January 26, 2013

Jesus Brings a Glorious Change!

3rd Sunday after Epiphany, 1/27/13
Isaiah 61:1-6


Jesus Brings a Glorious Change!
I. Healing for his people
II. Restoration for his church


I think you’d agree that one of life’s most frustrating situations is to expend a great deal of time and effort to bring about a change in your life, but things stay the same. Your efforts to make things better are unsuccessful over and over again. And after a while, you wonder, “What’s the use?” It’s draining. It’s depressing. As a Christian you know that the Lord has the power to make the change in life you’re looking for, but he doesn’t seem to help. And now you’re not only physically and mentally exhausted, you’re spiritually drained as well.

It’s at times like these that we forget the change that has already taken place in us. By God’s grace through his almighty power he has already accomplished in you his highest will. He has planted saving faith in your heart. He has rescued you from hell and made an heir of eternal life. In the water with God’s word at your baptism he has broken Satan’s damning claim on you and has placed his name on you—child of God. He has averted an eternity of shame and punishment for you and made you a member of his glorious holy Christian Church. What a change!

Our Lord speaks to us this morning through his prophet Isaiah about all those changes and more. To people who feel frustrated and powerless to make a change, Jesus brings a glorious change. Jesus brings a glorious change! With the eyes of faith let’s examine that glorious change that Jesus has brought to you.

Part I.

It’s one of the hardest sentences to hear. You’ve been worried about a loved one’s health for weeks and have prayed about it fervently every day for what seems like countless times a day. You’re holding onto the hope that he or she will soon get better. But as you look into the face of your loved one’s doctor, you can tell that something is terribly wrong. And then you hear that sentence, the one that you’ve been dreading. He tells you, “I’m sorry but there’s nothing more that we can do.” The reality comes slamming into you and it crushes you.

The first 39 chapters of Isaiah make for some tough reading. In them Isaiah has very little good to say. He has been sent by God to tell the Jews living about 700 BC that their time of grace is almost over. The holy God has had enough of their stubborn rebellion. And so he has determined that judgment is coming. An enemy nation will destroy their cities and their crops. The land will be wasted. The casualties will mount. Those lucky enough to survive will see terrible atrocities and then be exiled.

But after all that, the Lord doesn’t say, “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing more I can do.” Beginning with Isaiah 40 the news changes. It begins with words that are familiar to many of us, “Comfort, comfort my people” (Is. 40:1). The Lord will not only bring his judgment and pain; he will also bring a glorious change. Listen to his promise, “The LORD has anointed me to preach 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, 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 gladness 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.”

Did you catch the changes that he would bring? He had good news to preach to the poor, that is, people who are grieved over their sins and look to the mercy of God for forgiveness. In one statement after another Isaiah depicts the various facets of that good news. Let’s take a brief look at each one.

First he promises to heal us, to bind up the brokenhearted. It’s sin that ruins relationships, most serious of all—our relationship with the holy God. To hearts that feel sin’s hurt, Jesus, God’s Anointed One, brings the healing of his full and free forgiveness.

And in that forgiveness comes the freedom we desperately need. Left to ourselves, we’d be enslaved to Satan eternally. But Jesus freed us from sin and Satan by his death on the cross.

A slightly different way of looking at this freedom is as a release for captives. It’s a glorious day that’s long been waited for when one of our fellow citizens who is being held captive gets released. Jesus has released us all from bondage to Satan.

As people who have been freed and released, we’re now in a position to enjoy the year of the Lord’s favor. That phrase is a reference to our time of grace. You and I have a lifetime to enjoy the blessings that Jesus won for us and that God brings to us by faith in Jesus. That year of the Lord’s favor is right now.

Because of God’s unmerited favor towards us, he now has turned our mourning into gladness. When we realize what our gracious God has done for us and what he has in store for us, our hearts are filled with joy. Isaiah likens it to the joy of a wedding couple dressed in their finest.

As possessors of God’s amazing spiritual gifts, we now have the spiritual stability to endure until the Lord calls us home. Isaiah refers to us as “oaks of righteousness.” We’re God’s saints, able to withstand even Satan’s attacks with the power of our God.

All these blessings belong to us because of what Jesus has done for us. He brings a glorious change—healing for his people.

Do you feel broken? I’m sure more than a couple of you are saying, “Pastor, if you only knew.” Without thinking very hard you can rattle off a string of things that are broken in your life: relationships, futures, finances, career aspirations, retirement plans, health. And then there’s the nagging guilt that reminds us how often we’re the ones who are responsible for the damage. At times even our best efforts to do what’s right are marred by sin. We’ve made a mess of things. The carnage surrounds us. To just such people the Lord’s Anointed One, your Savior, Jesus Christ, proclaims good news. That good news centers in what he came to do for us—to live a life without the stain of a single sin and then to offer his perfect life for our forgiveness and eternal life. What healing Jesus brings to broken lives! What a glorious change!

Part II.

Have you seen recent video of the devastation in Syria? And it’s what Syrians and doing to Syrians! Bombed out buildings. Homes and stores and schools reduced to rubble. It’s shocking. Devastating.

Isaiah’s words reminded me of those scenes. He speaks about devastation and ruined cities. That’s what would soon come to Jerusalem. The city and its glorious Temple would be destroyed and would lie in ruins for 70 years.

But then would come restoration. He writes, “They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.” Yes, the Lord would enable them to rebuild. Out of the rubble the nation of God’s people would arise again.

But the Lord has something far more glorious in mind with these words. He’s speaking about his Church. Out of the devastation of his people who had forsaken him, he would raise up a people to serve him in joy and thanks. Listen to him describe it, “Aliens 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.” In Old Testament times, non-Jews were forbidden from entering the Temple. In New Testament times, non-Jews would not only be welcomed into God’s family of believers, they would serve as shepherds of God’s people. How glorious!

In Old Testament times, you had to be from the tribe of Levi to serve as priests. In New Testament times, all of God’s people would serve as his priests. In one of his letters, the Apostle Peter calls each believer a member of the royal priesthood. How glorious!

And perhaps most astonishing of all, God would use the offerings of his people from every nation to support his kingdom work. Isaiah states that very thing, “You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.” With thanks and joy we bring our offerings to the Lord and praise God when those offerings are used to extend his saving kingdom. And it’s all due to what Jesus has done for us. Jesus brings a glorious change—restoration for his Church.

In Isaiah’s day there was little left of the Church. God’s faithful people were few and far between. Things weren’t much better when Jesus came to this earth. Most of his own people rejected him. But in spite of the dire situation, Jesus established his kingdom when he suffered, died and rose again. Then he poured out his Holy Spirit and soul-by-soul the Church grew in numbers. Since then billions of souls have been added to the Church. A glorious change indeed! When we bemoan the state of the Church on earth, we need to recall that it will never perish. Not even Satan can destroy it. And by God’s grace through faith in Jesus you are members of it. By faith in Jesus’ holy life and innocent death on the cross may you be renewed and restored each day, and in so doing, enjoy the glorious change that Jesus brings to your life. Amen.