CELEBRATE!

Isaiah 61:1-11

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2061&version=NIV;ESV

  

What is your most memorable celebration? For me, it was when my wife had a surprise birthday party for my fiftieth birthday. My brother’s job was to get me out of the house while my wife and sister-in-law decorated and all the guests arrived.

 

When my brother and I were about to return early before everything was ready, he faked heart attack symptoms. He must have been a good actor because I believed him. When we finally returned, all the guests were on the deck waiting to yell “Surprise!” And it was. In fact, it was a wonderful celebration.

 

As a young Jewish nation was preparing to occupy the Promised Land, God gave them the Law and rules to live by. Rules that would lead to celebration. The Year of Jubilee (described in Isaiah 61, but originated in Leviticus 25) was a yearlong celebration to be repeated every fifty years.

 

During Jubilee, all the prisoners were to be set free; all the slaves were to be released; all debts were to be forgiven; and all property was to be returned to its original owner. In addition, people were to not work land, which means that Jubilee provided a year of rest for not only the people, but also the land.

 

For many, Jubilee was to be an opportunity for them to start over with a clean slate; with nothing to feel guilty for or ashamed of. What would it mean for you to start over with a clean slate?

 

When Jesus started his ministry, he quoted from Isaiah 61.

 

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”       Luke 4 ESV

 

According to Leviticus 25, the Year of Jubilee started on the Day of Atonement. This was when the sins of Israel were laid on the head of a scapegoat, and were taken into the wilderness to pay for their sins.

 

Jesus did the same thing for you and me. He took our sins upon himself into the wilderness. We didn’t deserve to be set free from sin, but he did it anyhow. Just like those who were set free as a part of the Year of Jubilee.

 

Let’s celebrate!

 

 

 

 

BAM! It’s a Celebration!

Genesis 3:14-15

 

Have you ever watched a movie where in the beginning everything is going great? “Life is good” as they say. But then… the bad guy enters, and life turns upside down. One thing after another goes wrong as the villain gains power and wreaks havoc.

 

As you watch, first you begin to root against the bad guy. Then your feelings become a little stronger; maybe borderline anger. Finally you reach your limit when you find yourself wishing that something terribly wrong would happen to the villain.

 

And when it does, BAM! It’s a celebration! If you’re at the theatre the audience may even applaud and cheer.

 

The story of Adam and Eve is kind of like that. They are in the Garden of Eden in perfect harmony with each other, the world around them and especially with God. But then the serpent enters. He spins a few lies and all of a sudden, life is turned upside down.

 

When you think about this, does it make you angry? Do you even feel hatred for the serpent? He doesn’t care about Adam or Eve or God or you or me. He’s like the guy in the All State commercial who loves to create mayhem. That’s what the serpent does; death and destruction.

 

 

Finally, the Lord God enters to declare the consequences of all of their behavior. He directs His first comments toward the serpent. If you listen carefully, you can hear His angry, booming voice as He pronounces the final defeat of the snake.

 

“Because you’ve done this, you’re cursed, cursed beyond all cattle and wild animals,
Cursed to slink on your belly and eat dirt all your life. I’m declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He’ll wound your head, you’ll wound his heel.”            MSG

 

The serpent is doomed. But who is it that will wound the serpent’s head, or as it is translated in the NIV, “crush your head”?

 

These two verses are the first promise of Jesus. He will crush the head of Satan. He will have victory. Go ahead. You can stand up and cheer. Satan has been defeated. We have been delivered. The Lord is alive and still at work in us and through us.

 

BAM! It’s a celebration!