“The Lord has sent me to: preach good news to the poor (humble, depressed) He sent me to heal the wounds of the brokenhearted, to tell captives, “You are free,” and to release the blind from their darkness.” 2 I am sent to announce a new season of the Lord’s grace (His good pleasure and acceptance; Peace on earth and good will toward men) to comfort all who are in sorrow, 3 to strengthen those crushed by despair who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful bouquet in the place of ashes, the oil of bliss instead of tears, and the mantle of joyous praiseinstead of the spirit of heaviness (spirit of failure). Because of this, they will be known asMighty Oaks of Righteousness, the planting of the Lord as a living display of his glory (The tree of Life, Jesus, imparts his righteousness to us, and so a tree becomes a forest.)” Isaiah 61:1-3
The Lord wants to show you off as a masterpiece of his redemptive genius! Jesus exchanges:
· His Joy for your Grief
· His Beauty for your ashes
· Give Him Praise for your Despair
This is an exchange! Why did Jesus need to suffer?
He was absorbing all the painful aspects of the human condition and exchanging it for the blissful aspects of the human condition.
Isaiah 53
· He absorbed our pain to give us his gain
· He absorbed our grief to give us relief
· He absorbed our sorrow to give us his joy
· He absorbed our sickness to give us his health
· He absorbed our sin to give us his righteousness
· He absorbed our shame to gave us his dignity
· He absorbed death to give us life
· He absorbed and buried our old nature so we could resurrect with him and be redefined by our new nature
The atonement was more than forgiving our sin it was relieving us of the pain and grief in our human experience! Jesus is not just forgiving sin; he is relieving the world of the negative consequences of sin.
Jesus is not just forgiving sin; he is replacing our old nature with a new nature that no longer has a tendency to sin. He has replaced the fruit of our old nature with the fruit of the Spirit, giving us a new character.
He has filled us with his Holy Spirit so we can put love into action with supernatural ability.
I’m here to announce a new season!
This is a season where you will finally discover my pleasure and acceptance and good will towards men! I will heal your broken heart! I will lift off your grief and despair so you can experience joy and bliss! I will give you a reason to rejoice!
I will transfer my righteousness to you as a gift! And you will be like a fruitful tree, a living display of my goodness! I will produce fruit on your branches so that many people will taste and see that I am good in your life!
As people taste my sweetness in you, you will invite them into my family, because I want my family to grow!
I will plant you by a continual source of water, so that you can always draw upon my love and my life. Your leaves will never wither, and I will use your leaves for the healing of others (Ezekiel 47 and Psalm 1).
And you will be so full of joy! Your joy will arise like a mist from your leaves, and fill the whole forest with praise!
As the mist of praise ascends from you, I will draw more of the water of my life and love up through your roots! You will be rooted and grounded in my love. Your roots belong in the soil of My love! You will be anchored and stabilized by my love!
Your roots will be intertwined with the roots of the trees around you so that all the trees contribute to each other’s stability! So you will draw strength directly from me, and your community will stabilize you!
Your roots are anchored deeply in the Love of God!
The light of God’s love and truth warms your heart, and He turns His light into sugar inside of you!
You can’t help but to become extra sweet as I pour my goodness into your roots and your leaves!
People will gather around you to enjoy your shade and your fruit.
As you offer them my goodness expressed through your life, I will feed them, heal them and invite them into my Family.
Remember You Are God’s Tree! Let others taste and see the goodness of God through your life.
(Photo by Gilly Stewart @unsplash.com)
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