be unified. 00:21:27.919 --> 00:21:30.639 And then in another place he says, do you think that I came to bring peace? 00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:31.879 I didn't come to bring peace. 00:21:32.099 --> 00:21:34.519 I brought a sword to divide people. 00:21:35.799 --> 00:21:39.799 You read where sometimes Jesus is incredibly meek and mild. 00:21:39.919 --> 00:21:41.419 You have people wanting to stone him and kill him. 00:21:41.539 --> 00:21:43.639 And he just slips through the crowd and walks on his way. 00:21:43.719 --> 00:21:43.899 Right? 00:21:43.900 --> 00:21:49.460 In other places, Jesus is furiously flipping over tables in the temple. 00:21:50.759 --> 00:21:55.440 And how do you hold these images, these ideas of Jesus together? 00:21:56.160 --> 00:22:01.259 That's what it means to develop a higher resolution understanding of a real flesh and blood person. 00:22:02.600 --> 00:22:06.300 Low resolution Jesus fits easily into our categories. 00:22:06.800 --> 00:22:13.560 Low resolution Jesus fits into categories like liberal, conservative, democrat, republican. 00:22:13.900 --> 00:22:18.660 Socialist, feminist, whatever your category is, low res Jesus fits right in. 00:22:19.480 --> 00:22:24.080 The problem with high resolution Jesus is that he doesn't fit any of those categories. 00:22:24.900 --> 00:22:26.759 He doesn't fit any of those categories. 00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:33.080 And the problem for us is the more we follow him, the less we will fit into any of those categories. 00:22:34.540 --> 00:22:37.600 And this is why it causes a crisis in us. 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:46.859 Because throughout the Christian life, we invariably come to crisis moments where we have to choose between the savior that we want, 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:51.219 the low resolution Jesus who fits our categories and expectations, 00:22:51.599 --> 00:22:53.659 or the savior that we need. 00:22:54.439 --> 00:22:58.740 A high resolution God who took on flesh who doesn't fit any of our categories, 00:22:59.259 --> 00:23:01.919 and instead calls us to fit into his categories. 00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:06.000 But that means he can actually change our lives. 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:10.940 The savior that I want fits my categories, the savior I need doesn't. 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:15.660 The savior I want is the savior who promises me that I will always be happy and fulfilled. 00:23:15.960 --> 00:23:20.320 The savior I need sometimes calls me to suffer with no explanation. 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:27.119 The savior I want says the partner of my dreams is just around the corner if I just have enough faith and believe and pray. 00:23:27.399 --> 00:23:31.819 The savior I need may be calling me to a long season of singleness. 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:36.939 You know, the savior I want always says yes to my dreams. 00:23:39.619 --> 00:23:40.019 Always. 00:23:40.879 --> 00:23:44.779 The savior I need loves me so much that many times he says no. 00:23:46.159 --> 00:23:47.779 Loves me so much that he says no. 00:23:47.779 --> 00:23:50.660 Loves me so much that he slams the door right in my face. 00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:55.700 And sometimes when Jesus defies our expectations, 00:23:56.139 --> 00:23:59.339 and when he rejects our agendas, we hate him for it. 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:03.440 I bet if I asked you to take five minutes and just think about 00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:05.240 some of the things that you've brought to the Lord, 00:24:05.480 --> 00:24:08.660 some of the times when you felt either his silence or his clear no. 00:24:09.779 --> 00:24:12.079 If you're honest, there are probably times for all of us 00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:13.799 when you hated him for it. 00:24:15.460 --> 00:24:16.579 You hated him for it. 00:24:16.579 --> 00:24:20.419 Times where if we had the chance, we would drag him up to the edge of a cliff, 00:24:20.539 --> 00:24:21.699 and we'd throw him off. 00:24:21.960 --> 00:24:24.159 How dare you say no? 00:24:26.779 --> 00:24:27.839 But here's the point. 00:24:29.059 --> 00:24:31.699 At the beginning of this, we asked, 00:24:32.339 --> 00:24:34.879 if we were to see Jesus face to face, 00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:36.539 if we could see him clearly, 00:24:36.939 --> 00:24:38.079 if we could hear him, 00:24:38.159 --> 00:24:39.419 if we could touch him, 00:24:39.420 --> 00:24:42.900 would it make it easier to believe in him? 00:24:43.259 --> 00:24:43.500 Right? 00:24:43.539 --> 00:24:44.200 That was our question. 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:47.500 And this passage shows us the answer. 00:24:49.500 --> 00:24:53.120 If we are blinded by our own desires and expectations, 00:24:53.580 --> 00:24:56.279 we will never be able to see Jesus, 00:24:56.279 --> 00:24:59.319 even if he's standing right in front of us. 00:25:00.519 --> 00:25:02.859 If we're blinded by our own desires and expectations, 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:04.980 we will never be able to see Jesus, 00:25:05.779 --> 00:25:08.240 even if he's preaching in our church. 00:25:09.519 --> 00:25:11.220 And this is why we need the gospel. 00:25:12.399 --> 00:25:12.539 Right? 00:25:12.619 --> 00:25:13.319 See, these people, 00:25:13.440 --> 00:25:14.839 they try to kill Jesus here, 00:25:14.940 --> 00:25:16.099 but he doesn't let them. 00:25:16.099 --> 00:25:19.459 But three years from this moment, 00:25:19.959 --> 00:25:21.500 Jesus is going to let them. 00:25:22.519 --> 00:25:22.699 Right? 00:25:22.839 --> 00:25:24.899 He will go willingly to his death. 00:25:25.939 --> 00:25:27.299 And on that day at Calvary, 00:25:27.399 --> 00:25:28.959 it wasn't just the people in Nazareth 00:25:28.959 --> 00:25:30.500 who rejected him and wanted him dead. 00:25:30.719 --> 00:25:33.079 It was every single person involved, 00:25:33.459 --> 00:25:34.559 even his own disciples. 00:25:35.879 --> 00:25:39.319 And I told you that Jesus read from Isaiah chapter 61, 00:25:39.579 --> 00:25:40.299 which he does. 00:25:40.379 --> 00:25:41.019 That was true. 00:25:41.539 --> 00:25:44.579 But if you go back and you actually read Isaiah 61, 00:25:44.579 --> 00:25:48.000 and then you look at where Jesus ends his reading, 00:25:48.579 --> 00:25:50.980 you realize that Jesus stops reading 00:25:50.980 --> 00:25:52.279 halfway through a verse. 00:25:53.079 --> 00:25:54.339 Now that's interesting, right? 00:25:54.539 --> 00:25:57.299 Jesus is reading and he stops midway through a verse. 00:25:58.139 --> 00:25:58.319 Right? 00:25:58.419 --> 00:26:00.000 Halfway through a completed thought. 00:26:00.119 --> 00:26:01.259 Why would that be the case? 00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:03.460 So you go and you read. 00:26:03.579 --> 00:26:04.539 Okay, Jesus reads, 00:26:05.179 --> 00:26:06.859 to proclaim liberty to the captives, 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:08.319 recovery of sight to the blind, 00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:10.240 liberty to free the oppressed, 00:26:10.980 --> 00:26:13.119 and proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. 00:26:13.379 --> 00:26:14.379 There's not a period there. 00:26:14.579 --> 00:26:18.939 The actual verse in Isaiah goes on. 00:26:19.019 --> 00:26:19.319 It says, 00:26:19.720 --> 00:26:21.059 proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, 00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:21.519 comma, 00:26:21.740 --> 00:26:25.639 and the day of vengeance of our God. 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:29.119 He leaves out the vengeance part. 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:33.679 The day of the Lord's favor is also the day of vengeance. 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:37.139 And Jesus omits that from his reading 00:26:37.139 --> 00:26:40.480 because that's not something that's going to happen to us. 00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:44.460 It was always meant to happen to him. 00:26:46.860 --> 00:26:49.640 To us, he proclaims good news to the poor, 00:26:50.059 --> 00:26:51.000 sight for the blind, 00:26:51.460 --> 00:26:52.559 liberty to captives. 00:26:53.220 --> 00:26:54.400 That's what we need to hear. 00:26:55.559 --> 00:26:58.980 But God's vengeance was reserved exclusively for him. 00:26:58.980 --> 00:27:02.120 God took all of the guilt, 00:27:02.120 --> 00:27:03.160 all of the sin, 00:27:03.339 --> 00:27:06.420 all the problems that we've caused by rejecting him, 00:27:06.480 --> 00:27:08.720 by choosing the Savior that we want, 00:27:08.759 --> 00:27:09.660 often ourselves, 00:27:10.360 --> 00:27:12.099 rather than the Savior that we need. 00:27:12.940 --> 00:27:14.860 And he put all of that on Jesus, 00:27:14.859 --> 00:27:17.339 and then he punished Jesus in our place. 00:27:17.899 --> 00:27:21.259 And that is why Jesus is such good news for people like us. 00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:25.399 That's why he's the Savior that we really need, right? 00:27:25.939 --> 00:27:27.699 How do you save people? 00:27:28.219 --> 00:27:31.519 How do you save people who would rather throw you off a cliff 00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:33.079 than hear what you have to say? 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:36.740 You let them kill you, 00:27:37.459 --> 00:27:40.219 and then you make your death the means of their salvation. 00:27:40.220 --> 00:27:44.380 And the kind of Savior that would do that 00:27:44.380 --> 00:27:46.319 is the kind of Savior that we need. 00:27:49.420 --> 00:27:50.000 Let's pray. 00:27:51.019 --> 00:27:53.640 Lord, we thank you for your word, 00:27:53.799 --> 00:27:55.140 and we thank you for your son. 00:27:55.799 --> 00:27:57.819 And I know that even as I stand up here, 00:27:57.900 --> 00:28:00.019 I have things that I expect from you, 00:28:00.420 --> 00:28:01.759 that I demand of you. 00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:07.299 I know that I'm blinded, Lord, 00:28:08.480 --> 00:28:10.059 blinded by my own desires, 00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:12.160 my own priorities. 00:28:13.160 --> 00:28:16.000 We pray that you would strip these things away, 00:28:16.120 --> 00:28:19.240 that as the scales fell from Paul's eyes, 00:28:19.360 --> 00:28:22.259 so these things would drop away from our eyes. 00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:25.600 And that as we come to you in prayer and song, 00:28:26.059 --> 00:28:29.059 as we come to you and come around your table 00:28:29.059 --> 00:28:32.160 and receive your flesh and your blood, 00:28:32.160 --> 00:28:34.100 Lord, we pray that our eyes would be opened, 00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:37.660 that we would be the blind to whom sight is given, 00:28:37.660 --> 00:28:40.300 and that we would be able to see you face to face. 00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:43.900 We pray this for our good and for your glory. 00:28:44.340 --> 00:28:45.540 In your son's name, amen. 00:28:45.539 --> 00:28:45.899 Amen. 00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:46.759 Thank you. 00:28:46.980 --> 00:28:47.019 Amen. 00:28:47.139 --> 00:28:48.099 Amen. 00:28:50.379 --> 00:28:50.980 Amen. 00:28:50.980 --> 00:28:51.279 Amen. 00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:51.440 Thank you. 00:28:51.579 --> 00:28:51.599 Yes.