TITLE: The Delivery Man TOPIC: The Easy Burden of Freedom TEXT: Luke 4:14-30 THEME: Following Christ is the only path to true freedom. The video you just saw illustrates a key problem. The unwillingness or inability of people to see their incompleteness. Why should you look to Christ as the true path to freedom? I. Jesus was divinely anointed to proclaim freedom to the oppressed (14-19) Luke 4: Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. Luke 4: He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: Luke 4: 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 Lords favor. I. Jesus was divinely anointed to proclaim freedom to the oppressed (14-19) A. Jesus identifies Himself I. Jesus was divinely anointed to proclaim freedom to the oppressed (14-19) A. Jesus identifies Himself He is divinely anointed by God I. Jesus was divinely anointed to proclaim freedom to the oppressed (14-19) A. Jesus identifies Himself He is divinely anointed by God The Hebrew word anointed one is Messiah and the Greek word is Christ. Jesus is clearly claiming to be the Messiah. I. Jesus was divinely anointed to proclaim freedom to the oppressed (14-19) A.Jesus identifies Himself B.He validates His anointment through His miracles I. Jesus was divinely anointed to proclaim freedom to the oppressed (14-19) A. Jesus identifies Himself B. Jesus identifies His mission His mission is to proclaim deliverance B. Jesus identifies His mission His mission is to proclaim deliverance His mission is to provide deliverance. His mission is to provide deliverance He provides release for captives- the physically and spiritually oppressed and restrained His mission is to provide deliverance He provides release for captives- the physically and spiritually oppressed and restrained He speaks of a war captive- not one imprisoned for a crime. Luke 7:18-23 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else? 21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. Luke 7: So he replied to the messengers, Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 23 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me. TV helps illustrate the meaning of Freedom as the Absence of Restraint. Regarding alcohol and drug abuse you can see Intervention, or Dr Drews Celebrity Rehab. TV helps illustrate the meaning of Freedom as the Absence of Restraint. Regarding alcohol and drug abuse you can see Intervention, or Dr Drews Celebrity Rehab. We find on TV the show Hoarders where people have become grossly obsessed with the collection and hoarding of things. TV helps illustrate the meaning of Freedom as the Absence of Restraint. Regarding alcohol and drug abuse you can see Intervention, or Dr Drews Celebrity Rehab. We find on TV the show Hoarders where people have become grossly obsessed with the collection and hoarding of things. We see COPs where people steal, murder, fight, etc. in their quest to get what they think is needed for their happiness. Why should you look to Christ as the true path to freedom? II. God alone determines the time and means of our deliverance. (20-27 ) Luke 4: 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 He began by saying to them, Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. Isnt this Josephs son? they asked Luke 4: Jesus said to them, Surely you will quote this proverb to me: Physician, heal yourself! And you will tell me, Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum. 24 Truly I tell you, he continued, no prophet is accepted in his hometown. Luke 4: I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijahs time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansedonly Naaman the Syrian. II.God alone determines the time and means of our deliverance. (20-27) A. All but the Nazarenes who knew him welcomed his claims. All but the Nazarenes who knew him welcomed his claims. Jesus could read their thoughts. He knew that they were sceptical. All but the Nazarenes who knew him welcomed his claims. Jesus could read their thoughts. He knew that they were sceptical It was they, not Jesus, who needed correction. All but the Nazarenes who knew him welcomed his claims. Jesus could read their thoughts. He knew that they were sceptical It was they, not Jesus, who needed correction. Simply repeating the same things done in Capernaum would not advance His case any further. All but the Nazarenes who knew him welcomed his claims. Jesus could read their thoughts. He knew that they were sceptical It was they, not Jesus, who needed correction. Simply repeating the same things done in Capernaum would not advance His case any further. There real reason for failing to accept the evidence was, A prophet is not accepted by his own town. I.God alone determines the time and means of our deliverance. (20- 27) A.All but the Nazarenes who knew him welcomed his claims. B.Jesus cites Elijah to show God is indebted to one. I.God alone determines the time and means of our deliverance. (20- 27) A.All but the Nazarenes who knew him welcomed his claims. B.Jesus cites Elijah to show God is indebted to one. He administers his deliverance on His terms. Two examples from the OT The Widow of Zarephath ( I Ki. 17:8-16). Two examples from the OT The Widow of Zarephath ( I Ki. 17:8-16). The Story of Naaman (2 Ki. 5:9-14) I.God alone determines the time and means of our deliverance. (20- 27) A. All but the Nazarenes who knew him welcomed his claims. B. Jesus cites Elijah to show God is indebted to one. He administers his deliverance on His terms. God administers his deliverance one at a time. How many times in life have we not seen the need for something that we now consider indispensible? Why should you look to Christ as the true path to freedom? III. God confirms the anointing of Jesus. (28-30) Luke 4: All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way III. God confirms the anointing of Jesus. (28-30) A. As predicted His own people reject Him. III. God confirms the anointing of Jesus. (28-30) A. As predicted His own people reject Him. B. Gods sovereignty is evident in his miraculous escape. Luke 14:27-31 27 He answered, Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment. 29 Abraham replied, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them Luke 14: No, father Abraham, he said, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent. 31 He said to him, If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead. APPLICATION Jesus wants you deliver you and set you free from your spiritual oppression- that is the easy burden He wants to offer you. APPLICATION God requires that before He will offer you his deliverance is that we recognize the urgency of our need and that Jesus is the only one who can meet it. APPLICATION Put aside pride and ignorance that keep you from seeing your greatest need. Nicky Gumbel on Tolstoy He searched for the answer in every field of science and philosophy. As he looked around at his contemporaries, he saw that people were not facing up to the first-order questions of life ("Where did I come from?" "Where am I going?" "Who am I?" "What is life all about?"). Eventually he found that the peasant people of Russia had been able to answer these questions through their Christian faith, and he came to realize that only in Jesus Christ do we find the answers. A hundred years later, nothing has changed.