MEMORISE:
Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
READ: Luke 4:13-20, Isaiah 61:1-3
13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
18 Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?
19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
Isaiah 61:1 -3
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
MESSAGE
In Luke 4:13-20, Jesus read from Scripture the reason He came to the earth as prophesied in Isaiah 61:1-3. There is however, one surprising thing in that Scripture: He started reading the prophecy of Isaiah about His ministry from the beginning, but when He got to the part that says ‘to preach the acceptable year of the Lord’, He stopped and closed the book. That was not all that Isaiah said; there was more, but in announcing the assignment that He had come to do on earth, Jesus stopped halfway. There must have been a reason for this. We see that reason in Acts1:8:
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Jesus came to the world, lived and died, then sent us the Holy Spirit so that we can continue from where He stopped. The first part of His assignment was fulfilled while He was on earth; the rest, as prophesied by Prophet Isaiah, is to be fulfilled through us His children after we have received the Holy Ghost.
Jesus saved you so that He can use you to save others. The question is: are you a ready vessel or not? As you celebrate Easter, don’t forget the assignment the Lord gave to you after He rose from death (Matthew 28:19-20).
Does Christ truly have you as a vessel to fulfil His will? Apostle Paul was a man who stopped at nothing to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Easter is not a time to just eat chicken and stay at home relaxing; it’s a time to go out there and let Jesus use you to save unbelievers. It’s a time to proclaim the day of the vengeance of God and to comfort all those who mourn.
Let Jesus use you to win at least one soul this season. Tell someone about the day of the vengeance of God and don’t let that fellow end up in hell.
ACTION POINT:
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Samuel 20-22
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 2: AMAZING GRACE! HOW SWEET THE SOUND
1. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see.
2. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
3. Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come.
‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.
4. The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
5. When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.
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Joesphine Ehigie
TJ