This week’s piece of Isaiah is another phenomenal, refreshing chapter, ch61… If we grasp it we’ll receive a huge vision of God’s goodness flooding out into our broken world through the Spirit, first through Jesus, then through each of us…
`The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted;
to proclaim freedom for the captives,
and release from darkness for the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise, instead of a spirit of despair!
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD, for the display of his splendour.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins,
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations!` (61:1-4 NIV)
As I read this I get a magnificent sense of God’s life and power for goodness! What was Jesus doing through His lifetime on earth? He was bringing transformation!- bringing more and more of God’s goodness, truth, love and healing power. And His Spirit empowers us to do the same! Yes, there’s evil in this world that won’t be shifted till Christ returns: but meanwhile we’re called to get more & more of heaven into our lives and more & more of heaven into our surroundings.
This was what Jesus did, as the Man supremely in step with the Spirit; and this is what He puts His Spirit in us for. This is what Calvary (Isaiah 53, which had to come first) won for us: because of the cross the barrier is gone, so we can invite His Spirit to fill and control us, and this marvellous stuff is then what He and His people do.
It’s not quite what we think of as `religion`!- `religion` can be seen as negative, drab, grey, life-denying. No: this is joining in the life flowing from God; goodness flowing out from the Spirit of God – the Spirit who’s within each of us who’s a real Christian – and who longs to bring goodness and life, more and more widely. Doesn’t that make us want to be full of Him? (Luke 11:13 [look it up!] says we simply have to ask!)
But if God’s Spirit gets more of me, what’s that for? Not just for my own good feelings. No: God is love, so His Spirit is not inward-looking, He’s the Spirit of outward-going love for others. What then?
Well, here’s the first thing: `The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel`, the `good news`. Here’s above all what the Spirit anoints us for. Jesus says the same thing in Acts 1:8: passion for the gospel, passion to be His witnesses – and `to the ends of the earth`, says Jesus clearly – is the prime consequence of the Spirit filling us, the first sign of an authentic work of the Spirit. If it doesn’t mark our lives we can be sure we’re not filled with the Spirit! When He came at Pentecost, 3000 people were born again, and they came from every nation; that’s what the Spirit does! The most essential & life-giving thing we can ever bless anyone with is the gospel which will change their lives now & take them to heaven, not hell, forever. So this witnessing is the first result of the Spirit’s anointing, says Jesus, and Isaiah 61 too…
This is sadly controversial, so can I underline it! It grieved me a while ago to hear a former archbishop quote the phrase attributed (probably falsely) to Francis of Assisi, `Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words.` That’s unbiblical, and each time we hear it we should recognize a woeful surrender to our surrounding culture’s postmodern mindset that, because it’s lost its faith in God, has lost its confidence in truth and in words. We won’t find anywhere in the Bible where `preach ` means anything but share the words of life-giving truth. It’s `what was preached… the message of the cross`, that saves (1 Cor 1:17,21-24). Giving in to postmodernism can kill our evangelism. God’s Word says here, `The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because` – first of all – `the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news…`
And then secondly: He’s passionate to bring that good news to the poor. Some of us may feel, Where does that leave me? I’m not poor. Does that mean God’s Spirit is not interested in me? No! (though let’s remember the camel and the needle’s eye). But God is first on the side of those in need; `poor` in whatever way – not just the financially insecure, though that’s obviously the first meaning, but also the emotionally poor, the relationally poor; wherever we realize our lack of the resources for life, the good news is Christ is here by His Spirit, His love has come, here, to show us the way forward… So Jesus loves us all!- but what He does in the gospels is go first to the poor. And in order to bless them He takes with him middle-class people, people like Peter James & John whose lives are sorted enough to have boats and also the self-worth that means they get things done; and fantastic things happen in their lives as a result. And on the way Jesus meets the rich, like the rich young ruler, and it’s clear that He loves them too. But here in Isaiah we see that Christ’s Spirit has a special heart for the poor. We aren’t living in tune with the Spirit if we have no heart for the poor!
And then: the Spirit anointed Jesus, and anoints us, `to bind up the broken-hearted; to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners` – all so life-giving! The Spirit anoints us to notice and `bind up` the broken hearted – often not with words, not this time, but by `grieving but not as others who have no hope` (1 Thess 4:13). There’s a time to share the hope that makes all the difference; but the first thing often is not words, but just being there, being the Spirit’s presence in love and prayer and practical care. And then, the Spirit anoints us to liberate through the cross, to help free, those in any kind of bondage; from guilt; from fear; from the scars of past abuse or divorce; from the occult; from things we can’t forgive that keep us imprisoned. When we’re prisoners to habits, addictions to drugs, alcohol, work, porn, to losing our temper in our family, to spending on things we can’t afford — the Spirit of Jesus is here; He’s come to liberate us, set us free, and anoint us with the truth, love and power to liberate others. And it happens! God’s power of sheer goodness floods out by the Spirit, through Jesus, now through us, setting people free, starting a whole process of glorious new creation!
Then: God’s Spirit anointed Him and now anoints us to proclaim the time of God’s favour: of God’s love, God’s goodness for us! And this was after years of tragedy & broken dreams. Maybe for us too? But Jesus has died for us, and the barrier built between us and His goodness is permanently taken away. So by the Spirit Jesus was proclaiming, and longs to say to us too and through us to those we know, I’m announcing God’s favour to you: dare to believe it! Don’t stay out of this; you may not be able to see it but He is lovingly at work, here, now; this is the time of God’s favour, God’s goodness for you! If we read Luke, we’ll see how having proclaimed these words (ch4) Jesus demonstrated them – welcoming people imprisoned by guilt about sins or their dodgy profession, by past sexual stupidities, by physical problems or past involvement with evil occult powers. Jesus does what He says, and anoints us to do the same! Again, there’s this massive sense of life-giving goodness flooding into the world…
But now something else: `The Spirit has anointed me`, says Jesus in Isaiah 61, `to proclaim the day of vengeance of our God.` The `good news for the poor` is, Jesus will come to put things permanently right; we know it needs doing, and God will not let this world, His planet, stay in the anarchy, pain and mess it’s in forever. Of course the first `day of vengeance` was the cross, when (for God genuinely `hates` sin (Isa 61:8), and it has a penalty) Jesus bore the rightful price of all our sin, and all we’ve contributed to the anarchy and pain. But we must take that forgiveness for ourselves; and if we refuse to do so, God’s judgment remains. We call it `judgment day`, and none of us want to be outside Christ when it comes. Jesus on earth spent lots of time warning us about, `proclaiming`, exactly this – and then died exactly so that we don’t have to be on the wrong side of the wall when the `day` arrives. If we’ve got any doubts at all whether we’ll be safely `in Christ` on judgment day, `Now`, as apostle Paul says quoting Isaiah, `is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation`; now is the time to see someone about it urgently… And for Jesus’ followers in our turn; many of us don’t find it easy (I don’t) `to proclaim` (urgently!) `the day of vengeance of our God.` It needs prayer, maybe even verbal practice with friends; we really need the Spirit’s help; but God promises here that His Spirit has come to anoint us to do – just this……
And then more: `to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise, instead of a spirit of despair…` For all those who are discouraged, miserable, despairing; again, so life-giving! On our own as humans we’re separated from God’s goodness, and we’re not built to live like that; Jesus is saying, It doesn’t have to be that way, I’ve died for you, the barrier is gone, things are changing, come to me. Does that mean everything instantly put right? No, but what the Spirit is doing is getting as much heaven on earth as is possible, and Jesus says to us, I love you, come & be part of this process. This was what happened when Jesus came, anointed by the Spirit, and this is what the Spirit desires to do through us: holding out God’s love and faith and hope wherever there is pain, and hurt, and darkness…
And lastly, the Spirit anointed Jesus, and anoints us, to offer renewal to whole communities. The people living by God’s Spirit `will rebuild the ancient ruins, and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities, that have been devastated for generations!` We need it! We’re seeing what it’s like to have our post-God society messed up, where the old idea of `neighbour` collapses, when people won’t care for each other. But the more there is of Jesus’ Spirit, Jesus’ living presence, in us as ordinary individuals, the more we can see, one by one, the ruins renewed. And that’s what we want to be part of as a church: to live lives seeking each day to be filled with the Holy Spirit and live out the consequences of that… Each day making a tiny difference: `”Whoever believes in me”’, said Jesus, `”rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this He meant the Spirit` (John 7), and the Spirit makes the difference!
When we became Christians, reached out for God’s forgiveness and invited Him into our lives, by His Spirit He came! And Isaiah 61 is what He plans and longs to do through us, as the shape of our lives: in our home, our street, our office, wherever we’ll be tomorrow. So: can I suggest we reread it again (it’s at the top of this post) – and, where it says `me`, add in your own name, say your name. Because these are what the Spirit anointed Jesus for, and anoints you for! And then, let’s pray – and determine to pray this as a habit, every single day – that this same Holy Spirit will fill us 150%; repenting of anything that can’t coexist with His holiness; then claiming Jesus’ cast-iron guarantee (Luke 11:13) that He will, and His Spirit will do these things through us….!
