When Jesus was coming out of the wilderness after completing his forty-day fast, he stopped by a synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. This would be the place where Jesus would preach his first message.
When Jesus arrives at the synagogue, he walks in and asks the attendant to bring him the scroll. This is no small thing. In fact, it is a big deal because the people do not consider Jesus to be a Rabbi at this time in his life. Instead, he is simply a son of a carpenter.
With the scroll in hand, he proceeds to lay it down, open it, and read what we now know as Isaiah 61:1-4:
Isaiah 61:1–2 NKJV “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD…”
And then, the Bible says that Jesus rolled up the scroll, handed it to the attendant, took his seat, looked at the religious congregation of synagogue attendees, and said, “Today, this scripture is fulfilled in front of you.”
In this one-minute sermon, Jesus announces his mission statement.
And, we see in scripture that he LIVED IT OUT…
Matthew 4:23–24 NIV Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 …and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.
And, just as Jesus expected his disciples to live out this MISSION, he expects YOU and ME to live it out as well!
But how do we do that?
Theologian Len Sweet refers to Jesus’ mission as the HEAVEN SEVEN (1):
1. Feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty.
2. Welcome the stranger.
3. Clothe the naked.
4. Visit the prisoner.
5. Care for the sick.
6. Befriend sinners.
7. Assist the weak and least.
Jesus did not do these things so we would not have to. Instead, he did them to show us how.
God has every intention to continue to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth through those of us that call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ. And when we choose to follow Jesus’ example, we will see heaven come down to earth by walking these things out in our own life.
And when THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN starts to show up in the EARTH…
1. The hungry are fed
2. The outsiders are welcomed in
3. The naked are clothed
4. The prisoners are visited
5. The sick are cared for and healed
6. The sinners are befriended
7. The weak are assisted
Does this look like your life? If not, what is stopping you from following Jesus? It’s never too late to start.
I invite you to view Pastor Eric's message, Heaven's Seven, in its entirety HERE:
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1.) Sweet, Leonard; Viola, Frank. Jesus (p. 154). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.