Mike's teaching on The Ministry of Jesus Christ, Part 3

Dear Friends,

We continue in our third lesson on the ministry of Jesus Christ, keeping in mind our theme words are "ministry" and "fruitfulness." Today's lesson tells us how to do ministry and how to be fruitful in it.

Here is our text again:

Today we want to focus on the fact that Jesus moved from Nazereth into Galilee, and specifically the reason stated as to why He did so: "so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled..."

Jesus Christ moved ministry headquarters to Galilee so that, or in order that Scripture would be fulfilled. That is, Scripture said that Galilee (of which Zebulun and Naphtali were a part) would see a great light, and that this "great light" would dawn on them, meaning the light would come to them in illumination and guidance. Jesus Christ fulfilled this Scripture by moving his headquarters and beginning His ministry in Galilee.

This shows the importance that Jesus placed on God's written Word. He begins His ministry by fulfilling and exalting the Scriptures. Just prior to this move He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and tempted by the devil, and we recall that He met each temptation with God's Word. He thereby exalted God's Word as the only means and method of defeating the devil, and now He moves to Galilee in fulfillment of the Scriptures. Finally, at the end of His life while He was on the cross, Jesus, in order to fulfill the Scriptures said, "I thirst." I am enclosing at the bottom of this email some of the numerous Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus Christ directly fulfilled. The point is this: Jesus began His ministry lifting up and fulfilling God's Word, He lived God's Word in perfection throughout His life, and He died exalting those same Scriptures. As the Living Word, Jesus lived and died by God's written Word.

Oh my friends, do we not see in Jesus' life and death the pattern for our own living? Oh yes, Jesus was our Substitute, the Lamb of God Who took away the sin of the world, but He is also our Example. Especially is this true in the area of ministry. You may become a mentor to others, and as mentors we dare not use any other means or any other method of freeing captives than that which Jesus used when confronted by the devil. Man's discoveries should not be combined or "integrated" with God's truth.

We can all agree that we desire to be fruitful in ministry. If all of heaven rejoices at the repentance of one sinner, my hope is that God would use us as He brings sinners to their knees, brings them to their senses, brings them to His Son, and in so doing cause all heaven to rejoice over and over.

But in order for this to happen, we must be committed to exalting the Name and Word of God above all things (Psalm 138:2). This means that when we mentor we do not give out "sanctified advice," but rather we give out Scripture, showing how God has enabled us to apply it, and then we help our students to apply it as well. We don't give out psychology, we give out grace and truth.

Are you committed to the exaltation of Jesus Christ and the supremacy of God's Word? If we all are, we will have a very fruitful ministry, Lord willing.

As we close the teaching today, let us renew our minds on the power of the gospel and the effectiveness of God's Word:

Now, here are the Scriptures that Jesus Christ fulfilled:

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES OF JESUS AND THEIR FULFILLMENT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Genesis 3:15
The Promised Seed of a Woman
Galatians 4:4; Luke 2:7; Rev. 12:5

Genesis 12:3; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18
The Promised Seed of Abraham
Acts 3:25; Galatians 3:8 (Matthew 1:1; Luke 3:34)

Genesis 17:19; Genesis 22:16-17
The Promised Seed of Isaac
Matthew 1:2; Luke 1:55, 72-74

Genesis 28:14 (Numbers 24:17)
The Promised Seed of Jacob
Luke 3:34 (Matthew 1:2)

Genesis 49:10a
Will Spring From The Royal Tribe of Judah
Luke 3:33; Hebrews 7:14

Deut. 18:15, 18
Will Be a Prophet
John 6:14; Acts 3:22-23

2 Samuel 7:13b (2 Samuel 7:13; Isaiah 9:1, 7; Isaiah 11:1-5)
Will be the Eternal Heir to David’s Throne
Matthew 1:1 (Matthew 1:6; Luke 1:32-33)

2 Samuel 7:14a
Will be God’s Son
Mark 1:1

Isaiah 35:6; Isaiah 61:1-2 (cp. Psalm 72:2; Psalm 146:8; Zech. 11:11)
Will Meet the Desperate Needs of Men
Matthew 11:4-6

Job 17:3
Will Ransom Men
Ephes. 1:7
(1 John 2:1-2)

Psalm 2:1-2
Will Be Rejected By the Nations
Luke 23:36a, 38

Psalm 2:7
The Son of God
Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5; Hebrews 5:5

Psalm 8:2
Is to Be Praised
Matthew 21:16

Psalm 16:8-11
Will Be Resurrected
Acts 13:34-35; Acts 2:25-28, 31 (Matthew 28:1-2; Mark 16:6, 12, 14; Luke 24:1-53)

Psalm 22:1
Will be Forsaken by God
Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34

Psalm 22:7
People Will Wag Their Heads at the Cross
Matthew 27:39

Psalm 22:18
Clothes Gambled For
Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:24

Psalm 22:22
To Secure Many Brothers
Hebrews 2:12

Psalm 31:5
Commends His Spirit to God
Luke 23:46

Psalm 40:6-8
Fulfills God’s Will
Hebrews 10:5-7

Psalm 41:9
Is Betrayed by Judas
John 13:18; Acts 1:16

Psalm 45:6-7
Is Eternal & Preeminent
Hebrews 1:8-9

Psalm 68:18
Will Lead Captivity Captive
Ephes. 4:8-10

Psalm 69:21
Offered Drugs on the Cross
Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36; Luke 23:36; John 19:28-29

Psalm 69:25; Psalm 109:8
Judas’ Fate
Acts 1:20

Psalm 89:26-27
Exaltation
Phil. 2:9 (cp. Rev. 11:15)

Psalm 95:7-11
Hearts Hardened Against
Hebrews 3:7-11; Hebrews 4:3, 5-7

Psalm 102:25-27
Is Creator & Eternal
Hebrews 1:10-12

Psalm 110:1
To Be Exalted
Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42; Acts 2:34-35; Hebrews 1:13

Psalm 110:4
The High Priest
Hebrews 5:6

Psalm 118:22-23
The Stone
Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11

Psalm 118:25-26
The Triumphal Entry
Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9; John 12:13

Psalm 132:11, 17
The Son of David
Luke 1:69; Acts 2:30

Isaiah 7:14
The Virgin Birth
Matthew 1:23

Isaiah 9:1-2
A Light to Those in Darkness
Matthew 4:15-16

Isaiah 11:2
The Spirit Rests Upon in a Special Way
Luke 4:18-21 (cp. Matthew 12:18; John 3:34)

Isaiah 11:10
To Save the Gentiles
Romans 15:12

Isaiah 25:8
To Conquer Death
1 Cor. 15:54

Isaiah 28:16
The Stone
Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:6

Isaiah 40:3-5
To Have a Forerunner
Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4-6

Isaiah 42:1-4
To Minister to the Gentiles
Matthew 12:17-21

Isaiah 49:6
A Light to the Gentiles
Luke 2:32; Acts 13:47-48; Acts 26:23

Isaiah 53:1
Would Not Be Believed
John 12:38; Romans 10:16

Isaiah 53:3-6
To Die and Arise
Acts 26:22, 23

Isaiah 53:4-6, 11
To Die for Man’s Sins
1 Peter 2:24-25

Isaiah 53:4
To Heal and Bear Man’s Sickness
Matthew 8:17

Isaiah 53:9
To Be Sinless
1 Peter 2:22

Isaiah 53:12
To Be Counted a Sinner
Mark 15:28; Luke 22:37

Isaiah 54:13
To Teach as God
John 6:45

Isaiah 55:3
To Be Raised
Acts 13:34

Isaiah 59:20-21
To Save Israel
Romans 11:26-27

Jeremiah 31:31-34
To Make a New Covenant with Man
Hebrews 8:8-12; Hebrews 10:16-17

Hosea 1:10-11
To Bring About the Restoration of Israel
Romans 11:1-36

Hosea 1:10
The Conversion of the Gentiles
Romans 9:26

Hosea 2:23 The Conversion of the Gentiles
Romans 9:25; 1 Peter 2:10

Joel 2:28-32
The Promise of the Spirit
Acts 2:16-21

Amos 9:11-12
The Lord’s Return and David’s Kingdom Re-established
Acts 15:16-17

Micah 5:2
The Birthplace of Messiah
Matthew 2:5-6; John 7:42

Habakkuk 1:5
The Jews’ Unbelief
Acts 13:40-41

Haggai 2:6
The Return of Christ
Hebrews 12:26

Zech. 9:9
The Triumphal Entry
Matthew 21:4-5; John 12:14-15

Zech. 11:13
Judas’ Betrayal
Matthew 27:9-10

Zech. 12:10
The Spear Pierced in His Side
John 19:37

Zech. 13:7
The Scattering of the Disciples at the Cross
Matthew 26:31, 56; Mark 14:27, 50

Malachi 3:1
The Forerunner, John the Baptist
Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27

Malachi 4:5-6
The Forerunner, John the Baptist
Matthew 11:13-14; Matthew 17:10-13; Mark 9:11-13; Luke 1:16-17

grace and truth,
Mike Cleveland
team member settingcaptivesfree.com

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