This is the time of "The Lord's Favor."
Building a Firm Foundation • Sermon • Submitted
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Just a quick look back
Just a quick look back
Last week we took the idea of Superheroes in our lives. We all have them...
Not sure which is which, hero or villain… Coyote or Roadrunner?
Batman, Robin, Bat-woman, Cat woman, Joker and whole bunch of other good guys and bad.
The Hulk… Nuff said about him.
The Green Hornet
And many, many others
They kept most Americans encouraged and excited when wars in Europe and the Pacific were going badly. In the case of the some of the superheroes they were influenced by the government to do exactly that to keep peoples chin up when it was easy to stare at your shoes.
Last week from Isaiah 43.1
1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
There is nothing in the whole world that will ever change that.
You cannot make a poor decision and loose you relationship with God
You cannot decide one morning that you no longer what to be one of God’s kids… He says that YOU ARE HIS [period].
4 Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.
This is your BUILDING BLOCK for last week. You have infinite value to the creator of the universe.
He has given you life and has great respect for you.
So much so that God exchanged person-to-person to save you.
God is reminding us in His word of the power of this relationship that you have with him… Listen
9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent,
10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”
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Our God is the ONLY true God. There will never but one that even comes close to him.
Even in the end-times with the Anti-Christ, satan and his minions.
There will NEVER BE one that is even close.
Still many, many billions of people [with B] have rejected Jesus and God.
Our challenge from last week… Set our PRIDE aside, Set our Superheroes aside,
Set our eyes on the one and only superhero!
God, the Father Almighty… He is faster than a speeding bullet, He can jump higher than highest building, He is EVER present with those who call on Him!!!
Even though in our PRIDE and in our independent ways we look to God last. I pray that this year 2022 we can look towards Heaven and choose God as our #1 Superhero!
Well that should be your first building block in a firm foundation…
God is our only Superhero
He is all we really need… All the strength, all of the cunning of the various superhero’s, NONE of them matches up to our God!
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This week we are going to look at one of my favorite passages in scripture. Actually of my favorite chapters.
Isaiah 61.
As you are opening your bibles or your apps I what you to think about this…
God demonstrated His love for His people throughout the Old Testament. We just have to have a discerning SPIRIT to connect with God as our Superhero.
Our passage for today WELCOMES the poor, the blind, the broken-hearted and EVERYONE ELSE to God’s table to eat and drink
You will never have to be thirsty again.
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1 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.
Let’s jump back to Isaiah 61.
1 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;
Some things about this verse...
We take the Holy Spirit for granted today in this era of redemption. The Old Testament of people came from a completely different construct.
They were constantly trying to keep in the “good favor” of God.
That is our launching point in this morning.
The Lord anointed Isaiah to bring the good news to the poor.
I love it when Luke uses the same ideas in his Gospel.+
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Same idea, slightly different words. To a new and diverse audience. Who is disparate to hear about salvation weather they know it our not.
Our BIG idea for TODAY
2022 is the year of the Lord’s favor… What will you do with it?
This is the year of jubilee!! After 7 cycles of 7 years, God declares a Jubilee! Debts are cancelled, property is returned to the original owners. God resets the people every 7 years and then the 50th year.
Who do you know in your life that needs to hear the good news of God, Jesus and The Spirit.
Who can preach the Good News to the poor?
Who can bind up the brokenhearted ?
Who can free the captives and release them darkness?
What comes to all of this “good” stuff when men or groups fail to follow him...
V2.
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
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There is the Lord’s favor but He also is NOT afraid to use His VENGEANCE to comfort all that are in distress and mourn.
This chapter along with most of the book of Isaiah is writer to or about going into captivity, remaining in captivity, and then finally being released.
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.
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Jesus in the Beatitudes makes a connection with this passage.
20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
Regardless when this was written and who its “first-hearers” were. This scripture and these ideas is as alive and well in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
That Jesus, is for us, that we continues to be in the Lord’s Favor and willingly passes that down to us!!!
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.
God has released the captives and once again returned them to Israel.
Obviously God is God of second, third and 100th chances.
Thank you God for seeing past our sin and into our hearts.
What we’ve been talking about is our participation in the new covenant...
The new covenant includes many provisions related to individual salvation.
The law will be written on the heart rather than merely on stone tablets.
All who are in the covenant will know the Lord
God will forgive the sins of those in the covenant
The Holy Spirit will indwell those in the covenant and the Spirit will enable those in the covenant to obey God’s law.
The ultimate goal is for God to be their God and for them to be his people (Jer 31:33).
33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Let’s return to Is 61 verse 10.
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.
Using the clothing symbolically to indicate the all over, 100% participation on behalf of the Isaiah in this passage but also for us in our standing before God.
Now as a result of this passage, The people 2500 years ago have a new covenant with God.
This set of promises was delivered to them in an everlasting sense. The people were required to claim them, to live according to the requirements of the covenant… They didn’t
We don’t and we can’t without the intervention of God sending his son, Jesus to drop all of our “religion” and to start living our faith
Isaiah 61:11 b11 “...so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.”
Our BIG idea for TODAY
2022 is the year of the Lord’s favor… What will you do with it?
A lot will depend on your standing with Christ.
IF you are here this morning as a believer in Christ, these promises are already apart of your lives. IF you have yet not committed your life to Christ then these await you and your commitment to God and acceptance of Christ as your Savior.
The law will be written on the heart rather than merely on stone tablets.
All who are in the covenant will know the Lord
God will forgive the sins of those in the covenant
The Holy Spirit will indwell those in the covenant and the Spirit will enable those in the covenant to obey God’s law.
Here is our promise. The one we get to participate in because of our standing with God and His gracious provision for us...
1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.
2 The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
3 You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
Closing
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
