July 3:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS FREEDOM.
"To set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord."--Luke 4:18, 19

My heart was racing excitedly as I was walking the few blocks from my hotel to the Liberty Bell.  I was attending some academic meetings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and this was my chance to see what I had heard, and even taught, for years.  Let me explain.

When I studied the public discourse of Jesus, recorded in Luke 61:1, 2 on that occasion, I learned that this quotation of Isaiah alluded to the year of jubilee (see Leviticus 25:8-55).  This was the favorable year of the Lord, when once every fifty years all slaves were to be set free, all debts were cancelled, and all property returned to the original owners.  On that momentous Sabbath in Nazareth, Jesus was proclaiming that He was fulfilling His role as the real jubilee and ushering in the age of salvation.  He was the agent through which the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed were to receive really good news, release, and freedom. 

When the United States was founded, the dream was that it would be the land of the free.  I had been told that Leviticus 25:10 was engraved on the Liberty Bell as a reminder of this fact: "Proclaim a release (or liberty) through the land to all its inhabitants."  That's why it is called the Liberty Bell.  I could barely contain myself as I finally stood in front of the impressive cracked bell, examining every inch of that piece of history.  And there it was: "Lev. XXV:X."  It was true!  Liberty for all was the dream, the promise, and the hope.

If you are carrying a load of guilt and shame from the past, pause now and accept Christ's freedom!  Burdens can paralyze us and prevent us from living a life of purpose for the glory of God.  Jesus carried our burdens to the cross so that we may live an abundant life!  You are one choice away from freedom.  The favor of God through Jesus Christ, our jubilee, is ours, even though we don't deserve it!

Accept it today!  It is true. We are free!  Jesus is our jubilee.

My Response:________________________________________________________

July 2:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS RESCUE.
"He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.  He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives."--Luke 4:18

The aftermath of the epic accident of August 5, 2010, when a Chilean mine collapsed, dragged on for sixty-days, while the rescuers relentlessly continued their efforts.  The thirty-three miners trapped under seven hundred thousand tons of rock could do absolutely nothing to save themselves.  Help could only come from above, and it did.  On October 12, global audiences in the hundreds of millions, including myself, watched the live TV coverage of the first rescuer arriving at the spot where the miners were trapped.  Twenty-four hours later, all thirty-three miners and all the rescuers were on the surface. *  Two words kept coming up in the interviews that followed: all and joy.  All had been rescued, the healthy and the sick, the strong and the weak.  All had been saved through the plan designed from above.  And at the end, only pure joy remained.  

The Gospel of Luke was written to announce a rescue of even greater magnitude!  The Savior of the world came down to fulfill Heaven's plan to rescue the world!  As you can imagine, Luke's Gospel is filled with joy and excitement as a response to such great news of salvation.  Luke narrates his Gospel in a way that makes his point loud and clear: salvation was achieved, for ALL who would accept it: the fearful, the anxious, the poor, the enslaved, the marginalized, and the destitute.  Luke intercalates stories of men and women, Jews and Gentiles, religious people and public sinners.  He excitedly announces that Jesus offers salvation for all.  If someone says that you don't qualify for salvation because of the color of your skin, your gender, your failures, your past, your family circumstances, or anything else, tell them:  "You are right...none of us do, that's why the Savior came down to rescue us."  If you are buried under an overwhelming burden of sin, anxiety, or fear, remember how Jesus started His Sabbath sermon in His hometown of Nazareth: He reminded us that He came for "the poor" the "captives," "the blind,: and "the oppressed" (Luke 4:18).  In other words, He came for you and me!

My Response:________________________________________________________
* Richard Pallardy, Encyclopedia Britannica, "Chile mine rescue 2010," modified April 11, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/chile-mine-rescue-of-2010.

July 1:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS MISSION.
"It is expedient for you that one man die for the people."--John 11:50

A close relative told me of the impact a particular lecture had on him many decades ago.  In order to visually illustrate the inclusivity of God's grace, the professor took a piece of chalk and started walking  all around the room, drawing a straight horizontal line on the walls, doors, windows, the complete circumference of the venue, until everyone in that audience found themselves sitting inside the parameters of the line.  "All are included in God's grace" the professor said.

So what, exactly, qualifies us as recipients of God's grace?  After the resurrection of Lazarus, the chief priests and Pharisees got together and planned to kill Jesus (see John 11:47-53).  The chief priest, Caiaphas, said to them, "You know nothing at all nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people" (verse 49, 50).  John adds an extremely important note: "Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad" (verses 51, 52).  Caiaphas, unknowingly, had just prophesied what the mission of Jesus was!  To die for the people!  His statement is repeated after Jesus' betrayal: "It was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people" (John 18:14).  Jesus died for the human race to undo what Adan and Eve had done.  Jesus is the Second Adam, whose victorious death on behalf of the human race was even more complete than Adam's utter failure as representative of the race.  Paul explains: "So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.  For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:18, 19).  It's not about what qualifies us, but who qualified for us!  He died for the people.  And that, my friend, includes you!

My Response:________________________________________________________