Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-11
Is the Spirit of the Lord upon you? When asked that question, most folks, would answer “I hope so!”, or even “I don’t know!”. The truth is, we seldom know for certain whether the Lord’s Spirit is living and working within us or not! But the Prophet Isaiah tells us in chapter 59:20-21 that ” “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins, declares the Lord.”
The prophet then continues to assure the people that these aren’t just words that anyone could speak, but that it is a covenant that God Himself is offering to the faithful of Israel. After all, the Lord only speaks through those who are faithful to Him. Isaiah then says that the Spirit is upon those whom God sends him to, and that it will be upon the lips of all whom the Spirit blesses.
It all centers on our faith in God and his word, and when we trust Him, we believe not only in who the Lord is for us, but in everything that he tells us. And from that beginning, the Spirit of God will be able to work many good things through us.
Today’s passage is about the covenant that all of us have received from our Lord and Redeemer, simply because we trust in his promise. The entire book of Isaiah is about God’s promise and what it can bring to the people. Of course, any time the Lord offers a gift to us, there first must be an acceptance of the gift before it can truly become ours, and second, there will always be consequences for those who reject the gift. The prophet wants us to know that we should, by all means, accept it, and when we do, we will be amazed at what it will bring!
Read Isaiah 61:1-3
The Lord of Redemption has saved us from the pit for a reason. Isaiah’s purpose holds little difference from ours, except in the specifics of the call. It’s true that Isaiah was a prophet to Israel, and while we may not be called to proclaim the Lord on the other side of the Atlantic, all who answer the Lord’s call to servanthood are spiritually anointed to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those who have yet to come to his presence.
We read that he, and we, are sent to the “poor” and “brokenhearted”. The poor would be those who are going through troubling times in their lives, which in this past year, and maybe even next, would seem to cover most of the world’s population! The poor include those in illness, quarantine and depression, loss of loved ones, loss of employment, travel plans that have been cancelled, and family gatherings that have become cyber and virtual instead of embracing and personal.
The other category, “brokenhearted”, refers to those who are experiencing a sense of failure and brokenness within their own lives. People who find themselves in these situations are in desperate need of peace, encouragement, comfort, and assurance that the Lord God is with them and working on their behalf. And that is what the Lord’s people are called to do.
The prophet also speaks of the needs of “captives in darkness”. Prisoners are those who are confined for crimes, or in this instance, for sin. Whether secular or spiritual, confinement is never the prisoner’s choice, but it is their lot for an extended period of time, and only Freedom and Release will bring an end to their sentence. In a secular context, that comes from either the sentence being overturned, or by its being carried out to its conclusion. If we consider this as the penalty for sin, there is no way we will ever live out our separation from God, except through the Lord’s forgiveness. Have any of us proclaimed forgiveness for the lives of prisoners who continue to be held in the darkness of sin?
We have the opportunity to show others the way to a better day in Christ. We have the truth that others have been struggling to find, and by the grace of God, we can introduce them to his mercy. That is the hope that this time of year is all about. Jesus left glory to bring the message of hope to a lost and dark world that is filled with pain and loss and sadness, and the hope of Christ is their only way out.
And the result for our surrender and obedience will be a life that is totally changed from the one that has held so many captive for so many years.
Read Isaiah 61:4-7
And here is the newness that comes through the righteous life. The life that God created us for will be reestablished, and the devastation that we wreaked on ourselves will be refreshed and made new. We will begin working with others who we had neglected and avoided all our life, and other strangers will be helping us to grow and thrive in faith. And while this sounds wonderful, the next verse may cause some folks to take a step back. We will also become priests and ministers for the Lord!
In 2 Peter 2:9-10, we read that we “are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that [we] may proclaim the praises of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light”. And what responsibilities does God’s priesthood accept? Priests and ministers receive the offerings of the congregation (not just financial, of course), they share the word of God with others, they encourage and challenge, they offer hope and mercy, and they love others right into the kingdom of God. Now before anyone thinks “Oh no – not me!” God has different plans for each of us, and the Spirit leads us in the path that has been laid out for every person, and the gifts that have been given to each one are what will be used in our priesthood and ministry. It might not be so daunting after all?
And as we work in the Lord’s fields, God’s blessings will become more and more apparent, and we will be more and more amazed at how and what the Spirit will be able to do though us.
Read Isaiah 61:8-9
Our God is Just. Our God is Faithful. And one more thing that makes him unique from humanity – he is never Changing! His covenant is a promise that will never be taken back, and when he says that we will be blessed beyond all measure, when he says that his blessings will amaze others, when he says that the blessings that we receive will carry down to our children and their children, we can always trust in and count on what he has promised!
And what will that do for others? By our lives, and our life in Christ, others will come to realize that the Lord has done something incredible for us, and that they can receive his mercy, too. Of course that doesn’t mean that everyone will be drawn to his way. As a matter of fact, many will take a firm stand against the way of God, and they will hate those who show his love to others. Jesus experienced that hatred, and none of it could stop him from coming to earth to love us, did it! It didn’t stop Jesus from sharing the truth of the Father’s ways with us, did it! It didn’t stop Jesus from being who he is and why he is for each of us, in spite of the opposition that he encountered, did it! It didn’t stop Jesus from loving all people, and surrendering himself to hatred and evil, and giving his life in exchange for our sin and death, did it!
So what are we going to do about it? What will we be doing this Christmas on behalf of others?
Read Isaiah 61:10-11
The only thing the Lord asks of us is to follow the righteous way that he has prepared. It is the way of rejoicing, not fear; it is the way of salvation, not the way of humanity; it’s the way of beauty beyond all imagination, not the ugliness that we already know; it’s the way that the priesthood of believers have been called to follow, and not the way that the worldly adhere to.
Interestingly, the prophet says that God will show his righteousness to all, regardless of our participation. If we choose to stand by the wayside and let the faithfulness of others be the Lord’s sign, then we are going to lose out on his blessings. He doesn’t like fence sitters, or those who are half-hearted, or those who think that they can pick and choose how they will respond to God’s call.
He wants our active obedience, not just our shallow words. It isn’t enough to simply say that we are Christians – we have to live the faith, and proclaim the faith, and share the faith, wherever the Spirit takes us – whether it is in the darkness that surrounds this world, or in the hatred that so many hold for the Lord’s people, or in the fear that blankets unbeliever’s hearts, or in any other place or people or situation where we are needed. And when we faithfully follow, even though it may seem to be a less than desirable idea to us, the joy and blessing that comes from our obedience will abound many times over the effort that we provide.
May the Spirit of the Lord be upon us all, that in this joyful time of Christmas, we might be clothed “with garments of salvation” and his “robes of righteousness”, and may our faithful lives bring joy to the Lord of both Bethlehem and Calvary.
