Isaiah 61 Inexpressibly Full Of Joy Series

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.