WEBVTT 00:00:00.649 --> 00:00:03.509 Under pressure. You've gotten that gist a little 00:00:03.509 --> 00:00:06.349 bit over the course of this service. Maybe you 00:00:06.349 --> 00:00:08.550 caught the Ash Wednesday devotion where I kind 00:00:08.550 --> 00:00:11.130 of introduced this theme and where we're going 00:00:11.130 --> 00:00:14.429 to be in the Gospel of Luke. But this understanding 00:00:14.429 --> 00:00:18.850 of pressure is something that we feel on a day 00:00:18.850 --> 00:00:22.300 -to -day basis. I would say, and I'm not even 00:00:22.300 --> 00:00:24.719 making this stat up, probably 50 % of the people 00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:26.699 that come into my office on a week -to -week 00:00:26.699 --> 00:00:29.800 basis talking about some level of pressure in 00:00:29.800 --> 00:00:32.960 their life. Some level of pressure, whether it's 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:36.500 job performance, relationships, finances, that's 00:00:36.500 --> 00:00:39.140 a huge one, that we put pressure on ourselves. 00:00:39.299 --> 00:00:41.500 And believe me, I'm looking at myself first in 00:00:41.500 --> 00:00:43.700 the understanding of what pressure actually is. 00:00:44.759 --> 00:00:46.960 Pressure is sometimes things we put on ourselves 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:49.420 that aren't really there. That sometimes we are 00:00:49.420 --> 00:00:53.020 our own worst enemy, or this is the enemy, the 00:00:53.020 --> 00:00:55.240 enemy of the world, right, the evil one, Satan. 00:00:55.320 --> 00:00:59.060 He and his demons have a way of putting and making 00:00:59.060 --> 00:01:02.820 us feel pressure on us. And what the hope is 00:01:02.820 --> 00:01:05.099 for this sermon series, what my heart is, is 00:01:05.099 --> 00:01:08.760 as we prepare, that we prepare for this season, 00:01:08.819 --> 00:01:11.939 in this season of Lent, that Jesus sees the pressure 00:01:11.939 --> 00:01:14.879 you are under. And he is going to enter that 00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:17.939 pressure in a variety of ways. We saw that in 00:01:17.939 --> 00:01:20.400 Luke, in the beginning of Luke, when he's driven 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:23.019 out to the wilderness. Where Satan tempts him. 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:26.439 Satan tempts the Son of God with things like 00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:28.659 power, prestige, and money. Things that we put 00:01:28.659 --> 00:01:31.120 pressure on ourselves to get or achieve all the 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:34.939 time. And as Luke tells us, he leaves him for 00:01:34.939 --> 00:01:37.879 a more opportune time. And we see in these different 00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:40.200 scenes that we're going to jump in every Sunday. 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:44.420 The pressure that gets put on Jesus. So we're 00:01:44.420 --> 00:01:48.480 going to start in Luke chapter 4. And we're going 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:50.700 to start with being rejected at Nazareth. Not 00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:53.140 that we were rejected at Nazareth, but Jesus 00:01:53.140 --> 00:01:56.680 was. And so my first kind of conversation point 00:01:56.680 --> 00:01:59.319 this morning is this understanding of when familiarity 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:03.230 breeds rejection. And you may be wondering, what 00:02:03.230 --> 00:02:05.409 in the world are you talking about? You've heard 00:02:05.409 --> 00:02:07.650 it said at times that maybe a prophet's not welcome 00:02:07.650 --> 00:02:10.129 in his hometown. Maybe you've been told that 00:02:10.129 --> 00:02:11.889 about certain aspects of your life. Maybe you've 00:02:11.889 --> 00:02:14.189 heard that in church speak. Maybe you haven't. 00:02:14.330 --> 00:02:16.110 It's going to be clear today what that means. 00:02:17.710 --> 00:02:22.409 But there is a strange pressure that comes when 00:02:22.409 --> 00:02:26.610 something happens in your life that you deem 00:02:26.610 --> 00:02:29.860 as holy. whether that's a birth of a child, whether 00:02:29.860 --> 00:02:32.979 that's a covenant of marriage, that we have these 00:02:32.979 --> 00:02:35.319 things in life. I will still remember that first 00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:38.860 week in June 2022 when Jess Fisher, then now 00:02:38.860 --> 00:02:41.500 Fisher, came into my office and I got to see 00:02:41.500 --> 00:02:44.599 the scales over her eyes fall as she accepted 00:02:44.599 --> 00:02:47.280 Christ as her Lord and Savior. And we go through 00:02:47.280 --> 00:02:50.360 that kind of honeymoon period. We talked about 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:52.300 it last week, about when you join a church, it's 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:54.639 new and exciting, ways to get involved, all of 00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:57.860 those things. But what happens when it's just 00:02:57.860 --> 00:03:00.520 kind of there, and it's that holiness and that 00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:03.099 relationship with God, it's there, it's fine, 00:03:03.419 --> 00:03:06.240 you know, that those highs you're not sensing. 00:03:07.800 --> 00:03:09.879 Or maybe you go into the pastor's office, you 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:12.400 talk to a friend over coffee, and all you're 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:16.120 sitting in is in valleys. Valleys of life, valleys 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:18.659 of depression, valleys of sadness, valleys of 00:03:18.659 --> 00:03:22.840 pressure, broken relationships. You have to engage 00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:27.370 a conversation. What happens when the holy in 00:03:27.370 --> 00:03:31.229 your life becomes just the mundane? Now, if we 00:03:31.229 --> 00:03:33.310 really center on it, it should never be. God 00:03:33.310 --> 00:03:36.210 is holy. He saved you from sin. You're going 00:03:36.210 --> 00:03:39.289 to heaven when you die. Whatever it is that faith 00:03:39.289 --> 00:03:41.849 means to you in this moment should never just 00:03:41.849 --> 00:03:46.409 be ho -hum. But in church and in being a believer, 00:03:46.590 --> 00:03:50.050 it can happen. You've heard it before. You're 00:03:50.050 --> 00:03:52.349 like, oh, I've heard Jim preach on Luke 4 before 00:03:52.349 --> 00:03:55.610 probably six times. I'm weird that you're counting, 00:03:55.729 --> 00:03:58.490 but understanding that we are going to look at 00:03:58.490 --> 00:04:00.150 it maybe a little different, but the word of 00:04:00.150 --> 00:04:02.949 God stays the same. It's everlasting upon everlasting, 00:04:03.210 --> 00:04:07.370 and it means the world to us. But even in church, 00:04:07.430 --> 00:04:10.729 sometimes we have the mentality. We've sung that 00:04:10.729 --> 00:04:12.789 song before. Not this last one. That's a new 00:04:12.789 --> 00:04:15.389 one. It's a teaching song. But we've sat in the 00:04:15.389 --> 00:04:19.120 same chair or pew. We've heard the gospel. We 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:23.220 hear it almost every Sunday if Jim's on. And 00:04:23.220 --> 00:04:24.959 what happens when it doesn't mean much to you 00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:30.279 anymore? Friends, I think that's a problem. What 00:04:30.279 --> 00:04:34.139 you once felt amazed about, the grace of God 00:04:34.139 --> 00:04:36.779 coming into your life, just kind of, all right, 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:40.699 I'm saved. Great. That can be a real struggle 00:04:40.699 --> 00:04:43.470 for people. We're going to see that as Jesus 00:04:43.470 --> 00:04:46.689 enters back into the town of Nazareth. You see, 00:04:46.730 --> 00:04:49.990 Nazareth knew Jesus. They knew his family. They 00:04:49.990 --> 00:04:53.490 knew the childhood stories. They grew up with 00:04:53.490 --> 00:04:57.810 him. They knew him in the way they believed they 00:04:57.810 --> 00:05:00.730 needed to. And all of a sudden, that familiarity 00:05:00.730 --> 00:05:02.870 becomes a pressure. That pressure turns into 00:05:02.870 --> 00:05:06.649 rejection. And Luke starts us off with something 00:05:06.649 --> 00:05:11.790 stunning. The first sermon that Jesus ever gives, 00:05:11.870 --> 00:05:14.089 and we're going to break it down, is not met 00:05:14.089 --> 00:05:17.550 with applause, is not met with an altar call, 00:05:17.810 --> 00:05:20.670 is not met with a way to go, let's have you back. 00:05:21.689 --> 00:05:25.790 They actually try to kill him. So we're going 00:05:25.790 --> 00:05:31.069 to ask today, what happens in our life when Jesus 00:05:31.069 --> 00:05:35.120 gets so close to us, he offends us? What happens 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:40.860 when truth presses against our comfort? Friends, 00:05:40.860 --> 00:05:44.579 that is the season of Lent. Revealing the heart 00:05:44.579 --> 00:05:48.339 and the solution that Jesus gives us. So let's 00:05:48.339 --> 00:05:50.379 dive in. We'll be in Luke chapter 4, starting 00:05:50.379 --> 00:05:52.300 with verse 16. And we're going to start by reading 00:05:52.300 --> 00:06:01.100 verse 16 to 29. And he, Jesus, came to Nazareth 00:06:01.100 --> 00:06:04.759 where he had been brought up. And as was his 00:06:04.759 --> 00:06:07.759 custom, that's important, remember that, he went 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:09.860 to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He stood 00:06:09.860 --> 00:06:12.639 up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah 00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:15.420 was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and 00:06:15.420 --> 00:06:18.100 found the place where it was written. The spirit 00:06:18.100 --> 00:06:20.439 of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed 00:06:20.439 --> 00:06:23.160 me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has 00:06:23.160 --> 00:06:25.639 sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:27.660 recovering the sight of the blind and has set 00:06:27.660 --> 00:06:31.290 at liberty those who are oppressed. to proclaim 00:06:31.290 --> 00:06:34.730 the year of the Lord's favor. And he rolled up 00:06:34.730 --> 00:06:36.189 the scroll and gave it back to the attendant 00:06:36.189 --> 00:06:38.889 and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue 00:06:38.889 --> 00:06:42.389 were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, 00:06:42.449 --> 00:06:46.990 Today the scripture has been fulfilled in your 00:06:46.990 --> 00:06:51.430 hearing. And all spoke well of him and marveled 00:06:51.430 --> 00:06:54.430 at the gracious words that were coming from his 00:06:54.430 --> 00:06:59.230 mouth. And they said, Is this not Joseph's son? 00:06:59.850 --> 00:07:02.649 And he said to them, doubtless you will quote 00:07:02.649 --> 00:07:05.670 to me this proverb, physician, heal yourself. 00:07:06.529 --> 00:07:11.269 What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here 00:07:11.269 --> 00:07:14.129 in your hometown as well. And he said to them, 00:07:14.129 --> 00:07:16.129 truly I say to you, no prophet is acceptable 00:07:16.129 --> 00:07:19.310 in his hometown. But in truth I tell you that 00:07:19.310 --> 00:07:21.750 there were many widows in Israel in the days 00:07:21.750 --> 00:07:24.550 of Elijah. And when the heavens were shut up 00:07:24.550 --> 00:07:26.889 for three years and six months, and a great famine 00:07:26.889 --> 00:07:29.410 came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to 00:07:29.410 --> 00:07:32.730 none of them but only to Zarephath in the land 00:07:32.730 --> 00:07:36.310 of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there 00:07:36.310 --> 00:07:39.050 were many lepers in the time of the prophet Elisha, 00:07:39.069 --> 00:07:41.410 and none of them were cleansed but only Nahum 00:07:41.410 --> 00:07:43.970 the Syrian. When they heard these things, all 00:07:43.970 --> 00:07:47.290 in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And 00:07:47.290 --> 00:07:49.250 they rose up and drove him out of the town and 00:07:49.250 --> 00:07:51.170 brought him up to the brow of the hill on which 00:07:51.170 --> 00:07:55.089 the town was built so they could throw him down 00:07:55.089 --> 00:08:01.990 the cliff. This is the word of the Lord. So pressure 00:08:01.990 --> 00:08:04.490 point one. We're going to look at these pressure 00:08:04.490 --> 00:08:07.470 points in the story and the gospel of Christ. 00:08:08.029 --> 00:08:14.870 First is Jesus reveals who he is. Notice, this 00:08:14.870 --> 00:08:19.699 was his... custom. Jesus was known as a teacher. 00:08:19.899 --> 00:08:23.720 The only way he could stand up in church and 00:08:23.720 --> 00:08:27.019 would be given a scroll is if it had happened 00:08:27.019 --> 00:08:30.899 before. This wasn't just some random day. This 00:08:30.899 --> 00:08:33.820 was the Sabbath in the synagogue. Jesus was there 00:08:33.820 --> 00:08:36.220 and he was going to read the scroll. This is 00:08:36.220 --> 00:08:40.220 something that average ordinary people did not 00:08:40.220 --> 00:08:45.299 do. They did not. This is something that Jesus 00:08:45.950 --> 00:08:49.610 We need to understand that because this is just, 00:08:49.710 --> 00:08:52.509 again, this is just kind of an average Sabbath 00:08:52.509 --> 00:08:59.509 day. This is just a Saturday service. But Jesus 00:08:59.509 --> 00:09:02.850 does something different today. He reads Isaiah 00:09:02.850 --> 00:09:07.730 61. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. This is 00:09:07.730 --> 00:09:11.409 Messianic text. So if we understand the culture 00:09:11.409 --> 00:09:14.230 of the time, they are looking for the Messiah. 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:17.580 But as we're going to see, the Messiah they want 00:09:17.580 --> 00:09:20.279 to the Messiah Jesus is, is not going to be the 00:09:20.279 --> 00:09:23.799 same. The people hear about good news to the 00:09:23.799 --> 00:09:27.059 poor, a good flag is going to go up in their 00:09:27.059 --> 00:09:30.120 minds. Freedom from the captive, well, two for 00:09:30.120 --> 00:09:33.879 two. Sight to the blind, three for three. Jubilee 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:38.039 for the oppressed, four for four. They're amazed. 00:09:38.539 --> 00:09:42.090 They're staring at him. No one has done this 00:09:42.090 --> 00:09:44.309 yet in a complete way. There have been little 00:09:44.309 --> 00:09:47.509 M Messiahs all over. People that all try to thought 00:09:47.509 --> 00:09:49.789 that they were the coming of the Messiah. And 00:09:49.789 --> 00:09:51.389 maybe you're thinking to yourself, I've heard 00:09:51.389 --> 00:09:53.750 that before. Why in the world would they do that? 00:09:53.929 --> 00:09:57.549 Because if you're an Israelite, you've had centuries 00:09:57.549 --> 00:10:00.289 of stories. Going all the way back to the Old 00:10:00.289 --> 00:10:03.570 Testament. Minor prophets, we just did it. Pointing 00:10:03.570 --> 00:10:07.570 towards this person. We don't fully grasp that 00:10:07.570 --> 00:10:10.570 today. We're in a post -resurrected society. 00:10:10.629 --> 00:10:12.970 Though we are looking to the time that Jesus 00:10:12.970 --> 00:10:17.830 is going to come back, he's not even named yet. 00:10:19.190 --> 00:10:24.149 This is still ongoing. So all the family heritage, 00:10:24.409 --> 00:10:26.649 all the family lineage, all of the Israelites 00:10:26.649 --> 00:10:29.750 are pointing toward this capital M Messiah. And 00:10:29.750 --> 00:10:33.210 Jesus now goes four for four. And then he... 00:10:33.549 --> 00:10:35.690 Really, he ties a nice bow on it, exclamation 00:10:35.690 --> 00:10:38.169 point, if you will. Today, this scripture has 00:10:38.169 --> 00:10:40.769 been fulfilled in your hearing. What is he saying? 00:10:42.509 --> 00:10:50.370 I am the Messiah. Luke 4, here we go. We're starting 00:10:50.370 --> 00:10:54.419 it. I am the Messiah. the Messiah. He didn't 00:10:54.419 --> 00:10:57.240 say, I might be the Messiah, or hang with me, 00:10:57.299 --> 00:10:59.299 friends, we'll get to the Messiah. This isn't, 00:10:59.299 --> 00:11:03.440 I'm one of the other Messiahs, little m. I am 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:09.220 the Messiah. Friends, Nazareth was small. 400 00:11:09.220 --> 00:11:15.399 people. Everybody knew Jesus. Again, he doesn't 00:11:15.399 --> 00:11:19.340 just come in as this secret character. It's a 00:11:19.340 --> 00:11:24.299 large family. Everyone knew him. He was Joseph's 00:11:24.299 --> 00:11:29.080 son. And what did Joseph do? He was a carpenter, 00:11:29.139 --> 00:11:32.240 right? So he's a carpenter's kid, right? He's 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:36.860 a laborer's kid. He's a local kid. So the reaction 00:11:36.860 --> 00:11:39.840 isn't theological at first. It's relational, 00:11:39.860 --> 00:11:43.720 and that's okay. I think that's fine. Then all 00:11:43.720 --> 00:11:46.940 of a sudden we see it start to turn. You see 00:11:46.940 --> 00:11:51.080 some people go, who? Who do you think? Or who 00:11:51.080 --> 00:11:54.940 does he think he is? The familiarity, well, this 00:11:54.940 --> 00:11:57.440 is just Joseph's son. How could Joseph's son 00:11:57.440 --> 00:11:59.580 be the Messiah? People are starting to put kind 00:11:59.580 --> 00:12:03.059 of the dominoes effect in their minds. And this 00:12:03.059 --> 00:12:04.840 is why I think the Heidelberg Catechism Lord's 00:12:04.840 --> 00:12:07.240 Day 12 is important. Because the question is 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:11.240 asked, why is he called Christ, meaning anointed? 00:12:11.879 --> 00:12:14.360 The answer, because he is ordained by God the 00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:16.940 Father and anointed by the Holy Spirit to be 00:12:16.940 --> 00:12:19.960 our chief prophet, only high priest, and eternal 00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:25.279 king. Nazareth hears from a prophet. And we just 00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:26.919 talked about last week, they're going to go through 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:29.799 centuries of silence. John the Baptist is going 00:12:29.799 --> 00:12:32.039 to step on the scene, but now Jesus is on the 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:36.399 scene. But they don't want a king. They certainly 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:38.679 don't want a priest who just says that they're 00:12:38.679 --> 00:12:41.919 all sinners and be better. So they admire him 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:48.840 until the pressure comes, until he pushes back. 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:54.220 In your life, friends, isn't Jesus great? Having 00:12:54.220 --> 00:12:57.700 this Savior, the WWJD culture, right? I know 00:12:57.700 --> 00:12:59.720 where I'm going when I die. I love this Jesus. 00:12:59.799 --> 00:13:03.720 I will follow this Jesus. But what happens when 00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:07.679 the truth of Jesus' life starts to bump up against 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:11.750 our comfortability? Whoa! I'm all about this 00:13:11.750 --> 00:13:14.450 Jesus thing, but that means I have to stop doing 00:13:14.450 --> 00:13:17.309 this, this, and this? Well, if it's bad for you, 00:13:17.330 --> 00:13:19.830 if it's a sin in the Bible, yeah, you do. Because 00:13:19.830 --> 00:13:24.250 you can't follow Jesus that way. Munster Church, 00:13:24.389 --> 00:13:27.830 this is us. This is where the rub of the relationship 00:13:27.830 --> 00:13:31.149 that we have with Jesus individually, corporately, 00:13:31.250 --> 00:13:35.090 when Jesus starts to bump up against our comfortability. 00:13:36.169 --> 00:13:39.700 I think we would agree. Right? Umbrella of grace. 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:42.100 But I think we would agree that we love Jesus 00:13:42.100 --> 00:13:45.539 as long as he stays manageable in our life. As 00:13:45.539 --> 00:13:48.360 long as I can fit him in my calendar. As long 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:50.679 as I can give him the time that I have or else 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:54.440 it's just going to be too much. We love Jesus' 00:13:54.679 --> 00:13:57.320 teacher, but we don't like him as the Lord of 00:13:57.320 --> 00:14:01.379 our pocketbook. We love Jesus' healer, but we 00:14:01.379 --> 00:14:02.940 don't want him to be the judge of our pride. 00:14:04.460 --> 00:14:08.000 We love Jesus' Savior. Until he tells us that 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:12.320 we're not in control. Friends, we can't have 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:15.919 it both ways. Pressure reveals what we really 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:20.419 believe. When life starts to fall apart, when 00:14:20.419 --> 00:14:24.840 you're in the valley, we see who we really are. 00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:27.980 And the hope and the prayer is that we recognize 00:14:27.980 --> 00:14:30.460 that Jesus is with us every step of the way. 00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:32.820 Why? Because Jesus is going to start to reveal 00:14:32.820 --> 00:14:36.889 their hearts and ours. You see, at first, people 00:14:36.889 --> 00:14:42.490 marvel. But then Jesus quotes two stories. Okay? 00:14:43.029 --> 00:14:45.929 First one, Elijah helping a Gentile widow, and 00:14:45.929 --> 00:14:50.570 Elisha healing Nahum the Cyrene. Why these stories? 00:14:51.610 --> 00:14:54.330 Why couldn't Jesus have just done something about 00:14:54.330 --> 00:14:57.350 King David, or building up the temple, or the 00:14:57.350 --> 00:15:02.590 good things about the people of Israel? Because 00:15:02.590 --> 00:15:05.710 what Jesus is going to show? is that God's grace 00:15:05.710 --> 00:15:09.389 is also for outsiders. You see, he's talking 00:15:09.389 --> 00:15:12.110 to a pretty exclusive group. He's talking to 00:15:12.110 --> 00:15:15.110 the Jews. He's talking to the Israelites, right? 00:15:15.309 --> 00:15:18.350 Put it in our context, he's talking to the CRCs, 00:15:18.549 --> 00:15:21.309 right? He's talking to the Class Siciliana. He's 00:15:21.309 --> 00:15:23.230 talking to all these churches that Munster Church 00:15:23.230 --> 00:15:28.389 helped start over the last 156 years. It's insider 00:15:28.389 --> 00:15:31.250 language. He should be for us, not for them. 00:15:32.460 --> 00:15:37.299 But Jesus says no. Just like Elijah and Elisha 00:15:37.299 --> 00:15:40.019 were called to help Gentiles, so the grace of 00:15:40.019 --> 00:15:46.539 God is going to be extended to everyone. Oh, 00:15:46.539 --> 00:15:50.100 we don't like that. They didn't like that either. 00:15:50.179 --> 00:15:53.500 Why? Because what is Jesus saying? Why did the 00:15:53.500 --> 00:15:58.399 room all of a sudden turn? What Jesus is saying 00:15:58.399 --> 00:16:04.429 is God's grace is sovereign. God's grace does 00:16:04.429 --> 00:16:08.710 not belong to you. It is not controlled by your 00:16:08.710 --> 00:16:11.289 heritage. It is not earned by your morality. 00:16:11.549 --> 00:16:17.409 It is given to whom God wills. Whoa! Time out! 00:16:17.629 --> 00:16:21.450 What is this one, Dan? 30 seconds. This is full, 00:16:21.549 --> 00:16:25.529 right? Full stop! Okay? Full stop. I did baseball. 00:16:25.570 --> 00:16:29.220 We don't call time outs. The Israelites have 00:16:29.220 --> 00:16:31.600 tried to keep the law. They tried to keep the 00:16:31.600 --> 00:16:34.059 Torah, the first five books of this word. They 00:16:34.059 --> 00:16:36.220 heard the stories. They heard the prophecies. 00:16:36.220 --> 00:16:39.500 This is now generation, heritage, lineage of 00:16:39.500 --> 00:16:43.720 doing all the right things, 50%. But we did our 00:16:43.720 --> 00:16:49.820 best. Jesus is saying something radical. It is 00:16:49.820 --> 00:16:55.139 given to whom God wills. Well, God's will better 00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:58.230 be the life of the elect. That's what they're 00:16:58.230 --> 00:17:00.389 saying. That's what's making them uncomfortable. 00:17:01.190 --> 00:17:03.929 What do you mean there's going to be Gentiles? 00:17:04.589 --> 00:17:06.950 What do you mean there's going to be Lutherans? 00:17:07.269 --> 00:17:09.450 What do you mean there's going to be Methodists? 00:17:09.789 --> 00:17:12.170 I thought this was just all reformed all day, 00:17:12.170 --> 00:17:17.410 every day. Wrong. Putting that in the context 00:17:17.410 --> 00:17:19.509 there weren't Lutherans back then or reformed. 00:17:19.970 --> 00:17:22.250 But that's how we can be. That's how the church 00:17:22.250 --> 00:17:25.069 can be. That's why the church can be seen as 00:17:25.069 --> 00:17:28.250 a group of jerks. Instead of the holiness of 00:17:28.250 --> 00:17:32.890 God extending God's grace. Because one thing 00:17:32.890 --> 00:17:35.809 that Jesus is bringing everybody to in the synagogue 00:17:35.809 --> 00:17:39.150 then, and hopefully here today, is that we're 00:17:39.150 --> 00:17:42.049 sinners. The Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 00:17:42.049 --> 00:17:45.890 2, reminds us we know our sin and misery by the 00:17:45.890 --> 00:17:51.670 law of God. We know our sin and misery by the 00:17:51.670 --> 00:17:55.220 law of God. The Ten Commandments help us with 00:17:55.220 --> 00:18:00.759 that. Reflect on that this week as we go to come 00:18:00.759 --> 00:18:04.359 to the table next week in communion. We know 00:18:04.359 --> 00:18:07.079 our sin and misery by the law of God. Nazareth 00:18:07.079 --> 00:18:09.759 thought they were fine. Jesus shows that they're 00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:14.759 actually in need. When grace exposes pride, what 00:18:14.759 --> 00:18:20.640 erupts? Not being okay with it, but anger. Wanting 00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:24.059 to reject it. Nazareth expected Messiah to bless 00:18:24.059 --> 00:18:26.680 what they were already doing. They were waiting 00:18:26.680 --> 00:18:29.220 for their local hero and they thought they were 00:18:29.220 --> 00:18:32.539 all good. But Jesus shows a kingdom bigger than 00:18:32.539 --> 00:18:35.799 their tribe. Bigger than their denomination. 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:39.480 Bigger than their family line. Bigger than who 00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:42.700 they are. That what God was creating through 00:18:42.700 --> 00:18:46.740 Christ was a vision of every tribe and tongue. 00:18:49.319 --> 00:18:53.460 And guess what? They fail. the pressure gets 00:18:53.460 --> 00:18:57.359 to them and it breaks. So what does that mean 00:18:57.359 --> 00:19:01.180 for us? What does that mean for a church that's 00:19:01.180 --> 00:19:06.119 over 150 years old? I think this church has faced 00:19:06.119 --> 00:19:08.920 that temptation before. We might be facing it 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:12.460 even now. We start thinking, this is our church. 00:19:12.839 --> 00:19:15.950 This is our tradition. This is our way of worship. 00:19:16.109 --> 00:19:19.329 This is our history. But what Jesus is saying, 00:19:19.430 --> 00:19:22.089 what the gospel is saying, is this has been and 00:19:22.089 --> 00:19:26.789 always will be Christ's church. He saves whom 00:19:26.789 --> 00:19:29.809 he wills. He brings people we don't always expect. 00:19:29.930 --> 00:19:33.950 He changes things that we thought were permanent. 00:19:35.470 --> 00:19:39.490 This Luke 4 sermon's a doozy. Sometimes the pressure 00:19:39.490 --> 00:19:43.130 we feel in church life is actually God expanding. 00:19:43.829 --> 00:19:47.910 Our heart and our mind. But here's the thing. 00:19:48.490 --> 00:19:52.950 As Jesus is taking on this pressure, he's also 00:19:52.950 --> 00:19:58.509 going to show early on he is faithful. How do 00:19:58.509 --> 00:20:00.710 we know? Because friends, this could have been 00:20:00.710 --> 00:20:04.369 the end of Jesus' story. They're so angry. He 00:20:04.369 --> 00:20:08.089 has so broken what they wanted to hear that they 00:20:08.089 --> 00:20:12.910 drag him out to a cliff. Imagine the scene. Childhood 00:20:12.910 --> 00:20:16.089 neighbors, family, friends of Joseph and Mary, 00:20:16.369 --> 00:20:19.470 people who watched him grow up, maybe the person 00:20:19.470 --> 00:20:21.769 that received the first table he ever built with 00:20:21.769 --> 00:20:27.369 Joseph, dragging him out to the cliff. They wanted 00:20:27.369 --> 00:20:33.589 him dead. I know I've said things in the pulpit 00:20:33.589 --> 00:20:35.990 that you probably haven't liked, right? And a 00:20:35.990 --> 00:20:38.250 lot of you let me know, usually by one o 'clock. 00:20:40.060 --> 00:20:41.900 Some of you wait and have discernment and do 00:20:41.900 --> 00:20:44.119 it at noon the next day, and I appreciate that. 00:20:44.680 --> 00:20:46.880 But I've never gone out, and this is not a challenge, 00:20:46.980 --> 00:20:49.960 I've never gone out to flat tires, right? I've 00:20:49.960 --> 00:20:52.039 never gone out, well, that's not true. I have 00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:53.900 had my car teepeed by the youth group years ago, 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:55.839 but I don't think that was because of a sermon. 00:20:57.759 --> 00:21:00.740 I may have said things that offended you over 00:21:00.740 --> 00:21:04.099 time, and I'm sorry, I probably will again, but 00:21:04.099 --> 00:21:06.259 I don't think any of you want me dead, and if 00:21:06.259 --> 00:21:10.720 you do, please don't tell me. They not only want, 00:21:10.819 --> 00:21:12.940 this doesn't an email string after this email. 00:21:13.099 --> 00:21:15.079 This wasn't a call to all the elders going, get 00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:17.799 them out of the pulpit. Emoji, prayer hands, 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:22.319 no. They actually take matters into their own 00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:25.619 hands. They take them to the cliff. They're going 00:21:25.619 --> 00:21:28.140 to stone them. Because again, what is stoning 00:21:28.140 --> 00:21:30.259 back in the days? Either the stone comes to you 00:21:30.259 --> 00:21:34.680 or you go to the stones. It's either one. They 00:21:34.680 --> 00:21:37.900 want them dead. And what does Luke tell us? But 00:21:37.900 --> 00:21:41.740 passing through their midst, he went away. Why? 00:21:42.359 --> 00:21:46.319 Because his time hadn't come yet. He is going 00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:48.400 to move towards the hill, but it's not this hill, 00:21:48.460 --> 00:21:51.980 it's Calvary. The height of our catechism, Lord's 00:21:51.980 --> 00:21:54.619 Day 1, is a great reminder that he has fully 00:21:54.619 --> 00:21:56.779 paid for all of my sins with his precious blood. 00:21:57.700 --> 00:22:00.519 Nazareth's rejection is a preview to the cross. 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:04.259 The pressure is building, and Jesus walks into 00:22:04.259 --> 00:22:07.700 it willingly. Not because he is weak, but because 00:22:07.700 --> 00:22:11.819 he loves us. And here is that Messiah insight. 00:22:12.359 --> 00:22:15.539 Every prophet was rejected. We just went through 00:22:15.539 --> 00:22:19.839 it. But Jesus, the final prophet, and his rejection 00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:22.720 comes with something much greater. Isaiah 53. 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:27.799 He was despised and rejected by men. Why? So 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:31.799 we could have everlasting life. Nazareth is the 00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:35.670 beginning of the road. So what does this mean 00:22:35.670 --> 00:22:38.670 for our Lent? Where's the pressure coming in 00:22:38.670 --> 00:22:42.309 the weeks to come? Lent is a season of pressure. 00:22:42.430 --> 00:22:44.710 It's not a punishment. It's not doom and gloom. 00:22:44.769 --> 00:22:50.150 It should be honest reflection. And what is that 00:22:50.150 --> 00:22:52.349 reflection? Well, for this week, the reflection, 00:22:52.509 --> 00:22:54.650 my friends, and we'll send this out in an email 00:22:54.650 --> 00:22:58.990 and on our socials, where do you reject Jesus 00:22:58.990 --> 00:23:03.289 in your life? When he challenges our politics. 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:07.519 Our comfort, our habits, our pride, our spending, 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:12.099 our unforgiveness, our disinterest. Where do 00:23:12.099 --> 00:23:15.279 we say, all right, Jesus, you're great, but really 00:23:15.279 --> 00:23:18.579 you're only Joseph's son. Where do we make Jesus 00:23:18.579 --> 00:23:22.960 small in our life? Friend, Jesus should never 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:28.859 have that position in your life or mine. I liken 00:23:28.859 --> 00:23:31.980 it to now my son's learning the art of rolling 00:23:31.980 --> 00:23:36.170 their eyes. Like when a kid hears dad's advice 00:23:36.170 --> 00:23:39.029 and rolls their eyes. Drives me absolutely crazy. 00:23:39.170 --> 00:23:45.269 And I know where they learned it. Carrie. Because 00:23:45.269 --> 00:23:50.630 familiarity makes wisdom easy to ignore. Yeah, 00:23:50.630 --> 00:23:54.609 mom. Yeah, dad. I hear it all the time. Or like 00:23:54.609 --> 00:23:57.650 hearing the gospel every Sunday. Let me ask. 00:23:58.069 --> 00:24:01.549 Has it stopped moving you? I can lovingly say 00:24:01.549 --> 00:24:03.470 that's not a me problem. That's a you problem. 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:06.319 That could be an us problem, and that's a big 00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:10.299 problem. You can be close to Jesus and still 00:24:10.299 --> 00:24:13.099 reject him. When we only use Jesus like some 00:24:13.099 --> 00:24:15.420 kind of get out of hell free card, right, or 00:24:15.420 --> 00:24:18.319 some kind of card that we only like to use when 00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:21.319 it's convenient for us, we miss the point. But 00:24:21.319 --> 00:24:26.220 the good news of today is that The gospel is 00:24:26.220 --> 00:24:29.079 for rejecters. There's good news for us who reject 00:24:29.079 --> 00:24:31.539 Jesus and the small things and the big things, 00:24:31.640 --> 00:24:34.319 and that is the hope of Lent. Jesus does not 00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:36.759 stop preaching. He does not pass through them 00:24:36.759 --> 00:24:39.559 and look up at the Father and go, we're not doing 00:24:39.559 --> 00:24:43.599 this. No, he enters the scenes. He enters our 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:46.720 lives. He goes to Capernaum. He goes to Jerusalem. 00:24:46.900 --> 00:24:54.449 He goes to the cross for Nazareth, for Jim. For 00:24:54.449 --> 00:25:00.849 Munster. For you. Lord's Day 23 reminds us. God 00:25:00.849 --> 00:25:02.869 grants and credits me the perfect satisfaction, 00:25:03.329 --> 00:25:07.869 righteousness, and holiness of Christ. Even when 00:25:07.869 --> 00:25:14.970 your heart dares to resist him. So at the end 00:25:14.970 --> 00:25:16.349 of these sermons, we're going to look at a then 00:25:16.349 --> 00:25:20.829 and now to see the comparison. Then. The Messiah 00:25:20.829 --> 00:25:23.430 came to his hometown, and they rejected him because 00:25:23.430 --> 00:25:27.710 he was not the Savior they wanted. Now, Jesus 00:25:27.710 --> 00:25:30.710 still comes close to us today through word, through 00:25:30.710 --> 00:25:32.990 sacrament, through discipline and community, 00:25:33.150 --> 00:25:38.829 and asks us to surrender what we cling to. I 00:25:38.829 --> 00:25:40.589 know a lot of people use the season of Lent to 00:25:40.589 --> 00:25:43.369 give things up, right? It's a practice that the 00:25:43.369 --> 00:25:46.390 Catholic Church uses and some other high liturgical 00:25:46.390 --> 00:25:48.710 denominations. We don't necessarily talk about 00:25:48.710 --> 00:25:51.380 it that way. Is it a bad thing if you do it? 00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:53.839 No. It's a bad thing if you're doing it so you 00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:55.660 can have everyone go, look at me, look what I'm 00:25:55.660 --> 00:25:58.599 giving up. Right? Or you gave up caffeine and 00:25:58.599 --> 00:26:00.559 by day two no one could stand to be around you 00:26:00.559 --> 00:26:03.480 so you picked it up again. I'm not talking about 00:26:03.480 --> 00:26:08.839 anybody here. Maybe 12 people. But what do you 00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:12.660 need to surrender that's your go -to instead 00:26:12.660 --> 00:26:16.299 of Jesus? The pressure reveals our hearts. It 00:26:16.299 --> 00:26:21.150 also reveals God's grace. Because the one rejected 00:26:21.150 --> 00:26:24.170 at Nazareth is the one who welcomes sinners. 00:26:24.670 --> 00:26:27.670 Who will welcome you to the table of the Lord 00:26:27.670 --> 00:26:32.630 next week in communion. Who shows us that the 00:26:32.630 --> 00:26:34.730 road from Nazareth is the road to the cross. 00:26:35.329 --> 00:26:38.329 You see, Nazareth is the first step to Calvary. 00:26:39.130 --> 00:26:42.470 Rejection is going to lead to redemption. Pressure 00:26:42.470 --> 00:26:47.029 is going to lead to salvation. And the question 00:26:47.029 --> 00:26:52.279 today is simple. Will we marvel? This is great. 00:26:53.240 --> 00:26:57.400 Or will we trust? Will we admire Jesus for what 00:26:57.400 --> 00:27:00.059 he does? Man, he's a great guy. He's my homeboy. 00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:04.819 Or will we surrender our life to him? Will we 00:27:04.819 --> 00:27:07.700 cling to our traditions and our heritage and 00:27:07.700 --> 00:27:11.680 our familiarity? Or will we follow him to new 00:27:11.680 --> 00:27:15.029 obedience? Because the same Jesus who walked 00:27:15.029 --> 00:27:17.549 through that angry crowd walks into our sanctuary 00:27:17.549 --> 00:27:21.589 every Sunday. The Holy Spirit hangs low for us 00:27:21.589 --> 00:27:24.849 to receive him. Into our church, into our council 00:27:24.849 --> 00:27:27.529 rooms, into our children's ministries, our youth 00:27:27.529 --> 00:27:30.230 ministries, into hopefully one day small group 00:27:30.230 --> 00:27:33.529 ministries, into families and into hearts. And 00:27:33.529 --> 00:27:36.990 he says, today this scripture is being fulfilled. 00:27:37.329 --> 00:27:46.309 Today grace is offered. Today salvation. My friend, 00:27:46.470 --> 00:27:50.829 you have a choice. Please don't reject that message. 00:27:51.349 --> 00:27:57.650 Trust him even when it's hard. And let's do it 00:27:57.650 --> 00:27:59.549 together. Let's pray.