The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord

If someone were to tell you that God was about to speak, what is it that you would anticipate God might say? What would that anticipation be like? Something you would look forward to, or something you would shy away from? When God speaks, what does God say?

Interestingly enough, this passage from Isaiah is the one that Jesus chose to read in that synagogue in Nazareth on the day He announced the beginning of His ministry. There is something about this passage that lies at the heart of what Jesus, of what the Spirit of the Sovereign, wants us to hear. (Take a few moments to notice the parts Jesus quoted and where Jesus placed the emphasis in Luke 4:18-19).

Take a few moments to read the passage, reflect on the message, listen to where Jesus placed the emphasis. Notice what it says about what God is about. What does it say about the tone that characterizes the life of those God invites us to live? To what extent can we identify with, or to what extent do our lives embody, the tone of this passage. In a culture where forces are continually at work to stir up anger and fear as a motivating force, Jesus offers a refreshing, healthy alternative. It is there for the taking and embracing. Oddly enough, far too many simply walk away and leave the offer unaccepted.

This is what Pastor Jon invites us to consider. If you would like to listen to the sermon once again, or perhaps for the first time, you can access our sermon library here, or if you prefer, you can access the live stream version of the entire service here.

Isaiah 61:1-2

NIV

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord

for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins

and restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities

that have been devastated for generations.

Strangers will shepherd your flocks;

foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

And you will be called priests of the Lord,

you will be named ministers of our God.

You will feed on the wealth of nations,

and in their riches you will boast.

Instead of your shame

you will receive a double portion,

and instead of disgrace

you will rejoice in your inheritance.

And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,

and everlasting joy will be yours.

“For I, the Lord, love justice;

I hate robbery and wrongdoing.

In my faithfulness I will reward my people

and make an everlasting covenant with them.

Their descendants will be known among the nations

and their offspring among the peoples.

All who see them will acknowledge

that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

I delight greatly in the Lord;

my soul rejoices in my God.

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation

and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,

as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the soil makes the sprout come up

and a garden causes seeds to grow,

so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness

and praise spring up before all nations.

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