We had seen the temptation of Jesus in Mathew 4 and thus we'll precede from there.
After the temptations Jesus went back in the power of the Spirit and news about Him spread.
We learn that there is a power of the Holy Spirit which we only experience after overcoming temptations. Every temptation that comes in our lives is a test for us to experience more of God's power in our lives.
Have you been overcoming temptations or have you been complaining in your heart? The reason why the lives of many believers are stagnant is because instead of overcoming temptations, they murmur and complain. Are you one of them? Learn to overcome.
He read in the temple Isaiah 61:1-2a and said it was fulfilled in their hearing. They all spoke well of Him and marvelled at the gracious words that came out of His mouth. It's interesting that He didn't give a lot of interpretation in the verse but it was full of grace. It is the fullness of the Spirit that makes a difference in preaching not many explanations. The hearts burn as you listen to one who is filled with the Holy Spirit, one who have been tested overcome temptations. This is what makes a difference between preachers, one who has been tested and overcome temptations and is full of the Holy Spirit, when they stand to preach, their words will have more than one who have only read their Bible or attended a bible college.
Jesus answered that they will tell Him to do the things they heard Him do and as a doctor to heal himself but no prophet is accepted in His own home town.
In the days of Elijah during the famine Elijah was sent to a widow who was not a jew, and in the time of Elisha, God healed Naaman who was not a jew.
Jews were the chosen of God but God bypassed them. Even today God is still bypassing those who think themselves highly as the only chosen of God, those who despise others of other 'dead' denominations and going to choose from among them those who would represent Him.
Are you proud of your church or your spiritual leader? Do you despise others who don't do as you do, those who you say are blind? May God have mercy on you. God has no favourites and He can use or bless whoever He wishes.
Pride in anything, it can be pride in gifts, knowledge, church, statistics, abilities, wealth, wisdom... It is always the reason God bypasses many who think highly of themselves and despises others thinking they are better than them.
Have a sober estimate of yourself. Rom 12:3
You deceive yourself when you think you are someone important when you are nothing. Gal 6:3
The people got angry and took Jesus by force to go and kill Him. Jesus passed in their midst and went His way. He could not die at that time because His ambition was to please God and His time had not come. He had no other purpose in life other than to please Him and do His will and He did nothing without seeking God. John 4:34, 8:29, 5:30, 6:38.
If you don't want to die prematurely, let your ambition in life be to please God and do His will.
He continued preaching and people were amazed at His teaching because He spoke with authority. Remember that these people only heard sermons in the synagogue every Sabbath but they recognised that Jesus was different from the Scribes and Pharisees sermons.
His authority as we saw earlier came from overcoming temptations and being filled with the Holy Spirit. Seek that your words have authority. Beware of hypocrisy, God does not give authority to hypocrites, those who pretend to be on the outside something when Their inside is corrupt.
There was a man in the synagogue who was demon possessed but when Jesus begun preaching, the demon could not stand the power of Jesus words and spoke out and Jesus cast it out and people were amazed at such authority. Remember that the Pharisees and scribes used to preach and teach in the temple but the demon in the man was not disturbed. Authority in Jesus' words made the difference.
He healed Peter's mother in law. We see that Peter was a married man not as some believe that He wasn't married.
He healed many people and cast out demons. He departed and people sought Him. He said He must preach in other cities as well and thus He continued preaching.
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@ Blessed Mshindi Mambo
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