Uplifted, Untied, Unchained, Free

“Uplifted, Untied, Unchained, Free”

“And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing”. Isaiah 10:27

Intro: In northern Mesopotamia was the large empire of the Assyrians. The Assyrians had conquered the regions around Palestine, Damascus and Samaria and had made life miserable and very difficult for the Israelite people. The Assyrians were not just a proud people they were beyond proud they were haughty, arrogant, self conceited. They believed their military victories were because of their own strength, their own power and that they were completely in control. They did not understand that God was only using them for His glory and greater purpose to draw Israel away from idol gods and away from wickedness and selfishness.

As a history lesson: The two sons of Joseph, the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, part of the northern kingdom of Israel, had fought against each other in a civil war because of their own oppressiveness, and injustice, and unfair treatment of their own people. So the Lord God had used the Assyrians as a tool by allowing Assyria to conquer and enslave and put into servitude the Israelites as a form of judgment against Israel.

But no tool is ever greater than the hands in which the tool is in. Any tool, any instrument, any person, any people, any church, any nation, that does not recognize that the Lord God Creator of the universe is in charge will be its downfall. But there is always hope. The bible often talks about a “remnant” Isaiah 10:21 that would remain faithful. Remnant in the Hebrew (Strong’s 7604, 7605) means: a reserve, a remainder. Implying an authentic and genuine group of faithful believers that would renew and revive true worship of God.

Today we are going to talk about when real celebration of God is restored and people are “Uplifted, Untied, Unchained, Free.”

Believers have hope. We sound the trumpets of belief. We shine of trust and certainty. Have you ever met a skeptic. Skeptic people are those who are doubters. Doubters tend to be people whose life is dysfunctional, and out of order. Not long ago I went to the gym to work out. When I got my favorite work-out machine, there I saw a sign that said, “out of order.” So, I turned around and went home. We live in a world that has an out of order sign hanging on it. People are lost. Their families are dysfunctional. A dysfunctional family is a family in conflict. There is often child neglect or abuse. The arguing and fighting is so common that children grow and think that is normal and so they continue the cycle. This can lead to addictions and substance abuse, alcohol, drugs, co-dependency and if untreated depression. Their lives are broken. They have been forsaken by friends, society, neglected and even abandoned by the church. When you are living in that kind of place, where storm and struggle are an everyday occurrence, where gloomy is part of everyday life and you can’t see the stars at night, the saddest thing in the world is hopelessness and doubt. But there are things in my religion that faith does for me. God is framed in hope. Faith is about joy, and gladness. The tapestry of God is painted with happiness, and joy and delight. When we come into the presence of God, when we meet and experience Jesus, we take with us hope, and grace, and a life of blessings and favor from God. God removes the tyranny of the moment, the depression, the despair. God uplifts. Our God is a happy God.

True there are moments of sorrow and sadness and burdens and yokes. Psalm 121:1 is a song of pilgrims on their way to the Mountain of Jerusalem to worship, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”

There is a lot music in the Bible: stringed instruments, the harp, the lyre. Wind instruments, such as the horn, the trumpet, the flute, and pipes. There are percussion instruments, drums, the tambourine and bells. Songs, and Psalms, and spiritual singing and dancing, and praising, and lifting up hands.

Psalm 98:4-9 Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy! 5 Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp, and melodious song, 6 with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn. Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King! 7 Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy 9 before the Lord,”