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Luke 4:14-23
We invite you to worship with us each Sunday morning at 9:30. You may also download our service on I-tunes by clicking on Baptist-Christian. Last week we learned Jesus was God’s anointed, designated One to preach the good news of salvation. Today we will see further revelation of Jesus’ earthly ministry.
- HIS MINISTRY OF PROCLAMATION! The OT used the word “proclamation” to describe the herald who ran before the royal chariot to draw the attention of the people to the one who approached. See Gen. 41:43. The word is also translated “preach” in the OT. In the NT proclamation is not preaching as we think of it today. Then it was a proclamation of an event. John the Baptist was the herald who went before Jesus to draw attention of the people to the One who approached. When Jesus began His public ministry He told the people He was The Anointed One of God to proclaim freedom, sight, release, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (the year of Jesus’ coming). Jesus’ simple message was I AM the event that God promised to Abraham. I AM the Messiah/Deliverer, the Fulfillment of all the promises from God for salvation. So how has this event impacted your life, not just your salvation? Is He a real, true event in your life?
- HIS MESSAGE OF LIBERATION was a message of (1) freedom for prisoners. Luke used the word released to mean “to let go, to leave, to set aside, to leave behind, to forgive.” Here it means to be liberated, freed from sin and its penalty through forgiveness. The truth of freedom from sing and its penalty is intensified when we realize who the prisoners are. (2) His message was restoration of sight. The interesting thing about the word blindness in the NT is that the emphasis is on its cure. When Jesus tell us He has come to return sight to the blind He is revealing His knowledge of the OT law, and that He had the power to cure blindness forever! So are you still groping in the darkness of spiritual darkness because of your blinded heart? If you are one who claims to have received your spiritual sight, are you groping through the world in darkness because you have closed your eyes to God’s light? (3) Jesus’ message also brought release to the oppressed. He actually said “send away the oppressed in release.” His word for send is the word from which we get our word “apostle” which means one who is sent with a specific message from a sending authority. Paul put it all together when he said Jesus is the Send One from God to release, free those who are oppressed, by riding them of the cause of their oppression. Do you begin to see how Scripture is filled with vivid truths of how God fulfilled the OT prophecies in Christ? (4) Here again Jesus tells us the event of His Incarnation is an announcement that God’s predetermined time for Messiah to come has arrived. It is now the time of salvation, the Messianic Age. Another reality is that when Jesus really intervenes in a person’s life, that life is forever changed. To say one is a Christian having had a personal encounter with Christ, then try to live as though it never happened – most often means the encounter never truly happened! So it comes down to this – has Jesus invaded your life as Messiah/King/Deliverer? If He has, your life will show it because where Jesus intervenes – He proclaims and liberates. If you have experienced the true freedom Christ brings by entering your life, you know it; if you haven’t experienced such freedom, you know it!
If we can help you with this or any other spiritual matter call us at 574-643-9419.
