The Joy of the Lord
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 6 viewsNotes
Transcript
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!
Matthew 2:10-11
Isaiah 35:1-10
Intro:
Intro:
AG: The song that some of us learned as children goes, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart, I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart to stay.”
Joy can be described as delight or bliss and this song and the BIble attributes joy to the Lord.
Two weeks ago, we lit the candle of Hope, and considered the words of Isaiah.
He was crying out to God, pleading for Him to bring about change. He wanted God to tear open the heavens and come down to earth, causing the mountains to tremble and the earth to shake. The Israelites were in exile and desperately holding on to the hope that God would fix things.
Last week, we lit the candle of Peace, We examined how Christ is our Peace Offering and how His sacrifice brings us peace.
TS: This morning we lit the candle of joy, and are once again considering scripture from the book of Isaiah.
This morning’s scripture has a certain bounce, a certain cadence, and a certain joyfulness. This is the good news of their deliverance.
They are still in exile, but our scripture tells us that the Israelites has moved from the hope that God would fix things, to the promise of God’s peace, to the fact that God has now anointed someone to take action and relieve the situation through the proclamation of good news.
There has been a steady progression in the relationship between the exiled Israelites and God, much as there has been a steady progression in our worship during this Advent Season.
RS: This Season of Advent is all about waiting for the arrival of the Christ child, waiting for the one who will be our deliverer. The Israelites were also waiting for deliverance, and the author in this morning’s text makes reference to an anointed one who will deliver them, but in doing so, he uses the first person in describing the one who has been anointed…v 1. Is he speaking about himself or on behalf of someone else?
When we consider this text, we have the advantage of looking through the Christmas lens and seeing Jesus Christ as the anointed one, but Isaiah’s audience didn’t have that luxury. They were living 500 years before the birth of Christ, so where is the joy in these words written for an exiled people, who have no knowledge of Jesus Christ? Where is the joy in these words for us, who do have knowledge of Jesus Christ?
Isaiah 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;
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.
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.
Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
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.
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.
For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.
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.
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.
1) Joy from A Promise of Change v. 1-3
1) Joy from A Promise of Change v. 1-3
The joy in this passage is its promise that things will change…
liberty for the captives,
release for the prisoners,
mourners will receive
the oil of gladness
the mantle of praise
We are being told specific details of how life is going to be different because of the anointed one who will bring good news.
Though Israel was in Exile, joy came from the promise of the blessings the Anointed One, the Messiah would bring..
Israel was not forgotten by God
God was still faithful and would fulfil His promises and keep His covenant
Joy flowed from that reminder and promise
Present circumstances are not the end!
There are times in our lives where we are desperate for good news.
There are times in our lives where we wander if things are ever going to be different.
Will the pain of grief ever lessen?
Will the feelings of hurt and rejection ever subside?
Will the enclosures of physical and emotional pain that imprison us ever be torn down?
We wander if the promise of the good news from the anointed one is ever going to reach us.
But the promise of the good news has reached us.
The reversal the Israelites sought in their circumstances and the reversal we seek in our circumstances may not always be delivered when we think it should or in the package we think it should, but the true reversal found in this good news is that there is joy in the Lord, and we must realize that this is joy and not happiness.
We many times will blur the line between joy and happiness.
Happiness is dependent upon circumstances.
Our circumstances determine whether we’re happy or sad.
We can’t control how we feel. Some things make us happy. Some things make us sad.
Family reunions, birthdays, and graduations are times of happiness, but if we’re grieving the death of a loved one or dealing with the loss of a job, we’d be sad.
Circumstances determine happiness or sadness.
But joy is different. Joy is not tied to circumstances.
Joy is a way of life. Joy is an attitude.
Having joy in the Lord is what enables someone in the midst of tragedy to say, “My heart is breaking with sadness, but God is good and He is faithful.”
It is the joy in our hearts that keeps us moving forward in the face of tragedy, because God has indeed anointed one to comfort all who mourn, to provide the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. We can remain joyful in all situations, whether they are happy or sad, because of the promise of the anointed one.
2) Joy Comes from Promised Restoration v. 4-7
2) Joy Comes from Promised Restoration v. 4-7
Isaiah 61:4-7
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.
Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
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.
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.
Joy flows from knowing that there is a better future ahead
For Israel, not only will their circumstances be reversed, they have here a promise of restoration!
Ancient ruins will be rebuilt
Long desolate places will be restored
They will have employees to do their labor
Strangers and foreigners will work for them
They will once again be priests
Israel will be restored to worshipping God and leading others to Him
Their wealth would be restored
Their pride would be restored instead of shame
To an exiled nation, this text is powerful!
A promised restoration surely gave them joy
WE too have a promise of restoration
IN same ways, we are exiles here
Our home is heaven and we are citizens of God’s Kingdom
There are times in which that may seem so far away that we can’t envision it.
Life under the sun is far from perfect
Society which opposes godly values seems to be winning.
Yet there is a promise of restoration
Eden will be restored one day
The whole Earth will be a paradise restored!
More importantly than that, the Savior, Jesus, restores us at salvation
WE are made alive, though we were dead in our sin
We are adopted as God’s children
The Holy Spirit resides in us and guides us into all truth
3) Joy comes from God! V. 8-11
3) Joy comes from God! V. 8-11
His Justice v 8
His Justice v 8
For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
True and righteous judgment comes only from God
Every human expression of justice is flawed
God on the other hand judges 100% justly!
He brings joy in the knowledge that the innocent will be exonerated and the guilty punished
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Jesus’ payment of our penalty sets us free
He is now our defense attorney advocating on our behalf before the Father
His faithfulness v. 8
His faithfulness v. 8
For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.
God is faithful to keep His covenant
here it is defined as everlasting
There will never be a time in which GOD forgets His covenant to Israel
What a great reminder that He will keep HIS covenant with us!
His Provision v 10-11
His Provision v 10-11
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.
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.
God promises to supply their needs
He does the same for us
God supplies all of our needs!
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
All so that righteousness and praise will be on display to the nations!
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Grimness, or lack of joy, is not a Christian virtue. If God really is the center of one’s life and being, joy is inevitable. If we have no joy, we have missed the heart of the Good News and our bodies as much as our souls will suffer the consequences.
Walter Knight said, “Joy is the flag that flies over the castle of our hearts announcing that the king is in residence today.” What flag are you flying?
The presence of the anointed one brings joy, which provides strength for the future, and it is that future that the anointed one is pointing towards.
This Season of Advent becomes so hurried because of the way Christmas has been built-up.
We need to slow down this time of year.
We need to count our blessings.
We need to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.
We need to make the effort to spend time with our families.
As we celebrate and enjoy the experience of Christmas, we can’t lose sight of our responsibility. When we proclaim Christ as the anointed one, we acknowledge that we are the beneficiaries of the reversal, and thus, we have the responsibility to rebuild and repair.