Pastor Tim Patoka
Third Sunday in Advent December 13, 2020 The Anointed Promises Us Freedom and Joy Isaiah 61:1-3, 10-11 1) His Good News Frees Us From Our Sins 2) His Righteousness Brings Joy to Our Souls
Everybody likes to hear good news. It’s that time of year when we get it in the mail with all the Christmas cards and family updates we get to learn about those we haven’t stayed in touch with as we wanted to. As we continue in our 9th month of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s good news to hear about the emergency usage of vaccines that are starting up with the promise of millions more in the works. No matter what time of year it is or what is happening in the world around us, it remains good news to hear when God blesses a mother and father with a son or daughter. We generally like to hear good news no matter what is going on. And today’s verses from Isaiah chapter 61 tell us the best news of all, about the promises of freedom and joy that the Anointed gives to us. Although these words were written thousands of years ago, they continue to lift our spirits today as we continue in our Advent preparations for the promises that God will come through on. And today, our focus is on the Anointed who promises us freedom and joy. He does this with his good news of forgiveness which frees us from our sins. And, wearing the robe of righteousness that he gives us, we have joy down to our very souls. 1) His Good News Frees Us From Our Sins The prophet Isaiah tells us what one individual in particular is going to do, and it’s all about the Anointed. This is the literal translation of the Hebrew word Messiah and the Greek word Christ which mean the same thing – the Anointed. The action of anointing takes us back to the Old Testament practice where an individual was appointed for a special task. And this public appointing typically happened by pouring fragrant oil over a person’s head and therefore anointing them. And this Anointed person was to do something great! As Isaiah tells us, “the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the afflicted.” (Isaiah 61:1 EHV) While there are a lot of things that could be considered good news, it’s clear from the surrounding context in Isaiah’s book that this good news and its effects are of a spiritual nature, not of a mere physical nature. To make it clear who this Anointed person is, we listen to Jesus himself in Luke chapter 4. After reading some of these very verses in the synagogue at Nazareth, he told the people there, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21 EHV) He identified himself as the Anointed person that Isaiah spoke about. And the good news Jesus shares with us is none other than the forgiveness of sins and all that comes from it. 1
Pastor Tim Patoka
Third Sunday in Advent December 13, 2020
There is no better news for us to hear than the good news of forgiveness which frees us from our sins. From this single blessing, we have every other spiritual blessing from our Lord and all its wonderful effects in our lives. We heard Isaiah speak about some of them. Forgiveness binds up hearts that have broken by hurt and disappointment. Forgiveness proclaims freedom for everyone held captive by sin and release for those who are bound to their sinful will. Forgiveness gives us confidence to face the day of the Lord’s vengeance and anticipation for the year of the Lord’s favor. Forgiveness comforts those who mourn with the promise of heaven where better times and a blessed reunion with loved ones will be had. Freedom from our sins is the good news that the Anointed shares with us. But is that the good news we want to hear right now? So many of our plans have been cancelled or altered this year. So many of us would instead like to hear the good news that we are free to do whatever we want these coming weeks without concern for a global pandemic. Or perhaps we undervalue the Anointed’s good news because we don’t see how forgiveness helps us right now. How does forgiveness help a heart that’s been broken by hateful words, regretful actions, or misspent years? How does forgiveness liberate those who have been bound by the assumptions of others or held captive by the diseases of their mind? How does forgiveness comfort those whose spirits are faint from continued mourning? Sadly, the case can be that we don’t plain don’t like the Anointed’s good news of freedom from our sins. We’d rather hear something else that, at least in our minds, seems better and more timely for what is going on in the here and now. While we may think otherwise, there is no better news at this or any other time than the freedom from sin we have through God’s forgiveness. First of all, God’s forgiveness isn’t going anywhere. Unlike God’s solutions, our solutions for problems will never last. You fix the car knowing it will break down again. You encourage your friend knowing you’ll need it too someday. But God’s forgiveness? That won’t go away because it’s already been accomplished by Jesus at the cross. Nor will it ever fail to deliver because it will always wipe sins away. And that’s a great reminder in these ever-changing times. Freedom from sin through God’s forgiveness is also the best kind of news out there because it pervades into so much more of our daily lives. For the heart that’s been broken into pieces and still is raw, forgiveness assures us that God’s healing love is still there and will bind it back together. For the person who is held captive by whatever it may be, forgiveness freely declares us to be children of God through faith in his Son no matter what others may say. For those who eyes are red and spirits are worn out by continued mourning, forgiveness assures us there is much more to life than what’s before us. There’s also the eternity to come in our heavenly home. No other piece of good news can promise us so much and be relied upon than the good news of God’s promise of forgiveness which frees us from our sins.
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Pastor Tim Patoka
Third Sunday in Advent December 13, 2020 2) His Righteousness Brings Joy to Our Souls
And this good news does even more by bringing joy to our very souls. One of the things I appreciate about Isaiah’s words for this morning are the illustrations he provides us with. In addition to being called mighty oaks of righteousness that stand firm despite the sinful winds that whip through us, we also have clothing and gardening. Concerning the good news of forgiveness, Isaiah says, “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord. My soul will celebrate because of my God, for he has clothed me in garments of salvation. With a robe of righteousness he covered me.” (Isaiah 61:10 EHV) This robe that Isaiah mentions is something that only the rich, the royalty, or the nobles would wear. Besides being luxurious, you also wore it over all your clothes so that it completely covered you up like a good winter jacket. That’s how God’s righteousness covers us. It is of the highest quality since it is weaved from our Lord’s own death and resurrection. It also completely covers us up so that the only thing our God sees when he looks down on us is his righteousness instead of our sinful selves. But this righteousness does more than what cover us. It also brings joy down to our very soul, to the essence of our being. Isaiah compares this joy with another illustration, the joy that a bride and groom have from wearing their wedding regalia. In Isaiah’s day, one of the special pieces of clothing that the groom would wear was a magnificent headdress made out of fine, white linen. This headdress would be similar to the turbans that the Old Testament priests would wear. In our day and age, grooms often wear a different kind of special clothing – something like a tuxedo or a 3-piece suit. What hasn’t changed throughout the years is what the bride typically wears – fine jewelry that adorns her entire ensemble. This special regalia is just part of the many things that show the joy a bride and groom have on their wedding day. The point of comparison with this illustration is the treasured nature of God’s righteousness. When the big day is over, the bride and groom don’t just throw their wedding regalia away. No, they hold on to them and bring them back out for only special occasions to preserve their treasured nature. In the same way, our robe of God’s righteousness is a treasured item. It is priceless and brings us joy down to our very soul. For it tells us that we are God’s children! We are blessed by him in so many ways! We have everything we could hope for, even if we have nothing before us! However, we don’t just wear this robe of righteousness once in a while. No, we get to wear it each and every day that we call ourselves children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And whenever we remember this righteousness we have, we continue to have this joy deep within our souls. And it’s a joy that will make itself known before all nations. Isaiah gives us another illustration about this which involves gardening. He writes, “For as the earth produces its growth, and as a garden causes what has been sown to sprout up, so God the Lord will cause 3
Pastor Tim Patoka
Third Sunday in Advent December 13, 2020
righteousness and praise to sprout up in the presence of all the nations.” (Isaiah 61:11 EHV) As any experienced gardener can tell you, if you have good soil that has seed properly sown in it, you will have plants to show for it. While it may just look like a patch of dirt at first, it won’t be long until it is covered with whatever was sown in it. In the same way, God causes the joy that is sown in our souls to sprout before all nations with acts of righteousness and praise. Maybe you’ll see yourself doing this with telling others the Anointed’s good news or supporting those who do. Maybe it’ll be with treasuring your freedom from sin as the best news of all, even in our current times. Maybe it’ll be with centering your life’s thoughts, words, and actions around the truth that you are first and foremost a forgiven child of God who wears a garment of salvation, a robe of his righteousness. No matter how it is you show this joy that is sown deep in your soul, don’t be afraid to let it sprout before others. Not only is it never wrong to rejoice in what God has promised you, you’ll also be letting your light shine so that others may ask you about the freedom and joy you have just as the Anointed promised you. We all like to hear good news. And there’s no news better than our God’s which promises us freedom and joy. As Jesus told those worshiping in Nazareth, he is the Anointed who has come to preach the good news of forgiveness to all those afflicted by sin so they may be free from it. While it may seem that such forgiveness misses the mark of what we actually need right now, it’s the best thing we can hear because of its spiritual nature and pervasive effects. This forgiveness also brings joy down to our very souls as illustrated with clothing and a bride’s and groom’s wedding regalia. And, as a patch of good soil with seed sown in it, so God will cause this joy to sprout before all nations with our acts of righteousness and praise as we continue to revel in the Anointed’s promises of freedom and joy to us. Amen.
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