Church Notes: LIC 02/13

[CLT: "Empty Me" - Chris Sligh]

Yesterday, I went out to eat with Frances and her parents, Esar and Judy, who my parents have been talking to on the phone since I got here. Somehow my parents found all these contacts from/in Ghana for me before I got here, and they have all been wonderful help since I came. Esar and Judy also attend LIC, so I went there today thinking I may see them there, again. I really like this church a lot. The announcements sometimes go for a long time, but the two messages I've heard there have been pretty solid w/ Scripture; it's so exciting!

JESUS CHRIST: THE FULFILLMENT OF GOD'S MISSION
Scripture: Luke 4:14-21 quoting Isaiah 61:1-3

Question: What was the mission Jesus came to fulfill?
Answer: Luke 19:10 "To seek and save the lost.

Adam's sin in the garden was no surprise to God. He had been planning all of it from before time began. (Acts 2:22,23; Acts 4:27,28; Revelation 13:8, 17:8). That is why Jesus can say that all the Scriptures pointed to Him because had been leaving hints and declarations throughout the Old Testament as to His future plan of salvation.
Jesus declared 5 things about Himself and His mission when He quoted Isaiah 61:1-3.
1- He would preach the Gospel to the poor- those who are poor in Spirit (Matt. 5:3)
2- He would proclaim the release of captives- Sinners are captive to their sin. When Jesus grants forgiveness to the sinner, those shackles are removed and we are made free because of Christ's merit and grace (Rom. 6:18).
3- He would recover sight to the blind- Sinners are spiritually blind, "the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers" so that they cannot understand the truth of the Gospel(1 Cor. 2:14; 2 Cor. 4:4). Only Jesus has the power to open peoples eyes and ears to the truth.
4- He would free the oppressed- In this world we can be oppressed by temporal things such as illness and poverty. Jesus has promised to help us bear that burden and overcome (Matthew 11:28-30; John 16:33).
5- He promised to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord- The Lord used to speak to the people through prophets, but Jesus is the final revelation of God to us; there is no new prophecy for Jesus is alive today and He is the Word (Heb. 1:1-2; John 1:1). "God is the Gospel" so Jesus was saying part of His mission is to proclaim Himself to the people.

Christ perfectly fulfilled the mission God sent Him to earth to do, bringing glory to God with His every action and sacrificial act of obedience. His mission however has not died; instead He has now enlisted His children to carry the same message to the world (John 20:21). He has given us His Spirit for power and desire to continue with the task. He has comforted us; let us not sit and be comfortable and not seek to carry on the mission He transmitted to us.