From “In the Beginning” to Amen // The New Testament
Jesus Came to Set Captives Free…
Luke 4:17-21 (NLT)
“The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.’ He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them, ‘The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!’”
Jesus Came to Defeat the Works of Darkness…
John 10:10 (NIV)
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”
Colossians 2:15 (NLT)
“He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities.”
1 John 3:8b-10 (NLT)
The Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
Jesus Came to Take Upon Himself the Sin of the World…
1 John 3:5 (NLT)
“Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him.”
Hebrews 9:28 (AMP)
“So, Christ, having been offered once and once for all to bear [as a burden] the sins of many, will appear a second time [when he returns to earth], not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly and confidently waiting for Him.”
Jesus Came to Take Authority Over and Ultimately ‘Destroy’ Death…
2 Timothy 1:10 (NLT)
“And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.”
Hebrews 2:14-15 (NLT)
“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.”
How Does It Work in Community and Culture?
Revelation 22:17, 20-21 (NLT)
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who hears this say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon!’ Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.”
Revelation 21:3-5 (NLT)
“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.’ And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new!’ And then he said to me, ‘Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.’”