The Source of Hope
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Where are you looking for hope?
Are you looking for it in the economy?
Are you looking for it in family?
Are you looking for it in a spouse?
Are you looking for it in a secure job?
Are you looking for it in a leader?
Are you looking for it in a friend?
Where do we find hope?
When we look in the wrong places, we often find ourselves in a place of hopelessness.
Our society, like Isaiah’s, is spiraling into sin and decay, offering very little hope for the future.
This Advent Season we are reminding ourselves that we find hope in Jesus, the Christ.
This hope is sure and steadfast, an anchor for our souls, because it is a trust in the Creator of the universe, embodied in the person of Jesus and in his work, which brings us hope. (Hebrews 6:19).
Jesus describes what that hope-filled work looks like in Luke 4:16-21
16 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.
17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 “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,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 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.
21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus, in his very own words, states that he is the fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1-3, the bringer of hope - a hope that is sure and steadfast.
Jesus, with his hope-filled words, coupled with his hope-filled work, breaks forth into history. He breaks into our time and our lives with hope in his person and work.
Isaiah 61:1-3 gives us insight as to the nature of hope that only Jesus the Christ can bring.
1 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;
We can observe in the first phrase that the Messiah’s hope involves all three persons of the Trinity - the Spirit, Yahweh, and Me (I.E. Jesus, the Messiah). If the Trinity is involved, then this hope is surely sure and steadfast.
Jesus’ hope is further assured in Yahweh’s anointing of Jesus. The Hebrew verb מָשַׁח (mashach) is where the title מָשִׁיחַ (mashiach) comes from, which means “Annointed One”. The English pronunciation is Messiah.
The Greek word for this title is Χριστός (Christos). The English pronunciation is Christ. Christ is the title divinely given to Jesus for the empowerment to bring about God’s redemptive plan. This gives us hope that is sure and steadfast.
Jesus’ hope begins with bringing good news to the poor.
The method of delivering hope is in the person of Jesus.
The good news of hope is Jesus’ death and resurrection, reaching through the ages, saving all who believe.
The audience to receive Jesus’ hope in Hebrew are the עָנָה (anah), translated as “poor”. When we see the word “poor” we automatically think of it in relation to wealth.
עָנָה (anah) semantic range is much larger than that. It speaks of the afflicted, the oppressed, the humbled, the ravished, the silenced, the harshly treated, the violated, and the enslaved.
The convicting part is that he has commissioned us to bring his good news of hope to the same people - people whom are society despises, and if we are not careful, we to find ourselves despising them rather than ministering Jesus’ hope to them.
Jesus came to bring hope to the lowest of the low - those who have never had hope. He brings hope to the ones society has abused, despised, and abandoned.
Jesus brings hope by binding up the brokenhearted.
This phrase in not the Septuagint, which is the Isaiah source Luke is quoting from. It is in the Masoretic text, which our OT is translated from.
“Bind” חָבַשׁ (chabash) in the Hebrew can also mean to bandage a wound. A wound is bandaged to bring healing.
We have hope because Jesus is bringing healing to our broken hearts.
Sin has broken our hearts, our wills, our very selves.
There is hope, for Jesus has come to heal us. He has come to fill the promise of Yahweh given in Ezekiel 36:26-27.
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Jesus brings hope in proclaiming liberty to the captives, and opening prison doors to those who are bound.
We are all captives to sin. John 8:34; Proverbs 5:22 .
22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
Jesus brings us hope for he came to set of free from sin and death (Romans 8:2; Galatians 5:1). “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
Jesus brings hope in setting us free from sin and death. Live in his freedom.
Jesus brings hope in recovering the sight of the blind.
This phrase is in the Septuagint, which Luke is using for his source.
“Blind” speaks to both physical and spiritual blindness. Jesus healed many who were physically blind during his earthly ministry, and he still heals physically blind people today.
Jesus brings hope in curing spiritual blindness. He says this plainly when calling Paul to ministry in Acts 26:15-18.
15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,
17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you
18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
We have hope in Jesus, for he is opening blind eyes every day to turn from Satan to Yahweh.
Isaiah 61:2 .
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
Jesus brings hope by ushering in the year of Yahweh’s favor.
The year of the Yahweh’s favor could reference the Year of Jubilee, where all debt was forgiven, indentured servants set free and all the land returned to the original tribes (Leviticus 25).
Jesus’ first coming was the spiritual fulfillment of this, and his second coming will be the physical fulfillment of the Year of Jubilee.
It could also mean that Yahweh, through the coming of Jesus the Messiah, has chosen to show us grace. In systematic theology this would be know as the Dispensation of Grace.
We have hope in Jesus, “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16).
Jesus brings hope in the day of vengeance of God.
This hope is two-fold.
Our first hope is: “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ...” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
Our second hope is that God’s justice will prevail. Our hearts cry out with the multitude in heaven: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” (Revelation 19:1-2)
Jesus brings hope by comforting the mourning.
Mourning in this culture was attended by putting ashes upon ones head, not taking care of hygiene, dressing in sackcloth, and, wailing to show their grief.
Have hope! Jesus knows the grief that brokenness and sinfulness brings upon us. He is not only sympathizing with us, he is changing our garments of mourning.
Isaiah 61:3 .
3 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.
Jesus brings hope. He is replacing our garments of despair and grief with beautiful garments of praise, for he is redeeming all of us.
Yahweh is planting us as oaks of righteousness for his glory.
Oh, what hope! Jesus, the Messiah, our Redeemer.
Hope in him!
