Life of Christ - The Message
Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 44:34
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The Message
The Message
Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region.
He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.
The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently.
We have looked at the man, the motivation, the method and today the message of Christ!
We pick up the story as Jesus returns from the mount of temptation
He has just been baptized and taken for an immediate test!
Following His departure from the mountain the power of the Holy Spirit begins to manifest in His ministry
It is a lesson well learned by every believer. We cannot embark on this mission without first being fully controlled by the Holy Spirit.
He is now returned to His home town and finds himself in the synagogue
Notice that He purposefully “found the place” from whence He would read
It wasn’t a random choice or a good idea, it was a statement about who He was and what His message would be!
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me
It had been many years since the Spirit of the Lord would be present among man
Isaiah 61 was a chapter that only the Messiah could fulfill
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.
So as Isaiah was authorized to proclaim liberty to the Jews in Babylon, so Christ, God’s messenger, would publish a more joyful message to a fallen world!
Notice that there are two things here working hand-in-hand, The Spirit of the Lord and the Anointing of the Lord - You cannot have one without the other
Many a men have tried to do the work of God without the anointing of God and have miserably failed!
It was a new day! While the Holy Spirit came upon the prophets of old, now, the Spirit of God would be upon man in his fullness remaining with him always
As the kings and rules of old were “anointed with oil” for their duties so now the Christian is “anointed” by the Lord, equipped for whatever the task of His Master might be!
The symbolism of anointing was reserved for dedicating or consecrating individuals or objects for service to God!
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,
for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
Christ’s life clearly demonstrated that He was not His own but sent to show the character of the Father
His message then was not His own but that of the one who sent Him!
“to preach good tidings” A message of good news to the hearer!
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;
nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Notice the things then proving the manifestation of the Kingdom of God
The brokenhearted - healed; freedom from sin to those captive in its grip; opening the prison doors of those who were bound by sin; To comfort those who mourn; to give beauty for ashes; the oil of joy for mourning; lifting of the spirit of heaviness; ruined lives rebuilt; breaking of the curse of previous generations!
What better news could there be than the Kingdom of God has come!
When John toe baptist sent word to Jesus about this, Jesus responded
Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.”
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.
We are back full circle to John 1:4-5
The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
And so it goes on today!
The offer of God is still as good as it was the first day it was shared
But where can one find this kingdom?
nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
This Kingdom of which we are a part of is not of this world.
It is manifest by its members through acts and demonstrations of the power of the Holy Spirit
Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
We are the manifestation of the Kingdom of God on earth are we await the day of our redemption!
I have heard it said that there are seven values to being a member of the Kingdom of God
Love, repentance, faith, obedience, purpose, fearlessness, prayer!
This how we testify about the reality of God’s Kingdom
So how do I become a member of this “Kingdom of God?” - You must die
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Our life needs surrendered to Him through the act of repentance and surrender
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
let’s Pray