“WHO IS JESUS?”

“WHO IS GOD’S CHURCH FOR?”

THE VISION OF ISAIAH THE SON OF AMOZ, WHICH HE SAW CONCERNING JUDAH AND JERUSALEM IN THE DAYS OF UZZIAH, JOTHAM,AHAZ, AND HEZEKIAH, KINGS OF JUDAH.HEAR, O HEAVENS, AND GIVE EAR, O EARTH; FOR THE LORD HAS SPOKEN: CHILDRENHAVE I REARED AND BROUGHT UP, BUTTHEY HAVE REBELLED AGAINST ME.

ISAIAH 1:1-2

“WHO IS ‘ME’?”

IN OUR TIME OF NEED, WE NEED TO KNOWWHERE TO LOOK. OTHERWISE, WE WILL

LOOK IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES.

14 AND JESUS RETURNED IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT TO GALILEE, AND A REPORT ABOUT HIM WENT OUT THROUGH ALL THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY. 15 AND HE TAUGHT IN THEIR SYNAGOGUES, BEING GLORIFIED BY ALL.16 AND HE CAME TO NAZARETH, WHEREHE HAD BEEN BROUGHT UP.

LUKE 4:14-21

AND AS WAS HIS CUSTOM, HE WENT TO THE SYNAGOGUE ON THE SABBATH DAY, AND HE STOOD UP TO READ. 17 AND THE SCROLL OFTHE PROPHET ISAIAH WAS GIVEN TO HIM.HE UNROLLED THE SCROLL AND FOUNDTHE PLACE WHERE IT WAS WRITTEN18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME.”

LUKE 4:14-21

18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PROCLAIM GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT METO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES ANDRECOVERING OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SETAT LIBERTY THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, 19 TO PROCLAIM THE YEAR OF THE LORD'S FAVOR.”

LUKE 4:14-21

20 AND HE ROLLED UP THE SCROLL AND GAVEIT BACK TO THE ATTENDANT AND SAT DOWN. AND THE EYES OF ALL IN THE SYNAGOGUE WERE FIXED ON HIM. 21 AND HE BEGAN TOSAY TO THEM, “TODAY THIS SCRIPTUREHAS BEEN FULFILLED IN YOUR HEARING.”

LUKE 4:14-21

“THIS IS ME.”

JESUS ISN’T WAITING FOR THE FUTURE YOU,HE WANTS THE PRESENT YOU.

MEET JESUS: GOD’S ANOINTED

22 AND ALL SPOKE WELL OF HIM AND MARVELED AT THE GRACIOUS WORDS THAT WERE COMING FROM HIS MOUTH. AND THEY SAID, “IS NOT THISJOSEPH'S SON?” 23 AND HE SAID TO THEM,“DOUBTLESS YOU WILL QUOTE TO ME THIS PROVERB, ‘“PHYSICIAN, HEAL YOURSELF.”WHAT WE HAVE HEARD YOU DID AT CAPERNAUM,DO HERE IN YOUR HOMETOWN AS WELL.’”

LUKE 4:22-27

24 AND HE SAID, “TRULY, I SAY TO YOU,NO PROPHET IS ACCEPTABLE IN HIS HOMETOWN. 25 BUT IN TRUTH, I TELL YOU, THERE WERE MANY WIDOWS IN ISRAEL IN THE DAYS OF ELIJAH, WHEN THE HEAVENS WERE SHUT UP THREE YEARS AND SIX MONTHS, AND A GREAT FAMINE CAME OVER ALL THE LAND.”

LUKE 4:22-27

26 AND ELIJAH WAS SENT TO NONE OF THEMBUT ONLY TO ZAREPHATH, IN THE LAND OF SIDON, TO A WOMAN WHO WAS A WIDOW.27 AND THERE WERE MANY LEPERS IN ISRAELIN THE TIME OF THE PROPHET ELISHA, AND NONE OF THEM WAS CLEANSED, BUT ONLY NAAMAN THE SYRIAN.”

LUKE 4:22-27

“WHO IS JESUS FOR?”

28 WHEN THEY HEARD THESE THINGS, ALL IN THE SYNAGOGUE WERE FILLED WITH WRATH.29 AND THEY ROSE UP AND DROVE HIM OUT OF THE TOWN AND BROUGHT HIM TO THE BROWOF THE HILL ON WHICH THEIR TOWN WASBUILT, SO THAT THEY COULD THROW HIMDOWN THE CLIFF. 30 BUT PASSING THROUGH THEIR MIDST, HE WENT AWAY.”

LUKE 4:28-30

“JESUS IS FOR ME.”

GOD IS NOT PLEASED WITH YOURPERFORMANCE. HE IS PLEASED WITH

JESUS’ PERFORMANCE ON YOUR BEHALF.

GOD ISN’T WAITING ON THEBEST VERSION OF YOU, JESUS DIEDFOR THE WORST VERSION OF YOU.

JESUS IS FOR YOU…BUT NOT JUST FOR YOU

“HOW COULD GOD EVER FORGIVE __________?”

IT CAN BE INFURIATING WHEN IT TURNS OUTTHAT JESUS ISN’T WHO YOU THOUGHT

HE WAS AND DOESN’T DO WHATYOU THOUGHT HE WOULD DO.

JESUS SAYS “I AM FOR…”

THE POOR…IN SPIRIT THE BROKEN-HEARTED…DEPRESSED,

STRUGGLING, CRUSHED THE CAPTIVE…TO THE LAW THE PRISONER…SPIRITUALLY BLIND

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN JESUSSTEPS INTO OUR REALITY?

3 TO GRANT TO THOSE WHO MOURN IN ZION TO GIVE THEM A BEAUTIFUL HEADDRESS INSTEAD OF ASHES, THE OIL OF GLADNESS INSTEAD OF MOURNING, THE GARMENT OF PRAISE INSTEAD OF A FAINT SPIRIT; THAT THEY MAY BE CALLED OAKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, THE PLANTING OF THE LORD, THAT HE MAY BE GLORIFIED.

ISAIAH 61:3-7

4 THEY SHALL BUILD UP THE ANCIENTRUINS; THEY SHALL RAISE UP THE FORMER DEVASTATIONS; THEY SHALL REPAIR THERUINED CITIES, THE DEVASTATIONS OF MANY GENERATIONS. 5 STRANGERS SHALL STAND AND TEND YOUR FLOCKS; FOREIGNERS SHALL BE YOUR PLOWMEN AND VINEDRESSERS.

ISAIAH 61:3-7

6 BUT YOU SHALL BE CALLED THE PRIESTS OF THE LORD; THEY SHALL SPEAK OF YOU AS THE MINISTERS OF OUR GOD; YOU SHALL EAT THE WEALTH OF THE NATIONS, AND IN THEIR GLORY YOU SHALL BOAST.

ISAIAH 61:3-7

7 INSTEAD OF YOUR SHAME THERE SHALL BEA DOUBLE PORTION; INSTEAD OF DISHONOR THEY SHALL REJOICE IN THEIR LOT; THEREFORE IN THEIR LAND THEY SHALL POSSESS A DOUBLE PORTION; THEY SHALL HAVE EVERLASTING JOY.

ISAIAH 61:3-7

THERE IS NO CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCE,BUT RATHER AN INTERNAL

TRANSFORMATION OF THE PERSON.

YOU CANNOT ENCOUNTER CHRISTAND REMAIN THE SAME.

“THE YEAR OF THE LORD’S FAVOR.”

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US INTHIS ROOM THAT ARE CHRISTIANS?

GOD SAYS “THIS IS MY MISSION FOR YOU”…

GOD SAYS, “THIS IS MY MISSION FOR YOU”…TO GLORIFY THE LORD AND DISPLAY HIS GLORY

GOD SAYS, “THIS IS MY MISSION FOR YOU”…TO REBUILD AND RESTORE

GOD SAYS, “THIS IS MY MISSION FOR YOU”…TO BE PRIESTS FOR THE LORD

AND MINISTERS OF GOD.

“THE CHURCH EXISTS FOR NOTHING ELSE BUT TO DRAW MEN INTO CHRIST, TO MAKE THEM LITTLE CHRISTS. IF THEY ARE NOT DOING THAT, ALL THE CATHEDRALS, CLERGY, MISSIONS, SERMONS, EVEN THE BIBLE ITSELF, ARE SIMPLY A WASTE OF TIME.”

C.S. LEWIS

WHO ARE WE FOR?

THE POOR THE BROKEN-HEARTED THE CAPTIVE THOSE IN DARKNESS THE MOURNING THOSE IN RUINS & DEVASTATION

ACTS 11 ~ A BEAUTIFUL PICTUREOF CHRIST’S CHURCH.

WHAT IF THAT WAS OUR CHURCH TODAY?