Christ in Combat: Offense by the Spirit

On the Offensive to Set the Captives Free

So Jesus returns like David, having bound the Goliath of Satan in the wilderness, and now he is ready to go on the offense and rout the Philistines and set the captives free. He could have chosen other texts to read in Nazareth. But he chooses Isaiah 61:1-2 to show that he comes in the power of the Spirit. Verse 18: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” His mission is all the more relevant for us, because the same Spirit that leads him into battle has also been given to us. In the wilderness Jesus fought on the defense by the power of the Spirit. In the synagogue at Nazareth he takes the offense by the power of the Spirit. He sounds the trumpet for battle and calls us up out of the trenches to fight at his side with the weapon of the gospel.

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from John Piper sermon, Christ in Combat: Offense by the Spirit © Desiring God.