Luke 4:18-19, 21 "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." He began by
saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." So
far God’s holy Word!
Because of our sinful nature
we all tend to take the path of least resistance at times, you know, the easier
way. If we’re not careful that way of thinking can slip into our faith life and
that’s a problem because it’s not
taking up our cross! Our Redeemer says; whoever
wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow
me. It’s no easy task to take up our cross and follow our Lord. It’s
possibly the most difficult thing we do as Christians. It can wear on us but
we’re to make that effort every day? Do we still have that zeal for our Lord?
Is Jesus and serving Him still our hearts desire? Do We Still? May the Spirit bless
our meditation!
Jesus came to give what
no one could’ve ever dreamed up - salvation by grace through faith alone. We
are justified by faith apart from the works of the law. You’d think people would be overjoyed at that
Message, but most react just the opposite. Even though Jesus teaches throughout
Scripture that the Law only condemns, that it has no power to save, by the law is the knowledge sin. Some still try to
work their way to heaven! God’s Law acts, in part, like a mirror. When we look
into the Law it reflects back the fact that we’ve failed, that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God! For
that reason, everyone is destitute, penniless of any righteousness within ourselves!
We have nothing that we can use
to bargain with God. But there is Good News, in perfect love for mankind, our
Savior died so that we could be forgiven and saved by His grace alone. In Jesus
we have unconditional forgiveness of every wrong, no questions asked, no
strings attached! as far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us! He assures us that He
doesn’t even remember them anymore. Through Him the spiritually poor, (you, me,
and all people) are given riches beyond measure and understanding! The free riches
of God’s forgiving grace in Jesus. Make no mistake, we are completely dependent
on Jesus’ righteousness alone!
That’s why He came! to heal the brokenhearted – that’s everyone who
realizes our sin and its terrible consequences. Jesus has healed our hearts,
washed away our sins; given us peace with our heavenly Father, and a new life
of saving faith! Jesus came to proclaim liberty
to the captives. To set free all who were held prisoner by the
power of sin and satan. Picture a dungeon, one
of our own making, where we and all mankind were imprisoned awaiting eternal death!
Our jailor is evil incarnate whose hatred for us goes beyond anything we can
imagine! That’s why our Lord warns us; be alert and of sober mind. Our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to
devour.
Now, picture yourself
chained in that dark, wet, dungeon; starving, dying, with no hope and no
possible way to escape! That was our fate - until Jesus opened the prison door
and set us free. To those blinded by the darkness unbelief He gives recovery of sight. The Holy Spirit through the Gospel has
opened our eyes with the Light of Life. No longer are we trapped in the depths
of despair. Jesus set at liberty those who
are oppressed, those who were slaves of their own mind and its corrupt
desires! The souls of all throughout time who were chained in darkness Jesus came
to and has set free. He shattered those chains, forever destroying our
adversary’s power over us. The greatest act of love in all eternity, willingly
taking all mankind’s sins upon Himself and dying the death we deserved to pay
the full price for our redemption.
Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for
the sins of the whole world. Jesus came to proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord. The time when God extends His saving
grace to mankind. That time is right now and for as long as the Lord permits
the world to continue! Believe it or not, Jesus spoke these Words while in
church. He had stood up to read and chose this powerful Gospel Message from the
Book of Isaiah. When He finished all eyes in church were intently watching Him,
wondering how He would explain this prophecy. Jesus then proclaimed the
glorious revelation of mankind’s redemption; today
this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. This Message of perfect
love and forgiveness, deliverance and life, is for all mankind!
It’s the greatest Message of
peace and love the world will ever know!
The OT faithful had waited thousands
of years to hear those Words. It had been passed down from generation to
generation, and now, before their very eyes, stood the fulfilment! Jesus the
Messiah had come! But most had fallen into the deep and deadly sleep of
spiritual indifference! Many no longer cared, they couldn’t see their need to
be forgiven, they thought they were good with God. It’s the same today! The saving Gospel, Jesus crucified
for the sins of the world, often falls on indifferent ears.
Many ridicule and curse the
Message of Life and Its Author! Many will not put up
with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather
around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to
hear. They’re deceived they’ve turned their ears
away from the truth! But to all who’ve been blessed with faith, we
celebrate our Lord’s declaration of full and free salvation! Jesus is the
fulfillment of Scripture! He has set us free from the prison of eternal death by dying as our substitute to give us forgiveness!
He still freely gives that life and
salvation to everyone who asks! Ask and it will be
given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
That’s our Savior’s
boundless love for all! This is love: not that we loved
God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our
sins. May the Spirit enable us to
always see (through eyes of faith) what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we
should be called children of God? That perfect love forever stands
revealed for all to see on Calvary and Jesus promises He will never leave us nor forsake us.
But
what about us?
Do
we still trust in Jesus alone for life and salvation?
Do
we still look to Jesus alone for strength
and courage?
Do
we still build our faith on the eternal foundation
of His saving Word alone?
Do
we still find joy in serving our Lord with our
gifts?
Do we still have a burning zeal to share His saving Gospel with the world around
us?
If not, we’re dead! We’ve
fallen back into the death He saved us from! By God’s grace the Christian faith
still burns brightly in this congregation. But we must always be on our guard!
May the Holy Spirit enable us to always trust in the Lord
with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding; In all our ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct our paths.
Amen
