671 ISAIAH Please Turn in Your Bibles This Evening to Isaiah Chapter 61 As
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671 ISAIAH Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Isaiah chapter 61 as we continue our study through the Word of God. In our last study we saw the darkness of the Tribulation Period as God pours out His wrath upon a Christ rejecting world. And out of that darkness we see the light of God burst forth and dispel that darkness as the Lord returns and sets up His Kingdom on this earth. We call this period of time the Millennial Kingdom or the Kingdom Age where Jesus will rule and reign from the throne in Jerusalem as He promised the Jewish people! And from the Kingdom Age we moved to the Eternal State where God creates a new Heavens and a new Earth with a new Jerusalem where He will rule and reign for eternity. It is at this point the curse is removed. Now as we move into Isaiah chapter 61 tonight we are going to see Isaiah speak of both the First and Second Coming of the Messiah, of Jesus. The problem for some and for the prophets who wrote of these things is that in the same passage both the First and Second Coming of Jesus are mentioned and there looks like there is no separation, but there is as we will see. It is like looking at two mountains, one in front of the other and it appears that they are right next to each other. And with the information you have at that time you came to the best conclusion that you could. But as you climb to the top of one of those mountains, you see the truth of the matter. You are able to see that there is a long distance between the two, many miles. In other words, they are not right next to each other. That is what we will see here this evening. And as much as it was difficult for these prophets to see the difference, we now have the New Testament that is like a light that opens up some of the darkness that was hidden in the Old Testament writings. 672 Now in saying that there should be great joy in our lives knowing what God has done and is doing and will do in our lives and in this world. That is the character of the Church; we should be filled with the joy of the Lord. We are told in Luke 2:10-11 as the angel spoke to the Shepherds out in the field, “. ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” That joy is found in the Messiah, in Jesus and thus, as a people, as a Church, we should have great joy because we have Jesus! Martyn Lloyd Jones put it like this in regards to a joyful church, As we face the modern world with all its trouble and turmoil and with all its difficulties and sadness, nothing is more important than that we who call ourselves Christians, and who claim the Name of Christ, should be representing our faith in such a way before others as to give them the impression that here is the solution, here is the answer. In a world where everything has gone so sadly astray, we should be standing out as men and women apart, people characterized by a fundamental joy and certainty in spite of conditions, in spite of adversity. - Martyn Lloyd Jones, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure, p. 23 673 We as believers are not to go around and say, “Don’t worry, be happy!” What we can say is this, “Jesus loves you this I know, because the Bible tells me so! And that sadness, that anxiousness, that depression you have He can turn to joy if you come to Him and receive the forgiveness of sins that is only found in Him!” Peter put it like this in I Peter 1:6-9, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith - the salvation of your souls.” That is what the Lord has for this world, that “joy inexpressible and full of glory” that is only found in Him, He is the gift! So with that as our background, let’s begin reading in Isaiah chapter 61 beginning in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us as we study through His Word! 674 ISAIAH 61 VERSES 1-3 1. First of all we need to understand that this is speaking of the Messiah, it is speaking of Jesus. Now some may want to argue that point but that is foolish because when Jesus began His earthly ministry we are told in Luke 4:14-20, “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’ Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.” Jesus quoted these words from Isaiah! Please understand that the Jews recognized this portion of Isaiah that Jesus was reading through as a Messianic prophecy. What is also interesting is that this is the place where they were reading from that day, not a coincidence. And as Jesus was reading this to them and they were all looking to Him to expound on what He was reading to them, imparting to them some words of wisdom you might say, we are told in Luke 4:21, “And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’” 675 What was the point that Jesus was making? He was telling them that He is the fulfillment of these words spoken by Isaiah, He is the Messiah! He spoke the good news to those who were living in sin with no way out. He came to heal or bind up those who were broken hearted. That is they were broken over their sinful condition, recognizing they could do nothing about their sinful condition. And Jesus is telling them not to worry; He can touch them and heal them. He came to set them free from the captivity of sin they were in. His life set into motion the Year of the Lord or that period of time we know as the Age of Grace which has been going on for some 2,000 years now! It is speaking of the Gospel of Grace and that should bring to us great joy! We have been set free in Christ and the work that Jesus began continues on today, may we share that Good News, the Gospel with others for as Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” The Amplified Bible puts this verse like this, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God’s power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” 2. Now in reading from Luke the words of Jesus as He quoted Isaiah, did you notice anything that was missing from the quote? Jesus left off, “And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn.” Jesus stopped right in the middle of the sentence He was reading, He didn’t complete it. Why would He do that? 676 Keep in mind that when Jesus came the first time He came as a Lamb to take away the sins of the world. Man was condemned in sin with no way out and God did not send Jesus to condemn man but to save Him, the Age of Grace! Remember what Jesus said in John 3:17 says “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” When Jesus came down the Mount of Olives He rode a donkey, and when a King would ride into town on a donkey you would not need to fear, for he was coming in peace and not in vengeance or to conquer.