For this message we are going to review Luke 4:20-22

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?

There will be times in our life that God will put us in a situation where all eyes are upon us.

You notice how after Jesus read the passage and the the people were marveled at his gracious words but yet their response was Is Not This Joseph’s Son?

Remember, Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days. Was tempted by the devil on three separate categories. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. He was identified by John the Baptist as the Messiah. The clouds rolled back and a sound from Heaven said “This is my begotten son, whom I am well pleased.” But the people still asked, is this not Joseph’s son?

Jesus appeared in the Synagogue to declare this is the time, day and hour. Jesus was challenging them on how they saw their faith and viewed their God. He was challenging their routines and rituals. Their doctrines and ideas.

Jesus was not challenging the world but the religious.

If you are an emancipator and you are about to liberate, you usually start with those being the most oppressed but instead he starts with the religious, the self righteous, the sanctimonious, the holier than though!

Jesus challenges them because he has taken religion out of it’s historical context, it’s prophetical understanding and brought it into the context of this moment. Religious people get challenged where their faith must be proven in the moment. Religious people love to talk about the history, the destiny but shy away from the NOW.

In the midst of our normalcy, in the midst of our ordinariness, God is doing something right now but most don’t see it. If you were challenged to see it, could you handle it?

The people of the day didn’t mind Jesus reading the scripture, just as church goers don’t mind, as a matter of fact, they all love a good word as long as the historical scriptures do not conform with our contemporary life, people are fine with the historical context of God. People love looking at Michaelangelo’s paintings of God but when you have a God that is contemporary with the moments you face in the here and now, people say no, no, no, no, we will either do it in Heaven or will study what was done in the past but we shy away from God invading this present moment.

Folks, we need a God that can invade our present moment. We don’t need a God that invades our yesterday and tomorrow, we need a God that intercedes in our like NOW!

Based on scripture, Jesus had not been reading in the synagogue but when he does, he reads the verse and closes the book. The people were amazed at the excellence of his word but they defined him by what they saw and said is this not Joseph’s son. So they incarcerated Jesus to walk in the realm of their understanding.

So what are people saying about you that is stopping you and limiting you because of what others say about you or have defined you? Are you going to continue to live the rest of your life living up to their ideas of who you are or do you have the courage to break the mold?

This message is not for the ordinary or the status quo. The routine or ritualistic. This is for jail break people who will not wait to be released but are ready to break out of the jail of mediocrity. And step into the realm of EXCEPTIONALISM!

Folks, as I’ve mentioned before, if you’re not seeing that 2020 is a year like no other, I don’t know where to begin. This is your time to rise up and be the Exceptional person God made you to be and stop allowing yourself to be defined by what others think or say about you.