Jesus Proclaimed the Good News

Luke 4:16-21 ESV

 

“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

 

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

    because he has anointed me

    to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

    and recovering of sight to the blind,

    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.’

 

“And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”

 

The “he” being spoken of here is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God who is God. He, being a Jew, went to the synagogue every Sabbath. And on this occasion he was permitted or he was asked to read from the book of Isaiah. And what he read he then applied to his own life, as though what Isaiah prophesied was about him personally. And it does appear that about half of the book of Isaiah is prophesies of Jesus Christ and of the Messianic age and of the last days, and some were double prophesies, having both a current fulfillment as well as a future fulfillment, from what I understand.

 

Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. Although he is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – he willingly left his throne in heaven and humbled himself and took on human form by being born as a baby from the womb of a human mother. But he was conceived of the Holy Spirit, so God the Father was his birth father. So he was not born into sin like the rest of us. And when he walked this earth he was fully God and fully man, although he did not sin, even though he was tempted to sin.

 

And he came to this earth ultimately to die for our sins at the age of 33, I believe it was. But before this took place he had 3 years of ministry on the earth along with his 12 chosen disciples. So the Spirit of the Lord was definitely on him, since he was God, and he was also anointed of God, not only to die on that cross for our sins, but to teach the good news of our salvation to the people, to those who were lacking in faith and in relationship with Almighty God, who could not, in themselves, ever be acceptable to God.

 

So, what was the “good news” that Jesus taught? It was not what is being passed off largely as the “good news” here in America. For Jesus Christ didn’t die on that cross just to forgive us our sins, and just so we can go to heaven when we die. He died to deliver us out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we can now live godly, holy, and upright lives, by his grace and in his strength, and so we can resist the devil and say “No!” to sin daily, in his power and strength and wisdom.

 

For he came to this earth to turn us from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God so that we might receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those being sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ. So he came to turn us away from our sinful lifestyles and to turn us to the truth of God’s word, to himself, to faith in him, a faith persuaded by God, gifted to us by God, and which is not of our own doing. For he came to free us from the power of sin and of Satan and to turn us to following him in obedience.

 

Jesus came to deliver us out of our lives of living in sin and for self so that we would now follow him in obedience to his commands under the New Covenant. And now we are to live no longer according to the flesh but now according to the Spirit. We are to live no longer in sinful addiction but now in holiness and righteousness, in honesty, moral purity, and faithfulness. We are to no longer be lord of our own lives, but now Jesus Christ is to be owner-master of our lives, and our lives are to be surrendered to him.

 

So the year of the Lord’s favor, I believe, is either the year Jesus was born into this world, or the year he began his ministry and he began to preach the “good news,” or it was the year of his death and resurrection, but his favor to us is his grace to us in dying on that cross so we might die to sin and live to righteousness. For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, instructs us to renounce (say “No!” to) ungodliness and fleshly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for him (Titus 2:11-14).

 

So, please know that when Jesus taught the “good news,” he taught that if we are to come after him that we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we give up our old lives, i.e. we die to sin and live to righteousness, in his power, then we have eternal life. For if we are ashamed of Jesus and his word in this life, when he returns he will be ashamed of us (Luke 9:23-26).

 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

 

Hymn lyrics by William Williams, pub.1745

tr. by Peter Williams, pub.1771

Music by John Hughes, 1907

 

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,

Pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak, but Thou art mighty;

Hold me with Thy powerful hand.

Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,

Feed me till I want no more.

 

Open now the crystal fountain,

Whence the healing stream doth flow;

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

Lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,

Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.

 

Lord, I trust Thy mighty power,

Wondrous are Thy works of old;

Thou deliver’st thine from thralldom,

Who for naught themselves had sold.

Thou didst conquer, Thou didst conquer

Sin and Satan and the grave.

 

When I tread the verge of Jordan,

Bid my anxious fears subside;

Death of deaths, and hell’s destruction,

Land me safe on Canaan’s side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises,

I will ever give to Thee. Amen.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7G59DKf-AI

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