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Isaiah the prophet prophesied about the coming Messiah and what He would do for the people. The people of the Old Testament had a hope for the future, believing that one day the Messiah would come.
When we come to the New Testament, we read that the Messiah came, and His name was Jesus. We would not just have the hope of the coming Messiah, but now they would experience the Messiah. It is the hope we have today: to experience the presence of Jesus in our daily lives.
What is the ministry of the Messiah Jesus?
Isaiah 61: 1-3: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon Me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim the captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for His own glory.“
What a wonderful Jesus…..
- He brings good news to those who are poor (in spirit). Jesus is good news to those who accept Him and receive Him because they know there is no other way.
- He brings comfort to those who are brokenhearted.
- He brings freedom to the captives of sin.
- He brings favor, blessing, and anointing to those who are mourning.
- He brings a heart of praise instead of despair.
- He strengthens us and plants us so that we will be anchored in the storms of life.
Think about all that Jesus has done in our lives, and we will be filled with praise to speak the name of Jesus! Jesus, Jesus, there’s just something about His name!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has served as the Lead Senior Pastor at the International Christian Center (ICC) in Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and significant emotional life experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is receiving rave reviews. His daily devotional appears in this publication.
