The Gospel Project® for Adults

POINT 1 JESUS IS THE MESSIAH BRINGING GOOD NEWS TO ISRAEL

(LUKE 4:16-21).

16 He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.
As usual, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.
17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him,
and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written:
18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
20 He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.
And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him.
21 He began by saying to them,
“Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”

Explain:

Verses 16-19 (the bold words fill in blanks in the DDG):

Jesus was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit
to bring restoration, freedom, and the Lord’s favor
to those who receive Him by faith.

Discuss:

• What characteristics of our triune God are reflected in this passage?
• (He is powerful, merciful, trustworthy, faithful,
  loving, sovereign)

Explain:

Verses 20-21 (the bold words fill in blanks in the DDG):

Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to His people—
He is the Messiah, the Anointed One.

Discuss:

• If Jesus fulfills God’s ultimate promise and purpose,
  how should we view our salvation through Christ?
• (with gratefulness and praise;
• with a humility that treasures that salvation;
• with a desire to tell others of that good news;
• with a purpose to live out our salvation with grace and truth)

Transition:

The coming of Jesus Christ is good news!
Here at the beginning of His earthly ministry,
Jesus brought the gospel to the Jews of His hometown.
But they would soon struggle to accept this good news
with Jesus at its center.

YEAR OF THE LORD’S FAVOR

In Isaiah 61, from which Jesus read,
the prophet Isaiah, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was speaking of deliverance from bondage for
God’s people, who would be under Babylonian captivity.
But he also was foreshadowing a deliverance through a Savior from bondage to sin.
God’s people would find hope and comfort knowing a time was coming
(and for us, has come) for God’s favor to be poured out.

VOICES FROM CHURCH HISTORY

“The tragedy of the world is sin.
The one obtruding fact in the world today is the fact of sin.
The one galling yoke on human necks and hearts in the world today is the yoke of sin.
Jesus came to remove that yoke. Jesus came to break those shackles.
Jesus came to set men free, and to put their feet on the solid Rock, Himself, the Divine Saviour.
Whoever comes to Him receives deliverance, forgiveness, redemption, salvation.” 1

– George W. Truett (1867-1944)