Series: How Jesus Built His Church

Lu 4:14 ¶ 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 FAVOUR."
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,

Hungry Governor

Christian Herter was running hard for reelection as Governor of Massachusetts, and one
day he arrived late at a barbecue. He’d had no breakfast or lunch, and he was famished.
As he moved down the serving line, he held out his plate and received one piece of
chicken. The governor said to the serving lady, “Excuse me, do you mind if I get another
piece of chicken. I’m very hungry.” “Sorry, I’m supposed to give one piece to each
person,” the woman replied. “But I’m starved,” he repeated, and again she said: “Only
one to a customer.”
Herter was normally a modest man, but he decided this was the time to use the weight of
his office, and said, “Madam, do you know who I am? I am the governor of this state.”
“Do you know who I am?” she answered. “I’m the lady in charge of chicken. Move
along, mister.”

Preaching, March-April, 1986

What is the purpose of your life?

Logic would tell you that everything that has been created was done so with a purpose. I
make a sandwich to eat it, I paint a painting to enjoy it, I write music to play it, I play
music to listen to it.

What if, in our imagining, a musical instrument lost its purpose? Someone who had this
beautiful instrument didn’t know how to play it and put it aside to hold down papers
blown away on the table.

1. Life’s ultimate meaning and purpose for that object will never be reached.
a. Last week, we talked about how everyone is a 10 at something. You are a
10 at the purpose that God created you for.
b. Missing out on being able to perform in that 10 would be missing out on
your meaning for life.
 c. Therefore, the greatest joy of being able to do what you were created will
never be reached.
2. Your contribution to the world will be limited.
a. The musical instrument’s potential to the world is to play beautiful music.
b. At its height, the instrument could inspire millions by doing what it was a
“10” in.
c. Limiting the instrument’s potential not only limits the instrument, but also
steals from the world the contribution it was supposed to make.

God called you to be a son/daughter,

to be a teammate in God’s Church
and to be a witness.

Son/Daughter of God: Rights and abilities as a legal child of God.

Teammate: Commissioned to participate in the fulfillment of God’s plan
Witness: Be an observer, experiencer and sharer of a relationship with Almighty God.

POINT #1

LUKE 4:16 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.

Jesus had to face the “home mentality”, and be willing to deny it.

Even if it is in our own minds, we need to be willing to believe that God has made us
more than what we are.

Nazareth was a small community, probably smaller than Kurtistown. It was made up of
mostly farmers, and simple tradesmen, not world changers or boat rockers.
The world, society, your family will challenge you into the belief that you can’t break the
limitations that others put on you.

Jesus was solid in His identity so that when we were shaky in ours, we could look to
Him. He lines us up right.

MT 6:33 BUT SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE
GIVEN TO YOU AS WELL.

POINT #2

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 FAVOUR."

He let His destiny be controlled by Someone who had the right.

We so often let our destiny be controlled by people who have no right controlling it.

There are people who will tell you who you are, what you should do and what your
values should be who have no intention of handling you in light of your best interests.

We were created to be moldable, impressionable, and changeable people. It’s amazing

how often we emulate personalities, values or missions without the slightest thought of
the qualifications these forces have.

Media has no right to control what we think, yet we subject ourselves to it almost every
night.
We make our lives open for abuse to a world who would make us a tool for its own
purposes.

The world doesn’t love you. It would only die for you if it served their purposes of self-
exaltation.

Media is controlled by the world.

2 Corinthians 4:4 says the god of this world is the devil.

Therefore, you could be a tool of the devil. He doesn’t have the right to control your
destiny either.

Only God has the right to control our destiny.

He knows how to handle it with care. He knows what we need.

He knows that women need someone to listen to them and men need something to
accomplish.

He knows that it isn’t good for us to always get our way.

Jesus put His destiny in the hands of scripture. In other words, He let scripture tell Him
what He was capable of.

POINT #3
LUKE 4:20 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,

Identity becomes reality when you walk in its shoes.

Jesus made the statement for all to see. “This is who I am”
Then He rolled the scroll up, and sat down.

From then on, that’s who He was.

For Jesus, He sat down. For you, maybe it’s that you need to love God and worship. For
others, maybe it means to stop swearing or smoking. For others, you might need to get
serious and talk to God about your problems.

Whatever it means to “become the identity” God made you to be, do it.

We’re all climbing this mountain where we see more and more of what we were meant to
be. Don’t get comfortable, keep changing.

And everyone is in awe. Everyone is in awe because the world is amazed to see people
who are free.