Scripture:
Isaiah 61:1-4 NKJV
[1] “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; [2] To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, [3] To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” [4] And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.
Observation:
You might recognize the first verse that was chosen this morning. In fact, if you come from a church that holds tightly to the New Testament and says the Old Testament has no relevance to the New Covenant, this first verse shoots that theology full of holes. The truth is, Jesus Christ spent almost as much time quoting the Old Testament and bringing our attention to the things that the prophets said as HE did healing the brokenhearted, as spoken about in the scripture that has been chosen for us this morning. As this scripture continues, we see the amazing spiritual gift of prophecy at work. Isaiah, who was chosen by The LORD HIMSELF, was not only speaking to the time at hand but forward to a time to come as well. If we have been studying the bible for any length of time, the very first verse is one that Jesus quotes in the synagogue in front of the religious leaders, which left them somewhat flabbergasted. This situation takes place in Luke chapter 4, verses 17 through 19. Just in case you want to read on and study yourself. So Isaiah was not only speaking of the time at hand, but he was speaking of Christ HIMSELF as well. You see GOD’S chosen people have just returned to their homeland to find it in ruins buildings burned to the ground, gates and fortified walls in piles of rubbish, homes destroyed, hopes and dreams shattered. The land of milk and honey had been invaded and destroyed. What a horrific moment of realization that must have been. Maybe you can picture it, or maybe you can relate. I know I can. Isaiah’s choice of words was meant to encourage those who were standing there. He was directed by the LORD to tell them this is not the end. Yes, right now, what you see is nothing but ashes and bricks, but you will see beauty rise from this pile of rubble. I love the way its put, Isaiah makes sure that those listening understand its not him talking, but that he has been distracted by GOD HIMSELF to say, “The spirit of the LORD GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; HE has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the vengeance of our GOD; To comfort all who mourn. What a liberating statement. What I hear is hope, redemption, freedom, and so much more. GOD’S chosen people no longer bound by the lies of the enemy, set free from the prisons they had been banished to. The LORD would have HIS vengeance on the enemy. All the lies broken the things that held them destroyed, much like the city they had returned to. But he wasn’t done. Verse 3 continues the statement. Not only is HE going to comfort those who mourn but HE is going to console them as well. Lifting them up. Telling them,” Yes, this happened, but it’s not the end. I will bring beauty from these ashes, and joy from this moment, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. I can’t help but feel a fire rising up in me right now. I can’t feel the Holy Spirit. HE just wants to speak. “That they may be called trees of righteousness,” boy, it’s starting to boil, “The planting of the LORD, that HE may be glorified. We have just now barely reached the end of verse 3, where GOD is glorified, and the rebuilding takes place. But I want us to notice a valuable statement as verse 4 starts. ” And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up from former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.” This situation took generations to have its full effect and it may take generations for it to be repaired, but it all starts today.
Application:
I can’t honestly tell you when it all started, because I honestly feel like it was well before I was born. But what I can tell you is it ends right here. The conditioning that took place when I was a child will no longer affect future generations of my family. HE has set this captive free, and I come to bring a message of hope. I remember burning my life to the ground. In fact, I did it more than once. You might say I’m a hard learner, and honestly you would be right. But GOD has taken what I have left in ashes and made something beautiful out of it. HE has placed a fire in me that has a huge desire to kick down the gates of hell and tell others they do not have to live that way. I believe it’s a calling that HE has placed on me. I’m reminded every Sunday of a life that I used to embrace. A life of ashes and rubble. It’s a life that, at the time, I continued to feed because I didn’t know any better. I was conditioned to believe that it was to be my end, but GOD had a different plan. HE brought me to a place where I could stand there and take a good look at what I had done, and when HE started speaking, HE said, “You see this pile of ashes, you see what the enemy has convinced you is to be yours. I have something for you that you could never imagine. I’m going to bring beauty from the destruction that has been left behind. I remember the days of riding around Shawnee Oklahoma on a motorized bike I had manipulated my mom out of buying. Telling her it was the only way I was going to be able to get a job. Choosing to live homeless, because it was easier than having responsibilities. Yes, I’m talking about a life that had been burned to rubble. But I think about that, and where HE has placed me today, and I see the beauty that has come from those ashes. HE saved me. HE picked me up, dusted me off, helped me rebuild my life, and put me in a place to speak life into those who are in the same place HE brought me out of. That’s the beauty in God’s plan. No pain is wasted. If HE brought you to it, HE will bring you through it, and then use it to set others free. It’s the seed planting cycle. Unless that life of idolatry and rebellion is burned to the ground GOD can not rebuild beauty for ashes. It’s only when a seed dies and is planted that fruit can be produced. My hope today is that those who are like I was can see that the fire that GOD brings is not meant to burn up their lives. Just the idols in it so that HE can build a life of righteousness from the ashes left behind. When we speak to those in Shawnee at the Rescue Mission, our hope is that they see our lives were in the same place there’s are, and that submission and surrender have brought absolute miracles out of what we had burned to the ground. Giving them hope that one right decision could do the very same thing. Our hope is HIS glory. We know HE has already given them victory if they would only receive it. I’m asking you to join me in prayer for this ministry. GOD is chasing after the least of these.
Prayer:
Father, we know that you can bring beauty from ashes. We know it because you have done so in our lives. We don’t have to tell you that we are not the same, because it can be clearly seen. We pray Father, “Here we are, anoint us and send us give us the words to say that would bring your people to you. Touch our lips with that hot coal. Break the chains off of those who are still held captive. Knock the walls down around their hearts that they would be open and receptive to what your Holy Spirit leads us to say. This is about you and what you want to do. Your desire is that not one would perish but that all would come to repentance. We are willing vessels. Bring fruit from the broken pieces of our lives. You are the artist we are your canvas. We know you are painting a mosaic. A beautiful picture out of broken pieces. It’s all yours. Bring about what you would have. Set the captives free. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen.