Pastor Marshall Ochs | January 14, 2024
In this message, Pastor Marshall teaches from Luke 4. This chapter covers the temptation of Jesus, his early ministry, and His authority over the physical and spiritual realm. To help the church cultivate a hunger for God’s Word and a deep understanding of scripture, Pastor Marshall uses a summarization method of Luke 4 to model healthy Bible reading habits. When reading the Bible, it is important to pause regularly to summarize the story, summarize the larger story, and summarize what scripture is requiring of you.
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Read Luke 4
In Luke 4, verse 1, we learn that Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, was guided by the Spirit into the wilderness for a period of forty days. During those 40 days in the desert, He fasted in preparation for His ministry. It's important to see that the enemy attempted to lead Jesus away from His mission, using distorted interpretations of scripture. This highlights the significance of understanding scripture in its entirety so that we are well-prepared to face spiritual battles when they arise.
So, as we read these passages, what does God require of us? Will you spend time in prayer asking God to speak to you through His Word, to guide your steps according to His Word?
I want to continue emphasizing the significance of what Scripture reveals about the power of the Holy Spirit. Verse 14 states that Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. Remarkably, this same Spirit resides within us as followers of Jesus Christ. As you approach your time with God through His Word, may you earnestly seek the Holy Spirit's guidance to teach, grant understanding, and guide your steps.
In this passage, we witness Jesus go to the synagogue, where He read the prophecy from Isaiah 61 and then proclaims, I am the fulfillment of this prophecy. Interestingly, the people's first response was of marvel and praise as they desired blessings, miracles, and healings, yet they did not fully embrace Him or His message of repentance and turning towards Him. Where are you? Do you want His miracles and blessings more than you want Jesus? Will you sit in His presence and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal hidden things of your heart and ask Him to give you the desire for Him and Him alone?