A Tremendous Opportunity
Notes
Transcript
Take It!
Take It!
When given an opportunity of a lifetime, take it.
We don’t always get opportunities like this.
Sometimes, no one gives us the chance.
Sometimes, they go to other people.
When you see an opportunity like this, jump on it.
There was a great story in football this season. Brock Purdy. He was PHX kid, native of Queen Creek and graduated from Perry high school in Gilbert.
Coming out of high school and looking for a scholarship to play big time college football, this is what Nick Saban said about him.
'You're below average in height. Your arm strength is whatever. Your accuracy is average.'
Saban is no slouch in evaluating talent. He’s the coach of U of Alabama, annually in the top of college football, playing for the championship, and has had several quarterbacks win the Heisman Trophy.
He ended up going to Iowa State. Who goes to Iowa State to prep for the NFL? He started all 4 years.
Coming out of college there was little attraction from any of the pro teams. One anonymous scout said, “NO interest.”
There are 7 round in the NFL draft in April. Each team gets one pick in each round, unless they trade them. The first pick is always celebrated, signed, and paid a lot of money immediately.
Brock Purdy ended up being “Mr. Irrelevant.” That is the nickname given to last player taken in the last round. The very last pick by the 49ers.
7th rounders hardly ever make the team. They are fodder for the good players to practice against in pre-season. They almost always get cut prior to getting paid. But, he was a QB. He ended up making the team as the 3rd string QB. He’ll probably never play a down, and they don’t have to pay him very much.
Well, their starter got hurt in the 2nd game, broken ankle. The #2 QB broke his foot mid season. So, guess who got to play. No one expected very much. The 49ers season was most likely over b/c you have to have a good QB to win in the NFL.
Again, guess what? He won every game he played in except last week. He got hurt and the Eagles beat the 49ers to go to the Super Bowl.
Next year, who knows. The 49ers won’t keep all 3 of these QBs. Who will start for them? Will it be this year’s #1 or #2? Or, will it be Mr. Irrelevant, their #3 who led them to w/in 1 game of the SB?
All he needed was an opportunity. 1 college gave him a chance. 1 pro team gave him a chance and he made the best of the opportunity he was given.
It happens in Television and movies, too. Sometimes actors aren’t given opportunities and producers regret not casting them. Sometimes, roles are offered and turned down and the actor regrets not taking the opportunity.
For instance:
Will Smith, Brad Pitt, and even Sandra Bullock turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix that went to Keanu Reeves. They were having trouble finding an actor to take the role so they considered a woman at one point.
Sandra Bullock ended up with the role opposite Keanu Reeves in the movie Speed. Halle Berry and Annie Porter turned down the role that Sandra Bullock took. There was a sequel made, too.
Liam Neeson turned down James Bond.
Claire Danes turned down the role of Rose in Titanic that Kate Winslett won the Oscar for.
Leo DeCaprio, who also played in Titanic, turned down Anakin in Star Wars, Spiderman, and Robin in Batman Forever.
John Travolta turned down Forrest Gump. That role went to Tom Hanks and he won the Oscar.
Julia Roberts turned down Sleepless in Seattle that went to Meg Ryan.
And Jerry VanDyke turned down Gilligan. He thought it was too silly and would never amount to anything. Bob Denver thanked him. For years, before M*A*S*H*, the #1 syndicated show on TV.
If you’re offered an opportunity, the opportunity of a lifetime, one that might make you rich and famous, you should probably take it.
Jesus has offered you the opportunity of an eternal lifetime. It won’t make you famous. In fact, humility and anonymity are almost certain. You won’t get rich until you die. But, technically, you’ll never die.
Since Jesus has offered you this opportunity, you should probably take it. If you don’t someone else will.
The people in Nazareth were offered this opportunity of their eternal lifetime and they actually were insulted by Jesus. They got mad. The chance to be among the first, ground floor of this new org. But, they missed it worse than the teams that passed on Brock Purdy and the actors that passed on the roles of their lifetime.
Here’s how it happened.
He’s Famous
He’s Famous
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
Now, Jesus is more famous than Amos. The OT prophet, not the cookie guy.
They loved his teaching. It was powerful. The KJV word is ‘unction.’ When a preacher preaches w/ unction it provokes action, a response and it’s life changing. Jesus had it.
But notice, he returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. The role of the HS in Jesus’s life was to guide Him and equip Him. But, wait. He’s God. So is the HS. They, being the same, but different, worked together.
Jesus’s words and works were empowered by the HS.
If Jesus needed the guidance and equipment of the HS, how much more do we?!
Word was spreading about the miracles, the power, and His preaching. No doubt, every synagogue he went into was eagerly awaiting what He had to say and what He would do there.
Things didn’t quite work out as expected by the people in the synagogue in Nazareth, though.
His Roots
His Roots
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
This was his parents’ synagogue. This is where He grew up. They knew Him, too well. And, He planned this whole thing.
Like every other Sabbath Saturday, He went to synagogue. All the qualified men were eligible speak. But none would stand ahead of Jesus. The anticipation was thick. He stood up to read, they handed him the scroll. And, He chose the passage.
Some may have had the idea He was rejecting all things Jewish. He wasn’t. But he had ruffled a few feathers along the way. The overwhelming response to him was positive up to this point. But, it’s early. The only ones who had issues w/ Him were the leaders in the various synagogues and the temple.
There may have been some jealousy. But, he wasn’t playing by their rules all the time.
He obeyed the rule to go to synagogue on the Sabbath. And He obeyed the rule to stand and read the Scriptures, then sit and explain it.
But, that day, that’s where he stopped playing by their rules. He broke their rules. But only b/c their line was drawn in the wrong place. Jesus was a powerful preacher. A gifted man. But they couldn’t believe He was Who He said He was next.
That was their line. No one like Jesus could cross that line and get away w/ it in their mind.
But, Jesus lived on the other side of that line.
The Line
The Line
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
Not only did Jesus cross an uncrossable line in their mind, he also crossed a line in His ministry.
Some have said, Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah. His words and works demonstrate that He likely is, but He never actually said so.
But, that is exactly what He said here. This is His own, self-introduction to the world as the One God sent to save the world.
He chose His hometown synagogue for His coming out party. Giving all His parents’ friends the first opportunity, and opportunity of lifetime, to get in on the ground floor and be among the first members of His new org.
Once He claimed to be the Messiah in this setting before the Rabbi and the members, there was no going back. Either He had joined a long list of blasphemers who had falsely claimed to be God. Or, He had joined a very short list of those who actually are God.
Either way, there was no going back now. He declared Who He is and His intention to save those who would believe in Him.
He did it by quoting from Is. 61:1-2. He chose the passage Himself so this was His intent all along.
This is clearly an OT reference to the Messiah. The HS is on Me, anointed, set apart for the purpose of proclaiming the good news of how to be saved to the poor.
The term ‘poor’. This is the same word He used in Mt. 5 in the sermon on the Mount. Not materially poor. But spiritually poor. Blessed are those who recognize their own spiritual poverty and cry out to God to be saved.
Freedom for the prisoners. Not necessarily those behind bars. But those imprisoned and bound by their sin. He came to set us free from the bad habits and self-destructive activities that destroy us, our marriages, families, bodies, and careers.
The recovery of sight for the blind. Not necessarily those whose physical sight is impaired, but those who are blind to the truth. So many miracles He performed to give sight to the blind in the presence of the spiritually blind to show them what He could do for them.
He came to free us from the anxiety, stress, and guilt that paralyzes us. Later, He assured us we would still have trouble in this life, but He has already overcome the world and will help us overcome what oppresses us and beats us down.
As He reads this, if they were charismatic at all, there would have been “amen’s” all over and all throughout the reading. This was encouraging, comforting, and uplifting.
The powerful preacher, w/ all the unction of the HS, picking up the ppl emotionally and assuring them that God’s got their problems in hand and will deliver them out soon enough.
Interestingly, Jesus stopped short of the part in Is. 61 about judgment. Yes, Messiah will deliver us from all this. But He will also judge and punish ppl for their disbelief and disob.
That’s b/c, this time Jesus came to save. Next time Jesus will come to judge.
The part of the passage he read was a call to personal transformation, not a call to revolution. Next time.
He rolled up the scroll w/ all due respect. Handed it back to the attendant. They stood up to read the Scripture then sat down to explain it.
They were hanging on his every word. Anticipating a power message. What will He say?!
I’m sure you guys come to church every Sunday w/ the same attitude and questions hanging on every word. I’m sorry, did I wake you up?
It was short, sweet, and to the point. “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your presence.”
What?! They were amazed. In that short of a message. Awed by Him.
But, wait, isn’t that Joseph’s boy? We knew Him when He was a gangly teenager.
They recognized his skills but remembered His ancestry.
You know that kid, that friend of your kids, who always seemed to stir things up. He got in trouble b/c he thought he knew so much, answered every question, challenged authority all the time. You thought there was no way he’s amount to much b/c he was never a team player.
That kid. You’re the Messiah?! The immediate assumption was he joined the first long list of blasphemers who claimed to be God.
He knew what they were thinking. That ought to be a troubling thought for all of us. Jesus can read your mind. You think just b/c you don’t do it, you only think it, Jesus doesn’t know it. Sorry.
Anyway, He knew. And this is where He went next. It didn’t make things any better between them.
Someone Else Will
Someone Else Will
Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ ”
“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.
The opportunity they had. He was offering an amazing thing to them. But they were rejecting Him and the opportunity. He’s about to tell them, if they don’t accept the role, someone else will.
But first, He takes them right to the crux. When He’s on the cross, they will hurl insults at Him, including, “you healed everybody else! Come down from there and heal yourself.”
He knew they were going to kill Him. He could have come off the cross. But He willingly stayed there b/c he had to to save us. Death was not the end for Him, nor is it for us, b/c he died on the cross that day.
He also knew they were going to try to kill Him this day. But it’s not time yet. So He will walk away.
He also knew a big reason they came to hear Him was b/c they wanted a magic show. He had done those other miracles in those other places. This was His hometown. They wanted Him to show them something.
But, again, He didn’t come to be a miracle-working magician. He came to be the Messiah. Works don’t save ppl. His words do. No show today. Just the message.
He then reminded them of 2 things that happened in Israel’s past. He used them as illustrations to make an important point here. That is, if you reject Jesus, If you turn down this opportunity, someone else will be eager to take it.
These episodes occured at time when Israel was at their lowest point in the relationship w/ God.
First, from the time when Elijah was preaching to Israel.
God had had enough of their unbelief and disob. He shut down the climate and he used Elijah to tell them it was not going to rain for 3.5 years. The draught caused a horrible famine in the land.
There were many Jewish widows who were struggling to eat and feed their families. But God chose to send Elijah to a non-Jewish widow where he miraculously saved her and her son.
The second story came from Elisha, Elijah’s protege. Similarly, Israel in a desperate place. There were many sick and suffering from leprosy in Israel. But God sent Elisha to a non-Jew, Naaman, and miraculously cleansed him.
Leprosy is often equated w/ sin b/c both are repulsive to look at, terminal, and cause everyone to avoid the sufferer.
The point of both of these stories and how Jesus used them here is that when Israel rejects God and His opportunity offered them, He will offer it to non-Jews and they will gladly accept.
Israel in the days of Elijah and Elisha, and in the days of Jesus, were deeply offended by the actions of the 2 prophets and the use of the stories by Jesus to make his point.
Not only did he offend them by claiming to be the Messiah, he further offended them by bringing up the painful stories when God blessed non-Jews and not them.
What they missed was, they had every opportunity to be blessed and be saved, but their arrogance and ignorance of all things God led them to their destruction.
Don’t waste the opportunity that Jesus is giving you to be saved. It is the role of a lifetime. He will change your life. He will change the trajectory of your life. The destination of your life. And the quality of your life here until you reach your final destination.
All Brock Purdy needed was a chance and the 49ers gave it to him.
All those actors had chances. Some still did okay. But, the roles they turned down would have changed their lives for the better.
All you need is a chance and Jesus is offering it to you. Take it.
Applications
Applications
The Power of the Holy Spirit
The Power of the Holy Spirit
If Jesus needed the guidance and equipment of the HS how much more do you and I need it?
Always take time to consider God’s wisdom and direction in your life.
Always remember He has equipped you w/ spiritual gifts, spiritual fruit, wisdom, and power to do what He wants you to do.
So, don’t try to do something else. It won’t work well. Don’t try to do anything w/ only your own strength and ability.
Ask for direction, help and follow his lead always.
Freedom
Freedom
Jesus has offered to set you free.
He has cut the chains of the bad habits. He’s released you from anxiety, stress, and guilt.
All you have to do is surrender it. That means, every time it shows up in your life, give it to Him. You’ll have to do more than once. You’ll have to do it more often now, less often later.
He will take it away from. You don’t need to try to do this on your own either.
Surrender what’s beating you up and beating you down.
Jesus will lift you up.
Thoughts
Thoughts
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
This is not the exception to round room sit in the corner command.
It is possible for us to eliminate every unhealthy thought we have. They will pop into our minds. But we can cast them out. They will return. We can toss them again.
The first thought won’t hurt you. Meditating on it will. Chewing on it, like a cow chews its cud, will wreck you.
We may think we are controlling the thought by thinking about it all time. In reality, it’s controlling us.
Control is getting rid of it and God will help you if you let him.
Take the thoughts captive.
This is one area where memorizing verses helps. Get rid of the unhealthy thought and fill your mind w/ something healthy like this verse.
It won’t come back as often.
If you’re offered an opportunity, the opportunity of a lifetime, one that might make you rich and famous, you should probably take it.
Jesus has offered you the opportunity of an eternal lifetime. It won’t make you famous. In fact, humility and anonymity are almost certain. You won’t get rich until you die. But, technically, you’ll never die.
Since Jesus has offered you this opportunity, you should probably take it. If you don’t someone else will.
Don’t waste the opportunity that Jesus is giving you to be saved. It is the role of a lifetime. He will change your life. He will change the trajectory of your life. The destination of your life. And the quality of your life here until you reach your final destination.
All Brock Purdy needed was a chance and the 49ers gave it to him.
All those actors had chances. Some still did okay. But, the roles they turned down would have changed their lives for the better.
All you need is a chance and Jesus is offering it to you. Take it.