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When Jesus was three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, He was literally delivered into the womb of the earth. Jesus was taken down into the very region of Satan, and the Word says that He was loosed from the birth pains of death.
Read MoreHe took His eyes off of man’s ways and focused squarely on the plans and purposes of God. His thoughts were for others, and He interceded for them. He was never concerned with His reputation as a prayer warrior, but His desire was to see the lives of lost and dying men transformed by the power of God through His intercession.
Read MoreWhich Door Would You Choose?
If two doors were placed in front of you, one marked “Miracles” and the other marked “Blessings,” which one would you choose? If you are like most Christians, you would choose the “Miracles” door, but that would be the wrong choice.
We have assumed for many years that miracles are the goal and pinnacle for the Christian life. We hear stories of supernatural protection against death, money provided through supernatural means, or cars running for days without gas.
We long for those things to happen again in our lives as they did when we first met the Lord. We feel as if we are no longer “spiritual,” but because miraculous things occur to us now only on rare occasions.
Those types of miracles may have happened quite often in your early Christian walk, but would you want to return to those days? If you are like me, your answer is no.
God has something planned for our lives which is better than miracles; it is a life filled with His blessings.
The Longest-Running Miracle in the Bible
God gave a miracle to the children of Israel which lasted the entire 40 years they were in the desert. Each morning, manna fell supernaturally from heaven, and each evening quail filled the camp for meat. All the people had to was walk outside the door of their tent to find food catered by God. What room service!!
God gave man food from heaven for 40 years! But was this God’s best? Had the children of Israel arrived at the peak of their spiritual walk with the Lord? The answer is no.
God had originally intended that Israel stay in the wilderness for no more than one year. At the end of the first year, the entire congregation came to the border of the Promised Land but retreated in fear and unbelief when they heard the report of the 10 spies.
For 39 more years, they wandered in the wilderness until their generation died and their children could go into the land given by God. Yet the miracles of the quail and the manna continued each day, even when they were in unbelief and rebellion to the will of God!
God’s best was for the congregation to eat the crops which grew in Canaan. His desire was to bless them with bigger and better crops than they had ever had before.
The blessings of Canaan did not stop after a period of time, as the manna had; they were to continue and increase. Manna was God’s will for only a short period of time.
God’s best was for Israel to live on His blessings, not His miracles.
The Difference Between Miracles and Blessings
~Miracles are God’s “jump start” into a life of blessings. It is wonderful when they happen but we do not want to live on jump starts.
~Miracles come in a crisis, but blessings keep the crisis from coming.
~Miracles come in small amounts, but blessings come in great abundance.
~Miracles are only enough for you and your family, but blessings are enough for you and others, too.
~Miracles can come even when you are in unbelief, but blessings demand responsibility and obedience.
~In a miracle, God works for you; in blessings, God works with you.
~By definition, a miracle is a divine intervention into the laws of nature. In miracles, God works against nature; but in blessings, God works with natural laws.
~Miracles are temporary, but blessings are eternal.
God only parted the Red Sea one time. The children of Israel only crossed over Jordan miraculously one time. Fire was called down from heaven in Elijah’s ministry one time. Jesus turned water into wine only one time and performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes only twice.
People did not receive loaves and fishes multiplied every day, but ate of the fruits of their labor. As we grow and mature, God wants to bless the works of our hands.
A Life of Blessings
When we are in need of a miracle, our mind is continually occupied with the need. The crisis consumes our time and thoughts. Thank God, He has not lost the recipe for manna. He can still come through with a miracle for us! But this is not God’s best.
God’s desire is for us to be consumed with Him, not our needs. If we are constantly thinking about our needs and how we are going to eat and pay our bills, how are we any better than sinners? Jesus told His followers:
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.” (Matthew 6:31-34)
There are several scriptures in the book of Revelation which reveal the various ministries of the Holy Spirit. In Revelation 1:4, the author, John, says, “John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.” Then in Revelation 4:5, he says, “And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” Finally, in Revelation 5:6, John tells us, “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”
Read MoreWhen praying, we often place the emphasis on our being there and forget that the spirit is greater than the body. The spirit is eternal and unhindered by time and space, but the body is temporal and bound by circumstances. The truth is, no matter where we are or what our circumstances, our prayers of faith are not bound.
Read MoreIn parts of the world, and in most all times, a blood covenant was the strongest type of covenant two people could enter into. It has been used in civilized as well as primitive nations to unite two people together in marriage, business or friendship.
The covenant was made when the blood of two individuals was mingled. It could be done by cutting the palms of the individuals and then the shaking of hands combined the blood. It could also be that a few drops of blood from each person could be mingled in a glass of wine and then drunk by both, although the Bible forbid the drinking of blood. In either case, the blood was mixed, thus indicating that two lives were mixed. Or finally, an animal’s blood could be shed as representative of both individuals mingling their lives together. After all, “the life is in the blood.” The cutting of the skin and mingling of blood left a permanent scar as a reminder of the covenant from that time on.
God’s Covenant with Man is Symbolized by Blood Covenant
In Genesis fifteen, when God entered into covenant with Abraham, substitutes were used. After all, how could God bleed except through a substitute. God introduced the covenant by saying He now would be Abraham’s “shield and exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15:1). God would be Abraham’s protector and provider from that time on. Since God and Abraham were in covenant with each other, they shared each other’s assets and liabilities. Abraham had nothing but liabilities and God had nothing but assets. Abraham certainly got the better end of the covenant with God. The blood of a heifer, goat, ram, turtle dove and pigeon were mingled to represent the blood of Christ shed for us on the cross. Through this act, God and Abraham began a covenant which is still in effect today, faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for us. The innocent shed His blood for the guilty and has given God’s life to mankind ever since. We have been saved today "through the blood of the everlasting covenant" (Hebrews 13:20).
The Covenant Between David and Jonathan
“The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day and would not let him go home to his father's house anymore. Then Jonathan and David made (cut) a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt” (I Samuel 18:1-4).
The Hebrew word for “made” a covenant means to cut. David and Jonathan cut a blood covenant with each other because God brought them together, they recognized it, and mingled their blood, thus joining their lives to each other. Like Abraham with God, David had more to gain from this covenant than Jonathan. But, they were not in this covenant to take, but to give. David was a shepherd, Jonathan was the son of the king. David had few possessions to give. Jonathan had the riches of the kingdom at his fingertips. David had a slingshot for his protection and Jonathan had the military of Israel. They exchanged their robes, armor, sword and belts. This meant that now, by the robe, the power and authority of the kingdom was as much David’s as it was Jonathan’s. So it was with the armor, Jonathan would be David’s protection. By the sword and bow, Jonathan would be David’s defender. And, by the belt, all children to come in their loins, would be included in the covenant. David and Jonathan were more than friends, they were covenant friends. Jonathan and David loved each other as much as they loved themselves (1 Samuel 20:4, 41, 42).
Mephibosheth
After David took the throne, he began to look for an heir of Saul and Jonathan to bless. The blood of his covenant with Jonathan was demanding that he find if anyone was still alive he could share Jonathan’s generosity with.
“David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, so I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" He said, "At your service!" Then the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "there is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet." So the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar." Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the grandson of Saul, came to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, "Mephibosheth?" And he answered, "Here is your servant!" So David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually. 13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem for he ate continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet." (2 Samuel 9:1-7,13)
Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan. He was included in the blood covenant with his father and David, but he never knew it. He grew up hating David. He believed all the reports put out by his grandfather Saul, that David stole the kingdom from the king he served and from Jonathan, David’s best friend.
When Saul and Jonathan died, Mephibosheth’s guardian grabbed him and ran for their lives. While she was running she dropped Mephibosheth and he was crippled in his feet from that time on. He was raised in poverty among Arabs and grew up all his life knowing he was the one surviving heir to the throne but thinking David had stolen it from Saul, Jonathan and him. He had spoken badly about David for years and secretly feared the day David would find out about him, discover his location and have him killed. Then one day his worst fears came to pass. He was taken by David’s servants and brought face to face with David.
Seen Through the Eyes of the Covenant
But David saw Mephibosheth through the eyes of the covenant he had made with Jonathan before he was killed. David looked on Mephibosheth and saw Jonathan. What Jonathan had poured out in love to David, David got to pour out in love on Jonathan’s son. When Mephibosheth saw the benevolence of David poured out on him, he was shocked. He then called himself a “dog” (vs. 8).
I’m going to take a small amount of liberty with the story at this point. Putting a few things together from what is written, I want to address what must have been going through Mephibosheth’s mind. It must have first struck him that he had David figured out all wrong. He had believed a lie about David. David was a man of love and not of vengeance. David was thinking of Mephibosheth above himself. Why would David do this to a poor son of Jonathan? Why would David treat a lame man with such honor and give him back so much of what his father and grandfather used to own? Why would David make Mephibosheth like one of his own sons?
As Mephibosheth laid in the floor, David reached down to lift him up. Mephibosheth saw in David’s hand a scar. That was the same scar he remembered in the hand of his father, Jonathan. And suddenly he understood it. David and his father were in blood covenant together. He was receiving a blessing into his life today that began before he was ever born.
“But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul, because of the Lord’s covenant between David and Jonathan the son of Saul” (2 Samuel 21:7).
He was not blessed by anything he had done or could do. He was wealthy and powerful since birth and did not know it. He lived poor because of ignorance, not because of David’s hatred.
Our Blood Covenant
So it is with our covenant. We received God’s righteousness, not because of our own worth, but because of a covenant made long before we were ever born. We are crippled in our feet because of a fall also, the fall of Adam. God overlooked it when we came and bowed before Him in total submission to Jesus Christ. God called us by name as David did with Mephibosheth. God has given us an inheritance and called us to eat at His table every day. Even though our feet are still crippled, we can eat at a table which covers our feet. All we do is continue to feast at Jesus’ table and our crippled feet will never be seen. Oh, the power of daily fellowship with God.
This covenant can never be broken. It was really not drawn up between Abraham and God, but between God and Jesus Christ. Neither one can break the covenant.
God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath “that by two immutable (unchangeable) things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:7,8).
Our covenant can never be broken because it was drawn up by two sides which will never change or break the covenant, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We joined an unchangeable covenant. We are one with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. You can’t tell where the Father stops, and Jesus begins or where Jesus stops and we begin. We are truly united as one. And besides, how do you unmingle blood?
In the Psalms of Degrees (Psalm 120-134), King David gives us principles for success and promotion which he has proven in his own life. Whether a king, business manager, pastor or head of a household, these principles are timeless and will always work.
David is an example of a man who did many things wrong, but still enjoyed great promotion, fortune, fame - and a special place in the heart of God. Despite his episode with Bathsheba and a score of other sins, David was still called "a man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22). Many believers today wonder, "How can this be?"
Read MoreHis power is embodied in the Holy Spirit, who lives in you. Knowing the Holy Spirit lives in you is the rock-solid foundation of your understanding and security about your authority as a believer.
Read MoreGod is not confined to working with things that already exist. God can make things exist out of nothing and then make those things into something! God created the universe with nothing.
Read MoreWhat God lost in this earth through the fall of Adam was not His power. When Adam fell, God did not become weaker. He was as powerful as He ever was. What God lost in the fall was a channel of authority (man), through whom He could release His power in the earth
Read MoreHow deep are His stripes? Not only are they deep enough to bring physical healing, they are deep enough to heal controversy, to heal strife, to restore peace and to heal emotions. The stripes of Jesus run deep!
Read MoreSome people think having grace means they can live an ungodly life and do anything they want. This is simply not true! Grace is never a license to sin; it’s a license to serve. In fact, grace teaches us not to sin. Grace teaches us to reject the world’s viewpoint and to live sober, righteous, and godly lives.
Read MoreWhen we were in the world, we were guided by the things of the world, by our sight, our hearing, our intuition, and our reasoning powers. However, now that we are born again, the first thing we must realize about guidance is that God does not lead us in natural ways. Guidance in the Christian life is by supernatural means.
Read MoreAfter the great revival at Samaria, Philip was sent by an angel to the desert to minister to an Ethiopian eunuch. He came at just the right time to find the eunuch reading from the book of Isaiah. Philip began to read at the same verse "... and preached to him Jesus" (Acts 8:35). As the eunuch saw how Jesus Christ fulfilled the scriptures in Isaiah, he believed and was saved.
Jesus is often spoken of in the Old Testament. He Himself confirmed this in John 5:39, "You search the scriptures... these are they which testify of Me."
Jesus Came to Fulfill All That Was Written
When Jesus Christ came into the world, He spoke to God the Father concerning the Old Testament scriptures: "Then I said, 'Behold I have come - in the volume of the book it is written of Me, to do Your will, O God.'"
Not only is Jesus spoken of in the Old Testament, He came to fulfill all that was written.
Did you know that Jesus can be found in every book of the Old Testament? In some cases, it is as straightforward as the prophecy from Isaiah that Philip and the eunuch read. Other times, Jesus is found as a shadow or type - a sort of "visual aid" God gives His children to reveal His great redemption plan. Studying these Old Testament scriptures can give us powerful insights into what God has provided for His Church.
Two Trees in the Garden
Jesus appears many times in the book of Genesis. One example can be found in Genesis 2:9, "And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
What a lavish God we serve! He did not make just a few trees for Adam and Eve - He made millions! And they were not all for food; many were just beautiful to see. Since we are both practical and emotional creatures, God mad some trees for food and for beauty.
Two trees stood alone in the Garden: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God told Adam he could freely eat of every tree except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The Tree of Destruction
Why did God place a tree in the Garden which could doom His plans and curse His creation? He had to. What good is a creature with a free will if there is no test for that will? God does test His creatures, but always for our good. God also slants His tests toward what He desires. He gives us the right answers before we choose. When He places before us life and death, cursing and blessing, He tells us to choose life and blessing (Deuteronomy 30:19).
In the Garden, there were millions of "yes" trees and one "no" tree. By their sheer number, God was telling man to choose life and blessing, not death and cursing. God also told Adam the benefits of eating the acceptable trees and the curse of eating the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Yet, Adam and Eve chose to eat of the tree God forbid. Why?
How was Satan able to tempt two people who were perfect and had everything they needed? They could not sin in the same manner as we can today. They could not covet or steal - because everything belonged to them. They could not commit adultery - because there were no other men or women on earth.
Satan had to convince them that there was something God was keeping from them; that although it seemed like perfection, God had left something out. Satan convinced Adam and Eve that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was keeping them from being like God or from being gods themselves.
The Tree of Redemption
Isn't it interesting that the cross is also called a tree? This tree is not a tree of destruction, but a tree of redemption.
"The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree." (Acts 5:30)
"...Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree..." (1 Peter 2:24)
The two trees could not be any more different. God had a plan through the cross to bring us back to Himself. This second tree was able to reverse all the damage inflicted by the first tree.
The Difference Between the Tree in the Garden and the Tree of Calvary
1. The first tree was planted by God, the second by man.
With the first tree, man rejected the plan of God and substituted his own plan. With the cross of Jesus, God rejected man's plan and introduced His own answer: full forgiveness of sins.
2. The first tree was inviting, the second was not.
The tree in the Garden was pleasant to the eyes, but in the cross we have nothing of beauty. The cross was the place of Jesus' death, a place of pain, covered with blood. "He has no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him" (Isaiah 53:2,3).
3. God forbid man to eat of the first tree, but He invites us to the second.
God told Adam "of the tree... you shall not eat." But of the cross He tells us, "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8). Man is so much better off when he listens to God and obeys His voice. His word is as true and vital for our daily life after the new birth as it is for salvation. In Matthew 4:4, Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
4. Satan tried to get man to eat from the first tree, but tries to keep him from the second.
Satan told Adam and Eve, "You shall not surely die." He called God a liar and they believed him. With the same amount of effort Satan tried to get man to eat of the first tree, he now works to keep man from the cross. The Bible tells us, "Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, ..., should shine on them" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
We must put all our effort into rejecting the words of Satan and obeying the words of God!
5. Eating the first tree brought death, while the second tree brings life.
God warned Adam, "In the day you eat of it you shall surely die." But today God encourages us to put our trust in Jesus and be born again: "Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). In spreading the gospel, we stand on God's side, as His representatives, calling people to lose their sins and gain eternal life
6. The first tree removed man from Paradise, the second tree brings us back.
When Adam sinned, "the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden" (Genesis 3:23). Man could no longer live in God's presence and had to be banished. But when the thief accepted salvation on the cross, Jesus said to him, " today you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). We have been brought back into the Garden and are accepted in God's presence again.
7. The first tree took us away from the Tree of Life, the second brings us back.
Adam and Eve had to be banished from the Garden to prevent them from eating of the tree of Life and living forever in a fallen condition. Angels guarded the Tree of Life, keeping men out (Genesis 3:24). But at the point of the new birth, we again have access to the Tree of Life.
Although the Tree of Life will be found in heaven (Revelation 2:7), we also have access to it in our daily, earthly walk with the Lord. Proverbs 3:13-18 says, "Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with here. Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand is riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of here, and happy are all who retain here."
The Tree of Life is the Word of God. After the Fall, Adam and Eve could not eat of it. To come back to the Tree of Life, man must receive eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God is said to be "foolishness to those who are perishing" (1 Corinthians 1:18). They cannot understand God's Word because it is spiritually understood.
However, as believers, we can understand the Word and God freely invites us to eat of it. As we do, He promises it will bring us happiness, wisdom, understanding, riches, long life, and peace.
We learn more about entering the kingdom of heaven from Matthew 18:1-3, "At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
Read MoreThe Word of God is filled with hope. We have had the wrong impression of hope for too long. I have laid hands on people for healing and asked them if they were healed, they have replied that they hope so. That is not even hope; that is wishful thinking. Hope is not wishing.
Read MoreProverbs 4:20-22, tells us these same things. "My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh." When you attend to the Word, you plant seeds and the reward exceeds what you put into it. You are always going to reap more than what you sow. So if you sow time into the Word and attend to it, you are going to reap back tremendous benefits.
Read MoreGod does not send temptations, trials, and afflictions into our lives. James 1:13 tells us, " Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone." Rather, God is who sends the relief and the power to rebuild. The Bible assures us, "...then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations..." (2 Peter 2:9). And God's power to rebuild is always greater than the power of destruction.
Read MoreOh, the power of one demon! Before the seven sons could reach the front door of the house, the demon jumped on them, tore all their clothes off, and wounded them. Seven men ran from the house naked and wounded being chased by one demon-possessed man.
Read MoreThe Church and the Year of Jubilee
So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He 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 has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.'" (Luke 4:16-19)
A Different Jesus That Day
Jesus had spoken in the synagogue on the Sabbath day many times before. This passage tells us it was his custom (vs. 16). But Jesus had never read the Scriptures the way He did on this day. The Spirit of the Lord had anointed Him. He had been to the Jordan River and had been baptized by John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit had descended upon Him to give Him power to begin His earthly ministry. Everything Jesus did from that day on had a new power and anointing. The congregation on that Sabbath day noticed a great difference in their home town boy!
Jesus read a passage from Isaiah 61:1, 2. This passage prophetically spoke of Jesus and His recent anointing. Jesus told them they were witnessing the day that Isaiah's prophecy was coming to pass. The Spirit of the Lord had come to rest on Jesus and they were all witnesses.
Isaiah foretold that the One Who had this anointing would be able to:
1. Preach the gospel to the poor - This includes both spiritual and financial poverty. The gospel will give eternal life to the one who is "poor in spirit" and material blessings to the one who is financially needy.
2. Heal the brokenhearted - The gospel not only gives eternal life to our spirit and divine healing to our bodies, it also produces healing for our souls. Sorrow, wounds, bitterness, and other emotional hurts are covered by the stripes of Jesus.
3. Deliverance to the captives - This is a reference to slavery. Jesus used this in the spiritual sense and tells us the anointing is to free people from demons and satanic powers. Demon possession and oppression are broken by the power of the Holy Spirit and the name of Jesus (Mark 16:17; Acts 10:28)
4. Recovery of sight to the blind - Physical healing for every part of our bodies has come to the Body of Christ through the stripes of Jesus and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
5. Set at liberty them that are bruised - The "bruised" are the oppressed. These are people who are under the thumb of others. It may be children under the hand of overbearing, abusive parents or an employee under a tyrant of a boss. Jesus came to deliver those who are oppressed and crushed by tyrants.
The Acceptable Year
When Jesus ended His sermon, He said something strange to the ears of those present. He said He also came to preach "the acceptable year of the Lord." This was another name for the year of Jubilee. I am sure those in the audience thought Jesus was in error, as the year of Jubilee was some years away. Also, the things Jesus taught from the passage in Isaiah had nothing to do with Jubilee. The year of Jubilee had never provided for the the blind to see, the demon possessed to be delivered, or the bruised to be healed. To the Jewish people, the year of Jubilee was a year for the return of property.
A description of the year of Jubilee can be found in Leviticus 25:8-24. Jubilee was the culmination of all Sabbaths. Every seventh day was a Sabbath to the Lord, a day of rest. Every seven years, the land was to rest and no planting was to be done. After "seven sabbaths of years," or forty-nine years, the fiftieth year was to be the final Sabbath before the whole cycle began again.
The year of Jubilee began on the Day of Atonement with the sound of a trumpet. During the next year, all property was returned to its original owner, and all slaves were set free. No one was excluded because all residents of the land qualified. Social status, color, gender, or financial position did not matter. Every inhabitant of the land could claim back his or her property from fifty years before.
I am not sure how all of this worked but I am sure the legal offices were filled with people checking deeds from years gone by. This sounds like a logistical nightmare, but it was all legal. Only two things could keep you from claiming back your rightful property: ignorance or an unwillingness to claim your possessions.
Our Perpetual Jubilee
The Jubilee of Israel only lasted one year. After this, it was impossible to begin to buy and sell property again. "Buyer beware" had to be the motto of the day after the year of Jubilee was completed. If you were foolish enough to be taken the first time, you would probably be taken again. Then you would have to wait forty-nine years for this celebration to come around again!
But the Jubilee that Jesus announced, "the acceptable year of the Lord," was different. Like the Jubilee of old, this event would be announced by the Day of Atonement, the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. But unlike the Jubilee of the Old Testament, this celebration would be eternal. Because of our faith in the Lord Jesus and the new birth, the Church has entered into a perpetual Jubilee. The only way you can fail to claim your original blessings is to be ignorant of your rights, refuse to accept what is legally yours, or be talked out of them by Satan.
The Original Owners
As Jesus listed each of the blessings of the "acceptable year of the Lord," He mentioned a blessing given in place of a curse. This is important. Jesus said He would give the gospel to the poor, healing to the brokenhearted, deliverance to the captive, recovery of sight to the blind, and liberty to the bruised.
Although Jesus didn't quote it in the synagogue that day, Isaiah's prophesy continues: "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" (Isaiah 61:3).
I have highlighted each blessing and each curse for a reason. God gives the blessing to us and takes the curse from us. He gives us the blessing because we are the original owners of every good thing. He takes the curse from us and gives it to Satan because he is the original owner of all evil. Praise God! This was all done on legal ground. In the Old Testament, atonement for sin was made by the killing of the sacrificial goat and the banishment of the scape goat. Once the sins of Israel were taken away, Jubilee could be declared. Because a goat was not God's best, and only a type of Jesus, the One to come, Jubilee was only one year long and all possessions were up for sale again when the year was over.
Because our Atonement was purchased by the precious, incorruptible blood of the Lord Jesus, our Jubilee is eternal. We, the original owners, also have the right to keep every possession. Satan took them from man because of Adam's disobedience at a tree and God purchased them back for man because of Jesus' obedience to another tree.
The Sabbath - A Memorial to Grace
In the Ten Commandments, a person was told to "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8). On this one day, you were to think of the blessings of the past week and look forward to those coming in the next. It was a day set aside to forget your own ability and remember the Lord's ability.
The Jubilee was the culmination of Sabbath days. It was a memorial to the grace of God, an entire year to remember the Lord's goodness during the forty-nine years since the last Jubilee. Over a generation had passed since then, so it was necessary to think of God's goodness passed on from one lifetime to the next. Every gift, spiritual and natural, comes to us from God's goodness and grace. Have you ever noticed how the writers of the Gospels were so quick to point out whenever Jesus' miracles happened on the Sabbath? These authors never seemed to mention when miracles happened on a Tuesday! This is because the Sabbath was a day when men were commanded not to work. If a healing or miracle took place, it had to be by the grace of God, because the Lord could not honor man's own efforts on that day. That's why Jesus delighted in healing on the Sabbath: it pointed out God's mercy and grace.
The religious leaders hated grace and so devised a plan to make it unlawful to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus was rebuked quite often for healing on that day. When Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath, the people rejoiced, but the religious leaders became angry. They said, "There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed; and not on the sabbath day" (Luke 13:14). Yet, the fact that miracles continued to happen confirmed that Jesus did not violate God's law, only man's law. He was not working; He was simply returning to man what was rightfully due.
Search the Deed
The court house must have been crowded when Jubilee began. People were pouring over old documents and deeds to find out what was rightfully theirs. If you had a deed, you could claim back your property. The present owners had no legal leg to stand on if a deed was presented.
In the same way, you must go to your deed and find out what is legally yours through the blood of Jesus. Your Jubilee was announced when you were born again. Your title deed is the Word of God, the Bible. God has promised to give you salvation in exchange for spiritual death, healing for sickness, deliverance for bondage, and joy for heaviness. There are multitudes of Scriptures on each of these areas.
When you find a Scripture, you have the right to wave it in Satan's face and take back your healing, your joy, and your deliverance. You also have the right to give Satan back his sickness, his sorrow, and his bondage.
If Satan tries to tell you this won't last and you will have to be sick or depressed again, you can tell him that your deliverance is eternal. The Resurrection of Jesus was the trumpet blast announcing the arrival of our Jubilee, a Sabbath which will last forever. Hallelujah!
