The Mission of the Savior
December 13, 2009
Isaiah 61
Can you believe Christmas is only 12 days away. There are some who have already finished their Christmas shopping, in fact, we had one who finished it before the season even began. And I’m here to tell you this morning that I am finished shopping too. I’ve bought myself everything that was on my list. Actually, I really am finished. It’s the earliest I have ever finished shopping. It doesn’t mean I may not buy an extra item or two for the family, but it’s amazing for me to be done this early.
And isn’t it amazing that something that has been occurring for the past 2000 or so years can creep up on us and suddenly it’s here. For so many of us, Christmas surprises us by its suddenness. Funny thing about Christmas is that unlike Easter, Christmas always occurs on December 25th. So really, we shouldn’t be so surprised; and if you’re wondering Easter occurs on April 4th.
With Christmas we’re celebrating something old, yet vibrantly alive. For some, even though they’ve celebrated many Christmases, each one seems special. On the one hand, the arrival of God’s Messiah, the Redeemer, the Son of God, has been proclaimed for thousands of years. Yet, the implications of the arrival of the Son of God, still grabs our attention. Even the coldest non-believer will hear songs about Jesus. I always thought it was strange that me dad, who being a staunch Jew, loved to listen to Christmas music. It never made sense, yet there’s the awe about Christ.
After all, Christ still exerts so much influence on our times because He came with a mission. Both the prophets of the Old and the Apostles of the New Testament emphatically declare that this Messiah, Jesus Christ, came into this world for a reason. Work was assigned to Him, even before the world was formed. And we’re never left in the dark about what He was to accomplish.
Christ came to . . .
1. Do the will of God, as our Substitute.
In Hebrews 10 we read, 5 When Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, 'Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll — I have come to do your will, O God."
Verse 10 tells us, that because Jesus did exactly as He was supposed to, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Did you hear that? He came to do the will of the Father and because He did it perfectly, we have been made holy through His sacrifice. There’s nothing we did or can do, other than to believe in Him.
2. Jesus came to save (redeem) His people from their sins.
In Matthew 1, as the angel of the Lord explained to Joseph how Mary became pregnant, this purpose statement was given: She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). He is our redeemer.
3. Jesus came to gather all those God appointed to believe in Him.
Among the many remarkable statements from Jesus was the one in John 10:16, where He boldly declared, I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
It’s an amazing statement that reminds us God’s salvation is 100% accomplished by Him. He knows who His sheep are supposed to be and not one will be lost.
Christ came to do these things. He not only came to do them, He has accomplished them! As Isaiah has already shown us, when it comes to the Son of God, failure is impossible! He who is called the Mighty God cannot be thwarted.
Isaiah 42:4 echoes His fervent determination and power when Isaiah says of Christ, He will not grow weak or be discouraged until He has established justice on earth.
In Luke 4, Luke records Jesus’ first sermon. Now I have to admit, first sermons aren’t all that easy, and when Jesus got up and gave this first sermon in Nazareth, His home town, Luke paints a picture of what happened. Jesus read the words of Isaiah 61. Isaiah described the good news of the coming Messiah, a mission that uses words we feel!
Verses 1-3 put the Messiah’s words into the mouth of the prophet Isaiah. It’s as if Isaiah overhears and records the very words that would be spoken by God’s Messiah. And you know what? They were. The words of Isaiah 61 were read by Jesus in that 1st sermon. In Luke 4, Jesus came to his hometown of Nazareth, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and unrolling the scroll, He read from Isaiah 61:
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor .
When Jesus said that, it must have sent shock waves through the crowd. In fact, listen to what Luke tells us happened after Jesus recited these very words . . .
20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,
21and he said to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:20-21)
Folks, Jesus read a passage everyone knew referred to the longed for Messiah. And that longed for Messiah was standing right in front of the people. Luke tells us what happened,
28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.
29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff.
30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. (Luke 4:28-30)
Jesus knew He was the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Heaven-sent Redeemer. This is one of the most explicit statements in Scripture that the ancient prophecies find their focal point in the coming of Christ.
But let me show you something about the mission of our Savior from His very first sermon. Let’s go back to His text, Isaiah 61. He said,
The Spirit of the Lord God is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.
That’s His overarching purpose. Everything else falls under this umbrella.
Jesus has good news for those who are poor, or literally humble, lowly, the needy, the afflicted. Christ looks for those who’ve been passed over, the outcasts, who realize they need Someone to come for them. He comes for those who know they’re sick, not for those who think they’re well. Jesus would later say, Blessed are the poor in spirit. He has good news for those who realize just how desperately they need a Savior. Isaiah says the Anointed One of God would:
1. . . . bind the brokenhearted. He would bring healing to the brokenhearted which means CRUSHED, SHATTERED, DEMOLISHED
Isaiah is speaking to people who are about to see their nation topple. The Temple will be demolished. Everything they knew would be gone. Would God be their Helper in that day? Does He care about what they’re going through? Yet, the message of Isaiah is, “He will be there to bind up the wounds of your heart.” He cares. He knows what you’re going through. He will be there for you.
But on a deeper, spiritual level, this speaks of those who are broken over their sin, grieved over what they’ve done to God and against God. Can God forgive me? Will He take me in when He knows what I’ve been doing, been saying, been thinking? The answer comes from the words of John, as we read,
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). The answer, if we desire is always yes.
2. And Jesus will set captives free.
The Father sent Jesus to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners. For the people of Judah, deportation meant living as slaves to a foreign, pagan power. You have no will, no say, no vote. You’re under the mastery of another. Can anyone rescue me, break the chains of my slavery?
And spiritually, this speaks of the captivity of sin. We can easily become slaves to sin, to addictions, to vices we never thought would grab us, yet, we have a God who has overcome the world and the works of satan. We can always be victorious but we must trust in Christ, not ourselves. He can and will set you free, if you want.
3. Jesus will restore what has been taken away.
Verse 2 said: He has sent me to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. The year of the Lord’s favor is a reference to the “Year of Jubilee.” Israelite law commanded that every 50th year, all the slaves were to be set free, all debts canceled, and all land sold or taken for debt . . . returned. It would be like having all your credit cards paid off, your mortgage canceled, and your debts settled.
This “Year of Jubilee” was meant to be an Old Testament picture of salvation! When a Christian is saved or redeemed, they are set free from their sins (your sin debt is cancelled), from the devil (to whom you were enslaved), and now you become a new creation in Christ.
There was a movie from 2002 called, Antwone Fisher. It was the true story of a young man abandoned at birth by an incarcerated woman. He was raised in abusive orphanages, foster homes, and reform schools. After his 18th birthday, he joined the navy where his pent up anger at life brims to the surface. After several fights, he’s ordered to undergo counseling. Psychologist Jerome Davenport (Denzel Washington) encourages Antwone to find his roots to begin healing.
After several phone calls he reaches one aunt and uncle in Cleveland, who escort him to a dilapidated apartment complex where his estranged mother lives. A suspicious and aloof woman answers the door. Upon realizing that Antwone is the child she gave up at birth, she goes to another room and sits down on a dirty, worn out couch, crying silently.
Antwone asks for some explanation as to why she never came to rescue him or why she never sought him out. She cannot answer. She simply stares ahead, not daring to look at him, tears rolling down her expressionless face.
He gently kisses her on the cheek as if to say, "I forgive you," and walks out of the apartment with his questions unanswered and rides back to his aunt's house with his uncle. As he exits the car, his slow walk shows the loneliness of a man with no hope of a meaningful connection to anyone. Years had been robbed from him. Is there anything that can help make sense of who he is?
As Antwone enters the front door, his world changes. He’s met with a chorus of cheers from over 50 relatives, all waiting to meet Antwone for the first time. There are children, cousins, aunts, uncles, and family friends, all smothering him with hugs, slaps on the back, and beaming smiles. Antwone takes it all in, overwhelmed.
The hallway stairs are filled with kids holding up signs with his name scribbled next to crayon-sketched smiley faces and rainbows. He is then led into the next room where a grand feast is spread across a long table. The table is overflowing with every other dish you can imagine. And for the first time in his life, Antwone is loved. For the first time, he belongs.
The room becomes quiet and an elderly woman, the matriarch of the family who is sitting at the head of table, knocks on the tabletop to get Antwone's attention and then waves for him to come over next to her. With slow, deliberate moves, she raises her arms, grabbing his hands and then touching his face. A tear runs down her cheek, and with a raspy voice that seemed as if she was mustering all the strength it possessed, she whispered the redemptive invitation: "Welcome." [Antwone Fisher (A Mundy Lane/Todd Black Production, 2002), rated PG-13, written by Antwone Fisher, directed by Denzel Washington; cited on PreachingToday.com.]
I don’t know what life has been like for you. Perhaps, like Antwone Fisher, it has been so hard that you’ve wondered what the point of it all was. It could be the recent tragedies or trials feel so heavy that it’s hard to imagine any good thing coming your way, and you can barely hear His voice, as He calls to you . . . so tenderly,
Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matt. 11:28)
He stands ready to restore what has been taken away, to set you free from addictions and the slavery of sin. He longs to heal your brokenness,
He comes as your Redeemer, prophecied about long ago, the One . . .
the LORD anointed Me . . . to preach good news to the hurting;
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and to release the prisoners.
There is only one requirement . . . Come . . . .Come to Him, who is your Christ, named Jesus!
