Dear friend in Christ!
Luke 4:21-44
Greetings of grace and peace to you from God our Father and from His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let me begin with a question this morning. How do we get to know God? Through the Scriptures, yes, and by the revelation of the Holy Spirit we would answer. So then, what ultimately is God wanting us to know about Him? Would He not want us to come to know His gracious will towards us in that through His Son, in whom He is well pleased, that He loves us and wants us to know that He is love? Yes, that would be correct, for we know that He wants nothing greater than for all humanity to know of His love and of his forgiveness for our sin.
We are following our Lord through the Gospel of Luke as He begins to travel around with the message of love for and to the world. Today we take Luke 4:21-44 as our text of meditation, in which Jesus after speaking in the synagogue of Himself being the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-3), begins to show the fulfillment of that prophecy by demonstrating His divinity by challenging and escaping his opposition, by casting out unclean spirits and devils, by healing Peter’s mother in law,and by healing as many as were brought to him.
After Jesus had gone into the desert place, the people sought him there, coming to him and wanted that he would stay there with them. But Jesus said unto them at that time:
Luke 4:43 "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose."
May we get it that Jesus came to reveal the heart of His Father, who has made it possible for us to receive His love, who by His Spirit now indwells us and the life we live is now lived in Christ.
John wrote about this relationship between the Father and Son in His Gospel..
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."
8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."
9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
May that be our prayer as we meditate upon the grace and love of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. May we see the Father in His Son..
God’s Peace be unto you!
Pastor Orval Wirkkala