This morning, I read through the book of Ephesians, which is chock-full of promises about our identity in Jesus Christ. "In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence," -Ephesians 3:12. What a wonderful reminder of the redemption he offers freely to us! Freedom and confidence. Not guilt, shame, judgement, or worry. Be encouraged - "but now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ," -Ephesians 2:13. End of story. We've been bought with a price, and we've been fully and completely redeemed if we place our faith in Christ. Are our everyday lives being shaped by this incredible truth?
Christ came to save us; he also came to bring freedom. He saved us from the pits of hell and the darkness of sin, yes. But there's more - what good is a rescue from a terrible car wreck if we are left to live out our lives in the emergency room, hooked up to an IV and machines? He doesn't just offer to save us, he offers to heal us: he wants us to be up and walking around, wounds healed, checked out of the hospital and liberated from what weighs us down. Jesus kicked off his public ministry (Luke 1:16-21) by reading this scripture aloud in a synagogue:
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."
-Isaiah 61:1-3.
Jesus begins his public ministry by choosing this scripture to read - it must be central to what he came to do for us! He came to bind up our broken hearts, to tell of his redemption, to bring freedom for the captives and to set the prisoners free. What are you being held captive by? What kind of sin is in your life that's holding you back from experiencing the freedom Jesus brings? Are you worrying, are you believing in the lie that you can do life on your own, that you don't really need God? He wants to replace your struggles with healing. He will gingerly take the pieces of your heart that are tired and broken, damaged and painful, and put them into a semblance of a whole by wrapping it up with his unfailing love. Have faith in his promise that he will do it. That's what he came to do!
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