Good News, Luke 4:17-21

And He [Jesus] was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."
And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him. And He began to say unto them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

     Jesus was anointed by God to preach the gospel to the poor: to proclaim the good news of God's love and salvation to those in need, those who are spiritually poor (all of us!). He came to earth for the reason of paying for our sins and making a way by which God's fellowship with man may be restored. In so doing, in being that very way to salvation, He has healed the brokenhearted, he has preached deliverance to the captives-- those held captive by sin. He has restored sight to those who were once blind-- both literally and spiritually. He liberated those who were held captive by their own lusts and by the grip of the enemy. He has opened the door to the acceptable year of the Lord, that time in which we may be saved.

     We were once brokenhearted. We lived outside of the will of God, that very plan for which we were created. Revelation 4:11 says that for His pleasure all things were and are created. When we are living in sin, however, we are outside of that plan that God has for our lives. There is a void, something missing in our hearts which many try to fill with countless other things, yet only God can fill that need. Where once we were alone and in need, God has given us life abundant and His Spirit to comfort us. In Christ we will never again be brokenhearted, for we will always have the Creator of the Universe by our side to comfort us and restore us.
     Jesus was sent, was anointed by God, to preach deliverance to the captives. His life preaches a message of peace and hope, of love and fellowship with God the Father as nothing else does. His words, as recorded in the Bible, sooth our troubled souls and release the chains and bonds of the world and sin. We were once all held captive to something, be it lust or greed or pride or the search for true love. We were all held captive by sin and the devil, living for our own pleasure and desires. But to follow Jesus and believe in Him is to be freed from that captivity. In Christ we are free to worship God and give Him glory; we are free to not have to worry about ourselves but to just give ourselves comletely over to Him.
     Jesus came to bring recovery of sight to the blind. True, Jesus did heal many physically blind people during His earthly ministry. But moreso He has healed many spiritually blind people: Those who were blind to the love of God, to the plans of God, and to any sort of relationship with God. By putting our faith and trust in Jesus, our eyes become opened and we are then able to see the wonderful things God has in store for us. The Bible says that the natural man cannot understand the things of a spiritual nature. But when we are born again by the Spirit of God by putting our faith in Christ Jesus, our eyes are then opened and we can finally see the glorious blessings that God intends for us.
     He has come to set at liberty those who are oppressed. The King James Version (I quoted the King James above but also mixed in some New King James) says, "to set at liberty them that are bruised". Those who have been beaten up and oppressed by the devil can no longer be so because the only power Satan had over us was sin. Because in Christ all our sins are washed away and thouroughly purged, he no longer has any control over us. God has taken us into His care, and He is the Good Shepherd and will not let even one of His flock stray away. He is the One who lays down His life for His sheep, who will leave the other ninety-nine to go find the lost sheep. Jesus cares so passionately for us, His flock, that He gave His life to set us free from the captivity of the devil and sin.

     But this time will not last forever. There is coming a day when Jesus will return for His church and take us home to be with Him in heaven. When that day comes, those who do not know him will be left behind. Those who did not make the choice to follow Jesus will face the consequences of their actions and have to go through the Great Tribulation, a time when God pours out His wrath upon a Christ-rejecting, sinful world. In that time even, though, God is merciful and will allow you to be saved by putting your faith in Christ. But it will cost you your life, for there will be a God-hating ruler called the Antichrist who will put to death anyone who does not worship him by taking his mark.
     This will all come at the end of the world. But whether or not this happens in our lifetime, there will still come a day when you will leave this earth (via death) and have to stand before God and account for your life. Once you die, you cannot change your mind. You cannot "wait and see" if it's all true. Your decisions in life are solidified in death. It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that he will stand before the Lord. If you have not put your faith in Christ here on earth, there will be no hope for you then. The only way to heaven is by accepting the perfect sacrifice of Christ-- His death on the cross in your place, paying for your sins.

     Today is the acceptable year of the Lord, the time in which you can be saved. Today is the day of salvation. If you hear His voice, do not harden your heart and turn away-- you never know when your last day will be, you never know how long the acceptable year of the Lord will last. Don't put it off-- More blessings and wonders than you could ever imagine await anyone who will follow Christ, blessings in this life and the next.