The Start Of A World Changing Ministry

Open: A man dropped into a bank and found the customer service clerk chatting on the phone about new restaurants in town. After three minutes of exchanging dark glances with the man, she told her caller, “Hold on a minute. I’m being interrupted by a customer.”

Many of us can relate and so can Jesus. In our passage today, Jesus officially announces His mission. Only trouble is, His mission is interrupting the Jewish idea of who the Messiah is and what the Messiah should be about, even to the point that they try to end the life of Christ before the ministry ever gets underway.

I. The Proclamation

A. The Reciting Of His Proclamation

1. The Place of His Reciting—(16a-b) Hometown, where He was at the moment. Wherever He went, was the place of His reciting.

2. The Practice of His Reciting—(16c-d) It was His practice to be in the Synagogue on the Sabbath and to be a part of it.

B. The Receivers Of His Proclamation

1. Their knowledge of Him—(17a, 20-22) They knew Him personally.

2. His knowledge of Them—No doubt grew up with them and their families.

C. The Reference Of His Proclamation

1. A Projected Prophecy—(17) This passage was written about 700 years before Jesus

2. A Pointed Prophecy (18-19). It was about the Christ/Messiah. That great deliver and King.

ILL: Who Is Jesus

In chemistry, He turned water to wine;

In biology, He was born without the normal conception;

In physics, He disproved the law of gravity when he ascended into heaven;

In economics, He disproved the law of diminishing return by feeding 5000 men with two fish & five loaves of bread;

In medicine, He cured the sick and blind without administering a single dose of drugs;

In history, He is the Beginning and the End;

In government, He said that He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace;

In religion, He said no one comes to the Father except through Him;

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master;

Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher;

Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer;

He had no army, yet kings feared Him; He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world;

He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him;

He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today!!!

Who is Jesus? He is exactly who He said He was!

II. The Retaliation

A. A Problematic Messiah

(22c-21)

1. A failure of Pedigree—Jesus didn’t fit the mold as a great Lion but as some kind of gentle lamb.

2. A failure of Position—Jesus, in their estimation, was a nobody.

B. A Pointblank Message

(24-27)

1. The Dislike of the Message

2. The Deviation From the Master plan—the Messiah would come in and destroy the enemas and the Jews was be elevated to great heights as a nation once more.

C. A Passionate Mob

(28-30)

1. The Abrupt Ending—then never asked or debated but acted out violently against Jesus and breaking up the service.

2. The Attempted Exaction—They were trying to kill the one who went contrary to their desires and thoughts.

Close: THE PRECIOUS STONE NO ONE SAW

Back when the Old West was being settled, pioneers flocked across the country to California and Oregon. In one particular spot on the Eastern slopes of the Rockies there was a large, dirt covered rock protruding in the middle of the trail. Wagon wheels were broken on it and men tripped over it. Finally someone dug up the odd stone and rolled it off trail into a nearby stream. The stream was too wide to jump over, but people used the stone as a step to cross the cold creek. It was used for years, until finally one settler built his cabin near the stream. He moved the odd stone out of the stream and placed it in his cabin to serve as a doorstop.

As years passed, railroads were built and towns sprang up. The old settler’s grandson went East to study geology. On a visit to his grandfather’s cabin, the grandson happened to examine the old lump of stone and discovered within that lump of dirt and rock was the largest pure gold nugget ever discovered on the Eastern slope of the Rockies. It had been there for three generations, and people never recognized its value. To some it was a stumbling stone to be removed. To others it was a stepping-stone, and to others it was just a heavy rock. But only the grandson saw it for what it really was--a lump of pure gold.

Jesus is the precious rock God has given us to be the both the cornerstone and the capstone of our lives. Will you come to the rock today? Will you build your life upon Him? One day, you will discover Jesus will either be a stepping-stone that gives you access to God, or He will be a rock over which you stumble…so close and yet so far. The choice is yours.