30th Mar 26 | 13:54
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Luke 23 44-49 THE DEATH OF JESUS 10 24Jan2022 Luke 23 44-45 The work of Jesus
📖 Luke 23:44-49
10 – 24 Jan 2022 – The work of Jesus - Luke 23:44-49 - THE DEATH OF JESUS - Bible reading: Luke 4:18-21
“Lord Jesus, we thank You for your completed work on the cross. Lord, we cannot fully comprehend it. Even the little that we grasp, is mindboggling. We worship you, Lord. We give you all the praise and adoration. In Jesus' most precious name, we pray, Amen.”
As soon as the three hours of darkness were over, Jesus died when He was separated from the Father. All the transactions that needed to be done were completed and He said, “I thirst.” Immediately, He said the next statement, “It is finished.”. We then come back to Luke's gospel, where Jesus spoke the final word from the cross which is, “Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.”
The 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th words from the cross were spoken, almost one after the other. What was happening at that time, was of eternal proportions.
Luke 23:44-45 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. (45) Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.
John 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Let us look at the 6th word on the cross, “It is finished.” Jesus came to this world to do the Father's work.
John 17:4-5 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. (5) And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
Jesus completed the Father’s work on the cross. This was also the moment of His glory. The work of Jesus on the cross was the culmination of the plan of God . Jesus was bringing us back into the kingdom relationship with God.
Ephesians 1:9-10 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, (10) that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him .
The plan of God is to gather, in one, all things in Christ. Jesus is our habitat . Everything for us in life is found in Christ alone.
Colossians 1:17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist .
I Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live .
Acts 17:28a for in Him we live and move and have our being,...
This was the work that Jesus came to do, which He announced.
Luke 4:18-21 "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR; HE HAS SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED, TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET AT LIBERTY THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED; (19) TO PROCLAIM THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." (20) Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. (21) And He began to say to them, " Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing ."
People are broken-hearted, oppressed, in darkness and blindness. All of this had to be resolved and people needed to be gathered and brought back into fellowship with God.
Luke 4:43) but He said to them, " I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent ." (44) And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
People needed to hear a message that will draw them back to God. The message of Jesus came from His life. His preaching was not just verbal, His preaching was his entire life which was a fulfilment of the Kingdom of God.
This is what Jesus told the disciples of John.
Matthew 11:4 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: (5) The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. (6) And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."
His work was to establish His Kingdom, which was to bring people back to Himself.
Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
His work was to bring goodness back into our world, which was in decay and darkness.
Thought to ponder
Do you see yourself as a co-worker with Jesus, in bringing people back to His kingdom?