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Recently I realized that, unlike cars, planes do not have a reverse gear. I mean they can fly as fast as 575 mph. They get up to 180 mph for takeoff. They go as high as 42,000 feet in the air, 7.2 miles above the earth, but they do not go in reverse. In order to leave the gate, prepare for takeoff, they need the help of what’s called a "pushback tractor." It gives them the necessary adversity to get them pointed in the right direction. You know what I realized we experience the very same thing in our spiritual life and we need it. We need adversity to get us pointed in the right direction. 

Now the challenge for us is that we like to avoid adversity. We tend to think that if it comes it means we did something wrong. The reality is you need it. It's God's way of growing you. The question is when it comes how will you respond? I want to encourage you to stay focused on God's will. At some point, you can look back at your challenges and say, "Thanks for the push!"

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus has just come out of forty days of fasting in the wilderness, where the devil tested Him. He now returns to Galilee to announce the beginning of His public ministry. It was, in essence, His initial sermon. After prayer and a few readings, Jesus stood up, and they handed Him the scroll. He unrolled it until He got to the part where it read: ¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then He rolled it back up, handed it to His attendant, sat in His chair, and told them: ²¹ … “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

I imagine they were amazed at His words. They celebrated. And then somebody said, wait a minute, ²² … “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” … Now this wasn’t a question of identity. They already knew who He was. His family came to synagogue every week. And He had just identified Himself as the Messiah. But He’s not who they expected. They thought the Messiah would be a military general. This was their way of saying, "You can't be the Messiah. You're the illegitimate son of a carpenter and a teenage mother from the projects.” In other words, you don’t look the part.

It really didn’t matter what they thought He should look like because Jesus knew who He was. The truth is you can’t wait for people to tell you who you are. You must know for yourself. If you allow others to determine your self-worth, then you’ll also give them the power to take it away. Jesus already knew that He wouldn't be accepted in His hometown. And this was not some false bravado. This comes from the fact that He had just spent forty days fasting. And when He came back, He was full of the Holy Spirit. In fact, He told them, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me…" You may not be as accomplished as others, but the Holy Spirit makes all the difference. The problem with judging people based on their appearance is that you don't know how the Holy Spirit is at work inside of them.

When you face adversity, it has nothing to do with you. It’s actually the anointing on your life that agitates people. It’s not that they don’t see it – it’s because they do see it that they struggle with you! They know that with the Holy Spirit, there is literally no limit to what God can accomplish through you.

Opposition will come your way, but don't back down. You're exactly where you're supposed to be. And don't diminish who you are to make others comfortable. You are responsible for being who God called you to be. So just keep going, and soon enough you'll be able to look back and say – thanks for the push!

When adversity comes, let me encourage you to do a number of things. The first of which is to Ignore the Criticism of Others. After Jesus made it clear that He wasn’t backing down, The Bible says that, ²⁸ All the people in the synagogue were furious… They weren’t furious because of who He says He is. They were furious about what it said about them. Galileans were considered uncultured and irreligious compared to Judeans. So, if Jesus was the Messiah, then they would have to give up their fictitious superiority status. Don’t take it personally when people are adversarial.

The reality is your commitment to purpose can often highlight their love affair with mediocrity. They can tell that when you have come from spending time in the presence of God. But the "people pleaser" part of us doesn't want to be disliked. The truth is we're afraid of rejection. And rejection can crush you if your identity is based on what others think. But when you know your purpose, you don't owe anyone an explanation for who you are. 

Notice that you don't see Jesus responding to their anger. It’s hard not to get emotional. I get it. But not saying anything isn’t passive behavior. It's controlled strength. When you're blinded by anger, you can't hear from God. And what you need most is the ability to hear from God. 

When staying focused on God's will, you should Ignore the Criticism of Others. You should also learn to Lean into God’s Guidance. Adversity can drive you into purposeful places. I mean they were so furious with Jesus ²⁹ They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. Your journey will take you to some uncomfortable places. 

In fact God will allow you to end up in certain places for at least two reasons. The first is to provide more evidence for who you are. Secondly, it's to deepen your own convictions. The more confidence you have in God, the more conviction you’ll have about the call on your life. 

And sometimes, God will guide you through certain situations so you can see who people really are. In fact Luke keeps talking about this "they" group. And my question is, who is "they?" “They” got up and drove him out of town. “They” sounds like a lot of people, but "they" are never as big of a crowd as you think. They are typically a quartet trying to sound like an orchestra. Learn to trust God to show you the way when “they” attempt to interfere with your purpose.

One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 119. Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path… Interestingly, the earliest known lamps did not produce much light. They only gave off enough for someone traveling to see about two feet in front of them, which means that the Word of God gives you just enough light to see your next step. So, the psalmist is saying to you and I that even though it's dark, you don't know what's ahead, trust God’s Word for every step that you take!

Staying focused on God’s will requires you to Ignore the Criticism of Others and Lean into God’s Guidance. Lastly, Follow the Path in Front of You. It would appear that Jesus allowed them to coerce Him into walking two miles to His death. I mean He could have just walked through them at any time. But I am convinced that He was allowing their thoughts to turn into questions. After a while, someone in the back maybe rose up and said, "Now, why are we doing this? And why are we so angry with Him?" Along the road of adversity there comes a time when you simply must let the Word do the work. 

When the time had come, ³⁰ …he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. When you know who you are, you don't have to react to everything people do. No matter how much adversity they throw at you, they are not in control. 

Adversity is not a sign of weakness. It's a necessity for purpose. You had to go through it. I know it doesn't feel good. But it points to the power of God working inside of you. When you have the Word of God on your side, you can overcome whatever challenges come your way. In the words of the hymn writer: God is teaching you to hold to His hand, God's unchanging hand. He's showing you that all things work together for the good of those who love God…and are called according to His purpose. 

It may not make sense to you now, but when you get to the other side of your adversity, you can literally look back over your life and say, “Thanks for the push!" Amen.

1. Psalm 119:105 KJV.
   
2. Wilson, Jennie. Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand. Link.
   
3. Romans 8:28 KJV.