Monday, April 2, 1739, marked a pivotal day in the history of the world; it was on that day that John Wesley (an Anglican priest) abandoned any reservations he had about preaching outside of a church building. It was on that day (Kingswood, Bristol) that John took to open-air preaching. Wesley’s decision brought him face to face with the common people of England—many of them miners. And this new ministry that was just beginning in his life—soon to be called ‘Methodism’—ignited a revival like England had never seen! Regarding that great day, what scripture do think Wesley chose for this monumental occasion? If you guessed Isaiah 61, you are absolutely right (John wrote about it in his diary for that day)! Wesley had chosen this text with brilliant forethought … because it was the same Scripture with which Jesus introduced his new ministry to the people of Nazareth in his day…
Well, since that day in 1739, history has shown us that John Wesley lived out that text, bringing the gospel to the poor and needy masses of England. The years that followed also show us that Wesley—very much like Jesus in Nazareth—experienced rejection and dishonor, as he first brought God’s message to the people of his day. Now, moving to Jesus’ day…
Folks, IT WAS NOT A NORMAL DAY IN CHURCH! God showed up … in human form! His name was Jesus. Listen now to Luke’s account of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry … what the Gospel truly is, what it demands, and why many reject it—even today… Listen carefully (Luke 4:14-21):
Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”
20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
So, what are we to learn from this scripture lesson today? Well, when God shows up … it’s no longer an ordinary day at church, is it?
EVEN WHEN SALVATION COMES… There is no doubt, in retrospect, that Salvation himself … made an appearance in church that day … in the town of Nazareth! What would we do … if Jesus suddenly showed up in our lives—for real? What difference would it make? And, let’s get real here for a moment: What would we do … if Jesus showed up here … at church? What difference would that make in our lives? Here’s what happened in Nazareth that day—again from verses 17-21…
“The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: 18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” 20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. [Stand to read; sit to teach.] All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
It began as a ‘hometown boy makes good’ kind of a morning at church … but then things changed… When Jesus shows up, folks, we have a choice to make (which is the reality of the Gospel—what the Gospel does); we can either believe in him and why he came … or not! We can either except what we hear from him … or not. EVEN WHEN SALVATION COMES…
…MANY ARE QUICK TO REJECT (or DOUBT)! Verses 22-24 tell us, “Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. [Then things changed…] ‘How can this be?’ they asked. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’ 23 Then he said, ‘You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24 But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.’” Folks, Jesus knew ‘em like a book … didn’t he? Just because he was ‘local’ (or so they thought), they couldn’t believe that God could be intimately connected to this Jesus … of Nazareth! Perhaps they themselves believed the old saying, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” They really couldn’t believe what they were seeing and hearing…
So folks, let me ask this: Why did Jesus come? What was it that the crowd in church that day was so adamant about rejecting? Isaiah 61 tells us clearly—Jesus’ scripture … John Wesley’s scripture … and my scripture TODAY:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor [Matt. 5:3, ‘poor in spirit’]. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted [those who know only pain & have no source of comfort] and to proclaim that captives [of sin] will be released and prisoners [of sin] will be freed. 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come…. – Isaiah 61:1-2a (NLT)
So, what were they so quick to reject or doubt? That Jesus was the one whom God had sent to do all of these things—to preach & teach all of these things…
- Bring GOOD NEWS to the poor…
- Comfort the brokenhearted…
- Proclaim (announce) that NO ONE HAS TO LIVE A LIFE CONSUMED BY SIN ANY LONGER (those things in life that are not of God and draw us away from God)!
Why? Because … ‘the time of the LORD’s favor had come….’ These are the things that Jesus was called to do, by the power of God’s Spirit … and those in his hometown synagogue (church) were rejecting! These are the things that John Wesley was called to do, by the power of God’s Spirit … and many rejected his preaching, too…
Before we finish today, I want you to know something (besides it wasn’t an ordinary day at church!)… Listen once again to what Jesus had to say about how God works in our midst (vv. 25-27):
“Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.”
Here’s the truth I want you to know: When it comes to God’s business, GOD IS THE ONE WHO DOES THE CHOOSING!
During the days of Elijah and Elisha, God didn’t choose to do miracles through Jews (why they were mad at Jesus for this reminder). God chose to do his work through Gentiles—a Sidonian and a Syrian. Where God decided to do his work and how God decided to do his work … was of God’s choosing; it always has been … and always will be…
Those common folk of 18th century England were God’s choice to share the Gospel with. John Wesley was God’s choice to share it through. Read the history of England and you’ll know what happened. Historians ‘in the know’ credit John Wesley for heading off an English Revolution, similar to what France had just experienced…
And, folks, when it comes to God’s business right here … it is God who does the choosing. About 7 years ago now, God put us together! And, that was no coincidence—certainly no mistake. For some reason, God chose the Pegrams to come here… What for? Here’s what God’s called us to do:
- To bring the GOOD NEWS to the poor [in spirit]—those who know they need God in their lives; in other words, if I can be blunt for just a moment … we’ve been called specifically to ‘feed the sheep,’ not to ‘fight with or chase the goats’ (to use a biblical analogy)…
- To comfort the brokenhearted [share with those without HOPE that Jesus can be there HOPE in life]…
- And, to proclaim (preach & teach) that NO ONE HAS TO LIVE A LIFE CONSUMED BY or OPPRESSED BY SIN ANY LONGER!
Jesus came to free us from all that! And because God does the choosing … you didn’t have any choice either! God has chosen YOU—AS HIS BODY—to receive his GOOD NEWS (and he knows us like a book, too). So, the question still remains—just like for those folks at Nazareth that day … what are we going to do with it? I believe, with all my heart, that God is calling us—his Church—to be something we’ve never been before:
- To be a people who shares the GOOD NEWS (Love) of God with the world in special ways; that means ‘reaching out,’ knowing that’s what we’re here for! (That doesn’t mean we’ll pray about it for a few decades or form a committee to look into it, but actually living what we say we believe! My brother Stan just said yesterday at the BMZ Leadership Summit … sometimes we need to get off of our ‘Blessed Assurance’ and just do the right thing!)
- To be a people who loves one another in such a way that the world will look at us and say: ‘Just look at those Christians—how they love one another! We want some of that! That’s the way the whole world should be….’
- To be a people who will serve this world—and every ugly, hateful, irritating, messy person in it—in Jesus’ name, knowing that he’s the true Messiah who has come to save … and can!
So, what would you do if God showed up? What difference would it make in your life? And … what if he has? ‘The time of the Lord’s favor has come’ … for us! What are we going to do with it? It’s always our choice…