The beautiful exchange..

Isaiah 61:1–3 ESV

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

Luke 4:16–21 ESV

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Introduction

I want to talk to you for a few minutues this afternoon about the “beautiful exchange”..

This exchange is expressed here in isaiah 61:3

where the prophet declares of the coming mesiah and the liberation of israel from babylon..

and its sumerized as this..

He gives beauty for ashes..

Specializes

God specializes in taking our brokenness..

The devastated and burned out ashes of our lives..

and giving us in return abundant life and purpose..

Jesus

In luke 4 Jesus will stand in the synagogue and read the opening verses of this prophecy..

and then declares that it has been fulfilled in him..

Because Jesus is the one who completes this exchange for us..

He is the one who can take any mess…

and pile of ashes..

and return to us abundant life and purpose through him..

He is the one who completes the beautiful exchange..

the one in which we can bring our broken lifes

and be given restored beauty and purpose..

Passage Context

the prophet in isaiah 61 is speaking to a people in bondage..

He is speaking more specifically of the people of israel..

Ashes

Their lives have been burned down and broken..

they have lost near everything..

They had been carried from their land to a forgien country

and forced to aclaimated to a new culture..

their homes, citys, and temple have been ravages and destroyed..

they were living in the ashes and devastation of invasion and captivity.

longing to return home..

Hope

and its in this reality

that god begins to speak to his people..

and begins to remind them of the hope they have in him..

that this is not the end..

The sun will again rise and come up..

and they will make it through..

Reminder

later on in IS 61 he will remind them that it was him who brought them out of egypt..

and him to brought them through the red sea..

he reminds them that HE IS THE DELIVERER..

AND HE WILL DELIVER THEM AGAIN..

Both Deliverance

but in verse 1-3.. we find a promise..

and this promise is not just writing about the current deliverance..

its also a future one as well

Current

We know that God will in time deliver the poeple from babylon..

and will do so in miraculous fashion..

where the king himself will finance the return of the people and the rebuilding of the city and temple..

God delivers them from the current problem..

Future

but god is also speaking a future restoration

one that will not only be for the physical and the moment..

but for the spirit and etrnity..

Jesus reminds us of this here in luke 4..

and this exchange is not about flesh and blood..

its about eternal life..

where Jesus will come..

lay down his life..

be buried

and rise again..

so that we can come to him

and give him our sin..

Jesus gives the Beautiful Exchange

JEsus is a the one who offers us this beautiful exchange..

our brokeness for his wholeness

Our bondage for his freedom

our addition for his recovery

our sin for his salvation

our ashes for his beauty..

Jesus wants to deliver you..

I want to remind you this morning that it is jesus who specializes in finding broken and bound people

people who are living in ashes…

and freeing them..

delivering them from bondage..

setting them in thier right mind

making them whole.

and giving them purpose!

All throughout the scriptures where Jesus takes broken and messed up people and frees them and delivers them..

and theen gives them purpose..

The disciples

Jesus found the twelve disciples..

some of the most broken and crazy people of the day..

Tax collectors..

zealots..

people hated by many..

fisherman..

the lowests of the low..

and chose them..

gave them life..

and gave them purpose..

The woman at the well

Jesus found the woman at the well

who had been through man after man after man and was living in a sinful relationship..

and he found her, gave her home, and gave her a purpose..

The demoniac

Jesus found the demoniac..

someone so messed us that no one would helpe him..

doctors counldnt help him..

chains couldnt keep him stilll.

he had every demonic issue in existences..

and yet when Jesus encounters him..

He is freed, set in his right mind, clothed.. and welll..

And when Jesus leaves him..

He gives him purpose..

to go and be a witness

The man by the pool of bethesda

Jesus found the man by the pool of bethesda..

a man who was cirppled from birth..

for decades has lay by the pool with no help..

no freinds..

disabled and alone..

but when Jesus encounters him..

He is healed, delivered, and set free..

and given purpose to go live his life..

Us

Ive come to remind you today..

that if you have ahses in your life..

if your broken, bound, lonely, hurting or messed up..

JESUS COMES TO OFFER THE ?BEAUTIFUL EXCHANGE OF HOPE, PEACE and FREEDOM FOR OUR STUFF..

HE WANTS TO FREE YOU AND GIVE YOU A PURPOSE!!

so what is the purpose god gives us?

God Delivers us for a purpose

I want to remind you this morning..

that when we come to Jesus and are freed..

when he takes our ashes and gives us beauty..

You and I are not damaged goods saved from the trash..

we are not just repurposed Junk..

but the bible says we have been made new..

we are a child of the king..

A son and daughter of god..

You in this newness have been redeemed and refired for a new and glorious kingdom purpose.

God purpose.. .

God has given you purpose..

Matthew 5:14–16 ESV

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Jesus says part of our new purpose is to be the light..

Jesus

now we know Jesus himself is the light..

we are not the light the way Jesus is the light..

Jesus is the actual flame..

He iminates the light..

BUT WE ARE THE LAMP..

the one who carries that light..

and in doing so we GIVE light to others and our lives..

Shine

And jesus says..

as the light..

your purpose is to shine..

to shine the work of what Jesus has done in through through the way you life..

Notice

and as you shine..

people will take notice..

and they will see the light..

and go.. hey.. whats difference their..

point

and as they take notice look what Jesus says will happen..

Matthew 5:16 (ESV)

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

they will see you shine..

and take notice of god..

hope

You see our purpose in life as followers of Jesus is to shine the light..

ans as we do we show others there is hope for the furture..

their is beauty for your ashes..

their is deliverance for your bondage..

their is freedom for your captivity

thier is joy for your sorrow..

WE POINT PEOPLE TO HOPE..

AND HELP THEM FIND JESUS…

The purpose that is given to us through the beautiful exchange is to helpe point others to the one who makes the exchange.. Jesus

Altar call

what do you need to come to jesus and exchange today?

do you need freedom?

do you need hope?

do you need Joy?

He has all of those things..

Maybe this morning you want to be rmeinded that you have purpose..

come to him..