MODEL FOR MINISTRY IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

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LUKE 4:14-44
Lesson #13
MODEL FOR MINISTRY IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

• Memory Verse: 1Cor 2:4
• We have learned that Jesus was directed into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of allowing Satan to tempt him.
  • Jesus, as the Son of Man, was tempted in all points as we are. (Heb 4:15)
  • God permits Satan to tempt us as well. But He gives us the powerful tool of the Word of God to defeat that temptation in the same way that Jesus defeated the enemy.
    • In the same way that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit, we have the guidance of the Holy Spirit available to us.
    • The Holy Spirit is mentioned before the wilderness experience and at the end of that experience. (Luk 4:1,14)
    • Guidance by the Holy Spirit puts the believer in the position of spiritual strength as was Jesus’ experience humanly speaking.
• The remainder of Luke 4 is one day in the life of Jesus.
• Read Luk 4:14-22 The First Rejection
  • Strengthened by and in the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus begins his ministry travelling and preaching in the area of Galilee.
    • As Jesus is the model for the believer, we can see the pattern.
    • The believer that is filled with the Spirit and led by the Spirit will in turn minister in the power of the Spirit. The Spirit equips the believer for ministry to others. (Isa 61:1a)
  • In the synagogue (This event is recorded in the gospels only by Luke.)
    • The Jewish synagogue:
      • The existence and use of what the Jews called a synagogue began during the time of the Babylonian captivity.
      • The temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed and with it the religious system of animal sacrifice by the priesthood, and the people were taken to Babylon as slaves.
      • The synagogue became a place of teaching, of reading the scriptures, and of social events. They did not do animal sacrifice in the synagogue because God said they should do the sacrifice of animals in the temple in Jerusalem.
      • Synagogues were constructed in major cities throughout the nation of Israel.
    • It was a common practice that a guest speaker could get up in the synagogue and read a passage of scripture, then preach and answer questions.
    • The passage that Jesus read was a beautiful prophetic passage from Isaiah. This passage was on the schedule to be read that day. Jesus followed the pre-determined schedule, but He read only part of it.
    • Read Isa 61:1-3
      • The background of this passage:
        • This passage relates to the Old Testament year of Jubilee. (Lev 25:8-14)
        • This 50^th year is when all debts were to be canceled, all slaves were to be freed, all land was to be returned to its original owner.
        • The Jews never really practiced the year of Jubilee. God intended it as a symbol of living in freedom in the kingdom of God.
        • The passage is prophetic because the Messiah, Jesus Christ will fulfill it completely in His Millennial reign of 1000 years.
      • Notice that the Holy Trinity is mentioned in Isa 61:1.
    • In Luk 4 Jesus made the distinction between his first coming and his second coming. How?
      • He made the distinction by the place where He stopped reading.
        • After the phrase “to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord”, Jesus stopped.
        • Jesus’ first coming was to proclaim freedom from sin, freedom from the Law of Moses, freedom from self-works, freedom from all bondage, etc.
      • Notice that He was not interrupted at this point, but that He purposefully stopped reading. In fact, it tells us He was finished when it says He closed the book and sat down.
      • Then He told them that the scripture He had just read was fulfilled that day. What did He mean?
        • He meant that he was the Messiah, the anointed one.
        • The meaning of the word Messiah and the word Christ is = the anointed one. (Isa 61:1)
      • As the Messiah, Jesus came to fulfill the scriptures.
        • He meant that he had come to fulfill the prophecy He had just read and free men from their sins.
        • He was talking about his first coming.

The gospel includes:

…healing, deliverance, spiritual sight and physical sight, and liberty from bondages.

• • • • Why did Jesus stop reading and not complete the reading of verse 2 and 3 of Isaiah 61?
        • Jesus read about His first coming. He did not read about His second coming.

The little comma between the words “Lord” and “and” represent approximately 2,000 years of time.

“…and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;” (Isa 61:2b)

• • • • • Jesus’ actions in Luke 4 show us clearly that he made the distinction between his first coming and his second coming. He understood very well the principle of double fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

The first coming of Christ to earth is the day of the gospel.

The second coming of Christ to earth is the day of vengeance.

• • • • • What must Jesus still fulfill at his second coming?

The day of vengeance. This is the destruction of all non-believers at the Battle of Armageddon. (2The 1:7-10 and Rev 19:11-21)

He must still fulfill His promises of comfort, peace, and joy to all believers in his millennial kingdom for 1000 years. (3)

• • “…This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” (21)
    • When Jesus made this statement, He was telling them that He was the Messiah fulfilling the first part of the passage in His first coming.
    • All Jews that were acquainted with the scriptures knew that this passage was a prophetic passage that related to the Messiah. How do we know this? We know it by their reaction.
• Read Luk 4:23-30 The First Attempt to Kill Jesus in Nazareth
  • The first reaction to Jesus was unbelief.
    • Jesus knew what was in their hearts. They were waiting for Him to do a miracle like those He had already done in Capernaum to prove His claim.
    • In unbelief they depreciated Him by saying this was only Joseph’s son. (22)
      • Unbelief depreciates the capacity to minister to others in power. The Holy Spirit is quenched.
      • Yes, the power and capacity are still there in Him, but those with Him won’t and then can’t receive.
    • He quotes a common proverb that no prophet was accepted in his own home town. (23-24)
  • Jesus gives them two marvelous Old Testament analogies: (25-27)
    • Elijah (1Kin 17-18)
      • A great famine plagued Israel at that time. Elijah, the prophet, did not relieve the hunger of those people because of their unbelief.
      • Instead God led him to the town of Sarepta (Zarephath) , outside of the Promised Land, to a gentile widow. The prophet miraculously fed her.
    • Elisha (2Kin 5)
      • There were many lepers in Israel, but because of unbelief they were not healed.
      • Instead through the prophet Elisha God healed a leper named Naaman. He was a gentile outside the Promised Land.
  • Why were the people in the synagogue with Jesus angry?
    • First He told them He was the promised Messiah who came to heal them and give them liberty.
    • Then He told them that through the prophets God fed and healed two gentiles, choosing people the Jews hated over the Jews.
  • This then represents not just the rejection of Jesus, the Messiah, among the people who knew him from childhood, but also the first attempt to kill Him.
    • They attempt to throw him over a cliff.
    • However, this is not God’s timing or method.
      • Instead this is the enemy, Satan, behind the scene attempting to set aside God’s plan.
      • Therefore, God miraculously protects Him.
• Read Luk 4:31-37 Jesus moves His headquarters from Nazareth to Capernaum.
  • Jesus is again the guest speaker in the synagogue in city of Capernaum on the Sabbath day.
  • Doctrine with power: (32)
    • The people are amazed at His doctrine.
    • The Word goes forth with the power of the Holy Spirit upon Him.
  • Healing with Power: The man with an unclean demon healed on the Sabbath:
    • Demon possession:
      • Demon possession was common at the time of Jesus’ first coming.
      • It is becoming more common today as we draw closer to His second coming.
    • “I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.” (34)
      • Notice that the demons know who Jesus is.
      • Satan and the demons have limited knowledge and limited power.
  • After healing the man of this demon spirit, why did Jesus tell him not to speak when what they said was the truth? (35, 41)
    • God wants no testimony from the devil. (vs. 41 also)
    • The people need to know that God and Satan are enemies on opposite sides spiritually. So as not to confuse the people, Christ forbade the testimony from the devil.
• Read Luk 4:38-44
  • Healing Simon Peter’s mother-in-law (38-39)
    • Dr. Luke tells us that this woman had a “great fever”. That was the medical wording of the day to indicate that this was a very serious disease.
    • This is the only detail about Peter’s personal life apart from his life as Jesus’ disciple that is entered into in the gospels.
    • We do not know anything more about Peter’s wife than this.
  • Healing all that came to Him. (40)
    • This group of multiple healings is mentioned in the gospel of Matthew. (Mat 8:17)
    • In this context Matthew says that Jesus is fulfilling Isa 53:4-5
      • “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
      • These healings then were not accomplished because the people had faith, but to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would have mercy on the people to meet their needs.
      • Isa 53 is the prophecy of the crucifixion. Therefore, we see that when Jesus took our sins on the cross, He also took our sicknesses and bondages.(1Pet 2:24)
• Application:
  • Because Luke presents Jesus to us as the Son of Man, our perfect model, we can see that Jesus accomplished this part of His ministry of healing and deliverance not because He was God in the flesh, but because he was anointed, led, and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
  • This is why He could say in Joh 14:12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

Homework
Luke 5:1-26

• Application of Luk 4:14-44
  • As a believer in Jesus Christ, you have the same Holy Spirit in you that Jesus had.
  • What is it in your life that prevents you from ministering to the needs of people around you?
    • Sin
    • Unbelief
    • Absorbed with yourself
    • Lack of commitment
    • Lack of obedience
    • Lack of faith
    • Other
  • Pray and ask the Lord to help you be a bolder witness for Him.
• Preparation for Luk5
  • Read Luk 5:1-26
    • Why did Jesus say to the man that his sins were forgiven when he came for a physical healing?
    • (Advanced question) How does the healing of the man with leprosy relate to the healing of the paralytic man?
• Memory Verse: 1Cor 7:22