Our text this morning is found in the gospel of Luke chapter 4. We read part of this last Sunday, but we want to put the emphasis on a different place this morning. So again, back to Luke chapter 4, begin in verse 16, read down through verse 30. And I want to preach this morning on the subject, sovereignty, a hated doctrine, the offense of sovereignty and we find it here in this passage of the scripture that men have a natural inbred animosity and enmity against the sovereignty of God and there's a reason for that we look at it along the way. Luke chapter 4 and we begin in verse 16 please down through verse 30. All right, here's Luke 4, 16 and following for those on the internet, tapes and CDs. And he came to Nazareth, Jesus did, where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him 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 hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captive, and recovering of sight unto the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Now we used that last week on the year of Jubilee. But now let's go further in verse 20. And he closed the book and gave it again to the minister and sat down, and the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened up on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself, or whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, verily, I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elisha, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But unto none of them was Elisha sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath. And Rosa and thrust him out of the city, led him unto the brow of the hill whereupon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way, as he did on other occasion. Look at verse 28. All they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath. Now, let's investigate that this morning, the offense of sovereignty, particularly unto religionists. We best begin, I think, by looking at the overall context of this particular place in scripture and of this great event. In our passage it marks what some have called the beginning of our Lord's Galilean ministry. As early he begins his ministry in Galilee. We read in Luke chapter 3 and verse 22 Jesus began to be about 30 years of age, which was the age, by the way, when the Levitical priests began in earnest their ministry about the altar, and they ceased their public service at about age 50. You see that in Numbers chapter 4 and verse 3. And Luke adds, being as it was supposed the son of Joseph being about 30 years of age being as it was supposed the son of Joseph as it is in Luke 4 and verse 22. Is not this Joseph's son that has stood here and told us these things this morning even Mary in Luke chapter 2 and verse 48. refers to Joseph in speaking to Jesus as thy father, thy father Joseph. And so we learn that this is not an attack upon the virgin birth of our Lord, or of the immaculate conception of the humanity of our blessed savior just that he grew up in the home under the parentage of joseph and of mary and was subject under them Luke chapter 2 and verse 51. And at a particular time they settled the family in the little city of Nazareth, Luke chapter 2 and verse 51. So he was known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus the Nazarene. He was supposed to be the son of Joseph since he lived and was raised in that house. Now Luke gives us here three things at the beginning of the ministry of our Lord in his gospel. Number one is his baptism in Luke chapter 3, 21 and 22. Luke gives us a lengthy genealogy of our Lord's humanity. Secondly, and you'll find that in chapter 3, 23 through verse 38. And then thirdly, he gives us the temptation of our Lord at the hand of Satan. Chapter 4, verse 1 through verse 13. Then our text finds him in Galilee where he had come in the power of the Spirit. And his fame began to spread as he began to teach and he began to do great works and wonders and miracles among them. And his fame spread from place to place in that area. And it said that the people glorified him. And on a certain Sabbath then, in our Texas morning, in a synagogue service, in the city of Nazareth, his hometown, as I like to call it, where he had been brought up, as we read in the text. He read a passage from the prophet Isaiah. He asked for the scroll, he unrolled it, and he found a certain passage in our Bibles. It's found in chapter 61 of the book of Isaiah. And Luke 4, in verse 22, all bore witness of him wondering at the gracious words that he spake unto them and so forth. Now, I submit for you to consider something, that the words in verse 23 and following might seem abrupt. and disconnected to the earlier services and words. It might seem a sudden departure, an unexpected changing of the subject altogether on the part of our Lord. So what has it to do to connect it to the passage and the message of Isaiah chapter 61? What does the Lord begin to speak of Elijah and Elisha, the great prophets of old, and the honor of a prophet. See the last sentence, if you would, in verse 22. And they said, is not this Joseph's son? This one who has stood here this morning and opened the scroll and read these things unto us and made that declaration that they're fulfilled in him. Oh, is this not the son of Joseph? Now, Methinks that this is the transition from the passage from Isaiah to the attitude about prophets and what the Lord tells them about the two great prophets in other days in Israel. I think these are two of the greatest prophets to ever grace Israel, Elijah and Elisha. And then in verse 22 again, they were charmed by the way that our Lord spoke unto them, whether it was the authority of his speaking or of his voice or the air of his eloquence in doing so, they agreed that the passage that the Lord had read was one messianic and referred unto the Lord Jesus Christ. And they were impressed by his speaking ability, the command, the attention of his audience, and how they said spellbound as our Lord read those things and spoke these words. But in spite of that, Something puzzled them as they were in this experience. Yea, something stumbled them that our Lord did and that our Lord said. Something that they could not seem to reconcile in their mind, while on the one hand They bear him witness at the great prophecy of Isaiah. They were testifying of him and toward him. His words were gracious. His words were deep and they were rich and they were sweet sounding upon their particular ear that day. And they could not deny the truth that he had spoken and read from the scripture Isaiah, but especially his manner of speaking kind of held him spellbound for a while, and yet this was as supposed the son of Joseph. This was Joseph's son. This is their fellow townsman. They have known him all of these years. He was a familiar figure and a citizen of that city. Luke chapter 3 and verse 23. And in Matthew chapter 13 and verse 55 and 56, Matthew writes it like this. Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, and his sisters, are they all not with us? Whence then? That is, from where did he get these things? Unquote. That's Matthew's account of this same event. Mark 6 and verse 3 also records this event, a short version, and it adds this. And they were offended at him. Why? Why, he had no training in the school. He'd never attended the seminary. He'd never sit at the feet of the great teachers and philosophers and scholars. and the doctors of that day. John 6 and 42, is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does he say, I came down from heaven? He's speaking there of the bread of life. Remember John 1 46? Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? But it was not famous for great works of God or great people or prophets of God. Now these things drew a two-fold response from the Lord Jesus Christ. If we look at verse 23 again, And he said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself, a famous proverb in Israel, and even unto thy day. Whatsoever we have heard done yonder in Capernaum, do also here in thy country." Our Lord read their mind and they thought. They had this thought, charity begins at home. We've heard that over and over. Do for your own town and your own friend and your own neighbors more or exactly what you have done for the wicked city of Capernaum." Gil said, they claimed rights to his favors and benefit, it being his native place, unquote. Now let's look again at verse 24, and here's another thing. And he said, Verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. Also see John chapter 4 and verse 44. Remember that the Jews also turned on Paul like they turned on our Lord Jesus. Now, remember from verse 16 here, Nazareth was, quote, where he had been brought up. He lived there. He was raised there. And we see that he stayed there till about age 30 and began a ministry among them. He lived with Joseph and Mary and those brothers that were named. and sisters that were not named. And we think perhaps even working with Joseph in the vocation of carpentry, in the carpentry trade with his father Joseph. And in fact Mark 6 and verse 3 actually calls Jesus the carpenter. the carpenter, referring to Jesus. And in that town, and with that family, he attended the synagogue on the Sabbath day. It was a custom in verse 16. He was a familiar sight in their sleepy little town. They could remember when he was just a child, then an adolescent, and finally a young man. And never thought of him in all that time as being the Messiah or even a prophet. For they took him to be an ordinary man who practiced the Jewish religion and lived in their city. Now in verse 25 through 27, he tells them some events from their past history. And notice he introduces it by saying, I tell you in truth. I tell you what is true. of the two great prophets of God in Israel, Elijah and Elisha, and how Elijah supplied a destitute widow during the great famine. Now this is 1 Kings chapter 17, if you want the reference. And he tells how Elisha cleansed a leper. And how? By sending him to dip seven times in the river of Jordan. And this you have in 2 Kings chapter 5. So it's from their scripture. And now see the reaction of those present in the synagogue again. If I may read verse 28 and 29. Or they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust him out of the city, led him to the brow of the hill whereupon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong, that they might throw him down, and that he might be killed by falling off of the cliff. Now that's too clear to misunderstand right there out of their scripture. Right here, the definition and description of their action. All heard these things. Notice. Instead of saying, amen, bless the Lord, praise His name, we read, they were full of wrath. Their anger boiled over. Rage boiled up in them. Fury came up in their mind and in their heart. What the Lord said infuriated Him. And they lay hold upon Him and dragged Him to the brow of the city where they might throw Him over. My, how quickly did their minds change. How quickly did the tide turn. from marveling at his gracious words to taking his life for telling them something that was written in their own scripture which they profess to be infallible and inerrant. So the question then is this. What is the purpose of the Lord in referring to the prophets Isaiah and Elisha? Mark and Matthew do not include this part of it in their gospel. Why does the Lord tell them these familiar things that they'd heard read in the synagogue many times? And further, what about it so infuriated them that they would kill him, one of their fellow townsmen and citizens? Now, we wonder, did the Lord, a couple of things here, did the Lord, number one, was his intention or his motive, refer to these two prophets to confirm the fact that a prophet is not without honor in their own country, their own house, and their own kin. Or, number two, is the Lord intending this as a rebuttal of their offense in verse 23. That the Lord did not exclusively bestow His mighty works in His own country, in His own town, in His native place or hometown, among family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. And that they resented Him helping those in a foreign city such as Capernaum that he reserved his favors for his own town people and city, as if they were limited in some way. Contextually, me think that this is a good connection. You will see that Matthew and Mark do not include the reference to Elijah and Elisha, or to the rage of the people, or to the attempt on the life of our Lord. Both of them do include the saying that a prophet is not without honor in his own house, country, city, and family, kin, and such like. What had the Lord done now that so offended them that they were moved to killing? He had heaped blessings upon Capernaum, many of them. If you read in the scripture, the gospel, some of our Lord's greatest works were done in the city of Capernaum. And he said that would bring down the greater judgment on their head because they saw it and did not repent and believe. Now what had Elisha and Elijah done? Not just the Lord had blessed Capernaum greatly, but what had Elijah and Elisha also done? Well, here it is. As for Elijah, with many destitute widows in Israel, in dire circumstances, in the midst of a horrible famine, apt to perish from hunger, and from starvation. And yet, Elijah is sent by God, by the way, to a Gentile widow in the city of Sarepta. The emphasis is in verse 25. Many were widows in Israel during the drought and the famine, in poverty, destitute. Many of them were like that, a multitude of them, and yet here's what the scripture said or the Lord said, yet to none of them was Elijah sent. but to a Gentile widow in another place with another nationality altogether. This was in the days of Elijah. And secondly, what had Elisha done? In verse 27 you have it, in the time of Elisha the prophet, many lepers were sick and perishing in Israel in his time with that flesh rotting disease of leprosy, and yet none of them was cleansed except Naaman, a Syrian Gentile." Over in Syria. And note in both cases, it was in Israel. Many widows in Israel. Many lepers in Israel. Many widows were hungry in Israel, yet Elijah goes over to Sarepta to a Gentile widow. Many Jews were lepers, and yet only the Gentile Naaman was cleansed of leprosy in the time of that great prophet. Now note again the reaction of the people, rage, anger, wrath, because they understood the Lord to be saying that such things were determined by the sovereign counsel and purpose and will of God, that he does as he will. He sends his prophets where he will and to the people he will. That he's under no obligation, as A.W. Pink said, to work miracles except where he will and where it pleases him. I share a line from J.C. Ryle in his commentary on Luke, and it's this, quote, we learn how bitterly human nature dislikes the doctrine of the sovereignty of God unquote, yes, how they hate it, how they reject it, how they fight against it, and how they deny it, and how they pervert it. It is among the most offensive doctrine in all of the scripture, the sovereignty of God. the absolute sovereignty of God, that he owns all, that he has power and authority over all and everyone and everything. And it is one of the most insulting and one of the most despised doctrines that you'll find anywhere in the scripture. What they cannot deny, they twist and pervert to fit their own notion. Absolute sovereignty they cannot tolerate. They will not let God be God and know that all power in heaven and earth resides in him." You remember their displeasure. Keep that in mind. And what they heard. With that in mind, let's look at some other examples of the enmity of people against the sovereign work and the purpose of God. You remember Jonah, of course, in the book of Jonah sent to preach to the large, wicked city of Nineveh, mostly Gentile. And his message was to be, yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be destroyed. And he came crying out loud, 40 days and Nineveh shall be destroyed. And God granted repentance unto the people and they were spared. And in Matthew chapter 12 and verse 41, Jonah chapter 3 verse 5 through verse 10 we find, we read in Jonah chapter 4 and verse 1, but it displeased Jonah exceedingly. He was very angered and he even prayed to the Lord that he might die. He resented God's sovereign mercy unto the Gentile city of Nineveh. He had rather that they be destroyed. His message had been 40 days and destruction shall come upon their head. Then again, another example. Remember the offense which the Pharisees took? Against our Lord, Jesus cried when they saw him receiving and eating with sinners. During the days of his ministry upon the earth, they caught him sitting with publicans and with sinners. The worst sort of people imaginable in their time. Saying, this charge, this man receives sinners and he eats with them. Luke 15 and verse 2. They had the most deadly leprosy of all. Self-righteousness. That would kill them quick as anything. And remember that some of the Jews lamb-blasted the apostle Peter because, quote, you went in unto men uncircumcised and did eat with them, Acts 11 and verse 3. They called Peter on the carpet for what he had done, going in unto the Gentile, eating with them, having common fellowship with them, and even preaching them the word of God. which till then it had been unlawful for Peter to do such a thing, Acts chapter 10 and verse 28. F.F. Bruce put it this way, for Jew to mix in Gentile society is taboo, unquote. Good way to put it. being a prohibition that was imposed by social custom. Till his vision, Peter could never see himself in that situation. But he said, the Lord showed me what I ought to do. The religionist, and especially the Armenian, detest and even blasphemes the sovereignty of God when they hear it in their midst. and especially the sovereignty of God in salvation. Oh, how they hate it, and their enmity is so quickly aroused. They're perfectly content to let God be sovereign up to a particular point. They'll give God credit for a wonderful creation that He has made. They'll give God credit and praise for the flowers and the birds and the trees. the babies and the puppies and the sunsets. They're perfectly willing to give God the glory for all of that, for rain and for health and for things of that nature. They delight to hear of the love of God and the kindness and gentleness and the sweetness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And their two foundational doctrines, however, are universal. Their two foundation doctrines are God loves everyone without exception and Christ died for everyone without exception. That God desires and has provided salvation for all people. all sinners in the world, while they hear these lies, they cherish as truth, and their enmity sleeps, and they are sweeter than sugar on ice cream, until brought to bear with the sovereignty of God. but to hear that God does not have a wonderful plan for everyone's life, that God does not love all, nor did Christ not die for all, that God's purpose includes both election and reprobation. This arouses their anger, draws out their enmity, in plain sight and open to the sovereignty of God, that He showers His blessing upon whom He would, that if He blesses some, He's not obliged to bless all in the same way or to the same degree. An example you have in our text here, in Luke chapter 4, when they became so enraged by what they heard that they attempted to throw the Son of God off of a cliff and kill him. That their hatred of this truth would arouse their animosity and would actually drive them to the point of becoming murderers. Not just of a prophet, but of Messiah himself, of the very Son of God. Consider a passage, if you might, from the sixth chapter of John's Gospel, verse 63 through verse 69, where, in verse 63, the Lord said, It is the Spirit that quickens the flesh, prophets, Nothing. Then he said again, in verse 65, no man can come unto me except it were given to him of my father. He had said in verse 64 that some believed not on him and he knew from the beginning who believed not and who should betray him. He knew that from the beginning. Verse 65, we have a therefore. Therefore. For this reason, on this account, I've told you, no one can come to me, no one can embrace me, believe upon me, no one can do that except unless it be given unto him of my Father. Except my Father give it to him, enable him, and be the worker in that work. This verse to me resembled Verse 44, further back in the Gospel of John, none can come to me except the Father which has sent me draw him and I'll raise him up on the last day. Then here verse 66 in John 6, from that many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more. These words in 666 are the same as those in John chapter 18 and verse 6 of those who went backward and fell to the ground when the Lord spoke unto them as they came to the rest. And the same Greek word is here. They went back. They walked with Him no more. They fell back. They fell away from what they had heard in the Lord's speaking and that in both cases. And in John chapter 6, both from the Lord saying, He was the bread of life come down from heaven, which they called in John 6 and verse 60, a hard saying. But also the statement concerning sovereign grace from our Lord that in an inward work of God is necessary prior to one believing and one coming unto Christ, or to come to Him. By the way, I think this is a good time for us to make a point. It's a good place to remind ourselves that the Lord Jesus Christ, during His public teaching ministry, taught the five doctrines of grace. You read the scripture, you read the gospel, and you'll find that he taught all five of what we call the doctrines of grace. He taught depravity, especially inability. Our Lord emphasized inability. He taught election. I've chosen you. Some are chosen. He taught particular redemption. My blood shed for many. He taught effectual calling. They shall come to me. He taught the preservation of the saint. They shall in no wise perish. or be cast out. So in John 6 and John 10, we find our Lord teaching these very things. And he taught these things openly and publicly. They were not little secrets that he told to the apostles behind closed doors and said, now look out, don't tell the people about this because it's too strong for them and it'll offend them. No, the Lord taught it openly. There are many preachers today, I've met many preachers, who tell me in private they believe in the doctrines of grace and they do not preach them in the pulpit of their churches because they say they believe in sovereignty, but it's not something that ought to be preached. It would affect the size of their church and they know that right well. Because when their people heard such thing, they would be like those hearers in John chapter 6. They would go away and they would attend no more. They would go back. To hear sovereignty and election and reprobation and of God hating Esau very clearly in the scripture causes some to speak blasphemous word against Christ's sovereignty and doctrine and they break out into their blasphemy, insults against what Jesus taught. I remember Brother Holock brought me a tape one time of a very famous radio preacher in a tirade against the doctrines of grace. He said this, It is sending millions to eternal torment. It is a doctrine out of the pits of hell. It is a damnable lie. That man's name was Jimmy Swaggart, by the way. I talked to a radio announcer back when we were on the radio. I'd go in, I'd go back in the control room and always talk to him, dropping my tapes off. One day I got in a conversation with the disc jockey, I guess you'd call him on air, at that particular time about the doctrines of grace and I spoke them rather strongly to him and he said this to me, he said, I could not love nor would I serve a God like that. And a few weeks later I went back, I didn't see him and I said to the receptionist, where's so-and-so? Said, oh, he had a little minor surgery the other day and died. He had minor surgery, thought would be very minor, and he passed away. J.C. Rowland's comments on the text in Luke chapter 4 listed two reasons for the violent anger of those of Nazareth. Number one, that favor was shown to the Gentile, not exclusively to the Jew. Number two, the doctrine of God's sovereignty in saving sinners is a great offense to many people in our day, but it is based upon nothing but the sovereign good pleasure and will of God is a great offense. Now while there's time, let's spend some time in one of the strongest chapters on sovereignty anywhere in the New Testament, that would be Romans chapter 9. Paul here overturns three objections which he anticipates could and have been raised against the sovereignty of God's dealing with people. There are three objections that are still being made today, so they're relevant. Those three objections are this. Number one, in verse 6, that if Jews are perishing, then God's word and God's promises have failed. Spirit-led Paul shows in verse 6 to verse 9 why the word of God has not failed, because not all are spiritual children of Abraham. The second objection is in verse 14, that sovereign election and reprobation is an unjust thing. It's unrighteous for God to act in that way. It is unrighteous to do that before they're ever born without any consent of their own will and their choice. Without a consent of the will and consideration of the individual. Ah, but Paul said, there's the case of Jacob and Esau, verse 10 through verse 13. And so he overthrows that objection. I've heard many say to me, that's not fair. I've had them say it. That's not fair. God wouldn't be fair to do that. God's not fair. God's righteous, holy, sovereign, and eternal. And the third objection is in verse 19 of Romans chapter 9. Why then, you will say, does he find fault? Now, if God's will is supreme, if it can't be resisted, why in the world then would you find fault? But Paul gives the example of Pharaoh whose heart God hardened and then destroyed him for his wickedness. Now here's a clear example. Let's conclude. The sovereignty of God is declared in scripture. Call it what you will. Sovereign grace, Calvinism, doctrines of grace, sovereignty, hardshellism, The Bible teaches the sovereignty of God. It teaches predestination and away with talk of being a two or a three or a four-point Calvinist or sovereign grace because they are a unit and they stand or they fall together. And it comes to what Robert Haldane called refined Arminianism, quote unquote, for you cannot modify or moderate grace doctrine without sliding toward Arminianism. Now let me tell you the reason why it's so hated. The clash is between free will and divine sovereignty. Here is the tipping point. But you cannot serve free will and God's sovereignty at the same time. For to love one is to hate the other, to cleave to one and dismiss the other. like the Lord said. What the Lord did was quote scripture. The Lord quoted them scripture, and they raged and were angry. They bended their anger. Instead of saying, Amen, Amen, they were angry. And all he did was read a passage of scripture and make an application. Now, what we do is quote scripture and they say, I could not love and I would not serve a God like that. So that shows the attitude toward the sovereignty of God. It's a dangerous thing to blaspheme the word of God's plain revealed truth.