"Good Tidings Of Great Joy!” Series

Sermon – “Good Tidings of Great Joy!”

Scripture: Isa 61:1 “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released, and prisoners will be freed. 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. 3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations. 5 Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards. 6 You will be called priests of the Lord, ministers of our God. You will feed on the treasures of the nations and boast in their riches. 7 Instead of shame and dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. 8 “For I, the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be recognized and honored among the nations. Everyone will realize that they are a people the Lord has blessed.” 10 I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels. 11 The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, with plants springing up everywhere.”

Introduction: After the return of Christ, all those who are a part of God’s kingdom will rejoice. They will be clothed with salvation, belong to God’s redeemed and living in harmony by God’s standard. It must have been simply marvelous for Isaiah to see what God had planned for Judah and Jerusalem. The prophet Isaiah had declared in general the troubles of God’s disobedience people, but now proclaims their deliverances which extends to the church that God would build. This chapter refers to the coming of Christ and the calling of the Gentiles into God’s family. Isaiah probably saw this text as pertaining to Judah and Jerusalem, the release of the captive Jews, and their return to their cities and lands; but Christ himself used this text in more spiritual and evangelical application. Luke 4:17-21, Jesus uses this text to describe his personal ministry, His general mission and effectiveness of his gospel message. The Spirit of the Lord rested on him, to anoint, consecrate, and qualify him, as the son of man, for the work to which he was appointed. By virtue of this voluntary obedience and sacrifice as our faithful High Priest, he was authorized to preach the glad tidings of forgiveness and free salvation to the meek, the afflicted, the poor in spirit, the penitent, who knew their guilt, danger, and misery. Although the Gospel message is for all, yet it is only good news to those who recognize and acknowledge their sinful condition. Jesus Christ was commissioned to bind up their wounds and heal the broken-hearted; to proclaim liberty to those held captives by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Just as God freed Judah and Jerusalem from the power of Babylon, Jesus’ message and the power of the holy spirit would free men for Satan and sin, free them from the bondage of their lusts, evil habits, and strong temptations.

1. It is the Year of Jubilee – Jubilee meant hope and healing for the land. It meant forgiveness, restoration, and release. For every true believer, the good news is an announcement of the year of jubilee, the acceptable year of the Lord’s favor, the time of his special grace, when God would pardon sins, remit debts, restore forfeited inheritances, receive offenders to full flavor, and grant all requests and petitions. How refreshing this message must have been to people in bondage for seventy years, exiled under foreign oppression. Yet Isaiah comes with good news in a language they all understood. Isaiah’s commission was to comfort all who mourned, give them the oil of gladness for their spirit of heaviness. They would experience the joy of acceptance and the beauty of holiness; to exchange their mourning and dejection. Isaiah’ promise to Judah and Jerusalem and Jesus’ promise to the Church was that The Holy Spirit would console them, and then clothe them with a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness!