The Year Of Our Lord

The Year of our Lord

1-6-02 AM

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

Pray

A new year is upon us

I have heard it said from several that the Lord has great things in store for this year.

Even now, there is an air of anticipation.

I. The new year

a. We have heard how many times in the past how this year is going to be different.

i. This year Jesus will come back.

ii. This year I’m going to lose 30 pounds

iii. This year I’m going to quit smoking

iv. This year I’m going to get in shape.

v. This year, our team will be the champions.

b. Every year there is disappointment.

i. I gained 20 pounds

ii. Our team lost.

iii. We are still here.

iv. Oh well, maybe next year.

c. We hear a lot of hype about the new year, spend a lot of time reflecting on the past year, and anticipate that even if this isn’t the year, maybe next year.

d. I don’t consider this prophecy, I don’t make any promises, and I’m not even quite sure what to expect, but I do know that the Lord sent me today with this message.

II. This year

a. As I read this passage, I put myself into the story.

b. Read again vv. 1-6

c. Isaiah was a prophet. This was his prophecy.

i. It concerned the coming of the messiah.

ii. Jesus even quotes from and preaches this message as His first message in Luke 4.

d. But the Lord spoke to my heart concerning this passage.

e. The points

i. The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;

ii. he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted

iii. to proclaim liberty to the captives

iv. and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

v. the day of vengeance of our God

vi. comfort all that mourn

vii. The mission of the shepherd, The work of the messiah, the call of the pastor, the job of the disciple.

f. But there is an important part of this passage that deserves our close attention - 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD

III. The acceptable year of the Lord.

a. Through this passage, we find no specific reference to the year of jubilee.

b. But that is basically what is happening.

c. The Lord has shown us compassion, granted us freedom, restored to us all that was lost. Our year of jubilee.

d. That is what this year can be.

IV. The year of Jubilee

a. It’s easy to sit in church and receive all that we can, get full, then come back for more.

b. Recall the year of your salvation.

i. It was the year of Jubilee for you.

ii. All that was lost was restored.

iii. You promised the Lord a life of service.

iv. There were still hard times, but you trusted in the Lord, and He took care of you. He still is.

v. But most of us needed a push, or a prod, to hear the Spirit’s call.

1. That prod was usually from a friend or minister, sharing the good news of the gospel.

2. Their compassion and love for you showed you the path.

3. That path led to your year of jubilee.

c. We must pass that on.

V. The call to make this a year of jubilee

a. Reread the passage and instruct the congregation to put themselves in the story.

b. Proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.