Constitution: This Is Us

Isaiah 61:1-7

61 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;

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

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.

4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;

they shall raise up the former devastations;

they shall repair the ruined cities,

the devastations of many generations.

5 Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;

foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;

6 but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;

they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;

you shall eat the wealth of the nations,

and in their glory you shall boast.

7 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;

instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;

therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;

they shall have everlasting joy.

Today is Baptism Sunday.

Baptism is a right of identification

Baptism does not make you a Christian.

Baptism says, I’m a follower of Christ and I’m not ashamed of it.

Baptism says, I’m a follower of Christ and I want you to know it.

It is a public and outward proclamation of an inner work.

But, Baptism is not just identifying with Christ, it identifies us with the people of God.

In the early church, baptism was understood as entrance into the covenant family — not merely individual faith.

Acts 2:41–42: “Those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship…”

Over the last 5 months, God has been holding up before this congregation at Ambassador church and image of who we are in the Kingdom through the Jubilee series and Build This House series.

It is easy to miss this point. It is easy to misinterpret what we have received as God communicating with us about

What we have.

What we believe.

What we are supposed to do.

But, all of that flows out of one essential reality; and it is the reality of who we are as the people of God.

I believe that there is a powerful move of God that is stirring in the body of Christ.

But we are at risk of missing this move of God if we chose to focus on possessions and doctrines and activity.

We have great provision in Christ.

And right doctrine is very important.

And no doubt, there are things that God is calling us to do.

But what we gain from Christ and what believe about Christ and what we do for Christ is rooted in the reality of WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST.

God has held up this vision of the Kingdom before us for nearly half a year because He is calling us into a season of deep being.

And so I want to preach a sermon today entitled: Constitution: This Is Us

PRAYER

A constitution is a foundational declaration of who a people are—their character, calling, and collective identity.

It is more than a set of rules; it is the written soul of a community.

We have US constitution.

Not just the rules for the government, but the soul of the nation.

In Isaiah 61 the prophet is describing the people that is to be redeemed and restored by the offspring of David…the Messiah…The Christ.

This is something of a Constitution for the Kingdom of God.

I believe that this is broadly applicable in the church

I know that this is the word of the Lord to Ambassador Church as we enter this next season of our young life together as a community of faith.

There are 4 characteristics that define Us as a people.

Holy Ghost Freedom

Redemptive Purpose

Benevolent Expansion

Perpetual Joy

THIS IS US!

We Are A People of Holy Ghost Freedom

One of the questions that interpreters of Isaiah wrestle with when we get to chapter 61 is “who exactly is the speaker in these early verses?”

Isaiah speaking of his own ministry?

Isaiah democratizing the ministry (anyone who has the Spirit)

Isaiah speaking in the voice of the Messiah

Each of these is valid (remember this is the passage that Jesus picks up when announces his earthly ministry).

But, what is certain is that the main emphasis of the text is not speaker, but the power working through the speaker.

The Spirit of The Lord is upon me…

“The Spirit of the The Lord” is our “We the people”

Those first words tell us who is constituting this people…who is bringing the thing together and doing the work.

By beginning with phrase “We the people”, the United States takes on an identity of self-government.

Government of the people

By the people

For the people.

This constitution is not rooted in self-government. It is rooted in Holy Ghost Freedom.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…not to form a government, but to free a people.

This not government of the people, for the people, and by the people.

This is freedom of the Spirit, in the Spirit, and by the Spirit.

Central to our identity as the people of God is that we can be and have been made free from everything that the devil meant to keep us bound.

We are the ones who heard good news in the midst of a life that had been marked by bad experiences.

We are the ones who received ointment and bandages to mend to heal our broken hearts.

Many of us had been bound up by fear, sin, and addiction, but there is deliverance in Christ.

Though we had been socially, economically, and spiritually oppressed, we have received the blessing of liberty.

We are those who have traded in our mourning for comfort.

We are the ones who have exchanged our funeral clothes for a praise garment.

How are you smiling after all you’ve been through?

I’ve been through some hard things.

But, that’s what I’ve been through. Not who I am. Who I am is free.

How are you serving and leading in the church after the crazy stuff we did together?

Yes, I’ve done some horrible things.

But, that’s what I did. Not who I am. Who I am is free.

We Are A People of Redemptive Purpose

The voice shifts to the third person plural, “They” (We’re talking about the people who experience the Holy Ghost freedom, now)

This sermon series is called, “Build This House”

We read this words,

“They shall rebuild”

“They shall raise up”

“They shall repair”

We understand that there is a work to do.

The people are God, once they have experienced Holy Ghost freedom, are activated into redemptive purpose

They become participants in God’s plan to redeem the created world.

For we are His workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Eph. 2:20)

But, before we read the words of what “They” shall do. We read what “They” shall be called.

They shall be called “Oaks of righteousness”

I ask my sons “Are you a Butler man?”

Oak tree in the scripture (and especially in Isaiah) represent stability, permanence, and abundance

These oaks are planted by God (that’s grace) and they point to God’s awesomeness (that’s glory).

The contributive and fruitful things that we do are not meant to validate our worth or accumulate to our fame.

What we do is simply the behaviors of people hanging out between His grace and His glory.

The reputation of the church has been marred by abusive apostates and even just the mistakes of many, many imperfect people.

We live in communities that have been devastated by political corruption, economic oppression, and generational trauma.

Your family.

Your marriage.

Your friendships.

Your career.

Beloved, God wants to redeem it all.

But God’s emphasis is not on what you are called to do, it is on who you are to become.

Before God wants to speak to us about rebuilding and restoring, and repairing; He wants to speak to us about BEING.

Do you want to be a…be an oak of righteousness first.

If you focus on what you are called to do, there is a high probability that you will lose yourself in the doing. But, if you focus on who we are called to be, we will get done all the things that God has for us to do.

We Are A People of Benevolent Expansion (We grow by welcoming not by conquering)

5 Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;

foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;

6 but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;

they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;

you shall eat the wealth of the nations,

and in their glory you shall boast.

This language is not pejorative, but evangelistic. It is not the language of dominance and division, but unity and welcome.

Throughout Isaiah, "strangers" and “foreigners” becoming servants represents their being joined to the people of God.

“But” is very important because it marks the welcome

The ones who welcome the stranger will not be rejected.

They shall represent the people to God (intercession) and God to the people (prophets and shepherds).

As priests and ministers, the question sits before each one of us—from the least to the greatest—how will you use your position?

Will we use our role to create zones of hospitality or zones of hostility in our homes, in our lives, in this house?

Will we erect walls to keep people out or throw open doors to welcome people in?

Will we make room only for people who do everything we think they should do, or will we say all who will submit to Christ are welcome?

Beloved the best way to ruin old relationships is to let a spirit of familiarity set in.

And the best way to combat a spirit of familiarity is to constantly be in the process of welcoming new people and pursuing new adventures together.

The vibrancy and health of our community of faith depends on the embrace of this benevolent expansion.

We Are A People of Perpetual Joy

A double portion denotes compensation for damages

Exodus 22 talks about how a thief that gets caught has to pay back twice as much as they stole.

Everything that the enemy stole…everything that the enemy destroyed is coming back double.

It is not that we don’t face difficult things. It is just not in our DNA to get stuck there.

We have literally “the joy eternity”

We are living out of an eternal reality…we know how the story ends.

So, not matter what comes my way, I will not let go of my joy:

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

Many are the afflictions of righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If we lean into our God-ordained identity, then we will see a move of God like we can not now imagine.

The enemy wants us to end this year putting a lot of pressure on ourselves to manifest Jubilee…and to build God’s house with our own hands.

We don’t have to conjure miracles.

We don’t have to be perfect.

We don’t have to become rich or famous or influential.

We just have BE the people of God. We just have to continue to receive our identity from Him, for Him, in Him, and through Him.

If we focus on being the people He is making us, God will take care of the rest.

Let's make this confession of our identity in Christ as the people of God.

I am glad to be a part of this.

I am proud to be a part of this.

I am committed to be a part of this.

This is freedom.

This is purpose.

This is expansion.

This is joy,

This is us!

Let’s baptize