The Year of the Lord’s Favor
Isaiah 61:1-6
September 20-21, 2025
We are in this section of Isaiah that is absolutely amazing. We've been highlighting what I call mountaintop chapters, starting with Isaiah 53. I tell you, Isaiah 53 is one of the greatest chapters in the Bible, surely of the Old Testament, because from chapter 53 you have an amazingly clear view into the New Testament, into the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and all the writings of Paul. Sometimes people read Paul's writings and say, "Where did he get this understanding?"
It's all there in Isaiah 53. Chapter 53 is the gospel according to Isaiah. For there he prophetically declares that the Messiah of Israel would give his life as a ransom for many, that he would be pierced through for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, that the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. It's all there in Isaiah 53, that if he would render himself as a guilt offering, the Lord would prolong his days. That's a reference to the resurrection. It's an amazing chapter. Then that brings us to the next mountaintop chapter, Isaiah 55, where he offers that good news of Isaiah 53 as a beckoning call of the sinners.
He offers it to sinners, and he makes it a beckoning call, "O, everyone who thirsts." He's calling out the sinners everywhere. Everyone who's broken and hurting and afflicted and held captive. "Come to the waters, you who have no money. Come buy and eat without money, without cost." Then he says, "And then delight yourself in spiritual abundance." It's, I tell you, one of the greatest themes in the whole Bible, that not only does God reconcile sinners to Himself, but He draws them into this relationship of love such that God delights in them and they delight in the Almighty God. All who are thirsty, all who are empty, can come to the waters and drink from the rivers of God's delight.
It's a great theme. It speaks of God fulfilling the deepest longings of the soul with purpose and meaning and fullness of love and fullness of joy and peace that passes understanding. That's Isaiah 55. Then He goes on, even in that chapter, and He says, "I will show you a way of life that is higher." Now that we're reconciled, now that we're talking, I want to show you something glorious that I'll do in your life that you can live higher, more glorious, with more honor. See, not only does God reconcile sinners, He transforms sinners so that they live with honor and glory, transformed to live higher.
He says, "Take my thoughts and let them become your thoughts. I will show you a way of thinking that will be victorious and glorious." I tell you, so many people are defeated just in the manner of which they think. In their minds, they are defeated already. He says, "Oh, my thoughts are higher than your thoughts. I will show you the thoughts that are high that will bring you to glory, integrity, character, and honor." Paul writes a very similar thing in the Book of Romans. "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
He goes on to say then, "Not only will God transform your thoughts, but the way that you live your life, it transforms into the living. That which is higher, more glory is filled with honor and integrity. Let God's ways become your ways." All of that is found in Isaiah 55. Then that brings us to the next mountaintop chapter, which is where we are today, Isaiah 61. In this chapter, He says, "All of these promises are going to be fulfilled when I send my Messiah, the coming of the King of Israel, the Redeemer of the world." It will be fulfilled by this man whom I will send. Now, there is no question that Jesus fulfills these chapters because He tells us Himself.
Jesus quotes from this chapter, "God has anointed me to preach good news to the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted, to set free those who were held captive and held in the prison of darkness because of their sin. God will send His Messiah to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord." That's the time in which God's offer of grace and kindness for the forgiveness of sin is proclaimed to all sinners. The favor of the Lord is proclaimed to sinners. We are right now living in the favorable year of the Lord. The best way to understand Isaiah 61 is to read it in light of Luke 4, because there Jesus quotes from these very verses and applies it to Himself.
Let's read Isaiah 61, just some of the verses. Again, we'll look at the other verses around this at our Wednesday verse-by-verse service, but starting with chapter 61:1. Jesus quotes these words, "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because he's anointed me. It's by His spirit that He's anointed me to bring good news, to preach good news to the afflicted. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners, and to proclaim the favorable Year of the Lord." Now it's interesting, that is, in Luke 4, Jesus stops right there.
I. God’s Favor is Proclaimed to Sinners
He quotes those verses up to that point and stops. These verses he fulfills. He stops there because it really indicates that there will be two advents, two incarnations, two visitations, you might say, of the Son of God. First, in relation to sin. The favorable year of the Lord is today, but at the end of the age, He will return and come again to bring all nations into account. There, He says, "To proclaim the day of the vengeance of our God." That will be in the latter days.
It goes on to say, "And to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, to give them a garden instead of ashes, beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting, so that they will be called oaks of righteousness." Oak tree is like one of the strong trees, with deep roots and great length of age. "They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, they will raise up the former devastations, they will repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations."
These are the verses that we want to look at much for us to understand and apply prophetically to us. To understand that this is God's favor proclaimed to sinners. We must see it from that perspective. God's favor is proclaimed to sinners. Isaiah 61 is God's answer to a broken, messed-up, and defeated world. We are living in a messed-up world, but God is doing something about it. People are held in the grip of defeat because of the sin that started all the way back in the Garden of Eden and has held sinners in their grip ever since.
John 3:16, "God so loved the world, but it's the world of sinners that he gave his only begotten Son so that anyone who would believe in him would not perish because of their sin, but would have everlasting life." In other words, when these words were written, God had you and me in mind that He would send His Son, a Messiah, Redeemer. In other words, Jesus, the Son of God, is that friend of sinners. Luke 4 describes the story, when Jesus began His ministry in Galilee, up in the northern region, that He began teaching in their synagogues, and news spread about Him through all the surrounding district, praised by all. Then He went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.
A. Jesus, the Son of God, is the friend of sinners
Now, if you know the area of Galilee, you know it's down into this valley, this bowl. Up on the plateau on the east, on the right is the Golan Heights. Then up on the hills to the west, Nazareth is there. He went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He stood up to read. He was invited to give the reading. The attendant handed Him the scroll of the Book of Isaiah. They just so happened to be reading in the Book of Isaiah. All the synagogues read in the same manner. They just so happened to be in Isaiah. He took the book, He opened it to this very place here where it says of Him, "The spirit of the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the afflicted." He finished reading that section, closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All the eyes of the synagogue were fixed upon Him, and then He said, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." They were amazed at Him. They said, "Isn't that Joseph's Son?" See, He declared, "God has anointed me by the spirit of God to preach the good news to the poor." In other words, this is the heart of God.
Jesus is anointed by the spirit for a purpose because God wanted sinners to hear good news, so much so that God sent His Son to go and find sinners and preach good news to them. Jesus sought out sinners. This is amazing. Again, this is important to understand because many people don't understand this. Many people have the idea that God is angry, angry with them, He's offended with sin, so He rejects sinners, and that's not good news. No, the good news is that He called sinners. He went and found them, seeking them out, find sinners and bring them home. He made a point of eating and drinking with sinners so much so that He was known as the friend of sinners.
Ain't that a great way to be thought of for the Lord? He was called the friend of sinners. Let me give you some great Scriptures. Matthew 9:10-13, "As Jesus was reclining at the table in the house to eat, behold many publicans and sinners-" You got to say it that way, publicans and sinners "-came and were dining with Jesus and his disciples and when the Pharisee saw this they said to his disciples, 'Why is your teacher eating with people like that, with publicans and sinners?' When Jesus heard this, he said, 'It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means.'"
That's a great thing to say to a teacher of Israel. Go and learn what this means. I desire compassion. God has compassion on sinners. That's why He sent Him to go and find them. I desire compassion and not sacrifice. Notice, for I did not come to call the righteous. I came to call sinners. I love that verse. That's the good news. Here's another one, Luke 15:1-7. Now the whole of chapter 15 is amazing, but notice, now, all the publicans and the sinners were coming to Him and listening to Him, but both the Pharisees and the Scribes begin to grumble, saying, "Would you look at this? This man receives sinners, and He even eats with them."
He told them this parable. Now, what man among you, if he has 100 sheep and has lost one of them, does he not leave the 99 and go after the 1 which was lost until he finds it? Then, when he found it, he lays it on his shoulders; in other words, he's going to bring it home, and he puts it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, and he said, "Rejoice with me for I have found my sheep, which was lost." I tell you that in the same way, there is more joy in heaven over 1 sinner who repents than over 99 righteous person who thinks they need no repentance. That's a great chapter. Amen. Sure. Let's give that a little praise.
Amazing. By the way, what does it mean, publicans? He ate with publicans and sinners. Some people hear that and they think He means republicans.
No, no, they're not Republicans, a publican is a tax collector. Therefore, I guess they would be Democrats.
It's just a joke. It's just a joke. It's just a joke. Send no emails. If you do my email address. Is matthew@--
B. He bore our pain upon Himself
No, this is the point, publicans, tax collectors were the worst. They were despised; everyone hated them. He made a point of eating with people that people despised, the worst of sinners. That's the good news. That's the gospel. He sent me to preach to sinners. Go find them because He's got compassion, because He loves, He doesn't want them to perish, to have everlasting life because He bore it upon Himself. This is the gospel. He bore our pain. He bore our sin. The Lord has anointed me to preach.
Notice these four categories or four groups. To preach good news to the affected, bind up the broken-hearted, proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners. These four describe the affliction of the human condition. We are those afflicted. We are the broken-hearted. We are those held captive in the prison of darkness because of the human condition. God sent his Son to set people like us free. That's the gospel. Notice those four; I want to look at them each. God sent me, anointed me to preach good news to the afflicted.
In Luke 4, Jesus said He came to preach good news to the poor, and that actually is a better translation of the Hebrew. It speaks with those who are spiritually in poverty, those who are spiritually bankrupt. They're spiritually poor because they are afflicted by the condition of man in all its ugliness. Now, the word poor does not refer to a financial condition. People can be materially poor, but have beautiful spiritual abundance. I've been in many places in the world, I know many of you have as well. Many places in the world where they barely have anything materially, but because they have Jesus, they have the fullness of joy, and their cup runneth over spiritually. Jesus changes everything.
On the other hand, in contrast, I've met many other people who have great material wealth, but are completely spiritually bankrupt. Now, what does it mean someone is poor? If someone is financially poor, it means they don't have much money. I understand it. I grew up in poverty; I certainly understand. What does He mean spiritually poor? What is it they don't have? Poverty means they don't have something. What does it mean they're spiritually poor? What is it they don't have? They're empty, their souls are empty. They have no life. They're spiritually dead inside. Their souls are dead, empty, poverty, poor. This is why Isaiah 55 speaks to it.
Notice these verses like you have no money, all who are thirsty, come and drink, you who have no money. You're poor. You have nothing. You who have no money, come. Come buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money. You don't have any money. Without cost. It's free to you. God gives it to you freely. Then he says, "Why do you spend your money for what is not bread?" It means here in a spiritual truth. Why do you spend your wages for what does not satisfy? You're spiritually poor? No, He says, "Listen carefully to me. Eat what is good. Delight yourself in abundance."
This is a great verse right here. "Delight yourself, you're poor, but come and drink and delight yourself in abundance. Come to me that you may live." You want to live? Come to me and you'll live. Sometimes people will hear the gospel, and they say, "Oh, I'll get right with God someday. I'll come to the Lord someday, but not now. I got a lot of living to do." I don't think you know what living means. The thing that you call living is what God calls an abomination. The thing that you call living is actually poison. It's poison to the soul. Do you not understand? Can you not see that this thing that you call living is actually poison?
I think about this, and I'm glad that Bosel is here because it reminds me of when I was in Kinshasa, that's the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I was speaking at a group of churches, and I remember driving through the city, that there's this little creek that runs through, and I remember passing over the bridge, and it smelled like, "Woo, what is that?" I said to them, "Why does this creek smell?" They said, "People use it as a toilet." I go, "I saw people, they were bathing in that. No way." Oh, it just breaks your heart to think, but I thought, "This is an illustration." I have that gathering of churches there.
I said, "You all know that creek," and they're very responsive. I said, "You all know that creek. Would you drink that water?" They all say, "No, you wouldn't. No." "What if we put some sugar in it, made it sweet to the taste?" "No." "What if we diluted it, maybe just put some water in it, that would make it better?" "No." "Just a few drops of it?" "No." "Why? Why wouldn't you drink it? Because you know what it is."
If you know what it is, you don't want it because you know that it's poison and it stinks. People, if they can only understand, if you could only open your eyes to see, the Lord would say, "That thing which you desire is poison to the soul. Oh, now come to me and you'll live." God wants you to have spiritual abundance. It comes from delighting yourself in the Almighty, from drinking from the river of His delights. Oh, what a contrast is that.
Notice Psalm 36, notice "How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God. How precious are those who take refuge in the shadow of your wings, for they drink their fill of the abundance of your house." It's a spiritual truth, but they drink their fill. Full. Oh, those who are poor can come and drink their fill of the abundance, "For You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life."
That is the answer to those who are poor. God will give you an abundance of life. "I'll send My Son. He'll make it possible. He'll open the door of relationship to God, that you might have an abundance, spiritually delighting in the Almighty." Then he says, "And God sent me to bind up the brokenhearted." There are many brokenhearted people. Some have experienced great tragedies, and it hurts; it carries a pain.
Maybe they've been through a bitter divorce. Maybe they've lost a child. It hurts. "I come to bind up the brokenhearted." Notice, it's declared in Isaiah 53, that great chapter, where he says, "Surely, our griefs, he came to carry our griefs. He Himself bore them. Our sorrows, He carried our sorrows." See, in other words, not only does God care, He carries your sorrows and your griefs. In other words, you're not alone in your shame, you're not alone in your suffering. He gives comfort to those who are hurt, there's rest for the weary, there's love for the broken hearts. It's what the need is, comfort and love. God says, "I will be there in it."
Notice Psalm 56:8, David writes, "You have taken account of my wanderings." That David writes this from the suffering, the affliction of being pursued by Saul, he's in danger of losing his life. This goes on relentlessly for years. "You have taken account of my wanderings." Notice, "For you have put my tears in a bottle. Are they not in your book?" That is beautiful. God cares. He notices. He knows. So much so, he says that in a spiritual analogy, "You put my tears in a bottle? They're precious to you? Are they not in your book?"
God never forgets. He walks with you through every trouble, every sorrow, even through the valley of the shadow of death. Then he writes in Psalm 34, another Psalm of distress, notice he says, "I will bless the Lord at all times," even in the distress of it, "and His praise will continually be in my mouth. Even in the time of affliction and distress, I will praise you, for the Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and he saves those who are crushed in spirit."
God will be that. He understands. His compassion is such that He carries your grief. Then he goes on to say, "God sent me to proclaim freedom to captives." Now, the word captive in the Hebrew suggests being in bondage. It's like someone taken hostage and carried away. Many people are held captive by something that they desperately want to be freed from, but are held in its grip. You know what I mean.
That thing that has power over them, it seems like it's stronger than they are. They're weak, they don't have power to break free from this thing, this thing that holds them in its grip. They cannot be victorious. This thing is there, and it stands in the way. It stands in the way of all that God desires to do. Jesus says that He came to give liberty to those who were held captive by opening the door to relationship to God Himself.
Then, when a sinner is reconciled to God, that He then pours out the spirit of the Living God upon the soul of that one who has been reconciled, so that the spirit of the Living God then will be the fire that brings them passion for the desire and the glory of God's presence. That when you when you live by the fire of God's glory in your soul, when a passion has been ignited because He's poured out the spirit of life into that which was once dead but is now alive, that passion of fire, of God's glory in your soul will bring blessing, and favor, and the power of God in all that you do. It changes everything.
This is an important spiritual lesson: that the fire of God's presence that burns in your soul is the same fire that will consume those things in your life that need to be burned up, that are standing in the way of all that God desires to do. It's like God is saying, "Oh, you have no idea. Oh, you have no idea what glorious things I can do in your life, but this thing is standing in the way of it."
This is a great key to spiritual victory. This is the key to spiritual power. Many people do not experience the power of God in their lives because they don't understand the importance of the fire of the passion of God upon their soul. What is that, the words of the famous hymn? It was famous in church history. "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace."
I think it's interesting that Oastor Basel is with us. I remember being in Kinshasa, and the very first conference we ever gave together, we decided to open the conference to all the pastors in the city that wanted to come, not just the Calvary guys, but all the pastors in the city that wanted to come. We had like 250 pastors at this pastors' conference. It was a wonderful time together.
Then, at the same time, we had these women's conferences. We brought some of the women from the church, and we had women's conferences in other places in the city. It was just a wonderful time. Three days into this pastors' conference, and again, a lot of pastors we did not know that we invited from the city, and about three days into the conference, some of the leaders of those pastors asked for a private meeting.
We invited them to come up where we were staying, and they sat down with us and said, "We're not sure if you know this, but many of these pastors at this conference have mistresses." I go, "What? No. How many?" "More than half, probably 60%. What are you going to do about it?" I said, "I don't know. We'll pray." We gathered our leaders, we prayed, and this is what we felt the Lord wanted us to do.
For the final session of the conference, we rented the largest hall in the city, and we invited all 250 pastors to come, and we asked them to bring their wives. Then we invited all the women to come from all the women's conferences, and there were like 1,000 people there. I had the privilege and opportunity to give that final message. Rosella was my interpreter. In that message, I said this very thing here, that God wants nothing to stand in the way of the fullness of God in your life. God wants nothing to hinder all that God has for you. He wants to bless your life. He wants to bless your ministry. You have no idea what God wants to do in your life. If there's anything standing in the way, God wants to remove it.
Then I decided I'm just going to call it right out. I said, "I understand that there are pastors and leaders that have mistresses. This thing in your life is standing in the way. You cannot have the fullness of God and this thing in your life. You cannot have both." I said, "If you would make a covenant with God to lay this down, to let this go, to repent of this thing, this thing that's standing in the way, if you would make a covenant with God, I'm going to ask that in front of your wives and all the women here, that you would indicate that you are making this covenant with God by standing on your feet."
Oh, wait. That's what we did. We just sat there in silence. Then the spirit of God began to be poured out on that place. I saw some movement near the front. I looked. About three, four rows back, I saw a pastor very deliberately set his Bible aside, leaned forward against the chair, pushed himself up, and just stood all by himself. With all humility, he just stood there. I looked at him. He looked at me. I thought, "That takes courage, man."
Then I saw another start to stand, and then another one stood, and then the women started clapping. Then another one stood and another one stood, and another one stood as the women started clapping more and more and louder and louder as more and more and more. We're standing up, committing and covenanting with God that they're going to repent of this and lay this thing down, that this thing that's standing in the way would be no more. Then the thunderous applause as more and more stood. God was doing a great work of revival in that place, and God is still doing revival today. Amen?
Amen. See, here's the thing to understand. You cannot defeat this thing unless the fire of God consumes it. This is the great spiritual lesson. You cannot defeat this thing. You will not defeat it, but God can do it. This thing, right? The fire of God will consume it. If you had the fire of God consuming and igniting your soul, not only will this thing burn up and fall away, but you'll have new power and new life and new passion that will burn again through Christ, and that's a beautiful thing.
God will do it in your life today. God will do it in your life. Let the fire of the passion of revival of the living God fall upon. I tell you, there are many people still today held grip and held captive, and God has come to set you free, and he'll do it in Jesus' name. Amen? Amen. Amen.
Then he said, "He came to give freedom to prisoners." Prison was a dark place. That's the idea. Darkness of the soul is despair. It's heavy. It wearies the soul. It's like a dark prison. Back to Isaiah 61:3, he gives the promises that will set you free. Promises that will set you free if people would take hold of it. Promises are like the hand extended to the one who's drowning. It only saves you if you hold it. It only saves you if you take hold. Hold on to that promise.
Notice in verse three, he says, "He sent me to grant to those who mourn in Zion, to give them a garland instead of ashes, beauty, instead of ashes, the oil of gladness, instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting, and so that they will be called the oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified." These words are life, and they've been life to us.
II. This is Still the Year of God’s Favor
In our sorrow of losing our daughter, it was the darkest night of our soul. Yet I held on to those promises that God will bring beauty out of ashes. Every aspect, every time I saw and see how God does bring beauty out of ashes, oh, I hold on to it. Encourages the soul. What a great contrast from the prison of darkness to the beauty and the gladness of God, so much so that they're called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. These promises are for us. He says, "This is the favorable year of the Lord." We are living today in the favor that God would pour out on the broken, the afflicted, those held captive. Today, this is the day. This is the favorable year of the Lord.
God offers it to any who would take hold of it, that they will be transformed by it. God is still on the move today. Let's pray. God, we are so thankful for all that you've done in our lives. That you sent your Son because you love so much. What compassion you have. Preach good news to those who are spiritually poor, that they can drink their fill of the abundance of your house. Set free those who are held captive. Still moving by your spirit. This is the day. This is the favorable year of the Lord.
Church, if you would say to the Lord, "Ignite my soul, pour out your spirit. I need that fire to be ignited, that there would be a revival in my soul. Let that passion burn in my soul. God ignite something glorious in my soul because I want revival. I want you to burn up this thing. I want revival. I want a whacking victory. God, ignite the passion in my soul for the beauty and the glory of the Almighty."
Church, would you say that to the Lord today by just raising your hand and saying to the Lord, "This is my heart. This is my desire. God, ignite it in me. Pour out your spirit and ignite revival. Oh, let that love of God be poured out upon me. God, I want that revival and that transformed life. I want that victory. I want that power. I want that newness of life." God, thank you for everyone who's raised their hand as a way of saying, "Yes, God, do it in me." Yes, God, we say, then do it. Pour out your spirit on this church, a spirit of revival and a passion igniting a love after you. We give you praise and glory and honor for all that you're doing in us today. In Jesus' name, and everyone said--
Church, let's worship. Would you all stand on your feet with me? Let's enter into a place of nearness to God that the fire would be ignited because we give Him an expression of our love. I want to remind you that if you're here today and you need prayer, you're carrying any burden at all, that there will be prayer warriors that will be here at the front of the sanctuary after the service. Let them pray with you. I want to invite you here also that if the spirit of God is stirring you, even as the word of God was spoken today, the spirit was tugging on you. You sense that there's a necessity, need, urgency, getting your life, your soul right with God, don't wait. I want to invite you that you would make a point of coming through the prayer warriors after the service. Maybe you've never asked Jesus into your heart for the forgiveness of sin. Maybe you're still in that place of asking. You've never asked God for life, for forgiveness of being drawn near and being reconciled to God, that you make a point today praying with them. They'd love to pray with you.
Maybe you're here and you've wandered away and you need to rededicate or recommit your life, then you make a point today, praying with them. Settle this with God today. Let the passion and the fire of God be ignited. Love you, church. May you walk in the glory and the honor and the beauty of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Love you, church. God bless you.