Read v.14-21

• Every 50 years, according to the law God gave to the nation of Israel, there was a year of forgiveness and freedom
  • every debt was forgiven, every captive released, the poor were given back all the land they once owned
• Jesus said:
  • That ancient law was given to you as a picture of what one day would happen,
  • now it’s happening for real!
  • Then he began to heal and to free people from demons
• They had a choice:
  • believe him—and there was lots of evidence
  • or not accept him
  • to start with they believed him
  • then they said “hang on, this is just Joseph’s son...”
  • What’s special about Jesus?

Read v.22-24

• So how would you answer them if you were Jesus ??
  • Maybe do a miracle, or explain how although he was 100% human he was also God?
  • No! he made no attempt to convince them
  • He just told them a couple of stories which made them so angry they tried to kill him
    • And this was almost his very first sermon!

Read v.25-27

• Elijah was God’s prophet to the nation of Israel
  • They were very proud of him—the greatest of prophets
  • When there was a famine, he did a miracle to supernaturally provide food for a widow

• So what do you think they thought of this?

• People reject Jesus for many reasons
  • These people rejected him because he pointed out two times when God favoured other nations above them
  • These other nations didn’t deserve God, they were wicked
  • What reasons do people have for rejecting him today?

Read v.31-44

• Can someone summarize “the good news of the kingdom of God” for me?

• What is this “Kingdom” ??
• Jesus said that this kingdom had started to come
  • What will it look like when it is here ??

• Imagine an old Chinese woman who came to Canada when she was a girl
  • Never had the opportunity to go back to China until she is very old
  • And then at the last minute she is too sick to travel
  • She says to her son, “take my photo with you, and leave it in the village where I was born”
• If we trust in Jesus, he takes our photo with him
  • When he died, and rose again, he left this age and entered the new age
  • If we trust in him, then we died with him, and our life is now hidden with him in the new age
• This world is not getting any better
  • things are bad
  • society is very corrupt
  • the environment is deteriorating
  • people hurt each other
  • sickness gets you in the end
• Yesterday I watched a documentary about one of America’s most successful ever musicians
  • He died in 2003, at the end of an extraordinary glittering career
  • He made his last song as a goodbye to the world
  • The video showed him as an old man surrounded by wealth
  • There were clips of the highlights of his glittering career
  • And here are the words

• You can see the video and read a very good explanation of these lyrics here:
  • thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/08/20/johnny-cash-hurt/
• That’s what he called his life’s achievements: an empire of dirt
  • Do you have a better plan?

• There is a new age coming
  • Are you trying to build an empire of dirt?
  • or are you struggling in the dust?
  • either way it will soon be gone
  • and the new is so much better
• If you are already trusting Jesus, this is still just as relevant to you
  • We can still live as if this world is what its about
  • But this world is just a pre-amble, just the entrance lobby

• My house has two doors as you go in
  • This life is just the lobby
  • Imagine if you spent all your time in there, telling me how nice it was
• The age to come is the real thing!
  • And Jesus is the doorway!