ISAIAH 61:1-6 - Epiphany 3 - January 22, 2006 (Outline)
INTRO: Today the Lord is going to try to teach us how to live in the present, the here and now. In our society the present is often overlooked. In our lives we may be too busy living to pay attention to the present, as we ought. At times we tend to think of the past and hold tightly to that. The past can infect the present joys we are to have whenever we look back and feel cheated or hold a grudge. The world around us focuses so much on the future that we also look ahead so much that we are not con-centrating on the present. Sadly, the world around us likes to frighten people about what might or might not come. We begin to see how important the present is in God’s eyes and for God’s people. The apostle Paul wrote in Corinthians: "‘in the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salva-tion I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation"(2 CORINTHIANS 6:2). Lord help us to learn and love to live in the present since:
NOW IS THE TIME OF GOD’S FAVOR
I. Our Lord provides his divine freedom.
II. Our lives proclaim God’s forgiveness.
I. OUR LORD PROVIDES HIS DIVINE FREEDOM
A. One can hear the excitement of the prophet Isaiah as chapter 61 begins.
1. Isaiah begins with the promise of the Messiah in verse 1a.
2. God’s Spirit comes upon Jesus very visibly at his baptism.
B. Isaiah continues with the mission of Jesus’ anointing in verse 1b, 2a.
1. Jesus would preach good news; proclaim freedom to all who needed to hear.
2. Jesus offered a divine freedom through the good news of forgiveness of sins.
C. Verse 2b, 3a describe those who hear, believe and repent. They grieve over their sins.
1. This repentance would provide the believers with changed lives!
2. Verse 3b declares the beauty of God’s freedom through forgiveness.
a. Crown of beauty not ashes. b. Gladness not mourning. c. Praise not despair.
D. As we live in the present we are able to rejoice in the freedom that God’s forgiveness freely pro-vides. Isaiah describes the believer who repents. Repentance indicates a change, a turning. Anyone who turns one direction cannot be going in another. Recognizing our sins we turn from and turn to God who is able to forgive and forget. This is God’s inmost desire that mankind would repent and come to a knowledge of the truth. "Say to them, ’as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’"(EZEKIEL 33:11).
E. Indeed, our Lord God almighty is a very loving and forgiving God. But our loving and forgiving Lord is also the righteous God. Many would like to believe that God is so loving and so forgiving that there is no such place as hell. Mankind tries to explain away any and every kind of divine judgment. That is just not the case. God also eventually rejects those who reject God. "The LORD is slow to an-ger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation" (NUMBERS 14:18). Those who pass their rejection and unbelief down to their children cause the next generations to suffer.
F. Today, every day there is freedom. The Lord God himself provided the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. Christ died on our behalf. Christ rose on our behalf. Christ pleads our case in heaven on our behalf. Christ lived here on earth to show his love and provide the freedom of forgive-ness. "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death"(HEBREWS 2:14,15). The future holds no fear for the be-liever but freedom from sin, death, and the devil. Our loving and gracious God is in control.
Transition: Not holding too tightly to the past and not fearing the future we begin to see the impor-tance of living in the present. NOW IS THE TIME OF GOD’S FAVOR, the day of salvation. Joyfully
II. OUR LIVES PROCLAIM GOD’S FORGIVENESS
A. Remember the change of repentance: gladness not mourning, praise not despair.
1. These children of Israel desperately needed to hear that message.
2. Their disobedient future would take them away from God.
3. Israel’s enemies would defeat them and take them to foreign lands and verse 5.
B. Israel would not always benefit from their labors in the Promised Land.
1. Verse 4 also reveals that God’s people would not be gone forever.
2. Israel would return to the Promised Land and rebuild. (Ezra 3, Nehemiah 2-6.)
C. Nations would notice the joy of Israel as they rebuilt Jerusalem. Verse 3b.
1. Nations would see their resolve as oaks of righteousness displaying the Lord’s splendor.
2. There is even more in verse 6. Believers would be priests, ministers, proclaiming servants.
D. How often do you think of yourself as a minister of God, a servant of the Lord? Every believer is just that – called to proclaim God’s good news. This was an important point during the Reformation at the time of Martin Luther. The church wanted to be completely in control. But Scripture teaches that there is a universal priesthood. Every believer is a minister of God. Isaiah points that out to us today. "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ"(1 PETER 2:5).
E. We live in a promised land today. Our country is a nation filled with freedom, wealth, and prosper-ity. Yet, at times, we can act like it is not enough. We can become hardened in thinking like the rest of society around us. We want more. We need more. There is never enough to satisfy our earthly cravings. NO – as believers in Christ we are live free from the cares and concerns of this sinful world. Our lives are different. Through God’s forgiveness we have been given absolutely everything that we ever need or desire. The Light of the world has made his home in our hearts that we may reflect that glory to others who still sit in the darkness of sin. "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord" (EPHESIAN 5:8-10). Goodness, righteousness, and truth are to shine in our lives. We live in a world where those virtues are in short supply.
F. As Christians our lives are always joyful and filled with rejoicing. Or are they? They ought to be.
Just look at what the Lord has provided for us – freedom, forgiveness, eternal life. Our loving Lord also promises to make all things work for our good. The world has enough sad people in it already. Too many worry themselves sick about the future. They cannot and do not like to live in the present. It becomes all the more important for us to live in the present as contented Christians. "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near"(PHILIPPIANS 4:4,5). Our joyful living and gentleness proclaim the Lord’s forgiveness.
CONCL: The present is God’s gift to us. Let go of the past and do not fear the future. NOW IS THE TIME OF GOD’S FAVOR, the day of salvation. Now, today and every day, our Lord provides us with eternal freedom. Now, today and every day, our lives can joyously proclaim God’s forgive-ness to those sitting in the darkness of sin. "Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples"(PSALM 96:2,3). Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
Sunday radio broadcast @ 9:05am on KQNK 106.7FM or 1530AM + www.kqnk.com
EPIPHANY 3 Readings: JONAH 3:1-5, 10; 1 CORINTHIANS 7:29-31; MARK 1:14-20
