8 May 2026 We are proceeding to study the SERMON of YESHUA on the MOUNT…
THE GOSPELS: The Ministry of Yeshua the Messiah begins – Luke 4:18 the GOOD NEWS according to the New Testament: GOD’s ETERNAL LOVE
15 August 2025
We are studying Luke 4:14-32, Mathew 4:12 and Mark 1:14-15 about the beginning of the MINISTRY of YESHUA THE MESSIAH. And we are still focusing today on Luke 4:18.
We are mainly reading from the Complete Jewish Study Bible – insight for Jews and Christians. And use the Hebrew name of God, YHVH (Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh) where the word LORD in English is indicated in capital letters in the Scriptures, also referring to Him as Abba Father and using the Hebrew Name Yeshua the Messiah instead of the English Name Jesus Christ translated from the Greek.
We are still focusing on Luke 4:18 about Yeshua who was ANNOINTED to announce GOOD NEWS to the POOR, and exploring what the Word tells us this GOOD NEWS is.
So today we will explore the GOOD NEWS according to the New Testament as written in the letters of the Apostles, with references to the Scriptures in the Old Testament, and we are going to look at it in specific themes, and the FIRST very IMPORTANT and AMAZING GOOD NEWS is:
GOD’S ETERNAL LOVE FOR MANKIND
In 1st John chapter 4 John gives a beautiful description of God’s LOVE.
We read in 1st John 4:7-8 “Beloved friends, let us LOVE one another; because LOVE IS FROM GOD; and EVERYONE who LOVES has GOD as his FATHER and KNOWS GOD. Those who do not LOVE, do not know God, because GOD IS LOVE.”
This is AMAZING, it means that God does not only LOVE us, God’s whole character is LOVE and we know from the WORD from Genesis to Revelation that this LOVE is RIGHTEOUS (virtuous, moral, good, honorable, honest). The kind of LOVE we read about in the TEN COMMANDMENST, described by Paul in Romans 13:10 as a LOVE that DOES not DO ANY HARM to others. It is 1 Corinthians 13 type of LOVE, that is: patient, kind, not jealous, not boastful, not proud, not rude or selfish, not easily angered, it does not keep a record of wrongs but is willing to forgive, it does not gloat over other people’s sins but takes delight in the truth, it always bears up, always hopes, always endures and it NEVER ENDS! But please note, RIGHTEOUS LOVE also DISCIPLINES (reprimands and corrects) those that it LOVE, for the very reason of KEEPING them from HARM! God as a GOOD FATHER indeed disciplines His children. (Read in Proverbs 3:11-12, Hebrews 12:5b and Revelation 3:19).
And we read the PURPOSE of this loving discipline in Hebrews 12:11 “…all discipline while it is happening, does indeed seem painful, not enjoyable; but for those who have been trained by it, it later produces its PEACEFUL FRUIT, which is RIGHTEOUSNESS (conforming to God’s ethical and moral standards as explained in His Word and leading to virtue, morality, decency, uprightness and honesty).
THE GOOD NEWS in 1st John chapters 1-5 is summarized in the Nelson’s Bible Dictionary as follows: God is LIGHT; God is LOVE; and God is LIFE. Therefore, to engage in fellowship with Him we must WALK (live our lives) in LIGHT and not in darkness. As we walk in the LIGHT we will regularly CONFESS (admit, acknowledge) our sins, allowing the Word to continually cleanse us. The Messiah will act as our defense attorney before the Father. PROOF of our WALKING in the LIGHT, will be KEEPING the COMMANDMENTS of GOD the FATHER and replacing any hatred we have toward other people with LOVE. Two major roadblocks to hinder this walk will be: falling in love with the world and falling for alluring (tempting, fascinating) lies of false teachers. GOD IS LOVE. Since we are His children we must WALK (live our lives) in LOVE. In fact, John says if we do not LOVE we do not KNOW GOD. Additionally, your LOVE need to be PRACTICAL. LOVE is more than just WORDS; it is ACTIONS. LOVE is GIVING, not getting. LOVE according to God’s WORD is unconditional in its nature. It is an “in spite of” LOVE because we are FILLED with HIS LOVE and therefore we can LOVE people, even if they do not LOVE us back and that is why it is possible to LOVE our enemies as Yeshua commands us. GOD is LIFE. Those who fellowship with HIM have His quality of LIFE. SPIRITUAL LIFE begins with SPIRITUAL BIRTH as child of GOD through FAITH in YEHSUA the MESSIAH. Then we receive ETERNAL LIFE. Therefore, if we WALK (live) in FELLOWSHIP with GOD, we will WALK (LIFE) in HIS LIGHT, LOVE and LIFE.
Also read John’s description of Yeshua’s first coming in John 1:1-14.
And we know much of what John says in 1st John chapter 1-5 is based on his walk with Yeshua the Messiah as His disciple and the words Yeshua spoke with His disciples like we read in:
John 3:16 “For God so LOVED the word that He gave His only and unique Son, so that EVERYONE who TRUSTS (have faith, believes, hopes) in Him may have ETERNAL LIFE, instead of being utterly destroyed.”
And in John 13:34-35 Yeshua said to His disciples “I am giving you a NEW COMMAND: that you keep on LOVING each other. In the SAME WAY that I HAVE LOVED you, you are also to KEEP LOVING each other. Everyone will know that you are My disciples by the fact that you have LOVE for each other.”
The Jewish Study Bible explains that this means that Yeshua gives us a new nature, a new Spirit, God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit in fulfilment of the Old Testament promises made in Jeremiah 31:32 and Ezekiel 36:26 and 37:14. And then we are able to LOVE as God LOVES.
Another beautiful description of God the Father’s LOVE for His human children who sometimes go astray, is the PARABLE told by Yeshua our Messiah in Luke 15:11-32 of the LOST SON. We see here the father allowed the youngest son to take his inheritance, even before the father died and He to let him go away into the world as was his choice. Then he converted his inheritance into cash, went to a distant country and wasted all his money in reckless (wild, uncontrolled, careless) living. But after he had spent all his money, a severe famine arose throughout the country and he got a job in a farmer’s field to feed his pigs and he longed to fill his stomach with the pods of the pigs. At last he came to his senses and thought about his father’s servants who had enough food to eat. And he decided he is going back to his father and he will say to him: “Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired workers.” (Read verse 18). So he got up and returned to his father’s house. But while he was a long way off, his father saw him (this means his father must have been waiting and longing for his lost son to return) and we further read he was moved to pity (sorrow and compassion/ consideration). He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him affectionately (note there is no words of blaming, only gladness). In Zephaniah 3:17 we get a similar description “YHVH your God is right there with you, as a MIGHTY SAVIOR. He will REJOICE over you and be GLAD, He will be silent in HIS LOVE (the NIV says, “he will no longer rebuke you in His love”), He will SHOUT over you with JOY.” And we then see his son’s words of repentance in Luke 15:21, similar to what John instructs us in 1 John 1:8-9 “If we claim not to have sin, we are DECEIVING (misleading, lying to) ourselves, and the TRUTH is not in us. If we ACKNOWLEDGE (admit, confess) our sins, then, since HE is TRUSTWORTHY and JUST (fair, unbiased, impartial), HE will FORGIVE them and PURIFY (cleanse) us form ALL wrongdoing (crime, lawbreaking, offense, transgression, misbehavior).”
And we then further see in the parable told by Yeshua in Luke 15, the father, without hesitation, FORGIVES his son and asks his servants to bring his son the best robe (coat) to put on him, and place a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet and they had to fetch the fattened calf to prepare for a celebration (a feast)! And the reason for this celebration (feast) is given in Luke 15:32 he “…was DEAD but has come BACK to LIFE – he was LOST but has been FOUND.”
And Paul explains something about this to us in Ephesians 2:1-5 saying to the believers: “You used to be DEAD because of your SINS and ACTS of DISOBEDIENCE. You walked in the ways of the ‘olam hazeh’ (this world) and obeyed the ruler of the powers of the air (Satan), who is still at work among the disobedient. Indeed, we all once lived this way – we followed the passions of our OLD NATURE and obeyed the wishes of our OLD NATURE and our OWN THROUGHTS. In our natural condition we were headed for God’s wrath, just like EVERYONE else. But GOD (the Father) is so rich in HIS MERCY and LOVES us with such INTENSE LOVE that, even when we were DEAD because of our ACTS of DISOBEDIENCE, HE brought us to LIFE along with the MESSIAH (Yeshua) – it is by GRACE that you have been DELIVERED.”
Paul tells us in Romans 5:8 “But God (the Father) demonstrates His own LOVE for us in that the MESSIAH DIED on our behalf while we were still sinners.” In Jeremiah 31:3a YHVH says to Israel “I LOVE you with an EVERLASTING LOVE; this is why in MY GRACE I draw you to Me…” Paul tells us more about this EVERLASTING LOVE of God in Romans 8:37-39 we read “…in ALL things we are super conquerors, through the ONE who has LOVED us. For I am convinced that neither DEATH nor LIFE, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers, neither what exists, nor what is coming, neither powers above, nor powers below, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us form the LOVE of GOD (the Father) which comes to us THROUGH YESHUA the MESSIAH, our Master.” And in Ephesians 3:14-19 Paul says in his letter to the believers: “…I fall on my knees before the Father, from whom EVERY FAMILY in HEAVEN and on EARTH receives its character. I pray that from the treasures of His glory He will EMPOWER you with INNER STRENGTH by HIS SPIRIT (the Holy Spirit) so that the MESSIAH may LIVE IN your HEARTS through your TRUSTING (faith, believe, hope). Also I pray that you will be ROOTED and FOUNDED IN LOVE so that you, with ALL God’s people , will be given STRENGTH to grasp the BREATH, LENGTH, HEIGHT and DEPTH of the MESSIAH’s LOVE, yes to KNOW IT, even though it is beyond ALL KNOWING, so that you will be FILLED with ALL the FULNESS of GOD (the Father –meaning with His LOVE).”
So, although our sins can separate us from His presence like we saw in the parable of the LOST SON in Luke 15, who CHOSE to go his own way, away from the father and to live a reckless live, wasting everything his father gave him, but the moment he CHOSE to return to his father with a repenting heart, his father took him back immediately and lavished his LOVE and care on his son, celebrating his return. We also read in Luke 15:10 Yeshua says: …I tell you, there is JOY among God’s angels when ONE SINNER REPENTS.”
And please note the parable of the LOST SON in Luke 15 then ends with the son REMIANING at his father’s house – the reason probably being what Paul tells us in Galatians 2:20 “When the Messiah was executed on the stake (the cross) as a criminal (on our behalf) I was too; so that my PROUD EGO (the old self/ the sinful nature) no longer lives. But the Messiah LIVES IN me, and the life I now live in my body, I live by the same trusting faithfulness that the Son of God had, who LOVED me and GAVE Himself up for me. ”
And even God’s LAW (the Torah, Genesis tot Deuteronomy), summarized in the TEN COMMANDMENTS is called His LAW of LOVE. Why? Because it teaches us how to LOVE Him above all else and to LOVE other people as ourselves.
Yeshua our Messiah explained this in Matthew 22:37-40 “You are to LOVE YHVH your God with ALL YOUR HEART (spirit) and with ALL your SOUL (your mind/ thoughts) and with ALL your strength (body). This is the greatest and most important mitzvah (COMMANDMENT). And a second similar to it, ‘You are to LOVE your neighbor as yourself. ALL of the TORAH (Genesis to Deuteronomy summed up in the Ten Commandments) and the PROPHETS are dependent on these two mitzvoth (COMMANDMENTS).” Yeshua also explained in Matthew 7:12 “ALWAYS treat others as you would like them treat you; that sums up the TEACHING of the TORAH and the PROPHETS”. And Paul confirmed this in Romans 13:8-10 saying: “Don’t owe anyone anything – except to LOVE one another; for whoever LOVES his fellow human being has FULFILLED TORAH. For the COMMANDMENTS ‘Don’t commit adultery (commandment 7)’, ‘Don’t murder’ (commandment 6), ‘Don’t steal (commandment 8), ‘Don’t covet (commandment 10), and any others are summed up in this ONE RULE: ‘LOVE your neighbor as yourself.’ LOVE DOES NOT DO HARM TO A NEIGHBOUR; therefore LOVE is the FULLNESS of the TORAH (Genesis tot Deuteronomy).”
Note if you wonder who your neighbor is, read Yeshua’s explanation in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:29-37.
And Yeshua says John 14:21-23 “Whoever has MY COMMANDMENTS and KEEPS them is the one who LOVES ME, and the one who LOVES ME, will be LOVED by My FATHER, and I WILL LOVE him and REVEAL MYSELF to him.”
John 15:9-17 “Just as MY FATHER has LOVED ME, I too have LOVED you; so STAY in MY LOVE. If you KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS, you will STAY in MY LOVE – just as I have KEPT MY FATHER’s COMMANDMENTS and STAY in HIS LOVE. I have said this to you so that MY JOY may be IN you, and your JOY be COMPLETE (comprehensive, widespread, extensive). This is MY COMMAND: that you keep on LOVING each other just as I have LOVED you. No one has GREATER LOVE than a person who lays down his LIFE for his FRIENDS. You are MY FRIENDS if you DO what I COMMAND you. I no longer call you slaves (servants), because a slave (servant) doesn’t know what his master is about; but I have called you FRIENDS, because EVERYTHING I have HEARD from MY FATHER I have made KNOWN to you. You did not CHOOSE ME, I CHOSE you; and I have COMISSIONED you to go and BEAR FRUIT, FRUIT that will LAST; so that whatever you ask from the FATHER in MY NAME He may GIVE you. This is what I COMMAND you: KEEP LOVING EACH OTHER!”