Luke 4:22-24

Luke chapter 4 reading verses 20 or 16 to 24 our focus will be on 22 the 24 but I’ll begin reading with verse 16 and he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up as his custom was he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah’s and he and when he had opened the the book, he found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, in recovery of sight of the blind, to set at liberty, them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. He closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began to say unto them, this day, is this scripture fulfilled in your ears? And all bear him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. They said, is not this Joseph’s son? And he said unto them, He will surely say unto me this proverb, physician, heal thyself. Whatsoever we have heard done in Copernium do also here in thy country. And he said, verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. God bless to us his sacred and holy word this morning. Let’s have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we bow before you. Realizing how dependent we are, Father, to receive a blessing from your word. How dependent I am, Father, upon you, to give me utterance to speak it. But may your blessing rest upon us this morning that we may gain benefit and be edified by the teaching of your word. Words in the name of Christ, our Savior, we ask and pray these things. Amen. According to Isaiah’s prophecy, when the Messiah came, he would be a rock of stumbling, a stone of stumbling, a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense to the people of the nation of Israel, both houses. We read that in Isaiah chapter 8 in verse 14. For a small remnant of the Jews, Jesus Christ certainly was the Savior, and they believed on him. but for the most part, we find the majority of the Jews tripped and they stumbled over Jesus Christ when he came to preach the gospel. And they refused to embrace him as the Messiah, and they rejected the message that he brought. And here we have a sad example of that as we look at Jesus speaking here in Galilee. Our Lord is at his hometown in Nazareth. And he has just read the scriptures. And he has preached at the synagogue. And you might think those who knew him best as neighbors, his friends, his relatives, his relatives, his family members, his family members, his family, would be more inclined to believe on him, but you’d be wrong, as we see. Scripture indicates that just Jesus grew up in Nazareth, and the scripture says he increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man in chapter 2 in verse 52. Certainly, he must have had a favorable response as he grew up in this town, and you would think that there would be nothing in Christ that would make anybody stumble or find offense. Sadly, man’s blindness and ignorance of the truth of God’s Word and of the glorious person of Christ caused them to reject the Savior. Now, this passage is very relevant, I think, to our own day and age. Because Jesus is rejected for the very same reasons that we find the people of Nazareth rejecting him here in this passage. Today it’s the same thing. Christ, the stone of stumbling. Let me begin by saying this, you may stumble over Christ by denying his claims. In verse 22, we all bear him witness and wondered at the gracious wordsless words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, is not this Joseph’s son? Now, you find people are often willing to commend the impressive words of Christ. Jesus preached, as we have seen from Isaiah 61, verses 1 and 2, which contains an account of the Messiah’s qualifications in his work of salvation. They admired his teaching. They wondered at the gracious words that. poured forth from his lips as he spoke such a passage expounded by such a minister could hardly fail to leave a strong impression on the people of the synagogue as we saw before nobody spoke like Jesus spoke not with his authority not with his power not with his command of the understanding of scripture since they knew his family and his education, his background, they were astonished. How is it that this man, a carpenter’s son, is able to get up and speak like this and know these things? Where did he obtain such knowledge? In the wisdom so powerfully expound God’s word like this. Today there are many unbelievers who can quote a line of scripture. as they would quote any great philosopher, maybe Buddha or Gandhi or Confucius, they’ll quote a line of Christ. I read of an atheist who thought very highly of Christ’s words in the sermon of the Mount when Jesus said, therefore all things whatsoever you would that men do to you do ye also to them. The golden roll, as we call it. Considered a great saying by many people. And if we look through other quotes of Christ, repeatedly you’ll hear unsaved people, and this is the one that gets quoted the most, judge not and you shall not be judged. They like that one because they say, well, you can’t judge me. Misunderstanding, of course, Christ’s words, but they know that. They like that passage. In a general manner, devoid of this spiritual application, people often quote Christ’s words as a popular proverb. For example, no man can serve two masters, or neither cast you you pearls before swine. Esaup actually built a fable on that particular message. Let not your left hand know what your right hand doeth. Be as wise as serpents, as harmless as doves. A lot of people would know those phrases. A lot of people may even use those phrases. A lot of people may even use those phrases. It’s sort of a wise. phrase. There are many people who love the Lord’s prayer, the model prayer, from Matthew 6th. And they learned it as a child, from childhood, and maybe they can quote it. So you find people often are willing to commend the impressive words of Christ, marvelous things that Jesus said. But you find people often complain about the claims of Christ. Perhaps the people of Nazareth would have been pleased, by what they heard if Jesus had not added verse 21. If Jesus had not said, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. We don’t know what else Jesus said at this time. We don’t know how he applied the passage, but it’s obvious that he applied it to himself. It’s obvious that he was saying that he was the Messiah, that he was fulfilling this exact scripture. before their very eyes. That they had trouble with. You may have elaborated on the fact that he was the person foretold by the prophet and how the Spirit of the Lord right now was present upon him as he spoke. And how that through his ministry the poor and spirit would hear the gospel, the brokenhearted by sin would be healed. The spiritual captives of sin and Satan would be delivered. that the spiritually blind would be illuminated by spiritual light. And those bruised by sin would be set of liberty. But the people shook their heads. And they murmured at this claim that he was the Messiah. Is not this Joseph’s son? What’s he talking about? He can’t be the Messiah? He’s just a poor. carpenter’s son. The Nazarites watched Jesus grow up. Maybe they watched him work with his father. Where did he get this idea that he was the Messiah? Jesus spoke quite well, but his claim was viewed as preposterous. They rejected it. They were offended. Nothing has changed. Many people appreciate some of the wonderful sayings of Christ. I mentioned some of them this morning. They would quote, them, but they balk at the claims of Christ that he was God manifested in the flesh, that he was the son of God, that it was the first-begotten from the dead, that he is the Savior. They can’t give King Jesus his due. They cannot honor him as the Lord of Glory. They refuse to do so. To most, Jesus is just a man. Maybe he’s a prophet. Maybe someone would say, well, he’s a prophet. prophet. Friends, Jesus has to be embraced by all that is revealed in scripture about him. He is the Lord’s anointed one. He is the Christ. He is the Savior. You cannot be spiritually benefited by Christ if you do not believe the claims. If you refuse to accept the claims of Christ, people have low views of Christ. and that keeps them from the salvation that’s found in him. For if you believe not that I am he, the Messiah, and the Savior, he shall die in your sins. Oh, you might think I can speak wonderfully and I say some very lovely things. But unless you believe who I really am, you are going to perish. In the opening scenes of Camelot, King Arthur is standing in a field and he’s dressed in the common clothes of a peasant. To all who saw him, he didn’t appear to be a glorious king. And they had no idea by his outward appearance that he was the king. In fact, when Guinevere first met Arthur, she didn’t have a clue at all that he was a king overall of Camelot. Eventually, it’s revealed that he is a great. king and then he’s honored as such Jesus appears as a common human being he appears as a poor man a carpenter’s son raised in an obscure town in galilee but he reveals himself as the Messiah and the Savior the son of God don’t stumble over this believe what this Scriptures teach about Jesus Christ. He is the Savior sinners. And it’s essential that we see him as he is revealed in Scripture. So you may stumble over Christ by denying his claims. Secondly, you may stumble over Christ because he doesn’t do a miracle to prove himself. Notice verse 23. And he said, unto them ye will surely say unto me this parable, or this proverb, a physician heal myself, whatsoever we have heard done in Copernium do also here in thy country. Evidently, the Nazarites expected Jesus to do miracle cures. They heard about what he had done at Copernium. It was only right and fitting. This is his own hometown that he would do it here. If you were able to heal because you’re a physician, then surely you, you would heal yourself and you’d heal those nearest to you your friends your family members your city so forth your relatives Nazus was worthy then to be a showcase they thought of Christ’s miracles you’d do it in in a foreign city you know off at a distance here Copernium I shouldn’t say foreign but one that you didn’t grow up in why aren’t you doing it here you owe us this you grew up here but Jesus once declared except he sees signs and wonders you will not believe chapter 4 of John and verse 48 how erring it of man to demand some sign or a miracle from Christ in order of the place they’re trusting him who are you and I to dictate the terms on which we will believe in what Jesus says. It’s wickedly presumptious to tell Christ how to act and what to do. Will you only believe if Christ continues to do what is spectacular and sensational? Can’t you see that this is exactly following in the footsteps of Satan if you be the son of God do this or do that? If you want me to believe on you as the son of God, then do this miracle. How much different is that? it’s not it’s hazardous to your soul to seek for for Christ to do some miracle or wondrous work and if he does it you’re not going to believe in instead of just trusting what he says in believing it seeing a miracle will not even induce a carnal man to believe all you have to do is study the scriptures I remind you of the Israelites these Israelites were able to see all the miracles that Christ God did if you would the mighty plagues that he brought upon Egypt the parting of the Red Sea the drowning of Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea the manna from heaven when they craved meat even provided meat for them when they needed water the water gushed forest from a rock like a river to provide water for the nation. When they needed a healing the bronze serpent was put up in the wilderness. They looked on it. They would be healed. And yet the Bible says that they remained in unbelief and their carcasses fell in the wilderness. How sad? They saw all the miracles. And yet somehow or other, they didn’t believe. Miracles alone, irrespective of how well they are presented, are never able to convince man to believe. Jesus does not owe you a miracle. He gives you a command to believe on him. Believe the message of the gospel about him that you might be saved. You may think Christ owes it to you to do some miracle. you may completely miss how well Christ knows you. They wanted a miracle, but notice how he says here, he will surely say in to me this proverb. Jesus knows what they’re thinking. Jesus is revealing their actual secret thoughts. Shouldn’t that be something that would move than to realize, hey, there’s something different about Christ? This is an indication in and of itself of Christ’s claim because it demonstrates. demonstrates omniscience. If you read Christ’s sermons in his teachings, you’ll see how often he exposes the secret thoughts of men. It is frightening to be in the presence of someone who knows your thoughts, who can read everything that’s passing through your mind. And yet we see Jesus doing this over and over and over again. I’m reminded of the story of the woman at the well. Jesus meets the Samaritan woman. at the well, engages her in conversation at Jacob’s well there. Before long, she begins to realize her life is an open book that this man before her knows all about her. At one point, Jesus says, go, call your husband and come here. She replies, I have no husband. Then she’s stunned what like Christ said, next. Thou hast well said, I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband, and that saidest thou truly. She’s flabbergasted by this. Finally, instead of disputing with Jesus any further, she says this, I know that messiahs, that messiah cometh, which is called Christ, when he has come, he will tell us all things. I’ll just wait on. I’ll just wait on him to come and he’ll explain the differences here between us as Samaritans and you Jews that worship of Jerusalem. And what does Jesus say? I that speak unto thee am he. I am the Messiah. Now the woman leaves her water pot. Now she goes back into town. And what does she say to the man of the town? Count to see a man which told me all things that I ever did. Is not this the Christ? It’s got to be him. She understood it. She grasped it. Christ omniscience convinced her that he was the Messiah, but evidently his hometown people can’t get that. How few seem to realize or acknowledge this omniscience of Christ? Isn’t this a proof of his messiah? Don’t miss this. For the scriptures will declare it very plainly. Christ knows you inside out. You may stumble over Christ because he doesn’t do a miracle to prove himself. And that’s the second thing we see here. The third thing is this. You may stumble over Christ by not honoring him in his office as prophet. Verse 24. He said, Verily I say, and you know prophet is accepted in his own country. Christ is not just a prophet. He is the prophet. The prophet that Moses spoke about in the law. In quoting this proverb, Christ clearly claims he is a prophet, but he’s not a mere prophet. One in a long line of prophets. He has the exalted position of being the prophet that was promised by Moses foretold long ago in the law. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 18, if you would, with me. If we see the promise here, Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 15, The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee of thy brother, and like unto me, unto him. Shall you hark, verse 18 and 19. and I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto me and put my words in his mouth. And he shall speak them unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass that whosover will not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in my name I will require of him. In this passage of Scripture, notice that the prophet here if he’s not heated, it’s going to lead to a requirement. God’s judgment is going to fall if you don’t listen to this prophet. Christ’s parable here indicates that the people of Nazareth had rejected his message, and it was going to prove disastrous for them. In fact, we’ll find out he’s going to not go back after this episode with the Nazarite people. Christ is the prophet promised by Moses. Christ, as a prophet, proclaiming God’s word with gracious words, deserves honor. Prophet is not without honor except in his own country. He deserved to be honored. He is speaking the words that God gave him to speak. God had put the words in Christ’s mouth. Jesus said that all men should honor the son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the son, honoreth not the Son, father which has sent him. The people of Nazareth did not honor Christ. They despised him. Jesus experienced this general opposition against his person by the people who knew him well in his own town. They were privileged to have Christ grow up in their midst, and yet they showed intolerable ingratitude. Now, unless Christ is acknowledged and perceived and received and revered, received as the one that scripture speaks of and trusted in as God’s mediator, the Father is not honored. God reveals himself in Christ. It is wishful thinking to claim you know the Father while rejecting the son. It’s impossible. So Christ as the prophet proclaiming God’s word with gracious words, deserves to be honored. Christ as a prophet testifies against his own country and city and family here. Mark’s gospel adds a little more. He says this in Mark Mark 6.4, we read this. A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country and among his own kin and in his own house. The Nazarites expected miracles to be done by Christ, but their unbelief was one of the reasons Christ didn’t do any miracles. Matthew’s Gospel tells us this about it, Matthew 1358. And he did not mighty miracles there, meaning Nazareth, because of their unbelief. We should always take care in what light we regard the word of Jesus Christ. It is right and good to reverence Christ as you would God the Father. He should be worshipped as God. The Lord’s anointed, the prophet that has come into the world. you must believe on him or otherwise you will perish and you will die in your sins and that’s the message of Scripture. It’s foolish to think Christ needs to prove himself to you when you don’t believe on him. Sadly, those most acquainted with the Savior, those who hear the gospel constantly and often sit under gospel preaching are often the most hardened in their unbelief. What a sad fact that is sometimes. So you may struggle over Christ by not honoring him in his office as prophet. According to Isaiah’s prophecy, people stumble over Christ. They reject him. They’re outly offended by the gospel. Here you find a clear example of that. his hometown. People today do the very same thing. Do you stumble over Christ by denying his claims? You may stumble over Christ because you expect him to do some miracle before you will believe, which he’s not going to do. You may stumble over Christ by not honoring him as in his office as prophet, not accepting him as the prophet, not accepting him as the prophet sent into the world to proclaim the message from God the Father to us. May God bless to us His word. Let’s have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your goodness, your mercy, and your grace. We are thankful, Father, for Christ. We pray, Father, that we would readily believe on the message that Christ has brought. And yet we see, Father, we should, see, Father, how hardened men’s hearts are to receive the truth and believe on the Savior. We pray for a work of your grace that people’s hearts would be open to receive the message and to embrace the Savior. For it’s in Jesus’ name, we ask these things with Thanksgiving. Amen. This morning, we’re going to observe the Lord’s Supper. To that, and I would invite you to turn with me to the book of Song of Solomon in a moment. I just want to look at one verse very briefly. Song of Solomon chapter one, verse five, as we prepare to come to the Lord’s table. I’m going to Solomon chapter one verse five. I am black, but comely, oh, you daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains, of Solomon. The song of Solomon is a love story. It’s portraying Christ, the bridegroom, and his bride, the church, an allegorical thinking. Communion is a time when we draw near to our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and a joyous fellowship. But there are hindrances that must be addressed. And one of the hindrances is mentioned here in the text, I am black. Let’s talk about why the bride addresses the daughters of Jerusalem. In verse 5, the daughters of Jerusalem are a smaller group of professing believers within the overall church or the bride. They seem to be a very weak people. Their knowledge is limited. of Christ. If you look at chapter 5 of Song of Solomon, verses 8 and 9, we see this limitation, where we read, I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I am sick of love, what is thy beloved more than another beloved? O thou fairest among women, what is thy beloved more than another beloved that thou dost so charge us? so we see they don’t have a full understanding of who Christ is they’re distinct from the virgins that we mention in chapter 1 verse 3 who seem to be more mature or have more knowledge of the Savior and they are called the upright in verse 4 but the daughters of Jerusalem here portray two kinds of professing believers we might classify them as new babes in Christ are just formed and they don’t have a lot of knowledge. Or they could represent those immature and ignorant Christians that have stunted growth and should know more of Christ and don’t. The reason for the bride’s words here to the daughters of Jerusalem is this. The daughters of Jerusalem are saying here, why are you the bride rejoicing? Verse 4, you’re talking about the king taking you into his chambers and this close relationship you have with the king and how you love him. But we perceive there’s a blackness about you. How come you’re rejoicing? So the daughters of Jerusalem are stumbling over this problem and not viewing the bride properly. And so verse 5 addresses the wrong view that they have of the bride. So why the bride addresses the daughters of Jerusalem is they don’t really understand the bride’s situation as clearly as they should. Now what the bride says to the daughters of Jerusalem, she acknowledges her blackness. I am black. Now, we’re not talking about color here per se. We’re talking about sinfulness that’s still seen in the bride. Spots and defaulments when considered by herself if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves the Bible says so sin is one of the things that make her black the second thing is we will shall see in verse six Lord willing in some future time suffering being under the heat of the sun also makes her black those who live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution of some sort that reality cannot be denied and these two areas make are black. But she doesn’t end by saying I’m black. She says, I am black, but comely. Now isn’t that a strange thought? She asserts her comeliness. However black the bride may appear in the eyes of others, the people of God are certainly beautiful in the eyes of Christ. By the imputation of Christ righteousness, the church is beautiful. The church is beautiful. beautifully spotless, lovely to behold. Christ’s righteousness is fine, linen, clean and white. It covers the blackness. The sufferings of Christ also make her black. But the sufferings of Christ are the sufferings of the church and the people of God are the very means by which the Holy Spirit develops graces in your life. The very graces that make you more Christ-like and more beautiful, ultimately. When you think about the fact that it enhances your beauty, when you develop patience and more love and more kindness and more meekness and gentleness and faith and charity, and then she illustrates her condition. As the tents of Ketterer, as the curtains of Solomon. The tents of Ketterer were shepherds, tents made out of black goat hair, weathered and beaten up by the wind and the sand and so forth, the elements, not attractive, but the curtains of Solomon would be just the opposite. Look at all the beautiful buildings that Solomon built, and within their buildings, there would be these beautiful hangings, colorful, elegant, elegant. And so while in one way we’re like the tents of the shepherds, and another way, we’re like Solomon’s hangings. I mention these things in order that we may come to the table without any doubts about our right to come to the table. Yes, we acknowledge, and we humbly confess, I am black. I’m a sinner. I’m guilty, but aren’t we celebrating the fact that Christ died for us to cover our sins and to wash our sins away? Aren’t we celebrating that? So we come to the table humbly, but we come rejoicing because I am beautiful. I am comely. I am accepted in Christ, the beloved. His righteousness has been given to me. And come and have a blessed time of fellowship because Christ sees me as beautiful. He’s made me thus. So when we come to the table this morning, let us always keep these kind of thoughts in mind. I’m black, but I’m comely. That’s an honest assessment of what we are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us have a word of prayer.