A Voice Pointing Others to Him
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Introduction:
Introduction:
It is an honor to be with you today and share from God’s Word as well as tell you a little about Ray of Hope Ministry Relief.
Before we get into our text I want to give you something to think about. See if you can guess what profession has these statistics:
42% of these individuals have considered leaving their position
47% feel the demands of the job are too great
40% show signs of burn-out
75% report either feeling highly stressed or extremely stressed
90% report working between 55-75 hours a week
65% feel lonely or isolated
70% feel like they don’t have a close friend
12% have contemplated suicide
You may think this references someone in the military, maybe first-responders, maybe someone who works in a high-stress financial sector job.
TO BE HONEST I don’t know what the stats are for those other careers, but these stats represent EVANGELICAL PASTORS.
These statistics represent those who stand in pulpits around the world, week after week, pointing you to the Promised Messiah...but who is reminding them of the important truths we will see today? I am so thankful for the “voices” that God has used through the years to help me stay grounded and continually reminded me to KEEP MY EYES on the AUTHOR and FINISHER of my faith.
We need to keep hearing their voice and we need to be a voice for them as well. Let’s talk about it...
Today I want to ask you to join me in a couple of passages. First we take a look at Isaiah 61 and then hold your finger in Luke 4.
Notice first of all...
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
I want you to pay close attention to verse 2 of this text...Notice with me what Isaiah says… “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord...”
I have read through this text many times without really thinking about the “acceptable year of the Lord” and what it means. Those who I read after believe that the “acceptable year of our Lord” most likely references THE YEAR OF JUBILEE!
The Acceptable Year of our Lord: The Year of Jubilee
The Acceptable Year of our Lord: The Year of Jubilee
Leviticus 25 reveals that during the Year of Jubilee several things would happen:
‘And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field.
‘In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession. And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not oppress one another. According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of crops he shall sell to you. According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewer number of years you shall diminish its price; for he sells to you according to the number of the years of the crops. Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God.
All Hebrew Slaves Were Set Free and were Allowed to Return to Their Families (v. 10)
All Hebrew Slaves Were Set Free and were Allowed to Return to Their Families (v. 10)
All Debts Were Cancelled...They Became Null and Void
All Debts Were Cancelled...They Became Null and Void
All Property that Had been Sold was to be Returned to the Original Owner/Family
All Property that Had been Sold was to be Returned to the Original Owner/Family
The Land was to Rest...Allowing Both People and Animals time to Rest and Rejoice
The Land was to Rest...Allowing Both People and Animals time to Rest and Rejoice
Now lets move to the New Testament book of Luke 4:16-21
So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Read Luke 4:21 again!
And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus stopped reading after He said, “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” and then He said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Why you may ask? Because...
Jesus is the Believer’s Eternal Year of Jubilee!
Jesus is the Believer’s Eternal Year of Jubilee!
For the believer a MORE SIGNIFICANT thing has happened through the Messiah...
Jesus has set us FREE!
Jesus has set us FREE!
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
Our Sin Debt Has be Cancelled
Our Sin Debt Has be Cancelled
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
What Was Lost Because of Sin is Being and Will be Redeemed and Returned
What Was Lost Because of Sin is Being and Will be Redeemed and Returned
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
Jesus is our Sabbath Rest!
Jesus is our Sabbath Rest!
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Hebrews 4 discusses this in more detail, but suffice it to say that through Christ and His finished work on Calvary we can have REST for our souls and know as Hebrews 4:9 says
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
What you may ask does all this have to do with Ray of Hope Ministry Relief.
What you may ask does all this have to do with Ray of Hope Ministry Relief.
Isaiah 61:1-3 is the theme verse for our ministry and is really becoming the theme passage for my life.
Our Mission is to Proclaim This Truth
Our Mission is to Proclaim This Truth
We Want to Point People to the One who Can Console those Who Mourn
We Want to Point People to the One who Can Console those Who Mourn
Those who are mourning in Isaiah 61:3 are those who are in deep and desperate despair! Those who are “in Zion” are those who are among God’s afflicted people. We want to point them to the eternal joy that is found in Jesus.
We Want to Point People to the One who Can Give Them Beauty for Ashes
We Want to Point People to the One who Can Give Them Beauty for Ashes
I want to spend the rest of my days proclaiming the truth about Jesus and pointing people to the ONE who can give them BEAUTY FOR ASHES.
Commentators tell us that the Hebrew term for “beauty” used in Isaiah 61:3 refers to a head-dress or diadem. You may know that when people mourned in the OT culture, they would often throw ashes on their heads as an outward sign of grief.
When God says that the coming Messiah would give “BEAUTY FOR ASHES” He was saying that He would enable us to EXCHANGE A SYMBOL OF SORROW which we become accustomed to in this broken and sin-cursed world and exchange that for a SYMBOL OF CELEBRATION AND SPLENDOR!
We Want to Point People to the One who Can Give them the Oil of Joy for Mourning!
We Want to Point People to the One who Can Give them the Oil of Joy for Mourning!
Commentators tell us that the “oil of joy” was a symbol of festivity, celebration, and gladness. However, when people were going through a time of grief, sadness, and broken-heartedness, they would refrain from using this oil. It wasn’t a time celebrate, but it was a time to mourn. BUT JESUS REPLACES OUR MOURNING AND SADNESS WITH THE OIL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHICH PRODUCES TRUE AND LASTING JOY!
We Want to Point People to the One who Can Give them a Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness
We Want to Point People to the One who Can Give them a Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness
The “spirit of heaviness” refers to a spirit that is BURDENED and OPPRESSED which may lead to despondency. However, the power of the Messiah can replace it with JOY and THANKFULNESS!
Christ, the Messiah provides these things INTERNALLY and ETERNALLY.
THE PROBLEM IS WE AREN’T LIVING IN A WORLD THAT IS FREE FROM THE THINGS THAT CONTINUALLY CAUSE THESE FEELINGS OF GRIEF, ASHES, MOURNING, AND THE SPIRIT OF HEAVINESS.
When we enter into the presence of the Lord, and forever spend eternity in the New Heaven and the New Earth CONSOLATION, BEAUTY, JOY, AND PRAISE will be our CONSTANT COMPANIONS.
But right now we are still dealing with the AFTEREFFECTS of sin and brokenness and still deal with GRIEF, MOURNING, ASHES, and HEAVINESS.
And it YOU DEAL WITH IT, IMAGINE HOW YOUR PASTOR, AND CHURCH PLANTERS, AND MINISTRY LEADERS HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT!
They are not only bearing their OWN BURDENS but they are also BEARING the BURDENS of the ministry!
THEY ARE CARRYING BURDENS OF THEIR CONGREGANTS, THE BURDENS IN THEIR MARRIAGE, THE BURDENS IN THEIR FAMILY, THE BURDENS OF YOUR MARRIAGE, THE BURDENS OF YOUR FAMILY, THE BROKENNESS CAUSED BY SIN, AND DISEASE, AND THEY DEAL WITH THE LIES AND THE WHISPERS OF THE ENEMY JUST LIKE YOU DO!
We want to Encourage Ministry Leaders to Continue to Faithfully Proclaim This Truth
We want to Encourage Ministry Leaders to Continue to Faithfully Proclaim This Truth
After 30 years of ministry and walking through some DEEP and DARK valleys God has used MULTITUDES of people to minister to us through our grief!
Michelle and I realize the truth of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
God has used so many to comfort and encourage and we want to be another voice that He uses to comfort and encourage others!
If PASTORS, and MINISTRY LEADERS, and CHURCH PLANTERS quit WHO IS GOING TO STAND BEHIND THE PULPITS OF THE WORLD AND PROCLAIM THAT JESUS IS THE ONE WHO IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE...
Barna reports that 42% of pastors have contemplated leaving the ministry.
47% of pastors admit the demand of ministry is greater than they can handle
40% of pastors show signs of burn-out
75% of pastors report feeling “extremely” or “highly” stressed
90% of pastors work between 55-75 hours/week
65% of pastors feel lonely or isolated
70% feel like they don’t have a close friend
12% have contemplated suicide (I know one personally)
60% report doubting their calling
RAY OF HOPE MINISTRY RELIEF SIMPLY SEEKS TO BE ANOTHER VOICE TO SAY TO THESE MINISTRY LEADERS YOU ARE SEEN, YOU ARE LOVED, YOU ARE PRAYED FOR, AND WE WANT TO PROVIDE THE RESOURCES AND TANGIBLE GIFTS AND RELIEF OPPORTUNITIES TO LET THEM KNOW WE ARE HERE FOR THEM!
Our Vision
Our Vision
Ray of Hope Ministry Relief exists to encourage pastors, church planters, missionaries, and ministry families—especially those facing grief, burnout, or family crises.
Our Mission
Our Mission
Our mission is to walk beside them with practical support, spiritual encouragement, and the reminder that they are not alone.
Our Ministry Approach
Our Ministry Approach
Provide Personal Care and Encouragement through birthday & anniversary gifts for our church planters we’ve adopted. Helping pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders with expenses, such as those related to hospital stays and funerals.
Organizing ministry and mission trips to help church plants and/or smaller churches.
Pulpit Supply Network for those who need a vacation, sabbatical, or leave for family emergencies.
Print, online, and podcast resources.
Network with other ministries that help in ways we cannot: ex. Servant Care, Ayers Shepherding, Songs in the Night
Annual Retreats
Annual Retreats
Out of the Ashes Retreat, Sept 25-26, 2026
Jim McComas & Eddie Moody
How Can You Help?
How Can You Help?
Prayer
Thriving pastors & families
Youth to answer the call...Crisis in US...churches need pastors
Addiction
Michelle and I
Financially
Resources to provide gift cards and such
Travel
See table...books and t-shirts...suggested donations
Online Giving
Time of Special Prayer for Your Ministry Leaders
Time of Special Prayer for Your Ministry Leaders
