Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:05.320 Brothers and sisters, let's turn to Isaiah Chapter Sixty one. Isaiah Sixty one, 2 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:09.509 verses one through four. This is the word of God. Isaiah Sixty 3 00:00:09.589 --> 00:00:15.230 one, verses one through four. The spirit of the Lord Yahway is upon 4 00:00:15.349 --> 00:00:20.109 me, because Yahway has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. 5 00:00:21.030 --> 00:00:25.660 He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to 6 00:00:25.699 --> 00:00:30.339 the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to 7 00:00:30.460 --> 00:00:35.100 proclaim the year of Yahway's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, 8 00:00:35.929 --> 00:00:39.810 to comfort all who mourn, to grant to those who mourn in Zion, 9 00:00:40.289 --> 00:00:45.490 to give them a beautiful head dress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness, 10 00:00:46.049 --> 00:00:51.119 instead of mourning, the garment of praise, instead of a faint spirit, 11 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:57.159 that they may be called Oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yah way 12 00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:00.840 that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they 13 00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:06.390 shall raise up the former devastations, they shall repair the ruined cities, the 14 00:01:06.469 --> 00:01:21.060 devastations of many generations. Let's also turned to Luke Chapter Four. Luke Chapter 15 00:01:21.260 --> 00:01:26.900 Four, Verse Sixteen. And he that is Jesus, and he came to 16 00:01:26.980 --> 00:01:30.900 Nazareth, where he had been brought up and, as was his custom, 17 00:01:30.939 --> 00:01:34.730 he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath Day and he stood up to read 18 00:01:34.609 --> 00:01:40.010 and the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the 19 00:01:40.090 --> 00:01:44.409 scroll and found the place where it was written. The spirit of the Lord 20 00:01:44.489 --> 00:01:48.400 is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the 21 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:52.799 poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of 22 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:57.280 sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to 23 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:00.590 proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. And he rolled up the scroll and 24 00:02:00.709 --> 00:02:06.269 gave it back to the attendant and sat down and the eyes of all in 25 00:02:06.310 --> 00:02:09.830 the synagogue were fixed on him and he began to say to them. Today 26 00:02:10.349 --> 00:02:15.939 this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. And all spoke well of him 27 00:02:16.020 --> 00:02:21.180 and marveled at the gracious words that were coming out of his mouth. And 28 00:02:21.259 --> 00:02:28.300 they said, is this not Joseph's son sends the Reading of God's word? 29 00:02:28.740 --> 00:02:32.009 For now he bless it to us. So, in one of my favorite 30 00:02:32.050 --> 00:02:37.810 Christmas hymns, come thou long expected Jesus, and one will sing after the 31 00:02:37.889 --> 00:02:46.080 sermon. And we have and ex a hymn that expresses an anticipation and a 32 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:51.639 hope, a desire for the Lord to come. Of course, it does 33 00:02:51.759 --> 00:02:55.319 this knowing that the Lord Jesus has already come, and so in that way 34 00:02:55.360 --> 00:03:01.870 it speaks to the anticipation that the world had before he was born, an 35 00:03:01.909 --> 00:03:08.030 anticipation that is expressed in Isaiah Sixty one, or I could say also is 36 00:03:08.229 --> 00:03:15.139 built on the promises of Isaiah Sixty one, and anticipation that is fulfilled in 37 00:03:15.180 --> 00:03:20.259 the Lord's coming and his birth and in his continuing work and his ministry, 38 00:03:20.379 --> 00:03:24.900 including this moment that I read in Luke for where he stands up, unrolls 39 00:03:25.020 --> 00:03:30.729 the scroll, reads this prophecy and says today this is fulfilled in your hearing, 40 00:03:32.169 --> 00:03:38.409 fulfilled. Right, when we long for something, what are we longing 41 00:03:38.530 --> 00:03:43.400 for? For it to be fulfilled. Imagine that you were unjustly put in 42 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:49.120 prison and you are waiting day after day after day. Imagine somebody came to 43 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:53.759 you one day and said you're going to get out soon. A savior is 44 00:03:53.879 --> 00:03:58.069 coming, someone has agreed to pay your ransom. I can't tell you when, 45 00:03:58.550 --> 00:04:02.710 but I promise you the day will be here. Every day, right, 46 00:04:02.909 --> 00:04:06.590 you wait every day, you think about. Is Today the day? 47 00:04:06.710 --> 00:04:13.460 Is Today the day? Maybe at times you grow doubtful, maybe on particularly 48 00:04:13.620 --> 00:04:17.420 hard days or particularly difficult times, you begin to wonder, is the promise 49 00:04:17.579 --> 00:04:24.610 true? I've been sitting here in this jail for a long time and still 50 00:04:24.610 --> 00:04:29.889 I'm here. And yet in the back of your mind you continue to wonder. 51 00:04:30.329 --> 00:04:33.970 I'm perhaps you continue to hope. Perhaps you think about the trustworthiness of 52 00:04:34.050 --> 00:04:38.800 the person who said this to you. Can I rely on them? Can 53 00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:43.600 I depend on them? How sure am I that this is going to happen? 54 00:04:44.920 --> 00:04:49.399 Well, this is exactly what the whole world was in, imprisoned under 55 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:57.389 sin, imprisoned under death, under the penalty of God's wrath, imprisoned and 56 00:04:57.589 --> 00:05:08.819 brokenness and divisiveness, and yet having a word from God himself, not just 57 00:05:09.060 --> 00:05:14.579 once but multiple times, multiple words coming from different people and attested to by 58 00:05:14.620 --> 00:05:21.810 many miracles, that one day salvation was coming, one day freedom for the 59 00:05:21.970 --> 00:05:29.490 world was coming, a solution, a final answer to the problem of sin. 60 00:05:29.610 --> 00:05:33.970 And so, for example, in one of these places, Isaiah Sixty 61 00:05:34.050 --> 00:05:40.480 one, the spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord 62 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:45.199 is anointed me to bring good news to the for to bind up the broken 63 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:49.350 hearted proclaim liberty to the captives. All of these things that the world had 64 00:05:49.389 --> 00:05:55.029 been longing for we see expressed in this one and whom the Lord would put 65 00:05:55.069 --> 00:06:02.230 his spirit upon. This is expressed in him. Come Thou long expected Jesus, 66 00:06:02.389 --> 00:06:09.540 born to set thy people free from fears and sins. Release us. 67 00:06:10.379 --> 00:06:16.779 Let us find our rest in the come thou long expected Jesus, is a 68 00:06:16.819 --> 00:06:21.170 hymn that is very much about a king and a kingdom. Those are themes 69 00:06:21.209 --> 00:06:26.689 that come up even more strongly in the last few verses. There is this 70 00:06:26.889 --> 00:06:31.410 one who is expected to come, who is not just a great champion but, 71 00:06:31.769 --> 00:06:36.600 I kingly Warriory, a divine warrior. As we see that the spirit 72 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:43.000 of the Lord God, the spirit of the Lord Yahways Upon Him. This 73 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:46.230 language of anointing, in the spirit is very much a language of kings, 74 00:06:46.389 --> 00:06:51.709 and particularly God's kings. You remember that at the end of Saul's Kingship, 75 00:06:51.829 --> 00:06:57.110 for example, the spirit was taken away from Saul, the anointing that was 76 00:06:57.189 --> 00:07:04.220 placed on him as king was removed. But here this will never happen to 77 00:07:04.459 --> 00:07:12.819 this king. This king is grant is granting pardon for sins. This king 78 00:07:13.019 --> 00:07:20.930 is establishing victory, this king is one who comes to bring hope, the 79 00:07:21.930 --> 00:07:28.930 joy of this good news that is expressed to the poor, the binding up 80 00:07:28.930 --> 00:07:31.639 of the broken heart and liberty to the captains, the joy that is experienced, 81 00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:39.199 as expressed in verse three, to grant to those who mourn in Zion, 82 00:07:39.319 --> 00:07:43.360 to give them a beautiful head dress instead of ashes, the oil of 83 00:07:43.480 --> 00:07:48.189 gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. 84 00:07:49.430 --> 00:07:54.790 Right. This is if you are in captivity, you not only face the 85 00:07:54.949 --> 00:08:01.180 problem of physical weakness, making sure you have enough food and water and exercise 86 00:08:01.300 --> 00:08:09.060 to just keep going on, but emotional weariness, dreariness, day after day, 87 00:08:09.300 --> 00:08:15.170 waiting, waiting. Well, this one who would come instead of a 88 00:08:15.329 --> 00:08:22.009 faint spirit, would give them praise, a garment of praise. It's on 89 00:08:22.209 --> 00:08:30.480 the these words and others like them in scripture that the hymn then a speaks 90 00:08:30.519 --> 00:08:33.759 along these lines. This one who would set us for me and let us 91 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:39.039 find rest in him. He is Israel, strength and consolation, hope of 92 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:45.350 all the earth. Thou art, dear desire of every nation, joy of 93 00:08:45.509 --> 00:08:50.590 every longing heart. So, Jesus, COMES A to rescue us out of 94 00:08:50.870 --> 00:08:54.470 our fears and out of our sins. And what does he give us in 95 00:08:54.509 --> 00:09:05.899 their place? Not Wandering or aimlessness, volatility uncertainty. He gives us strength, 96 00:09:07.379 --> 00:09:16.809 consolation, hope, desire, joy, beauty, praise that these former 97 00:09:16.049 --> 00:09:22.970 prisoners, these weak, faint hearted, poor brokenhearted people, would be called 98 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:31.240 Oaks of righteousness. I love that image, these giant trees, perhaps a 99 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:39.590 standing, strong and tall. Why? Because, as Isaiah says, they 100 00:09:39.590 --> 00:09:48.990 are the planting of the Lord. When we try to plant ourselves, we 101 00:09:48.590 --> 00:09:52.820 always mess it up. We pick the wrong soil, we get on the 102 00:09:52.860 --> 00:09:56.980 wrong side of the mountain, too much sun, too much water. When 103 00:09:58.019 --> 00:10:03.820 the Lord plants us, he plants a strong remember the image and Psalmone. 104 00:10:03.539 --> 00:10:09.649 The righteous man is like this strong tree, fed by streams of water, 105 00:10:09.570 --> 00:10:15.169 who's leaf does not wither, bears fruit and seasons. It's just a happy 106 00:10:15.370 --> 00:10:22.279 tree, a strong, mighty, fruit producing, happy tree. This is 107 00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:26.120 what the Lord does. He makes us alive, he makes us strong, 108 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:33.799 he makes us beautiful, because we are his planting. The fact that Isaiah 109 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:37.470 says that he may be glorified even as we see so much strength and glory 110 00:10:37.549 --> 00:10:43.990 in his creation should be a great encouragement to us, a great encouragement to 111 00:10:43.070 --> 00:10:48.830 us because no one, no one, shall overcome or overwhelm the glory of 112 00:10:48.950 --> 00:10:54.379 God, which means we are totally safe. If we are the ones who 113 00:10:54.379 --> 00:11:01.539 are manifesting and and reflecting that glory, and if God has planted us as 114 00:11:01.659 --> 00:11:07.049 oaks of righteousness for his glory, then we know that we will never fall. 115 00:11:11.529 --> 00:11:18.679 Will Never Fall, nor shall his kingdom. Out of ashes, out 116 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:22.960 of devastation, out of ruined cities, out of generations of sin, the 117 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:33.230 Lord will establish a king and a kingdom. Now how he does this is 118 00:11:33.710 --> 00:11:39.830 yet more test, a proof and evidence of his glorious nature, of his 119 00:11:39.950 --> 00:11:46.470 strength and of his power, and also of His grace. How does he 120 00:11:46.710 --> 00:11:50.860 do this? How does this great king come and accomplish this great victory in 121 00:11:50.940 --> 00:11:58.940 all the world? He does so by leaving the glories of Heaven to take 122 00:12:00.100 --> 00:12:05.090 on flesh and blood. As the him puts it, he came to Earth 123 00:12:05.570 --> 00:12:09.529 to taste our sadness, whose glories new no end. By his life he 124 00:12:09.730 --> 00:12:18.840 brings US gladness. Our Redeemer, shepherd friend, leaving riches without number, 125 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:26.960 born with him a cattle stall. This, the everlasting wonder Christ was born, 126 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:37.470 the Lord of all. This is how this is accomplished. Who but 127 00:12:37.710 --> 00:12:43.669 God would do this? Who but God, who's promises are steadfast, whose 128 00:12:43.710 --> 00:12:48.620 name is always glorious, who desires not a partial victory but a full and 129 00:12:48.740 --> 00:12:54.019 confinal one, would do this? None and none can but God, for 130 00:12:54.139 --> 00:13:00.370 all the Nay, all the idols of the world are foolish, stupid things. 131 00:13:01.889 --> 00:13:05.690 Same with the idols of our hearts, the things that we hold on 132 00:13:05.889 --> 00:13:13.000 to so fast, so dearly, they all just pass away. The Lord 133 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:18.879 became man, though, so that he could die and take on death itself, 134 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:24.240 so that he could bear it for us, so that we would live 135 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:31.350 in him. Born thy people, born thy people to deliver, born a 136 00:13:31.470 --> 00:13:37.230 child and yet a King, born to reign in US forever. Now, 137 00:13:37.590 --> 00:13:46.940 thy Gracious Kingdom, bring the hymn ends in a prayer by thine own eternal 138 00:13:46.019 --> 00:13:52.419 spirit, rule in our hearts alone, by thine all sufficient merit, raise 139 00:13:52.500 --> 00:14:01.610 us to thy glorious throne. The fact that the spirit of the Lord is 140 00:14:01.649 --> 00:14:07.409 upon the Lord's anointed one not only speaks to the great unity of our God, 141 00:14:07.049 --> 00:14:13.720 who is one God in three persons, but it also reminds us that 142 00:14:13.879 --> 00:14:18.600 when we are united to Christ, who had has been anointed with the spirit 143 00:14:18.919 --> 00:14:24.629 or by the spirit. We also have this same spirit who lives and dwells 144 00:14:26.389 --> 00:14:31.990 in us. We are also reminded that this king, who establishes us on 145 00:14:33.110 --> 00:14:39.940 this glorious throne does so by his merit and not ours. You might imagine 146 00:14:39.139 --> 00:14:46.259 a pedestal, right, I'm like you'd see at the Olympics or something like 147 00:14:46.299 --> 00:14:52.779 that. But imagine this pedestal is in a pit, right, because the 148 00:14:52.210 --> 00:14:56.490 those who are down in this pit are not victors and champions, but these 149 00:14:56.570 --> 00:15:01.490 are ones that are under the death penalty, ones that are meant to be 150 00:15:01.570 --> 00:15:05.889 destroyed, ones that have, far from earning the righteous, glorious crown of 151 00:15:07.049 --> 00:15:16.360 God, have have earned their own deaths for their treason, for their rebellion. 152 00:15:16.679 --> 00:15:22.429 And now imagine the under their feet, the Lord places his righteousness and 153 00:15:22.590 --> 00:15:28.950 his merits and he boosts them up to heaven, where God rewards them with 154 00:15:30.269 --> 00:15:37.059 this crown. Our strength and the Lord is not because we climbed up out 155 00:15:37.059 --> 00:15:41.299 of it, not because we sort of snuck our way through the back door 156 00:15:41.379 --> 00:15:46.059 into heaven, but because the Lord raises us up, as Colossians says, 157 00:15:46.179 --> 00:15:50.490 Paul says and Colossians, we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. 158 00:15:50.730 --> 00:15:58.129 We have been raised with him, because he took us to the cross, 159 00:16:00.850 --> 00:16:08.120 to the grave and then to the resurrection and ascension. So when we hear 160 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:15.080 these words promised in the Old Testament, we have in many ways even greater 161 00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:21.470 confidence and hope the name once did. We are not merely waiting for someone 162 00:16:21.950 --> 00:16:30.269 some day to come. He is already come, he's already arrived, he's 163 00:16:30.429 --> 00:16:36.460 already set the captives free, he's already accomplished everything that he has come to 164 00:16:36.580 --> 00:16:42.299 do. We are simply waiting for the conclusion the final things. I'm one 165 00:16:42.340 --> 00:16:47.529 of the hymns we saying, late in time, behold him come. This 166 00:16:47.690 --> 00:16:52.169 doesn't mean that Jesus was late and we were all standing around, you know, 167 00:16:52.370 --> 00:16:56.570 our hands on our hips, annoyed. It means that we are at 168 00:16:56.610 --> 00:17:02.919 the end of history, that we are in the last days. Let us 169 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:06.880 I think. I think I find encouragement. I would encourage you to find 170 00:17:06.920 --> 00:17:15.000 encouragement in things about the Isaiah's and the David's, the others who are before 171 00:17:15.869 --> 00:17:22.069 our savior, who persevered and continued on and pressed on in the Lord, 172 00:17:22.230 --> 00:17:26.710 trusting his promises, not even knowing when the Lord would come, not even 173 00:17:26.789 --> 00:17:32.180 knowing who he is. We know who he is. We're so close to 174 00:17:32.220 --> 00:17:37.420 the end. We just need to hold on and persevere. There will be 175 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:41.859 winds that blow through these trees. There will be things that threatened to undo 176 00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:48.250 us, but we need not fear and we can stand strong because we stand 177 00:17:48.450 --> 00:17:55.849 in Christ and in his kingdom. We, when we sing, come, 178 00:17:55.970 --> 00:18:00.559 thou long expected Jesus, and when we consider on the long waiting that many 179 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:07.079 generations before us I went through before he came, let us remember that he 180 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:12.390 has come and that we now await his second coming, which is a nearly 181 00:18:12.549 --> 00:18:22.230 here. So let us persevere and be strong as we move into the new 182 00:18:22.309 --> 00:18:26.980 year, knowing that we stand in the promises of God, that we are 183 00:18:27.099 --> 00:18:33.940 strong in him as citizens of his kingdom, a man. Let's pray