Good Monday to you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
So let me ask you, on this eve of the US elections… if Jesus were physically here among us, as He was in Israel 2000 years ago, how many people do you think would seek time with Jesus today asking Him to help them navigate how to live a God honoring life in such turbulent, confusing, morally adrift times we live in today?
Over the past week we’ve been carefully working our way through one of the most powerful messages God ever gave to humanity for navigating life in our sinful world, especially at turbulent times like now. The prophet Isaiah wrote down this message from God and it has served as a guiding beacon of truth and hope for millions of people through the centuries. You’ll find it in Isaiah 61 and from the first words it calls a person to decide IF they qualify to live this message: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to…” (Is. 61:1) There it is my friends, the determining, qualifying statement. If you have the Spirit of God within you, and God has anointed you, commissioned you to make a difference in this world then Isaiah 61 is God’s clear instructions for living a God honoring life in turbulent times. If you do not have the Spirit of God within you then as you read these words you must understand they are unattainable for you apart from God.
In the past few days, we’ve been looking specifically at these words which describe the IDENTITY and MISSION, the LIFE PURPOSE of God’s people living with the Spirit of God empowering and guiding their lives: “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.” (Is. 61:3,4)
There it is friends, God’s very clear declaration of what your life and mine should be all about and the expectation of God that we will be a powerful force for good in whatever city we call home, anywhere in the world, in any generation, regardless of the political structure of our country or the leaders who are in power at any given moment in history!! Now did you get that and are you living in its power and truth in this election year in America?
As people watched Jesus, they began to get excited imagining what it would be like if He were King, and the power of the Roman empire was demolished. His miracles proved there was nothing His power was not able to accomplish. His words were comforting and visionary as He spoke about the Kingdom of God, convincing many people that He could be the greatest leader of all time. His wisdom seemed to have no limit and His connection to God was undeniable. Thus, expectations of what Jesus might accomplish grew by the day as did the crowds.
But upon closer examination, people soon began to become disheartened as they considered these words of Isaiah 61 which Jesus had declared were descriptive of HIM! (Luke 4:14-30) Oh all around them were piles of debris and plenty of broken down, devastated landscape, the remains of homes and businesses destroyed in all the turmoil of the first century. As the people hoped for Isaiah 61:4 to become reality in their days with Jesus, they were increasingly saddened because ancient ruins were NOT being REBUILT, and places long devastated were NOT being RESTORED, and cities devastated for generations were NOT being RENEWED under Jesus’ leadership!
In fact, Jesus was saying some things which deeply troubled those hoping for social revival. Once when even some of His disciples were getting anxious, Jesus set the record straight by saying: “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be servant to all. For even the Son of Man did not come into the world to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45)
Now pause for a few seconds and consider the path to greatness and influential leadership in your city, your society? How does a person get to the top, the corner office, the head table, the podium, the top dog? Consider what you’ve seen and heard in this election year?
Have the candidates earned your respect, your trust, your admiration? Have they shown you tender and sensitive hearts? Have they demonstrated clear thinking, wisdom gained through experience, maturity that has weathered storms in life? Are they the very best leader worthy of your support? Are you willing to entrust your future and your lives and the lives of your children and grandchildren to their leadership?
The leadership path Jesus advocated and modeled was the inverse of every society in the world. Jesus SERVED humbly, faithfully, quietly. He served every possible need, didn’t He? He fed hungry people and comforted grieving people. He helped worry filled and fearful people find God’s perspective and contentment. He pointed people to God’s answers in life and He showed them the only way to eternal life was with God. He never demanded His own way or His rights or that HE be revered as the leader.
In my lifetime I’ve watched followers of Jesus do the same thing in many difficult places in the world. I’ve watched towns transformed as the practical HOPE and HELP of Jesus has come into that town through God’s people living like Jesus. At the same time, I’ve watched individuals and marriages and families and neighborhoods and entire cities wallow in despair as they reject Jesus and His Truth!
I think Paul may have had Isaiah 61:4 in mind when the Holy Spirit moved Paul to write: “Serve one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Eph. 5:21) And also this in Philippians 4:3,4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” (Phil. 4:3,4) Do you see it my friends? If we’re going to ‘walk with Jesus’ and watch Isaiah 61:4 happen practically in our cities, it will be through serving humbly as Jesus served and pointing people to Jesus in every way we can.
Then as hearts and minds are changed by Jesus, families and neighborhood and entire cities will experience the REBUILDING of ancient ruins and the RESTORATION of places long devastated and the RENEWAL of ruined cities, as the power of God is unleashed pushing OUT the evil darkness which has suffocated those places and the people who live there!
So, on this election eve day… take inventory of yourself, your abilities, and the anointing of the Spirit of God upon you. What is your potential for helping your city experience Isaiah 61:4 REGARDLESS of the election results tomorrow? This song will help us focus our minds and hearts on Jesus as we seek His guidance for helping Isaiah 61:4 become reality in our day, where each of us lives.
Today’s Scripture: Isaiah 61:3, 4.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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