“THE PRICE AND PRIORITY OF FOLLOWING JESUS #1-WHY DO MEN REJECT THE TRUTH?”
LUKE 4:14-31
INTRO: Jesus said in Mark 8:34-37—“Whosoeverwillcomeafterme,lethim
denyhimself,andtake uphiscross,andfollowme. Forwhosoeverwill
savehislifeshallloseit;butwhosoevershalllosehislifefor my sake
andthegospel's,the sameshallsaveit. Forwhatshallitprofitaman,
ifheshallgainthewholeworld,andlosehis ownsoul? Orwhatshalla
mangivein exchangeforhissoul?” These words of Jesus for many are
a hard pill to swallow. For many the cost of following Jesus is just too
great. B. W. Johnson commenting on these verses in The People’s New
Testament wrote [the person who follows Jesus] “Let him be prepared
to say "no" to many of the strongest cravings of his nature, in the
direction more particularly of earthly ease, comfort, dignity, and glory.”
Albert Barnes in his notes adds, “…let him surrender to God his will,
his affections, his body, and his soul. Let him not seek his own
happiness as the supreme object, but be willing to renounce all, and
lay down his life also, if required.” (Albert Barnes’ Notes on The Bible).
Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man
should boast.” The grace of God is free but it is not cheap! It is costly!
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: “Cheap Grace is the deadly enemy of our
Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace…finds a
cheap covering for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real
desire to be delivered from sin. Cheap grace therefore amounts to a
denial of the living Word of God, in fact, a denial of the Incarnation of
the Word of God. Cheap grace means justification of sin without the
justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and
so everything can remain as it was before."-- Bonhoeffer, Dietrich,
1937. The Cost of Discipleship, Touchstone Books (1959 edition), p43
(emphasis in original). He goes on to add: "Costly grace is the gospel
which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked
for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because
it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus
Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life. It is costly because
it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it
is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: ‘ye were bought at a
price,' and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us." –
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, 1937. The Cost of Discipleship, Touchstone Books
(1959 edition), p45 (emphasis in original). Yes, grace is free but it is
not cheap! It is costly! Today we begin a series of messages entitled,
“THE PRICE AND PRIORITY OF FOLLOWING JESUS.”
In Luke 4:14-31 we see Jesus early in His ministry in His hometown
of Nazareth. Vv. 16-22 tell us, “And he came to Nazareth, where he
had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the
synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was
delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had
opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spiritof
theLordisuponme,becausehehathanointedmetopreach the gospel
tothepoor;hehathsentmetohealthebrokenhearted,topreach
deliverancetothecaptives,andrecovering of sighttotheblind,tosetat
libertythem that are bruised,TopreachtheacceptableyearoftheLord.
And he began to say unto them, This dayisthisScripturefulfilledinyour
ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words
which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's
son?” After reading Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the Messiah, Jesus
made a brief declaration about His ministry, “This dayisthisScripture
fulfilledinyourears.” (v21b). The result being that the worshippers at
synagogue threw Him out, and attempted to kill Him. Why? Why was
Jesus so sorely rejected at home? The answer to that question tells us
why people still reject Him today.
Men today have the same problem accepting the truth as did the people
of Nazareth. John MacArthur in his book Hard To Believe writes “what
went wrong was that the true gospel, even majestically preached in
pure perfection and power, was no more of a crowd pleaser than it is
today. Where’s the fun and self-satisfaction in admitting you’re
spiritually destitute? That is the last thing the Jews were prepared to
do. And Jesus never even got to the part about taking up a cross!
They were righteous in their own eyes. They were noble, God’s chosen
and devout. They worshipped the true and living God of Israel. They
went to every synagogue event. They gave their tithes. They prayed.
They fasted…they were the people of God…They were the people of
Israel. They were traditionalists. They were ceremonialists. They were
zealous for the Law. They kept the Law outwardly as blamelessly as
they could. They were thinking, ‘Hey, we’re not the spiritually poor, the
prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed…And we don’t like the
insinuation that we are!’” (John MacArthur. Hard To Believe. pp. 59-
60). Let us answer the question today, “WHY DO MEN REJECT THE
TRUTH?” Note two things with me:
(1) THE TRUTH IS REJECTED BECAUSE OF UNBELIEF
LUKE 4:20-22—“And he closed the book, and he gave it again to
the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This dayisthisScripturefulfilledinyourears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?”
- UNBELIEF QUESTIONS THE AUTHORITY OF THE SAVIOR. When Jesus said in v21—“ This dayisthisScripturefulfilledinyourears,”the people knew He was making a bold claim about Himself. Jesus was saying, “I am the person here spoken of; and at this present time the Spirit of God is upon me; I am anointed with the Holy Ghost, and now preach glad tidings to you, and all the good things here mentioned, and for the several ends proposed; and this Scripture has its full accomplishment which has been read unto you, and you have heard this day.”(John Gill’s Exposition of The Entire Bible). V22 tells us, “…And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?” Can you not hear the doubt and unbelief in their words? Why did they doubt and disbelieve? Two reasons:
- They Did Not Believe Because of Their Familiarity With Him. Someone has said, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Their familiarity with Him became a barrier to their belief. They knew His family. They knew where His home was. How He grew up. They saw Him as a child playing on their streets. Familiarity can cause a person to disbelieve. Some grow up in Christian homes and have the same problem believing just as the people of Nazareth did. They have just enough knowledge about Jesus to keep them from ever really trusting in Him and receiving Him as their Lord and Savior. Their family brought them to Church as a child but to them it was a mere ritual that never resulted in a relationship with the Living and Mighty God!
ILLUS: The Kremlin, the old, walled fortress that was the political
Center of the atheist Communist regime in the Soviet
Union, is filled with spiritual symbols. The showpiece of
the Kremlin is-unbelievably-Cathedral Square, which is
composed entirely of ancient churches and cathedrals.
Each Russian Orthodox Church has two murals over the
exit door on its western wall. The mural on the left
depicts paradise; the one on the right depicts hell.
Between them, above the door, the Lord is shown on the
Great White Throne. Stalin, Lenin, and other atheistic
Communist leaders must have passed this square a
thousand times. They were no strangers to its visual
images, but apparently blind to the images’ spiritual
significance. We don’t need to travel to the former Soviet
Union to find people who have ignored symbols pointing
to God. Virtually every town across America has a
church steeple topped by a cross. How many people who
see the cross each day stop to consider what it really
means?
- They Did Not Believe Because of Their Lack of Faith In Him. The people were looking and waiting for some sign that would convince them that He was who He claimed to be. Notice Jesus’ words in vv. 23-24—“And he said unto them, Yewillsurelysayuntomethisproverb,Physician,healthyself:whatsoeverwehavehearddoneinCapernaum,doalsohereinthycountry. And he said, VerilyIsayuntoyou,Noprophetisacceptedinhis owncountry.” Many still today reject Jesus because He will not conform to their expectations. Listen friends, salvation cannot be dictated on our terms. Jesus said, “Iamtheway,thetruth,andthelife:no mancomethuntotheFather,butbyme.” We must come HIS WAY which is simple faith and trust in what He has done for us on Calvary. Realizing we are lost, condemned, and undone and without Him we have no hope at all! No miracles are needed to convince us to believe that He is THE TRUTH. If Jesus would have provided the people with a miracle would that have convinced them that “This dayisthisScripturefulfilledinyourears”? Would a miracle have convinced them that He could save their souls from hell? Would it have affirmed that He could give them eternal life and take them to heaven? NO! Listen to what John 2:23-25 says, “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.” They believed that He was a man sent from God, but not that He was the Christ. Jesus alone is all the proof that faith needs and true commitment to Him will provide its own proof. “Miracles do affirm the faith of those who believe, but they do nothing for those who don’t. Jesus’ listeners didn’t want the salvation He offered if the terms were to admit their need for Him. They wanted miracles not as proof, but as a means of self-justification. They were really saying, ‘Why should we believe Him? After all, we don’t have any proof that He’s the Messiah.’ Of course they did. They could have proven He was the Messiah in an instant. How? By repenting and believing in Him as their Lord and Savior. They chose not to. They chose to put up a smoke screen in their minds, and Jesus read their minds.” (John MacArthur. Hard To Believe. p. 63).
ILLUS: You can take all the so-called miracle-workers, from
Jannes, Jambres, and the Egyptian magicians all the
way down to Simon Magus in the New Testament; you
can take all the oracles of Delphi and all the black
magicians and white magicians and bring them all
together; you can take all the hocus-pocus faith healers
and TV evangelists, line them up, and have them perform
their whole gig of so-called miracles. Yet when they’re
finished, whether they’re true or false, they do not prove
that Jesus Christ can save someone from hell. All of this
supposed miracle-working on television today has
absolutely no bearing on the power of the gospel. I don’t
know what those “healers” think they’re accomplishing
by falsifying miracles—as if falsifying miracles somehow
is going to cause people to believe in Jesus Christ. It
isn’t. It doesn’t. It never did—Jesus banished disease
and demons from the whole land of Israel with authentic
miracles, and they put Him on a cross. (John MacArthur.
Hard To Believe. p. 61).
B. UNBELIEF QUESTIONS THE ABILITY OF THE SAVIOR. The people
were amazed at Jesus’ speaking ability. Vv. 20, 22 tells us, “And he
closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And
the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which
proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?”
They could not argue with His speaking ability but they did question His
ability to be the Redeemer, Deliverer, and Savior of Israel. How many
today still doubt whether the Lord can save them? You hear things
such as, “You don’t know what I have done in my life,” “God surely
doesn’t love me because I am so sinful,” and “God might can save me
but He can’t keep me saved. I am too vile and I will go back to sinning.”
Listen friends, grace is the answer to all these problems! Romans 5:20
says, “…where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” The words
“much more” there are translated from a Greek word which means “to
super abound.” Listen friend, there is no one who is so sinful that
God’s grace cannot save! There is no sin so vile that God’s grace
cannot cover!
ILLUS: The Sunday School Times carried a story of a man who feared
he could never be saved. Approaching a minister of the Gospel,
he exclaimed, "I'm such a helpless, miserable sinner. There's
no hope for me! I've prayed, resolved, and tried everything until
I'm sick of all my useless efforts." "Do you believe that Christ
died for our sins and rose again?" was the reply. "Of course I
do." "Well," said the preacher, "if He were here on earth so you
could actually see Him, what would you do?" "Oh, I'd go to Him
at once!" said the trembling seeker. "When you arrived, what
would you say?" "I'd tell Him I'm a lost sinner." "If He looked
your way, would you request Him to do anything for you?"
inquired his counselor. "I certainly would! I'd fall on my knees
and beg Him to forgive and save me." When asked what Christ
would reply, the man became silent. The preacher turned to
John 6:37 and read it slowly and emphatically. Then he asked
again, "What would the Savior say if you asked Him to cleanse
you from your sin?" At last a happy light came into the
doubter's eyes as he said with confidence, "He would answer, 'I
will!'" That moment he believed, his fears departed, and a new-
found joy flooded his soul.
Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:15-16—“ This is a faithful saying, and
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that
in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to
them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. “ Paul
declared that "One cause of his obtaining mercy was that in him Christ
might show how long-suffering he is. He forgave, saved and blessed the
bitter enemy.”(B. W. Johnson, The People’s New Testament). Friend, if
God’s grace can save Paul “Who was before a blasphemer, and a
persecutor, and injurious” (1 Timothy 1:13a), His grace can save you
also!
THE TRUTH IS REJECTED BECAUSE OF UNBELIEF but also let us see…
(2) THE TRUTH IS REJECTED BECAUSE OF UNYIELDING PRIDE
LUKE 4:22b; 24-30—“And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
And he said, VerilyIsayuntoyou,Noprophetisacceptedinhis owncountry, ButItellyouofatruth,manywidowswereinIsraelinthedaysofElijah,whentheheavenwasshut upthreeyearsandsixmonths,whengreatfaminewasthroughoutalltheland; ButuntononeofthemwasElijahsent,saveuntoSarepta,acityofSidon,untoawomanthatwasawidow. AndmanyleperswereinIsraelin the timeofElishatheprophet;andnoneofthemwascleansed,savingNaamantheSyrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way.”
A. PRIDE PREVENTS PEOPLE FROM ADMITTING THEIR NEED OF
SALVATION. Jesus declared that His ministry and mission was the
fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Jesus said in vv. 18-19—“The Spirit
oftheLordisuponme,becausehehathanointedmetopreach the
gospeltothepoor;hehathsentmetohealthebrokenhearted,topreach
deliverancetothecaptives,andrecovering of sighttotheblind,tosetat
libertythem that are bruised, Topreachtheacceptableyearofthe
Lord.” The prophecy of Isaiah declared that the Messiah would come
in the power of the Holy Spirit, He would preach the gospel to the poor,
heal broken hearts, preach deliverance to the captives, recovery of
sight to the blind, freedom for the prisoners, and release for the
oppressed. These words give us a four-fold picture of what sin does to
man:
- Sin brings moral and spiritual bankruptcy.
- Sin imprisons man taking away his freedom.
- Sin blinds man taking away his ability to see the things of God.
- Sin oppresses man breaking his heart, will and his life.
The Lord’s message was unmistakable: “Salvation is available to those
of you who confess your spiritual poverty, who confess your spiritual
bondage, who confess your spiritual darkness, who confess your
spiritual defeat.” (John MacArthur. Hard To Believe. p. 57). But this
was something that the worshippers at Nazareth were unwilling to do.
They could not bring themselves to admit they were poor, prisoners,
blind, broken and bruised. It was their pride which prevented them
from admitting their need. Many today are the same way. Vance
Havner said, “Of all the illusions and fantasies and farces of human
history, the biggest mirage of all is what we call progress. Just