The Chains they Revere | Sunday, March 21, 2021

And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read... "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor... to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."... "Today the Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."... And when they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town... so that they could throw him down the cliff. And passing through their midst, he went away. (Luke 4:16-30)

How sin chains us, why Jesus came to set us free, and what that means for a culture that demands repentance but offers no forgiveness.

A Dress Rehearsal for the Passion

Luke chapter 4 has been dubbed a dress rehearsal for the Passion. In just a couple weeks we'll celebrate Easter Sunday, leading up to it with Palm Sunday. This passage sets the stage for why Jesus came and what He came to deal with: sin. Today we'll look at the effects of sin in our lives, the ultimate solution to sin, and finally how to view through a biblical worldview lens the cancel culture and age of outrage we live in. How are we as Christians supposed to respond?

This passage happens right after Jesus had begun His ministry and performed miracles in Capernaum—the miracles the crowd refers to. It also follows His forty days in the wilderness, tempted by Satan himself.

A Real Enemy and a Whispering Voice

In our culture today many of us don't really live as if there is a sentient being out to do the human race harm—to trip us up and make us stumble. Satan has done a very good job, especially in America, of making us feel as though he doesn't exist. Yet Luke 4 makes clear he is very real, and he actually tempted Jesus.

The more we fellowship with God—coming to know His love, grace, and forgiveness—the more there comes a reaction, a little whisper in the ear. It says: You did some terrible and awful things; you are a terrible person. But not only you—that guy over there, that gal down the street, they're even worse. So just point your finger at their sin and you'll feel a little better. It takes the attention off your own sin so you never have to seek the forgiveness and grace of God.

The Chains We Polish

Sin binds us. It chains us down, and nobody likes being chained down. So what do we do? We look at our chains and decide they don't look so great—so we spend time polishing them, making them shinier. It took me quite a while just to shine one end of a chain, and I think there's spiritual significance in that. It takes time to justify your sin.

The more we polish our chains and make them pretty, the easier it is to say, "My chains really aren't that bad, but that person's chains over there look rusty and nasty—they're way worse than mine, bigger than mine, shaped differently." But the reality is we are all wearing chains, sins that hold us down and separate us from God. Satan, the father of lies, drives us to point at someone else.

The Voice That Frees and the Voice That Enslaves

When we don't do what God intends, as found in this instruction manual He's given us called the Bible, it's like assembling furniture without reading the directions. But in life far more is at stake than one screw in the wrong place. When we mess up, it separates us from God and condemns us. Jesus came specifically to address this.

There are two voices in our head, and you can tell the difference. One is holy and righteous and loves you; the other doesn't love you but wants to sound like it does. The first voice leads you to give up your judgments, give up yourself, give up your own desires—but it makes you free. The other voice, the voice of the devil, tells you that you're going to have power, but then leaves you in chains.

In Luke 4:6 Satan tempted Jesus, saying, "I will give you the glory of all these kingdoms." The Greek word can be translated glory, authority, or power. Satan knew Jesus came to reclaim the kingdoms of this world and put them under the kingdom of God, where they could be free from sin and reconciled to God. Revelation gives us a glorious picture of every race, ethnicity, and language worshiping God in their native tongue. Satan offered Jesus a way to win those kingdoms without going to the cross.

Satan is called the ruler of this world (John 12) and the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). He was given this position by election—we, in Adam and Eve, elected him when we chose to sin. The promise was, "Eat this fruit and you'll have understanding like God." It sounded good, but it left us all in chains. As 1 John 3 says, "When people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil... but the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil."

Isaiah 61 Fulfilled

Jesus came into Nazareth as was His custom, entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and the attendant handed Him the scroll of Isaiah. He unrolled it to Isaiah 61 and read it aloud—which was usual. What was unusual was what He said next: "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." He taught with authority. Most teachers would read this prophecy and say it would one day be fulfilled in the Messiah. Jesus said it was fulfilled in Himself.

Sin impoverishes. Jesus came "to proclaim good news to the poor." James 2:5 says God has chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom.

Sin breaks hearts. Jesus came to bind up the brokenhearted. Psalm 34:18 says the Lord is near to the brokenhearted; Psalm 147:3 says He heals them and binds up their wounds. In Matthew 11:28-30 He says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest... my yoke is easy and my burden is light." And the good news is that in Revelation 21 He promises to wipe away every tear; death, mourning, and crying will be no more. That's why, no matter how bleak today looks, we can have an optimistic view of the future—we know how this all ends.

Captives, the Blind, and the Oppressed

Sin binds us in chains. Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captives—and He wouldn't proclaim liberty if there were no captives. He's speaking spiritually, not running a jail ministry. John 8:34 says everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. Isaiah 5:18 pronounces woe on those "who draw sins as with cart ropes"—people literally chained to a cart of sins they drag behind them. For those who don't know Jesus, and even believers who have backslidden, that weight becomes a real spiritual oppression you can feel.

Sin blinds us. Jesus came to give recovery of sight to the blind, healing spiritual and moral blindness. In John 9:39 He says, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." He means the Pharisees and scribes who thought they had it right because their rituals were right. In Acts 26, Paul recounts his conversion before the rulers in Rome, telling how Jesus sent him to the Gentiles "to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins." Jesus sent Paul to take people from the clutches of the devil and make them sons of God.

Sin oppresses us, and Jesus brings freedom. There's a line in A Christmas Carol where Marley's ghost, covered in chains, says, "I wear the chain I forged in life. I made it link by link and yard by yard. I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it." That's exactly what we do every time we sin—we make these links bigger. We may polish ours and point to someone else's, but it's all sin, all chains, no matter the shape, size, or weight.

Jesus came to bring deliverance and to justify you before God. The penalty of sin is death—all have sinned and fallen short. Jesus put Himself in your place on the cross so you could be justified and now sanctified. As 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness."

From Amazement to Wrath

When Jesus read this prophecy and said, "I have come to fulfill this," the crowd was at first amazed and marveled at His gracious words. But it quickly turned to resentment. They remembered He grew up in their town. "Is this not Joseph's son?" Who is He to fulfill Isaiah's prophecy? Jesus, almost reading their minds, voiced what they were thinking: "What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here as well." They resented that someone familiar to them could speak these amazing words.

Charles Spurgeon said, "It is not the preacher's business to seek to please his congregation. If he labors for that end he will probably not attain it; but if he should succeed, what a miserable success it would be." As your pastors at Cross Connection, we aren't going to tell you—or the world—what it wants to hear. We'll tell you what you need to hear based on the truth of Scripture. We stick to the doctrines we can prove and show you in the Bible.

Their rejection had nothing to do with Jesus and everything to do with them. They wanted special favors because Jesus was one of them, but He rebuked that, pointing out how Elijah was sent to a widow of Zarephath and Elisha cleansed Naaman the Syrian—God's grace reaching outside Israel.

They Were Angry Because He Revealed Their Chains

When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. The crowd was angry that Jesus revealed their chains. When you point out someone's sin, they feel uncomfortable, even offended. Jesus tells us as teachers not to worry when people are offended by His words, for it is the wisdom of God, not our own. People are offended because it points to the chains holding them down—no matter how shiny they made them, how well they justified or even camouflaged them. But our sins will always be revealed.

They were angry that Jesus denied their request for a miracle and that He implied God loves the Gentiles. Jesus is never afraid to offend His audience with the truth, never afraid to point out the chains they forged by rejecting God's prophet and by their unbelief.

The irony is striking: they begged for a miracle, and when He didn't perform one and called out their sin, they marched Him up a steep Nazareth hill to throw Him off—usually the start of a stoning. Yet it says He simply passed right through their midst and went away. The very miracle they demanded happened on that mountaintop, as Jesus walked untouched through an angry mob. This story sums up His whole life: He came sinless, did nothing but good, and they wanted to kill Him.

The Chains We Revere

Voltaire said, "It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere." With the chains of our sin, we can reach a place where we revere our own sins—we've shined them up and feel proud of them, thinking no one knows and they aren't hurting anyone. The problem is it's still sin; it still separates you from God and blinds you. We justify it, then admire it, because "it's not really hurting anybody, and it's not nearly as bad as that guy's."

It's the same voice that drives our cancel culture. It calls it a virtue—a lie—to point out the sins of others, so we can look righteous while others are canceled, lose their jobs, and are cast out of society no matter how much they repent. Cancel culture demands repentance but never accepts an apology. There's never a way to apologize enough to the mob.

A Society Built on Confession and Forgiveness

A society built on confession and forgiveness will flourish, because that is rooted in grace—grace we learn from Jesus. But a society that abandons confession and forgiveness is in a state of moral collapse, and I believe that's where we are today. When you demand repentance but offer no forgiveness, you are still harboring resentment, still sinning in your own heart.

Confession and forgiveness work like this: when I say "I am sorry," I let go of my pride, admitting I was wrong. When someone accepts that confession and offers forgiveness, they let go of their resentment for my sin—the very sin that gripped the crowd around Jesus. Without both, everyone is bound by chains, pointing at others, and eventually it comes back around, because no one can hide their sin forever. Hatred of our fellow man is a poison that destroys us from within, and a lack of forgiveness only wraps us in more chains.

How the Church Judges, Versus the Mob

We often hear "judge not, lest you be judged." There's a way the world judges and a way the church judges. As those made new—having taken off the chains and put on the robe of Christ's righteousness—we are to address sin in our brothers and sisters, because the Bible is clear about what is sinful. But Scripture also lays out how. You go privately to that brother or sister: "I've seen a sin in your life; I think you need to confess it to God." If they deny it, you bring along another believer who can confirm it from Scripture, and together, in love, you call them to repent and become right with God. There's a personal process, and only if they persist do you finally treat them as outside the church.

The world's way is to pick up your phone, go on Twitter, and tweet, "Did you hear what Pastor Garrett said today? I can't believe he'd say such a thing"—and then the mob ensues. There is no grace in cancel culture. We need to be the light in this dark place. God forgave us, and He died in our place, taking our chains upon Himself. "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7).

Be Made New, Then Forgive Others

The first step to heal our culture, our nation, and even our church is to confess our personal sins to God—repent and be forgiven. You need to experience the forgiveness of God in order to truly forgive other people. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old is the ragged, chained person you once were. God is in the business of making you new. As Jesus said, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

Second, once forgiven and made new, we must extend that forgiveness to others. Peter asked, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "Not seven times, but seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:21-22). Peter thought he was being righteous—the culture said forgive once or twice, then harbor resentment. But there is no number you can put on someone's worth. When you withhold forgiveness, you chain yourself back up, letting that person change you by making you hate them. In that, the devil wins. When you, like Christ, give up your resentment and forgive, the world becomes a better place.

The Hope of the Cross

God came and died that we sinners might turn from our wicked ways. The penalty you could not pay—the debt you owed God that you could never repay—Jesus paid in full on the cross. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. My prayer is that we would be a church that confesses and forgives. We won't receive forgiveness from the world, but we can still forgive them. We can refuse to hate them, because they are made in the image of God, eternal beings of immeasurable value—saved or not.

If you feel chains on your shoulders today, maybe you've made them shiny but they still hold you down, and you want to be free—confess your sins before God right now. It's as simple as saying: Dear Lord, I admit that I am a sinner. Would you forgive me? Help me turn from my wicked ways and follow you, Jesus. I believe your Son came and died on the cross in my place, that I might live and put on the righteousness of God. No good work you do will ever look as white as you will be after you've been made new by Christ. You can try to work your way to heaven, but it won't work. Forgiveness and grace come freely from Christ; we must only turn to Him, confess, and repent.

As the prodigal son came back, the father didn't point to all his sins—he gave him a ring, reinstating his position as a son. Today God can do that for you. You can be made a child of God and inherit eternal life. God is merciful and mindful of you, and He loved you enough to send His only Son to die in your place.

Closing Prayer

Father, there may be some of us who have sins we need to confess. We don't want to be the resentful crowd that drove Jesus up to that mountaintop begging for a miracle. We don't want to be the church that uses you as a means to an end. Lord, you are the end. You are all in all, the Alpha and the Omega. May we bow down at your feet and worship you, offer up our confession, and receive your forgiveness and grace today. Help us to be a light and a witness in a culture that offers no forgiveness, grace, or mercy, that we may extend it even when we don't receive it. For those harboring resentment, help us give it up and confess it to you. Show us your ways, teach us your path, and show us your truth this week, for you are the God of our salvation, and on you we will wait all day long. We pray these things in Jesus' precious name. Amen.

God bless you, church. We'll see you next week.