July 4, 2004

Rev. Jeff French

“Jesus Came for Freedom”
Luke 4:16-30

Considering the Scripture:
Read Luke 4:16-30. This passage is early in Jesus’ ministry where he explains his purpose. What did Jesus want to free people from according to verses 18-19? Have you experienced any of these freedoms because of your walk with God? Where do currently need Jesus to free you?

Jesus’ words in verses 18-19 are from Isaiah 61. Read Isaiah 61 and notice how Jesus fulfills this chapter. Look back to Luke 4 and notice the following four freedoms Jesus brings. Notice the dual-level of meaning for each, both a literal and spiritual. How could God provide a break through in each area for you or a friend?

Poverty – looking in from the outside:

Imprisonment – locked down from life choices:

Blindness – unable to see God’s viewpoint:

Oppression – broken by circumstance:

Now look more closely at verses 21-30. Why did the people get angry with Jesus? What did the two stories Jesus told have to do with them receiving the freedoms Jesus came to give? What things have kept God’s freedom from your life? What do you need to do to be freed?

Message Outline:
I. The freedom Jesus provides
   A. From poverty

   B. From imprisonment

   C. From blindness

   D. From suffering

II. What blocks us from freedom

Action points:
 - Identify where you need freedom
 - Recognize your attempts at self-reliance
 - Seek God’s provision for freedom

Quotes to Consider:
“ We have not advanced very far in our spiritual lives if we have not encountered the basic paradox of freedom, to the effect that we are most free when we are bound.”
- author Elton Trueblood in The New Man for Our Time

“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”
- German poet and dramatist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

"Freedom is only part of the story and half the truth.…That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast."
- author Viktor Frankl in Man's Search for Meaning

“Saving grace makes a man as willing to leave his lusts as a slave is willing to leave his galley, or a prisoner his dungeon, or a thief his bolts, or a beggar his rags.”
- author Thomas Brooks

“May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may wish for justice, freedom, and peace. May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.”
- Franciscan blessing