THE GOSPELS: The Ministry of Yeshua the Messiah begins – Luke 4:18 the GOOD NEWS according to the New Testament: FORGIVENESS

12 September 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.

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.

We are in process of exploring 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 looking at it in specific themes. From our studying of the Word so far we confirmed that the GOOD NEWS is all about God’s ETERNAL LOVE for MANKIND and therefore saving people by setting us FREE from the hold of sin and death on us through the full price paid by Yeshua our Messiah, our Deliverer and today we are focusing on: the GOOD NEWS of the:

FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS

God the Father has in His mercy set us FREE from the hold/ bondage of SIN through the death and resurrection of Messiah Yeshua who paid the full price demanded for sin which is DEATH. And when we accept Him as the sacrifice for our sin on our behalf we are DECLARED righteous. This is illustrated to us by Abba Father’s FIRST FEAST: PASSOVER, signified by the BRONZE ALTAR of SACRIFICE in the OUTERCOURT of the TABRNACLE/ TEMPLE and in the fulfillment of YESHUA our MESSIAH as the final and perfect sacrifice on our behalf, on the CROSS at GOLGOTHA.

Paul explains this beautifully in Romans 3:23-26 “For it make no difference whether one is a Jew (from the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, known previously as the Southern Kingdom) or a Gentile (a non-Jewish person), since all have sinned and come short of earning God (the Father’s) praise. By God (the Father’s) GRACE, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before Him, through the act REDEEMING us from our ENSLAVEMENT to SIN that was accomplished by the MESSIAH YESHUA. God (the Father) put Yeshua forward as the kapparah (a Hebrew word meaning atonement, propitiation, forgiveness, pardon) for sin through His faithfulness in respect to His bloody sacrificial death. This vindicated (justified) God (the Father’s) righteousness; because in His forbearance (patience and mercy) He had passed over (with neither punishment, nor remission) the sins people has committed in the past; and it vindicates His righteousness in the present age by showing that He is righteous Himself and is also the ONE who makes people righteous on the ground of YESHUA’s FAITHFULNESS.”

It can be compared with receiving white clothes from Him, when we give all our SINS to HIM but this is just the FIRST STEP in our SALVATION PROCESS called JUSTIFICATON. This is the MOST IMPORTANT STEP because there is NO other WAY in repairing our BROKEN RELATIONSHIP with Abba Father, the HOLY GOD we serve. We however MUST complete ALL SEVEN STEPS, depicted in the SEVEN FEASTS of YHVH, our Father and also explained in the TABERNACLE/ TEMPLE FURNITURE, to LIVE IN FREEDOM. These STEPS from STEP TWO to SEVEN has to do with our SANCTIFICATION – how to live a life set apart for YHVH, our FATHER who bought us back with HIS OWN BLOOD in the form of the SON, YESHUA the MESSIAH from Satan who previously owned us through deceiving Adam and Eve and bound/ chained us to sin and death!

So we are focusing today on the wonderful blessing that GOD our FATHER is WILLING TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS!

David says in Psalm 32:1 “How blessed are those whose offense (crimes, wrongdoings, transgressions, violations) is FORGIVEN, those whose SIN is COVERED!  (A picture of the MERCY SEAT covering the TEN COMMANDMENT in the ARK of the COVENANT – protecting believers against the punishment people deserve when transgressing the TEN COMMANDMENTS as a SUMMARY of GOD the Father’s LAW, His TORAH as written in Genesis to Deuteronomy!) Paul also explained this in Romans 3:25-26 as already mentioned.

Paul quotes Psalm 32:1 in Romans 4:6-8 saying: “In the same way, the blessing which David pronounces is on those whom God (the Father) credits with righteousness apart from legalistic observances: ‘Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered over; Blessed is the man whose sin YHVH will not recon against his account.

In Psalm 103:6-12 David says: “YHVH brings vindication (justification, defense, protection) and justice (fairness, righteousness) to all who are oppressed (burdened, worried, troubled, overloaded). He made His WAYS known to Moses (He gave His TORAH, Genesis to Deuteronomy containing all His instructions for living a protected and blessed life to Moses to write it down for all generations), His mighty deeds to the people of ISRAEL (al twelve tribes including the mixed multitude that chose to be freed from Egypt with them and to live according to God’s instructions – read Exodus 12:38). YHVH is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in grace. He will not always accuse, He will not keep His anger forever. He has not treated us as our sins deserve or paid us back for our offences, because His MERCY toward those who fear Him is as far above earth as heaven. He has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west”

John also tells us something about this in 1 John 2:1-2 “My children, I am writing you these things so that you won’t sin. But if anyone does sin, we have YESHUA the MESSIAH, the Tzaddik (a Hebrew word for a RIGHTEOUSS PERSON some translations use the word ADVOCATE), who pleads our cause with the Father. Also, He is the kapparah (atonement, forgiveness) for our sins – and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world (meaning ANYONE who accepts Him as their Savior and believes in Him).”

In Matthew 26:27-28 Yeshua our Messiah, at His last PASSOVER meal with His disciples, took a cup of wine, said a blessing, and gave it to them, saying: “All of you drink from it! For this is MY BLOOD, which ratifies (approves, endorses, authorizes) the NEW COVENANT, My blood shed on behalf of many, so that they may have their sins forgiven.”

The writer of Hebrews quotes the NEW COVENANT as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34 in Hebrews 8:8-12 “See! The days are coming, says YHVH, when I will establish over the HOUSE of ISRAEL (that is the ten tribes under Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom and all Gentiles grafting in on the OLIVE TREE as explained by Paul in Romans 11:17) and over the HOUSE of JUDAH (that is the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the Southern Kingdom, today known as the Jews) a NEW COVENANT. It will not be like the COVENANT which I made with your fathers on the day when I took them by their hand and led them out of the land of Egypt; because they, for their part, did not remain faithful to MY COVENANT; so I, for MY PART, stopped concerning Myself with them, says YHVH. For this is the COVENANT I will make with the HOUSE OF ISRAEL after those days, says YHVH: I will put MY TORAH (Genesis to Deuteronomy, summed up in the Ten Commandments) in their minds, and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be My people. None of them will teach his fellow-citizen or his brother, saying, ‘Know YHVH!’ For ALL will know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, because I will be merciful toward their wickedness and remember their sins no more.”

In Acts 10:43 Peter says: “All the prophets bear witness to Him, that everyone who puts his TRUST (faith, hope, belief) in Him receives FORGIVENESS of SINS through His Name.      

And even in the last Book of the Bible, in Revelation 1:5b-8 it is again explained and confirmed by John saying: “To Him (Yeshua the Messiah), the ONE who LOVED us, who has FREED us from our SINS at the COST of HIS BLOOD, who has caused us to be a KINGDOM, that is priests for God, His Father – to Him be the glory and RULERSHIP forever and ever. Amen”. And then John quotes Daniel 7:13 ”Look! He is coming with the clouds! Every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him, and ALL the TRIBES of the Land will mourn Him.” (This is a depiction of FEAST 5: the FEAST OF TRUMPETS signifying the SECOND COMING of YESHUA the MESSIAH). And John proceeds in Revelation 1:8 “Yes! Amen! (meaning “it is true”, “so be it” ). We further read: “I am the ALEF (a Hebrew word for the FIRST letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, indicting He is the FIRST, the BEGINING) and the TAV (a Hebrew word for the LAST letter of the Alphabet, indicating He is the LAST, the END), says YHVH, the God of heaven’s armies, the ONE who is, who was and who is coming.”

BUT WE DO READ OF SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS TO RECEIVE GOD THE FATHER’s FORGIVENESS, namely:

1. TO CALL ON GOD

In Psalm 86:5 David says: “YHVH, You are kind and FORGIVING, full of GRACE toward ALL who CALL on You.”

We also read in Isaiah 55:6-7 “SEEK YHVH while He is available, CALL ON HIM while He is still nearby. Let the wicked person abandon his way and the evil person his thoughts; LET him RETURN to YHVH and He will have MERCY on him; let him RETURN to our God, for He will FREELY FORGIVE.”

How AWESOME is that, promising us, irrespective of what we have done, if we CALL on HIM and ABANDON our wicked WAYS and our EVIL THROUGHTS, HE WILL FREELY FORGIVE US!

This CALL may be TWOFOLD, either of:

• Someone who does not KNOW HIM and am not YET SAVED, can CALL on HIM to SAVE him/ her and accepting YESHUA the MESSIAH as their SAVIOR (this is STEP ONE depicted by FEAST ONE: PASSOVER or
• Someone who KNOWS Him, accepted Yeshua the Messiah as their Savior, but lost their WAY and wants to RETURN to Him. This person therefore has been SAVED from sin and death but has not WALKED in SANCTIFICATION by going through STEPS TWO to SEVEN and NOW experience the pain of a sinful life and CALLS out to GOD for help.

Paul also explained in Acts 26:18 that a prerequisite for CALLING on GOD is to OPEN a person’s EYES! This means that people who are SPIRITUALY BLIND, will have difficulty to understand their NEED to CALL to GOD and to REPENT! Paul explained that Yeshua the Messiah has sent him to the people and the Gentiles (non-Jewish people): “…to open their (spiritually blind) eyes; so that they will TURN from DARKNESS to LIGHT, from the power of the Adversary (the dragon and ancient serpent, also known as the Devil and Satan according to Revelation 12:9) to GOD (the Father), and thus receive FORGIVENESS of SINS and a place among those who have been SEPARATED for HOLINESS by putting their TRUST (faith, hope, belief) in YESHUA the MESSIAH.

2. WILLINGNESS TO DIE TO THE OLD SINFUL SELF

He DIED for us to buy our FREEDOM from SIN and DEATH, now we have to CHOOSE to DIE to SIN!

Mark 4:1 John the Baptist explains HOW WE DIE to SIN – we are BABTISED in WATER as a symbol of our TURNING to God from sin to be FORGIVEN (also read Luke 3:3).  Paul later explained it in Romans 6:2 that we have been IMMERSED (baptized) in the Messiah Yeshua’s DEATH, and through this we were BURIED with HIM, so that just as, through the glory of the FATHER, the MESSIAH was RAISED from the DEAD, likewise we too might live a NEW LIFE. This signifies YHVH’s FEAST TWO: UNLEAVENED BREAD (Yeshua the Messiah being buried after crucifixion as the sinless Lamb of Abba Father, and we with Him) as well as FEAST THREE: FIRST FRUITS (Yeshua the Messiah being raised from the dead as the FIRST FRUIT and believers being raised with Him to a new life).

Peter also explained it to NEW BELIEVERS in Acts 2:38 saying “TURN from sin, RETURN to GOD, and each of you be IMMERSED (baptized) on the authority of YESHUA the MESSIAH into FORGIVENESS of your sins, and you will RECEIVE the GIFT of the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit)!”  As well read Acts 3:19.

Paul explains what SIN is and DAETH to SIN to the believers in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11: “Don’t you know that unrighteous people will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don’t delude (deceive, mislead) yourselves – people who engage in sex before marriage, who worship idols, who engage in sex after marriage with someone other than their spouse, who engage in active or passive homosexuality, who steal, who are greedy, who get drunk, who assail (attack, assault) people with contemptuous (scornful, disrespecting, insulting, abusive) language, who rob – none of them will share in the Kingdom of God. Some of you USED to do these things. But you have CLEANSED yourselves, you have been SET APART for God (the Father), you have come to be counted RIGHTEOUS through the POWER of the MASTER YESHUA the MESSIAH and the (Holy) SPIRIT of our GOD.”

Paul also says to the believers in Ephesians 5:1-9 “So imitate God (the Father), as His dear children; and live a life of LOVE, just as also the Messiah LOVED us, indeed, on our behalf gave Himself up as an OFFERING, as a slaughtered sacrifice to God (the Father) with a pleasing fragrance. Among you there should not even be mentioned sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or greed; these are utterly (completely, entirely) inappropriate (unsuitable, unfitting) for God’s holy (set apart) people. Also out of place are obscenity (rudeness, vulgarity, crudeness, indecency, licentiousness, shamelessness, lewdness, filthiness) and stupid (unwise, senseless, thoughtless, irresponsible) talk (conversations) or coarse (abrasive, harsh) language; instead you should be giving thanks. For this you can be sure: every sexually immoral, impure of greedy person – that is (meaning), every idol-worshipper – has no share in the Kingdom of the Messiah and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty talk; for it is because of these things that GOD’s JUDGEMENT IS COMING to those that DISOBEY HIM. So don’t become partners (associates) with them! FOR you USED to be darkness; but now, UNITED with the MASTER (Yeshua the Messiah), you are LIGHT. LIVE like children of LIGHT, for the FRUIT of the LIGHT is in every kind of GOODNESS, RIGHTNESS (appropriateness) and TRUTH – try to determine what will please the Master (Yeshua the Messiah).

And in Colossians 1:7-14 Paul said to the believers he heard about the LOVE which the Holy Spirit has given them and he has not stopped praying for them, “asking God (the Father) to fill you with the KNOWLEDGE of HIS WILL in ALL the WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING which the (Holy) Spirit gives; so that you may LIVE LIVES WORTHY of the MASTER (Yeshua) and ENTIRELY PLEASING to HIM, being FRUITFUL in EVERY GOOD WORK and multiplying in the FULL KNOWLEDGE of GOD. We pray that you will continually be STREGTHENED with ALL the POWER that comes from His glorious might; so that you will be able to persevere (endure) and be patient in ANY SITUATION, JOYFULLY GIVING THANKS to the FATHER for having made you fit to share in the inheritance of His people in the LIGHT. He has RECUED us from the domain of darkness and TRANSFERRED us into the Kingdom of His dear Son (Yeshua the Messiah). It is through His Son that we have REDEMPTION – that is, OUR SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN. “

The next REQUIREMENT for FORGIVENESS is:

3. REPENTANCE

WHEN we accept YESHUA as our MESSIAH we are JUSTIFIED, our relationship with God the Father is repaired. So WHY is SANTIFICATION (learning to live a holy live, being set apart for God the Father) then required, if Yeshua our Messiah already paid the FULL price for our sins with His precious blood? The reason is that although we hand all our past sins to Yeshua the Messiah the day we are saved, we still live a fallen world full of sin and unfortunately we will still commit unintentional or accidental (unplanned) sins. It can be compared to us needing to wash the clothes we wear each day because it gets soiled from our daily activities. There is however a difference in accidentally spilling something on our clean clothes while busy with an activity or eating and deliberately soiling our clothes with something.

Abba Father provides us with WATER to wash our bodies and our clothes from daily soiling as part of life on earth, and the process of BATHING and WASHING helps us to clean ourselves from dirt and germs that could endanger our PHYSICAL HEALTH. Likewise Abba Father provides us with HIS LIVING WATER (the WORD) and the process of REPENTANCE to FREE our soul’s from unintentional (accidental, unplanned) SINS, to keep us clean from guilt, fear and shame that could lead to several conditions like depression, unhappiness, despair endangering our SPIITUAL HEALTH.

DAILY REPENTANCE involves the SECOND PART OF the FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD of DYING TO OUR OLD SINFUL SELF. The FIRST PART as already discussed is BAPTISM – this involves and ACTIVE DECISION of dying to our OLD NATURE and giving our LIVES to GOD and therefore drawing a line in the sand and committing to live a new life without sinning.

In Proverbs 28:13 we are told: “He who conceals his sins WILL NOT SUCCEED; he who CONFESSES (admits, acknowledges, declares) and ABANDON them (give it up completely) WILL GAIN MERCY.”

And David said in Psalm 32:3-5 “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away because of my groaning all day long; day and night your hand was heavy on me; the sap in me dried up in a summer drought. When I ACKNOWLEDGED my sin to You, when I stopped CONCEALING my guilt, and said, ‘I will CONFESS my offenses to YHVH’; then You, You FORGAVE the guilt of my sin”. It is therefore clear that David understood the REPENTANCE process to RECEIVE GOD’s FORGIVENESS.

Yeshua our Messiah CONFIRMED the IMPORTANCE of REPENTANCE just before His ascension to heaven in Luke 24:47 saying: …in His Name (Yeshua the Messiah) REPENTANCE leading to FROGIVENESS of sins is to be proclaimed to people from ALL NATIONS, starting with Jerusalem.” This is not a NEW TESTAMENT principle, because REMEMBER the GOD DOES NOT CHANGE, the GOD of the NEW TESTAMENT is the SAME GOD of the OLD TESTAMENT. We read in Joel 2:13 “Tear your HEART (meaning have remorse about your sins), not your garments; and TURN (return, teshuvah) to YHVH you God.”

Paul explains in Acts 17:30-31 “In the PAST, God overlooked such ignorance (meaning people who did not have knowledge about His ways because of limited access to His Word); but now He is COMMANDING ALL people EVERYWHERE to TURN to HIM from their sins. For He has set a DAY when He will JUDGE the inhabited world, and do it JUSTLY, by means of a MAN (Yeshua the Messiah) whom He has designated. (This is referring to JUDGEMENT DAY depicted by YHVH, the Father’s FEAST5: FEAST of TRUMPETS, FEAST 6: DAY of ATONEMENT and the LAST DAY (he 8^th DAY) of the FEAST of TABERNACLES when the WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT we read about in Revelation 20:4-6 and 11-15 will take place (Also  read 2 Corinthians 5:9).

Abba Father helps us to understand this through celebrating His SECOND FEAST: UNLEAVENED BREAD

Therefore, the second part of UNLEAVEND BEAD is DAILY REPANTENCE

John tells us about it in 1 John 1:7-10.

4. WILLINGNESS TO FORGIVE OTHERS

FEAST THREE: FIRST FRUITS is an outflow of STEP TWO as we come out of the WATER of BAPTISM we RISE to a NEW LIVE, willing to now FORSAKE our OLD SINFUL WAYS and LEARNING step-by-step and day-by-day to LIVE in ACORDANCE to ABBA FATHER’s WAYS that YESHUA our MESSIAH clearly demonstrated to us as our EXAMPLE. So we are now entering into the HOLY PLACE and SITTING at HIS TABLE where we EAT the BREAD of LIFE (the WORD of God) that nourishes our SOUL and SPIRIT TWICE DAILY – very much as we will eat food twice or three times daily to keep our BODIES nourished and strong to handle our daily tasks; similarly we need to be nourished and strengthened by God our Father’s Word ensuring we remain nourished and strong to face daily SPIRITUAL TRAILS and TRIBULATIONS, including spiritual wars. Just as a malnourished body, a malnourished soul and spirit will get sick and die.

One of the IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES we are TAUGHT in the WORD is due to its IMPORTANCE encapsulated into a COMMANDMENT – “to LOVE other people as we LOVE ourselves.” This INSTRUCTION has dire (terrible, awful, horrible) consequences if we DECIDE, NOT TO OBEY it.

And again, disobeying it has TWO SIDES:

• If we DO NOT LOVE OURSELVES (therefore reject ourselves and dislike and even hate ourselves), we will be UNABLE to LOVE OTHERS; and
• If we DO NOT LOVE OTHERS (therefore rejecting them, disliking and even hating them), we will also be HARMED OURSELVES.

And this TIES into God’s SOW/ REAP PRINCIPLE therefore God TREATS us as WE TREAT others. That seems PERFECTLY FAIR, do you agree?

We read in Matthew 5:7 Yeshua the Messiah telling us: “How blessed are those who show mercy! For they will be shown mercy.

In Matthew 7:1-2 Yeshua says: “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. For the way you judge others is how you will be judged – the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you.”

And then Yeshua also clearly indicates in the PRAYER to the FATHER (generally known as “the Lord’s Prayer”) in Matthew 6:12 “FORGIVE us what we have done wrong, as we too have FORGIVEN those who have wronged us.” And He emphasizes this point in Matthew 6:14-15 saying: “For IF you FORGIVE others their offenses, your heavenly Father WILL also FORGIVE you; but IF you do not FORGIVE others their offences, your heavenly Father will NOT FORGIVE you.”

Paul also explains this to believers in Colossians 3:12-13 saying: “…as God’s CHOSEN people, HOLY (set apart for Him) and dearly LOVED, clothe yourselves with feelings of COMPASSION and with KINDNESS, HUMILITY, GENTELNESS and PATIENCE.  Bear with one another; if anyone has a complaint against someone else, FORGIVE him. Indeed, just as the MASTER (Yeshua the Messiah) has FORGIVEN you, so you must FORGIVE.”

PLEASE NOTE: THESE ARE LAWS and PRINCIPLES FIXED in STONE similar to PRINCIPLES or LAWS applied to the earth like GRAVITY, DAY and NIGH, SEASONS and YEARS – NOBODY can change it because GOD THE CREATOR DECIDED and ORDAINED it FOR VERY GOOD RESONS.

In Mark 11:25 Yeshua explains this on forgiveness: “And when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, FORGIVE him; so that your FATHER in heaven may also FORGIVE your offenses.”

We also know Yeshua taught Peter on forgiveness, telling him to FORGIVE 70 x 7 times, indicating that we must have an attitude or lifestyle of FORGIVNESS. And then Yeshua told the parable of FORGIVNESS we read about in Matthew 18:21-34.

Paul explains in Ephesians 4:31-32 “Get rid of ALL bitterness (resentment, animosity, hostility), rage (fury, wrath), anger, violent assertiveness (forcefulness, aggression) and slander (insult, offence, rudeness), along with ALL spitefulness (malice, hatred, nastiness, vindictiveness, unkindness). Instead, be kind (caring, gentle, compassionate) to each other, tenderhearted; and FORGIVE each other, just as in the MESSIAH, GOD (the Father) has also FORGIVEN you.”

It makes it easier to FORGIVE when we understand that GOD is a RIGHTEOUS JUDGE and He will JUDGE EVERYONE according to his or her DEEDS. Paul says in Romans 12:17-19 “Repay no evil for evil but try to do what everyone regards as GOOD. If possible, and to the extent that it depends on you, live in PEACE with ALL people. Never seek revenge, my friends; instead, leave that to God’s anger; for in the Tanakh (Old Testament, Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:41) is written, ‘YHVH says, Vengeance is MY RESPONSIBILITY: I will repay.”  And we know the REASON being that ONLY HE knows everyone’s whole STORY as well as our HEARTS and therefore He is the ONLY and ULTIMATE RIGHTOEUS JUDGE