Sermon Central
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Do We Believe?
Contributed by O. K. Neal on Feb 1, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: Have things changed since Jesus’ friends he grew up with tried to kill him?
Do we Believe?
Have you ever gotten mad because a friend made it good?
Have you ever been so jealous you wanted to kill someone that made it good?
Have you made it better than your childhood friends, and they will not speak to you?
Sounds pretty silly doesn’t it?
However, it happens more than most would think
Several weeks ago, we talked, briefly, about the first documented miracle Jesus ever did, the wedding at Cana
Today, we will talk about the first documented preaching Jesus did after his baptism, the sermon at Nazareth
This is not saying this is the first sermon, just as we cannot say that the wedding at Cana WAS the first miracle
Unlike the miracle, the scripture today tells us this is the first “documented” sermon
Vs 14 and 15 talk about his preaching and deeds in Galilee
Then he returned to the place where he was raised and became a carpenter
Nazareth
Unlike the temple, the synagogues were not run by priests
When someone wanted to read they stood up
The leader of the synagogue would hand them the scroll
The reader would read, close the scroll and then sit down to teach
Jesus was a well known local man
He had grown up and worked among them
They had heard about his acts in Galilee
Local boy makes good
He took the scroll and read the Messianic text from Isaiah
He sat down and said things that meant, “I am the Messiah”
Then he told them they were probably wondering why he did miracles in Galilee and not Nazareth
“Luke 4:23 (AMP)
23 So He said to them, "You will doubtless quote to Me this proverb: Physician, heal Yourself! What we have learned by hearsay that You did in Capernaum, do here also in Your [own] town.
“Hey, we put up with you for 28-30 years. Why do for them and not us?”
Then He answered by pointing out that Elijah could have saved Jewish widows, but saved a Gentile widow instead
Elisha, healed Naaman the Syrian of leprosy and no Jews
His friends and neighbor became very angry
Who does this whippersnapper think he is?
Isn’t he Joseph’s son?
Don’t we know his four brothers, James, Joses, Juda and Simon?
And this upstart, says Gentiles are more important than his friends
And, claims to be the Messiah, the Anointed One sent by Jehovah Himself
They decided to murder him
But, Jesus passed through them and left
This was the first documented time that Jesus acknowledged being the Messiah
His friends could not deal with the man with whom they grew up making good
The question is . . . do we do any better today?
The positioning of this story is interesting
At the first pf Chapter Four Satan knew that Jesus was the Messiah
He tried his best to get Jesus to sin
Here, in the second part of the chapter, the people Jesus grew up and spent his whole life among, try to kill him because he told them he was Messiah
The question is . . . are things different today?
You would say to me, “Yes, I believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the very Son of God.”
Do you? Do you really?
When adversity comes into your life, do you think many hours about how to solve the challenge, or do you immediately hit your knees in prayer?
Most would honestly say that prayer is the last resort
The way I used to begin my pray was, “Lord, you are going to have to do this, because I cannot.”
God would always answer, “Good! Get out of my way.”
You say to me, “God helps those that help themselves.”
Show that to me. You cannot. Ben Franklin wrote that in Poor Richard’s Almanac
The Bible is in direct opposition to the very idea
God says, “Trust and obey.”
Yes, God does His work through us, BUT not with us
We do not do the starting
God told Moses, Joshua Saul, David, the twelve, Paul, etc. exactly what to do and how to do it
When they followed, they got things done; when they “helped themselves” they failed
Nothing has changed
Jesus says He is God . . . He is Messiah . . . He is the King of all Kings and Lord of all other Lords
We say, “We know you, but leave us alone.”
We say, like those in Nazareth, “Who do you think you are?”
“You cannot tell me something I do not want to know.”
(How dare you say the Gentiles are worthy of the Gospel)
“How dare you say people of other races are equal to me?”
“How dare you say that someone else will be healed, and not me” (or my mother, father, spouse, etc)
