It is a very powerful thing, to be chosen by God. Not something to be chased after, to be glorified, at least not in this life. Jesus was called, chosen by God, and while He was resurrected from the dead, it was a horribly painful death. Many others have suffered and died for the faith, down to our present age.
That's why this series of sermons is generally titled "What does God want from us as Christians?" It began with the second part of Our Story, Jesus was baptized with (in) the Spirit for us. It presupposes that what Jesus has done for us is what we will receive and move forward to do in turn. Thus the focus on the Spirit.
Jesus is baptized in the middle of Luke 3. Then the gospel writer breaks the narrative to establish Jesus' lineage in his genealogy. Unlike Matthew however, Luke tracks back to Adam. Then Chapter 4, first the Spirit drives Jesus to his showdown with Satan (which Jesus wins), then, in verse 14, Jesus, filled with the Spirit, goes back to his home turf, Galilee. Then, continuing in our passage today, Jesus digs into Isaiah, His bible, to lay out more details.
Jesus presents this in the synagogue: To be chosen by God, to be anointed by the Spirit, is to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, free the oppressed, and proclaim the year of God's favor. The poor, the captive, the infirmed, and the oppressed, these are the people on the agenda for those chosen by God. It is a vision statement for those chosen by God.
So we began at the baptism of Jesus (Luke 3), with the coming of the Spirit and the recognition of the Father two weeks ago. Last week, we looked to Paul for a lesson in applying the Spirit, from 1 Corinthians 12. With that in mind, we return to the story of the Gospel, to where Jesus lays down the foundation of His ministry, drawing from the prophet Isaiah, from God's Word, as the lead in to what will happen next in His work.
Where will we be led next?
Peace,
Pastor Peter
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