Introduction to the Earthly Ministry Of Christ
The Earthly Ministry of Christ discusses what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did as part of His ministry in His days on Earth.
“More than nineteen hundred years ago there was a Man born contrary to the laws of life. This Man lived in poverty and was raised in obscurity. He did not travel extensively.
Only once, did He cross the boundary of the country where He lived; that was during His exile in childhood. He possessed neither wealth nor influence. His relatives were inconspicuous and had neither training nor formal education.
The Incomparable Christ
- In infancy, He startled a king
- In childhood, He puzzled doctors
- In manhood, He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the billows as if pavements, and hushed the sea to sleep.
- He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His service.
- He never wrote a book, yet not all the libraries of the country could hold the books that have been written about Him.
- He never wrote a song, and yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the songwriters combined have.
- He never founded a college, but not all the schools put together can boast of having as many students.
- He never marshalled an army, nor drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun; and yet no leader ever had more volunteers who made more rebels stack arms and surrender without a shot fired.
- He never practised medicine, and yet He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors far and near.
- Every seventh day the wheels of commerce cease their turning and multitudes went their way to worshiping assemblies to pay homage and respect to Him.
- The names of the past proud political leaders of Greece and Rome have come and gone.
- The names of the past scientists, philosophers, and theologians have come and gone. Nevertheless, the name of this Man abounds more and more. Time has spread over two thousand years between the people of this generation and the scene of His crucifixion, yet He still lives.
- Herod could not destroy Him and the grave could not hold Him.
- He stands forth upon the highest pinnacle of heavenly glory, proclaimed of God, acknowledged by angels, adored by saints, and feared by devils, as the living, personal Christ, our Lord, and Saviour.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
What Did Christ Do During His Earthly Ministry?
Luke 4:18-21
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel (GOOD NEWS) to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance (RELEASE) to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, [19] To preach the acceptable year (THE LORD’S FAVOUR) of the Lord. [20] And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
1. He Submitted Himself To The Growth Principles Of The Kingdom During His Earthly Ministry
I. He Was Obedient and Studious During His Earthly Ministry
Luke 2:52
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
This is no longer a mystery when we understand the true KENOSIS or self-emptying of Christ. He retained His divine nature but limited Himself to human attributes and powers during the days of His flesh so that He could be a true example of a sinless human being overcoming sin and being anointed with the Spirit to defeat Satan.
2 Tim. 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
ii. He Was Baptized By John During His Earthly Ministry
Luke 3:21-22
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, [22] And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
iii. He Fasted and Prayed During His Earthly Ministry
· Fasted & Prayed For Himself
Luke 4:1-2
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, [2] Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
· Prayed For an Experience
Luke 9:29
And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.
· Intercessory Prayer
Luke 22:32
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
· Prayed Earnestly
Luke 22:41
And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Luke 22:44
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Hebrews 5:7
Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
iv. He Overcame Temptation By The Word
Luke 4:3-4
And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. [4] And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
v. He Became Famous
Luke 4:14-15
[14] And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. [15] And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
Christ’s Earthly Ministry
Luke 4:18-19
[18] The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, [19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Twofold Earthly Ministry of the Messiah:
1. He Was Anointed to Preach & Teach:
Matthew 11:1
And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.
Luke 4:43
And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
The Gospel (Good News) To the Poor (The Destitute, Needy)
· To Preach The Gospel To The Poor:
In Isaiah, it is “to the meek” and means such as are poor in spirit, and are sensible of their spiritual poverty, have low and humble thoughts of themselves and their own righteousness; and seek to Christ for durable riches and true righteousness.
They frankly acknowledge that all they have and are is owing to the grace of God: and generally speaking, these are the poor of this world, and poor in their intellectuals, who have but a small degree of natural wisdom and knowledge.
To these, the Gospel ( or glad tidings) of the love, grace, mercy of God in Christ, peace, pardon, righteousness, life and salvation through Christ, were preached. By him in so clear a manner, and with such power and authority, as never was before, or since; and for this purpose was he anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows:
There is no better news to the poor but the message of prosperity – the woman of Zarephath.
Deliverance To Captives In Sin, Sickness, and Death
Matthew 4:23
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Matthew 9:35
And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
· To Preach Deliverance To The Captives;
Who are captives to sin, Satan, and the law; from which, there is only deliverance by him;
Who saves his people from their sins, redeems them from the law, and leads captivity captive;
And which liberty and deliverance are preached and published in the Gospel, and by Christ the author of them:
Acts 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Ephes. 4:8-10
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. [9] (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? [10] He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Hebrews 2:14-15
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; [15] And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
· The Acceptable Year –
The year of God’s favour or period typified by the year of jubilee when liberty was proclaimed to all people on the day of atonement (Leviticus 25:8-13 ).
When the atonement of Christ is fully embraced, the sick, sinful, helpless, and needy are restored to health, holiness, power, and prosperity, and full dominion over Satan and membership and communion in God’s family.
2. Anointed To Heal & Work Miracles:
i. The broken in heart, mind, soul, and body (Acts 10:38 ABOVE)
He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted.
Those whose hearts are broken, and made contrite by the word of God, under the influence of the Spirit of God, and with a sense of sin; and are wounded with it, and are humbled for it; and are in great pain and distress, and even inconsolable, and ready to faint and die; for a wounded spirit who can bear?
Now Christ as part of His earthly ministry was sent to heal such persons by his own stripes, by binding up their wounds, by the application of his blood to them, which is a sovereign balm for every wound; by the discoveries of pardoning grace to their souls, and by opening and applying the comfortable promises of the Gospel, by his Spirit, to them:
ii. The Blind In Body, Soul, And Spirit, Those In Darkness
and recovering of sight to the blind; which in the prophets is, “and the opening of the prison to them that are bound“; and which the Septuagint renders, as here in Luke, and the Chaldee paraphrase in part agrees with it, interpreting it thus, “to the prisoners”, be ye revealed to the light”
“Now because persons in prison are in darkness and see no light, they are therefore represented as blind. That is the case of sinners, they are in the prison of sin and of the law, and are blind, ignorant, and insensible to their state.
However, when Christ both opens the prison, and sets them free, and opens their eyes, and gives them spiritual sight; then shall he say to the prisoners go forth, to them that are in darkness show yourselves,
Isaiah 49:9
That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
Luke 2:32
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
John 1:4-9
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. [5] And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. [6] There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. [7] The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. [8] He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. [9] That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
iii. The Bruised, The Completely Crushed And Shattered In Life, The Oppressed And Broken
To set at liberty them that are bruised: these words are not in Isa_61:1. But in the Septuagint version of Isa_58:6 from whence they seem to be taken, or else from Isa_42:7 it being allowable for a reader in the prophets, to skip from place to place, which our Lord here did, in order to explain this passage more fully.
Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Isaiah 58:6
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Isaiah 42:7
To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
Luke 13:16
And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
Conclusion
“The Influence of One Life”
Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village.
He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years, He was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book.
He never held an office.
He never owned a home.
He never had a family.
He never went to college.
He never put His feet inside a big city.
He never travelled two hundred miles from the place where He was born.
He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness.
He had no credentials but Himself.
“While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him.
His friends ran away.
One of them denied Him.
He was turned over to His enemies.
He went through the mockery of a trial.
He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves.
His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while He was dying, and that was His coat.
When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
“Twenty-wide centuries have come and gone, and today He is the centrepiece of the human race and the leader of the column of progress.
“I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that were ever built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as has that one solitary life.”
Maybe you should add your own salvation testimony to this list of information. Christ just continues to change lives wherever He is preached!
Be blessed.
