Sermon Central
-
Isaiah 61 Inexpressibly Full Of Joy Series
Contributed by Chuck Musselwhite on Feb 29, 2016 (message contributor)
Summary: Exposition of Isaiah 61
Inexpressibly Full of Joy
The Messiah’s Mission Vs. 1
A Priestly People Vs. 2-7
An Everlasting Covenant Vs. 8-11
Intro:
Hungary Video
A group of eight of us went to Hungary and taught english to over 100 non-christian kids
They are so excited to have Americans come and all of them dream of coming here
That is the open door to share the gospel with them
It starts with 3 hours of class everyday then extends into sports and activities in the afternoon and finishes with 2-3 Christians sharing their life story or testimony in the evening
I got to do that on Friday night and it was powerful
Best yet the life story time is not mandatory but 90% of the kids always show up
You fall in love with these kids and they really open up to you
They notice something different about you and the difference is the Joy of the Lord
The flavor of Christianity is joy.
That’s significant, because life stinks
What God offers is “good news of a great joy” for everyone.
When people living lives in this world demonstrate joy, it’s living proof that God saves sinners
God’s message to the world was distilled into one essential drop by the angel at the birth of Jesus: “I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people”
Just telling people to be happy won’t work. That’s annoying.
But the gospel doesn’t do that. It gives us a hope beyond everything that beats us down.
The Apostle Peter called it “joy … inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8)
Read Isaiah 61:1-4
Transition:
Isaiah 61 is the John 3:16 of the OT
It tells us why God sent his Son and what his mission is going to be
On top of that God shows us what our role will be and what promise he makes to us
He describes a life of Joy that he desires for his followers
This joy isn't dependent on our circumstances
According to one archaeologist, the apartment buildings of ancient Rome were so poorly built that “the city was constantly filled with the noise of buildings collapsing or being torn down to prevent it;
The tenants of an [apartment] lived in constant expectation of its coming down on their heads.”
That was the setting in which the Roman Christians raised their families.
The classical world was not all gleaming marble and flowing white togas and sumptuous banquets.
It was messy. The streets of Rome were deepest darkness after nightfall.
There was no medical care as we know it, no inoculations for children, no retirement benefits, no air-conditioning, no refrigeration.
But the early Christians, living in that world, stood out because God gave them a gift from beyond that world
This morning we are going to see what God intended when He sent his son
We are going to see the power of the Gospel in action
And we are going to see the fruit that comes from a changed life
The Messiah’s Mission vs. 1
His mission is to bring good news to the poor and to bind up the brokenhearted and to proclaim liberty to the captives and to comfort all who mourn and anoint them with gladness, so that the Lord may be glorified.
And he has made us partners with him in that mission.
Vs. 1a The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me:
Here, Isaiah prophetically speaks for the Messiah, and the Messiah announces that He is blessed and empowered by the Spirit of the Lord GOD.
In Luke 4:16-22, Jesus spoke in the synagogue of Nazareth, His hometown.
He opened up the scroll to Isaiah 61 and read from the beginning of the chapter through the first line of verse 2.
When He sat down, He simply said today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.
Jesus is the person described in Isaiah 61 and He is the one the Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon.
The Spirit came upon him after John baptized him.
Jesus wasn't able to do any of the miracles or other ministries without the Spirit
If Jesus, the Son of God, needed the Spirit of the Lord GOD, how much more do we!
We would be wise to head this and not try to do it under our power
Vs 1b Because the LORD has anointed Me:
This identifies the speaker as the Messiah, because Messiah means “Anointed One.”
The word “anoint” means to rub or sprinkle on; apply an ointment, or oily liquid to.
Persons in the Old Testament were often literally anointed with oil.
Literal oil would be applied, but as a sign of the Holy Spirit upon their lives and service.
The oil on the head was the outward representation of the spiritual work going on inside them.
