Liberty

Rejected in the Town He Grew Up In

"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.”
-Jesus of Nazareth, 1st century
Luke 4:16-21

4th of July

Every 4th of July, the people of the United States commemorate their Declaration of Independence.

On this day back in the year 1776, Americans declared independence from Great Britain.

For some of us, it is easy enough to remember, it has only been 240 something years ago.

But what about some 2,000 years ago?

Day Of Salvation

Back in the first century, the man we call Jesus of Nazareth, declared the prophecy written over 700 years before He declared it, to be fulfilled.

Jesus proclaimed on that day that:
“The Spirit of THE LORD JEHOVAH is upon me, and because of this he has anointed me to preach The Good News to the poor; he has sent me to heal broken hearts and to proclaim liberty to captives, vision to the blind, and to restore the crushed with forgiveness,”
[In the Aramaic in English Version]

This freedom is an everlasting freedom.

One that is available to everyone, anywhere. It still is, even today. If you want it for yourself but is unsure what it is all about, it is alright to take baby steps and study up all about it first. 

But if you are ready, you can read up about it in the Series link at the end of this message.

More Than Meets the Eye

For now, just keep in mind that there is a lot more to everything we can see that we do not know about. 

If you have been looking for something all your life that you just can't seem to find anywhere else, maybe that which you are seeking is not of this world. Maybe it cannot be found in the natural but as they say, in the supernatural.

You are much more than flesh and blood, fun and games, the daily grind, trials and tribulations, mistakes and failures, medals and achievements. 

You are not what you do or what you have done or accomplished. 

You are made differently than any other species of animal. You are body, soul and spirit.

Declaration

Jesus of Nazareth came to the earth He created bringing with Him the good news of salvation.

to heal the brokenhearted
to proclaim liberty
to let the blind see
(the lame walk
the mute speak)
and to restore everyone with forgiveness and reconciliation.

With love, the Creator of the universe is offering all these to those who would accept them.

Will you?

[If you already have, then it is time to celebrate all the more now, for the Lord is coming back -- Happy Independence Day!]

The Christian Statue of Liberty

Series Links