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God’s prophecies are intended to bless all mankind
The wonderful accuracy and blessings of all of God’s prophecies.

(Looking at Isaiah 61:1-3 & Luke 4:14-22)

Isaiah 61:1-3 (ESV) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;  (2)  to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;  (3)  to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.

Q1. Fill in the blanks… (From Vs.1) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring ______ _____ to the poor;

a/ great wealth     b/ angry revolt     c/ good news
(Think about what God’s Spirit is bringing to the poor.)

Q2. Fill in the blanks… (More from Vs.1) he has sent me to ______ ___ the brokenhearted,

a/ bring tears     b/ bind up     c/ bring anger
(Think about how God’s Spirit helps those with broken hearts.)

Q3. Fill in the blanks… (Further in Vs.1) to proclaim liberty to the ________,

a/ captives     b/ wives     c/ husbands
(Think about what sorts of bondage God’s Spirit is setting us free from.)

Q4. Fill in the blanks… (Even more from Vs.1) and the opening of ___ _____ to those who are bound;

a/ great wealth     b/ real power     c/ the prison
(Think about how many different things keep us in bondage.)

Reading further in Vs.2… to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

Q5. How can we have; a year of the Lord’s favor, a day of vengeance, and comforting those who mourn, in the same era?

By…  a/ God blessing His people, punishing evil, and bringing comfort to the persecuted.

b/ making everyone wealthy, bringing war to our enemies, and placing flowers on graves.

Continuing in Vs.3… to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.

Q6. Here it speaks of the deliverance of God’s people, from weakness and sorrow to joy and security… Who is to receive the glory when God’s people are saved?

a/ The leadership.     b/ The church.     c/ The Lord.

_______________________________

Now we will compare these verses to what Jesus shared in Luke 4:14-22.

(Cont’d on page #2)

Luke 4:14-16 (ESV) And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.  (15)  And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  (16)  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.

Q7. What was Jesus’ habit on their Holy Day (the Sabbath of the Jews)?

a/ To stay home and rest.     b/ To go and meet others at the synagogue.     c/ To go shopping.

Vs.17-19… And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,  (18)  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,  (19)  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Q8. What purpose did Jesus have in choosing this specific scripture of the Prophet Isaiah?

a/ He had no purpose, it was just random verses.     b/ To show the fulfillment of the prophecy.

Vs.20-22… And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  (21)  And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  (22)  And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”

Let’s examine two factors from these verses…

Q9. Why did Jesus say that about the prophecies of Isaiah?

a/ He wanted their praise, so He made this extravagant boast.

b/ He was announcing that His purpose here on earth was to:
1/ bring good news to the poor;
2/ to bind up the brokenhearted;
3/ to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
4/ to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor;
5/ to warn of the coming day judgment of our God;
6/ to comfort all who mourn and to give everyone, including the chosen Jewish nation, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
7/ to make it clear that all His work and suffering was so that God would be glorified.

Q10. What do we see in the Vs.22?

a/ The people admired Jesus but couldn’t see past His humanity.

b/ They marvelled that a carpenter by trade could possess such wisdom.

c/ Both a & b.

Can you grasp the idea (FACT) that Jesus was ‘God with us’, and everything He went through in His time walking this earth was so you too could believe in Him, and receive all the promises of the Prophecies of Isaiah 61:1-3..?

— The true Christian Faith is all about this ‘Good News’ for you and I. …(KK)

(Click here for PDF copy Pg.#1)

(Click here for PDF copy Pg.#2)