“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…” Isaiah 61:1
One of the most clear and concise verses in Scripture which reveals to us the eternal nature and glory of God is found in the book of Hebrews where the author wrote: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (13:8) In this verse is revealed the unchanging nature, person, disposition and purposes of God in Christ. This is the One who declares Himself to be the “I AM before Abraham was.” He, in the book of Revelation presents Himself to the church, and the world, as being “The Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” (1:8) He is also that One of whom Paul the Apostle would write: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:17) Not only is Christ before all things, all things existing in Him, but He is specifically the Head of the body, the church. (Col. 1:18) From before creation, during creation, throughout the short history of the world when compared with the eternity of Christ, He has always been, IS, and evermore shall be, God, Creator, Redeemer, Savior, and King. Though the revelation of God in Christ in these descriptive positions is revealed to us as history unfolds, especially, since the cross of Christ was erected, and the Son of God was crucified upon it, Christ has never been other than He IS and will be. The great issue for mankind today, is to stop and ask the question, “What is He today, this moment, in the world, in heaven, in His body on earth called the church, and dwelling in the heart of every believer by the Spirit? What does the revelation of Christ, the Almighty Rock of ages past, and the very eternal Life of any sinner who will turn to Him, have to do presently for the one who will trust Him above all else, dealing today with one’s sins and sin nature? What is the purpose of the revelation of Christ, not only when He was born of a virgin in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago, but the revelation of His life manifested in His church, His body today? What is the height, depth, length and breadth of His calling and purpose for every believer when we consider that the salvation that He has won on Calvary is available and applicable to every believer who will truly trust and surrender to His Lordship, His Kingship, and His Sovereignty over creation and redemption. Jesus once told His disciples that with regard to the impossible fact that a lost sinner cannot be saved by any means or effort he might exert by himself,” then declared, “…with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” How can this be? It is possible because of the eternal Christ, for whom NOTHING is too difficult.
When Jesus began his ministry, He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up. Standing up in the synagogue one day, He read from the book of Isaiah. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor…” (Lk. 4:18) His words were those which had been written down by Isaiah the prophet about seven hundred years before. That which Jesus said afterwards was monumentally powerful as that which He read in Isaiah, for He declared to all present, then and now: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Lk. 4:21) The Christ of Isaiah is the Christ of that day in Nazareth.
This exalted Christ today is walking among the churches, to reveal Himself in and through them. His mission has never changed. Every true believer in Christ is called and anointed to live and proclaim Him today.
Dear Father, Fulfill Thy will in us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.