WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 –> 00:00:04.840 Today we’re going to look in Isaiah chapter 61 and 63 00:00:04.840 –> 00:00:08.320 at two visions of our Lord Jesus Christ 00:00:08.320 –> 00:00:10.340 that are recorded there. 00:00:10.340 –> 00:00:13.520 The first in chapter 61 tells us what has happened 00:00:13.520 –> 00:00:15.660 through his coming into the world. 00:00:15.660 –> 00:00:19.540 And the second in chapter 63 tells us what will happen 00:00:19.540 –> 00:00:24.540 when He comes again in power and in glory. 00:00:24.639 –> 00:00:26.320 Now the purpose of these visions 00:00:26.320 –> 00:00:29.260 is very important for us to grasp. 00:00:29.280 –> 00:00:34.279 God gave these to Isaiah to encourage God’s people 00:00:34.799 –> 00:00:38.299 when they were facing very difficult times. 00:00:38.299 –> 00:00:42.320 And that’s why I’ve called this message today, Restore Hope. 00:00:42.320 –> 00:00:46.020 I want us to see the hope that desires in Jesus Christ. 00:00:46.020 –> 00:00:50.560 Our hope has one source, but it comes from two directions. 00:00:50.560 –> 00:00:54.700 That is our hope is always and only in Jesus Christ, 00:00:54.700 –> 00:00:57.759 but it comes first from his first coming into the world, 00:00:57.759 –> 00:01:00.360 that is his birth, his death, and his resurrection. 00:01:00.360 –> 00:01:03.939 That’s what our hope is begun, but our hope is fulfilled, 00:01:03.939 –> 00:01:07.239 our hope is completed by his return in glory 00:01:07.239 –> 00:01:10.279 for which we still wait if Paul says, 00:01:10.279 –> 00:01:15.000 it’s only for this life, that we have hope in Christ. 00:01:15.000 –> 00:01:17.080 We would be the most miserable people in the world 00:01:17.080 –> 00:01:20.199 because our hope is begun, but it is not yet fulfilled. 00:01:20.199 –> 00:01:22.699 So we live in between times. 00:01:22.699 –> 00:01:26.400 Now, I want us to see then the two visions of Jesus Christ 00:01:26.480 –> 00:01:28.620 that are given to Isaiah the prophet. 00:01:29.400 –> 00:01:33.059 The first is that we find hope in the Lord Jesus Christ 00:01:33.059 –> 00:01:37.699 because he is our marvelous, compassionate Savior. 00:01:37.699 –> 00:01:40.099 That’s where your hope begins, 00:01:40.099 –> 00:01:42.480 and that’s where mine begins too. 00:01:42.480 –> 00:01:44.800 Notice what Isaiah says chapter 61, 00:01:44.800 –> 00:01:47.660 the Spirit of the Lord is on me 00:01:47.660 –> 00:01:49.820 because he has anointed me to preach good news 00:01:49.820 –> 00:01:53.040 to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted 00:01:53.040 –> 00:01:55.559 and to proclaim freedom from the captives, 00:01:55.580 –> 00:01:58.220 release from darkness for prisoners, 00:01:58.220 –> 00:02:00.940 and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor 00:02:00.940 –> 00:02:04.519 and the day of vengeance of our God. 00:02:05.440 –> 00:02:06.620 Now you need to know one or two things 00:02:06.620 –> 00:02:08.220 from the Bible in order to understand 00:02:08.220 –> 00:02:09.619 what Isaiah’s talking about. 00:02:10.759 –> 00:02:13.580 Back earlier in the old Testament, 00:02:13.580 –> 00:02:17.020 God had given some marvelous laws 00:02:17.020 –> 00:02:19.520 for the protection of the poor. 00:02:20.660 –> 00:02:22.339 Now, if you’re ever in a discussion 00:02:22.339 –> 00:02:26.899 with someone who is antagonistic towards Christianity, 00:02:26.899 –> 00:02:29.899 this is the sort of thing that you need to know 00:02:29.899 –> 00:02:32.860 and to bring out in that discussion. 00:02:32.860 –> 00:02:36.460 Did you know that in God’s law in the Old Testament, 00:02:36.460 –> 00:02:41.320 every seven years, all debts were to be canceled? 00:02:41.320 –> 00:02:43.699 That’s Leviticus chapter 15 in verse one. 00:02:43.699 –> 00:02:46.139 Imagine if that happened in this country? 00:02:46.139 –> 00:02:49.380 How many people would be happy if Visa and MasterCard 00:02:49.380 –> 00:02:51.860 every seven years cancelled all debts? 00:02:51.860 –> 00:02:54.419 Just wrote them off, said we’re back to zero. 00:02:55.740 –> 00:02:57.300 It’s hard to imagine, isn’t it? 00:02:58.199 –> 00:03:01.100 That’s what God’s law said was to happen in Israel. 00:03:01.100 –> 00:03:06.100 Second, every seven years, all slaves were to be released. 00:03:06.580 –> 00:03:10.740 That’s Leviticus chapter 25 and also chapter 15. 00:03:10.740 –> 00:03:12.720 This was very important because of course, 00:03:12.720 –> 00:03:14.940 when some people were in a position 00:03:14.940 –> 00:03:17.660 of being unable to pay off debt 00:03:17.660 –> 00:03:20.979 and they were still within the seven year period, 00:03:21.020 –> 00:03:23.080 what they would do in order to honorably 00:03:23.080 –> 00:03:26.080 fulfill their commitment was that they would work 00:03:26.080 –> 00:03:27.979 for someone to whom they owed money. 00:03:27.979 –> 00:03:28.979 They would sell their labor, 00:03:28.979 –> 00:03:31.940 in other words, as a way of paying off their debt. 00:03:31.940 –> 00:03:34.020 Now, God honored this as a reasonable way 00:03:34.020 –> 00:03:36.320 for a person to maintain their integrity 00:03:36.320 –> 00:03:38.580 and to fulfill their responsibilities. 00:03:38.580 –> 00:03:41.360 But God said, that kind of service, 00:03:41.360 –> 00:03:43.119 the paying off debt kind of service 00:03:43.119 –> 00:03:47.960 is never to last more than seven years. 00:03:48.960 –> 00:03:53.440 Now, it’s a fascinating thing that God created the cycle, 00:03:53.440 –> 00:03:57.240 the seven year cycle, in order to protect the poor. 00:03:58.399 –> 00:04:03.399 See however much you redistribute wealth in any society, 00:04:04.440 –> 00:04:08.360 there will always be some who make better use of it 00:04:08.360 –> 00:04:11.160 and some who make worse use of it. 00:04:11.160 –> 00:04:12.339 So that if in America today, 00:04:12.339 –> 00:04:14.839 we could give everyone exactly the same resource 00:04:14.839 –> 00:04:15.679 seven years from now, 00:04:15.679 –> 00:04:17.239 some would have more and some would have less, 00:04:17.239 –> 00:04:20.000 some would steward it well, someone steward it poorly. 00:04:21.079 –> 00:04:24.579 And therefore the problem of poverty is always with us, 00:04:24.579 –> 00:04:27.179 there will always be a need that is recognized 00:04:27.179 –> 00:04:29.720 in the Law of God to relieve 00:04:29.720 –> 00:04:31.799 the particular needs of the poor. 00:04:31.799 –> 00:04:32.760 That’s why Jesus said, 00:04:32.760 –> 00:04:35.339 the poor you will have with you always. 00:04:35.339 –> 00:04:40.040 This will always be an issue in human society. 00:04:41.000 –> 00:04:44.519 And God’s Law provides for 00:04:44.579 –> 00:04:48.500 the relief of, compassion towards, 00:04:48.500 –> 00:04:52.100 help for the poor in a radical way. 00:04:53.339 –> 00:04:58.339 All debts canceled, all slaves released, every seven years. 00:04:59.920 –> 00:05:01.579 By the way, you know the kind of person 00:05:01.579 –> 00:05:04.079 who wants to blame Christians for everything? 00:05:05.140 –> 00:05:06.459 Have you ever heard someone say, 00:05:06.459 –> 00:05:10.220 you know Christianity, of course, that just supports slavery. 00:05:10.220 –> 00:05:12.440 If you get that, you just say to that person 00:05:12.540 –> 00:05:14.859 because, what do you think of God’s anti-slavery laws 00:05:14.859 –> 00:05:16.299 in the Old Testament? 00:05:16.299 –> 00:05:18.059 Guarantee you, they’ll look blank 00:05:18.059 –> 00:05:20.119 and then you can point them to the Book of Leviticus 00:05:20.119 –> 00:05:24.779 and say, actually, the law of God is uniquely, 00:05:24.779 –> 00:05:29.540 in any culture, directed towards the relief of poverty 00:05:29.540 –> 00:05:31.859 and towards the help of those who’ve got themselves 00:05:31.859 –> 00:05:36.600 tied up and bound in situations they cannot get out of. 00:05:36.600 –> 00:05:40.579 There never was any other culture, either then or since, 00:05:40.579 –> 00:05:44.079 that has had any laws remotely like this. 00:05:44.940 –> 00:05:48.940 They are marvelous laws for the relief of the poor. 00:05:48.940 –> 00:05:53.399 Only the God of the Bible would legislate like this. 00:05:55.200 –> 00:05:58.679 Now, there’s a third law, the relief of all debt, 00:05:58.679 –> 00:05:59.980 the release of all slaveries, 00:05:59.980 –> 00:06:01.859 there’s a third law that was the best of all. 00:06:01.859 –> 00:06:04.500 And here I’d like to invite you to turn back 00:06:04.500 –> 00:06:06.839 to Leviticus and chapter 25 00:06:06.839 –> 00:06:09.500 so that you can see it for yourself. 00:06:09.559 –> 00:06:14.559 This is the law that related to the year of Jubilee. 00:06:14.779 –> 00:06:19.679 It’s Leviticus in chapter 25, and it begins in verse eight. 00:06:19.679 –> 00:06:21.920 And you’ll notice that God says there, 00:06:21.920 –> 00:06:25.679 “‘Count off seven Sabbaths of years,’ 00:06:25.679 –> 00:06:28.320 in other words, seven times seven years, 00:06:28.320 –> 00:06:30.079 so that the seven Sabbaths of years 00:06:30.079 –> 00:06:32.640 amount to a period of 49 years. 00:06:32.640 –> 00:06:35.000 So, there’s this cycle in which debt is relieved 00:06:35.000 –> 00:06:37.540 and slaves are released every seven years, 00:06:37.559 –> 00:06:40.100 and God says this is now to happen seven times, 00:06:40.100 –> 00:06:42.619 and that takes you to 49 years. 00:06:42.619 –> 00:06:44.779 Then, verse nine, 00:06:44.779 –> 00:06:47.859 “‘Have the trumpet sounded everywhere 00:06:47.859 –> 00:06:49.700 on the tenth day of the seventh month, 00:06:49.700 –> 00:06:50.760 on the Day of Atonement. 00:06:50.760 –> 00:06:52.920 Sound the trumpet throughout the land. 00:06:53.859 –> 00:06:57.079 Consecrate the 50th year 00:06:57.079 –> 00:06:59.779 and proclaim liberty throughout the land 00:06:59.779 –> 00:07:01.100 to all its inhabitants. 00:07:01.100 –> 00:07:05.459 It shall be a Jubilee for you. 00:07:05.459 –> 00:07:07.380 Each one of you is to return 00:07:08.320 –> 00:07:10.040 to his own family property.’” 00:07:10.040 –> 00:07:11.799 And you can read on the legislation 00:07:11.799 –> 00:07:15.459 about this remarkable Jubilee year 00:07:15.459 –> 00:07:17.859 that God said was to happen among his people 00:07:17.859 –> 00:07:20.040 once every lifetime, 00:07:20.040 –> 00:07:24.320 once every 50 years. 00:07:24.320 –> 00:07:25.859 Now, the significance of this was 00:07:25.859 –> 00:07:27.459 that of course when God’s people came 00:07:27.459 –> 00:07:29.899 into the promised land, 00:07:29.899 –> 00:07:31.739 you remember God gave to each tribe 00:07:31.739 –> 00:07:35.660 and each family a portion of the land. 00:07:35.660 –> 00:07:37.260 There was land that was given 00:07:37.600 –> 00:07:39.880 to each family, tribe, clan, 00:07:39.880 –> 00:07:44.239 apportioned by God as their inheritance. 00:07:44.239 –> 00:07:45.980 Over the years, 00:07:45.980 –> 00:07:47.619 it would, in the course of life, 00:07:47.619 –> 00:07:49.940 become necessary for some folks 00:07:49.940 –> 00:07:51.700 to sell their land. 00:07:52.559 –> 00:07:54.179 But once in every lifetime, 00:07:54.179 –> 00:07:56.220 on the 50th year God says the land 00:07:56.220 –> 00:08:00.760 must be returned to the original owners, 00:08:00.760 –> 00:08:03.399 it must go back to the family of origin, 00:08:03.399 –> 00:08:05.820 it must go back to the line 00:08:05.880 –> 00:08:08.399 to which it was given by God. 00:08:08.399 –> 00:08:10.079 And what that meant, of course, 00:08:10.079 –> 00:08:14.820 was that land in Israel could only be owned 00:08:14.820 –> 00:08:17.119 on a leasehold basis. 00:08:17.119 –> 00:08:18.480 And if you want to follow it through, 00:08:18.480 –> 00:08:21.440 you’ll see in verses 15, 16 and 17 00:08:21.440 –> 00:08:23.040 how this worked. 00:08:23.040 –> 00:08:25.940 What it meant was that the value 00:08:25.940 –> 00:08:28.239 or the price of a piece of land 00:08:28.239 –> 00:08:30.779 was determined by where you were 00:08:30.779 –> 00:08:32.960 in the 50-year cycle. 00:08:32.960 –> 00:08:36.520 If you were in year 47, 48 or 49, 00:08:36.520 –> 00:08:38.520 then the price of land being sold 00:08:38.520 –> 00:08:39.840 would be quite low, 00:08:39.840 –> 00:08:41.460 because it would only be one, two or three years 00:08:41.460 –> 00:08:43.419 until it went back to the seller, 00:08:43.419 –> 00:08:44.580 and therefore only a few years 00:08:44.580 –> 00:08:46.700 of crops before it returned. 00:08:46.700 –> 00:08:48.619 If land was being sold a couple of years 00:08:48.619 –> 00:08:50.080 after the Jubilee, 00:08:50.080 –> 00:08:51.700 the price would be much higher 00:08:51.700 –> 00:08:52.880 because there would be, you know, 00:08:52.880 –> 00:08:56.400 48, 49, 50 years of crops 00:08:56.400 –> 00:08:57.760 that could be raised on that land 00:08:57.760 –> 00:08:59.840 before it would be returned. 00:08:59.840 –> 00:09:01.260 And so verse 15 God says, 00:09:01.820 –> 00:09:03.260 you are to buy from your countrymen 00:09:03.260 –> 00:09:04.880 on the basis of the number of years 00:09:04.880 –> 00:09:06.239 since the Jubilee, 00:09:06.239 –> 00:09:07.059 verse 16, 00:09:07.059 –> 00:09:08.460 when the years are many, 00:09:08.460 –> 00:09:10.020 you increase the price, 00:09:10.020 –> 00:09:10.900 when the years are few, 00:09:10.900 –> 00:09:12.419 you decrease the price 00:09:12.419 –> 00:09:14.140 because what you’re really selling 00:09:14.140 –> 00:09:15.400 is the number of crops, 00:09:15.400 –> 00:09:18.179 the land always ultimately belong to God. 00:09:18.179 –> 00:09:19.099 So verse 17, 00:09:19.099 –> 00:09:20.619 don’t take advantage of each other 00:09:20.619 –> 00:09:21.619 but fear your God, 00:09:21.619 –> 00:09:23.320 I am the Lord, your God. 00:09:24.539 –> 00:09:26.559 Now put these together. 00:09:26.559 –> 00:09:29.599 Every seven years you blank out all debts. 00:09:29.599 –> 00:09:30.679 Every seven years, 00:09:31.200 –> 00:09:32.340 you release all slaves 00:09:32.340 –> 00:09:33.719 and once in every lifetime, 00:09:33.719 –> 00:09:35.059 once every 50 years, 00:09:35.059 –> 00:09:36.419 land that has been bought or sold, 00:09:36.419 –> 00:09:40.000 all returns to the original family of origin, 00:09:40.000 –> 00:09:42.200 the original owners. 00:09:42.200 –> 00:09:45.900 These are marvelously compassionate laws. 00:09:47.900 –> 00:09:50.140 They placed a check among God’s people 00:09:50.140 –> 00:09:51.539 on the growing power 00:09:51.539 –> 00:09:54.400 of those who had accumulated wealth, 00:09:54.400 –> 00:09:58.039 they made sure that the children of wealthy people 00:09:58.039 –> 00:09:59.659 did not kinda float through life 00:09:59.760 –> 00:10:01.659 on massive accumulated inheritance 00:10:01.659 –> 00:10:03.200 but rather had to find their own way 00:10:03.200 –> 00:10:05.520 and earn like everybody else 00:10:05.520 –> 00:10:07.280 and they gave a new start most of all 00:10:07.280 –> 00:10:08.919 to the poor and the oppressed 00:10:08.919 –> 00:10:12.640 and it happened once in every lifetime. 00:10:14.039 –> 00:10:16.140 Now I want us to understand here 00:10:16.140 –> 00:10:18.059 that no other culture 00:10:18.059 –> 00:10:21.059 had laws remotely like this, 00:10:21.059 –> 00:10:25.080 no other country has ever had laws like these 00:10:25.080 –> 00:10:26.320 but God says to his people, 00:10:26.320 –> 00:10:31.320 You’re my people and this is what I’m telling you to do. 00:10:33.119 –> 00:10:34.200 Now let’s take a step back. 00:10:34.200 –> 00:10:36.760 How would you have liked to live under these laws? 00:10:38.200 –> 00:10:39.479 See, you’ve gotta think about that 00:10:39.479 –> 00:10:41.799 because a lot depends on 00:10:41.799 –> 00:10:44.799 whether you would happen to be a borrower 00:10:44.799 –> 00:10:47.359 or whether you would happen to be a lender. 00:10:48.840 –> 00:10:51.900 These laws were great for debtors 00:10:53.119 –> 00:10:55.599 but these laws were incredibly costly 00:10:56.400 –> 00:10:57.659 for creditors. 00:10:59.640 –> 00:11:02.799 Now, God gave these laws to Moses remember, 00:11:02.799 –> 00:11:04.479 for his Old Testament people 00:11:04.479 –> 00:11:06.559 when they were in the land of Israel 00:11:06.559 –> 00:11:08.119 and he’s telling them what they’re to do 00:11:08.119 –> 00:11:12.479 when they inherit the Promised Land coming into Canaan. 00:11:12.479 –> 00:11:14.320 And he says when you come into the Promised Land 00:11:14.320 –> 00:11:15.799 here is what you are to do. 00:11:15.799 –> 00:11:17.640 Every 50 years sound the trumpet 00:11:17.640 –> 00:11:22.640 and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. 00:11:23.559 –> 00:11:27.900 Now, how often do you think this happened? 00:11:28.979 –> 00:11:33.979 Answer never, nada, not once, no one’s. 00:11:39.520 –> 00:11:41.679 Couple of great Hebrew historians 00:11:41.679 –> 00:11:43.979 who’ve done great research into this 00:11:43.979 –> 00:11:45.219 make this comment in a book, 00:11:45.219 –> 00:11:46.460 The Feast of the Lord. 00:11:46.460 –> 00:11:49.559 There is no historical record either in the Bible 00:11:49.559 –> 00:11:51.960 or beyond the Bible of Israel 00:11:51.960 –> 00:11:56.000 ever once observing the jubilee year. 00:11:56.000 –> 00:11:58.859 And it’s not difficult to work out why, is it? 00:11:59.760 –> 00:12:03.239 The folks with the power were also the folks with the money, 00:12:03.239 –> 00:12:05.280 it always seems to work out like that, 00:12:05.280 –> 00:12:06.400 and when the folks with the power 00:12:06.400 –> 00:12:08.020 who are also the folks with the money 00:12:08.020 –> 00:12:10.880 look at what the jubilee’s actually gonna cost them, 00:12:11.799 –> 00:12:14.919 they say, let’s not sound the trumpet, 00:12:15.979 –> 00:12:17.400 we’ll do it in seven years, 00:12:18.340 –> 00:12:20.500 and so the trumpet never sounded. 00:12:21.780 –> 00:12:25.799 God’s people never once obeyed this law, 00:12:27.940 –> 00:12:29.419 and so by the time of Isaiah, 00:12:29.419 –> 00:12:30.780 understand that God’s people 00:12:30.780 –> 00:12:34.640 had now been in the land 700 years, 00:12:35.500 –> 00:12:36.840 so by the time of Isaiah, 00:12:36.840 –> 00:12:40.059 there should have been 14 different jubilees, 00:12:41.340 –> 00:12:43.099 and there hadn’t been a single one, 00:12:44.140 –> 00:12:45.580 the trumpet had never sounded, 00:12:45.580 –> 00:12:48.039 the year of God’s favor was never proclaimed, 00:12:48.039 –> 00:12:50.299 which is why the Old Testament prophets 00:12:50.299 –> 00:12:52.320 are so scathing on the way in which 00:12:52.320 –> 00:12:54.140 the rich were oppressing the poor, 00:12:54.140 –> 00:12:58.119 they simply systematically ignored the law of God 00:12:58.119 –> 00:13:00.179 when it was going to be costly to them. 00:13:02.200 –> 00:13:04.440 Now, none of this should surprise us, 00:13:05.299 –> 00:13:06.780 because you only need to think 00:13:06.780 –> 00:13:09.780 about the implementation of these laws, 00:13:11.299 –> 00:13:14.539 and you quickly realize they could only 00:13:14.539 –> 00:13:18.599 work in a community of people who really loved God 00:13:18.599 –> 00:13:20.539 with all their heart, soul, mind and strength 00:13:20.539 –> 00:13:24.700 and loved their neighbor as much as themselves. 00:13:27.119 –> 00:13:29.820 And Old Testament Israel wasn’t that society, 00:13:31.979 –> 00:13:34.200 and there never has been a culture 00:13:35.260 –> 00:13:37.700 where this has been put into operation. 00:13:39.820 –> 00:13:43.020 What God’s perfect law does 00:13:44.000 –> 00:13:47.140 is it shows us our own inner selfishness. 00:13:48.619 –> 00:13:50.419 It shows us what we really are 00:13:50.419 –> 00:13:54.739 and it proves how much we need to be redeemed. 00:13:55.640 –> 00:13:57.380 So, now back to Isaiah 61. 00:14:00.059 –> 00:14:02.900 As the poor are oppressed, 00:14:02.900 –> 00:14:06.880 and as the insensitivity towards their need 00:14:06.880 –> 00:14:10.239 continues generation after generation, 00:14:10.239 –> 00:14:12.080 God says, 00:14:13.099 –> 00:14:15.460 someone’s going to come who’s anointed 00:14:15.460 –> 00:14:17.260 to preach good news to the poor. 00:14:18.440 –> 00:14:21.239 In verse two, this person is going to proclaim 00:14:21.239 –> 00:14:23.020 the year of the Lord’s favor. 00:14:24.219 –> 00:14:26.340 He’s gonna sound the trumpet, 00:14:26.340 –> 00:14:29.520 he’s going to bring in the jubilee 00:14:29.520 –> 00:14:34.400 that has never once happened in all the history of Israel. 00:14:34.400 –> 00:14:35.799 Well, of course, that raises the question, 00:14:35.799 –> 00:14:36.919 who’s he talking about? 00:14:37.840 –> 00:14:39.640 Well, now would you turn forward in your Bible 00:14:39.640 –> 00:14:42.000 to Luke’s Gospel, in Chapter 4. 00:14:42.000 –> 00:14:44.719 This will be familiar to many of us, I think. 00:14:44.719 –> 00:14:48.299 Luke’s Gospel and chapter 4, 00:14:50.719 –> 00:14:53.719 because it’s very significant that the Lord Jesus Christ 00:14:53.719 –> 00:14:56.840 chose these words from Isaiah 00:14:56.840 –> 00:15:00.599 to launch his own public ministry. 00:15:01.520 –> 00:15:05.000 Chapter 4 in verse 17, try and picture the setting. 00:15:05.000 –> 00:15:08.299 The Lord Jesus Christ is in the synagogue. 00:15:08.299 –> 00:15:11.739 In verse 17, the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah 00:15:11.799 –> 00:15:14.380 is handed to Jesus. 00:15:14.380 –> 00:15:18.099 Unrolling it, he finds, so he chose the reading, 00:15:18.099 –> 00:15:20.000 he finds the place where it is written, 00:15:20.000 –> 00:15:21.919 the Spirit of the Lord is upon me 00:15:21.919 –> 00:15:24.940 because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor 00:15:24.940 –> 00:15:29.039 and to proclaim, verse 19, the year of God’s favor. 00:15:30.500 –> 00:15:33.880 So, Jesus applies this to himself. 00:15:33.880 –> 00:15:37.119 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, he’s saying. 00:15:37.119 –> 00:15:39.700 To proclaim the year of God’s favor, 00:15:39.739 –> 00:15:42.919 to bring in the jubilee that has never once been known 00:15:42.919 –> 00:15:44.919 in all the history of God’s people. 00:15:46.280 –> 00:15:48.940 Then, follow what it says, Jesus rolled up the scroll 00:15:48.940 –> 00:15:51.080 and he gave it back to the attendant and sat down 00:15:51.080 –> 00:15:52.640 and the eyes of everyone in the synagogue 00:15:52.640 –> 00:15:54.859 were fastened on him and he began, 00:15:54.859 –> 00:15:56.900 first public utterance of Jesus, 00:15:58.020 –> 00:16:00.640 he began by saying today, 00:16:00.640 –> 00:16:05.520 this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. 00:16:06.460 –> 00:16:08.460 That’s marvelous. 00:16:08.460 –> 00:16:13.460 Christ says, they haven’t proclaimed the jubilee once 00:16:15.000 –> 00:16:17.619 and you know what, they never will, 00:16:18.700 –> 00:16:19.619 but, I will do it. 00:16:20.780 –> 00:16:24.460 I have come to proclaim the year of God’s favor. 00:16:24.460 –> 00:16:26.140 In other words, Jesus is saying, 00:16:26.140 –> 00:16:27.679 I have come to do for you, 00:16:27.679 –> 00:16:29.640 what you would never do for each other, 00:16:30.739 –> 00:16:34.119 to cancel every debt that you owe to God, 00:16:34.960 –> 00:16:37.859 to set you free from the slavery 00:16:37.859 –> 00:16:41.020 that you know to the power of sin and Satan, 00:16:41.020 –> 00:16:43.359 and to give back to you the inheritance 00:16:43.359 –> 00:16:47.000 that Adam lost, that is, the inheritance of joy 00:16:47.000 –> 00:16:50.179 and life in his presence forever and forever. 00:16:50.179 –> 00:16:51.880 That is the promise of the gospel. 00:16:52.820 –> 00:16:56.020 It is the most marvelous good news, 00:16:56.020 –> 00:16:57.940 but remember, when you think about 00:16:57.940 –> 00:17:01.679 the year of God’s favor, that is such a blessing to us 00:17:01.900 –> 00:17:04.859 that we celebrate in our worship every week 00:17:04.859 –> 00:17:07.619 comes at incredible cost to Him. 00:17:07.619 –> 00:17:11.520 If you write off a debt, you incur a loss 00:17:11.520 –> 00:17:14.439 in the amount of that debt yourself. 00:17:14.439 –> 00:17:17.160 And when Jesus comes to proclaim the Jubilee 00:17:17.160 –> 00:17:20.160 and to write off all our debts towards God, 00:17:20.160 –> 00:17:24.060 it means that God is incurring that debt in Himself, 00:17:24.060 –> 00:17:26.400 and this is why Jesus went to the cross. 00:17:27.640 –> 00:17:30.560 He bore the loss to cancel our debts, 00:17:30.560 –> 00:17:35.219 to set us free and to restore our inheritance. 00:17:35.219 –> 00:17:40.219 God cancelling debts, God freeing slaves, 00:17:41.719 –> 00:17:44.140 God restoring inheritances. 00:17:44.140 –> 00:17:47.599 In Christ, that’s the gospel. 00:17:49.640 –> 00:17:50.959 Now, I want you to notice 00:17:50.959 –> 00:17:53.319 and this is marvelous when you see it, 00:17:54.160 –> 00:17:58.239 I want you to notice if you look between Luke Chapter Four 00:17:58.239 –> 00:18:01.479 and back to Isaiah Chapter 61, 00:18:01.479 –> 00:18:05.579 I want you to notice where Jesus stopped 00:18:05.579 –> 00:18:08.079 in his reading on that Sabbath 00:18:08.079 –> 00:18:12.479 when he inaugurated his public ministry. 00:18:12.479 –> 00:18:14.760 Let’s look at Chapter 61 in verse two. 00:18:15.800 –> 00:18:20.079 The Anointed One will proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor 00:18:21.000 –> 00:18:25.560 and the day of vengeance of our God. 00:18:26.560 –> 00:18:31.560 Turn over to Luke 4 and you see where Jesus stopped 00:18:32.079 –> 00:18:34.319 to proclaim verse 19, 00:18:34.319 –> 00:18:38.020 the year of the Lord’s favor period. 00:18:39.040 –> 00:18:41.280 In other words, when Jesus was reading from the scroll, 00:18:41.280 –> 00:18:43.699 he stopped mid-sentence. 00:18:44.680 –> 00:18:47.579 He stopped halfway through what Isaiah was saying. 00:18:47.579 –> 00:18:49.540 You say, why in all the world, 00:18:49.540 –> 00:18:51.199 when Jesus was choosing the reading, 00:18:51.199 –> 00:18:54.420 did he stop in the middle of a sentence 00:18:54.420 –> 00:18:57.040 and say, I come to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor? 00:18:57.040 –> 00:18:59.060 Why didn’t he finish the sentence? 00:19:01.880 –> 00:19:03.020 Because he went on to say, 00:19:03.020 –> 00:19:07.959 today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. 00:19:09.239 –> 00:19:12.099 Thank God that when Jesus came into the world, 00:19:12.099 –> 00:19:14.140 born as a baby through his death 00:19:14.140 –> 00:19:15.439 and through his resurrection, 00:19:15.439 –> 00:19:18.900 he brought in the year of the Lord’s favor. 00:19:18.900 –> 00:19:23.040 He did not at that time bring in the day of God’s vengeance. 00:19:23.040 –> 00:19:24.560 I say thank God for that. 00:19:24.560 –> 00:19:27.239 Because if Jesus had brought in the day of God’s vengeance 00:19:27.239 –> 00:19:28.739 in his first coming into the world, 00:19:28.739 –> 00:19:30.380 none of us would be here today. 00:19:31.739 –> 00:19:32.719 The world, as we know it, 00:19:32.719 –> 00:19:34.520 would have ended 2,000 years ago 00:19:34.520 –> 00:19:36.599 in a blitz of God’s judgment. 00:19:38.400 –> 00:19:41.400 So Jesus stops halfway through what Isaiah says, 00:19:41.400 –> 00:19:42.520 mid-sentence, 00:19:43.640 –> 00:19:45.520 I’m the compassionate Savior 00:19:45.520 –> 00:19:48.400 that’s coming to bring this freedom from debt 00:19:48.400 –> 00:19:52.800 and release from slavery to sin and to restore inheritance. 00:19:53.339 –> 00:19:57.060 You say, well, what about the day of God’s vengeance? 00:19:58.400 –> 00:20:01.339 Well, Jesus spoke about that too. 00:20:01.339 –> 00:20:04.619 John chapter five and verse 28, 00:20:04.619 –> 00:20:06.459 he said a time is coming 00:20:07.719 –> 00:20:09.180 when those who are in their graves 00:20:09.180 –> 00:20:10.619 will hear the voice of God 00:20:10.619 –> 00:20:13.579 and those who have done good will rise to live 00:20:13.579 –> 00:20:17.239 and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. 00:20:17.239 –> 00:20:19.280 Jesus said that time is coming. 00:20:20.500 –> 00:20:21.900 It has not come yet. 00:20:22.140 –> 00:20:25.359 So, Isaiah sees this coming anointed one 00:20:25.359 –> 00:20:28.140 bringing both the year of God’s favor 00:20:28.140 –> 00:20:29.979 and the day of God’s vengeance 00:20:29.979 –> 00:20:32.579 almost like looking at a mountain 00:20:32.579 –> 00:20:33.739 and you think it’s one mountain. 00:20:33.739 –> 00:20:36.459 Actually, it’s two mountains, one behind the other 00:20:36.459 –> 00:20:39.599 and we’re living right in between times 00:20:39.599 –> 00:20:41.300 in the day of God’s favor 00:20:42.459 –> 00:20:46.839 not yet having reached the day of God’s vengeance. 00:20:48.180 –> 00:20:49.380 That’s the incredible privilege 00:20:49.380 –> 00:20:51.660 that is ours as Christian believers 00:20:52.739 –> 00:20:56.020 in His first coming He brings in the year. 00:20:56.020 –> 00:20:58.800 Notice the emphasis there, the year of God’s favor. 00:21:00.099 –> 00:21:02.739 In His second coming He will bring in the day 00:21:04.180 –> 00:21:05.459 of God’s vengeance. 00:21:05.459 –> 00:21:07.219 Ray Austland puts it this way. 00:21:07.219 –> 00:21:11.699 Christ fulfills all the Old Testament prophecies 00:21:11.699 –> 00:21:15.300 but He doesn’t fulfill them all at the same time. 00:21:15.300 –> 00:21:16.140 That gets it. 00:21:17.699 –> 00:21:21.239 So, that’s why I want us to look in this last part today 00:21:21.239 –> 00:21:24.619 at the second vision that is given to Isaiah 00:21:24.619 –> 00:21:27.739 because hope is begun through the coming 00:21:27.739 –> 00:21:31.239 of the compassionate Savior into the world. 00:21:31.239 –> 00:21:33.640 But our world is very, very far 00:21:33.640 –> 00:21:36.180 from what God purposes the new heaven 00:21:36.180 –> 00:21:37.439 and the new earth to be. 00:21:37.439 –> 00:21:40.599 And therefore, we need also chapter 63 00:21:40.599 –> 00:21:44.000 that speaks of how our hope will be fulfilled 00:21:44.000 –> 00:21:47.000 in the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:21:48.280 –> 00:21:49.219 So, we’ve looked at hope 00:21:49.339 –> 00:21:51.739 that comes from a compassionate Savior. 00:21:51.739 –> 00:21:55.099 I want us to see now hope that will be fulfilled 00:21:55.099 –> 00:21:59.180 in the return of a conquering warrior, chapter 63. 00:22:02.300 –> 00:22:04.400 Isaiah is seeing another vision now. 00:22:05.699 –> 00:22:09.380 And he says, verse 1, who is this? 00:22:10.780 –> 00:22:14.239 Who is this coming out of Edom? 00:22:15.680 –> 00:22:16.979 I think, what in all the world is this? 00:22:16.979 –> 00:22:18.819 Well, one simple thing to understand 00:22:19.300 –> 00:22:20.500 and then you’ll get the picture. 00:22:21.459 –> 00:22:26.459 The Edomites were the ancient and constant enemies 00:22:26.680 –> 00:22:29.020 of the people of God. 00:22:29.020 –> 00:22:31.420 They were descended from Esau, 00:22:31.420 –> 00:22:34.020 and you may remember that back in the Old Testament, 00:22:34.020 –> 00:22:37.719 in the Book of Genesis, Esau was a godless man. 00:22:37.719 –> 00:22:40.040 He is described in that way in the Book of Hebrews 00:22:40.040 –> 00:22:42.339 in chapter 12 and verse 16. 00:22:42.339 –> 00:22:47.339 Edom was descended from Esau, who despised his birthright, 00:22:47.540 –> 00:22:49.420 despised the things of God, 00:22:49.420 –> 00:22:52.119 and so as you go on in the story of the Bible, 00:22:52.119 –> 00:22:57.119 Edom comes to represent antagonism towards God, 00:22:58.060 –> 00:23:00.119 hatred towards God’s people, 00:23:00.119 –> 00:23:03.459 all manifestations of evil and mankind 00:23:03.459 –> 00:23:06.500 in his rebellion against God. 00:23:06.500 –> 00:23:08.500 By the way, quick Christmas application. 00:23:09.579 –> 00:23:12.579 You remember that after the first Christmas 00:23:13.619 –> 00:23:16.500 there was an evil king who did a dreadful thing 00:23:17.880 –> 00:23:22.880 He was so incensed with hatred towards the Christ 00:23:23.459 –> 00:23:25.119 who was said to have been born 00:23:26.660 –> 00:23:30.599 that the very thought of this launched him 00:23:30.599 –> 00:23:35.060 in a murderous campaign in which he took the lives 00:23:35.060 –> 00:23:38.420 of every child under the age of two 00:23:38.420 –> 00:23:40.540 in Bethlehem and its vicinity. 00:23:40.540 –> 00:23:42.280 You remember that story? 00:23:42.280 –> 00:23:43.959 King Herod. 00:23:44.780 –> 00:23:48.060 But it is a fact of history 00:23:48.959 –> 00:23:52.040 that Herod was an Edomite. 00:23:53.040 –> 00:23:54.939 It was one of the reasons he was hated so much. 00:23:54.939 –> 00:23:56.439 He was a foreigner in rule 00:23:56.439 –> 00:23:58.199 over the people of God at the time. 00:24:00.079 –> 00:24:02.760 And Edom throughout the Bible, 00:24:02.760 –> 00:24:06.739 it speaks of the kind of darkness, 00:24:06.739 –> 00:24:10.719 atrocity, oppression, violence, terrorism 00:24:10.719 –> 00:24:13.000 that plagued the people of God 00:24:13.020 –> 00:24:15.300 and made life and their world miserable 00:24:15.300 –> 00:24:19.959 year after year and generation after generation. 00:24:19.959 –> 00:24:23.520 Edom was the constant enemy of God’s people, 00:24:23.520 –> 00:24:27.119 Edom was antagonistic towards the living God. 00:24:29.119 –> 00:24:33.280 But now Isaiah says who is this coming from Edom? 00:24:34.660 –> 00:24:37.800 From Bosra, now Bosra was the capital of Edom, 00:24:39.040 –> 00:24:41.819 with his garments stained crimson. 00:24:42.660 –> 00:24:46.660 So get the picture, Isaiah is seeing someone come out 00:24:46.660 –> 00:24:50.300 of this country of Edom, he’s coming towards Jerusalem. 00:24:51.180 –> 00:24:53.579 And this figure that Isaiah sees, 00:24:53.579 –> 00:24:56.099 he looks absolutely magnificent. 00:24:56.099 –> 00:24:59.319 He is obviously a hero, he is a champion. 00:24:59.319 –> 00:25:01.839 He is robed verse one in splendor 00:25:01.839 –> 00:25:06.800 and he is striding forward in the greatness of his strength. 00:25:08.339 –> 00:25:10.500 Now as Isaiah looks and centers this figure 00:25:10.520 –> 00:25:12.459 coming towards him out of Edom, 00:25:12.459 –> 00:25:15.420 it is immediately obvious that he has been involved 00:25:15.420 –> 00:25:17.819 in some dreadful kind of a fight, 00:25:19.020 –> 00:25:23.099 that’s obvious because his clothes are spattered in blood. 00:25:24.260 –> 00:25:28.500 So Isaiah asks verse one, why are your garments red? 00:25:28.500 –> 00:25:32.099 You look like someone who has been treading a wine press. 00:25:32.099 –> 00:25:35.300 The red grapes and someone who was treading a wine press, 00:25:35.300 –> 00:25:37.339 imagine what their clothes would look like 00:25:37.339 –> 00:25:39.180 if they were treading out grapes. 00:25:39.260 –> 00:25:41.540 Isaiah says, this is what he looked like, 00:25:41.540 –> 00:25:43.760 his clothes are all spattered red. 00:25:45.199 –> 00:25:47.420 Now this warrior who’s coming out of Edom, 00:25:47.420 –> 00:25:48.959 what else do we know about him? 00:25:48.959 –> 00:25:52.979 He clearly won the fight that he was in 00:25:52.979 –> 00:25:56.160 because the blood on his clothes is not his own blood, 00:25:57.000 –> 00:25:58.599 it is the blood of his enemies. 00:25:58.599 –> 00:26:01.300 Verse three, I trampled them in my anger 00:26:01.300 –> 00:26:03.359 and trod them down in my wrath. 00:26:03.359 –> 00:26:07.400 Their blood spattered my garments. 00:26:08.400 –> 00:26:10.660 So you see the picture now that’s emerging. 00:26:10.660 –> 00:26:14.859 Isaiah’s seeing in this vision a champion, 00:26:14.859 –> 00:26:19.859 a warrior who is coming striding victorious out of Edom. 00:26:21.439 –> 00:26:24.920 Having gone in there to the place of the enemies of God, 00:26:24.920 –> 00:26:28.199 he’s gone in single-handed, he’s on his own. 00:26:28.199 –> 00:26:32.400 He’s gone in like a kind of David against Goliath. 00:26:32.400 –> 00:26:34.439 And you think one man, however great he is, 00:26:34.459 –> 00:26:36.439 going into all the power of Edom, 00:26:36.439 –> 00:26:41.000 all the forces of darkness and evil of this world, 00:26:41.000 –> 00:26:43.459 he’s never gonna come out of there alive! 00:26:44.859 –> 00:26:46.160 But here he comes. 00:26:47.260 –> 00:26:50.540 And Isaiah sees that his clothes are spattered, 00:26:51.719 –> 00:26:54.819 not with his own blood, but with the blood of his enemies. 00:26:54.819 –> 00:26:56.760 And Isaiah says, as you could imagine, 00:26:56.760 –> 00:26:58.859 he says well, who is this? 00:26:58.859 –> 00:26:59.859 Who is this? 00:27:00.859 –> 00:27:03.979 Christians know who this is 00:27:05.040 –> 00:27:10.040 because John the Apostle was given 00:27:10.540 –> 00:27:13.939 exactly the same vision as Isaiah 00:27:13.939 –> 00:27:15.760 in the book of Revelation. 00:27:17.540 –> 00:27:18.920 If you turn to it with me, 00:27:18.920 –> 00:27:22.260 you’ll see that in Revelation and chapter 19. 00:27:22.260 –> 00:27:25.180 Revelation and chapter 19, 00:27:25.180 –> 00:27:28.599 nearly at the end of the Bible, 00:27:29.900 –> 00:27:33.099 and here’s what John the Apostle sees 00:27:34.380 –> 00:27:39.380 as he is given a glimpse of Jesus Christ coming in glory. 00:27:40.359 –> 00:27:42.199 John 19-11. 00:27:42.199 –> 00:27:46.540 I saw heaven, he says, standing open. 00:27:46.540 –> 00:27:48.920 And there before me was a white horse 00:27:48.920 –> 00:27:51.859 whose rider is called Faithful and True. 00:27:52.880 –> 00:27:54.300 Verse 13. 00:27:54.300 –> 00:27:59.319 The rider of this horse is dressed in a robe dipped in blood 00:27:59.560 –> 00:28:03.719 and his name is the Word of God. 00:28:03.719 –> 00:28:04.880 Verse 15. 00:28:04.880 –> 00:28:08.400 He treads the wine press of the fury 00:28:08.400 –> 00:28:10.599 of the wrath of God almighty. 00:28:10.599 –> 00:28:12.540 And on his robe and on his thigh, 00:28:12.540 –> 00:28:17.540 he has a name written King of kings and Lord of lords. 00:28:21.260 –> 00:28:26.260 Isaiah saw, John saw, Jesus Christ. 00:28:26.260 –> 00:28:31.260 Isaiah sees him first as the compassionate Savior, 00:28:32.859 –> 00:28:36.079 canceling debts, releasing slaves, 00:28:36.079 –> 00:28:37.979 restoring lost inheritance. 00:28:37.979 –> 00:28:39.380 That’s chapter 61. 00:28:39.380 –> 00:28:43.199 Then in chapter 63, he sees the same Lord, Jesus Christ 00:28:43.199 –> 00:28:47.819 as the conquering warrior, as the sovereign Lord. 00:28:48.819 –> 00:28:52.619 See, he’s not one or the other, he’s both. 00:28:52.760 –> 00:28:57.239 And that’s where the hope of Christian people is found, 00:28:57.239 –> 00:29:00.880 in knowing Jesus Christ your compassionate Savior, 00:29:00.880 –> 00:29:04.699 who is also your conquering warrior. 00:29:05.900 –> 00:29:09.959 Now, why did God give Isaiah this vision? 00:29:09.959 –> 00:29:12.060 Let’s try and bring it nearer to us now. 00:29:13.199 –> 00:29:15.560 Well, look back to the chapter we just skipped over, 00:29:15.560 –> 00:29:17.420 Chapter 62 of Isaiah. 00:29:18.859 –> 00:29:21.760 And you’ll see there what’s going on. 00:29:21.760 –> 00:29:24.219 God’s people are discouraged. 00:29:25.339 –> 00:29:27.699 They’ve been longing for God’s blessing 00:29:27.699 –> 00:29:29.060 to come on their nation, 00:29:30.300 –> 00:29:32.760 but they’ve been losing hope. 00:29:32.760 –> 00:29:35.459 Verse six, faithful people have been asking 00:29:35.459 –> 00:29:37.380 for God’s blessing, calling on the Lord, 00:29:37.380 –> 00:29:39.680 giving Him no rest, longing for Him 00:29:39.680 –> 00:29:42.160 to establish Jerusalem and to make her 00:29:42.160 –> 00:29:43.859 the praise of the earth. 00:29:45.119 –> 00:29:46.380 But it hasn’t happened. 00:29:47.319 –> 00:29:48.859 And the enemies of God’s people 00:29:48.859 –> 00:29:51.119 who are always supremely confident, 00:29:51.180 –> 00:29:53.040 have you noticed that, people who do not believe 00:29:53.040 –> 00:29:57.160 are so confident in their rejection of God? 00:29:58.439 –> 00:30:01.339 And the enemies of God’s people are saying 00:30:01.339 –> 00:30:02.920 in verse four, well you who believe, 00:30:02.920 –> 00:30:05.000 you’re deserted, there’s no future for the church, 00:30:05.000 –> 00:30:06.760 you’re desolate, I mean you’re down and out, 00:30:06.760 –> 00:30:08.920 I mean really the culture’s moving away from you. 00:30:08.920 –> 00:30:10.739 You’ve no chance, you’ve no future. 00:30:11.920 –> 00:30:14.479 And watchman, verse six, are posted now 00:30:14.479 –> 00:30:17.219 on the walls of Jerusalem, and they’re looking out 00:30:17.219 –> 00:30:18.719 and they’re longing and they’re waiting 00:30:18.719 –> 00:30:20.300 and they’re praying and they’re hoping 00:30:20.420 –> 00:30:22.239 and they’re asking God to do something 00:30:22.239 –> 00:30:23.900 to bless their country. 00:30:26.099 –> 00:30:29.800 And suddenly someone comes out of Eden. 00:30:32.099 –> 00:30:33.699 And someone says, who’s this? 00:30:35.560 –> 00:30:37.380 Suddenly everyone has hope. 00:30:39.180 –> 00:30:41.640 Who is this, someone has gone in there 00:30:43.780 –> 00:30:48.540 and dealt with the evil 00:30:49.459 –> 00:30:53.619 that plagues our lives and our world. 00:30:55.699 –> 00:30:58.219 Two thousand years after the coming of Jesus 00:31:00.260 –> 00:31:01.760 we’re exactly where the watchmen 00:31:01.760 –> 00:31:04.579 were on the walls of Jerusalem. 00:31:07.060 –> 00:31:11.619 We have acts of evil and violence and terrorism 00:31:11.619 –> 00:31:14.219 and war and hatred and crime 00:31:14.219 –> 00:31:16.219 that make us look at our world 00:31:16.819 –> 00:31:19.500 and say, how long, oh Lord? 00:31:22.099 –> 00:31:25.699 And how do you keep going as a Christian believer 00:31:25.699 –> 00:31:27.900 when you’ve been praying, 00:31:27.900 –> 00:31:29.739 but honestly you feel discouraged, 00:31:29.739 –> 00:31:31.439 you feel jaded, you feel defeated, 00:31:31.439 –> 00:31:33.339 you look at the world and just say, 00:31:33.339 –> 00:31:35.380 this, this so far from heaven. 00:31:37.939 –> 00:31:42.939 See, hope comes when we grasp both of Isaiah’s visions. 00:31:47.060 –> 00:31:48.859 The writer to the Hebrews puts it this way. 00:31:48.859 –> 00:31:50.979 He says, you know, when we’re looking at the world, 00:31:50.979 –> 00:31:53.060 this is Hebrews 2 in verse nine, 00:31:54.339 –> 00:31:55.459 when we’re looking at the world, 00:31:55.459 –> 00:31:58.260 we do not see everything subject to Jesus. 00:32:00.000 –> 00:32:02.439 We see the evil, the atrocities of this world, 00:32:02.439 –> 00:32:04.680 we do not see everything subject to Jesus. 00:32:06.900 –> 00:32:08.040 But what we do see, 00:32:08.040 –> 00:32:10.219 and he’s talking now about Christian believers, 00:32:10.219 –> 00:32:11.819 what we do see is this, 00:32:12.780 –> 00:32:17.199 we see Jesus crowned with glory and honor. 00:32:17.199 –> 00:32:19.099 See, that’s what faith sees. 00:32:20.180 –> 00:32:21.420 That’s what hope comes from. 00:32:21.420 –> 00:32:24.160 If I go in to 2009, looking at this world, 00:32:24.160 –> 00:32:28.819 I will quickly become imploded in discouragement. 00:32:28.819 –> 00:32:32.099 But if I see Jesus crowned in glory and honor, 00:32:32.099 –> 00:32:35.939 if by faith, I have grasped the vision 00:32:35.939 –> 00:32:39.739 that this Jesus is not simply the compassionate Savior 00:32:39.760 –> 00:32:42.780 who came in to release debts and set slaves free 00:32:42.780 –> 00:32:44.380 and to restore inheritances, 00:32:44.380 –> 00:32:46.339 but he is the conquering Lord 00:32:46.339 –> 00:32:48.780 who not only has hope begun for us 00:32:48.780 –> 00:32:51.859 but one day will bring hope to fulfillment for us. 00:32:51.859 –> 00:32:55.520 When I see that, then I’m sustained in faith and in prayer. 00:32:57.739 –> 00:32:59.520 So I want you to get this picture 00:32:59.520 –> 00:33:03.060 of Christ’s triumphant in your mind. 00:33:03.060 –> 00:33:06.959 Either Christ’s blood is splattered on you 00:33:07.780 –> 00:33:12.739 or one day your blood will be splattered on him. 00:33:15.099 –> 00:33:19.319 Ultimately, every one of us knows him 00:33:20.380 –> 00:33:25.380 either as gracious savior or as terrible judge. 00:33:29.599 –> 00:33:32.079 So I want to say to you in this last weekend 00:33:32.079 –> 00:33:36.640 of this year, Christ came to save you 00:33:36.640 –> 00:33:38.479 from the day of God’s vengeance. 00:33:40.000 –> 00:33:42.000 He came to proclaim the year of God’s favor 00:33:42.000 –> 00:33:43.439 and you’re living in it now. 00:33:44.719 –> 00:33:45.800 Stop fighting Him. 00:33:47.359 –> 00:33:51.040 Stop living for the things of this world. 00:33:52.219 –> 00:33:54.119 Don’t go into another year 00:33:54.119 –> 00:33:57.260 without Jesus Christ as your Savior. 00:33:58.680 –> 00:34:00.560 Come to Him today, 00:34:00.560 –> 00:34:03.760 tell Him that you need His grace and His mercy, 00:34:04.500 –> 00:34:06.579 ask Him to be your Savior, 00:34:08.159 –> 00:34:11.620 and then surrender yourself wholly to Him 00:34:11.620 –> 00:34:15.780 as your sovereign Lord and as your King.