The Mission of the Messiah

Our sermon text today is found in Isaiah chapter 61.

Isaiah 61 · chapter mention

That's page 581 in the Pew Bible, if you want to turn there with me.

This morning we're going to look at the first four verses of Isaiah chapter 61.

Isaiah 61 · chapter mention

Let me pray as we come to God's Word together.

Father, long ago, at many times and in many ways, you spoke to your people by the prophets.

But in these last days, you've spoken to us by your Son, our Lord Jesus.

Father, we pray in the next few moments you would help us by your Spirit to hear again

through your written Word, the voice of your incarnate Word, Jesus,

so that we might know you better and love you more

and find our deepest joy and purpose in you just as you created us to.

We ask all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

So Isaiah chapter 61, verses 1 through 4.

Isaiah 61:1–4

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.

Well, waiting can be really hard, can't it?

If you're like me,

whenever you're in a situation where you have to wait,

wait for a ride,

wait in line at the store,

wait for a meeting to start,

what's the first thing you do?

Well, you pull out your cell phone, right?

I mean, that's what we do when we wait.

We check our email,

we flip around on a few websites.

We can't just wait.

We have to do something, right?

Waiting is hard work.

Of course, now that Christmas Day has come and gone,

the big wait of the season is finally over.

The presents are opened.

And the family visits have happened.

But you know, Advent is about much more

than just remembering Christ's first coming.

It's also about anticipating Jesus' second coming,

his coming again in glory.

In other words, Advent's about learning how to anticipate,

how to wait.

It's about learning to wait.

And we're not so good at waiting.

What exactly are we supposed to be doing as we wait?

Today we're looking at the last text in our short sermon series in Isaiah

about the messianic prophecies of Isaiah.

And this text that we're looking at today

comes right in the middle of the third and final part of Isaiah's book,

chapters 56 through 66.

Now, very broadly speaking,

chapters 1 through 39 of Isaiah have highlighted the great problem of human sin.

And chapters 40 through 55 have highlighted the even greater answer of God's grace.

And now these last 11 chapters, Isaiah 56 through 66,

are going to tell us what we do while we wait.

While we wait for God's glorious future to come in full.

The glorious future that Jesus,

the King and the servant of Isaiah's book,

has won through his atoning death and his resurrection.

The future that Isaiah will call in these climactic chapters,

he'll call them the new heavens and the new earth.

Where evil and injustice are no more.

Where God's people are radiant with God's glory.

Where death is defeated and joy is everlasting.

That's what's coming, Isaiah says.

That's what we're waiting for.

But Isaiah wants to answer the question of what we do

while we wait for it.

And what we see in Isaiah 61 is that the life God has for us

in this in-between time, in-between Christ's first and second coming,

is so much greater than just standing around

metaphorically checking our cell phones.

Isaiah 61, which is the center and heart of this last section of the book,

brings us face to face with the great mission of the Messiah.

A mission that we enter into when we are united to him and to his people in the world.

Isaiah is saying, this is what it means to wait,

to anticipate the glorious future God has in store.

It means to be on mission with the Messiah,

with King Jesus.

And we're going to look at these four verses and see that this mission has three parts.

First, there's gospel proclamation.

Second, there's personal transformation.

And third, there's communal restoration.

So we see the first part of that mission in verses 1 through 3, the gospel proclamation.

Here in these verses, we have the voice of the Messiah speaking in the first person,

the spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

declaring that the Lord has given him a mission of proclaiming, of bringing good news.

Now, how do we know that this voice in verse 1 is the voice of the Messiah?

Could Isaiah be portraying some other figure here?

Who is it that's speaking in these verses?

But you know, as you look over Isaiah as a whole,

you have to ask who else in Isaiah is said to possess the spirit of the Lord like this?

Back in chapter 11, verse 2, we see that it is the one called the branch of Jesse,

the future king in the line of David, the Messiah himself,

that the spirit of the Lord will rest upon.

And then as we jump ahead to the second part of Isaiah's book,

in chapter 42, verse 1, God says,

Behold my servant whom I uphold, I've put my spirit upon him.

So there it's the great servant of the Lord.

So here, in the third and climactic part of Isaiah's book,

when we hear a voice saying,

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, who else could it be?

But that same king and that same servant of the Lord

that Isaiah has told us so much about.

Here again, we have the long-awaited Messiah now speaking in his own voice,

declaring that he's been anointed to bring good news.

And notice who this good news is for.

It's good news for the poor,

and for the brokenhearted,

for the captives,

and for all who mourn.

This good news that

the Messiah brings is not for those

who think they have it all together.

It's for those who know they're sick,

who know they're needy,

who know they need to be rescued.

And in the context of Isaiah,

we know that the poor and the brokenhearted

and the captives aren't just mourning their circumstances.

Above all, they're mourning their sin.

One commentator put it this way,

and I thought this was good.

He said,

Who are the poor?

Here in Isaiah,

who's he referring to?

Who are the poor?

Those who are so broken by life

that they have no more heart to try.

Those who are so bound up in their various addictions

that liberty and release

are a cruel mirage.

Those who think that they will never again

experience the favor of the Lord

or see his just vengeance meted out

against those who have misused them.

Those who think their lives hold nothing more

than ashes, sackcloth,

and the fainting heaviness of despair.

They are those to whom the Messiah,

the servant, shouts good news.

But is this message just that?

Is it just words?

Is it mere talk?

But you have to remember who it is

who's speaking these words.

This is the king of Isaiah chapter 9.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

The one called Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

This is the servant of Isaiah 53

who has borne our iniquities.

And will make the many to be counted righteous.

When this king proclaims liberty,

it's not just mere talk.

It's an announcement of what is now true.

After all, when a judge pronounces a verdict,

when the gavel comes down and it says,

not guilty.

Or when a head of state pronounces amnesty

for those who are convicted of crimes.

Is that mere talk?

No.

It produces the reality that the words declare.

And friends,

if the words of a mere human being,

a mere human judge,

a mere human king,

can produce that kind of life-changing reality,

how much more true must it be

of the very words of Christ?

His announcement of liberty

must bring the reality of liberty.

So this is the mission of the Messiah

that Isaiah foresees,

to bring good news.

And when Jesus began his ministry in Nazareth,

it was this very text in Isaiah 61

that he took up and read in the synagogue.

As we read earlier in the service from Luke 4,

Jesus took the scroll of Isaiah,

read these verses,

and then said,

today this scripture has been fulfilled

in your hearing.

Imagine what they must have thought

at such a declaration.

And throughout Jesus' ministry,

he healed the sick

and made paralytics walk again

and opened the eyes of the blind,

even raised the dead,

all to demonstrate this great truth

that he had come to set the captives free.

That the year of the Lord's favor,

grace, and restoration

had arrived in his own person and work.

Here it was.

The thing you've been waiting for.

It's right now.

Of course, as many point out in Luke 4,

Jesus actually stopped reading Isaiah 61

right before the words in verse 2

about the day of vengeance of our God.

Sort of a curious thing.

Why did Jesus stop the reading there?

Well, the reality is,

is that Jesus' work of judgment

was reserved and is reserved

for his second coming,

not his first.

In his first coming,

Jesus had come not to judge,

but to save.

After all,

he didn't want his fellow Israelites

to think that he'd come to judge the Romans,

to start a military war.

That would have been the first thing

they thought of.

He wanted to make very clear

that that's not why he came at first.

He had come to do something much more profound,

to grant a liberty and a comfort

that would be eternal.

Isaiah 61 verse 3

Isaiah 61:3

gives this beautiful image

of what that would be like.

It says that Jesus has come

to give a beautiful headdress

instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness

instead of mourning,

the garment of praise

instead of a faint spirit.

It's actually wedding imagery,

believe it or not.

It's being decked out

for the day

of a marriage,

of a wedding,

of being united

to the one you love.

And instead of ashes

and mourning

and a faint spirit,

all the things that describe

our hopeless

and hurt

and lost condition

were given in exchange.

Beauty

and joy

and praise.

And how on earth

does Jesus accomplish that?

Something so much greater

and something so much more lasting

than a mere change

of political circumstance.

Well, as we see

as the gospels unfold,

we see that Christ

does this great work

through the cross.

Because it's at the cross

where Jesus takes upon himself

our ashes

and our mourning

and our faint spirit.

He takes all of our sin

and in return

he gives us his beauty

and his gladness

and his praise.

Look at the end of Isaiah chapter 61.

Isaiah 61 · chapter mention

Look at verse 10.

It says it so well.

Here Isaiah

is now leading us

in a song of praise

for what the Messiah would do.

And in 61 verse 10

he says,

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.

What an image.

Taking our sin

upon himself

in return

Jesus gives us

a robe

of righteousness.

Friends,

this is the great exchange

at the heart

of the gospel

for all who believe.

My sin

in exchange

for his righteousness.

that on the cross

he would be clothed

with my moral failures

and bear their penalty away

and in exchange

I would receive

a robe

of his perfect righteousness.

So you see,

Jesus comes

not just

proclaiming good news.

He is the good news.

He can bring good news

because he is it himself.

He is our freedom

and our comfort.

He is our liberty

and our joy.

And this is exactly

what we proclaim

as we enter

into the mission

of the Messiah.

We proclaim

the good news,

the freedom

that Jesus has won.

Freedom from sin's penalty,

freedom from sin's guilt,

freedom from sin's power even.

All accomplished

through Jesus' death

and resurrection

and applied to our hearts

by the Holy Spirit

and faith.

that's why Paul can say

living in light

of Jesus' death

and resurrection,

he can say

I'm not ashamed

of the gospel

for it is

the power of God

for salvation

to everyone who believes.

Notice that Paul

is saying that the gospel,

the message about Jesus,

isn't just about

God's power, right?

He's not even saying

that it conveys God's power.

He's saying that

the gospel

is God's power.

Proclaiming what Jesus

has done in his life

and death and resurrection

that he lived a perfect life

of obedience to God

in our place,

that he died on the cross

to bear sin's penalty

in our place,

that he rose to life

on the third day

conquering death

and securing our salvation,

proclaiming this good news,

this gospel,

is God's power.

Power to comfort

those who mourn

and power to liberate

those who are bound.

So as we think

about our mission,

about joining Christ

in his mission today,

we must be about

the work

of gospel proclamation.

As the new year

is about to begin,

I wonder,

are there two

or three coworkers

or neighbors

or friends

or even family members

whose conversion

you will particularly

pray for this year?

And will you pray

that God will give you

an open door

and well-seasoned,

well-timed words

to invite them

to church,

to speak to them

about the liberty

that Christ has brought us?

Perhaps a good goal

this year

in addition to prayer

and in sharing the gospel

is to read one good book

about personal evangelism

this year.

That is sharing the gospel

in the context

of our friendships.

There are lots

of good ones out there.

One I've been reading lately

is by Max Stiles

called Speaking of Jesus.

It's kind of an oldie

but goodie,

but it's a good one.

Max Stiles,

Speaking of Jesus.

But why not take up

one book

that will help equip you

to be about

this great work

of gospel proclamation?

If you want

some more recommendations,

you can come talk to me

after the service.

But being about

the work of gospel

proclamation

is more than just

about one-to-one

conversations.

It's about creating

a church life,

a loving church culture

where non-Christians

feel welcome

to ask questions

and explore

spiritual things

and learn about

Jesus for themselves.

It's about this place

and this space

being open to those

who are seeking

and being ready

to be patient

with their questions

and with their

searchings

and their explorings

to welcome those things,

to be honest

about our own doubts

and misgivings at times

and our own journey.

So when we gather

on Sundays

or in small groups

or in other settings,

do we assume

that everyone there

is already a Christian

or do we speak and act

as if there are curious

non-Christians

present as well?

All of that

is what it means

to be on the mission

of proclaiming

the good news of Jesus.

But the mission

of the Messiah

doesn't actually

just stop there.

This passage

shows us

that the good news

of Jesus

creates profound change.

The second thing

we see here

is that

this mission

of proclamation

is also a mission

of personal transformation.

We see this

at the end

of verse 3.

This message

of the gospel

goes forth

in these opening verses

with the result

at the end

of verse 3

says that they

may be called

oaks of righteousness,

the planting

of the Lord,

that he,

that is the Lord,

may be glorified.

God's creating

oaks of righteousness.

In the first chapter

of Isaiah,

the people there

were described

as being

like an oak

whose leaf

withers.

In other words,

because of their

self-reliance

and their self-centeredness,

the people had become

spiritually dry

and lifeless

and near to death.

But here in Isaiah 61,

a great transformation

has happened.

how will we go about

living this life

that God wants us to live?

Will it be in our own strength?

Will it be in our own power?

Will we just pull ourselves

up by our bootstraps

and get about the work?

No.

God says,

I'll produce in you

that fruit

that I want to see.

My grace will give you

a new status,

but my grace will give you

a new nature.

And now,

as a result

of the gospel,

the ones

who were once

oaks

with withering leaves

have become

oaks

of righteousness.

Friends,

being in a relationship

with Jesus Christ

really does

change people's lives.

If you've been around

the church

for a long time

and you've seen

a lot of hurt

and brokenness

and struggling,

sometimes you doubt that.

But it's helpful

to take a step back

and see the good

that is produced

by the Holy Spirit

through the gospel

of grace.

Being in a relationship

with Jesus

really does change us

from the inside out.

Think of an oak tree.

A healthy oak tree

is stable,

isn't it?

It withstands

the rains

and the storms

that come.

You know,

with Christ

in your life,

you no longer

need to rely

on the shifting sands

of other people's approval

and you don't have to

ride the roller coaster

of worldly success.

You don't have to live

for the gods of career

or family

or money.

All those things

will come

and go.

But Christ

remains

faithful,

loving,

ever-present,

ever-merciful,

ever-strong.

And being rooted in Him

gives you a stability

like nothing else.

And oak trees

are also fairly permanent,

aren't they?

Apparently,

oak trees can live

and flourish

for hundreds of years.

You know,

we've got an oak tree

in our backyard

and it's stunning

to think that that oak tree

has been there

probably longer

than the house

that I live in.

Most of what we do

in our lives

will probably be forgotten

in a generation or two.

Don't you think

about that sometimes?

But here's the wonderful

good news of the gospel,

that in the Lord Jesus,

our labors

are not in vain.

Because of His resurrection,

even our most mundane

labors

have eternal significance.

And on top of it all,

Christ offers us

eternal life.

In Him,

you will live

forever.

no more

do our lives

need to be haunted

by the fear

of dying

or by the many

lesser fears

that are like it,

those fears

of missing out.

In Christ,

your best

is always still to come,

which gives you

a permanence

like nothing else.

But oak trees

aren't just stable

and permanent,

they're abundant,

aren't they?

Oak trees

can produce

thousands of acorns,

as you know,

if you've ever walked

under an oak tree

after a heavy wind,

right?

We've had so many acorns

in one spot

that you almost

trip on them.

It's like a sheet

of marbles.

You just sort of

go flying.

They're everywhere.

Friends,

that's what happens

when the new life

of Christ

is at work in us.

God starts to do

an abundant

and total work

in our lives.

It changes all of us

from the inside out.

Now,

of course,

sometimes that change

takes time,

right?

I think there's a reason

why God often uses

agricultural

or organic metaphors

to describe our growth

in righteousness,

our growth

in godly character.

Because it takes time

for things to grow.

Mighty oaks

of righteousness

don't just pop up

overnight.

it takes time.

And sometimes

it's hard work.

Farmers need to

get up early

and go to bed late.

I would be a terrible

farmer.

I don't like getting

up early.

So I'm told.

But it can be hard work,

this growth

in righteousness.

But you see,

ultimately,

one of the beautiful

things about the

organic metaphor

isn't just that it

takes time,

isn't just that

sometimes it takes

some hard work,

but ultimately

that it's the Lord's

doing.

There's a confidence

we can have in Christ

that God is going

to produce in us

the righteousness,

the holiness

he desires in us.

Sometimes it will be

a much more painful

process than we

would ever imagine,

but he's going to

finish what he started.

And as a result,

the Lord will get

the glory.

He will make us

more and more

into his image,

and as others

see Christ in us,

Christ will be

praised.

One of the most

important things

that we can do

to share Christ

with our city

and to see the

gospel go forth

is to live lives

of godliness,

friends.

to live

holy lives.

And that is the

mission of the Messiah,

to make us

something new.

It's a mission

of personal

transformation,

of becoming more

and more godly

in our character.

So again,

let me ask,

as a new year

begins,

how will you

cooperate with God

to cultivate

this growth

in your life?

What fruit

of the Spirit

are you longing

to see more of

in the year ahead?

What vices

or sins

are you hoping

to see less of

in the year ahead?

And not just

in your own life,

how do you plan

to cooperate

with God

to cultivate

this growth

in the lives

of those around you?

Perhaps there's

a sin

that you need

to confess,

something that you

need to tell

a trusted Christian

mentor or pastor

so they can pray

for you

and point you

to the right avenues

for help and change.

If there's a deeper

besetting sin

that you're wrestling

with,

perhaps you need

to get connected

with a recovery group,

with an addiction

recovery group

who can help you

walk in the paths

of God's grace

together.

Again,

come talk to the pastors.

Let us help

resource you

into the help

that you need.

Or maybe you just

need to be more

transparent with

your Christian friends

or your spouse

about how you'd like

to grow in Christlikeness.

The work of

personal transformation

is not a solo sport.

We need each other.

We need each other

to help apply

the grace of Christ

to our hearts

and we need each other

to fan into flame

the Spirit's work within.

So how will this year

be a year of personal

transformation for you?

But there's one last

element to this mission.

Do you see the progression

that's happening

in this passage?

We see that the

mission of the Messiah

begins in gospel

proclamation.

It extends to

personal transformation

and then out

in verse 4

into community

restoration.

Look again at verse 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.

Now Isaiah's

immediate audience

was the exile generation.

He was writing ahead

to the generation

that would see

Jerusalem destroyed

and the people

carried off

to captivity.

So this image

of city being rebuilt

would have been

a powerful image

for them

of what renewal

and repair

and new life

looked like.

But notice that

the vision here

encompasses more

than just Jerusalem.

It's all in the plural,

isn't it?

Ruins,

devastations,

cities.

In other words,

what Isaiah has

in view here

is that wherever

sin has brought

its wreckage,

there the gospel

is meant to go

and produce

restoration

and renewal.

Broken marriages,

broken families,

broken churches,

broken workplaces,

broken neighborhoods,

broken cities,

broken regions,

wherever poverty

and racism

and joblessness

and fear

and despair

and addiction

rear their ugly heads,

there the gospel

is meant to go

and bring hope

and repair

to make something

new

out of what's

old,

to make something

whole

out of something

that's been torn.

So you see

the progression

in these verses.

Jesus is the one

proclaiming

and the one

proclaimed

and when he is

proclaimed

and received

in repentance

and faith

there's liberty

and there's comfort

and then the gospel

begins to produce

personal change

and those transformed

by the gospel

go out

and do this work

of rebuilding

and repairing.

In other words,

the gospel changes

people who then

go out

and change the world.

The church really

is meant to be

salt and light

as Jesus said.

So friends,

this new year

where will you seek

to build up

the ancient ruins

and repair

the ruined cities?

How will you use

the gifts and talents

God has given you

to do good

to your neighbors?

Both your Christian

neighbors right here

in your church family

and also your

non-Christian neighbors too.

One day Christ

will return

and make all things new.

How can you be at work

to anticipate

that great day

through love

and service

and justice today?

When the King comes,

friends,

let us not be waiting

with our hands

in our pockets.

merely checking

our email.

Let us be about

the mission

of the King.

Christ has rescued us

for a great purpose

to join Him

in this work

of freedom

and joy,

proclaiming liberty

to the captives,

living transformed lives,

seeing the ruins

become rebuilt

and restored.

Lord,

where will you

join the mission

in this coming year?

What good goals

will you set

to be about

the mission of Christ?

Friends,

soon

our King

will return in glory.

How will He

find you waiting?

May He find us

joyfully

and passionately

engaged in His mission

and may He say to us

all on that day,

well done,

good and faithful servant.

Let's pray together.

Come,

thou long-expected Jesus,

born to set

thy people free.

O Lord,

thank you that you've

come to set us free.

Father,

I pray this morning

for those who are here

and maybe they're not sure

about the claims

of Christianity,

but they do know

what it's like

to be stuck

and they do know

what it's like

to feel like

they're in captivity.

O God,

I pray that by your Spirit

you'd give them

eyes to see

the sweet freedom

of the forgiveness

of sins

that's offered in Jesus,

the offer of your Holy Spirit

at work in their lives.

I pray that you would

open their hearts

to receive you today.

And Lord,

I pray for us

who have already

heard that message

and responded in faith.

O Lord,

would you give us

courage this year

and boldness this year

to be about the work

of your mission.

Lord,

help us to see the ways

in which our workplaces

can be avenues

of rebuilding

and restoring.

Give us eyes

to see areas

of our hearts

that need to change.

Give us eyes

to see the relationships

you've providentially

placed around us

where gospel proclamation

can happen.

And O God,

give us the confidence

that you indeed

are doing this work

that you will accomplish

the purposes

that you have said

for your great glory.

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.