Living in Liberty

A Ministry of Bryce Lowance

Elder Bryce Lowrance

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2 Rejects

13 September 2014

"And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever 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 Elias, 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 Elias 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 Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian." (Luke 4:23-27)

The Jewish leaders in Nazareth were not looking for the "right kind" of Messiah. They wanted someone that fit their mold and would make them rulers over the people and the Romans. They didn't really want to see Jesus perform miracles as the Messiah. They just wanted to see the show for themselves.

Jesus knew their hearts. Therefore, He did not show them Who He was with miraculous powers. Instead, He declares that they are rejecting Him as being sent by God just like they did Elijah and Elisha!

The people feared Ahab and Jezebel more than God so they rejected Elijah and his ministry. They treated Elisha in much the same way.

Both of these examples point out the arrogance of the Jews in rejecting the prophets of God. They show that God is sovereign in His choice of objects of mercy and of wrath.

In the case of Elijah, God took care of His prophet and a widow woman. But not an Israelite widow! He spared one from the home country of Jezebel herself!

In the time of Elisha, the Jews hated Gentiles so much that the king of Israel mocked at a request of the Syrian General when he wanted to be cured of leprosy. After some convincing, Naaman listen to Elisha and is healed. But the story does not end there. Elisha's servant thinks they should receive payment for the healing. Well, he gets it - He ends up with the leprosy of Naaman for the rest of his life!

Jesus gives these two examples to show that they reject Him as the Messiah because they are acting just like their fathers who rejected the true prophets of God in the past. Moreover, these examples show that Jesus shows cursing and blessing to the most unlikely of people!

« The Religious Leaders Doubt, As Usual | The Light Sprung Up! »

Tags: elijah, elisha, harmony_of_the_gospels, jesus, luke, prophecy

Welcome

Brentwood Hills Primitive Baptist Church is a community of believers working together to transform our lives to the image of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our duty and privilege to live the gospel of the doctrines of grace in such a way as to edify the families within our church and other children of God in our community. Through regular worship based on strong Biblical principles, fellowship, admonishment, and outreach, we glory in the grace of the sovereign God working in our lives thereby showing the Spirit of God in the world.

Brentwood Hills was organized in 1906 in Fort Worth, Texas as Laodicea Primitive Baptist Church. You can find much of the history of the church, as well as other churches here: Primitive Baptist History Database

We identify ourselves as an old-line Primitive Baptist church. If you read our Articles of Faith, you’ll see that we hold to such doctrines as the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. We recognize the King James Version (KJV) as the only English translation worthy of being called the Bible. We believe in salvation solely by the grace of a sovereign God. We believe that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to the earth to do the will of His Father, which was to deliver from the sentence of death all those the Father gave Him before the world began. We believe that Jesus fully satisfied the Father by atoning for all the sins of all His people. In time, we believe the Holy Spirit comes to each person that belongs to Jesus and regenerates them. Then (and only then) can anyone have faith, which is a fruit of the Spirit, by which you are able to believe the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether or not you ever hear the gospel, or believe it if you did hear it, or obey it if you did believe it, rest assured that Jesus will remain forever faithful to you because, if He died for you, He will never deny that you belong to Him.

We believe that everyone for whom Christ died will without fail be raised again from the dead to a glorified life. Even if we are alive when He returns to raise the dead, we shall be changed to a glorified life. All the Redeemed will meet the Lord in the air. Then He will take us to Heaven and there we shall forever be with the Lord. The wicked will be raised at the same time as the righteous, but the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment along with Satan and his angels. Until that glorious day when Christ returns to raise the dead, He has provided a place for His people to find rest for their souls. This place is the Church. Jesus Christ set-up His church on this earth before His death on the Cross. The church is there for those of His people who have come to believe that God saved them by His Son, Jesus Christ. To believe that Christ “paid it all” gives believers the strongest motivation to serve Him. Once enlightened to this glorious truth, then the child of God should feel an obligation to become and remain an active member of the His church. To serve the Lord in His church makes for one of the great blessings to experience this side of Heaven. It fulfills you to serve in His church and it gives your life purpose and meaning.