Friday 3 April 2009

SAMPLES. . . . .

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me , because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord". Luke 4:18,19.


THIS DAY IS THE SCRIPTURE FULFILLED IN YOUR EARS . LUKE 4:21.

The contents of two bowls would look alike if one contained salt and the other, granulated sugar.Without proper labelling, when placed side by side on a dining table,one could, mistakenly put salt into coffee and sugar could be mistaken for salt and sprinkled unto a bowl of soup!
A sample is a small part which shows what the whole is.
The difference between look-alike salt and sugar is in the taste of their samples. The taste of the pudding is in the eating.

Integrity is determined by the "samples" of a person's words and actions during a length of time.
If a person said something or promised to do something , his listeners would either rely on his word or dismiss it with a wave of the hand.
Their reaction would depend on who he is ,what he had done and said in the past and the worth or weight of his word . That is, has he proved himself dependable in the past or not?

When the Lord Jesus Christ, quoting from Isaiah 61:1-3, presented his mission statement to the worshippers in the synagogue of Nazareth, his home village , he must had ruffled not a few feathers!
The problem was that they couldn't accept his word; not because he was a stranger in their midst, but because they knew him too well as " the carpenter's son".
They must have been surprised to hear him claiming to possess the power and anointing reserved for a chosen few " spiritual heavyweights" in the land.
However subsequent events silenced them and astounded them the more.
These were events which shook the nation of Israel , even sending ripples across the frontiers.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
And his fame went throughout all Syria:and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments,and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy ;and he healed them.
And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis,
and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan . Matthew 4:23-25.


The staying power of the Truth was clearly stated by Gamaliel,a Pharisee, in Acts 5:34-42.
The Truth and the Power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ have underlined the clear difference between the Lord Jesus Christ and others...
The gospel has stood the test of time .
Every word spoken and every promise made by the Lord Jesus have been fulfilled. That means we can depend upon his Word; rely on his promises for our present,for our future and even for eternity.
"If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe,that the Father is in me , and I in him". John 10:37,38.


"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me..."

The fulfillment of this is in his birth and in his baptism.
Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her,
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:34,35.

The Son ship and ministry of Jesus Christ were confirmed by God the Father and God the God the Holy Spirit when Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist at the Jordan.
And Jesus, when he was baptised , went up straightway out of the water:and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting on him:
And lo a voice from heaven, saying,This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:16-17.


<"because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.."
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17.

" he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted..."
Jesus raised the only son of the widow of Nain from the dead.
And when the Lord saw her , he had compassion on her , and said unto her , Weep not.
And he came and touched the bier , and they that bare him stood still.
And he said , Young man , I say unto thee , Arise. Luke 7 :12.

The man with the 38 years infirmity laid at the Bethesda pool; abandoned and helpless.Jesus saw him and had compassion on him.
Jesus defied the doctrine of work-free sabbath days and declared deliverance to the man.
" Rise,take thy bed, and walk".John 5:8.

" to preach deliverance to the captives and,and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised..."
And great multitudes came unto him , having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb , maimed, and many others and cast them at Jesus' feet; and he healed them. Matthew 15:30.

"To preach the acceptable year of the Lord".
But he that shall endure to the end , the same shall be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come .
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of Man cometh. Matthew 24 13-14,44.

" I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."
The hireling fleeth , because he is an hireling and careth not for the sheep"
John 10:11,13.

"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring,
and they shall hear my voice;and there shall be one fold and one shepherd".
Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life , that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me , but I lay it down of myself .I have power to lay it down, and the power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my Father." John 10:15-18.

" Behold we go to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes , and they shall condemn him to death,
And they shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge , and to crucify him and the third day he shall rise again".
Matthew 20:18, 19.

" I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me , though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

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