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00:00:01 today's passage is taken from Isaiah 58: 6 to10 and chapter 61: 1 to3 reading from the NIV 2011 version is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen to lose the chains of Injustice and untie the Cs of the Yoke to set the oppressed free and break every yoke is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wonderer with shelter when you see the naked to clothe them and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood then your light will break forth like the Dawn and your healing
00:00:40 will quickly appear then your righteousness will go before you and the glory of the Lord will be your real God then you will call and the Lord will answer you will cry for help and he will say here am I if you do away with the Yoke of Oppression with the pointing finger and malicious talk and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noon day Isaiah 61: 1-3 the spirit of The Sovereign Lord is
00:01:18 on me because the Lord has anointed me to Proclaim good news to the poor he has sent me to bind up the Brokenhearted and 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 to comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve in Zion to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of Ashes the oil of Joy instead of mourning and a Garment of Praise instead of a spirit of Despair they will be called Oaks of righteousness a planting
00:02:00 of the Lord for the display of his Splendor this is the word of God good morning Brothers and Sisters in Christ um first of all I like to personally thank um all of you for your prayers for Rachel and myself she has personally texted me this morning to remind me to thank you all personally for walking alongside us and praying alongside us so she was diagnosed with acute antis small bowel inflammation the middle of last month until today we still don't know what the cause is um and she was discharged on the 28th of
00:02:43 December she continues to rest um today at home um regaining strength and more importantly some weight so um for now we'll look at what's coming next um next week's sermon looking further to the Bright Horizon of God's reign with our brother Wong Ken the next week after as for me and my house that's our brother uncle ulam and on the 2nd of February Chinese New Year God's greatest plan in life's wor Pain by pastor Raymond Raj today's topic will be the good news to the poor there's a lot to cover in
00:03:25 this um few verses that were read in Isaiah 58 and Isaiah 6 1 we'll begin with a quick word of prayer and then we'll jump straight in let's bow our heads together Our God and our father we thank you that we have another opportunity to open your word we come our father with expectant Hearts to hear your voice and pray father this morning that you will speak to us that we will see others around us through the lens with which our lord Jesus saw us and pray father that you'll help us to truly understand the good
00:03:59 news to the poor the good news that is even unto us we ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ all right now we are looking at Isaiah chapter 61 in particular um this is part of what we call the servant songs now there are four officially recognized servant songs in Isaiah 4249 50 52 and Isaiah 61 is one that some Bible scholars say is the fifth Servant Song although the word servant is never really mentioned nevertheless it speaks about our Lord Jesus Christ and we'll see in more detail what that means
00:04:41 Isaiah chapter 61 I'll bring it up on the screen again the spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach Good Tidings good news to the poor now if you think about it this is what the Lord preached when he first started his public Ministry his first ever sermon was on this topic the spirit of the Lord is upon me he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor he's stating his mission when he first came good news to the poor now I must make a very quick disclaimer what I'm preaching today your
00:05:22 preacher is a hypocrite because I cannot do this to the full degree that the Lord has Masters to do it's something I struggle with as well so it's important to note that this is what the Lord has commanded and my job today is just to bring forth God's word as he has said even though it may also be for me Luke chapter 4 this is the first time that the Lord spoke in public and preached in public in the synagogue so he came to nazare where he had been brought up and as his custom was he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day
00:06:01 and stood up to read he was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah and when he had opened the book he found the place where he was written he just turned the scroll all the way to Isaiah chapter 61 the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor the good news he has sent me to heal the broken hearted to Proclaim Liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind to set at Liberty those who are oppressed to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord
00:06:29 of of the year of the Lord's favor and he began to say them today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing in your ears the question that is asked is this if you look because he has anointed me to preach good news or gospel to the poor why should we as Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ be passionately involved with the poor you will see this theme coming up over and over again in the ministry of the Lord Jesus he very seldom goes to the and the wealthy he always chooses the poor and helps those
00:07:04 who are in need not to say that he doesn't help the wealthy he has helped the you know the Centurion you know who he gives commands to people you know he does but he concentrates very specifically on this is the first mission statement if you can put it that way and I'm going to give you three reasons why this is what based on what Tim K says and I fully agree with what he says it's about the fure future the present and the past three things we're going to look at the first is the future so here notice verse 19 to
00:07:41 proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord if you jump back all the way to Isaiah chapter 61 this year and the day of the the Vengeance of the Lord is actually a future event it's not here yet we know that it will be fully consumate in the future not yet but it will come so he says I've come to fulfill a future prophecy about me that's what the Lord was saying so the year of the Lord's favor that's in verse 19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord the year of the Lord's favor is pointing to
00:08:14 something it's pointing to the Year of Jubilee this is found in Leviticus chapter 25 now we're going to do a bit of a deep dive into this topic and you will be asking why are we talking about this funny name year the Year of Jubilee it's a very fascinating law was part of Israel's Mosaic law so the year of the Jubilee all right this is just setting up the context so we understand what the Lord was saying what year what's so favorable what's so acceptable about this year now in Leviticus 25 it says
00:08:45 that and you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself seven time seven years so very confusing for those people who are not very good Ms okay so seven sabbaths now every seven years the lord gave a commandment where the land that they were teing on they have to take a break they aren't supposed to plant anything otherwise you know the land doesn't have a break same way that we also rest on you know at least the Sunday or you know now it's Saturday and Sunday there is time to give the land
00:09:15 some rest now after seven times of these so 7 * 7 is 49 on the 50th year there is this year called The Year of Jubilee ver n then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the 10 of the seven month on the day of atonement and verse 10 what happens during this time and you shall consecrate the 50th year the Year of Jubilee is the 50th year and Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants you're saying everyone is going to be free if you are a slave you're going to be free on this
00:09:50 50th year it shall be a jubilee for you and each of you shall return to his possession and each of you shall return to his family GES Beyond just slavery every 50 years all depths are forgiven if you owe anyone money you know this good news for you if you owe money to the bank you know you got mortgage on your house and is just gone wow all slaves were freed okay so if I'm a slave and I say you know I can't wait to have my freedom you'll be freed this 50th year and the last one is quite interesting all the land went back to
00:10:24 his original allotments now some context when Israel entered the promised land it was divided up by tribes remember so everyone had some land here and there the Levites didn't have land because they were servicing the Lord in the Tabernacle everyone got an equal amount of land sometime through the years as the years go by some people do better some people do worse some people you know through their circumstances or choices or hard work they actually earn more some lose some money you know so some have more land some have less land
00:11:00 so some people do worse and then they lose their land now the Year of Jubilee is in a sense a chance to reset everything it's a reset button so one Bible scholar puts it this way on average each person or family had at least once in a lifetime chance to start a fresh at least if he lives up to 50 years old he or she no matter how irresponsibly they have handled their finances of how far into dep they had fallen amazing um if only we had this right what happens if you have in Malaysia can you imagine I want to ask
00:11:33 if you have this Year of Jubilee in Malaysia every 50 years everything resets you know you fall in either two camps of people all right one is where you have so many many houses and then you will say yeah I really dread this 50th year the other Camp are people like me where I can finally afford a bungo in ss9 a single story Bungalow for 125,000 this something that my parents kept talking about 125 ,000 know those years you know imagine 125,000 for a single story bangalow yeah can't afford a an apartment with 125,000 now so imagine if
00:12:11 this happens here this is what it would be like in Malaysia we do have something like this but it's not to favor the people it's actually to favor the government okay it's called leaso right we have a lot of stories about leaso but we don't have time this morning to look into this okay 99 years government gets back the land you know if you want to extend your your tenure you pay some premium there something happened in uh PJ Oldtown a lot of men were complaining about it okay so the Year of Jubilee
00:12:38 what's the reason for this God is trying to say this I own all the land I own all your wealth I have I was one who gave it to you he doesn't want permanent poverty in his country that was what it was for now coming back to the Lord Jesus in Isaiah chapter 61 I have come to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord I have come to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor this is not just a jubilee it didn't say I come to proclaim a year he came to proclaim the year so this is not a jubilee it's the Jubilee the
00:13:13 Jubilee of all jubilees and what does that mean remember he came to preach good news to the poor he has sent to heal the brokenhearted to Proclaim Liberty to the captives remember all deps wiped out all slaves free all land returned to console those who mourn in Zion to give them Beauty for Ashes the oil of joy for mourning and the Garment of Praise for the spirit of heaviness that's what he came to do to reset everything once and for all because of sin the description is given in much detail in verse one says there
00:13:55 release the prisoners Proclaim Freedom bind up the Brokenhearted preach good news to the poor verse 2 and three is to get rid of all mourning grief and sorrow that's what he is pointing to the Future that he supposed to bring the year of the Lord's favor it's telling us of the future now this future that we look forward to we have always heard it on this stage about how this world will be wi clean of all problems all flaws all blemishes poverty Injustice hunger disease death and suffering all these
00:14:28 things will be removed the year of the Lord's favor the year now what are the implications of this and this is where it connects to our circumstances now if God invented both your body and soul what does this have to do with the poor we'll try to connect it he's going to redeem both body and soul and that's what Resurrection is all about Romans chapter 8 says that we are longing for the Redemption of our body what does this Redemption of our body mean it's not just our soul is going to be taken to Heaven our real life body is
00:15:01 going to be brought back we know a lot of people who have been called home but the comfort that we have is that you'll see them once again with physical eyes not just you know oh I see them as a spectre you know a phantom it's something that is going to be physical and if it's going to be physical it has to be reflected in our lives as Believers now how remember the implications of the the year of the Jubilee Freedom that wiped out he's saying you know preach good news to the poor so these are the things
00:15:40 that actually can still be done now if we believe that God at infinite cause was going for these things the end of all disease poverty death and sickness we should be doing our best now to also counter those things we should be Healing The Sick where we can not to say that we are are able to most of the time but we certainly can pray for that we should be feeding the hungry where we can what about trying to set the captiv free everyone here in a sense knows of people who are oppressed it's is our way of showing
00:16:16 that we believe in that future in other words we have to reflect that we have to reflect what that future is supposed to be now that's one so the first reason why we care about the poor the injust Justice the sickness the disease in this world is because of the future that brings us a reason number two the present and now we jump back to Isaiah Chapter 58 now Isaiah 58 is the first reading that we have it's not this the fast that I have chosen God is speaking here to Israel to lose the bonds of wickedness to undo the heavy
00:16:51 burdens to let the oppressed Go free and that you break every Yol very similar to Isaiah 61 is it not to share your bread with the hungry and that you bring your house the poor who are cast out and when you see naked that you cover him and not hide from your own flesh not hide from your own flesh very interesting phrase we'll look through this in detail verse six you can say talks about Justice right to lose the bonds of wickedness in other translations is the bonds of Injustice and then this in verse seven
00:17:25 is talking about something else but relate the verse six is about giving to the poor feeding the hungry bringing the homeless into your home and then if you see someone who doesn't have clothes you clothe him what does that all mean verse 10 summarizes it very well just read the first part if you extend your soul to the hungry if you spend yourself for the hungry now two years ago there was this uh famous case in Malaysia where there was a lady who stole two packs of Milo uh worth around 74 ring and she was sentenced to 14
00:18:06 months in prison and think about it 74 Ring versus someone who can steal 2.6 billion so Zuki zle yes Zuki at that time who was the former Health Minister said it worries me a lot when heavy sentences are handed down for petty offenses involving only food items while the accused in serious criminal cases are still free to roll with some even living in a luxurious lifestyle it seems there are two different standards now that doesn't doesn't that me you feel angry doesn't that me you feel sad in a sense that feeling that
00:18:48 you have is where is the Justice here people are trying to make a living we just trying to get that milk for the children not to show off to people or anything not to try to GA an aess wealth you know at the expense of the poor and the other person who is wealthy can just get away Scot free can get you know reduced jail sentences can get house arrest Etc so we cry for justice it's a natural thing God has implanted that desire in us for justice that's verse six now we know very certainly that Justice is not an option okay so verse
00:19:31 six is not an option we want what is right but verse seven is is it really justice as well because Isaiah is saying if you do not feed the feed the hungry you are also being unjust one leads to another verse six is the precursor to verse 7 is not this the father I have chosen it's not to share your bread with the hungry so the question that is now asked is how does Justice then relate to charity do we think that charity is also optional because we think that Justice yes is mandatory but charity maybe it's
00:20:07 all just you know it's not really mandatory do we think I don't owe anything to the poor there's nothing I need to give to them because well I earned it I don't owe them anything it's not unjust it maybe uncharitable but not unjust so let me try to make you see things a different way at the end of verse 7 it says there and not hide yourself from your own flesh it's a very interesting phrase what does it mean if I don't clothe someone else who is naked and I'm hiding from my own flesh and blood is is
00:20:38 that what is trying to say when you read the term flesh and blood in the Bible is referring to your family someone that you're related to what God is saying is that if you are looking at someone who is a poor wonderer a homeless person or someone who is hungry it's not your family they are indeed actually your flesh and blood the poor who who are cast out is also translate as the homeless poor or the poor wander meaning that they are an impoverished person of another race now in the patriarchal society back in uh
00:21:09 Israel's day you will think that huh what is how can I call that Outsider my family right it's stranger you know it's an alien a foreigner but God is saying this if you turn away from your own flesh and blood you can actually just do that simply by not feeding the hungry by not clothing the naked by not taking in the homeless you if you turn a poor person away is turning away your own flesh and blood why because every human being is made in God's image they're literally your flesh and your blood they may not be your biological
00:21:48 family but we are all related so to not help the poor this is iai's argument is to be unjust you think we can get away with not being charitable I think that I can get away but actually I can't it's unjust God is saying there is no justice in this you are turning away from your own flesh and blood and you are responsible it is wrong unjust the counter argument for this is I earned it well it's my money I worked hard for it you know and but you think about it it's only to some degree it's not to the main
00:22:19 degree the main reason why we can earn what we earn what we have what we have It's really because of certain advantages that we are born with we're born in Malaysia you know we are actually in a good standing compared to the rest of the world if you compare yourself to First World countries of course you know we feel behind but if you compare yourself to third world countries we are way ahead the century you're born in if you're born in say you know the sixth Century you're going to have a problem we don't even have
00:22:46 medical facilities you know and people were doing weird stuff you know when people were falling sick talents that we are born with or health that we are born with that that allows us to have what we have but do is all come from remember we are not like in those really really poor countries if you are born there circumstances will be very different if I was born there it would be very different what we have is really a gift from God you can say yeah you know I worked hard for it but who allowed those circumstances who put you
00:23:16 in those circumstances such that you are able to work hard such that I was able to work hard and am able to work hard it's because God is the one who gives it and if we act as if it's just ours by our own you know sweat and blood alone we don't understand our relationship with God and the people around us Deuteronomy 10:14 says indeed Heaven and the highest Heavens belong to the Lord your God also the Earth and all that is in it everything actually Belongs to the Lord we are just holding it on theold
00:23:48 Ecclesiastes 5:1 15 as he came from his mother's womb naked shall he return to go as he came and he shall take nothing from his labor which he may carry away in his hand it's a very solemn truth there's nothing you can take away in death nothing not even one ring one stand can on and send the side please don't be disappointed that's not me it's a stock photo being unkind is to be unjust so remember that if we are unkind to the poor it means you just don't understand our relationship with God and with those
00:24:24 that God has created alongside US 1 Timothy chapter 6 says there command those who are rich in this present age not to be hay or proud nor to trust in un certain riches but in the Living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy let them do good that they be rich in Good Works ready to give willing to share storing for themselves a good foundation for the time to come now that's the second reason first reason we look to the future future that Lord Jesus brings there's no dep no poverty you know so we so long for that
00:24:59 future and we should reflect that by giving to the poor the present if we understand that what we have is not ours but God has given it to us and our relationship with him and to the people around us we would also care because to be unkind is to be unjust now let's say if we ended right here today sorry I saw you know some people you know want think but anyway if we ended here if we ended the this morning's message here the essence of the message would be you know God has given us so much you ought to
00:25:36 give and you know well God says you know um it's important for us to care for our neighbors feel guilty let us pray so it's just about feeling guilt guilty guilty guilty I have I ought to give you know and as far as we're concerned guilt is never going to really make any lasting change or at least any lasting changes are really out of guilt not really because we truly believe that we really ought to okay so rather than guilt there's something else that the Bible tells us about and a third reason and that is the past and
00:26:15 that is really the primary reason that the Bible gives as to why we should care for the poor why should we be passionately involved with people who are not as fortunate the past it talks about the Aton where are we going to find this from if you understand and if I understand the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus what has been done for you and me we would want to do the same let's dive into that it will also change our understanding of the poor we read in Isaiah chap 58 is not this the fast that I have chosen at the
00:26:49 very beginning of the passage which we did not read previously before sorry the very beginning of the passage we read it's that's the phrase but there's something that came before that um in verses 1 to 5 the Israelites were complaining and they saying that we have fasted and we have fasted and we have fasted and yet God isn't answering our prayers he's not hearing he's not listening to us that's verses 3 and 5 why have we fasted this the Israelites and they say you have not seen we have fasted God why you never
00:27:20 see me fasting you know why have we Afflicted our souls that's the term for fasting as well and you take no notice in fact this what the Lord replies them in the day of your fast you find pleasure and exploit all your laborers is it a fast that I have chosen verse 5 is this really the fasting that I want God says for a man to afflict his soul just to you know not eat to bow down his head like a bull rush is like a reed you know just bow your head down to the ground spread your Sao and Ashes would you call this a fast and
00:27:52 acceptable day to the Lord so yes our idea of fasting is always about you know putting off cyc of and AES you know not eating and all that the fasting that Lord is talking about here goes a little beyond that it's a little deeper it's not so superficial you know just to show people that I you know and it talks about yum kipo why the fasting in the Old Testament there's only one that's really commanded and it's on the day of atonement so it points to this yumo in Leviticus 23: 27 one day a year there's going to be a
00:28:25 time where the Israelites came together for a blood sacrifice to atone for their a very very complex sort of feast it's one of the most important days in the Jewish calendar the day of atonement now it's a reminder to them that they have failed because now just some context the day of atonement is where you know the priest or not the just any priest the high priest has to go into the Tabernacle kill a block sprinkle the blood seven times for himself and then after that he there's there are two goats that are
00:29:01 going to be there one is going to be chosen to be atoning for the sins of the people so that they can enter into God's presence um by the representation of the high priest into the holy of holies and then there's a second goat that's going to be called the scape goat the scape goat is going the the head of IT the high priest will put his hand on it confess the sins of the people and then the go will be sent out into the Wilderness presumably after then to be kicked off live the cliff so it's a day
00:29:32 where it's a reminder to the people that a sacrifice is required for them to be right with God it's really a way for God to say that even through all the year if the Israelites were following his Commandments trying to live a good life trying to obey God's law trying to follow every single thing that God has commanded you're going to just look back and realize that you fail why why is this a reminder of their failure because there is no way that anyone us can be in a good relationship in a proper relationship with God
00:30:03 through our own moral Excellence no one the only way anyone can have a relationship with God with me is atonement forgiveness and Grace Hebrews chapter 10 makes this very clear verses 3 to 4 in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year it's a reminder there is no taking away of sins that's why it's repeated no is when the Lord Jesus comes there is no repetition so the day of atonement the fasting that they want that God wanted is not just about you know physically not eating is to show
00:30:40 that they understood God's grace that they have been forgiven why fasting is in a way is is a way for us to Humble or deny ourselves it's a way of acknowledging I a sinner saved by grace Leviticus 16 says you shall afflict your souls this is where we find it that we have to fast during the day of atonement then not we sorry the Israelites the problem is that they were Hypocrites the Israelites but God noticed something about the Israelites says even though they would fast and deny themselves food he noticed that he was actually
00:31:14 they were actually being unjust to their workers they were exploiting their workers maybe perhaps they were charging less you know so they paying their workers less or they were withholding their salary so that you know they can get more interest by not paying them well there was a hypocrisy what kind of fasting does God want it was deeply misunderstood you do not understand the fasting that I want that's what God says you do not want you do not know the kind of fting that I want that results from
00:31:42 the knowledge of you being saved by grace fasting that is genuine and without hypocrisy that's the kind of life that you come from a knowledge of Grace the fasting God wants is this he tells it in verse six it's not this the fast I want that you give yourself to the poor to pour yourself out to the poor to spend yourself that's verse 10 Isaiah 58:10 how is that a fast you ask but don't you realize fasting is to deny oneself of something we always think that fasting is denying oneself of food but denying oneself could be also in the
00:32:22 sense of my wealth instead of being able to spend that money for something that I want I have to give that their money to someone else isn't that fasting is not that the fast I want that God says instead of just not eating you know putting sac and Ashes to withhold something that you want to give that to someone else who needs it more than you it's not that the fast I have one if really properly understood if we really understand God's grace when you see the hungry you feed them you see the naked
00:32:51 you clothe them you see the homeless you will shelter them why you will pour out your life but how is a very very difficult thing let's do a reality check we Tred to be understanding to the Israelites because in that day they were having this reminder that you know sin cannot be taken away by doing good it's really that they needed a sacrifice to what degree could they really have understood the meaning of that blood on the day of atonement it was pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ but they never saw the Lord
00:33:24 Jesus so in general they could understand that relationship to a very very superficial level they couldn't understand what the sacrifice was pointing to but we can it was pointing to the Lord Jesus so the point is clear the prescribed repetition of sacrifices for sin in the Old Testament law was a built-in testimony to their inadequacy they did not perfect the people they did not deal with sin decisively finally once for all not like what our lord Jesus did this what John tyer says and that means we have less of an excuse and
00:33:57 the Lord Jesus puts in marvelous words he took Isaiah 58 and he really reworked it let's see if we are being put to the test Matthew chapter 25 this is what the Lord says the king will say to those on his right hand this is a future event come you blessed of my father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was hungry you gave me food I was thirsty you gave me drink I was a stranger you took me in I was naked you clothed me I was sick you visited me I was in prison you came to me sounds
00:34:28 exactly like Isaiah Chapter 58 then the righteous will answer him say Lord when do we see you hungry or feed you or thirsty and give you drink when did we see you a stranger and take you in or naked and clothe you when did we see you sick or imprison or come to you we not devil done these things the king will answer and say to them ass surely I say to you in as much as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren you did it to me if you do it to someone for someone you are doing it as unto the
00:35:02 Lord Jesus Christ that's what he's saying the other flip side of it depart from me you cursed for I was hungry you gave me no food Etc all the way until the end it's the flip side of what we have read if you love me and you know my love this is what the Lord Jesus is saying what I have done for you when you see the poor you will love the poor don't think this the wrong way he's not saying that you will be saved if you care for the poor it's the other way around you know you are saved you will care for the poor if you are truly saved
00:35:32 that is what he's trying to say there is a consequence of our Salvation we would want to care because it's natural you shall love your neighbor as yourself this something that everyone struggles with even from the beginning of time God now sending his son the Lord Jesus Christ is telling us now how to do that do we know what it means that the Lord Jesus says blessed are the poor in spirit we have covered this a long time back but it's a good reminder if we stand before God right now will we be willing to
00:36:01 admit that there is nothing that we have ever done that is enough for us to be in his presence even the best of our deeds will be contaminated as it were with impure motives that we have never loved God with all our heart with all our soul our strength and mind we never loved our neighbor as ourselves are we willing to admit that if we are willing to admit that we are declaring spiritual bankruptcy we are spiritually morally poor blessed are the poor in spirit the spiritually poor that's declaring
00:36:32 bankruptcy do you believe that that's the only way for us to have a relationship to go up with God is that God needs to show his generosity to us that's the only way if we are bankrupt then only you can go and ask for charity there's no way you want to ask for charity if you are not poor the Bible says that the only way to be saved is through God's grace God's charity so if there is spiritual charity for the spiritually poor he came came to deliver them only the poor in spirit can be saved that's why he came to declare
00:37:04 Liberation for the spiritually poor now how do we then look at Material poverty from the lens of spiritual poverty if I have been poor spiritually and God has given me all that generosity and charity how do I then look at my neighbor who is materially poor we can never look down on them we can never be be condescending and we can never just say you need to work harder because in a sense you didn't did we work harder to grain our favor with God no we did not we are recipients of that charity not
00:37:39 through our own works and we can never say you're undeserving because we are undeserving if we are truly spiritually poor we will also love the materially poor because why if you see them you will see an image a reflection of yourself that was what we look like to God and he gave everything to help us he gave everything some of us might say and feel I've lived a pretty good life you know I a pretty decent life better than most people well if you were to say that do you believe that if you were to appear
00:38:21 before God that he would that he will owe you something you know God I actually can stand here because I've done this this this this this in my life you know I've been a very good person that shows that you're not quite poor in spirit you're actually middle class in spirit so spiritually speaking you know I say I PID my taxes I already paid my dues I have my rights and therefore that will make you what that will make you a Pharisee self-righteousness I gain my righteousness my own way not that God
00:38:53 has given me that righteousness so if you're middle class in spirit the Lord Jesus is trying to say you're going to be indifferent to the plight of the materially poor you'll say just have to work hard get your money you don't have to you know rely on charity and you know rely on other people to support you you'll be a Pharisee so how do we escape the spiritual middle class trap because some of us are there you know we feel ah no I don't need to give to the poor you know I I don't need to feel the desire to be
00:39:24 passionate about the poor how would we escape that again if it was just the first two points about the future and the present we are not going to really really get working I'm going to tell you a story there was a man and his wife married for a number of years one day the man had a stroke pretty bad stroke he became wheelchair bound he became incontinent couldn't really hold his pee in you know and his poop and also he became very severely mentally impaired couldn't really say much except for few words
00:40:03 here and there yes no but the wife never left his side the wife took really really good care of him sounds nice and sweet now something was different about this woman when she cared for this man she cared very joyfully for him it was a joy for her to really you know put the diapers on even though the husband just can't say thank you she will happily do it with a smile and everyone around her would just wonder you know why then she you know some people say ah yeah maybe it's out of Duty you know that woman cares for
00:40:43 the husband some asked her some friends asked her why how is it that you're so joyful and happy to care for your husband with such a great smile you know you know it's such a dirty job you know and you had to clean him all the time he just can't even feed himself and she says this I am only caring and loving him caring for him the same way that he loved and cared for me many years prior she was in a car accident both of her hands were injured and she couldn't use them she was in the hospital for quite a
00:41:21 while and the husband was there every single day to feed her happily loving and caring for her and she says I can only love and care for him the same way because he did it for me likewise so it was not out of Duty it was not out of a sense of guilt it was because she was a recipient of his love and care and therefore he she can reciprocate that back we don't have that opportunity in a sense we can see and look deeply at what the Lord Jesus did and I want you to understand this take a look at what the the Lord Jesus did how
00:41:59 he came for you and for me will we say to the Lord Jesus on the last day when did we see you naked when did we see naked because we did they cast lots for my garment when we say in the last day when do we see you thirsty because we did he says I thirst when will we say Lord when do we see you in prison he was imprisoned on the cross he the Lord Jesus says I who deserved acceptance I got condemnation so that you who deserve condemnation could be accepted by Grace he took your place and my place on
00:42:44 that cross and showed us the spiritually poor what it takes to redeem us if you look deeply at what the Lord Jesus did when you see the Lord Jesus is becoming poor for you powerless for you marginalized for you a victim for you of Injustice paying the penalty for your sins don't you want in that sense to repay him in some small measure if you can not say we can ever repay the debt that we owe but doesn't it want us to say well Lord you know you saved my life what what can I do for you you will never look then at
00:43:22 the poor the marginalized the victims of Injustice the same way why because the Lord commanded and said that if you do this to the least of my brethren you have done it unto me it's very easy for us you know to fall and the trap and say I don't really want to help those people you know and I can tell you why later you'll come and see he was rich yet for your sakes he became poor he was in heaven had all the glory stepped down unveiled that glory to the point that some people didn't even want to recognize that he is a Son of God
00:43:52 he's willing to lay aside That Glory he became poor that you through his poverty might be come rich so we now can love others because he loved us in Isaiah chapter 61 he came to fulfill all that he was broken on that cross remember he came to heal the brokenhearted but he had his own heart broken first he was plunged in darkness on the cross he was bound so that we could be free preaching Deliverance to the captives he got the ashes so that we can have the crown of beauty he was stripped naked so we can have the
00:44:26 garments of pray Grace remember it is Grace not guilt that really makes us move the caveat is is many people will say that yeah I'm a sin sa by Grace but I don't think I should be involved with the poor or involved with the poor yeah um we some of us feel that way sometimes myself included we may spend a bit of money and give some but not spending ourselves why and it's not really the fault of anyone it's really sometimes the fault of the preacher we always think that that guilt is the one that
00:44:58 really drives us but deep down in the heart of every person who believes the gospel there is a button the button gets pushed when we connect Grace to our hearts and not guilt so that button when pushed wakes us up and this can be found in the story in a sermon by Robert marray mcshain he was a preacher from Scotland in the 1830s and there was a sermon he gave on it is more blessed to give than to receive this is a sermon and I can tell you that no one here would be able to read what's up there so I split it up into five
00:45:33 portions and this is the last thing we're going to consider for today first one says there now dear Christians some of you pray night and day to be branches of the True Vine you pray to be made all over the in the image of Christ if so you must be like him in giving though he was rich yet for all six he became poor some may say objection my money is my own I own what I have earned and the answer to that is this Christ instead might have said my blood is my own my life is my own then where should we have
00:46:15 been if the Lord Jesus said that where would we be next objection the poor are undeserving they don't deserve my money they don't deserve my bread Christ might have said the they are wicked Reb Rebels you and I are wicked Rebels shall I lay down my life for these I will give to the good Angels instead but no he left the 9 and9 and came after the Lost he gave his blood for the undeserving objection the poor May abuse it if I give them they may go and you know do something else with their money Christ might have said the same
00:46:53 yay with far greater truth Christ knew that thousands would trample his blood under their feet that most would despise it that many will make it an excuse for sting more yet he gave his own blood oh dear Christians if you would be like Christ give much give often give freely to The Vow the poor the thankless the undeserving Christ is glorious and happy and so will you be it is not your money that I want but your happiness remember his own word it is more blessed to give than to receive before we sing our final
00:47:32 song Spirit touch your church I want you to just consider these two lines I want to care for others like Jesus cares for me I want to care for others like Jesus cares for me when you see another person who is in help let me challenge you don't see that person with that face see that person with the face of the Lord Jesus in as much as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren you did it to me isn't this a chance for us to feed to give water to cloth to give shelter the same way that the Lord Jesus
00:48:22 gave to us in as much as you did it to one least of these my brethren you did it to me I'll close with this verse it says there for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sakes he became poor that you through his poverty Rich he was made poor so that we might be rich go and do likewise let's bow our heads in prayer Our Father we give you thanks that our lord Jesus though he was was rich yet for our sakes he became poor that we through his through his poverty
00:49:01 might become rich father if he had not left his throne above where will we be this day where will we stand so father we give you thanks that he has seen us the spiritually poor and he came to bring that good news even to us we thank you that we are recipients of that wonderful love and we pray our father that you will move our hands and our feet to show that love likewise even to others around us we ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ shall we stand for our final [Music] song Amen indeed there is so much for us
00:49:42 to consider this morning but let's begin as by surrendering ourselves and our lives before God so indeed we will care like Jesus cares for us Lord we need your grace and mercy we need to pray like never before we need the power of your Holy Spirit to open Heaven do let's sing Spirit touch your church stir the hearts of men revive us Lord with your passion want again I want to care for others like Jesus cares for me let your R fall upon me [Music] Lord we humbly come Lord we hum come before you we don't
00:51:12 deser of you what we ask but we are to see your [Music] glory restore world is dying there Spirit touch Spirit touch your church stir the hearts of men Rive us Lord with your passion once again I want to care for others like Jesus cares for me let your fall upon me come on let's make this your prayer touch your church stir the hearts of men Rive us Lord with your passion once again I want to care for others like Jesus cares for me that you re fall upon sing the chorus again Spirit your touch touch your
00:52:41 [Music] church and I want to care for others like Jesus cares for me let your fall upon see let your let your fall upon him let your [Music] Fall 2 Thessalonians chapter 2: 16 now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even Our Father which have loved us and have given us everlasting consolation and Good Hope through Grace Comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and word and all of God's Church Say Amen have a blessed Sunday [Music] resting okay good [Music] good do [Music] see
