"The Role of the Promised Messiah"

"Luke 4:14-21"

"Good afternoon, everyone. How are you? The perfect Michigan fall weather is going on. I had a chance to check the sleeping tent for Maria's camping trip with her friends yesterday. It is a really good time to enjoy the outdoor scenery. I have a plan for our church retreat before fall is gone. We can also invite Calvin students too. Please pray for the best day and location so that most of our church members can join the retreat and enjoy the fall scenery."

"We continuously study the gospel series.

We studied why we should preach the gospel based on Romans 10:14-17 last Lord's Day. Those who preach the gospel are represented as 'how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel,' because salvation comes from hearing the words of Jesus through our humble sharing of the gospel."

"Today's passage: we are going to study Luke 4:16-21, quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2. Every Jew knows that Isaiah 61:1-2 describes the role of the promised Messiah. However, after Jesus read Isaiah 61:1-2 and declared, 'Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing' in verse 21, they were furious. They rejected him as the promised Messiah. The meaning of verse 21 is that it tells us, 'I am the promised Messiah the Old Testament had promised.' As we study it, let's explore why he came to this world."

Part one - "The Spirit of the Lord is on me."

After Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights, He went into the desert filled with the Holy Spirit. Afterward, He returned to Galilee, specifically to Nazareth, His hometown, and went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was His custom. He stood up, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. He unrolled it and began to read Isaiah 61:1-2.

What does Isaiah 61 start with? Look at verse 18! "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me." What does it teach us?

Firstly, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me" describes the qualification for the work of the promised Messiah. Messiah means "anointed one"; Kings, prophets, or priests were anointed in the Old Testament. In the time of the Old Testament, only select individuals were anointed by the Spirit of the Lord, although all believers are anointed by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament.

When David was anointed by the prophet Samuel, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him (1 Samuel 16:12b-13). The Lord said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he." Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst o

f his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.”

When John the Baptist introduced Jesus, he said, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16, 17).

Jesus is the King of Kings, the high priest, and the prophet. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit and led by the Holy Spirit to accomplish His messianic ministry. When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist before starting His messianic ministry, Luke 3:22 describes it, "the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased'" (Luke 3:22).

Likewise, being baptized by the Spirit of the Lord is also essential for God's servants to fulfill God's mission. That's why the risen Jesus commanded His disciples not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father. "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:5). He also told them, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

God's work is the work of the Holy Spirit. No one can save even one soul by their own power or authority. Salvation is the work of

the Holy Spirit. Without the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, no one can serve God. This is the qualification to be a servant of God.

Secondly, "To proclaim good news to the poor."

Preaching good news is one of the main commissions in Jesus' messianic ministry. The reason He came to this earth was to accomplish the good news of the gospel. Wherever He went, He preached about the kingdom of God. Only the good news of the gospel can address the issues of sin and death, which are fundamental concerns for human beings. If you enter into the hearts of every human being with just one step, you will realize that they are suffering from worry, anxiety, fear, and so on. Fundamentally, they have lost the kingdom of God. They have broken their relationship with God. They are like orphans who have lost their parents. They are like branches broken off from the main vine. They are dying. It is the Scripture diagnoses of our current spiritual state. However, people often don't realize it or intentionally ignore it due to spiritual blindness. They desperately need the good news of the gospel.

The author especially mentions to whom He preached: the poor, which signifies spiritual poverty. Jesus mentioned this at the beginning of His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew 5:3: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This represents one of the most important principles for r

eceiving the grace of God. It signifies extreme poverty, a destitute state, and spiritual bankruptcy where one realizes their total inability in the face of the power of sin and death. It accurately describes fallen humanity.

When we realize that we are completely helpless and powerless in the face of the power of darkness, we desperately seek God's help. Those who earnestly seek Him will be found by Him. God is actively working for those who earnestly seek Him. It doesn't matter whether you are a missionary, a pastor, or an elder; God sees the attitude of our hearts.

A great example can be found in Luke 18:9-14, where one individual is a Pharisee, confident in their own righteousness and looking down on others, and the other is a tax collector who considers themselves entirely undeserving of God's mercy.

10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

However, the tax collector's prayer was entirely different. 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

How does Jesus speak about them? 14 "I tell you that this tax collector, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

Those who have a humble spirit will acknowledge how inadequate they are before God's righteousness and earnestly seek Christ. Without acknowledging our spiritual inadequacy, we will not recognize the need for repentance, forgiveness of sins, and Christ Himself.

Part two - "He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives."

Thirdly, to proclaim liberty to the captives.

Our social system is heavily influenced by materialism, and nobody is exempt from these systems because we live in this society and depend on money, which is a necessity. That's why many people are constantly struggling to earn more and more money. Nobody is entirely free from the influence of money; that's a fact.

However, if we come to realize that God is the true sovereign ruler of this world, including even money, we can free ourselves from being enslaved

by materialism. Even though Jesus has control over material things, His focus is not on material wealth but on God's will. One of Satan's cunning traps in our society is making us captives to the pursuit of material wealth and how we should live. This is evident in Jesus' first temptation, which involved bread, after He fasted for 40 days and nights (Matthew 4:3).

"If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread," Satan tempted Him. Jesus, being the Son of God, could have turned stones into bread to satisfy His hunger. However, this was a cunning temptation from Satan, urging Jesus to use His divine power for His own immediate, starting with food needs at his first priority because He was severely hungry. Jesus did not fall for Satan's deceitful tactics and responded by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3:

"But he answered, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

God had trained the Israelites for 40 years in the desert, where they had to rely completely on God. There was no food, water, clothing, or shelter. Whenever they focused on their immediate needs or circumstances instead of God, they fell into fear and rebellion. However, when they focused on God and followed His word, God took care of them and provided for more than 600,000 people for 40 years.

People often say, "If I were in better circumstances, I would believe in Jesus and follow Him. If I could solve my immediate problems, I would follow Him." If you have this mindset, you may never truly trust or follow Jesus in your entire life. This is a daily and powerful temptation. Satan continually reminds us to focus on our current situation and acknowledge it.

When we fixate on our immediate concerns rather than on God, these worries, fears, and anxieties can enslave us. However, when we first look to God and focus on His words, we can follow Him in faith. By doing so, Jesus leads us on the best path, even though we may not fully comprehend each step. The Holy Spirit guides us along this path through His living words. True freedom comes when we obey His guidance in any situation. This is why Matthew 6:33 promises us, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

When I began my journey of faith, it was challenging as the eldest son in the Kim family. I felt the responsibility to care for my family, and they looked up to me with hope. It was stressful, but I trusted Matthew 6:33 and made pursuing Jesus my top priority. Despite facing persecution and misunderstandings, God took care of my family even more than I did, and my parents, brother, and sister all became Christians.

We know that Jesus is our Savior and Lord, and He transcends the concerns of this world. If we acknowledge this and trust in Him, we can follow His guidance as our Lord. This is the path to victory over Satan's traps. As one pastor put it, "When we obey Jesus' guidance, five minutes of obedience can solve a problem we've struggled with for five years." This is the way to true freedom from the captivity of worry, fear, and anxiety.

Fourthly, "Recovery of sight for the blind."

All human beings are spiritually blind as a result o

f Adam's sin. Sin blinds us spiritually, causing us to cover our spiritual eyes and become filled with vanity and pride. One typical explanation of this condition can be found in Romans 1:21-23:

"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things."

If God loves them, He disciplines them in their practical lives to return to Him. If they do not understand why God disciplines them repeatedly, they may become stubborn and rebellious. The most dangerous consequence is that God may allow them to follow their own sinful ways for a time. Romans 1:24 tells us, "God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity or to vanity or to greed or to pride."

Why do people behave this way? Because they are spiritually blind. The fundamental reason they do not understand is due to their spiritual blindness. They have become slaves to the power of darkness, and no one can be free that situation without God's intervention. This is why Jesus came into the world, to proclaim the recovery of sight for the blind.

When I speak with college students, 80% of them often say, "I've lived a pretty good life. I haven't committed serious sins, and I don't think I'm destined for eternal punishment." This is a common mindset among those who are spiritually blind. Even the Apostle Paul, who had diligently followed God's law, once considered himself righteous and pursued the followers of Jesus as a sect to be eliminated from the earth. However, after he enco

untered the risen Christ, his spiritual blindness was removed, and he realized that Jesus is the promised Messiah. As he grew to know Christ more deeply, he recognized himself as the worst of sinners, confessing that "there is no good in me."

The point I want to emphasize is not to focus solely on your sins, but rather to recognize that only Jesus can help us see our true spiritual state and open our spiritually blind eyes when the Holy Spirit illuminates us.

Fifthly, "to proclaim freedom for the prisoners."

What is the desperate hope for prisoners? It is freedom from captivity. Those who do not know Christ are described as slaves to sin or slaves to Satan. Scripture often explains our spiritual condition in figurative terms. Think about the Israelites who were held captive by the king, Pharaoh! Even though they desperately desired to escape from captivity, they lacked the power and strength to do so. They needed someone more powerful than Pharaoh to deliver them. That's why God sent Moses to free them through ten plagues. When they were finally liberated from Pharaoh's grasp, they had to sacrifice a lamb and apply its blood to the doorposts during the tenth plague. This act of faith ensured that God's judgment would pass over them, and they could be set free from Pharaoh's oppression.

Sin demands a price, and that price is life because the wages of sin is death. We should die for our own sins or for the sins inherited from our ancestor. However, Jesus became the Lamb of God. Although He was completely without sin, He willingly died as our substitute on the dreadful Cross and rose from the dead. Through His death and resurrection, He opened a wide path to freedom from sin. Anyone who believes in Him can be liberated from the captivity of sin and death. This is the essence of the gospel.

Romans 6:6-7 explains it further: "6 We know that our old se

lf was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin." Through Jesus, we are no longer slaves to sin because He has set us free from the bondage of sin.

Sixthly, "to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,"

It is represented as the "year of Jubilee" in Leviticus 25:8-22.

The term "Jubilee" comes from the Hebrew word for "the blast of a horn". It is defined in Leviticus 25:9-10 as a sabbatical year that occurs after seven cycles of seven years, making it the 49th year, followed by the 50th year. During the Year of Jubilee, whi

ch was a time of celebration, universal redemption took place.

The Year of Jubilee entailed the release from indebtedness, as described in Leviticus 25:23-38, and freedom from various forms of bondage, as detailed in Leviticus 25:39-55. All prisoners and captives were set free, all slaves were released, all debts were forgiven, and all property was returned to its original owners. Moreover, all labor was to cease for one year, and those bound by labor contracts were released from them. One of the significant aspects of the Jubilee was that both the land and the people were allowed to rest.

The Jubilee paints a beautiful picture of New Testament themes of redemption and forgiveness. Jesus is the Redeemer who came to liberate those enslaved and imprisoned by sin (Romans 8:2; Galatians 5:1; 3:22). The debt of sin we owe to God was fully paid on the cross as Jesus died on our behalf (Colossians 2:13-14), and we are forgiven this debt forever. We are no longer in bondage to sin, having been set free by Christ. We can truly enter the rest God provides as we cease laboring to make ourselves acceptable to God through our own works (Hebrews 4:9-10).

In conclusion, we have explored why Jesus came into this world. He came to liberate us from the bondage of sin and from Satan's grip forever. He came to grant us an eternal Jubilee. Jesus' mission was to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and He invites us all to partake in this jubilant freedom from sin and its consequences. So, why not accept Him as your Savior and Lord? Why not share this astonishingly good news with others?