Good morning my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
Have you ever heard someone described as a ‘person of privilege’? Usually that means they were born, adopted or married into a wealthy family or from early in life they were given special privileges. Or it may mean they were privileged to attend special schools or hired into special jobs or blessed with a special inheritance. But even with all those special human privileges I know of a life that is far more privileged! Can you guess or imagine what that might be?
Come with me back to Jerusalem about 2700 years ago and Isaiah the prophet is receiving a message from Almighty God which describes the most privileged life of all, the greatest life possible. Listen to Isaiah 61: “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 brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God…” (Is. 61:1,2) Can you imagine saying that as a description of yourself and the ‘privileged’ life of purpose you are living?
You might recognize these as the very words Jesus Christ, God incarnate, read in the Synagogue of the town where Jesus grew up from childhood to adulthood, Nazareth. You’ll find that story in Luke 4:14-21. If you read that, you’ll notice it was on a Sabbath day that Jesus was in the Synagogue of Nazareth as we presume was His custom every Sabbath, from the time He was 12 years old. Nazareth was not a large town, so Jesus would have been well known in that small Synagogue of men, but not as anything other than a normal young man, the presumed son of Joseph the carpenter.
That’s why what happened next was historic and very significant, for when Jesus said to those in attendance that day: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21) it was about the most outrageous, significant, shocking statement young Jesus could have made. Why?
Well Isaiah’s scroll was highly revered by all Jews as one of the most important of their sacred scrolls. This particular chapter, Isaiah 61, and especially these words of the first few verses were among the most revered and valued of all Old Testament words. Why? For centuries Jews had looked forward and longed for the day God would send a special man, the Messiah, and they felt these words would not only identify the Messiah, they would clarify His life mission! So, for Jesus to declare these prophetic words were being fulfilled IN HIM that day in the Nazareth Synagogue, it was very clear that Jesus was claiming to BE the long awaited, God sent, Jewish Messiah!!
If you continue reading or listening to the dramatic audio Bible reading of Luke 4, you’ll discover the Jewish men in that Nazareth Synagogue almost immediately rose up in response to Jesus’ declaration and did what they felt was the only God honoring thing they could do. They ran Jesus out of town, seeking to kill Him for such a boastful, outrageous declaration about Himself!!
Everything changed for Jesus that day, and soon He gathered 12 men around Him and began His world changing ministry doing exactly what Isaiah 61:1,2 predicted that Messiah would do! But what about us, you might be asking? How does Isaiah 61:1,2 apply to you and me, normal people, Gentiles, living 2700 years after Isaiah wrote this and 2000 years after Jesus claimed it as identifying Him?
Do you remember that Jesus spoke about this to His disciples during the upper room Passover meal the evening before He was crucified? Jesus told them that for those people who fully trusted in Jesus and were redeemed by His shed blood, God the Father would send His Holy Spirit to live WITHIN them! (John 14:16,17,26; 16:13,14) Now could there possibly be any greater, more privileged life than God Himself living with you? Jesus explained the Holy Spirit would anoint and empower His followers for a strategic life of serving God just as the Spirit had anointed and led and empowered Jesus! (John 7:37,39; 14:12,13)
Now look again carefully at Isaiah 61:1, isn’t that a very clear description of what Jesus promised in John 14? “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news…” Do you see my friends the ultimate privileged life is living daily anointed by the Holy Spirit of God? But do you also see that this Holy Spirit anointing also brings a privileged life PURPOSE! What purpose? Isaiah wrote it clearly: “because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news.” Do you see the key word BECAUSE? The REASON the Spirit of God anoints a follower of Jesus is BECAUSE that person will need God’s powerful anointing if they are going to live a life which proclaims the glorious, good news of Jesus!
Now pause and ponder that just a moment and do you see, my friends, that Isaiah 61:1 applies to you and me and any person who is an authentic, born again, follower of Jesus Christ in our day? Is it true of YOU? Are you Holy Spirit anointed? If Yes, are you prepared to accept the rest of that powerful statement as your privileged life purpose: “because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news”? Already I can hear objections from my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends all around the world: ‘wait a moment, I’m not a preacher! I’m terrified to stand up and speak in front of a crowd! I don’t have any gift of evangelism! No, that could not possibly apply to me!’ Oh, I have good news for us all who consider ourselves redeemed followers of Jesus. God is not expecting you or me to be the next Billy Graham traveling the world and holding huge crusades!
For every Spirit anointed person our greatest privilege is to LIVE every day with the Spirit of God guiding us, teaching us, empowering us to be and do all God has for us uniquely that day. Here’s how the apostle Paul wrote it: “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, the old is gone and the new has come. All this is from God… We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal [to the world] through us. Be reconciled to God!” (2 Cor. 5:17-20) There it is my friends, living a Holy Spirit anointed life is living as an ambassador of Jesus Christ every waking moment.
Of course, ‘ambassador‘ means we live as representatives of Jesus Christ and every aspect of our lives reflect Jesus and the huge difference HE is making in our lives! Living Spirit anointed is our privilege and life mission. We proclaim the good news of God’s love for our world through every aspect of our lives! Our words, our attitudes, our choices, our lifestyle, our integrity, our trustworthiness, our reliability, our work ethic, our loving relationships, our service, our willingness to forgive when wronged, our refusal to keep any record of wrongs… the list is almost endless isn’t it?
So, I have an assignment for us… may I urge you to take your journal and write these Isaiah 61:1 words: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim the good news…” Then in bold letters write YES, IT IS TRUE FOR ME and sign your name… if you are convinced of its truth in your life. Then write HOW you are living that privileged life mission by making a list just like I gave you in the previous paragraph, and then sign and date it. Why? It will be a marker in your life journey. Years from now you’ll be able to look back on this day, 10-24-24 as a defining moment date!
And what if you had several voices with which to praise God and thank Him for His Holy Spirit in your life? Here’s a song to worship with as you write in your journal…
Today’s Scripture: Is. 61:1.
Choose below to read or listen.
 |  |
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.