Isaiah 61 - The Glory of God

Introduction

Let’s open our Bibles together again this morning to the 61st chapter of the Book of Isaiah.

You might also put a marker in Luke chapter 4 while you are turning the pages - we will be coming to that passage shortly.

[READ ISAIAH 61]

The first thing you may have noticed is that this is the very text that our Lord read in the synagogue of His hometown, Nazareth.

We see the record of it in Luke, chapter 4.

And I would like to focus on that to begin our study of Isaiah’s chapter.

[READ LUKE 4:16-22]

Most of you, I trust, will remember that “the infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself” (from chapter 1 paragraph 9 of our Confession);

In this case, we are given the additional testimony and use our Lord makes of our text this morning.

Jesus’s Use of the Passage

I invite you to take notice of a few things in Jesus’s exposition of the passage from Luke 4:

1. Jesus is in His hometown of Nazareth.

It was a city with such a bad reputation that plain-spoken Nathanael said about it: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

2. We see Jesus LOOKED for this passage in the scroll of Isaiah.

This wasn’t simply the passage of Isaiah the synagogue was on in their weekly readings.

Jesus came to them to bring them to THIS chapter.

3. The men (and women) in attendance “spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?””

It is obvious that the entire teaching of Jesus on this passage is not recorded for us, and that’s ok.

The reaction of the people was not hostile - they were amazed, perhaps even flattered by what Jesus was saying.

In the context of this verse, the question of “Is not this Joseph’s son?” is not meant to accuse or demean Jesus;

On the contrary, it’s a question of amazement, like when you meet a celebrity or someone famous.

Not only was Jesus talking of these great events prophesied by Isaiah, He was declaring that HE is the fulfillment of them.

They were looking at each other in amazement - is it possible that THEY were going to be blessed by one of their local boys?

Look at all the things the passage promises:

Lift people out of poverty.

Heal the crushed.

Free the captives, particularly freeing Israel from the Romans.

To comfort the mourning.

To raise up the Jews to a powerful nation like it was under David.

You can almost feel their excitement.

He had healed people and preached in nearby Capernaum;

What will He do for us - His hometown people?

If He did wonders there, just think about what He will do for the people He knows best - the people He grew up around.

If the other towns got a portion, surely Nazareth would get a double portion, if only because of Jesus’s “hometown loyalty”.

And Jesus recognized that.

That was the attitude of many Jewish people as they saw the promises Isaiah makes here.

And so Jesus continued His sermon:

Luke 4:23 “And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘ “Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ””

The way Jesus uses the proverb shows the greed of the people of Nazareth’s synagogue:

They were thinking, “Look what’s in store for us.”

But then Jesus gave them example after example, Elijah and Elisha doing great works of God for FOREIGNERS, even Gentiles,

And He told them that Nazareth, where He had grown up, would get nothing of this great bounty, this great blessing.

The Scripture, this chapter of Isaiah, is fulfilled in their “hearing”, but they will get no glimpse of the power of the Holy Spirit healing their diseases and setting them free.

That’s why (Luke 4:28) “When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.”

They were so angry that intended to throw Jesus off a cliff.

Why Does the Gospel Offend?

The text of Isaiah didn't change in that time.

It was the expectation of the people that was challenged.

it reminds you of the parable of the vineyard workers in Matthew 20, where the workers were hired for a fair day’s wage, but their starting times were all throughout the day.

You remember the anger of those who were hired first in the day, the jealousy over those who were hired right before quitting time.

Why do God’s people do that?

This whole chapter of Isaiah is about the blessings of God upon His people, so why do words of grace and mercy, particularly the message of the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ, offend so much?

Why would the Jews not be OVERJOYED that the Gentiles were being brought in to the Kingdom of God?

Or today, why do we experience envy or jealousy over another church God is choosing to bless more than we think we are receiving?

Or do we become jealous of another brother’s gifts from God, the blessings that the Holy Spirit has been pleased to lavish on him or her, so that we think, “Why didn’t I get the same blessings?”

Let me remind us all of the first three verses of our chapter today:

Isaiah 61:1–3 “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.”

I would humbly suggest to you that the reason we become jealous or envious of another’s good gifts is that we aren’t seeking God’s glory - we are seeking OURS.

We read these first three verses, and many of the other promises of Scripture, and we think that God OWES these things to us.

He owes us nothing. We can personalize it further:

He owes ME nothing.

He has fulfilled and continues to fulfill these very promises even if I personally don’t receive the same level of comfort or ease or faith or blessing that someone else does.

God is NOT unfair in distributing His gifts and blessings as He sees fit.

I guarantee you the way He gives both ease and difficulty is entirely good and right.

I assure you that everything you receive, both easy and hard things, is exactly right and good, and it is measured out by your Father’s loving hand if you are His child.

And all of this is for HIS glory, not our own.

I would remind you that the apostle Paul had that “thorn in the flesh”, but that was far from his greatest trial.

He tells us in:

2 Corinthians 11:24–30 “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”

Please consider this question: If I, if you, are seeking God’s glory above everything, how can we be discontent with anything in our life?

How can we begrudge another believer ANYTHING that God has, in His mercy and grace, given to him?

It’s easy to look at someone’s blessing and think to yourself, “I would do so much more if God had given that to me instead.”

“They aren’t WORTHY of that blessing.”

And that jealousy and envy keeps us from doing the very thing we SHOULD be doing: REJOICING.

Rejoice in the Lord

Look at verse 10 of our passage in Isaiah today:

Isaiah 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

You can’t rejoice like that unless God’s glory means more to you than your own.

People whose own reputation or honor or glory matter to them will be very slow to sacrifice these things so that God will be glorified.

But notice the things in this verse that Isaiah is leading us to rejoice in the LORD about:

HE has clothed me with the garments of salvation (HE has saved me).

HE has covered me with the robe of righteousness (HE has made me right with Him).

HE has put me EXACTLY where He wants me so that righteousness and praise sprout up to God.

There isn’t any talk of the money God has given, or the land, or the children, or the wealth, or the talents, or the abilities.

Those things may be added, but they will come only when we are seeking FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

And those worldly things are not promised.

Only the salvation of God and His righteousness are guaranteed.

And if you are seeking His glory, they will be enough.

That’s why so many people think they might be bored in heaven:

All we will do is spend time glorifying God.

And that evil sin nature here cries out into our heart when we think of it:

But who will glorify ME?

Who will congratulate ME?

Will I enjoy doing that all the time - for the rest of eternity?

The sad truth is that many people cannot conceive of a happy heaven without the toil we have here on earth.

Without the conflict, the conquest of others or of nature.

So rather than long anxiously for the Day we will be united with Him body and soul forever,

We instead look forward to the fringe aspects of heaven.

Seeing loved ones from here in this life.

Marveling at the streets of gold.

But we don't give a second thought to living in eternal, continual worship of God, glorifying Him every moment for eternity.

Now I don’t know all that eternity will be like;

After all, Adam was told to tend the Garden in the beginning.

But for Adam, and for us, the POINT of tending the Garden IS to glorify God.

This life, and the next, are a series of minutes that we are commanded to glorify God in everything we do.

All the other issues we might have with other people, the conflicts and the problems, come from forgetting that the glory of God is vastly more important than our glory.

Our glory can never save the first person.

Exalting ourselves can never bring beauty to replace ashes,

Will never bring gladness to others.

Will never bind the wounds of another,

That is the result of the salvation our Lord Jesus Christ brings:

He saves us from sin and guilt.

He frees us from sin.

He clothed us in HIS righteousness.

He brings us into Himself as His beloved.

And He puts the praise of God upon our lips, making us glad and grateful for all God’s treasures.

When we are truly seeking His glory, we come in the Spirit to live the exhortation of Paul in Romans 12:

Romans 12:5–17 “so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.”