2010 Jan 24 Sermon and Worship

Bible Readings
Nehmehiah 8:1-10
1 Corinthians 12:12-21
Luke 4:14-21

Sermon: Jesus sets the stage for God's mission for us

Up to now
We have been seeing how Jesus is slowly revealing himself to the world as the Messiah,
The saviour
not just for one group but the entire world

John the Baptist pointed us to Jesus as the One
And as Jesus was baptised….
God said to Him you are my Son with whom I am well pleased
And God’s Spirit descended on him

And last week we saw how Jesus turned water into wine
For the purpose of revealing God’s glory
And that God is about bringing long lasting joy to our lives
Joy that extends into eternity

And today’s Gospel reading continues revealing more about Jesus
And importantly more about how God goes about His mission

Our reading from Luke 4 in verse 14 begins with 3 significant factors
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.

Three significant factors
Galilee: This is Gentile territory….
Very early on His ministry Jesus highlights that He is hear for all people
For both Jews and non Jews
We know from verse 15 he also came to preach to his own people
The Jewish people…
It is important to remember that true Christian mission is neither one group or another …but all
Being in mission means being in mission for those who are part of the church and for those who are not part of the church.
Christian mission involves reaching out to people outside the group and reaching out to people in the group…

Secondly The power of the Spirit….
.It is God’s Spirit that makes mission possible.
God’s Spirit is the essential ingredient for all Christians.
Without God’s Spirit there is no chance of Good News..
No chance of it being spread.
God’s Spirit means being influenced and directed by God…

And thirdly
News of Jesus spread throughout the countryside
People told others about Him….about what he was up to…
and what good he was doing….
And that continues to be the same
God’s plan to helping others experience God is for each one of us to share and reveal the good things about God to others.

What about you?
When was the last time you told people how good Jesus was?
What good you have experienced or heard about Jesus?

There is however something more significant from today’s reading
As Jesus went back to His home town Nazareth
He read the following at synagogue from Isaiah 61 and 58

18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour."

This reading reveals a lot about God
It reveals how Jesus would go about His mission
And also how the mission God has given us should look.
God’s mission is about freeing people from the burden of sin.
And from worshipping gods that promise a lot but deliver nothing.

Unfortunately Western minds distort this passage
Western minds think that if we follow God we have freedom
and we can do whatever we want.
Well that’s not how the scriptures or how God sees freedom.
Freedom from the scriptures is about being free from the negative things that sin brings into our life.

This is not a new problem
When the reformation started to take off in the 1500s,
The reformers faced the same issue
As a result there is available a short publication written by Martin Luther called The Freedom of a Christian
Which goes into details of what free truly means from a biblical perspective..
Some passages that reveals God’s freedom for us include:
1 Corinthians 9:19
19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

Ephesians 3:7
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power

Phillipians 1:27-30
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
In Romans 8 verse 1 and 2 we hear
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, a 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Being free from sin,
means we are free from having to go through the burden of paying for our sins
or having to worry whether our sins will prevent us from a life with God
It means we can be assured that we are loved by God.
It means really knowing that Jesus death on the cross is enough to pay the penalty for any sins you have committed.
And therefore you are free to use your life to help others experience and grow in this freedom


Sin can have terrible effects on people
Over January I got the opportunity to read the biography of Hansie Cronje
After he admitted to accepting money from bookies
For over 4 years His life was a misery
He was ashamed
He didn't know whether God could possibly love him
As a result he closed himself off to the world

Fortunately there were some people in his life that helped him deal with the sin
Helped him focus on what God had done for his sin
And when he understood this he started to return to wanting to relate to others
To wanting to help others
Understand the reality that God forgives sins changed his life.

And this is our mission
When Jesus says in Matthew 28
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in a the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We are being called to do what Jesus was involved in
God is saying to us go and
proclaim good news to the poor.
Go proclaim freedom for the prisoners
Go and help the blind see
Go and set the oppressed free,
Go and proclaim the year of the Lord's favour."
The only difference between us and Jesus
Is that we do this in Jesus name
Using the authority that He has given us
In other words we are to
introduce and help others to grow in a life of God’s freedom
That is what making disciples is about
Now this is not always easy week
It is very rewarding….
but it means us being willing to get involved in difficulties,
to listen to problems
to put in effort when things are not going well
It means giving when disasters like the Haiti earthquake occur
It means volunteering for ministry areas,
because there is a need not just because you feel comfortable or it suits you.

So what does this being freed mean for you and me

First of all I would like you to consider yourself.
What sins are burdening you?
What sins are preventing you from getting on with God’s mission?
Maybe its a love of something that leads you away from God!!!
Maybe its some sins you have committed that your scared others may reveal.
Maybe it sins that have been committed against you?

Lets stop and spend some time in prayer.
(Prayer time asking for the burden of sins to be lifted from us and that we clearly see we are forgiven.)

For some people they may need further help in dealing with their sins.
There maybe consequences, or other worries.
Please talk this other with another Christian or make an appointment to see myself.

Secondly
Who do you know who is burdened?
Who needs God’s Good News.
Maybe it is someone who feels let down by life.
Who thinks there is no future.
Perhaps they haven’t been financially blessed.
Or have made some stupid decisions.
Maybe they struggle with life.
Maybe they struggle with relationships…they don’t want people too close.
Maybe they push people away.

Remember if you know anyone who needs to hear and experiences God’s Good News
they are in your life for a reason

They are there so you can proclaim good news to the poor.
You can proclaim freedom for the prisoners
You can help the blind to see,
You can set the oppressed free,
And proclaim the year of the Lord's favour."

Now it wont necessarily be easy
But aren’t you going to enjoy being with them in heaven.
As a result of them experiencing and receiving God’s Good News of freedom from sin.

And when we get involved in doing God’s mission
Bringing Good News to others
God and His kingdom becomes not some distant reality
Not something that people have to wait to experience

But it begins as verse 21 says….TODAY
Right now!!
Amen