JESUS RELIED ON SCRIPTURE

LUKE 24:44-49 NKJ 
44 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 
46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." 

OBSERVATION: 

One of the observations I have seen regarding Jesus was how much He relied on the scriptures.   

Starting with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and concluding with His interactions with the other 11 disciples, Jesus pointed to the scriptures that foretold of His life.   

He said all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law, Prophets, and Psalms concerning Him. Jesus had an extensive knowledge of what was written hundreds of years before He came to earth.   

"Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day." Jesus was not just "winging it" during His time on earth. He was looking to the scripture to reveal who He was and what His role would be regarding mankind.   

Too often, we forget that Jesus called Himself the Son of Man. That He did not operate on the earth as all-knowing and all-powerful. In Philippians 2:7, Paul writes that Jesus emptied Himself of His privileges and took on the form of a bondservant. Jesus, as our example, dealt with the feelings and temptations that mankind deals with, yet He was without sin.   

Now please do not think I have taken away from the divine nature of Jesus. Because He took on the form of man, He can offer aid to us. He came to our level to lift us to His. (Hebrews 2:17-18) 

So, if Jesus, our example, depended on the truth of the scriptures, we certainly need to follow His lead. He relied on scriptures, and so must we.   

APPLICATION: 

Thus it is written, and thus it is necessary. Now we take that same approach to the scriptures as we read the wonderful things that have been done in us and for us by Jesus.   

Thus it is written, that we are new creations. That we are more than conquerors. That we are blessed. That we are risen with Him to walk in newness of life.   

There are many things that have been written about those of us who have received new life in Christ. Our potential is vast. And our potential begins to show up when we follow our Lord's lead and rely on the scriptures. We walk by faith in the scriptures, not by sight.   

PRAYER: 

Thank You, Jesus, for what You have done for me. Your death, burial, and resurrection have changed everything for the better.