TITLE: BECAUSE
SCRIPTURE: ISAIAH 61:1
I want to spend a few minutes on this single verse this morning. In this verse we find one of the riches blessings of the Old Testament. If we take the proper time and care this morning we will discover a truth that has the potential of changing our lives. I want to extract the 10th Word recorded in this verse. I want to lift up as my thought this morning the word – “BECAUSE.”
This is a critical and very important word to understand. It is a word that our children discovered at a very early age. Can I prove my point for a moment?
• Ever scold your child for disobeying you and you ask them why they disobeyed and they respond – Because
• Ever catch your child in a lie and you ask them why they did not tell the truth and they respond – Because
• Ever raise your voice at your child when they are watching Television and you say, “I know you heard me calling you, why didn’t you answer?” And they respond – Because
I remember raising my children and now spending more time with my older grandchildren, I tell them when they respond to me and allow “Because” to stand alone then you have reduced it from a reason and have relegated it to a response. The “Because” in this text is very critical to our Christian Walk. It is important that the “Because” in this verse is our reason and not merely our response. Listen to this verse again – “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD GOD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE THE LORD HAS ANOINTED ME.”
• Isaiah lets us know “Because” is the Evidence
• Many times we as Christians can’t give the Evidence of our Hope
• Many times we as Christians can’t give the Evidence of our Salvation
• Ever ask someone in the Church if they are Saved
• Respond, I am not sure or I think so
• We have a problem with the Because or the Evidence
Isaiah knew a change had taken place in his life – and he knew this “Because.” Remember with me this is an OT text. In this text, there is reference to the Spirit, there is a reference to CHRIST – ISAIAH SAYS, THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD GOD IS UPON ME - so there is also a reference to the Father – all tied up in the word “LORD”
Isaiah clearly anticipates the Because in his calling and expounds upon it in this first Verse.
• Mary understood this when she was very young and the Angel spoke to her saying the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you
• Mary you will be pregnant and not know a man, then the Angel provided her with the “Because”
• Jesus understood this at His baptism by John the Baptist when the Holy Spirit descended on Him and a voice spoke from Heaven this is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased
• Jesus was now released for Ministry and He knew it – “Because”
• Something must take place in our life or we will be stuck with a Response instead of Evidence
Isaiah in this text was providing us with the evidence of his calling. Hundreds of years down the road, Jesus would reflect upon these same words as recorded in ISAIAH 61:1 – SPIRIT LED – SPIRIT DIRECTED. Now before we move on lets think about ourselves and the ministries we are involved in.
• How Spirit led and directed are we?
• Is the power of Spirit evident in our lives and in our service of Him?
• Are we relying upon the Holy Spirit in our ministries and in our life?
• Effective kingdom ministry and service is Spirit led and Spirit empowered
It is important what Isaiah identifies after the “Because” - BECAUSE THE LORD HAS ANOINTED ME. The Anointing makes the Difference. Too many are anointed by the wrong thing today.
• We are anointed by the Bishop – instead of the Lord
• We are anointed by the Presbytery – instead of the Lord
• We are anointed by the Church Elders and leaders – instead of the Lord
• We are anointed by the Prelates – instead of the Lord
• The “Because” must be tied to the Lord
• Not tied to our Dreams
• Not tied to our Desires
• Not tied to our Wants
• Because the Lord has Anointed Me!
In this Power Packed Verse, Isaiah prophesies that those so transformed by the work of Jesus Christ will stand out and are meant to stand out.
• We Stand Out Not to Show Off – But Because
• We Stand Out Not to Stand and Say Look at Me – But Because
• We Stand Out Not to Say to our Haters, How You Like Me Know – But Because
The BECAUSE in this verse talks about the TRANSFORMING WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT CHANGES US. When we are transformed, we are then designed to Stand Out.
• We are to stand out as great examples of what it means to be the followers of God
• We are to stand out for the purpose of showing forth the greatness and glory of God
• We are to stand out for the purpose of showing the world that God Can an God Will Do It
Ultimately we are here reminded that we are not to be self-focused. We are to be God focused. The transformational work of Christ in our lives shows forth God’s glory for in us Christ and the glory of God is seen in increasing measure. Isaiah prophesies that those so transformed by the work of Jesus Christ will stand out and are meant to stand out.
• Sad reality is most of Christianity today is “Self-Focused”
• We don’t want to attend a Church unless we hear a lot about what God is going to give us
• We want to hear about how God is going to Elevate us
• We want to hear about how Wonderful and Prosperous the Lord will make us
• That is a Self-Focused Gospel instead of God Focused
Isaiah said he was Empowered not for his own gain but to be a help to others. Our examination of the prophesy of Jesus in this passage ought to bring us to the point of saying, I want to participate—in ways possible for me, in the ministries that Christ had to people. We must move to the Because Caluse. Isaiah Said it was the Because that allowed:
• Him to be led by the Spirit to lead God’s people
• Him to be set apart to Preach
• Him to Bind up the Brokenhearted
• Him to proclaim Liberty to the Captives
• Him to open the Prison to them that were Bound
Although we as Ministers have varied jobs to perform, nothing holds greater priority than the call to Preach. Fortunate, indeed, are those churches with shepherds who recognize and accept the importance of the CENTRALITY OF PREACHING as a means of SAVING THE LOST – NURTURING AND INSPIRING THE SAVED – PROVIDING PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE AGAINST APOSTASY. Well-fed, stable, biblically literate congregations, who are growing in Christ, are often the products of preaching which motivates people to become involved in sharing the benefits which they are receiving.
SPIRIT ANOINTED PREACHING BEGINS WITH THE PREACHER. God does not anoint Programs – Plans – Eloquence - Education - but people, individuals who have been prepared in cooperation with God to be entrusted with the power of His Spirit. The power of the Spirit will not come upon preachers who are:
• Compromising their standards
• Unkind and unchristian in their homes
• Critical and negative in their outlook
• Harboring sensual and sinful desire
• Or are dilatory and lazy in their ministry
PREACHING THAT PRODUCES RESULTS - HOLDS THE ATTENTION OF CONGREGATIONS - EDIFIES CHURCHES - AND GLORIFIES GOD - IS SPIRIT-ANOINTED PREACHING.
• I am not talking about being Entertained
• I am not talking about the Lights and the Glitz
• I am talking about Preaching that Glorifies God and changes lives
It was this type of preaching that was characterized throughout the New Testament.
• JOHN THE BAPTIST – Preached and had the whole country side standing around listening and responding
• JOHN THE BAPTIST – Preached and the dignitaries of his day were aware of who he was
• PETER – Preached and 3,000 souls were saved
• PAUL – Preached and nations were changed
• AT NAZARETH – Jesus was invited to read the Scripture and then to Preach
• The God who calls us to preach calls us to spirit-anointed preaching
They could not do what they did without the “Because” operating in their lives. There was evidence of the Holy Spirit moving and operating. Oftentimes we call this the Unction. We cannot do what we do without the Unction.
• Unction" is a word reserved to describe the mystical power which accompanies preaching
• The author Sangster says - One of the things which distinguishes preaching from all other forms of public address and public speaking is that preaching can have Unction
• He goes on to say that in today’s times, Preaching has it so rarely
• Lack of Unction in our Preaching is the shame of us preachers and proves the poverty of our prayers
• Powerful Preaching is the Unction or the Evidence of the Anointing on our lives
• Powerful Preaching is the Unction that this Message is not our Own
+Ministers who sense their inadequacy, and are crying out to God for help, are worthy candidates to be anointed by God's spirit. ISAIAH 48:11 “FOR MINE OWN SAKE, EVEN FOR MINE OWN SAKE, WILL I DO IT: FOR HOW SHOULD MY NAME BE POLLUTED? AND I WILL NOT GIVE MY GLORY UNTO ANOTHER.”
• God will not give His Glory to Another if they are not worthy candidates
• God is not going to Empower us without the Process
• God may have to Break us before He can Make us
• We like to say that we are tough and we are fighters
• We like to think that we can fight our way through the toughest circumstances
• The reality is we oftentimes find ourselves Fighting against God as He is trying to Break us in order to Re-Make us
• Therefore, God has to wait for us to Cry out to Him in order to do something to us before He can do great things through us
• Spirit-anointed preaching does not come without our being willing to pay a great price
• That of being broken by God
• Molded by prayer
• And prostrated in humble dependence upon God for power
Can I tell you this morning there is a difference between PREACHING OUT OF NATURAL ABILITY VERSUS PREACHING OUT OF DEPENDENCE! I don’t want to spend any time around those who Teach and Preach out of Natural Ability. It did not cost you anything. I know some preachers that don’t open the Bible all week long, get up on Sunday morning and Preach. You can tell the difference. I want to spend time around those that have a Humble Dependence on God because we realize without leaning and depending on God we are nothing more than SOUNDING BRASS AND TINKLING CYMBALS. I want to be around those that spend tie with the because factor.
We like to say that the Church and Preaching must be relevant.
• The Church and the Message can best be described as an adventure in cooperative thinking between the preacher and the congregation
• The preacher takes hold of a real problem in our lives, and, stating it better than we could state it, goes on to deal with it fairly, frankly, helpfully
• Being relevant in one's preaching is dependent upon a thorough knowledge of the biblical passage and a thorough knowledge of people
• That comes through the Unction
We think a Church or the Preacher is not relevant whenever we fail to connect with the congregation – the hearers. All too often Preaching has become our show instead of God’s story. We put on a great Performance from the Pulpit, showing the congregation what we can do. Can I tell you this morning, there is a problem here with the “Because” –
• Sermons are made powerless when the hearers see little connection between the message and its importance to them
• Early in the sermon -- perhaps in the introduction -- the reason why the message is important must be clarified and stated to the hearers
• Sermons will always be more vital if the listener can be made to understand why this message is important to them
• Not why it is important to the Preacher
• Preachers attitude is - Let me show you what I can do with this text
• I don’t want to know what you can do with it
• We need to know what the Anointing of God will do with it in our lives
The text is full of words that speak of the transformational working of the Spirit led life –the Evidence that God is operating in our lives. If we are born again believers, something must happen where we are able to understand that God is moving in our lives. The Transformational Work –
• He binds up – Anyone ever been Spiritually Bound
• He heals broken hearts – Anyone ever been Broken Hearted
• He liberates- Anyone ever been Enslaved to Sin
• He comforts – Anyone ever been Distressed and Down
• He brings true joy – Anyone have Joy in the midst of your Storms, Trials, and Tribulations
• He takes away mourning – Anyone ever have the painful experience of mourning, heart is heavy but after while God stepped in
Isaiah wants us to understand as he gave us a foreshadow in the text that Jesus does more than just Save us. It is not enough to go around proclaiming I’m – SAVED – SANCTIFIED – HOLY GHOST FILLED – FIRE BAPTIZED. Wherever the teachings of Christ take hold, in society and in the hearts of men, changes take place. Think of the impact the teachings of Christ and the scriptures have had upon society as a whole. Something must take place in us. We must become “NEW CREATURES.”
• Think of who and what you were before you came to Christ
• Are you the same person?
• Can you not see the transformational work of Christ in your life?
• What also is it that the Holy Spirit is doing to us who have called upon the name of Jesus?
• That is the Because
• He is transforming us to be like Christ
Isaiah Prophesized of the One who will bring great blessings, the Messiah or Isaiah’s Suffering Servant. These words that the SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME - cannot be disassociated from that memorable scene at the Jordan, when, after the Lord’s baptism, the heavens were opened, and the Spirit, like a dove, rested Upon Him.
--Jesus did not begin His ministry until after this “Because” something happened when he came up after being baptized
--David became King over God’s people and Anointed – “Because” Samuel took a horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward
--Samuel grew powerful in the sight of God and Man –“Because” God had called him out of his sleep and anointed the young Samuel
--Elisha would become a great Prophet of God – “Because” he picked up the mantel of the Prophet Elijah after God sent His Divine Limousine service to pick him up
--Job’s later days were greater than his beginning – “Because” he was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil
--There was a man of Caesarea called Cornelius blessed to see a vision from God –“Because” he was a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always
--Paul would become the greatest Spiritual Leader of the 1st Century Church – “Because” he had a Damascus Road Experience
--When I consider each of us in this Sanctuary this morning, We are Saved – “Because” we confessed with our mouth the Lord Jesus and Believed…..
--There Must Be Evidence that a Change has taken place
--There Must be Evidence that God is moving in your life
--Why Do I Love the Lord – Because He is So Good To Me
--Why Do I Love the Lord – Because He Promised Never to Leave Me Alone
--Why Do I Love the Lord – Because He is a Friend that will Stick Closer than a Brother
--Why Do I Love the Lord – Because He First Loved Me
