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| At the brow of the hill at Nazareth |
Our LORD JESUS CHRIST came to prepare a People for Possession, a People HE+ could call His+ own, a People HE+ was not ashamed to call "Brethren."
Isaiah 61:1-2a
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;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the
LORD,...
This exact same PROCLAMATION was
announced by Our LORD Himself+ when HE+ was given the scroll of Isaiah to read
in His+ home synagogue in Nazareth.
This was His+ first public
PROCLAMATION after the devil had tempted HIM+ for 40 days.
After reading these same words of Isaiah the
Prophet to the congregation in His+ home-town, Nazareth, HE+ said:
And HE+ began to say
unto them,
This Day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Luke 4:21
Thus, Our LORD JESUS CHRIST publicly proclaimed that HE+ was indeed the MESSIAH+ of the Israel of GOD,
a proclamation which thrust HIM+
headlong and immediately into ... favor ?
NO.
That proclamation thrust Our
LORD into His+ first persecution by the public... that same "public"
that knew HIM+ as a child full of favor among them! (See Luke 4. )
Luke 2:52
And JESUS increased in
wisdom and stature, and in favor with GOD and man.
His+ townspeople tried to cast
HIM+ headlong over the cliff, the brow of the hill where their city was built
(Luke 4:29).
They failed because His+ time
was not yet come to die for the sins of the people... those very people whose
sins wrought such hatred and violence against HIM+.
Why was this ?
His+ Words revealed their
hearts, that they were dark and evil and ready to kill anyone who revealed them
in truth.
When we proclaim His+ Word in
SPIRIT and in Truth, the same thing happens to us, a People for His+
Possession.
His+ Truth reveals the evil in a
human heart. His+ Word has power to do this. HE+ knows which spirits are ruling
men, just like HE+ knew the spirits ruling the men of Nazareth in the synagogue
that day.
The satan and his minions know they have been
revealed for who they are and for whom they serve in the LIGHT of His+ Word.
They hate the LIGHT+ of CHRIST,
just as the men of Nazareth hated it although JESUS had lived in wisdom,
stature, and favor among them growing up.
Knowing this, do we
stop proclaiming the LORDSHIP of JESUS CHRIST unto this dark and dying world ?
Knowing this, do we
stop proclaiming the LORDSHIP of JESUS CHRIST through our lives, in this dark and dying
world ?
NO, no to both.
We proclaim His+ Death until HE+
comes again in power and great glory!
Let us pray:
O LORD JESUS, THOU+ Who+
proclaimed the Light+ to men hostile to THEE+, strengthen me to do the same.
Help me in my resolve to
proclaim Thy+ LORDSHIP to both the seen and the unseen.
But first, O Knower+ of all
that is in man, help me to live FULLY under Thy+ LORDSHIP myself. Let the satan find nothing in me that he can
claim as his own.
Rather, make me a person for
Thy+ Possession, O LORD, for THOU+ hast said there is nothing too hard for
THEE+.
So, I renounce the works of
the satan in my life -- the fears and the family spirits -- in the Mighty Name
of our RISEN LORD JESUS CHRIST, Who+ came to triumph over death, hell, and the
grave... and HE+ did triumph !
Thanks be to GOD for sending
His+ Only-Begotten SON+ to rescue such sinners as myself and to make us a
People for Possession, His+ Own.
Amen.
