Fill her up!

We often talk about fulfillment, but what does that mean? The definition of fulfillment is, accomplished, complete, or to be finished. How do we know we are fulfilled in our life? What is it that makes you feel fulfilled? Is it your job, children, family, or something secular? Many people are not fulfilled and feel like something is always missing. What if we had our own fulfillment gauge, like a gas gauge? Wouldn’t it be great? We could tell when our fulfillment was low and get more Jesus. We ignore our gas gauges. Would you ignore this gauge? Some are even broken and have been for a while because they are costly to repair. Do you know where your fulfillment gauge is right now?

Somethings not Right

Most of us don’t think about it. If we don’t know Christ, we have no idea how empty we are. How complete are you in Jesus? Do you carry a sense of peace? Do you have patience? Are you happy? Do you constantly feel angry or anxious? Is Jesus filling you enough that you feel fulfilled in your life?

We talk about Jesus, who he is, and the gospel, but do we truly understand who he is? What has he done for us? Understanding the gospel is what grows faith. Many of us think we understand, but do we know? In the past, science tried to discredit religion, the big bang, and the theory of evolution. But even science is coming back around to the idea of creation. Those who try to discredit Christianity breed fear, a fear that pulls us away from God.

What about the Bible? We study it, but do we understand what it reveals to us? We are talking about fulfillment but the fulfillment of what? When I speak of fulfillment, I mean fulfillment of scripture and ourselves.

In Luke 4:14-21 ESV, Luke wrote:

“Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Here it Comes!

Today this scripture is fulfilled; Jesus was the fulfillment of that scripture. Imagine the looks of the faces in that synagogue. They just looked at each other. What did you say? You see, Boom! Jesus just did a mic drop right in the synagogue. He told them, I am he who fulfills this scripture. Jesus is telling those in the synagogue I am the one Isaiah is speaking of

Remember these words “I am.” Isaiah was a 700’s BC Prophet describing the Messiah, and Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. I have written this before, but it is so important. No matter where you turn in the Bible, it points to Jesus. Jesus fulfills every Messianic prophecy. Jeremiah, Isaiah, Malachi, and Moses (Deut. 18:15) all wrote of Jesus.

Our understanding of Him can help fulfill us. Our faith in Him can satisfy us. For those in Nazareth, Jesus was the hometown boy returning home. They all heard or saw his works and miracles. Yet they did not believe him. That can’t be the Messiah; that’s Mary’s son, the carpenter’s son. Yet everything in this prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus. It was his mission statement, his life statement

Within our Luke text, Jesus Quotes Isaiah 61:1. If we look at each line, we will see something extraordinary. The people Jesus touched were not people of power; they were prisoners, outcasts, defeated, and forgotten. If Christ does not fulfill our lives, where are we? Where would we be? As Christians, we must ensure as a church that these individuals are still touched by faith in Christ. Really when you think about it, our mission is the same as Jesus’ mission to an extent.

Wait There's More

This passage in Luke is not the only place Jesus asserted who he was and why he was there. Look at The Gospel of John 8:48, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Here Jesus was in the temple confronting the Pharisees. In John 8:48, the Pharisees call Jesus a racial slur and say he is under the control of a demon. The Jews despised Samaritans. The Samaritans were a mixed race of Jews who had intermarried with Gentiles. They told him he did not know who his Father was. We know what that’s called. The biggest insult was that he had a demon. The Pharisees were a vicious opposition. Amazingly, Jesus continued to talk to them. He speaks to his followers, telling them they will be free from sin if they follow him. They will never taste death. Through all this, the Pharisees continued mocking him. In John 8:54-55, the Pharisees said, “Are you greater than our Father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” We are looking at the self-righteous Pharisees asking this question, who are you? This question was a question that would ignite a fire, a fire that would ultimately lead to Jesus’ death. They demand it; who do you make yourself out to be? Boldly Jesus replied in John 8:54-56, Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God. But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him, and I keep his word. Your Father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”

Now this really baked the Pharisee’s noodles. What did you say, Abraham saw your day?

Here Jesus was speaking of his glory and deity. He was telling them of the day of his rule. Abraham saw it, and he rejoiced. What did Jesus mean? Jesus did not pause to explain, and his adversaries did not care. Now, even more hostile, the Pharisees pressed the implication. This hostility leads to the second part of the answer to their question. Let’s look at John 8:57-59. “So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. Boom, Jesus did another mike drop! There it is one of this gospel’s most explicit, forthright claims. Jesus is YHWH (Yahweh), the God of Israel, The Great I Am of Exodus 3:14, and the God of the prophets. The Pharisees, now, were going to kill him. They would stone him; it was their version of capital punishment. But that was not how he was supposed to die, and he did not.

Jesus could have said, “I was,” before Abraham was, I was. This phrase has a different connotation to it. But he said, “I Am.” Just as YHWH said to Moses on Sinai, I am who I am. Jesus is God, and the Father is always in Him. He is always in the Father, and The Spirit is in them both. Jesus was the fulfillment of scripture. Those folks Isaiah said He came for, well, Jesus hung out with all kinds of people. He was with the self-righteous Pharisees, the lepers, the outcasts, the prostitutes, the criminals. Jesus was with those who realized they needed Him and some who did not. He set them free, fulfilled in the Holy Spirit.

The Forgiven

There is a story of a man who leads a prison ministry. He was working with a murderer who Christ had recently saved. The minister had brought a friend with him to visit the prisoner. So, we must remember this, prisoners get saved in prison. They become regenerated in Christ. The minister’s friend walked in expecting a monster. However, he was overwhelmed when he found a broken sinner, redeemed, pieced together by love and fulfillment in Christ. A fulfillment strong enough to change a monster to a gentle creature of God. People get mad at this thought when they hear of something like this. They are not worthy of these prisoners.

We should not forgive prisoners. I thought like that before, but now after being touched by Christ, I can’t. I personally am happy it is this way. None of us could ever be saved if it were not this way.

We may not be murderers, but prisons are not only made of steel. I have failed over and over; there are not enough books or trees to make books to write it all down. I was a prisoner of sin. Being in Christ, I have been forgiven sometimes, and it almost feels wrong. How can you do this again, Lord? How can you forgive me again? We can’t do it on our own. If I had to rely on one fraction of one split second of the most spiritual moment in my life, I still couldn’t do it. His blood, now that will do it. That is what saves. Fulfillment in Christ is how we know he has forgiven us. God’s mercies are new every day. When we are saved, we are fulfilled; Christ completes us. We are made whole by the blood of Christ.

Here's the Skinny

So, what does this all tell us about Jesus? It tells us he is the fulfillment of prophecy. We now know every verse in the Bible points to him. We understand it is undeniable that He fulfilled all of the OT scripture. He pronounced he was the Son of God, and the Son of God he is. He is part of the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, three in being, one in person.

How About Us?

What does that mean for us? He knows you completely. He loves you unconditionally. He will never fail you. Fulfillment in our lives means we are complete in Christ. We understand He is the anchor of our religion. When we have Christ, we also have all God promised through him. We can complete his mission here on Earth.

Against All Odds

Look at the Apostles and early church. Through the Holy Spirit and fulfillment in Christ, they built Jesus’ church against all odds. The world never thought a small group of outcasts, of nobodies, would create what we know as the church of Christ, which became the single most powerful force for good in the world. No longer do we need to live in darkness. Since he came, we have a choice, a chance to live in the light.

If you feel emptiness, searching a secular world for fulfillment, please stop. Find fulfillment, wholeness, justification, and salvation through Christ. Seek your Savior.

Peace and the blessings of the Lord be with you.