THE FULLNESS OF SALVATION
God desires and offers His people more than a glorious future in Heaven. He also desires and has made provision for healing and restoration now.
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted ;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners; 2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn, 3 To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
Isaiah 61:1-3 (NASB)
Jesus quoted part of this verse in Luke 4 when he first publicly declared himself as the Messiah. I assume that He was highlighting His agenda, as a part of His Divine purpose in sacrificially offering us salvation. He is revealing here that salvation is to be far more than just “fire insurance” or just the promise that things will” be better someday”. The Lords’ agenda is to heal, bind up and comfort those who are experiencing loss and grief and deliver us not only from our sinful state, but from the consequences of sin.
The Lord desires to heal his people. Praise God that Jesus died upon the cross to save us from our sins. Salvation is meant to entail far more though, than our safe passage into eternity, as great as that is. God wants to renew and restore our lives in the present tense. Praise the Lord!
The man who as a little boy, his dad left the family and never come back, internalizing the belief that he is” worthless, not important and unlovable can experientially know the truth that he is lovable, worthy and that God has great purpose for His life.
As the Lord reveals TRUTH as one encounters a LIVING JESUS in the root, foundational memories of the past where lies were implanted through difficult life experiences, people are set free and peace comes. I know for a fact that God is in this, first of all because His Word says so and secondly because I spend hours daily witnessing Christ reveal real truth into the broken, lie based areas of the human heart.
I find in may own life and in the lives of many others I work with as a mental health professional for over 28 years, that mankind has been deeply tainted and scarred by sin in the world. We have too often as Christians settled for our humanity, our captivity and our brokenness as the norm. If we will take the Lord at His Word, then he is raising the bar for what he offers us in the here and now.
We need to repent for settling for only a part of what the Lord provided through His precious atonement and ask that we would be willing to walk in the full measure of the Lords’ redemption.
Question? What are the areas that you have settled for defeat or less than Gods’ Word promises for your life?
Prayer: Lord I repent of settling for only a measure of what you provided for me by the shedding of your blood at Calvary. I choose to believe and agree with Your Word and that you want to and can bring Your truth to my unrenewed mind and that You will pour out your healing balm into my emotional pain and afflictions.
I choose as an act of my will to allow you “to bind up my broken heart”, to proclaim liberty to my areas of captivity. I ask you to bring renewal to my mind, heal my broken heart and set me free so that I may worship you in Spirit and in Truth and walk in the fullness of my lifes”, purpose and destiny”.
AMEN………sums it up.
This is good Frank!
Even after years of listening and working with you these words stirred my heart / spirit to go deeper still in trusting Jesus.
“Deliverance from the consequences of sin,” struck me — first thought was others sin against me but it’s also about how my sin hurts myself as well as others.
I like the thought comparison for what Jesus offers in the present not just the future. You made me think.
I really like posing the question and then a closing prayer.
Good job.
Leave your response!