Jesus the Messiah

 

In Luke 4 Jesus preaches His first sermon at the synagogue in Nazareth. He quotes from Isaiah 61. Jesus does not quote all of it, but uses it to communicate the truth of who He is. I want to look at the passage in Isaiah to see what Jesus as our Savior and Lord will do.

 

Isaiah 61:1-3

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 captive, 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.

 

The authority of the Father given to Jesus by the Holy Spirit establishes these things that Jesus will do as Savior and Lord.

 

He will bring good news to the poor.

 

This is good news to the physically poor, the emotionally poor, and the spiritually poor.

 

The good news for the physically and emotionally poor:

 

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.   

 

The good news for the spiritually poor:

 

Matthew 5:3

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.

 

The good news that Jesus shares is that He brings:

Welfare

Future

Hope

The Kingdom of God

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing the welfare and future and hope of God that leads us to be part of the Kingdom of God.

 

He will bind up the brokenhearted.

 

Jesus saw the hurt of the widow of Nain and returned her son to her.

Jesus saw the hunger of the crowd and fed them.

Jesus saw the fear in the eyes of the disciples and stilled the storm.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is Jesus healing our hurts and fears.

 

Jesus will proclaim liberty to the captives.

 

Jesus will liberate the physically captive as He did Joseph and Peter.

Jesus will liberate the emotionally captive as He did Thomas and Mary Magdala.

Jesus will liberate the spiritually captive as He did Paul and Legion.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living in freedom because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

 

Jesus will open the prison of those who are bound.

 

Jesus releases those who are bound by sin and the guilt of sin. When we agree with God about our sin and are willing to turn away from it, then God will forgive and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

 

Raise the Roof an Remove the Walls is experiencing deliverance from sin and sin’s penalty and receiving power through Jesus’ grace.

 

Jesus will proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

 

Jesus came to proclaim and dispense God’s grace to His human creation.

 

Acts 20:24

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

 

Paul knew that our purpose is to do as Jesus did: proclaim God’s grace.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing God’s grace and then proclaiming God’s grace.

 

Jesus will also proclaim the day of God’s vengeance.

 

Jesus proclaims the year of grace but if that is rejected, then there will be a day of God’s punishment.    

 

In John 3:17 Jesus said He came to save the world, not judge it. There will be a day of judgment but, until then, God’s grace will reign.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living out the truth that grace rejected will lead to judgment.

 

Jesus will comfort all who mourn.

 

Matthew 5:4

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing God as the God of all comfort.

 

Then Isaiah says that Jesus will give us:

The crown of beauty not a head full of ashes

The oil of gladness not mourning

The garment of praise not a faint spirit

 

Jesus will enable us to be called oaks of righteousness or people who are strong because of God’s righteousness.

 

Jesus will enable us to be a planting of the Lord or people who are growing in the knowledge and wisdom of the Lord.

 

This will enable our lives to be a praise to God.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being who God enables us to be and says that we are.

 

Jesus provides all that we need to be who God created and recreated us to be so that our lives give Him great praise.

 

In the Reality of Jesus Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                 Joe