What Jesus Wants to Do For You 1 of 9
This morning I want us to look at the first recorded sermon of Jesus.
It's found in Luke 4.
The sermon was preached at the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth.
Jesus had been ministering throughout Judea, in the area of Jerusalem, for about 8 months. Now he and his disciples had come to Galilee to begin doing ministry in this region.
One Sabbath he attended the synagogue in Nazareth and apparently he was invited to preach.
Synagogue services weren't much different than ours.
--they recited creeds,
--they prayed together
--there was a public reading of scripture
--one reading from the Law and one reading from the prophets
--this was followed by a sermon, which was expected to be an exposition of one or both of the passages.
It has been suggested that specific passages were scheduled to be read on specific days, similar to the lectionary.
It just so happened that on the day that Jesus visited the synagogue in Nazareth, the reading was from Isaiah 61.
This passage refers to a prophet (the Messiah) who is coming to Israel to do great things.
This is what Jesus read...
Luke 4:18
18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
After Jesus read these words, he rolled up the scroll and sat down to speak, since it was the custom then that teachers taught sitting down.
Luke 4:20 20 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.
This is how Jesus began his sermon. He said...
Vs 21 This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
In other words, he was saying, "I'm the prophet that Isaiah was talking about.
We need a little background here to help you understand what was happening. Organized religion of the day wasn’t very appealing to that group we just read about.
--the poor
--the brokenhearted
--the captives
--and the blind
In fact, the religion of the day pretty much said that if you are this way…all these things could be considered a judgment from God.
Here Jesus was saying God promised to send someone to preach to the poor, proclaim liberty, give sight to the blind, and set free the downtrodden -- and it's me.
Jesus was saying that guy Isaiah was talking about hundreds of years ago are specifically about me, my ministry, and what I have come to do."
I want to point something out that is so basic, that if we are not careful, we can miss it.
Jesus was the most successful person who ever lived. Bar none.
All of us can agree with that, but what if I said that everyone if us could just as successful in our life. Is that hard to believe?
Why was Jesus so successful? He knew why He existed. He knew His purpose. He knew why He was here.
Friend, I would suggest that is the most important discovery of life; to discover our purpose.
If you are here today and you are not sure of your purpose is, I would love to help you discover it.
That I believe is one of the greatest blessings of being a Christian. You and I were each created for something, and it is when we give our live to Christ that we begin to discover that purpose.
Let’s get back to Jesus sermon…
I want us to focus on the words Jesus spoke at the very beginning of his message.
This is an important passage of scripture because it tells us what Jesus came to do.
--It tells us what he was about
--what were his priorities
--and what were his goals.
He mentions five things here -- five ministry priorities, so to speak -- and there's a pretty good chance that all five of these things apply to you,
These are the things Jesus came to do.
We would do well to understand this, because what he came to do, he came to do for you -- and for everyone.
Here they are: 5 things Jesus wants to do for you.
First of all...
1. He wants to meet your deepest needs.
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor
Jesus begins by saying that the Lord has anointed me to "preach the gospel to the poor."
He was talking about material poverty, to be sure, but that's not all he was talking about.
In a greater sense He was referring to spiritual poverty.
Notice another place Jesus was teaching in Matthew 5:3 when he said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God."
In the first century poverty was widespread and brutal.
We sometimes forget that we are one of the few places on earth in one of the few periods of history in which the average individual had a modicum of control over his financial situation.
And though today prosperity doesn't come easy to anyone, the fact is that, in our society, if you work hard and apply yourself, your chances of a comfortable middle class existence are extremely good.
It wasn't so in the first century.
People could work hard all their lives -- six days a week, backbreaking labor from dawn to nightfall -- and still have nothing to show for it.
And for those who couldn't find work or weren't physically able to work, their only option was to beg.
Jesus came to preach a message that could be found in the pages of the Old Testament but was often overlooked:
His message was that the so-called unimportant people of society -- the poor, the weak, the helpless -- matter to God.
Organized religion may look down on them, but Jesus wanted them to know that to God you are precious.
Jesus came to proclaim good news to the poor, but not just the materially poor. He was referring to those whose lives are empty and destitute in any number of ways.
And all of us fit in there somewhere.
I have the privilege of ministering to the affluent and the poor.
Here's what I've learned: there's lack everywhere.
Even among the affluent, there's tremendous lack in their lives.
There's not a single person I know who doesn't struggle with some kind of poverty in some area of their life.
Think about your life.
--Where do you lack?
--Where are you poor?
--Is it your finances?
--Is it your relationships — the ones that are supposed to bring happiness into your life — are they empty and destitute?
Are you living in emotional poverty — with no sense of joy, fulfillment, direction, or purpose?
I want you to know that wherever you lack, Jesus came to meet that deepest need.
No matter what the needs are in your life-- there are two things you can count on.
One, Jesus will help you endure this period of poverty in your life -- that season of lack.
Two, Jesus will help you overcome whatever it is that is putting poverty into your life.
Where ever you lack, he'll give you:
- the strength to endure
- and the power to overcome.
So, you know what that means…trust him with your deepest needs.
Secondly...
2. He wants to set you free from whatever has a hold of you.
Luke 4:1818 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives
Jesus said that God "to preach deliverance to the captives”
The NIV says, "He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners”
Just as everyone struggles with poverty in some area of their lives,
it is also true that everyone is, or has been, captive to something.
For some it's food or sex or alcohol or gambling.
These are the easy ones to spot because they catch up with you the fastest.
But there are some other things, things more insidious and less obvious, that hold many additional people captive.
Some are imprisoned by their anger. For others, it's guilt. Or fear. Or resentment. Or depression. Or jealousy. Or ambition. Or revenge.
Make no mistake about it, these things grab hold of you and shackle your hands and feet.
As much as you try to manage your rage or your lust or your bitterness, you just can't. You are its prisoner.
You don't control it, it controls you.
Every person in this room is, or has been, captive to something.And I want you to know that Jesus came to set you free.
One of my favorite texts in all the Bible…
John 8:36 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed
Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captives, freedom to the prisoners, and that includes you.
I want you to allow yourself to think about how good it will be to be set free.
Imagine it: The guilt is gone; your past no longer haunts you, your sins and mistakes no longer torment you, your shame no longer engulfs you. You've been set free.
Jesus said, "I have come to proclaim liberty to the captives."
Whatever it is that's got a hold of you, he is able to set you free.
1. Jesus wants to meet your deepest needs,
2. he wants to set you free, and ...
3. He wants to give you a new outlook on life.
Luke 4:18
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind,
Jesus said that he has come to proclaim "recovery of sight to the blind."
As with poverty, he is speaking literally as well as figuratively.
During his earthly ministry he restored the sight of many blind people.
But there's another type of blindness the Bible talks about: blindness to the truth. It applies to all of us.
There are times when our fear, or our prejudice, or our lack of faith, or our sin prevents us from seeing God's truth in a situation.
A while back I was talking to a friend about a ministry related problem. He I kept telling me how big the problem was, how insurmountable the problem was, how ineffective he’d been at fixing it, and how remote is any hope of a solution.
Finally I had enough. I told him he was looking at it all wrong.
I told him you’re exaggerating the problem and you're underestimating God's ability to work through you. You need to see this situation from God's perspective."
You know what? I was right. (I love it that happens!)
Just by looking at the issue differently and from the perspective that God is not limited and that If it is His will, nothing will stand in our way. He began to look through the eyes of faith and it changed everything!
Jesus came to proclaim recovery of sight to the blind. That means that you don't have to live your life as if you're feeling your way through the darkness.
You can live with spiritual insight, spiritual vision, and a spiritual perspective.
Jesus came so that you can live life like you know what's ahead of you.
He came to help you see.
Fourthly...
4. He wants you to feel good.
Luke 4:18 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Some of you may be surprised that I would say it this way, because on the surface it may sound shallow.
But think about it. God doesn't want you to go through life feeling bad all the time.
He wants you to feel good about your life.
Jesus said that he came to to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Have you ever been bruised? Has life ever gotten the best of you? Does it ever seem to just beat you mercilessly?
Jesus cares about the emotional bruises you bear.
He cares about the hurts you've endured.
If you are feeling completely beat up and bruised this morning…
Here is a verse for you.
Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
No matter how fragile you are, no matter how vulnerable you may feel, Jesus is ready to protect you.
That's why he says in Matthew 11:28…
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
I want you to understand: if you're bruised and beaten and downtrodden,
Jesus wants to release you from your oppression. He wants to build you up emotionally. He wants you to feel good.
Now, we don't live by feelings, we live by faith. Feelings can be tricky sometimes. You can't rely on them. But you don't have to go through life feeling bad all the time.
You don't have to go through life feeling blue. You don't have to go through life bruised and beaten. You can feel good.
Jesus said "I want you to be full of joy. I want you to experience abundance. I want you to know peace. I want you to have hope."
You don't have to feel oppressed. Instead, you can feel blessed.
Can you handle one more…
Number five...
5. He wants you to experience God's favor.
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Another translations says…
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”[ ]
Some of you see God only as angry and vindictive.
You think that he is harsh and demanding, and you think that he thinks you are nothing but a disappointment.
I want you to understand: this is not the God of the Bible; it's not the God that is revealed through Jesus Christ. God is a God of love, of grace, of mercy, and compassion.
You can experience his favor.
--He's not mad at you.
--He's not perpetually annoyed with you.
--He's not impatient with you.
He loves you. He wants to pour out his blessings on your life
Jesus didn't come to proclaim the wrath of God. He didn't come to proclaim God's condemnation.
There is a very famous passage of scripture that so many of us know by heart. Would you repeat it with me…
It is John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
We know that one well, but let me read you the very next verse…
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved
He came to proclaim God's favor. I want you to know that you can experience God's favor
--whenever you want,
--whenever you're ready -- right now, if you like.
I gonna ask our worship team to come up and as they lead us in our closing song…
I want to invite you to make a decision
Jesus' first recorded sermon tells us what Jesus came to do for the people of this planet -- what he came to do for each one of you.
He came
--to meet your deepest needs,
--to set you free from whatever it is that has a grip on you,
--to help you see life from the angle of truth,
--to heal your hurts and restore you emotionally.
--And most of all, to experience God's favor -- to enjoy God's presence in your life.
Would you like to make a decision for Jesus today?
If you have never surrendered your life to Him, I invite you to do that as we sing by coming to the alter
If you need to recommit your life to him, I also invite you to come.
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