The Proclamation: Liberty To The Captives!

Isaiah 61 can be looked at as an inaugural address. It contains some of the most heart moving promises that man could ever hear. We find, in this short address, a concise outline of the Good News. Each verse, even each phrase, deserves the most careful attention from the eager reader. The unknown prophet, Who reveals Himself in verse 8, speaks directly to the heart of man in the face of the devil. His identity is confirmed in scripture in Luke 4:17-21, which records that remarkable day in history when Jesus entered the synagogue on the sabbath, and read the excerpt from Isaiah. We all would have loved to have been there that day!

Tonight I stand as a captive who has been set free! Each of us, in the unfolding of our lives, have been brought into bondage. One thing after another has bound us to the earth, as we have groveled for acceptance and affirmation in a world system that promises but never fulfills. But then Love came into our lives. The Love of God. And we were set free.

It is difficult to accept our freedom. The prince of this world preaches to us of our worthlessness and inability. Yet, his message is so very true, for without the Promise of God, we are truly useless. We can do nothing to facilitate our own release from bondage, and are left to suffer in the struggle to become free. This has been a long, hard battle. Now, Christ is welcomed into our lives, complete with the promise of new liberty and freedom from all that has plagued us. But, can it be true? We know the truth about ourselves, even if we do not muse upon it. But this new promise, can we trust it?

But then God says, 'Follow Me'. He doesn't instruct me on how to escape from the state I am in. He talks to me as if I am already free! Right from the start of my relationship with Him, He says, 'Come".

So I follow. And I keep following. And He lights the way for me. And if I fall, He picks me up. And the way is not grievous, but it is marvelous.

And I am liberated!

Receive Him and His Promise of Salvation, and experience a liberty you never thought possible! He is waiting.