Preached by Gregory W. Lee
1 January 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in your Bibles to Luke 4:14-21
14. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.
15. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.
17. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18. "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because 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,
19. to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
20. Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,
21. and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
-- well, Christmas is over and a new year has begun -- if you're like most people, when you got up this morning you probably sighed a sigh of relief -- finally, after weeks of shopping and parties and getting ready for Christmas, things are finally getting back to normal -- all the presents that you rushed around to get before Christmas have been unwrapped -- the trees are coming down -- kids are getting ready to go back to school -- things are getting back to the way they were -- everything is right in the world again
-- over the Christmas holidays, we watched a movie called, "Christmas with the Kranks" based on a book by John Grisham called "Skipping Christmas" -- in this movie, the daughter of the Kranks has joined the Peace Corps, so for the first time in over 20 years, they will be having Christmas all alone -- and after getting all depressed about their daughter not being there, they decide that they just didn't want to put up with all the fuss and bother of Christmas -- they were just going to skip Christmas this year and go on a cruise instead -- and throughout the movie they get criticized for being so selfish and self-centered at Christmas, a time when you should be thinking first about others and last about yourself
-- we really enjoyed that movie, but it got me to thinking -- wouldn't it be nice to not have all that hustle and bustle in our lives during the month of December? -- wouldn't it be nice to just slow down and not feel like we had to rush around during the Christmas season? -- I don't think any of us would ever really skip Christmas, but I can understand why the Kranks did what they did in the movie
-- and, as I was thinking about it, don't we act just like the Kranks when we breathe a sigh of relief after Christmas and rejoice that life is back to normal? -- I know we're not skipping Christmas, but when we put Christmas behind us and forget about it until next year, isn't that being a little selfish on our part? -- isn't that forgetting why we celebrate Christmas in the first place?
-- Christmas -- the coming of the Messiah to earth -- is the hope of salvation and restoration --- and it is something that all of creation has been waiting for and longing for and anticipating since the fall in the Garden of Eden -- C.S. Lewis captured this longing for Christmas in the children's book, "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" -- when Lucy Pevensie meets the faun Tumnus in Narnia and he is telling her about the fun the fauns used to have dancing in the spring, she exclaims, "Why, winter won't last forever -- first there will be Christmas and then spring will come again" -- to which he replies, "Oh no, it's always winter here and never Christmas" -- Tumnus longed for Christmas to come, because it would bring redemption and restoration to the land of Narnia
-- Christmas did just that for us -- Christmas is the time when we celebrate the fact that God loved us so much that He sent His Son -- at great price -- to come to earth and to be born as a baby and to live as a man and to die for us on the cross -- and because of this, the last thing we should is to rejoice that Christmas is over and that life is getting back to normal -- life should never be normal after Christmas -- life should never be normal after Christ comes
-- as Christians, we are called to live a Christmas life 24/7 -- every single day of our lives -- rejoicing in the fact that winter is over, Christmas has come -- Christ has come -- and our sins have been forgiven through His atoning death on the cross
-- and, as Christians, we are called to show the world a new way of living -- we are called to tell others about the good news of the gospel and to lead others in this world out of winter and into the glorious sunlight of the Father's love
II. Scripture Lesson -- Luke 4:14-21
-- in this passage from Luke, we see the start of Jesus' ministry here on earth -- and we are reminded that the story of Christmas didn't end in a manger on December 25th, but continues to this day through the work of Christ in our lives and in the lives of those around us
-- to give you the context of this passage, Jesus has just been baptized by John in the Jordan River and the Spirit of the Lord has descended upon Him like a dove and the Father has proclaimed Jesus as His Son -- Jesus then went into the desert where He was tempted by the devil for 40 days -- and now, He has returned from His battle with the devil and is starting His public ministry -- in other words, He is fulfilling the reason for Christmas
-- look back at verse 14 and let's look at this passage in greater detail
-- 14. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.
15. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
-- When the power of God comes, the Word of God spreads through the land -- when Christmas comes, the Word of God should spread through the land
-- after Jesus was born, the angels and the shepherds and the magi heralded the birth of the Savior -- as we read from the Christmas story on Christmas morning, the angels first came and announced to the shepherds the birth of the Messiah -- then, once the shepherds saw Him, they spread the word about the child and all who heard what the shepherds had said were amazed
-- later, when the Magi were making their way to Bethlehem following the star of Christmas to find the Messiah -- they, too, spread the word of the glory of Christmas to all who they came into contact with -- both those in low positions -- such as shepherds and others on the road -- and those in high positions, such as King Herod
-- at Christmas, we sing, "Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ was born" -- that command does not end on Christmas Day -- we are called to go and tell all about the Savior who was born on Christmas and what that means for the world -- we are called to go and tell them that Christmas has come and that means that they can live a new life in Christ
-- every year at Christmas, we make a point of making sure and telling people "Merry Christmas" and making sure that everyone knows the reason for the season -- but, the message of the Bible is that Christmas doesn't end on Christmas day -- therefore, we are called to go and spread the word of Christ throughout the year
-- let me ask you a question: How many people have you told about Jesus since Christmas ended last week? -- for that matter, how many people did you tell about Jesus last year?
-- I want to issue a challenge for you this new year -- make it a point to tell at least one person a month -- just one a month -- just twelve people over the course of an entire year -- about Jesus or about what He is doing in your life -- let them know that a Savior has come to save them from their sins -- let them know that Christmas should be celebrated all year long and not just in December
-- just this week, we had to turn in our evangelism reports to the Conference to let them know how many people joined our church this year on profession of faith -- we had to report that neither church on this charge had a single profession of faith this year -- we need to be more proactive in getting out and sharing the good news of Christ with our friends and family
-- starting next Sunday night, I am going to be teaching classes on evangelism at Naylor at 6:30 pm -- we'll be going over several different techniques and different ways to do evangelism -- I don't want to make sharing your faith a formula, but if you need some help in overcoming any obstacles that you might have in telling others about Jesus, then I would encourage you to attend
-- if not that, then at Wright's Chapel -- starting a new Bible study called Disciple -- it is a journey through the New Testament -- 8 weeks of study -- a lot of people claim that they can't witness to others because they don't know the Bible well enough? -- this is an 8-week class that will help you get an overview of the New Testament so that you can use what you learned to help tell others about Christ
-- look at verse 16
16. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.
17. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
-- here we see Jesus, coming back from being tempted in the desert by Satan for 40 days, just starting his ministry on earth -- and he goes home to Nazareth -- apparently, He has already moved to Capernaeum where He is probably living in the house of Peter -- even before He started His ministry, Jesus has been doing miracles in that area -- but when He leaves the desert, freshly anointed by the Holy Spirit, to start His ministry and to start telling people why He came, He starts at home -- in His home church and with His family and friends
-- you don't have to go to foreign lands to witness to others -- I praise God for missionaires who give their lives going to other countries and other cultures and sharing the good news of Christ -- I thank God for the calling on their lives -- but not everyone has is called to be a missionary -- the important thing is to be faithful to Christ's call to tell others about Him where ever you are and at all times of the year
-- when Christ comes into your life, He sends the Holy Spirit to live in your heart -- and the Holy Spirit works through us -- gifting us with spiritual gifts and talents and calling us into ministry -- some people are called to be missionaries in far off lands -- others are called to just witness in the place where they were raised
-- verse 18
18. "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because 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,
19. to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
-- in these two verses, Jesus tells us the meaning of Christmas and how the message of Christmas should continue past Christmas day
-- the first thing He points out is that the Holy Spirit came with Christmas -- at first, the Holy Spirit rested upon Jesus and empowered His ministry on earth -- but later, after His ascension, Christ sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to fill the hearts and lives of His believers with power -- when you are saved and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to tranform your life into the image of Christ -- and this means that you have the power of the risen Christ within you to help you as you spread the news about the Christmas Savior at all times of the year
-- secondly, Christ points out that He came to preach the good news -- the gospel message -- to the poor -- Jesus doesn't mean here the poor financially, but the poor in Spirit -- in other words, to sinners -- the good news that Jesus preached is that through repentance of their sins and through accepting His atoning death on the cross, they would receive forgiveness for their sins and eternal life with Him
-- it is through the preaching and the receiving of the gospel that the prisoners are set free, the eyes of the blind are opened, and the oppressed are liberated -- the Bible tells us that eveyone who is a sinner is held in slavery and bondage to sin and death and that they are blinded to the truth of the gospel -- but, as the word of God is preached and made manifest through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ proclaimed that the eyes of the prisoners would be opened so that they would receive the good news and would be set free from their bondage to sin and death
-- this is the message that we are called to share with others -- not just at Christmas -- but all throughout the year
-- verse 20
20. Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,
21. and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
-- when Jesus finished speaking and handed the scripture roll back to the attendant, every eye in the place was upon him -- can you imagine what it must have been like to have Jesus read the scriptures? -- for Him to proclaim in His own voice the words that He had inspired the prophet Isaiah to write a thousand years before -- the word of God is powerful and it had the attention of all who heard Him speak
-- when we go out in the power of the Holy Spirit and tell others about living a Christmas life -- when we go out and tell them that Christmas doesn't end on December 25th but continues throughout eternity -- then they can't help but be influenced by our message -- even if we can't see a change in them -- even if we can't see any visible response, every time the word of God is spoken -- evey time the testimony of God or the testimony of a life changed by God is given -- power goes forth and people pay attention
-- these verses reminds me of the old E.F. Hutton commercials -- remember the slogan from those commercials -- "when E.F. Hutton speaks, everyone listens" -- that is exactly the picture that we have in this passage -- when Jesus stopped speaking -- every eye was on Him -- every ear was straining to hear what would be said next -- every heart waiting in anticipation for the Messiah to speak
-- and then He makes that definitive statement -- "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." -- Do you understand what He was saying there? -- He said those same words on the cross, just in a different way -- "It is finished" -- the power of sin over man is destroyed -- the curse is lifted from the earth -- the prisoners and the oppressed are set free -- the blind now see -- and the power of the Holy Spirit is upon mankind -- God is with you -- I am here -- the scriptures are fulfilled
-- it is apparent from the context that Jesus had more to say on that day -- the verse says, "he began by saying" -- in that day, much like today, a scripture would be read and then the reader would expound on that passage and would preach and teach as God led him -- so Jesus probably had a lot more to say than what is recorded here -- but neither Luke nor Matthew nor Mark recorded the rest of Jesus' sermon -- I think it is probaby because He had said it all when He said, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." -- there was nothing more to say -- there was nothing more that needed to be said
-- what a powerful statement -- what a pronouncement of power and majesty and glory -- "the scripture is fulfilled" -- "it is finished" -- winter is over -- Christmas has come -- now receive the gifts that I have brought and live the life that I have called you to live -- and go and tell others about Me
III. Closing
-- it is o.k. to breathe a sigh of relief that the busy-ness of Christmas is past us -- we can get worn out from the hustle and bustle of Christmas and just need a break -- but it's not o.k. to forget Christmas after the tree is taken down and the presents are unwrapped
-- we need to always remember that Christmas should be never-ending -- that the message of Christmas needs to continue to go forth and bring hope and life and love to a world trapped in the winter of their sin
-- as Christians, we are the bearers of the name of Christ -- as Christians, we are the bearers of the message of Christ -- we need to make an effort this year to go forth and spread the good news of Christmas to our family and friends
-- Christ's work did not end in the manger at Bethlehem -- and our work at spreading the gospel message should not end at Christmas
-- I want to encourage you to take my challenge and tell just one person a month about Jesus and about what He has done in your life -- will you do that this year?
-- let us pray
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