November 5, 2017 SET FREE
Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed.”
Isaiah 58:6 “Is this not the fast that I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?’
If there is any good news in the gospel-and there’s plenty-these verses capture the central message of the gospel, and it is the ultimate good news! God anointed Jesus, and He sent Jesus to “preach the gospel,” and the gospel that came from God through His Son reveals the heart of God for His people to be free. Even though we may not be poor financially, we may not be held as captives, we may not be physically blind, and we may not be overtly oppressed, we nonetheless are not free apart from knowing Christ as Savior. Human nature is such that it adapts to the circumstances as they are and thus one can learn to live with and adjust to a life God does not intend us to live, not free. Oppression and bondage come in many forms, and it originates with believing the lies of Satan. Just as Satan deceived Eve into thinking that she should control her own destiny by doing what she wanted to do instead of obeying God, Satan continues to propagate the lie that man is in control of his own destiny-yet it is Satan who is controlling. Satan’s desire is to steal and kill and destroy and to oppress. John 10:10. Contrary to what man thinks, living according to self is to live in bondage and oppression. Living for self is ‘small’ and narrow living, is self-centered, and is unfulfilling. When focused on self, one can be oppressed and depressed with present or past failures, can feel inadequate, not feel accepted, fearful, be un-content, be prideful, and etc. (When one lives according to his own desires and dictates, he can experience some good days and times when he feels everything is ‘going his way,’ but like the man who built his house on the sand, it cannot endure the storm.) God designed man to be so much bigger than self; man was designed to partner and rule with Christ and to take dominion. In Christ, self is dethroned, and the Spirit of God takes up residence in the believer, and where God lives, there are no limits, no oppression and no blindness. We must understand that this freedom is not a license to do as we please, but we are free to do what the Spirit leads us to do, and this freedom is true freedom because it is living according to God’s design. There is nothing that can bring lasting contentment and fulfillment other than knowing the freedom that is in Christ. The basic message of the gospel is that God wants break any yoke of bondage, oppression, blindness, and wickedness, and set us free-free to find our true identity in Him. God allowed Satan to temporarily mar God’s design for man, BUT in Christ, man can once again live according to the plans and the design of God. Satan has been defeated, and the road to freedom from all hindrances has been opened in Christ!
John 8:36: “If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”
2 Corinthians 3:17: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
Galatians 5:13: “You, My brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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