A Disciples Main Thing
A Disciples Main Thing – NV – 1/16/04 am (Lk 4:14-22)
A It was early on the morning of the Sabbath. Bearded men in long robes
passed behind and between rows of pillars as they took their seats in the room,
which was lit by a clutter of low-hanging lamps.
In the center of the room was an angled desk atop a low platform.
Backless benches were arranged on all sides, and looking down on the scene
was a balcony filled with the wives and daughters of the men occupying the room below.
A row of dignified men sat in front of a heavy curtain at the end of the room;
one of them rose from his seat and spoke briefly to several of the others in the room, one of whom was the carpenter, Yeshua ben Yusef--Jesus of Nazareth.
The room was full, with many men standing, when Jesus walked to the raised desk
in the middle of the synagogue, the same place where as a boy of thirteen, he had celebrated his bar mitzvah.
All eyes in the room were riveted upon his lean form, made more gaunt by the recent ordeal he had endured during a forty-day fast in the wilderness of Judah.
An air of expectation mingled with the smoke from the oil lamps in the room
as he ascended the rostrum; sensational rumors had been spreading all over the countryside about the carpenter’s son, and he had already taught in other synagogues in the area. This sabbath appearance in his hometown of Nazareth had been long awaited by many in the room.
The carpenter’s strong voice commenced the first part of the service by reciting a series of prayers and recitations . . .
And then Jesus waited, briefly, while the Chazzan, the man whose duty it was to do so, carried a heavy scroll to the podium. Jesus, handling the bulky scroll with a skill that betrayed practice, deftly unrolled it while the crowd in the synagogue waited.
After just a moment, he found the passage he sought, lifted his eyes to the congregation, and spoke without another look at the scroll.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,” he said.
Immediately, puzzled looks were exchanged among the men in the rows of seats; this was not the haphtarah, the scheduled reading, for the day.
This was unconventional, a jarring departure, an unexpected development.
The son of the carpenter was reading from a passage of his own choosing.
“Because,” Jesus continued, the old words flowing from his mouth, ringing with new meaning, “he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
In the quietness that followed his reading, Jesus rolled the scroll together,
handed it back to the Chazzan, and sat down in his seat, as a rabbi of that day would do when he was ready to begin teaching. He gazed around the room, meeting the stares of those who watched him.
“Today,” he said, “this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
That sermon in Nazareth, recorded in the fourth chapter of Luke’s Gospel, was Jesus’ inaugural sermon, the first official act of his public ministry. And I believe that what Jesus did that day has much to teach us today:
• about us as a church body, and
• about each of us individually as Christians.
Text: Luke 4:16-21( B C D )
If you’re going to be a disciple of Jesus…
I. E Know your mission.
A. Why this text?
1. Why not Isaiah 63 Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.”
2. Why not Isaiah 42 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.
3. Instead Jesus chose Isaiah 61. Jesus read this text because Jesus understands the importance of mission.
a. Jesus was telling his hometown His mission in plain words.
b. This is why I am here.
B. Understanding mission is as vital for us as it was for Jesus.
1. How are going to get there if you don’t know where you are going?
2. One thing is certain if you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.
3. Our mission as a church is to glorify God through helping people know Jesus, grow to be like Him, and show Him to the world.
4. Only Jesus provides good news, freedom, recovery, and comfort.
C. Sadly many in our world go through life day to day, and week to week, with no thought of purpose or mission in life.
1. Can you express your mission as Jesus did.
2. He is our Master, teacher, the One who disciples us. He could so we should.
TS] If you’re going to be a disciple of Jesus….
II. F Be sure that People are your Priority.
A. Too often we read these words and then we plan and program and function as if His mission and our mission was to…
1. Make ourselves comfortable.
2. Create a place to go a couple of days a week so we don’t have to rub elbows with people who aren’t like us.
3. Create a cozy classroom where we can debate Bible with one another. What you believe, and I believe, and what we should be teaching.
B. But, we have decided at Northview that we’d do our best to be the church that God wants us to be.
1. That means that Jesus’ mission is our mission.
2. What we do as a church is not about us in here, but those out there.
C. Northview is not a country club of people who have their little Christian act together in their own little corner of their own little room, Being the church that God wants us to be realizes that what He wants is people to help him fulfill his mission of spreading the good news all over the place, getting downright sloppy with it, setting captives free, and binding up broken hearts!
1. And just as Jesus defined his mission at the outset of his ministry, we want to be clear as a church about what our mission is as we face a new beginning as a church, and it is this—We exists to glorify God through helping people know Jesus, grow to be like Him, and show Him to the world.
2. People are our Priority. Rightly so, because People are Jesus’ Priority.
D. The mission of this church is outward-focused. We exist not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of others.
1. The leadership of this church is not--and will not--be here to meet our own needs. . . Like our master, we are here not to be served, but to serve.
2. The ministers of this church--and that means you--will be constantly encouraged to think not in terms of “How can this church meet my needs and reflect my preferences,” but “How can this church meet my neighbors’ needs and be sensitive to them?” Do you see the difference?
3. We must plan to be outward-focused; in other words, we exist not for the benefit of Christians, but for the benefit of those who are not-yet-Christian.
4. Now, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be Bible studies,
Sunday school classes, fellowship events, “women’s” stuff, all those kinds of things; But it does mean that we want to be diligent
to ensure that all we do helps us achieve our mission of glorifying God through helping people know Jesus, grow to be like Him, and show Him to the world.
TS] If you want to be a disciple of Jesus: Know your mission, and be sure that people are your priority. And when these two are true your life can be measured. If you want to be a disciple of Jesus you understand that…
III. G Evaluation is a necessity.
A. H I Luke 7 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’” 21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 23 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”
B. Do you see what Jesus said to John? He referred to his mission statement! Now, I don’t know if John was in that synagogue when Jesus read from Isaiah--he may have been, the two men were cousins, after all--but when John asked, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?” Jesus said, “Am I fulfilling the mission of the Messiah or not? I mean, look at the measure of the Messiah, John--
[the] BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT,
[the] lame walk,
[the] lepers are cleansed,
[the] deaf hear,
[the] dead are raised up,
[the] POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM”. . .
Jesus was saying, in effect, “Am I fulfilling my mission or not, John?”
1. J We should do the same. We should constantly measure and improve our effectiveness at fulfilling the mission that God has for His church.
2. The measure is always changed lives.
3. The measure of a mission is in its fulfillment, not in its good intentions.
IV. K Let’s make this a little more personal.
A. Imagine you are there in that little synagogue in Nazareth, and you are standing at the podium.
1. What would you read from that podium? What is the mission of your life?
B. Every person here today is giving their life for something or someone.
1. If you are living without a thought you’re giving your life for nothing.
2. I know that we all have to pay the rent, have jobs, or classes, or chores or stuff.
C. L Three Quick Questions
1. :What are you doing that will last forever?
a. What are you doing with your life
what have you found that matters?
What are you going to do that is great for eternity?
What are you going to do with your time,
your talents, your life,
that will enable you to stand before God someday and say “Yes!” “God, this was for you!
This really mattered!”
2. :What is God calling you to do?
a. I believe God has a clear compelling mission for every person here today.
b. Write it down.
3. :What are you waiting for?
D. I want you to consider these questions as we sing a song, and if you have any need this is your opportunity to make that known.
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