Scripture
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn. –Isaiah 61:1-2
Today Marc reminds us that the four written Gospels that we know were penned long after Jesus lived and proclaimed it. So here we explore the question, “What was the Gospel, according to Jesus?”
After reading two passages from Isaiah, Jesus declared in the synagogue that day, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,” punctuating to the listeners that His coming was not to seek vengeance against enemies but to show charity to those who are less fortunate.
Question: Now that we better understand what Jesus meant by the Gospel, what practical habits can we create to alleviate suffering, help the poor, bring life and healing, show mercy, and share resources in all areas of our lives?
Family Chat: Talk about three practical ways you can share the good news of Jesus in your school, family, or neighborhood.
Take Action: Set your heart and determine to do this week what you just talked about.
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Scripture
And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
– Luke 4:17-21
In today’s devo, Rebecca invites us to observe and consider Jesus’ inaugural address, given at His hometown of Nazareth, after His temptation in the wilderness. Jesus comes in the power of the Holy Spirit, reads these powerful promises, and declares that He will fulfill all of them. While at first filled with awe at the words and the power with which Jesus spoke to them, the people of Nazareth quickly return to a place of familiarity, remembering His human history, disarming Him of His supernatural power.
With the people of Nazareth feeling entitled to “proof,” Jesus laments that they will see no sign because God does not respond to entitlement, but to humble faith. And the final result of Jesus’ first sermon? Starting in awe, but quickly degrading to disbelief and entitlement, the people of Nazareth, manipulated by the enemy, lead Jesus to a cliff, intending to throw Him off. And at that moment, Jesus settles once and for all that He would guide His ministry by the fear of the Lord and not the fear of man.
Question: Where has your familiarity with Jesus robbed Him of His power in your life? Where have you let the fear of man guide your life rather than the fear of the Lord?
Family Chat: Did you know that when you read the Bible—God’s Word—you are having a conversation with Him, and He is talking to you?
Take Action: Repent! Each of the questions above reveal how the enemy tricks you out of experiencing the power of God; so, wherever you answered positively, turn from that mindset, acknowledge that is not who you are, and receive the forgiveness and restoration that Jesus purchased for you on the cross. Then take a moment and worship God, remembering that He is omnipotent and you are not, and that He is all-wise, and you are not.
Prayer Starter: “Jesus, thank You for who You are: my savior, my deliverer, my healer, and my redeemer! I choose today to submit my way to Your way, my will to Your will.”
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Scripture
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. – Matthew 5:3-5
As we study a portion of the Beatitudes today, Marc challenges us first to understand what the words in the Bible meant in Jesus’ day to better understand what they mean for our world today.
Marc explains that in Hebrew, the phrase “poor in spirit”—which we misinterpret as someone who acknowledges their spiritual poverty—actually represents the poor who are endowed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. He explains that the word “meek” also means humility, a rare quality in today’s world. He also points out that the words for “poor” and “meek” are almost identical, which points at the first interpreting the second.
And finally, blessing those who mourn isn’t referring to sadness due to a loss. “Mourn” here means a yearning for God’s redemption. There is both a social and a spiritual aspect to what Jesus values here. Jesus values the poor in spirit, the humble, and those who yearn for God’s redemption.
Being a follower of Jesus means that we align ourselves with those behaviors and characteristics that He valued: the poor in spirit, the meek, and those who mourn.
Question: Do we value humility as part of our spiritual walks? Do we yearn for God’s redemption? Do we align our spiritual life and practices with those values that Jesus valued?
Family Chat: What does it mean to be humble? Talk about some examples of when you saw someone display a humble spirit by their actions.
Take Action: Talk to your life group or accountability partners about practical ways to practice humility in your daily relationships, and how to create a culture in your family and community that yearns for God’s redemption.
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Scripture
When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” – Matthew 11:2-6
Today, Pastor Marcus speaks to us about how John the Baptist—who was sitting in prison for doing the right thing—struggles with knowing if Jesus is who He claims to be. Here is John, in painful circumstances, facing uncertainty regarding Jesus’ Messiahship. Yet Jesus, in His response, doesn’t deal with the circumstances of John’s life; He deals directly with who He is by laying out how He is living—the lame walk, the lepers are clean, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. “Blessed is any who does not stumble on account of me.”
Question: What was Jesus trying to communicate with John the Baptist?
Family Chat: Is there anyone in your life who has offended you or hurt your feelings? Have you forgiven them?
Take Action: Share your thoughts on the above question with your life group or accountability partners. Talk about what your next step today should be, in light of what you shared.
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…Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”—Luke 10:37
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Scripture
One Sabbath, Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” – Luke 6:1-5
Take Action: Do the things you talked about when you answered today’s questions. Then talk with your life group about how it went for you, and even what you will do differently next time.
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Scripture
On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus. – Luke 6:6-11
Question: Do you ever wrestle with “doing the right thing” over caring for others? Explain.
Family Chat: When talking about focusing on the needs of others it might be easy to say, “I am too young to do anything,” but that is a lie. God wants to use you to help others in your life. Don’t make it complicated it might as simple as holding the door open for your teacher, packing an extra granola bar in your lunch for someone who doesn’t have food or dropping off some cans of food at a food pantry. Talk with your parents about what YOU can do. Ask your parents to help you find a need to meet.
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