Joy (2)
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It is the third week of advent , the week of Joy. Do you have joy? Are you joyful? Or is this world, or people or circumstances stealing your joy?
Truthfully, these days it can be hard to find joy, and when we do, it is rarely long lasting joy. You don’t need to feel alone, or less. God’s people sometimes have trouble finding joy, so God’s word constantly reminds us of how to get that joy.
This is somewhat captured in todays reading in Isaiah. Chapter 61, but before I read that let me set the stage a little.
Last week we talked about how the world of the Nation of Israel was falling apart. There was war and famine and economic collapse. There was not much joy.
Listen to what God says about the people in chapter 1 of Isaiah.
5 Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted.
Your whole heart is afflicted… that doesn’t sound joyful? When you look at the world is your whole heart afflicted?
He goes on.
6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness— only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with olive oil.
It is as if your whole body is wounded and not at all bandaged. Maybe you feel like that, like you are wounded and you need to heal, to be bandaged and taken care of.
Listen to what God says about the country.
7 Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.
You can understand then there is not much joy in the people.
The God describes the people like this.
30 You will be like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without water.
If 2020 has done anything to us we are like an oak with fading leaves, or like a a garden without water, dry and dead, and in need of refreshment.
Do you feel like that? Like an oak with fading leaves?
It is easy to see in today’s world why you might not have joy.
Everyone, knows this. We can look around and see the people of the world are like fading leaves, and we are in need of joy and refreshment.
That is why we try and find our joy in a holiday party or in mind altering substances. Or we try and find our joy by treating ourselves to luxuries, or in building an empire of finances, so we can escape what is going on for a little while anyway.
This is not the solution God has for His people. Later on in Isaiah, God talks about this person he will send. A servant of God. A prophet of God. A king, A priest, Someone is coming God says, and he is going to help.
In Luke Chapter 4 Jesus goes to a synagogue and he reads from the scroll of Isiah, and He unrills the scroll all the way to chapter 61, that is our reading for today Isaiaha 61.
Jeus unrills the whole scroll to Isiaha 61, and says this is written about me.
Here is what it says...
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
Remeber we were talking about those people in the begininng the poor the broken hearted the wounded, Jesus says this is about me I am the one to PROCLAIM good news to the poor. Are you poor today? Jesus has good news for you.
DOes your heart ache, Jesus is going to bind up those with broken hearts, are you captive, to sin, are you living in darkness? Good news Jesus is going to release the captives and set the prsioners free.
You know we can be captive to our thoughts, and our habits, and our sins, and even in the daylight our hearts can be darl with anger and hatred, and jealosy. and Jesus is he to give us relaese from thagt.
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Are you grieving for things today? Jesus says he will provide. Tpo bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. WHen people were geiving, they would pour ashes on them seleves. It was awful black and dusty and diryty, The sadness and grief in thier heart was visisble on thier heads, and Jesus will give them a crown of beauty, He will turn your mourning to dancing, Praise instead of despair.
Are you like an oak with dried leaves, Jesus will call you OAKS of righteousness a palnting of the LORD for the DISPLAY OF HIS GLORY>
DO you see this? God does this, so he gets the glory SO that we know it WAS HE who did it. If we somehow were able to buy our way to beauty from ashes, or to work our way ou of a spirit of despair, into praise, it would be on us,
BUt when Jesus does it HE gets the glory, We see HIS splendor, PEople see His spelnedor,
That is what Jesus did at Christmas. He came to a briken world a hurting world a dried up dying world in pain and despair, and He dwelt among us, SO that whosoever beleievs in Him shall have eternal life,
And when we believe in Him, aand allow Him change us, He gets the Glory.
The New International Version Chapter 2
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
For the joy of the Lord is our strength.