WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.120 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.560 --> 00:00:09.540 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, 00:00:09.900 --> 00:00:15.439 redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:22.660 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:36.880 Good morning. My name is Stephanie DeGraff, and I'm part of the North Berkeley Thursday Night Community Group. 00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:44.719 Today's scripture reading is from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 61, verses 1 through 11. 00:00:46.340 --> 00:00:48.620 A reading from the prophet Isaiah. 00:00:50.700 --> 00:00:58.439 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. 00:00:58.439 --> 00:01:05.519 He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, 00:01:05.939 --> 00:01:08.599 and release from darkness for the prisoners, 00:01:09.400 --> 00:01:15.719 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:21.840 to comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve in Zion, 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:26.759 to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:30.140 the oil of joy instead of mourning, 00:01:30.140 --> 00:01:34.980 and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. 00:01:36.540 --> 00:01:39.219 They will be called oaks of righteousness, 00:01:40.020 --> 00:01:43.240 a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. 00:01:44.500 --> 00:01:49.840 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated. 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:55.340 They will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. 00:01:57.299 --> 00:01:59.260 Strangers will shepherd your flocks. 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:02.760 Foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. 00:02:03.880 --> 00:02:06.340 And you will be called priests of the Lord. 00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:09.360 You will be named ministers of our God. 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:12.219 You will feed on the wealth of nations, 00:02:12.659 --> 00:02:14.539 and in their riches you will boast. 00:02:14.539 --> 00:02:19.400 Instead of your shame, you will receive a double portion. 00:02:20.340 --> 00:02:24.060 And instead of disgrace, you will rejoice in your inheritance. 00:02:25.259 --> 00:02:28.919 And so you will inherit a double portion in your land. 00:02:29.659 --> 00:02:32.000 And everlasting joy will be yours. 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:36.439 For I, the Lord, love justice. 00:02:37.379 --> 00:02:39.180 I hate robbery and wrongdoing. 00:02:40.219 --> 00:02:43.620 In my faithfulness, I will reward my people 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:46.379 and make an everlasting covenant with them. 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:49.960 Their descendants will be known among the nations 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:52.460 and their offspring among the peoples. 00:02:53.560 --> 00:02:58.180 All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed. 00:02:58.180 --> 00:03:02.300 I delight greatly in the Lord. 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:04.700 My soul rejoices in my God. 00:03:05.480 --> 00:03:07.980 For he has clothed me with garments of salvation 00:03:07.980 --> 00:03:10.680 and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness. 00:03:11.400 --> 00:03:14.159 As a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest 00:03:14.159 --> 00:03:17.200 and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:21.000 For as the soil makes the sprout come up 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:23.540 and a garden causes seeds to grow, 00:03:23.539 --> 00:03:27.319 so the sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise 00:03:27.319 --> 00:03:29.519 spring up before all nations. 00:03:30.759 --> 00:03:33.120 The grass withers and the flowers fade, 00:03:33.659 --> 00:03:36.180 but the word of our God stands for her. 00:03:42.180 --> 00:03:43.239 Can you get out of here? 00:03:53.539 --> 00:04:02.899 Well, I wonder how many of us know the first song 00:04:02.899 --> 00:04:06.719 that was broadcast from outer space. 00:04:07.479 --> 00:04:10.259 First song that was broadcast from outer space 00:04:10.259 --> 00:04:13.479 was a song called One Horse Open Sleigh, 00:04:14.219 --> 00:04:18.719 which is a song that we call today Jingle Bells. 00:04:18.980 --> 00:04:19.899 Jingle Bells. 00:04:20.120 --> 00:04:22.860 Jingle Bells was written by James Pierpont, 00:04:22.860 --> 00:04:27.360 whose nephew was John Pierpont Morgan, J.P. Morgan. 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:29.740 And I don't know why, 00:04:29.840 --> 00:04:32.180 but that song was first performed in a church 00:04:32.180 --> 00:04:35.879 on a Thanksgiving service in Boston in 1857, 00:04:36.180 --> 00:04:40.259 and it was never intended as a Christmas song. 00:04:41.540 --> 00:04:44.879 I think I just saw a few minds just explode right there. 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:48.199 And while I'm shattering some of your Christmas paradigms, 00:04:49.220 --> 00:04:51.360 do you know the most popular Christmas carol? 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:53.379 It's Silent Night. 00:04:53.580 --> 00:04:55.600 The second most popular Christmas carol is, 00:04:56.340 --> 00:04:58.600 we sang it this morning, Joy to the World. 00:04:59.340 --> 00:05:01.939 But this was also not written as a Christmas song. 00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:04.259 If you notice in the lyrics, 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:05.620 there's no mention of Christmas, 00:05:05.840 --> 00:05:07.840 there's nothing about the birth of Christ. 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:10.720 It was written as a reflection on Psalm 98, 00:05:10.960 --> 00:05:12.199 and at some point somebody said, 00:05:12.699 --> 00:05:14.319 we should sing this at Christmastime. 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:17.279 And what's the focus of this joyful song? 00:05:17.459 --> 00:05:19.659 The focus is actually about judgment. 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:27.980 The focus of this joyful song is about the Lord coming to judge the world in righteousness. 00:05:28.139 --> 00:05:30.360 And we might say, well, that's strange for a Christmas song, 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:31.839 but actually it's perfect. 00:05:31.839 --> 00:05:33.299 If you just think about the lyrics, 00:05:34.019 --> 00:05:36.560 no more let sins or sorrows grow, 00:05:36.699 --> 00:05:38.299 nor thorns infest the ground. 00:05:38.919 --> 00:05:40.839 He comes to make his blessings known, 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:42.319 far as the curse is found, 00:05:43.119 --> 00:05:44.579 far as the curse is found, 00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:47.539 far as the curse is found. 00:05:47.540 --> 00:05:53.120 The message of that song is that when God's King is ruling over us as Savior, 00:05:53.960 --> 00:05:58.660 even the land itself, the environment will be restored. 00:05:58.819 --> 00:05:59.700 It will be productive. 00:05:59.980 --> 00:06:07.800 And people in society will live together in grace and peace without sin and without sorrows 00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:09.680 because the Messiah is going to come, 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:13.879 and he's going to reverse all the effects of our fallen condition 00:06:13.879 --> 00:06:16.140 as far as the curse is found. 00:06:16.139 --> 00:06:21.620 And I bring up this non-Christmas Christmas carol this morning 00:06:21.620 --> 00:06:24.979 because it has this great theme of reversal, 00:06:25.500 --> 00:06:30.639 this great theme of exchange and substitution and total transformation 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:33.759 of sins being exchanged for righteousness 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:40.620 and thorns for roses and sorrows for joys and curses for blessings. 00:06:41.479 --> 00:06:46.120 And we see that not only in the poetry of songs like Joy to the World, 00:06:46.120 --> 00:06:49.340 but we also see it in the poetry of the prophet Isaiah, 00:06:49.639 --> 00:06:51.040 and that's what we're looking at today. 00:06:51.139 --> 00:06:54.699 If you want to take the Pew Bible in front of you and open it up, 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:58.420 I encourage you to open it to page 607. 00:06:59.399 --> 00:07:02.360 These worship handouts we give you are great, 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:04.399 but they're limited in space, 00:07:04.459 --> 00:07:08.259 and so we have to turn poetry into prose to fit it all on there, 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:10.120 but that's not how it's meant to be read. 00:07:10.120 --> 00:07:15.000 So much of the Bible is poetic prophecy and prophetic poetry, 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:17.879 and I want to teach you how to read it as such today. 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:22.319 We know that this book of the Bible, the prophet Isaiah, 00:07:22.879 --> 00:07:25.139 is one of Jesus' favorite books in the Bible. 00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:28.300 He quotes it along with Deuteronomy and Psalms more than any other book. 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:30.959 We know that this text, Isaiah 61, 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:33.860 is one of his favorite texts in all the Bible. 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:36.300 In his first sermon in the synagogue of Nazareth, 00:07:36.300 --> 00:07:39.900 he preached on this very, Jesus preached on this very passage. 00:07:40.780 --> 00:07:42.759 And so the question today is, what does it mean, 00:07:43.660 --> 00:07:46.020 and what does it mean for us at the end of 2022? 00:07:47.139 --> 00:07:49.340 And what I want to say about this text is that 00:07:49.340 --> 00:07:52.480 Christ comes to reverse our curse, 00:07:53.080 --> 00:07:56.680 give us grace, and make us priests. 00:07:57.800 --> 00:08:00.400 Christ comes to reverse our curse, 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:04.259 give us grace, and make us priests. 00:08:04.259 --> 00:08:08.339 And first of all, Christ comes to reverse our curse. 00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:09.879 Let me just read verse 1 again. 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:11.740 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, 00:08:12.420 --> 00:08:15.500 because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. 00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:18.219 He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, 00:08:18.339 --> 00:08:20.019 to proclaim freedom for the captives, 00:08:20.379 --> 00:08:22.459 and release from darkness for the prisoners, 00:08:22.579 --> 00:08:25.300 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. 00:08:26.279 --> 00:08:28.539 That word, anointed, he has anointed me. 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:31.039 In Hebrew is Mashiach, or Messiah, 00:08:31.599 --> 00:08:33.899 and in Greek is Christos, or Christ. 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:36.919 And how is this one anointed? 00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:39.840 He's anointed with the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, 00:08:40.340 --> 00:08:44.000 that same Spirit of power that ordered the chaos of creation, 00:08:44.120 --> 00:08:46.759 that same Spirit that divided the Red Sea 00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:49.019 to lead God's people into freedom. 00:08:49.720 --> 00:08:52.139 And who is it that's doing the anointing here? 00:08:52.259 --> 00:08:53.000 It's the Lord. 00:08:53.120 --> 00:08:53.740 It's Yahweh. 00:08:54.620 --> 00:08:57.500 And we learned a few weeks back that that name of God 00:08:57.500 --> 00:08:59.559 means the self-existent one. 00:08:59.559 --> 00:09:03.919 I am who I am, the living God who comes down 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:06.719 to redeem his people from their bondage. 00:09:07.359 --> 00:09:10.319 And we're told that this Lord, he's the Sovereign Lord, 00:09:10.419 --> 00:09:13.599 meaning he rules and he reigns supreme 00:09:13.599 --> 00:09:16.479 above all authorities and powers. 00:09:16.619 --> 00:09:19.399 This Lord is the one to whom all peoples, 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:23.059 all presidents, all potentates must bow 00:09:23.059 --> 00:09:25.819 before his eternal transcendent kingdom 00:09:25.820 --> 00:09:27.600 and power and glory. 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:31.040 And this Lord is anointing this king 00:09:31.040 --> 00:09:36.560 with chaos-ordering, life-giving power in the Holy Spirit 00:09:36.560 --> 00:09:39.840 to work on the Sovereign Lord's behalf 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:43.360 so that this one who's anointed comes 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:45.420 as the Sovereign Lord's ambassador, 00:09:45.680 --> 00:09:47.440 as his representative. 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:51.480 And what are the tasks that this anointed one 00:09:51.480 --> 00:09:53.020 has been given to do? 00:09:53.680 --> 00:09:55.920 Well, we're told three times that he's been sent 00:09:55.920 --> 00:09:59.140 to proclaim, to proclaim the good news, 00:09:59.240 --> 00:10:01.340 to proclaim freedom for the captives, 00:10:01.420 --> 00:10:03.900 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:07.680 So the first and highest priority and task 00:10:07.680 --> 00:10:10.320 of this anointed one is to come proclaiming 00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:11.560 and to come preaching. 00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:15.959 He comes with this spirit-empowered word 00:10:15.959 --> 00:10:18.019 of the Sovereign Lord 00:10:18.019 --> 00:10:21.659 so that whatever this anointed king speaks 00:10:21.659 --> 00:10:24.159 is accomplished and whatever he says 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:25.779 is what happens. 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:28.779 And what is it that he's proclaiming 00:10:28.779 --> 00:10:30.739 and that he's come preaching? 00:10:31.699 --> 00:10:33.959 Well, what's interesting is he doesn't come 00:10:33.959 --> 00:10:37.479 proclaiming good ideas or good advice, 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:40.419 but he comes proclaiming good news, right? 00:10:40.419 --> 00:10:42.939 He doesn't come proclaiming good ideas 00:10:42.939 --> 00:10:44.979 like the philosophers of the West, right? 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:47.019 He doesn't come proclaiming good advice 00:10:47.019 --> 00:10:48.860 like the mystics of the East. 00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:52.479 He comes proclaiming breaking good news 00:10:52.479 --> 00:10:54.879 about historical events. 00:10:55.819 --> 00:10:57.639 And who is this news for? 00:10:57.860 --> 00:10:59.240 Well, this is what's amazing 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:01.179 is that he's come with news 00:11:01.179 --> 00:11:03.659 not for heads of state. 00:11:04.740 --> 00:11:07.459 He's come with news not for the captains of business. 00:11:07.620 --> 00:11:09.459 He's come with news not for the experts 00:11:09.460 --> 00:11:10.840 in the arts and the sciences. 00:11:11.259 --> 00:11:12.700 Who is he come with news for? 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:15.580 He's come with news for the poor. 00:11:16.620 --> 00:11:18.580 He's come with news for the poor. 00:11:19.340 --> 00:11:21.259 But of course, we know that poverty 00:11:21.259 --> 00:11:23.600 is more than, 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:28.639 it's more profound than material want, right? 00:11:28.680 --> 00:11:29.580 In Hebrew poetry, 00:11:30.300 --> 00:11:32.500 you look at the parallel words 00:11:32.500 --> 00:11:34.080 that come in the next lines 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:37.120 to define the words that have come above. 00:11:37.259 --> 00:11:39.860 And so, when you just look at this text, 00:11:39.980 --> 00:11:40.680 who are the poor? 00:11:41.139 --> 00:11:42.320 Well, they're the brokenhearted. 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:46.259 They're the afflicted who need binding up. 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:49.000 The poor are the captives 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:51.200 and the oppressed who need freeing. 00:11:51.259 --> 00:11:54.200 The poor are the prisoners in darkness 00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:56.639 who need releasing so they can see the light. 00:11:56.780 --> 00:11:59.860 They're blind and they need recovery of their sight. 00:11:59.860 --> 00:12:02.180 And this text is telling us 00:12:02.180 --> 00:12:05.100 that the sovereign Lord and His anointed King, 00:12:05.560 --> 00:12:08.779 He's not ignoring material poverty. 00:12:09.080 --> 00:12:10.740 It's just that material poverty 00:12:10.740 --> 00:12:13.960 is always a signpost to something deeper, 00:12:14.580 --> 00:12:16.120 something more profound. 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:18.220 Material poverty is a signpost 00:12:18.220 --> 00:12:19.940 to spiritual poverty. 00:12:21.019 --> 00:12:22.399 So, who are the poor? 00:12:23.340 --> 00:12:25.659 Well, obviously, they're the socially poor. 00:12:25.659 --> 00:12:27.699 Those of low status, 00:12:27.799 --> 00:12:29.439 whose honor has been diminished 00:12:29.439 --> 00:12:31.839 and whose dignity has been destroyed. 00:12:31.980 --> 00:12:33.120 But more than that, 00:12:33.179 --> 00:12:34.500 and deeper than that, 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:36.959 the poor are those who stand before 00:12:36.959 --> 00:12:40.199 the riches of God's holy love. 00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:43.439 And they realize the poverty 00:12:43.439 --> 00:12:45.019 of their own spirit. 00:12:45.199 --> 00:12:47.659 They realize that they are, in fact, 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:49.579 spiritually bankrupt 00:12:49.579 --> 00:12:52.339 and that they have nothing to bring to God. 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:54.779 They have nothing to offer up to God. 00:12:54.779 --> 00:12:57.419 Well, who then are the brokenhearted? 00:12:57.579 --> 00:12:58.579 Obviously, these are people 00:12:58.579 --> 00:13:00.980 who are grieving the misery of life 00:13:00.980 --> 00:13:01.740 in this world. 00:13:02.259 --> 00:13:03.259 But more than that, 00:13:03.319 --> 00:13:04.279 and deeper than that, 00:13:04.860 --> 00:13:06.519 these are people who are feeling 00:13:06.519 --> 00:13:08.480 the spiritual pain 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:10.819 of their relationship with God 00:13:10.819 --> 00:13:13.579 having been ruined by sin and death. 00:13:14.639 --> 00:13:14.779 Right? 00:13:14.819 --> 00:13:16.439 And because they know themselves 00:13:16.439 --> 00:13:18.059 to be poor in spirit, 00:13:18.299 --> 00:13:19.139 they mourn. 00:13:20.379 --> 00:13:21.639 You see, Jesus loved this text. 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:23.159 Blessed are the poor in spirit 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:24.339 and blessed are those 00:13:24.339 --> 00:13:25.719 who realize they're poor in spirit 00:13:25.719 --> 00:13:26.839 and so they mourn. 00:13:27.159 --> 00:13:27.939 This is the opening 00:13:27.939 --> 00:13:28.959 of his greatest sermon. 00:13:30.620 --> 00:13:32.000 Well, who then are the captives 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:33.740 and the oppressed? 00:13:34.219 --> 00:13:35.980 Well, obviously, in this context, 00:13:36.079 --> 00:13:37.000 these are the Jews 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:39.799 who are suffering 00:13:39.799 --> 00:13:41.299 under the thumb of the Gentiles, 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:42.139 whether they're in Egypt 00:13:42.139 --> 00:13:42.860 or Babylon 00:13:42.860 --> 00:13:43.939 or whichever empire 00:13:43.939 --> 00:13:45.819 happens to reign over them. 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:46.759 But more than that, 00:13:46.819 --> 00:13:47.980 and deeper than that, 00:13:48.819 --> 00:13:50.000 the captives are those 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:52.220 who are spiritually captive 00:13:52.220 --> 00:13:54.879 to their own selfish desires. 00:13:56.059 --> 00:13:58.460 It's people who are imprisoned 00:13:58.460 --> 00:14:01.259 in their own pride and vanity. 00:14:02.279 --> 00:14:04.320 It's those who are trapped 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:06.860 in their own independence from God, 00:14:06.980 --> 00:14:08.480 those who find themselves 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:11.399 stuck as moral slaves 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:13.779 to their own self-sovereignty, 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:16.679 bruised, as it were, 00:14:16.740 --> 00:14:18.759 by the shackles of the self. 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:21.580 And who then in this text 00:14:21.580 --> 00:14:22.259 are the blind? 00:14:23.059 --> 00:14:23.679 Well, obviously, 00:14:23.940 --> 00:14:25.360 it's those who are physically 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:26.320 unable to see, 00:14:27.139 --> 00:14:28.460 those who were considered 00:14:28.460 --> 00:14:30.039 useless to society 00:14:30.039 --> 00:14:31.720 and had to beg at the city gate. 00:14:31.820 --> 00:14:32.600 But more than that 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:33.519 and deeper than that, 00:14:33.820 --> 00:14:35.080 it's those who are suffering 00:14:35.080 --> 00:14:36.879 from spiritual blindness, 00:14:37.820 --> 00:14:39.139 those who are in the dark 00:14:39.139 --> 00:14:40.299 about God, 00:14:40.440 --> 00:14:41.480 those who need to be given 00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:43.740 a new optic nerve 00:14:43.740 --> 00:14:45.240 so that they can see God 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:47.340 and see the glory of God again. 00:14:47.340 --> 00:14:50.080 And what this text is telling us 00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:51.480 is that this sovereign Lord 00:14:51.480 --> 00:14:54.139 is determined to come 00:14:54.139 --> 00:14:55.580 and to intervene 00:14:55.580 --> 00:14:58.100 and to come and meet the needs 00:14:58.100 --> 00:15:00.660 of His fallen creatures. 00:15:01.139 --> 00:15:03.340 And He's sending His Spirit, 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:05.040 He's sending His Spirit 00:15:05.040 --> 00:15:07.500 to anoint this appointed king 00:15:07.500 --> 00:15:09.420 to come and deal with 00:15:09.420 --> 00:15:10.180 and to undo 00:15:10.180 --> 00:15:11.340 and to rectify 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:13.540 and to reverse the condition 00:15:13.539 --> 00:15:14.319 of the poor, 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:15.959 the brokenhearted, 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:17.039 the captive, 00:15:17.599 --> 00:15:18.339 and the blind. 00:15:20.179 --> 00:15:21.839 And we notice that 00:15:21.839 --> 00:15:23.480 God did not choose 00:15:23.480 --> 00:15:25.120 one of us in this room 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:26.699 as mere human beings 00:15:26.699 --> 00:15:27.919 to reverse the curse 00:15:27.919 --> 00:15:28.480 of this world. 00:15:28.699 --> 00:15:30.379 And I'm a little disappointed 00:15:30.379 --> 00:15:31.000 about that. 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:31.439 You know, 00:15:31.539 --> 00:15:32.860 why didn't He choose me 00:15:32.860 --> 00:15:33.860 to do this job? 00:15:34.719 --> 00:15:36.459 Why didn't He put you 00:15:36.459 --> 00:15:37.459 on the short list 00:15:37.459 --> 00:15:38.219 of His candidates 00:15:38.219 --> 00:15:40.419 to fulfill this mission? 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:42.459 Well, how in the world 00:15:42.460 --> 00:15:43.200 would that have worked? 00:15:44.600 --> 00:15:45.000 I mean, 00:15:45.040 --> 00:15:46.460 how can someone like me 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:48.720 or how could someone like you 00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:50.460 who is spiritually poor 00:15:50.460 --> 00:15:52.900 and relationally brokenhearted 00:15:52.900 --> 00:15:54.139 and morally captive 00:15:54.139 --> 00:15:56.060 and theologically blind 00:15:56.060 --> 00:15:58.720 do anything remotely helpful 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:01.800 to address the curses 00:16:01.800 --> 00:16:02.560 of this world? 00:16:03.820 --> 00:16:04.540 But you see, 00:16:04.620 --> 00:16:05.560 this is the message 00:16:05.560 --> 00:16:06.639 and the meaning 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:07.660 of Advent and Christmas 00:16:07.660 --> 00:16:09.840 that our sovereign Lord 00:16:09.840 --> 00:16:11.320 sent His Son, 00:16:11.400 --> 00:16:12.180 His own Son, 00:16:12.460 --> 00:16:13.420 to become poor. 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:16.019 That though He Himself 00:16:16.019 --> 00:16:18.200 was not spiritually poor, 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:20.060 Jesus left behind 00:16:20.060 --> 00:16:21.580 all of the riches 00:16:21.580 --> 00:16:22.840 and all the splendor 00:16:22.840 --> 00:16:23.340 of heaven. 00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:24.259 He left behind 00:16:24.259 --> 00:16:25.860 those golden thrones 00:16:25.860 --> 00:16:28.139 and the sapphire-paved courts 00:16:28.139 --> 00:16:29.440 in His Father's 00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:30.660 holy presence. 00:16:31.660 --> 00:16:32.820 And He came down 00:16:32.820 --> 00:16:34.680 into that lowly manger, 00:16:34.820 --> 00:16:35.680 that lowliest 00:16:35.680 --> 00:16:37.360 of stable floors, 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:40.060 and He took our poverty, 00:16:40.059 --> 00:16:41.399 and He took our bankruptcy 00:16:41.399 --> 00:16:43.199 upon Himself. 00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:44.859 This is what causes 00:16:44.859 --> 00:16:46.119 the Apostle Paul 00:16:46.119 --> 00:16:47.239 to say that we know 00:16:47.239 --> 00:16:49.479 the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:16:49.579 --> 00:16:51.399 that though He was rich, 00:16:51.939 --> 00:16:53.879 yet for our sake He became poor 00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:54.679 so that you, 00:16:55.239 --> 00:16:56.099 through His poverty, 00:16:56.519 --> 00:16:58.099 might become rich. 00:16:58.100 --> 00:17:00.680 this is the message 00:17:00.680 --> 00:17:01.740 of Christmas, 00:17:01.879 --> 00:17:03.000 that the sovereign Lord 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:04.400 has sent His own Son 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:05.980 to become brokenhearted. 00:17:07.220 --> 00:17:08.440 That though He Himself 00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:09.660 had a perfect 00:17:09.660 --> 00:17:10.620 and an unbroken 00:17:10.620 --> 00:17:12.240 relationship with God, 00:17:12.299 --> 00:17:13.339 He emptied Himself 00:17:13.339 --> 00:17:14.660 of heaven's glory 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:16.400 and of heaven's peace. 00:17:16.839 --> 00:17:17.019 Right? 00:17:17.019 --> 00:17:19.240 And He stooped so low. 00:17:19.319 --> 00:17:20.200 He stooped as low 00:17:20.200 --> 00:17:20.980 as conception. 00:17:21.180 --> 00:17:21.859 He stooped as low 00:17:21.859 --> 00:17:22.980 as birth 00:17:22.980 --> 00:17:25.039 to come and participate 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:26.240 in the misery 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:28.579 of our broken relationship 00:17:28.579 --> 00:17:29.319 with God. 00:17:29.379 --> 00:17:29.920 He became, 00:17:30.299 --> 00:17:31.039 as we call Him, 00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:32.319 the man of sorrows 00:17:32.319 --> 00:17:34.740 to take upon Himself 00:17:34.740 --> 00:17:36.519 the burdens of our sins 00:17:36.519 --> 00:17:37.579 and our sufferings. 00:17:38.099 --> 00:17:39.019 Why did He do that? 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:40.759 In order to reconcile us 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:41.400 to God 00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:43.420 and to bind up our hearts 00:17:43.420 --> 00:17:44.160 with His holy 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:46.000 and His healing love. 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:48.220 This is the message 00:17:48.220 --> 00:17:48.799 of Christmas, 00:17:48.980 --> 00:17:50.539 that the sovereign Lord 00:17:50.539 --> 00:17:51.460 sent His own Son 00:17:51.460 --> 00:17:52.460 to become captive. 00:17:53.819 --> 00:17:54.900 That though He was 00:17:54.900 --> 00:17:56.480 the most spiritually 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:57.680 and morally free 00:17:57.680 --> 00:17:58.859 being in the universe, 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:01.119 He laid aside 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:02.299 all of His rights. 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:03.259 He laid aside 00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:05.240 all of His prerogatives. 00:18:05.380 --> 00:18:05.859 He laid aside 00:18:05.859 --> 00:18:06.920 all of His privileges 00:18:06.920 --> 00:18:08.220 and all of His freedoms. 00:18:09.099 --> 00:18:10.220 And He was born 00:18:10.220 --> 00:18:11.000 to come and take 00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:11.759 upon Himself 00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:12.960 our slavery. 00:18:14.140 --> 00:18:15.819 He was laid 00:18:15.819 --> 00:18:16.759 in that cradle 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:17.819 that from day one 00:18:17.819 --> 00:18:19.259 was under the shadow 00:18:19.259 --> 00:18:20.579 of His cross. 00:18:22.039 --> 00:18:22.759 Knowing that 00:18:22.759 --> 00:18:24.500 that newborn King 00:18:24.500 --> 00:18:25.879 would one day 00:18:25.879 --> 00:18:28.480 be bound 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:30.119 as a captive. 00:18:30.619 --> 00:18:31.179 He would one day 00:18:31.179 --> 00:18:32.259 be nailed 00:18:32.259 --> 00:18:33.960 as a condemned criminal. 00:18:34.619 --> 00:18:35.639 Why did He do that? 00:18:35.679 --> 00:18:36.619 So that our chains 00:18:36.619 --> 00:18:37.679 might fall off 00:18:37.679 --> 00:18:38.439 and that our hearts 00:18:38.439 --> 00:18:39.679 might be free. 00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:42.480 This is the message 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:43.380 of Christmas, 00:18:43.560 --> 00:18:44.960 that the sovereign Lord 00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:45.980 sent His own Son 00:18:45.980 --> 00:18:47.360 to become blind. 00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:49.640 He left the light 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:50.960 of God's glory 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:51.580 in heaven 00:18:51.580 --> 00:18:53.360 for the darkness 00:18:53.360 --> 00:18:54.799 of Mary's womb, 00:18:54.900 --> 00:18:55.480 for the darkness 00:18:55.480 --> 00:18:57.039 of that cave 00:18:57.039 --> 00:18:58.019 in Bethlehem, 00:18:58.080 --> 00:18:58.620 for the darkness 00:18:58.620 --> 00:18:59.660 of this sad 00:18:59.660 --> 00:19:00.920 and weary world 00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:01.720 in which we live. 00:19:01.779 --> 00:19:03.160 He left all the light 00:19:03.160 --> 00:19:04.000 of God's glory 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:05.039 for the darkness 00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:06.240 of the Roman Empire 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:08.259 whose soldiers 00:19:08.259 --> 00:19:08.980 would one day 00:19:08.980 --> 00:19:10.519 blind Him. 00:19:11.240 --> 00:19:12.079 They'd put a blindfold 00:19:12.079 --> 00:19:12.539 on Him 00:19:12.539 --> 00:19:13.579 and they'd spit on Him 00:19:13.579 --> 00:19:15.799 and they'd curse Him 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:16.620 and they'd beat Him 00:19:16.620 --> 00:19:17.420 and they'd mock Him 00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:18.680 and they'd crucify Him 00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:19.859 as if they could 00:19:19.859 --> 00:19:20.880 snuff out the light 00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:21.859 of the world. 00:19:22.859 --> 00:19:23.839 And He, my friends, 00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:24.740 became a prisoner 00:19:24.740 --> 00:19:25.480 of the darkness. 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:27.779 Why did He do it? 00:19:27.799 --> 00:19:29.099 So that we could sing 00:19:29.099 --> 00:19:29.960 together, 00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:32.140 I once was lost 00:19:32.140 --> 00:19:33.079 but now I'm found. 00:19:33.179 --> 00:19:34.059 I was blind 00:19:34.059 --> 00:19:36.240 but now I can see. 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:39.779 See, He comes 00:19:39.779 --> 00:19:41.039 to make His blessings 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:42.099 flow 00:19:42.099 --> 00:19:43.839 far as the curse 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:44.379 is found, 00:19:44.819 --> 00:19:45.619 far as the curse 00:19:45.619 --> 00:19:46.000 is found, 00:19:46.119 --> 00:19:47.000 far as the curse 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:48.399 is found. 00:19:48.500 --> 00:19:48.899 And friends, 00:19:48.980 --> 00:19:49.679 don't you long 00:19:49.679 --> 00:19:51.799 for this anointed one 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:52.559 to come and 00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:54.439 reverse every curse 00:19:54.439 --> 00:19:55.119 in your life? 00:19:56.299 --> 00:19:56.980 Aren't you longing 00:19:56.980 --> 00:19:57.919 with me this morning 00:19:57.919 --> 00:19:58.899 that God would come 00:19:58.899 --> 00:20:00.439 and turn all the places 00:20:00.439 --> 00:20:01.259 of cursing 00:20:01.259 --> 00:20:02.259 in your life 00:20:02.259 --> 00:20:03.400 into sources of blessing? 00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:05.539 I want to remind you 00:20:05.539 --> 00:20:06.940 today that He can do it 00:20:06.940 --> 00:20:08.660 and that indeed 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:10.099 He has done it. 00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:11.059 That's the good news 00:20:11.059 --> 00:20:11.819 of the Spirit 00:20:11.819 --> 00:20:13.059 anointed Son 00:20:13.059 --> 00:20:14.019 of the Sovereign Lord 00:20:14.019 --> 00:20:15.960 that we in Him 00:20:15.960 --> 00:20:17.480 are no longer poor, 00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:19.359 we're in fact rich. 00:20:20.259 --> 00:20:21.859 And we are no longer 00:20:21.859 --> 00:20:23.400 broken hearted 00:20:23.400 --> 00:20:24.299 and broken 00:20:24.299 --> 00:20:25.059 in our relationship 00:20:25.059 --> 00:20:25.480 with God. 00:20:25.559 --> 00:20:26.539 We've been made whole 00:20:26.539 --> 00:20:28.460 and we are no longer 00:20:28.460 --> 00:20:29.859 captives to sin 00:20:29.859 --> 00:20:30.599 and to ourselves, 00:20:30.879 --> 00:20:32.059 we've been set free. 00:20:32.259 --> 00:20:33.819 And that we are 00:20:33.819 --> 00:20:35.099 no longer blind, 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:36.579 but we can see God 00:20:36.579 --> 00:20:37.220 in the glory 00:20:37.220 --> 00:20:38.519 of God's Spirit 00:20:38.519 --> 00:20:39.839 anointed Son, 00:20:40.539 --> 00:20:40.879 Jesus. 00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:41.920 Joy to the world. 00:20:42.779 --> 00:20:43.660 The Lord has come. 00:20:44.140 --> 00:20:45.779 Joy to all the earth. 00:20:45.900 --> 00:20:47.599 The Savior reigns. 00:20:50.599 --> 00:20:51.900 So Christ comes 00:20:51.900 --> 00:20:53.559 to reverse our curse. 00:20:54.220 --> 00:20:55.500 But He also comes 00:20:55.500 --> 00:20:57.180 to give us His grace. 00:20:57.859 --> 00:20:58.460 Christ comes 00:20:58.460 --> 00:20:59.980 to give us grace. 00:20:59.980 --> 00:21:00.720 What is it that we're 00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:02.079 celebrating at the first 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:02.980 and the second coming 00:21:02.980 --> 00:21:04.380 of this Messiah? 00:21:05.140 --> 00:21:06.460 Well, it says that He came 00:21:06.460 --> 00:21:07.039 in verse 2 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:08.420 to proclaim the year 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:10.259 of Yahweh's favor, 00:21:10.380 --> 00:21:11.680 the year of Yahweh's grace, 00:21:11.779 --> 00:21:13.460 the year of Yahweh's pleasure. 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:15.259 And what in the world 00:21:15.259 --> 00:21:15.620 is this? 00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:16.759 Well, this anointed King 00:21:16.759 --> 00:21:17.700 is proclaiming 00:21:17.700 --> 00:21:18.420 and He's preaching 00:21:18.420 --> 00:21:20.620 from His favorite book 00:21:20.620 --> 00:21:21.220 of the Bible, 00:21:21.319 --> 00:21:21.920 our favorite book 00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:22.259 of the Bible, 00:21:22.339 --> 00:21:23.519 the book of Leviticus. 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:25.079 Right? 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:26.339 Because every Jewish kid 00:21:26.339 --> 00:21:26.859 would have heard 00:21:26.859 --> 00:21:27.460 this phrase, 00:21:27.579 --> 00:21:30.220 the year of Yahweh's favor, 00:21:30.299 --> 00:21:31.319 the year of Yahweh's grace, 00:21:31.379 --> 00:21:31.759 and they would have 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:32.399 thought to themselves, 00:21:32.659 --> 00:21:33.599 Leviticus 25 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:35.519 and the year of Jubilee. 00:21:36.339 --> 00:21:36.859 And you're thinking, 00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:37.559 well, what in the world 00:21:37.559 --> 00:21:37.899 is that? 00:21:37.960 --> 00:21:38.559 Well, when you turn 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:39.119 to the Torah, 00:21:39.199 --> 00:21:40.079 the first five books 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:40.599 of the Bible, 00:21:40.819 --> 00:21:41.519 Jesus' Bible, 00:21:42.159 --> 00:21:43.319 and you look at page 1, 00:21:43.379 --> 00:21:44.259 it says that God 00:21:44.259 --> 00:21:45.500 blessed the seventh day 00:21:45.500 --> 00:21:46.460 and He made it 00:21:46.460 --> 00:21:47.859 a holy day of rest. 00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:49.339 And that means 00:21:49.339 --> 00:21:50.299 that the Sabbath day, 00:21:50.439 --> 00:21:51.179 it's not the year 00:21:51.179 --> 00:21:51.759 of the Lord's favor, 00:21:51.859 --> 00:21:52.819 but it is the day 00:21:52.819 --> 00:21:53.720 of the Lord's favor. 00:21:53.720 --> 00:21:54.220 It's the day 00:21:54.220 --> 00:21:55.100 of the Lord's grace, 00:21:55.240 --> 00:21:56.740 the day of His pleasure. 00:21:56.880 --> 00:21:57.600 And the Ten Commandments 00:21:57.600 --> 00:21:58.779 tell us that one day 00:21:58.779 --> 00:21:59.400 in seven, 00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:00.900 not one day in 14, 00:22:01.100 --> 00:22:02.180 not one day in 28, 00:22:02.600 --> 00:22:03.960 that we are to worship 00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:05.759 the Lord of grace together. 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:08.140 And then if you read 00:22:08.140 --> 00:22:08.720 on the Torah, 00:22:08.819 --> 00:22:10.160 it says one year 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:11.799 out of every seven years 00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:13.140 is to be a Sabbath year. 00:22:13.240 --> 00:22:13.880 That is when you're 00:22:13.880 --> 00:22:14.720 to let the land 00:22:14.720 --> 00:22:15.539 lie fallow 00:22:15.539 --> 00:22:16.539 and the earth 00:22:16.539 --> 00:22:17.579 build up its nutrients 00:22:17.579 --> 00:22:19.019 and all the land 00:22:19.019 --> 00:22:19.700 and the animals 00:22:19.700 --> 00:22:20.279 and the workers 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:20.980 that have rested 00:22:20.980 --> 00:22:21.839 during that year 00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:23.360 will find themselves 00:22:23.359 --> 00:22:25.000 flourishing and fruitful again 00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:26.439 because they've had rest. 00:22:26.500 --> 00:22:26.979 That's where we get 00:22:26.979 --> 00:22:28.859 our idea of a sabbatical year. 00:22:29.779 --> 00:22:30.479 But then if you keep 00:22:30.479 --> 00:22:31.039 reading on, 00:22:31.159 --> 00:22:31.939 you eventually get 00:22:31.939 --> 00:22:33.019 to Leviticus 25, 00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:33.979 which has one of the 00:22:33.979 --> 00:22:35.319 most radical ideas 00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:36.740 in all the Old Testament. 00:22:36.879 --> 00:22:37.500 And it says this, 00:22:37.579 --> 00:22:38.819 that one year 00:22:38.819 --> 00:22:39.899 out of every seven 00:22:39.899 --> 00:22:40.759 Sabbath years, 00:22:40.839 --> 00:22:41.740 so that's one year 00:22:41.740 --> 00:22:43.259 out of every 49 years, 00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:43.740 you're to have 00:22:43.740 --> 00:22:45.619 a Sabbath of the Sabbaths. 00:22:45.659 --> 00:22:46.039 You're to have 00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:47.699 the year of Jubilee, 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:49.019 the year of the Lord's favor, 00:22:49.139 --> 00:22:50.319 the year of the Lord's grace, 00:22:50.419 --> 00:22:51.879 the year of the Lord's pleasure. 00:22:51.880 --> 00:22:53.600 And what in the world 00:22:53.600 --> 00:22:54.040 is this? 00:22:54.140 --> 00:22:55.280 Well, if you had 00:22:55.280 --> 00:22:56.140 poor crops 00:22:56.140 --> 00:22:57.700 or if you had 00:22:57.700 --> 00:22:58.580 poor fortune 00:22:58.580 --> 00:22:59.120 or if you had 00:22:59.120 --> 00:23:00.360 poor judgment, 00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:02.580 you might find yourself 00:23:02.580 --> 00:23:03.340 in a situation 00:23:03.340 --> 00:23:04.640 where you are 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:06.780 in really big debt. 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:08.580 You're in a debt 00:23:08.580 --> 00:23:09.800 that you cannot 00:23:09.800 --> 00:23:11.080 pay off yourself. 00:23:11.380 --> 00:23:12.320 And so to deal 00:23:12.320 --> 00:23:12.980 with that debt, 00:23:13.520 --> 00:23:14.400 you might become 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:15.760 an indentured servant 00:23:15.760 --> 00:23:16.460 to the one 00:23:16.460 --> 00:23:18.120 to whom you owed 00:23:18.120 --> 00:23:18.660 your debt. 00:23:18.700 --> 00:23:20.020 Or you might sell off 00:23:20.020 --> 00:23:20.860 some of your land 00:23:20.859 --> 00:23:22.099 and lose your family 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:22.699 inheritance 00:23:22.699 --> 00:23:24.279 in the promised land. 00:23:25.459 --> 00:23:26.379 And so you can imagine 00:23:26.379 --> 00:23:28.759 that over 49 years, 00:23:28.879 --> 00:23:29.740 some people would come 00:23:29.740 --> 00:23:31.259 to be very prosperous 00:23:31.259 --> 00:23:31.939 and some people 00:23:31.939 --> 00:23:32.659 would come to be 00:23:32.659 --> 00:23:33.599 very poor. 00:23:34.579 --> 00:23:35.240 And the question 00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:36.219 as God was building 00:23:36.219 --> 00:23:37.859 this new counterculture 00:23:37.859 --> 00:23:38.839 in the promised land 00:23:38.839 --> 00:23:40.419 is how do we make sure 00:23:40.419 --> 00:23:41.359 that people get 00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:42.259 a second chance? 00:23:42.339 --> 00:23:43.259 How do we make sure 00:23:43.259 --> 00:23:44.740 that no one gets stuck 00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:45.500 in their poverty? 00:23:46.459 --> 00:23:47.159 How do we guard 00:23:47.159 --> 00:23:48.279 against monopolies 00:23:48.279 --> 00:23:49.139 and dynasties? 00:23:49.140 --> 00:23:50.600 How do we guard 00:23:50.600 --> 00:23:51.520 against and protect 00:23:51.520 --> 00:23:52.280 against this great 00:23:52.280 --> 00:23:53.420 disparity of wealth 00:23:53.420 --> 00:23:53.960 and freedom 00:23:53.960 --> 00:23:54.660 and opportunity 00:23:54.660 --> 00:23:55.720 in the promised land? 00:23:55.940 --> 00:23:56.980 And how do we level 00:23:56.980 --> 00:23:57.960 the playing field 00:23:57.960 --> 00:23:59.840 among human beings? 00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:01.800 Well, it said 00:24:01.800 --> 00:24:03.060 the 49th year, 00:24:03.160 --> 00:24:04.160 the year of Jubilee, 00:24:04.280 --> 00:24:05.480 this once-in-a-lifetime 00:24:05.480 --> 00:24:06.180 opportunity, 00:24:06.320 --> 00:24:07.320 this once-in-a-lifetime 00:24:07.320 --> 00:24:08.480 event was to be 00:24:08.480 --> 00:24:09.560 the year of the Lord's 00:24:09.560 --> 00:24:09.960 favor, 00:24:10.340 --> 00:24:11.360 the year of the Lord's 00:24:11.360 --> 00:24:12.000 grace, 00:24:12.100 --> 00:24:13.020 where three things 00:24:13.020 --> 00:24:13.560 would happen. 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:15.280 First of all, 00:24:15.360 --> 00:24:16.080 every debt 00:24:16.080 --> 00:24:17.300 would be remitted. 00:24:17.299 --> 00:24:19.399 That if anybody owed 00:24:19.399 --> 00:24:20.639 any money 00:24:20.639 --> 00:24:21.779 to their creditors, 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:23.599 your debts, 00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:24.759 no matter how large, 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:25.740 they were canceled, 00:24:25.879 --> 00:24:26.680 the books were cleared, 00:24:26.819 --> 00:24:27.440 all debtors 00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:28.819 were declared free. 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:30.960 The second thing 00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:31.379 that happened 00:24:31.379 --> 00:24:32.279 in the year of Jubilee 00:24:32.279 --> 00:24:33.759 is that every slave 00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:34.839 was to be set free. 00:24:34.919 --> 00:24:35.460 That if anyone 00:24:35.460 --> 00:24:36.460 had become poor 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:37.980 and had sold themselves 00:24:37.980 --> 00:24:39.200 as a slave 00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:40.419 to someone else, 00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:42.180 that they would be set 00:24:42.180 --> 00:24:42.919 at liberty. 00:24:43.759 --> 00:24:44.740 And the third thing 00:24:44.740 --> 00:24:45.279 that would happen 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:46.399 in the year of Jubilee 00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:47.340 is that every land 00:24:47.340 --> 00:24:48.120 that had been lost 00:24:48.120 --> 00:24:48.920 would be restored. 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:50.600 That everyone 00:24:50.600 --> 00:24:52.620 would get back 00:24:52.620 --> 00:24:54.120 that portion 00:24:54.120 --> 00:24:54.960 of their family 00:24:54.960 --> 00:24:55.600 possession 00:24:55.600 --> 00:24:56.280 and their family 00:24:56.280 --> 00:24:56.840 property 00:24:56.840 --> 00:24:58.540 in the promised land. 00:24:58.620 --> 00:24:59.840 And this ideal 00:24:59.840 --> 00:25:00.680 of the Jubilee, 00:25:01.180 --> 00:25:02.340 it was to make 00:25:02.340 --> 00:25:03.540 the people of God 00:25:03.540 --> 00:25:04.660 unique among 00:25:04.660 --> 00:25:05.560 all the nations. 00:25:05.820 --> 00:25:06.420 Nobody else 00:25:06.420 --> 00:25:07.300 was practicing this. 00:25:07.380 --> 00:25:07.800 Nobody else 00:25:07.800 --> 00:25:09.259 was living like this. 00:25:09.980 --> 00:25:11.220 But the biblical 00:25:11.220 --> 00:25:12.380 scholars tell us 00:25:12.380 --> 00:25:13.040 and the historians 00:25:13.040 --> 00:25:13.780 tell us that 00:25:13.779 --> 00:25:15.259 we don't think 00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:16.019 this ideal 00:25:16.019 --> 00:25:17.839 was ever realized 00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:18.399 in Israel. 00:25:18.500 --> 00:25:19.879 It was never practiced 00:25:19.879 --> 00:25:21.099 and observed 00:25:21.099 --> 00:25:21.799 in Israel. 00:25:22.839 --> 00:25:23.740 So do we see 00:25:23.740 --> 00:25:24.720 how the Old Testament 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:26.059 might be preparing us 00:25:26.059 --> 00:25:27.639 for the New Testament? 00:25:28.920 --> 00:25:30.160 Do we have a sense 00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:30.720 of how God 00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:31.660 might be giving us 00:25:31.660 --> 00:25:32.940 an idea 00:25:32.940 --> 00:25:34.079 of what His Messiah 00:25:34.079 --> 00:25:35.420 will come to do? 00:25:36.420 --> 00:25:38.399 This year of Jubilee, 00:25:38.599 --> 00:25:39.899 it was to be proclaimed 00:25:39.899 --> 00:25:41.200 on the Day of Atonement. 00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:43.400 And they would, 00:25:43.740 --> 00:25:44.440 on that day 00:25:44.440 --> 00:25:45.539 of bloody sacrifice 00:25:45.539 --> 00:25:47.140 where all the sins 00:25:47.140 --> 00:25:47.640 of the people 00:25:47.640 --> 00:25:49.000 would be wiped out 00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:49.559 and forgiven, 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:50.900 they would sound 00:25:50.900 --> 00:25:51.460 the trumpet. 00:25:52.460 --> 00:25:53.180 Everybody would hear 00:25:53.180 --> 00:25:55.080 the blast of this trumpet. 00:25:55.319 --> 00:25:56.920 And all who found 00:25:56.920 --> 00:25:58.200 themselves in poverty, 00:25:59.440 --> 00:26:00.580 all who identified 00:26:00.580 --> 00:26:01.740 as debtors 00:26:01.740 --> 00:26:03.160 and slaves 00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:04.380 and dispossessed, 00:26:04.500 --> 00:26:05.740 they would listen out 00:26:05.740 --> 00:26:06.960 for the sound 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:07.600 of that trumpet 00:26:07.600 --> 00:26:08.819 and they would listen out 00:26:08.819 --> 00:26:09.619 for the sound 00:26:09.619 --> 00:26:11.359 of the glorious year 00:26:11.359 --> 00:26:13.159 of the Lord's favor, 00:26:13.240 --> 00:26:14.039 the glorious year 00:26:14.039 --> 00:26:15.599 of the Lord's grace 00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:16.960 and His pleasure. 00:26:18.439 --> 00:26:18.859 And friends, 00:26:18.919 --> 00:26:19.939 I wonder if today 00:26:19.939 --> 00:26:21.119 even you can hear 00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:22.700 the trumpet blast 00:26:22.700 --> 00:26:24.059 of Jubilee. 00:26:25.059 --> 00:26:26.039 If you can hear 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:27.059 the trumpet blast 00:26:27.059 --> 00:26:27.819 of the grace 00:26:27.819 --> 00:26:28.980 of God 00:26:28.980 --> 00:26:31.019 that the sovereign Lord 00:26:31.019 --> 00:26:31.879 sent His Son 00:26:31.879 --> 00:26:32.439 at Christmas 00:26:32.439 --> 00:26:33.299 to begin 00:26:33.299 --> 00:26:34.259 the year 00:26:34.259 --> 00:26:35.740 of the Lord's grace. 00:26:35.899 --> 00:26:36.939 He emptied Himself. 00:26:36.940 --> 00:26:39.240 He disguised Himself. 00:26:39.400 --> 00:26:39.900 He came 00:26:39.900 --> 00:26:41.360 undercover 00:26:41.360 --> 00:26:43.559 as a vulnerable child. 00:26:44.640 --> 00:26:46.000 And though He was rich, 00:26:46.059 --> 00:26:46.960 He became a debtor. 00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:48.279 Though He was free, 00:26:48.360 --> 00:26:49.220 He became a slave. 00:26:49.340 --> 00:26:51.039 Though He was the maker 00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:51.740 of heaven and earth, 00:26:51.799 --> 00:26:53.559 He became dispossessed 00:26:53.559 --> 00:26:55.400 of everything He owned. 00:26:56.640 --> 00:26:58.120 And why did He do that? 00:26:59.200 --> 00:27:00.340 Well, this baby 00:27:00.340 --> 00:27:02.779 grew up to be a boy 00:27:02.779 --> 00:27:03.799 and this boy grew up 00:27:03.799 --> 00:27:05.140 to be a preacher. 00:27:05.140 --> 00:27:06.280 And one day He walked 00:27:06.280 --> 00:27:07.060 into a synagogue 00:27:07.060 --> 00:27:08.320 on the Sabbath day 00:27:08.320 --> 00:27:09.640 and He preached 00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:10.380 His first sermon, 00:27:10.460 --> 00:27:12.080 His inaugural address, 00:27:12.200 --> 00:27:14.880 His messianic manifesto. 00:27:15.800 --> 00:27:16.860 And what was His text? 00:27:17.560 --> 00:27:19.480 His text was Isaiah 61. 00:27:20.620 --> 00:27:21.780 And when He preached 00:27:21.780 --> 00:27:22.300 that sermon, 00:27:22.420 --> 00:27:23.940 He was sounding the trumpet, 00:27:25.180 --> 00:27:26.040 proclaiming the year 00:27:26.040 --> 00:27:27.160 of the Lord's grace, 00:27:28.340 --> 00:27:29.340 declaring to everyone 00:27:29.340 --> 00:27:30.460 that that year of grace 00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:31.780 had begun in Him 00:27:31.780 --> 00:27:32.680 and reiterating 00:27:32.680 --> 00:27:34.060 to all who were gathered 00:27:34.059 --> 00:27:35.279 and all who would ever hear 00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:36.899 this text again, 00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:38.500 that same message 00:27:38.500 --> 00:27:39.539 on the night of His birth, 00:27:39.659 --> 00:27:40.539 sung by the angels, 00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:41.179 Gloria, 00:27:42.319 --> 00:27:43.619 in excelsis Deo, 00:27:44.599 --> 00:27:45.299 and on earth, 00:27:45.460 --> 00:27:46.259 peace to those 00:27:46.259 --> 00:27:48.039 on whom God's favor 00:27:48.039 --> 00:27:51.579 and on whom God's grace 00:27:51.579 --> 00:27:53.339 has come to rest. 00:27:54.819 --> 00:27:55.500 And so my friends, 00:27:55.559 --> 00:27:56.539 I ask you this morning, 00:27:56.679 --> 00:27:58.940 are you a debtor to sin? 00:27:58.940 --> 00:28:01.740 Do you find that you owe 00:28:01.740 --> 00:28:02.480 to God 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:03.580 and owe to your family 00:28:03.580 --> 00:28:04.740 and owe to your neighbors 00:28:04.740 --> 00:28:06.580 a deep debt of love? 00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:09.240 So the message of Jubilee 00:28:09.240 --> 00:28:10.360 is that without doing 00:28:10.360 --> 00:28:11.460 anything at all, 00:28:11.559 --> 00:28:12.840 your debts can be canceled 00:28:12.840 --> 00:28:15.779 and your ledger can be erased 00:28:15.779 --> 00:28:16.880 and your past sins 00:28:16.880 --> 00:28:18.080 blotted out 00:28:18.080 --> 00:28:19.160 and though your sins 00:28:19.160 --> 00:28:19.940 be as scarlet, 00:28:20.019 --> 00:28:21.140 you can be as white 00:28:21.140 --> 00:28:22.380 as snow, 00:28:22.940 --> 00:28:24.340 freed from all that it is 00:28:24.340 --> 00:28:25.880 you owe to God. 00:28:25.880 --> 00:28:28.360 And have you come here today 00:28:28.360 --> 00:28:30.760 a slave to your own self-interest, 00:28:30.900 --> 00:28:33.180 a slave in bondage 00:28:33.180 --> 00:28:34.620 to your own desires? 00:28:35.820 --> 00:28:37.000 Well, the good news 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:38.680 is that you can be freed 00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:39.960 from those iron bars 00:28:39.960 --> 00:28:41.420 of your flesh 00:28:41.420 --> 00:28:42.400 and of the world 00:28:42.400 --> 00:28:43.360 and of the devil, 00:28:43.420 --> 00:28:44.240 all those chains 00:28:44.240 --> 00:28:45.160 that are holding you back, 00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:45.880 you can be freed 00:28:46.420 --> 00:28:47.360 to love God 00:28:47.360 --> 00:28:48.540 and to enjoy God 00:28:48.540 --> 00:28:49.880 and to serve God 00:28:49.880 --> 00:28:50.740 and you can be freed 00:28:50.740 --> 00:28:52.080 even to become 00:28:52.080 --> 00:28:54.540 like the Spirit-anointed servant, 00:28:55.120 --> 00:28:55.540 Christ. 00:28:55.880 --> 00:28:58.180 Are you here today 00:28:58.180 --> 00:28:59.200 and you find yourself 00:28:59.200 --> 00:29:00.980 dispossessed? 00:29:02.260 --> 00:29:04.100 Someone who has lost 00:29:04.100 --> 00:29:05.180 their precious property. 00:29:06.640 --> 00:29:07.360 Jesus said, 00:29:07.800 --> 00:29:08.980 what does it profit a man 00:29:08.980 --> 00:29:10.080 to gain the whole world 00:29:10.080 --> 00:29:12.220 but to lose his very soul? 00:29:12.440 --> 00:29:13.580 Our soul is that 00:29:13.580 --> 00:29:14.360 which enables us 00:29:14.360 --> 00:29:16.060 to have a relationship 00:29:16.060 --> 00:29:16.720 with God 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:18.220 and maybe you're here today 00:29:18.220 --> 00:29:19.060 and you've lost 00:29:19.060 --> 00:29:20.900 this precious possession 00:29:20.900 --> 00:29:21.880 of your soul 00:29:21.880 --> 00:29:23.660 that gives you life 00:29:23.660 --> 00:29:24.300 with God 00:29:24.299 --> 00:29:25.099 but the Jubilee, 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:27.659 the message of Christmas 00:29:27.659 --> 00:29:29.339 and this year of grace, 00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:30.339 this year of Jubilee 00:29:30.339 --> 00:29:32.259 is that all of us 00:29:32.259 --> 00:29:32.940 who have lost 00:29:32.940 --> 00:29:33.740 our character, 00:29:34.899 --> 00:29:35.879 all of us who have lost 00:29:35.879 --> 00:29:36.539 our integrity, 00:29:36.779 --> 00:29:37.819 all of us who have lost 00:29:37.819 --> 00:29:39.000 our purity, 00:29:39.299 --> 00:29:40.180 all of us who have lost 00:29:40.180 --> 00:29:41.000 our soul 00:29:41.000 --> 00:29:42.759 and our life with God 00:29:42.759 --> 00:29:44.279 can get back 00:29:44.279 --> 00:29:45.919 all it is 00:29:45.919 --> 00:29:46.720 that we've lost. 00:29:46.720 --> 00:29:50.200 Christ's child of Christmas 00:29:50.200 --> 00:29:50.720 has come 00:29:50.720 --> 00:29:51.960 to make you 00:29:51.960 --> 00:29:52.880 a child of God. 00:29:53.860 --> 00:29:55.019 He's come to bring you 00:29:55.019 --> 00:29:56.259 back into a reconciled 00:29:56.259 --> 00:29:57.319 relationship with God 00:29:57.319 --> 00:29:58.180 and get you back 00:29:58.180 --> 00:30:00.140 into the family, 00:30:00.259 --> 00:30:01.579 back into the status 00:30:01.579 --> 00:30:02.259 of a son 00:30:02.259 --> 00:30:02.880 or a daughter 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:04.740 who has an infinite 00:30:04.740 --> 00:30:05.460 and eternal 00:30:05.460 --> 00:30:07.259 inheritance in God. 00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:09.220 And that's the good news 00:30:09.220 --> 00:30:10.299 that if you believe 00:30:10.299 --> 00:30:11.000 in Christ 00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:11.759 and you've surrendered 00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:12.660 yourself to Him, 00:30:13.059 --> 00:30:13.799 you're not only going 00:30:13.799 --> 00:30:15.100 to get your soul back, 00:30:15.099 --> 00:30:16.619 that one day 00:30:16.619 --> 00:30:17.159 you're going to be 00:30:17.159 --> 00:30:18.279 owners of the whole 00:30:18.279 --> 00:30:19.119 universe, 00:30:19.459 --> 00:30:20.359 that you're going 00:30:20.359 --> 00:30:20.899 to be walking 00:30:20.899 --> 00:30:21.539 on the face 00:30:21.539 --> 00:30:22.399 of this renovated 00:30:22.399 --> 00:30:22.859 earth 00:30:22.859 --> 00:30:23.559 and a resurrected 00:30:23.559 --> 00:30:25.039 body changed 00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:25.779 into the likeness 00:30:25.779 --> 00:30:26.439 of Christ 00:30:26.439 --> 00:30:27.980 and sharing 00:30:27.980 --> 00:30:29.219 in the family property 00:30:29.219 --> 00:30:29.819 and the family 00:30:29.819 --> 00:30:30.419 possession, 00:30:30.599 --> 00:30:31.559 the family inheritance 00:30:31.559 --> 00:30:33.219 that belongs to Him 00:30:33.219 --> 00:30:34.399 which is everything. 00:30:36.259 --> 00:30:36.980 And so I wonder, 00:30:37.179 --> 00:30:37.480 friends, 00:30:38.099 --> 00:30:39.240 can you hear 00:30:39.240 --> 00:30:40.519 this trumpet blast 00:30:40.519 --> 00:30:42.579 of the year of Jubilee, 00:30:42.679 --> 00:30:43.539 the trumpet blast 00:30:43.539 --> 00:30:45.079 of the year of God's grace 00:30:45.079 --> 00:30:46.779 can you hear it? 00:30:47.779 --> 00:30:48.839 Can you feel it 00:30:48.839 --> 00:30:50.339 in this Christ 00:30:50.339 --> 00:30:52.079 that's come among us? 00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:54.720 Christ comes to reverse 00:30:54.720 --> 00:30:55.439 our curse 00:30:55.439 --> 00:30:57.379 and to give us grace 00:30:57.379 --> 00:30:59.240 and finally comes 00:30:59.240 --> 00:31:00.460 to make us priests. 00:31:01.359 --> 00:31:03.099 He comes to make us priests. 00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:05.699 Why is it this 00:31:05.699 --> 00:31:06.839 sovereign Lord 00:31:06.839 --> 00:31:09.899 and His Spirit-anointed Son 00:31:09.899 --> 00:31:11.539 and His King 00:31:11.539 --> 00:31:12.740 has come to reverse 00:31:12.740 --> 00:31:13.419 our curse 00:31:13.420 --> 00:31:13.980 and to give us 00:31:13.980 --> 00:31:14.000 and to give us 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:15.100 this grace 00:31:15.100 --> 00:31:15.840 of Jubilee? 00:31:17.180 --> 00:31:18.060 Is it so that 00:31:18.060 --> 00:31:18.680 we can live 00:31:18.680 --> 00:31:19.420 for ourselves? 00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:22.120 So that we can live 00:31:22.120 --> 00:31:23.519 like our neighbors? 00:31:23.740 --> 00:31:24.380 So that we can 00:31:24.380 --> 00:31:25.440 live out 00:31:25.440 --> 00:31:26.180 this expressive 00:31:26.180 --> 00:31:27.400 individualism 00:31:27.400 --> 00:31:28.420 of the Western world? 00:31:28.519 --> 00:31:29.220 So that we can live 00:31:29.220 --> 00:31:31.400 as self-actualized people 00:31:31.400 --> 00:31:33.220 of the secular age? 00:31:34.380 --> 00:31:34.840 No. 00:31:34.920 --> 00:31:35.400 He's come 00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:37.120 and made us free 00:31:37.120 --> 00:31:38.200 for this reason. 00:31:38.279 --> 00:31:38.900 Verse 6. 00:31:38.900 --> 00:31:46.820 You see, 00:31:46.860 --> 00:31:47.600 Isaiah tells us 00:31:47.600 --> 00:31:48.100 that the church 00:31:48.100 --> 00:31:48.740 is not made up 00:31:48.740 --> 00:31:49.560 of one priest 00:31:49.560 --> 00:31:52.240 or even two priests. 00:31:53.320 --> 00:31:53.940 The church 00:31:53.940 --> 00:31:54.480 is made up 00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:55.680 of all of you 00:31:55.680 --> 00:31:56.759 who are His priests 00:31:56.759 --> 00:31:57.640 and ministers 00:31:57.640 --> 00:31:58.460 of the Lord. 00:31:58.540 --> 00:31:59.340 You've been set free 00:31:59.340 --> 00:32:00.080 to serve 00:32:00.080 --> 00:32:01.620 the sovereign Lord 00:32:01.620 --> 00:32:02.440 and to carry out 00:32:02.440 --> 00:32:02.860 the will 00:32:02.860 --> 00:32:03.360 and the work 00:32:03.360 --> 00:32:03.960 of the Lord 00:32:03.960 --> 00:32:04.860 in the world. 00:32:04.920 --> 00:32:05.539 And what is that? 00:32:06.100 --> 00:32:07.019 I want to encourage you 00:32:07.019 --> 00:32:07.840 that it's to do 00:32:07.840 --> 00:32:09.140 for one person. 00:32:10.460 --> 00:32:11.579 Maybe one person 00:32:11.579 --> 00:32:12.940 here today. 00:32:13.620 --> 00:32:14.319 Maybe the person 00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:14.740 that's sitting 00:32:14.740 --> 00:32:15.259 in the pew 00:32:15.259 --> 00:32:16.380 beside you 00:32:16.380 --> 00:32:16.880 or the pew 00:32:16.880 --> 00:32:17.600 in front of you. 00:32:17.680 --> 00:32:18.160 It's to do 00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:19.039 for one person 00:32:19.039 --> 00:32:19.680 this Christmas 00:32:19.680 --> 00:32:20.880 what the Lord 00:32:20.880 --> 00:32:22.120 has done for you. 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.880 And what is that? 00:32:23.259 --> 00:32:23.779 Verse 3. 00:32:24.779 --> 00:32:25.180 He's come 00:32:25.180 --> 00:32:25.840 to bestow 00:32:25.840 --> 00:32:26.140 on them 00:32:26.140 --> 00:32:27.019 a crown of beauty 00:32:27.019 --> 00:32:27.880 instead of ashes, 00:32:28.440 --> 00:32:29.640 the oil of joy 00:32:29.640 --> 00:32:30.360 instead of mourning, 00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:30.920 and a garment 00:32:30.920 --> 00:32:31.500 of praise 00:32:31.500 --> 00:32:32.400 instead of a spirit 00:32:32.400 --> 00:32:33.420 of despair. 00:32:34.960 --> 00:32:35.420 The Christ 00:32:35.420 --> 00:32:35.940 of the cradle, 00:32:36.039 --> 00:32:36.600 the Christ 00:32:36.600 --> 00:32:38.059 who came. 00:32:38.140 --> 00:32:39.240 He came to exchange 00:32:39.240 --> 00:32:39.980 His love. 00:32:40.920 --> 00:32:41.740 He came to exchange 00:32:41.740 --> 00:32:42.920 what He has 00:32:42.920 --> 00:32:45.100 for what you have. 00:32:45.140 --> 00:32:45.819 He came in this 00:32:45.819 --> 00:32:46.840 great act 00:32:46.840 --> 00:32:47.579 of substitution 00:32:47.579 --> 00:32:49.039 and saying, 00:32:49.160 --> 00:32:50.440 I'll take what you got 00:32:50.440 --> 00:32:51.259 and I'll give you 00:32:51.259 --> 00:32:52.279 what I've got. 00:32:52.400 --> 00:32:53.640 So I see 00:32:53.640 --> 00:32:54.319 that you have 00:32:54.319 --> 00:32:55.140 these ashes 00:32:55.140 --> 00:32:55.819 of sin 00:32:55.819 --> 00:32:56.600 and suffering, 00:32:56.720 --> 00:32:57.819 but I'll take that 00:32:57.819 --> 00:32:58.440 upon myself 00:32:58.440 --> 00:32:59.579 so that you can wear 00:32:59.579 --> 00:33:01.079 my royal crown 00:33:01.079 --> 00:33:02.400 of beauty. 00:33:02.400 --> 00:33:04.700 and I'll take 00:33:04.700 --> 00:33:05.340 your mourning 00:33:05.340 --> 00:33:07.300 over all the misery 00:33:07.300 --> 00:33:08.340 and sin 00:33:08.340 --> 00:33:09.120 and brokenness 00:33:09.120 --> 00:33:09.600 of this world 00:33:09.600 --> 00:33:10.380 so that you can be 00:33:10.380 --> 00:33:11.540 anointed with the oil 00:33:11.540 --> 00:33:12.259 of my joy 00:33:12.259 --> 00:33:13.480 and my gladness. 00:33:13.620 --> 00:33:14.980 And He comes to us, 00:33:15.060 --> 00:33:15.880 Christ comes to us 00:33:15.880 --> 00:33:16.220 and He says, 00:33:16.280 --> 00:33:17.920 I'll take your depression 00:33:17.920 --> 00:33:19.360 and I'll take your despair 00:33:19.360 --> 00:33:22.360 and I'm going to have you 00:33:22.360 --> 00:33:23.440 wear my garment 00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:24.740 of praise instead. 00:33:26.340 --> 00:33:27.180 Do you see this? 00:33:27.180 --> 00:33:29.400 what our minister, 00:33:29.720 --> 00:33:30.080 Christ, 00:33:30.180 --> 00:33:30.820 what our priest, 00:33:30.960 --> 00:33:31.340 Christ, 00:33:31.400 --> 00:33:32.340 has come to put 00:33:32.340 --> 00:33:33.340 upon us? 00:33:33.680 --> 00:33:34.400 He's come to give you 00:33:34.400 --> 00:33:35.279 a crown of beauty. 00:33:36.220 --> 00:33:37.160 He's come to give you 00:33:37.160 --> 00:33:38.120 the oil of joy. 00:33:38.240 --> 00:33:38.840 He's come to give you 00:33:38.840 --> 00:33:39.320 the garment 00:33:39.320 --> 00:33:40.539 of praise. 00:33:41.420 --> 00:33:42.460 And so the question 00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:43.259 for us is that 00:33:43.259 --> 00:33:44.560 this is what He's done 00:33:44.560 --> 00:33:45.680 for us as our priest 00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:46.759 and our minister. 00:33:47.640 --> 00:33:48.640 What are we to do 00:33:48.640 --> 00:33:49.240 for one another 00:33:49.240 --> 00:33:50.080 as priests 00:33:50.080 --> 00:33:51.500 and as ministers? 00:33:51.500 --> 00:33:53.920 And I would just 00:33:53.920 --> 00:33:54.460 encourage you 00:33:54.460 --> 00:33:54.980 to think about 00:33:54.980 --> 00:33:55.819 one person 00:33:55.819 --> 00:33:57.460 here today 00:33:57.460 --> 00:33:59.299 who's got ashes 00:33:59.299 --> 00:34:00.039 on their head. 00:34:01.099 --> 00:34:02.039 Somebody who's got 00:34:02.039 --> 00:34:04.980 mourning in their eyes. 00:34:05.119 --> 00:34:05.819 Somebody who's got 00:34:05.819 --> 00:34:07.559 despair in their heart. 00:34:08.860 --> 00:34:10.019 And you don't have to go 00:34:10.019 --> 00:34:10.840 across the world 00:34:10.840 --> 00:34:11.400 to find that. 00:34:11.480 --> 00:34:11.980 You don't have to go 00:34:11.980 --> 00:34:12.659 across the city 00:34:12.659 --> 00:34:13.179 to find that. 00:34:13.260 --> 00:34:13.860 There's plenty 00:34:13.860 --> 00:34:15.260 just right here. 00:34:15.980 --> 00:34:17.300 And your task 00:34:17.300 --> 00:34:18.619 as a priest 00:34:18.619 --> 00:34:19.420 and as a minister 00:34:19.420 --> 00:34:21.239 is to get to know 00:34:21.239 --> 00:34:21.819 this people 00:34:21.819 --> 00:34:22.939 and to say 00:34:22.939 --> 00:34:24.879 I want to apply 00:34:24.879 --> 00:34:25.899 to you the remedy 00:34:25.899 --> 00:34:27.379 of Christ 00:34:27.379 --> 00:34:28.000 that's been applied 00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:28.279 to me. 00:34:28.339 --> 00:34:28.839 I want to give 00:34:28.839 --> 00:34:29.500 to you 00:34:29.500 --> 00:34:31.159 this crown 00:34:31.159 --> 00:34:31.679 of beauty. 00:34:32.399 --> 00:34:33.119 I want to give 00:34:33.119 --> 00:34:33.939 to you this oil 00:34:33.939 --> 00:34:34.339 of joy. 00:34:34.419 --> 00:34:34.779 I want to give 00:34:34.779 --> 00:34:35.559 to you this garment 00:34:35.559 --> 00:34:37.019 of praise. 00:34:37.179 --> 00:34:37.779 Who is it 00:34:37.779 --> 00:34:39.659 that the sovereign 00:34:39.659 --> 00:34:40.319 Lord is sending 00:34:40.319 --> 00:34:41.239 you to this Christmas 00:34:41.239 --> 00:34:42.199 to be a priest 00:34:42.199 --> 00:34:44.000 and to be a minister? 00:34:46.799 --> 00:34:47.599 Priests are people 00:34:47.599 --> 00:34:48.139 who pray. 00:34:50.139 --> 00:34:50.959 Ministers are people 00:34:50.960 --> 00:34:51.599 who meditate 00:34:51.599 --> 00:34:53.039 on the word 00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:53.480 of God. 00:34:55.220 --> 00:34:55.960 And through 00:34:55.960 --> 00:34:56.460 this, 00:34:56.579 --> 00:34:57.720 these priests 00:34:57.720 --> 00:34:58.280 and ministers 00:34:58.280 --> 00:34:58.980 they experience 00:34:58.980 --> 00:34:59.619 the power 00:34:59.619 --> 00:35:00.059 of God 00:35:00.059 --> 00:35:00.519 to begin 00:35:00.519 --> 00:35:01.360 living out 00:35:01.360 --> 00:35:02.039 the principles 00:35:02.039 --> 00:35:03.760 of Jubilee, 00:35:04.380 --> 00:35:05.179 the principles 00:35:05.179 --> 00:35:05.639 of grace 00:35:05.639 --> 00:35:06.079 so that we 00:35:06.079 --> 00:35:06.880 become a whole 00:35:06.880 --> 00:35:07.400 community 00:35:07.400 --> 00:35:10.000 that's proclaiming 00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:10.960 good news 00:35:10.960 --> 00:35:11.519 for the poor. 00:35:12.380 --> 00:35:13.300 A whole community 00:35:13.300 --> 00:35:13.940 that's binding 00:35:13.940 --> 00:35:14.699 up the broken 00:35:14.699 --> 00:35:15.139 hearted. 00:35:15.179 --> 00:35:16.240 A whole church 00:35:16.240 --> 00:35:16.679 community 00:35:16.679 --> 00:35:18.280 that is setting 00:35:18.280 --> 00:35:19.000 the captives 00:35:19.000 --> 00:35:19.860 free 00:35:19.860 --> 00:35:20.580 and a whole 00:35:20.580 --> 00:35:21.220 church community 00:35:21.220 --> 00:35:21.940 that's releasing 00:35:21.940 --> 00:35:22.720 people that are 00:35:22.720 --> 00:35:23.360 in the darkness 00:35:23.360 --> 00:35:24.420 of their own 00:35:24.420 --> 00:35:25.640 blindness to God. 00:35:26.540 --> 00:35:27.700 A whole community 00:35:27.700 --> 00:35:29.180 living in this year 00:35:29.180 --> 00:35:29.820 of grace, 00:35:30.220 --> 00:35:31.019 this year of God's 00:35:31.019 --> 00:35:31.360 favor, 00:35:31.840 --> 00:35:32.480 this year of His 00:35:32.480 --> 00:35:32.960 forgiveness 00:35:32.960 --> 00:35:33.920 for debtors, 00:35:34.660 --> 00:35:35.380 for slaves, 00:35:36.060 --> 00:35:37.220 for the dispossessed. 00:35:38.880 --> 00:35:39.180 Friends, 00:35:39.280 --> 00:35:39.740 I pray 00:35:39.740 --> 00:35:40.760 that God would 00:35:40.760 --> 00:35:41.260 enable us 00:35:41.260 --> 00:35:41.880 to do this 00:35:41.880 --> 00:35:42.780 because Christ, 00:35:43.480 --> 00:35:44.340 He comes to 00:35:44.340 --> 00:35:45.360 reverse our curse 00:35:45.360 --> 00:35:46.860 and to give us 00:35:46.860 --> 00:35:48.900 grace and ultimately 00:35:48.900 --> 00:35:50.559 to make us His 00:35:50.559 --> 00:35:51.539 priests in a world 00:35:51.539 --> 00:35:52.300 that so desperately 00:35:52.300 --> 00:35:54.420 need His love 00:35:54.420 --> 00:35:54.980 and His care, 00:35:56.320 --> 00:35:57.200 His crown of beauty, 00:35:58.599 --> 00:35:59.519 His oil of joy, 00:36:00.579 --> 00:36:01.740 His garment of praise. 00:36:03.019 --> 00:36:03.720 May He do this 00:36:03.720 --> 00:36:04.700 for us in the name 00:36:04.700 --> 00:36:05.120 of the Father, 00:36:05.260 --> 00:36:05.380 Son, 00:36:05.420 --> 00:36:06.059 and Holy Spirit. 00:36:06.840 --> 00:36:07.120 Amen. 00:36:07.120 --> 00:36:07.260 Amen. 00:36:07.260 --> 00:36:07.300 Amen. 00:36:07.300 --> 00:36:07.320 Amen.