Proclaiming the Good News

“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.’” (Luke 4:16-21 ESV)

This passage of Scripture from Isaiah 61:1-2a is to be taken more on a spiritual level rather than on a physical level. Did Jesus heal the physically blind? He absolutely did! But the good news is not just for the physically poor. So this is speaking of the poor in spirit who are the ones who are receiving the truth of the gospel. They are those who have humbled themselves before God, who have repented of their sins, and who are now following our Lord Jesus in walks of obedience and surrender to his will.

And on a spiritual level, the blind are those who are blinded to the truth of the gospel, who are blinded by their own sins of rebellion against the Lord. Many of them know the truth of the gospel, and they have been shown the truth about God, by God, via his created works, so they are without excuse if they choose to go the way of the flesh and to keep on in their sins rather than to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ to now go where he sends them and to do what he has called them to do. So, they just shut out the truth.

They are those, too, who are living in captivity to sin by choice. Many of them are those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, too, who are living in sexual idolatry, in addiction to sin, who are unwilling to change course and to let the Spirit of God transform them in heart and mind and behavior. So they shut out God and his Word and they shut out of their minds their own spiritually depleted condition so that they can keep on in their willful and defiant sinful and deviant and utterly wicked (evil) practices (habits).

And the captives who need to be liberated are those who are captive to sin. And Jesus Christ, via his death on that cross, took upon himself the sins of the entire world so that, when he died our sins died with him, and when he was resurrected from the dead, he rose victorious over death, sin, Satan, and hell, and on our behalf. And this is so that, by God-persuaded faith in him, we now can die with him to sin and be reborn of the Spirit of God, and now walk (in conduct) in righteousness and in obedience to his commands.

For that is the “Good News” of the gospel of Christ (of our salvation). The good news is NOT that we can just give lip service to the Lord and then continue living in captivity (addiction, slavery) to sin while we claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior and heaven as our eternal destiny. Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. And he will cast off all who refused to obey him, who would not forsake their sins.

Jesus also taught that if anyone would come after him that he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow him in obedience to his commands. For if we hold on to our lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in surrender and in obedience to his commands, then we have the hope of eternal life with God. But if we persist in sin and thus we deny Christ and his word, when he returns he will deny us.

And then this last part about Jesus setting at liberty those who are oppressed, the word “oppressed” can have more than one meaning. But since he already talked about setting the captives (to sin) at liberty (free from their slavery to sin), I am going to suggest here that he is possibly speaking of those who do believe in him, who are serving him with their lives, who are being oppressed of the devil and of other humans who are persecuting them. He will give us his peace even in our suffering.

And the Lord’s favor is his grace, which comes from God, and which is bringing us salvation. This grace is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 3:23-25; Romans 5:1-2; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 2 Corinthians 6:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 6:24; Hebrews 10:26-31; Hebrews 12:12-17; 1 Peter 2:24]  

Fit for Service 

 

An Original Work / October 5, 2011

Holy Spirit, come within us.

Cleanse our hearts, 

and from sin free us.

Make us holy vessels fit 

for service to the King.

Fill us with Your love and power.

Anoint us within this hour

To be living witnesses 

For Jesus Christ, our King.

Our praise to Him bring.

Father God, our heart’s desire,

Come and speak to us in power.

Revive our hearts to obey You;

Live for You always.

May we love and serve You only,

Walking with You; 

Not a phony.

May we always tell the truth,

And show integrity.

Your true servants be.

Jesus, Savior, sanctify us.

Purify our hearts within us;

Be transformed into Your likeness,

Holy unto You.

May we always listen to You

Speaking Your words 

Now within us.

May we heed Your counsel to us;

Follow You today.

Do all that You say. 

https://vimeo.com/113979906