The transformative power of Jesus

Jesus introduces himself and his mission in his home town of Nazareth.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Nazareth was situated in Galilee, an area in which God’s people were surrounded by Gentiles. Jews in Jerusalem regarded themselves as somewhat superior to those who lived in Galilee. There choice to live outside the center of Judaism which was Jerusalem, meant they were to some degree isolated.

Even though he was born in Bethlehem it was in Nazareth that Christ grew up. He would be known as Jesus of Nazareth. The knock on Jesus as it was said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth? This town was not even mentioned in the OT and was viewed with contempt, perhaps it’s dirty streets and poverty, or the aggression of its residents.

There are many references to Jesus attendance at worship, but this is the only one that tell us that it was a habit.

Satan had left Jesus alone until an opportune time (v.13). That time had now come. He had sought to tempt Jesus to leap from the pinnacle of the temple. It is as if he raises a crowd to throw him to his death in Nazareth.

Jesus comes into his home town on the Sabbath and entered the synagogue as was his custom. He was handed the book of Isaiah. He found the place where it speaks of the glory of the Messiah’s work (Isa.61) and read it out loud. Without a miracle to prove his identity or divinity, the Lord closed the scroll and sat down.

NOTE: notice that just by the reading and handling of the words from Jesus mouth all were amazed. Here is where Jesus lowers to boom and does a mic drop. “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’ (v. 21).

What claims did Jesus make?

Claimed to be the anointed servant of the Lord. (“the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me”)

Described his mission as one of preaching.

John the Baptist announced that Christ would accomplish two things.

He would impart God’s Holy Spirit to those who believed.

He would burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

John the Baptist seemed to be mistaken on the time table for all of this to take place. It would appear that he believed it would happen as soon as Jesus came on the seen. The thought was that he would come in and attack Herod breaking his power. However Christ had no intention of attacking Herod and trying to break down his power.

Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989) Christ in Combat: Offense by the Spirit

John the Baptist sends and asks Jesus, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Jesus answers indirectly by saying to John’s messengers, “Go tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised and the poor have the good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me” (Luke 7:22–23). So what Jesus meant in the synagogue at Nazareth was that the day of Messiah has arrived. The hoped-for king, son of David, liberator, Savior, world ruler, bringer of justice and peace—Messiah has come.

Jesus reveled two things about Himself.

He would not be accepted in his home town.

He would be accepted by the Gentiles. (Elijah was sent to the gentile widow of Zarephath, to keep her from starvation, and Elisha to pagan Naaman, to bring healing from leprosy.

NOTE: It was at the moment that he shared his mission was also to the gentiles that they wanted to kill him. When they heard this they were sent into a fit of rage they were ready to throw him off of a high cliff to his death.

“The Spirit of the Lord” (transforms and empowers God’s people)

God’s spirit transforms His people to share His moral character and to fulfill His purposes.

ANOINTED: to assign, to appoint, assignment, appointment.

Big Idea: We should not have a “Christmas faith,” but a transformed life.

When you understand the true meaning of Christmas it brings about a change in your heart and outlook on life. In the Christmas Carol Scrooge lived a miserable life of greed, but when he awoke from his sobering encounter with the ghosts of Christmas: past, present and future. Scrooge sees his empty, bitter life for what it is. He wants his life to change, so he humbled himself and retraced the steps of his offenses committed on Christmas Eve. As he did, he revealed a remarkable change of heart.

Scrooge declares: “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the past, the present, and the future. The Spirits of all three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.

Scrooge’s life changes: instead of grasping now he is giving. Instead of being bitter, he is now loving. Instead of being indifferent to the needs of others, now he is caring. Scrooge’s life is transformed from humbug to hallelujah.

The birth of Jesus brought about many dramatic changes. We date our calendars AD and BC. - After the death of Christ and before the death of Christ.

People surrounding the birth of Christ experienced different transformations.

1. You cannot fully experience Christmas apart from the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

HOLY SPIRIT The Holy Spirit (or Spirit of God) transforms and empowers God’s people.

God’s Spirit transforms His people to share His moral character and empowers them to fulfill His purposes.

God’s spirit is active in creation and among his people

Scripture speaks of the spirit in three different ways, the human spirit, demonic spirits, and the spirit of God.

NOTE: First let’s look at the crucial work of the Holy Sprit in Jesus life.

Luke 1:35 ESV

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit

Luke 3:22 ESV

22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Jesus was 30 years old when the Spirit descended on him like a dove at his baptism. This was a special anointing for ministry and a sign of his Father’s love.

Luke 4:1 ESV

1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit’s power, returns from the Jordan, and was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” In the wilderness Satan tried to lure Jesus away from his mission as the suffering servant who would die for the sin’s of the world securing our salvation. Jesus resisted this temptation by the Word of God and the Spirit of God.

2 Contrasting powers

1) The power that the world brings and seeks pleasure for it’s own gain.

Satan tempted Jesus to avail himself to his right of power as God’s Son to get the pleasure of food, the glory of a world ruler, and the acclaim of a wonder-working Messiah at the door of the Temple.

2) The power that Jesus brings finds it’s pleasure in God alone.

James 4:7–8 ESV

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

When we “resist the devil he will flee from us. When we draw near to God he will draw near to you.” Every pleasure and every power offered to you in the way of sin will destroy your pleasure in the long run and rob you of all the joy and power that the Spirit of God offers in the end. But, if you resist and draw near to God, he will come to you in the power of the Holy Spirit and everything you think you have given up will be repaid one-hundredfold.

You were made for God and nothing can compare with being filled with the power of His Spirit.

So now Jesus returns from the desert like David, having bound Goliath of Satan in the wilderness, and now he is ready to go on the offense and route the Philistines and set the captives free.

NOTE: The scroll of Isaiah is handed to Jesus, however, there is nothing that indicates that he was told what to read. Notice that Jesus chooses

Isaiah 61:1–2 ESV

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

You will notice that he leaves out the end of verse 2, about the vengeance of God being brought to the people. Most likely this is because of the purpose that Jesus came, he came to seek and to save the lost. This text has a division of Christ’s purpose here on earth and the second coming of Christ when he will rule, reign and judge the world.

He could have chosen other text to read, but, he chooses to show that he comes in the power of the Spirit.

God's Holy Spirit orchestrates our lives to touch others--strangers, friends, work-related people, service-industry workers and more--if we would just open up and be ourselves. How? Be free to be in love with Jesus in front of people. Be an ambassador through whom he can introduce himself. There is a world out there, hungry and searching for Jesus and his love. Don't keep him to yourself.

2. You cannot fully experience Christmas apart from the transforming purpose of the mission.

There was a little boy who loved caterpillars. One day he found one, took him home and made a home for him.  He watched this caterpillar everyday making sure he had plenty of food & water.

One day the caterpillar started creating a cocoon...here he would go through a metamorphosis and become a butterfly. This was so exciting, the little boy couldn’t wait to see the butterfly!

One day it happened, a small hole appeared in the cocoon and the butterfly started to struggle to come out. The little boy was so excited! But then he noticed the butterfly was struggling so hard to get out and it looked like the butterfly wasn’t going to be able to break free!

The little boy was so worried for the butterfly that he decided he had to help. He quickly got a pair of scissors and snipped the cocoon to make the hole bigger and the butterfly quickly emerged!

But the butterfly had a swollen body and small shriveled wings. The little boy sat and watched the butterfly expecting that, at any moment, the wings would dry out, get bigger and expand to support the swollen body. 

But it never happened! 

The butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.

 It never was able to fly…

He then learned that the butterfly was supposed to struggle. In fact, the butterfly’s struggle to push its way through the tiny opening of the cocoon pushes the fluid out of its body and into its wings. Without the struggle, the butterfly would never, ever fly. The boy’s good intentions actually hurt the butterfly.

Jesus mission is the Church’s mission

As the Father sent Jesus, He sends the Church

Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989) Christ in Combat: Offense by the Spirit

First, Jesus met his disciples after the resurrection just before he returned to heaven and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21). Disciples of Jesus are an extension of Jesus’ mission in the world. We are to be like him in his suffering for others. He is the light of the world and we are little beams or little reflections of him (John 12:36; Matthew 5:14–16).

The Church is the body of Christ

Luke 4:18-19 describes our mission as well as Jesus’ mission is that the Church is called the body of Christ.

Ephesians 1:22–23 ESV

22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 4:15–16 ESV

15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

What do people see when they look at you?

They see a person, a body, we are all bodies of people are we not.

What do people see when they look at Christ? Just as our bodies is what people see of us, so the Church is what they should see when they look at Christ.

NOTE: our bodies put our will into motion, just in the same way that Christ’s body put’s his will into motion.

The mission of Christ once performed in his physical body on earth, he now performs through his corporate body the Church.

Therefore, whenever you read something that Jesus said or did you should give attention to two things.

1) What He did for you that you could not do for yourself.

2) The example He gives you now to follow.

1 Peter 2:21 ESV

21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

So, Christ suffered for you leaving you the example that you should follow.

That is the price he paid for your freedom, it is a ransoms price that you could never pay yourself. So even through we cannot atone for our own sin’s we can daily take up our cross and endure hardship to lead people to one who can.

Note: Jesus mission for being sent to this earth was to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10

Cultural Note: This comes at the end of Jesus encounter with Zacchaeus. He was not only a tax collector, but, a chief tax collector. These people were so hated in Israel, they were thought to even be worse than a pagan Gentile. Jesus did not just have a casual conversation with Zacchaeus, he invited himself to his home. When Zacchaeus came out of the tree Jesus greeted him joyfully. When the crowd saw this they grumbled that he would even be seen with and moreover go to the house of such a sinner.

Now, let’s move back to the incident in Nazareth. Why were the people so angry that they wanted to throw him off of the cliff and end his life? Not only did Jesus claim to be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, he also shared with them that the focus of his ministry was not to those who thought they had it all together.

Matthew 9:9–13 ESV

9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

This was said at another occasion where Jesus interacted with the tax collector called Matthew. This time not only did he go eat at his house but, he called him to follow as one of His disciples.

What is Jesus Mission?

Preaching good news to the poor.

This is more than just financial poverty, there is also a spiritual component where one is spiritually in the throws of poverty. When someone is physically poor, they spend everyday trying to fill their stomachs and bank accounts. When someone is spiritually poor they spend their day’s trying to fill their lives with something of meaning and substance.

Revelation 3:17 ESV

17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

Preaching liberty to the captives.

We are called to labor for the captives who are blind and oppressed. The most gracious and loving thing that we can do for someone is to release them from the captivity of sin.

Romans 6:22–23 ESV

22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Following Jesus is proclaiming release to the captives, we should be mobilized to help people be released from the captivity of alcohol, drugs, pornography, homosexuality, gluttony. It ought to grieve us that creatures made in God’s image are held captive by a foreign power. Our zeal for the glory of God should fire us to win them back to their rightful place as God’s creation.

Preaching recovery of sight to the blind.

People need to be healed from the blindness of unbelief.

Preaching liberty to the oppressed.

People need to be set at liberty from the oppression of Satan.

2 Timothy 2:26 ESV

26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Efforts at social improvement that neglect the great goal of being transformed from the oppression of sin and death fall miserably short. It is true that when a person becomes a follower of Jesus, his life changes. But it is also true that the way we win people to the greatness of Christ includes doing the great things that he was sent to do. A verbal witness to the value of Jesus Christ without a life of radical commitment to the things he stood for will produce converts who are carbon copies of our fallen culture.

Remember, that we are called to make disciples of Christ. That is all of us are called to make disciples. This is not a request of us.

The oppressed are those who many times are powerless and abused by the heartless in our society. The Bible is littered with references to the orphans, the widow, and the sojourner.

Preaching the year of the Lords favor.

The year of the Lord’s favor is not a particular calendar year, but is a way of referring to the era of salvation. This is also reminiscent of the year of jubilee (one year in every fifty) when debts were forgiven and slaves were set free. It means not so much a time that is “acceptable” to people but the time in history when God in sovereign grace brings freedom from the guilt and effects of sin.

3. You cannot fully experience Christmas apart from the transforming price to be paid.

Who were those who rejected Christ and his message: Notice that these were people of his home town. Ordinarily you would have expected these people to be your greatest supporters and advocates.

NOTE: Think about it, from childhood you attended worship together, you sang songs together, you offered prayers together, you served in the the Lords house together. You would have naturally expected them to be the best people to preach to.

Those in Nazareth were those who knew Christ the best. They were well acquainted with his mother and family.

The price became evident starting with being rejected by his own hometown crowd.

“All Spoke well of him is more literally ‘all witnessed to him’. They were more impressed with his words and how he said them, it was his attractive way of speaking. They were astonished that someone from their own town, one who they called Joseph’s son, could speak like this.

Note: Jesus knew that his reputation had spread to Nazareth and that those among whom he had grown up would want him to live up to his reputation.

Jesus stands in the line of the prophets who were rejected by their own people.

What was it that caused the people to want to take Jesus life?

Jesus does not hesitate to remind them of their history.

The Church has been in Crisis over the centuries, and it is no different today.

The Church through the years has failed to count the cost.

The Church is in continual crisis, as it always has been. During the middle ages, in the tumultuous time of the Reformation, and in our modern era. From the days when Christians were getting drunk at the table in Corinth to the brutal extermination of Christians today at the hands of Islamic terrorists, crisis have been constant. Heresies strike from the inside, persecutions from the outside. The church is in Crisis.

The biggest challenges we face today are not from tyrannical regimes or oppressive governments. They are more subtle inclinations that have been smuggled into the churches alongside the cultural sensibilities we’ve inherited. I’d like to point out a few of these cultural challenges.

#1 We live in a society expressed by individualism.

This is a desire to fulfill our own path and yearning for fulfillment. “Be You” and “Be True to Yourself” , “Do You,” are societies slogans.

Here’s where the rub comes, individualism challenges the Church because God’s word challenges the “me” with the “us” and then sets the “us” under God’s rule. The human tendency is to look inward when God’s word say’s look upward.

We want Christ on our own terms. This was the problem over 2,000 years ago as Jesus read the scroll of Isaiah proclaiming the fulfillment of the prophecy was now for all people.

#2 We have a pragmatic view of religion in our society.

This happens when we relegate our faith to the private sphere of personal values.

Today’s world tends to see science as the arbiter of public truth and facts.

Religion is an influence regarding values, but these values aren’t absolute or transcendent. So, religion is something to be kept away from the public square. Many Christians today now see their faith in terms of how it effects their lives, not it’s overall truthfulness.

Christian moral demands are applicable only if they bring the kind of happiness we’ve already decided must be the goal of our life, or the kind of happiness we deserve.

The Bible acknowledges the profound limitations to human wisdom.

NOTE: nothing has changed since Jesus came on the scene over 2,000 years ago. Jesus did not fit the bill for what Messiah should be.

#3 Christian morality is seen as old-fashioned but also extreme and dangerous.

We are in a moral revolution, in which longstanding beliefs in our culture are being turned upside down. As expressive individualism spreads and becomes the dominant view of the world, basic Christian teachings are now considered not old-fashioned, not problematic, not just wrong, but extreme and dangerous.

#4. People are increasingly isolated, fragmented, and polarized.

We are witnessing a stark decline of public trust in institutions. As choices have increased, solidarity has decreased, leading to disorientation, distrust and fragmentation.

Together with fragmentation and isolation comes the problem of polarization

The challenge for the Church is to resist the transformation of gatherings into places where everyone merely seeks their own fulfillment. For far too many today, we go to Church because it helps us self-actualize, not because it makes us good, or because we seek to glorify God, or we want to do good to our neighbors. We go to Church like we go anywhere else, to be affirmed.

What were people expecting to find when they came to the synagogue that day.

Were they seeking to find the miracle worker? The one who could take them out of their current situation and state of life? Is this the same Messiah people are seeking today.

Jesus mission is a call to suffer

Christmas looks very different from a heavenly perspective than it does through our eyes on Earth.

CLOSING

Letter from Slain Missionary

"Keep Sending Missionaries," Baptist Press (3-24-04); submitted by Alan Price, Chatsworth, Georgia

This letter was written by Southern Baptist Missionary to Iraq, Karen Watson, prior to leaving for the Middle East. The letter was dated March 7, 2003. Karen was killed, along with four other missionaries, on March 15, 2004.

Dear Pastor Phil and Pastor Roger:

You should only be opening this letter in the event of my death.

When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the nations. I wasn't called to a place. I was called to him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, his glory my reward, his glory my reward.

One of the most important things to remember right now is to preserve the work….I am writing this as if I am still working with my people group.

I thank you all so much for your prayers and support. Surely your reward in heaven will be great. Thank you for investing in my life and spiritual well-being. Keep sending missionaries out. Keep raising up fine young pastors.

In regards to any service, keep it small and simple. Yes, simply, just preach the gospel….Be bold and preach the life-saving, life-changing, forever-eternal gospel. Give glory and honor to our Father.

The Missionary Heart:

Care more than some think is wise.

Risk more than some think is safe.

Dream more than some think is practical.

Expect more than some think is possible.

I was called not to comfort or success but to obedience….There is no joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving him. I love you two and my church family.

In his care,

Salaam,

Karen

The transformation that Jesus brought over 2,000 years ago is the same transformation that He offers to each and every one of us today.

Maybe this morning we need to follow Karen’s missionary heart as we gaze upon the manger scene where the God is flesh was born. Jesus cared more than people thought was wise, he risked more than some thought was safe, he dreamed more than some thought was practical, and he expected more than some thought was possible.

The question is, what will you do with Christ this Christmas. Have you truly experienced the transformation that Christmas brings.