Devotion for August 22, 2008

How Do You React to the Gospel?

“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the LORD [is] upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to [the] poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to [the] captives And recovery of sight to [the] blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." Then He closed the book, and gave [it] back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph’s son?" He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’" Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. "But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; "but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, [in the region] of Sidon, to a woman [who was] a widow. "And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.” (Luke 4:14-30 NKJV)

If it had been possible for Jesus’ town folks to throw Him off a cliff, they would have. At first they were glad for the kind words He spoke about healing the brokenhearted, healing the blind, and setting the captive free.

However, once He exposed their prejudices, they were filled with wrath. He knew their hearts were hard. “Physician, heal yourself” they would cry as He hung on the cross. A woman of Sidon and a leper from Syria would receive the Lord’s blessing but not the nation that spurned Him.

Why did they reject Him? They rejected Him because He was not what they wanted in a deliverer. They wanted deliverance from their oppressors, but not from their sin. Pride and lust blinded them to true deliverance.

How do you react to the Gospel? If the Word reveals sin to you, do you seek to throw it off a cliff, or do you yield to the truth and repent? Do not protect the attitude, “I’m OK; don’t bother me; it’s all covered under the blood.” This is the spirit of lawlessness. Therefore, be careful how you react to the Gospel, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The LORD will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:26-31 NKJV)