The Shortest Sermon Ever
Today's Verse
1The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.3They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.Isaiah 61:1-3 · NIV
The Devotion
In Luke 4, Jesus began His earthly ministry after being tempted in the wilderness. The Bible says that Jesus was preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit and the hype about Him in Galilee was growing. He went to His home church (a synagogue in Nazareth) on the Sabbath, walked in, and took the scroll of Isaiah. After reading aloud the passage we just read together, Jesus said eight simple words: "Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
I'm betting that you are wishing the preacher at your church only preached eight words today! Just kidding.
What was the point He was getting at? Jesus was saying that He was this name of God: the Messiah. The Messiah means that Jesus is the promised One, the anointed One, the Christ.
You see, Christ isn't just Jesus's last name. Christ means "anointed one." In the Old Testament, the priests had anointing, symbolized by the sprinkling of oil, showing that they were set apart for a special service: ministering to God on behalf of the people.
Jesus is THE Anointed One, the Christ, who was fully man but set aside and set apart for God's special purpose: to be the Messiah, the rescuer of mankind from our sins. Jesus Christ saves the sinner, sets the captive free, heals the brokenhearted, and gives sight to the spiritually blind. That's the same Jesus you have WITH you and IN you today.
Lord, thank you that Jesus is the Messiah. He fulfilled all the prophecies and predictions that you gave in the Old Testament. He showed us the way to God because He was and is the Way. He is the Anointed One, set apart for Your purpose. Now, Lord, set me apart for Your purpose and give me a special anointing to know truth and to tell others about Jesus today, just as 1 John says about all those who belong to Jesus. In His name, Amen.
Sources
- David Guzik
- "52 Names of God" in Hebrew by Dave Adamson
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