Even if nobody else does, I remember the first sermon I preached. G.R.O.W. was my acronym. How do we grow as Christians? Go to God in prayer daily. Read God’s word. Obey. Witness. I remember using multiple texts. The sermon only lasted seven minutes. To prevent a thirty-minute service, my Pastor recapitulated my thoughts, gave and invitation. Amazingly, later he gave me another chance. I am grateful.
Jesus also preached a sermon in his home church. After he was baptized by John, the Holy Spirit descended on him. Full of the Spirit, led by the Spirit, he went into the wilderness and battled the temptations of the devil. In the power of the Spirit, he taught in the synagogues of Galilee, went home to Nazareth, took the scroll of Isaiah, and preached.
How did Jesus see his ministry? Knowing the Spirit’s presence and power, he announced that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. Like Isaiah, Jesus was anointed to proclaim good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, and to set the oppressed free. These words were fulfilled that day. What Isaiah had envisioned hundreds of years before, Jesus fulfilled. Poor were blessed, people imprisoned by the demonic were freed, the blind received their sight, and those oppressed by sin were liberated. In short, Jesus began to preach good news.
To this day, Jesus is the best news the world has ever heard. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we may, indeed, we must tell his story. To a broken world, Jesus’ words offer hope and healing. Our work as we go along the way today is to tell the good news of what Jesus has done for us. Do it fearlessly! We have nothing to lose. The broken world has everything to gain.
