Jesus Fulfills the Prophets
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Why does God allow suffering? Why doesn’t he step in? Turn on the news, inundated with high emotions of evil around the world.
Need: We get too focused on current issues that we forget the real purpose of Christ’s mission. Emotions and fear cause us to desire God step in and fix our mess. Fix our pain. Or we hear of a healing story and we don’t understand why God won’t do that for us. Hearts can’t fathom that.
Main Idea: Jesus’ mission is greater than our troubles
Exp. After his temptation, Jesus goes back to Nazareth. Like most hometowns, the people know Jesus well. Remember when he was a child. What he describes will be hard for them to grasp.
Luke 4:16-30
Truth #1: Jesus fulfills the words of the prophets (16-21)
Exp. Goes into the synagogue to read. Leader doesn’t read on Sabbath. Lay readers. Stand to read. Sit to expound on text. Synagogue was more like today’s church: worship center, reading of Word, even schools. Jesus reads. Verse 17-20. Nearly verbatim what Isaiah says. Spirit is upon me: baptism. Spirit anointed Jesus. To do what?
Proclaim good news to the poor. Proclaim = gospel. For Isaiah, poverty due to war. Jesus, poverty of spiritual nature. Gospel for the poor is to be made rich in Christ.
Proclaim liberty to captives and recovering sight to the blind. Proclaim = preach. Miracles will occur in Christ. Spiritual captives will be released.
Proclaim year of the Lord’s favor. Proclaim = preach. Reference to year of Jubilee. Leviticus 25:8-55. In the 50th year, one after 49, economic debts were forgiven, land was restored to original owners, and selling yourself into slavery, then liberated. For all people. The debts forgiven. Freedom to captives. Give what you don’t have.
Exp. All eyes were on him. He’s coming to do this for Israel.
Ill. Like when you’re in a room of people talking, then you start talking and everyone gets quiet. You can hear a pin drop. That’s what’s happening here. They are locked in. Wonder what he’s going to say about this text?
Exp. Verse 21. That’s his explanation of that text. Claiming he is the Messiah. His first word of ministry is prophetic text about Israel’s redeemer! Not fulfilled because he’s done it. It’s fulfilled because he’s there.
Christ - These OT prophecies the Jews knew are fulfilled in Christ. Jesus brings good news to the poor. Matthew 5:3
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Christ - Jesus set the captives free. Barabbas. Matthew 27. Sinful, yet set free. Jesus restored the eyes to the blind. John 9. He did what he said he came to do.
App. Read with a fulfillment mindset.
Read Old Testament through the lens of Jesus.
Truth #2: Jesus fulfills the works of the prophets (22-30)
Exp. The question is not whether Jesus did these things. The question is why didn’t he do all of it? He didn’t heal all of the blind, free all captive, or restore the poor. Was his mission still fulfilled? Yes! Jesus’ mission is beyond our troubles. Verse 22. Being from hometown, people struggle to connect the dots. Knows what they’ll say: Verse 23-24. These are common proverbs. Physician: do this for your people in Nazareth. Also, prophets were treated harshly because they spoke truth. Then, he explains that his mission is greater. Verse 25-28. Elijah was sent to one person. Elisha was sent to one person. Two things:
Israel rejected prophets, but Gentiles accepted them. Widow in Sidon, Leper in Syria. Salvation skipped Israel. Jesus is bringing salvation to all. Knowing he’ll be rejected.
The mission is more than healing. There were more widows and lepers. Signs for something else. Not the whole picture. Jesus restoring sight to spiritual blindness. Freeing from sinful captivity. Freeing from spiritual poverty. Much bigger solution.
Arg. How do we know his mission is bigger? Look at their response. Verse 29-30. He was not going to do what they wanted. So, they were angry.
Ill. Red car. Battery died. Changed it, but wasn’t the problem. Alternator went out. Angry because it wasn’t the news I wanted. So are they. They wanted a Messiah to fix everything now. To heal people now doesn’t solve the ultimate problem of sin. We should want the lesser things, but they aren’t the ultimate thing.
App. Understand his true purpose.
Care for the oppressed, sick, and hurting. Those things are good. Without Christ, they will still go to hell.
Pray for spiritual freedom, healing, and comfort. His mission was greater than our troubles. Eternal healing and freedom.
Conclusion
Bow your heads. Can you put your faith in his eternal healing. Even if he doesn’t heal you or end your suffering.
