YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN

Intro: "You Can't Go Home Again" is the title of a novel by Thomas Wolfe. The subject of the book is George Webber. He is a writer who has published a bestseller about his hometown. He anticipates a hero's welcome when he returns home. Instead, his own

friends and family force him to leave town. What he says about them in his book makes them feel like they have been betrayed. Webber leaves his hometown to go find himself after being shaken by their reaction to his work. George Webber discovered that the people who know you best tend to treat you with the least amount of respect. Jesus returns to Nazareth in our text. He is returning to his home. When our Lord returns to His hometown, things don't go as planned. After all, Jesus has become somewhat of a household name by this point. He has been preaching, teaching, assisting the sick, driving out demons, resurrecting the dead, and directing the natural forces throughout the countryside. He has demonstrated that He is exceptionally unique and exceptional. Naturally, Jesus' last visit to Nazareth was not particularly fruitful. From Isa, he went to the synagogue and gave a sermon. 61. ( In that service, Jesus declared His identity as the Jewish Messiah (Luke 4:16–20). They tried to kill Him by throwing Him over a cliff after rejecting His message. He preached elsewhere in Galilee after leaving Nazareth. He returns to the location where He was so cruelly rejected one year later. He wants to give His friends, neighbors, and family another chance to hear about Him and His message. Grace is that! Ill. It astonishes me that God would give you and me just one chance, much less multiple chances, to believe in Him and His Gospel! We praise God for His mercy!) Jesus is not greeted by frantic crowds when He arrives in Nazareth. Until the Sabbath, when they all went to the synagogue, it appears that they ignored Him. I want to think about the fact that Jesus came to Nazareth today. Both those who are saved and those who do not know the Lord can learn something from what took place there. The people's reactions to our Lord's sermon and person are what really matter. They lost His power due to their reaction. Let's look at what happened during that Sabbath-day visit to the Nazareth synagogue. Let us examine the people's responses to the Lord and the consequences of those responses. I. v. 2: THE PEOPLE WERE SURPRISED BY HIS PREACHING A. When Jesus began speaking, the listeners were "astonished." This verb means "to be overcome by panic; to experience terror; to feel a sudden and shocking sense of alarm. They were actually afraid when they heard about Jesus. They immediately began to converse with one another and discussed three aspects of the Lord's ministry that had astonished them. His utterances: When Jesus taught, He did so with grace and charm. His words had the weight of God's word. He spoke differently than the local rabbis. They cited other rabbis, but their statements lacked certainty. Jesus spoke with the impression that He understood what He was saying. He made it abundantly clear to those who listened that they must either accept or reject His words. He did not give His listeners any leeway. In point of fact, according to John 7:46, when some Pharisee officers returned from hearing what Jesus had to say, they stated, "Never man spake like this man." They were astonished when Jesus spoke to the Nazarenes. His Wisdom: Jesus's words were full of truth when He spoke. He spoke brand-new truths to the populace. They listened as He used everyday objects around them to teach spiritual truth. The truth He preached was anything but common, despite His illustrations' appeal to the common. They were stunned by the wisdom of the Lord and shook their heads. His Works: The Lord's fame predated His arrival in Nazareth. They were aware of His other-worldly feats of miracles. They were incredulous that a young man from their own community could perform the alleged miracles. What they were hearing and who they were hearing it from were beyond the comprehension of the Nazareth people. They were left with their mouths open after hearing what Jesus had to say. B. The message of our Lord continues to have that effect on people. It is possible for you to be astonished when you study the Gospel message and read the Bible. Take a look at a few of the Bible's claims. Rom. says that everyone is a sinner. 3:10-20, 23; Gal. According to Psalm 3:22, all sinners are headed to Hell. 9:17; Rom. 2:8–9: There is only one way to avoid sin and its consequences—Acts 4:12; 1 John 2:23; 5:12; John 3:18, 36: "The only way for anyone to be saved is for them to place their faith in a man Who lived, died, and rose again from the dead 2,000 years ago"; John 14:6; "All other religions in the world are false religions, and they all lead to Hell"; 10:9 C. Those claims are amazing because they send a lot of the world to hell. People today are enraged when they hear the Gospel's claims. Just as they did in Jesus' time, they reject the message and attack the sender. When you hear the Gospel's claims, what do you think? Do you feel glad that it is true and that it has saved your soul? Or, when you hear it, do you ignore its message because you think you know a better way? Pro. ill. 16:25 II. v. 3 THE PEOPLE STUMBLED OVER HIS PERSON A. When the people of Nazareth heard the message that Jesus was preaching, they rejected it because they believed that they knew everything there was to know about Him. As a result, they misunderstood what He was saying. He was one of them because he had been raised among them. When He was a kid, they had seen Him play there; They had known His family; They pretended to know Him. They were aware that He had not attended divinity schools. They were aware that He lacked formal education. They thought they knew everything there was to know about Jesus! Jesus was just another Nazareth boy to them. He lacked respect from them. They perceived Him as a commoner! They were also aware of His work. They refer to Him as "the carpenter." In those days, houses weren't always built by carpenters. They typically constructed plows and ox yokes. They would occasionally construct things like beds, tables, and chairs. Men who were capable of anything from carving a plate to building a house were sometimes referred to as carpenters. It's likely that the things Jesus built for the Nazarenes were still in their possession. They perceived Him as a typical craftsman. They said, "You are no better than us! " as they looked at Him. Why should we pay you attention? B. We are informed that they "offended Him." "to cause to stumble or to be repelled to the point of abandonment" is the meaning of the word "offended." They refused to listen to Jesus because they were unable to explain Him. They were unable to see beyond the carpenter; and they were against getting their theology from a regular carpenter. When someone doesn't understand them, these people did what everyone else does. They turned to mockery! A small mind's last refuge is ridicule! They referred to Him as "the son of Mary." In that society, nothing like this was done! Even if a man's father had passed away, he was always referred to as his son. To refer to a boy as the son of his mother implied that the boy's mother had been a harlot. The people were raising doubts about Jesus's birth. Naturally, the belief that Jesus was born naturally into a virgin's womb was rejected by the people of that time. John 8:41 says that they frequently questioned His birth; 9:29. Jesus' words, wisdom, and works were met with contempt and unadulterated ridicule by the Nazarenese, who could not explain Him. When they ask, "from where hath this man these things?" in verse 2, you can hear their disdain in their voices. What they couldn't explain, these people couldn't accept! C. We are still in this mental state today. What they cannot easily explain, people reject. There are many aspects of Jesus that cannot be satisfactorily explained. The manger scene doesn't seem to bother many people. They appear to be able to accept a harmless infant in a manger. However, when you explain to people that the infant was born of a virgin and that He is God in flesh, they are incomprehensible! As a wandering philosopher, Jesus seems to have little trouble with people spreading His peace, love, and acceptance message wherever He goes. They can't take it, however, when you tell them that He is the only Savior and that rejecting Him will send the sinner to Hell! It would appear that nobody has any objection to Jesus' shameful hanging from a cross. However, when you explain to them that He arose from the dead and is still alive to save all who will believe in Him, they are unable to handle that! You are missing the whole point of who Jesus is if you limit it to a baby in a manger or a dead man on a cross! John 3:16 says that you must arrive at the realization that Jesus Christ is the very Son of God. Rom, you must comprehend that He rose from the dead and died on the cross to pay for your sins. 10:9. If you don't turn from your sins and put your faith in Jesus to save your soul, you won't be able to go to heaven, Rom. 10:13! D. I don't understand a lot about Jesus, the Bible, or the Gospel. I'm baffled as to why He would love me. I have no idea why He would even be concerned about where I will spend eternity. I have no idea how He was able to save me from my sins when all I had to do was ask. However, my doubts do not prevent me from believing! I can still act in accordance with what I do comprehend regardless of what I do not comprehend. The following is what I am aware of and believe to be the entire truth: Phil. says that Jesus Christ is God in human form. 2:5-8; Jesus Christ was born of a virgin in John 1:14, Isa. 7:14; 2 Corinthians says that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life in Luke 1:25-38. 5:21; Heb. 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5: Jesus Christ died on a cross on a hill called Calvary for my sins – 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:4-6; According to Matthew, Jesus Christ was raised from the dead three days later in John 1:29. 28:1-6: Jesus Christ returned to Heaven and sat at the right hand of God the Father (Hebrews). 1:3; 10:12: Jesus Christ is returning to this world to accept His people as His own, 1 Thess. 4:13-18: Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings; Rev. 19:16: Jesus Christ is the only Way to Heaven. The only way into life is through him. The only Truth is in him. According to John 14:6, there is no hope, no salvation, and no Heaven without Him. Is that your opinion? If it isn't, please don't let the Bible's claims make you stumble. Accept Jesus and believe the message exactly as it is presented. Don't let what you don't understand get in the way of your progress and send you to Hell! III. V. 4 to 6: THE PEOPLE WERE SHUNNED BY HIS POWER A. The people rejected both Jesus and His message. He uses a well-known proverb to express his shock at their lack of faith. In conclusion, Jesus simply stated that "familiarity breeds contempt" in his proverb. Like people everywhere else, the Nazarethites valued what they did not have and took for granted what they did have. When they looked at Jesus, they saw someone they knew. They treated Him like everyone else. Ill. Preachers who were raised in churches frequently encounter this issue. You are well-known in the church. They have witnessed your development. They have witnessed both your successes and failures. They are unable to hear what you are preaching because of what they already know. If you are a preacher, your home church will always be your most challenging venue! You won't be accepted as much there as you will elsewhere. B. According to verse 5, Jesus was unable to perform many miracles there due to their unbelief. Only a few people who were ill were saved. Let's get this straightened out: His power was not hindered by their unbelief. Jesus is sovereign in every way. He could have carried out whatever He wanted to there. Despite the fact that He possessed the power, He refused to demonstrate it in the face of outright unbelief. Jesus had no chains around his hands. In faith, a few people came to Him, and those people got help from Him. The remainder disregarded Him and were disregarded by Him. (Ill. There is a term for the wealthy and healthy crowd in this sentence. There is a term for those who support the prosperity cult. The prosperity cult's followers hold the belief that God only responds to our faith. To put it another way, you will be cured if you have sufficient faith. You will have a lot of money if you have enough faith. You can enjoy inexhaustible health, wealth, and blessings if you have faith. God is subject to man's will because of this way of thinking! I'd like to remind you that we worship an all-powerful God! He has complete discretion over what he does, when he does it, and with whom. He does not have a problem with our lack of faith. Jesus refused to "cast His pearls before the swine" in this instance. The miracles were lost when they turned down the message. The works of healing, multiplying your bread and fish, or meeting your needs are not the best blessings from God. God's greatest work is to save, seal, and protect lost souls! You have experienced the greatest of our Lord's works if you are saved.) C. According to verse 6, Jesus "marveled at their unbelief" when he realized the extent of their rejection. "to stand in wonder and amazement" is the meaning of the word "marveled." It is said that Jesus only "marveled" twice. Faith was the focus of His amazement both times. Luke 7:1–10 describes his amazement at a centurion's extraordinary faith. Jesus was amazed by the lack of faith among His own people in this place. Jesus was amazed at these people's deafness and blindness to the fact that they had witnessed and heard the truth. He left Nazareth as a result, and there is no evidence that He ever returned there. Jesus left them to make their own decisions because of their total rejection of Him! The Lord acts in that manner! John 1:9 says that he calls people to believe the Gospel and be saved. There is no longer any hope for people who reject the Gospel's truth and its message of salvation through Jesus. He may or may not call them again. Regardless, the Lord will eventually stop calling them, and they will be left to their own devices, Rom. 1:18-33; Rom. 9:18-24. (Ill. The church is referred to in this phrase. Matt, Jesus appears whenever we meet. 18:20. He wants to teach us the truth and support our development. We will be amazed at what God can accomplish if we go to the Lord's house expecting something from Him. We can, however, expect nothing from the Lord if we arrive with the mindset that "I've seen it all and heard it all before." When we go to the church, we expect the preacher to work it up and preach it down. The fact of the matter is that both the preacher and the congregation need to be present for a great worship service. This is how William Barclay put it: Preaching cannot take place in an inappropriate setting. Every sermon is at least half prepared by the congregation. The least amount of effort will catch fire in an atmosphere of expectation. The most inspirational sermons will fail in the face of a hostile or indifferent audience. Jesus will act as He did in Nazareth if we do not wish for Him to be here. He will depart with His message and miracles and travel elsewhere, verse 6. At this church, we can do whatever we want. Both worship and glory, power, and the visible presence of God are possible. Alternately, we can have rigid orthodoxy. We simply can't have both! (Ill.) A while back, A.J. Gossip was preaching at a particular church. His pastor, the great Scottish preacher Alexander Whyte, asked him, "Where were you last Sunday evening?" when he returned the following Lord's Day. The response from gossip was, "I was over at a certain church preaching." Whyte questioned, "How was it?" “Cold! Gossip commented, "I found it very cold." “Cold!” "I'd say that place is cold," yelled Whyte. I gave a sermon there two years ago, and I still can't shake the chill! I pray that this church will never be the subject of such a statement! I hope that we will accept the Savior and everything He wants to do for us and in us. I ask that we take care not to turn away from Him. I sincerely hope that we will accept His Word, His power, and His presence in this place of worship and make Him feel at home. He won't try to force us here, like He did in Nazareth. We can accept His blessings or reject Him. We will experience more of His power and blessings than we could ever imagine if we embrace Him. He will move somewhere else if we don't want Him here! He will bless another church if we turn Him away. I hope He will bless them and us as well. There is ample space available. We control what happens to us!) Conc: I worry that we Baptists have resembled the Nazarenes in many ways. We are no longer moved by the things of God, the Bible's message, Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection because we are so accustomed to them. We ask, "So what?" when we are reminded of Jesus' sacrifice for us. No one cares anymore about the cross when we talk about it. We are to blame! We have allowed our hearts to become hardened against God's things. If you want to ask the Lord to once more warm your icy heart, today is a good day to do so. Others in this room have never been rescued. You have never accepted Christ's death as your own. You have never asked Him into your life and admitted your sins. You must visit Jesus today. You must be rescued. Have you received a word from God today? Let me ask you to do something very unusual if He has. When I tell you what I'm thinking, you might think I've gone insane because the question I'm about to ask is so unusual. If the Lord has touched your heart in any way, get up from your seat, kneel before this altar, and let Him do what He wants with your life. I know that sounds crazy, but I want you to do that.