I'd like to invite you to take your Bibles and turn to that portion of Scripture which we had read earlier. The title of our message, The Ministry of the Messiah from Isaiah chapter 61. In our continuing series, Great Texts from the Book of Isaiah, I never cease to be amazed as I see the prophetic portions of God's Word revealed 700 years before Jesus Christ walked on the earth during His incarnation. This portion of Scripture before us, portrayed in verses 1 and 2, were uttered by the prophet Isaiah, describing fully the ministry of the Messiah who was to come. Isaiah 61, reading verses 1 and 2, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the good tidings unto the meek. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison unto them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord And then notice the remaining phrase, "...and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn." Our Lord Jesus Christ quoted this same passage of Scripture 700 years later in the book of Luke chapter 4. Before turning to that passage, I want to point out to you one startling omission that is found in verse 2. When our Lord read this portion of Scripture in the synagogue of Nazareth, His hometown, He left out the last phrase, the day of vengeance of our God. And the reason why He did so is because He wanted to demonstrate that He was offering His gracious kingdom at His first advent. He was offering salvation unto His own. The Word of God says He came unto His own. And the great kingdom promises of the book of Isaiah were offered a bona fide offer of the kingdom in fulfillment of the Davidic covenant, and that which we find also in the book of Isaiah, the Lord offered it by grace. But you see, the Lord knew something that Isaiah did not know, and that was this, that that kingdom would be rejected by God's chosen people at His first advent. God's chosen people would shake their fist in the face of God and say, we will not have Him rule over us. And grace was refused. And the Bible tells us there yet awaits for the people of Israel a day of vengeance, a day called the great and terrible day of the Lord, culminating in the battle of Armageddon, which will purge Israel, where, as Zechariah teaches, one-third of Israel will only enter into that glorious kingdom. Two-thirds will be cut off. A great day of vengeance such as this world has never seen, not only upon the people of Israel, but also upon all who will reject the Lord Jesus Christ." So our first approach, you see, as we look at Isaiah 61, as we look at Luke chapter 4, will be to see that there is a dispensational lesson that we learn. That is, that part of verse 2 has not yet been fulfilled. We're also going to look at Luke chapter 4 and look at the devotional lesson that is before us. We're going to see that there are two advents mentioned in verses 1 and 2 of the book of Isaiah. Two advents. Jesus spoke about the acceptable year of the Lord in verse 1. That was the day when He came by grace. But He also spoke about the day of vengeance. And that is going to be a time of vengeance prior to the establishment of his kingdom. Now, I want to take just a little prophetic walk dispensationally. We know that Jesus Christ came at his first advent. He was crucified, rejected of men. I trust that there are none that have yet continued in their rejection of Christ in this auditorium here. But the Bible says, as many as received Him, you must receive Him as your personal Savior. He died for you. Subsequent to the cross work of Christ, you have the dispensation of the church age. Then, of course, the rapture takes place where we will be present with the Lord. Then the great and terrible tribulation period culminating in the final day of vengeance. Major purpose of the tribulation period will be for God to refine Israel that had previously at his first advent when he came during the incarnation rejected him and This great and terrible tribulation period the Bible tells us Jesus Christ will come down to the earth that great battle of Armageddon and exercise that final day of vengeance then establish his kingdom all of this is prefigured in Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2 you may not be initiated this may be rather new to some of you that have not studied prophecy but stick with us because we review these things and you'll hear them again line upon line precept upon precept now let's turn to that portion of scripture in the book of Luke chapter 4 because I'd like for us to take a look at the devotional meaning of the book of Luke chapter 4. And we're going to read the words of Jesus and the context. And by the way, we know very little about the synagogue life during the period of the ministry of Christ. We have the writings of Josephus and early writers, Here, the Bible describes for us synagogue life in a very interesting way. Notice it says in verse 16, He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read. Oftentimes, a guest would be given one of the scrolls, and as a guest of honor, he would read the scriptures. You know, it's interesting, whether it's the synagogue or whether it's the church, God's Word has always been the centerpiece. And may that always be true with Central Florida Bible Church. God's Word, the centerpiece and the masterpiece of all that we do as God's people gather together. Jesus Christ is given a scroll to read. And it was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He opened it, He found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has set Me to heal the brokenhearted. to preach deliverance to the captives, the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. But please notice, he leaves out the reference mentioned in Isaiah 61 and verse 2, the day of vengeance, because he was giving them the offer of salvation by grace. Now, just a brief warning to everyone listening to my voice today. Today is the day of salvation in your life, dear sinner. Today is the opportunity to be saved. Yesterday is a canceled check. Tomorrow is a promissory note. Today is the opportunity. It is cash on hand. It is opportunity for you to come to Jesus Christ as personal Savior. Do not wait for that day of vengeance when it will be too late and you will stand before God as your judge and the one who consigns your eternal destiny to the lake of fire. There is a day of grace for all of us, but there is also a day of vengeance. Not because the Lord would have anyone perish, but because we fly in the face of God and we think that we can satisfy the righteousness of God on our own. And judgment awaits for those who reject the provision. We will be judged by the law of Moses Those of us who fail to realize that Jesus fulfilled that law and died on the cross to redeem us who were under the law. That same law that judged Christ on the cross when He bore our sins. That law that Jesus Christ fulfilled to perfection. We will be judged by that law who reject the provision of Jesus Christ. Now, let's take a look at that devotional lesson that I was referring to. Dispensationally, we realize that what is awaiting Israel? The day of vengeance, because she has rejected the Messiah. But now, let's take a look at another lesson for us today, and that is the ministry of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the devotional emphasis that we are concentrating on today. Notice what the Lord says. I have a ministry. And He delineates five different ministries that every one of us fall into. And His grace, dear person, is able to meet you at your point of need. I don't care what you have fallen into. I don't care what your past is. It doesn't matter What you have done, there's room at the cross for you. And Jesus Christ can salvage your life. First of all, please notice with me in verse 18. In verse 18, the first ministry that Jesus has is to those that are bankrupt. You know, you can never be saved until you realize that you have absolutely nothing. to offer to the Lord for your salvation. You can never be saved until you realize that all of your righteousnesses are as filthy rags. In order to be saved, we need to crawl to the foot of the cross and realize that we need His mercy. We need to realize that we indeed are poor and we are dead in our trespasses and sins. There are three Scriptures that I want us to examine today that testify to the fact that Jesus Christ is willing to meet you in your bankruptcy. But you must recognize that. Turn in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 11. Matthew chapter 11 reveals to us the startling invitation of our Savior. Verse 28 says, come unto Me. Yes, come. You must come. He will not drive you. You must come of your own free will and come to Him. But He is approachable. He's available. He is your Savior. He has paved the way by His grace whereby you can find salvation. But you must come. He did not make you like a robot. He gave you free will. Are you willing to see your bankruptcy, having broken God's law in all points, condemned by a holy God? Yet He says, come to Me. I made provision for you. Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This is not an invitation to the self-righteous or to the individuals that think that they can pull themselves up by their own abilities and enter into heaven. The Bible says we are all lost and we need salvation rest. Take My yoke upon you. Learn of Me. I am meek and lowly of heart. and you'll find rest for your souls. Have you come to the restgiver? Have you received Jesus Christ? It says, my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Jesus Christ came to those that were poor and bankrupt and recognized that. The Bible says in Matthew 5 and verse 3, blessed are the poor in spirit. You see, in order to be blessed, in order to find real happiness and true fulfillment, you need to come to Jesus Christ and realize how bankrupt and poverty stricken we are. The Lord says, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Recognizing your bankrupt condition before a holy God is a divine requirement for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. You know, the church in the last days is pictured in that great prophetic book of Revelation 3 and verse 17. And I believe we're living in the day of the church of Laodicea. The church that needs nothing. The church that's self-righteous. The church that has it all, and yet has forgotten. their need for Jesus Christ as righteous. Notice it says in verse 17, Because thou sayest, I am rich, increased with goods, have need of nothing. That's the average viewpoint of the man without Christ. I have need of nothing. Talk to somebody else about their need for Christ. We'll see that portrayed in the Way of the Master series tonight, as we see several instances of individuals being witnessed to, in live situations, the hardness of many men's hearts, but yet the power of God's Word. I have need of nothing, they say. And no, it's not. Now, notice what the Lord says about the current church today by and large. He says, Thou art wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Look at verse 17. Circle thou. But now look at verse 18 and circle I because that's Jesus Christ speaking. It doesn't matter what you say. It doesn't matter what I say. It doesn't matter what your opinion is. It's what God says. That is what is going to make a difference because we're going to stand before Him at the judgment day. I counsel thee. to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. White raiment, that is a picture of salvation and the righteousness of Jesus Christ that He can clothe us in. If we will come, if we will realize our bankruptcy, white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. Anoint thine eyes with eye salve that thou mayest see. Now let's go back to Luke 4, to the words of our Savior once again. As we read them in the synagogue, as everyone's eyes are riveted upon Jesus Christ, the very fulfillment of these words in His presence. He makes the statement, the Lord has anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. That is, spiritually bankrupt. But then he mentions also, I've come to minister not only to those that are bankrupt, but also to the brokenhearted. Notice the Word of God says, He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted. What is your condition before God today? If you're going to be saved, your heart is broken. I've seen individuals make professions of faith, popping chewing gum, coming up the aisles and squealing and giggling with their friends in camp ministries and campgrounds. That's not repentance. On the contrary, when a person comes to Jesus Christ as Savior, there's not only a realization of bankruptcy, but there's a brokenness about are conditioned before God. Many need to be broken because their hearts are hardened in the midst of materialism and all of the things that this world affords. The brokenhearted condition needs to be there as well. Some of you are brokenhearted because you've put all of your faith and trust in things that God never intended to give you security. And we're seeing that in our nation today. We are seeing people that have built vast financial empires and their aspiration was someday to retire at age 45 and live off the fat of the land and very much like the rich fool in the book of Luke. They find out that it so easily just goes right through their fingers. And the Lord has to cause individuals to be broken hearted, perhaps You find yourself broken-hearted in the midst of sin because you've fallen into sins and vices and people took advantage of you and then left you in ruin and in shame and in sorrow. And you trusted in people that led you to a dead end and they ruined your life and left scars in your life that you think you'll never be able to erase again. And the cruelty of this world is great, is it not? But you know, God is able to pick up the pieces by His grace. He's able to take you out of the muck and the mire of sin and lift you up by His grace and place you on the solid rock and make a trophy of His grace in your life and give you a ministry where you once had misery. That's the kind of God that we serve. And that's what Jesus Christ offered in the book of Luke. Turn. Please don't lose your place in Luke 4. But let's go back to the Isaiah passage. Isaiah 61 and verse 3. Because to me, it speaks volumes about how the Lord can take the brokenhearted and give bliss. and healing and redemption. In Isaiah 61 and verse 3, it says, I want to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion. By the way, is that you? Are you mourning over your brokenness and sin and disappointment? You know you've disappointed your Lord. You've disappointed your family, your friends. But it says this, if you're mourning, the Lord wants to give you beauty out of the ashes that you have in your hand. The world, that's exactly what it gives, ashes. And you give your life over to the pursuit of pleasure and popularity and some kind of a future career and you travel to California to proceed in an acting or a modeling career and all kinds of people give you all kinds of promises. And they get you involved in sin and vice. And someday you're alone in a motel room by yourself and your life is just ashes. Jesus Christ can be that gleam of light that enters into your life and provides beauty. And He can restore the years that the locusts have eaten, as it says in the book of Joel. He can give you the oil of joy where once there was mourning. He can take a person whose home was broken and restore happiness and joy and peace. But we have to come, as we saw in our first point here, to the Lord. It says, I can give you the garment of praise. I can clothe you with something to praise God about. And I can give you a testimony where before you were embarrassed to even talk about your past. I can give you the garment of praise where you can become a trophy of my grace. That's what the Lord says. I can exchange the spirit of heaviness for the spirit of praise. Why? That they might be called trees of righteousness with a deep root system that's planted all for the glory of the Lord. Back to Luke 4. The Lord has come to minister to the bankrupt spiritually. The brokenhearted. But then also, our Lord has come to preach deliverance to the captives. I'm amazed as I read Luke 8 and verse 26, illustrating what captivity was all about. Here was a man in the country of the Gadarenes that was a demonically possessed man. And incidentally, I believe that we're living in demon-possessed days all around us. Individuals that have given their lives to the things of the devil. And here was a man. I knew one campus pastor that preached on this passage. The title of his message was, A Nude Dude in a Rude Mood. It says here, there met Him, verse 27, out of the city a man that had devils. He wore no clothes. He didn't abide in any house. He was in the tombs. He was demonically possessed. And he sees Jesus. Jesus enters into his life. This man falls down before Him, and with a loud voice, the demons speak through. This captive man, held captive by demonic chains, the demons speak out, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High? I beseech thee, torment me not. You know, the demons know that they have a future judgment. By the way, if you study your Bible, 1 Corinthians 6, Revelation chapter 20, you'll find out that we're going to be present at that great white throne judgment, and we shall judge angels, the demonic host, and Satan himself. The tables will be turned. So I always say when counseling, when the devil comes and reminds you of your past, you remind him about his future. And it's all clearly written. They know they have torment, eternal torment awaiting. And this man that was held captive is released, verse 29, by the power of Jesus. And he that was kept bound with chains and fetters and broke the bands and lived in the wilderness, he was possessed by a legion of demons, verse 30. The Bible tells us Jesus delivered him, and notice in verse 35, he's found sitting clothed and in his right mind. By the way, you want to be in your right mind? Put some clothes on. That's something that a lot of people need to learn about. We're living in a day of immodesty. Even in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, immodesty is found, and that ought not to be. Be clothed and in your right mind. That's another sermon. But it says here, Jesus transformed his life. Held captives, the bound. He also came as a ministry to the blind. I sure wouldn't want to be blind. I'm thankful to the Lord that I have eyesight. Jesus said that it's better that we even lose an eye than to be cast in hell with both eyes. But we need to have spiritual sight. And you know, the Lord said that He came for the recovering of sight to the blind. The unsaved man is pictured as a blind man. And he's walking around. You've seen the seeing-eye dogs. You go to Walmart and supermarket and you see the seeing-eye dogs. And you see the man with a cane. And he's confidently walking with his dog. But just picture that blind man heading towards a cliff with no seeing-eye dog. and he's getting ready to go over a cliff because there's no one to warn him. That's the picture of the unsaved man. But look at 2 Corinthians, and let's see this great portion of Scripture and how the unsaved man is pictured as a blind man. Verse 3 and 4, it says, If our gospel be hidden, or hid, it is hid to them that are lost. Are you hiding? Your message under a bushel? Are you trying to be a secret agent Christian, and yet all around you are lost people? The fact that you have a brother or a sister or a work associate, and you rub shoulders with them every day, and it doesn't bother you that they're on their way to a Christless eternity in the lake of fire? The Bible says if we hide the Gospel message in our life and by our failure, in the lip to share the Gospel, we are hiding that which can illuminate the eyes of the blind man. The Bible tells us, not only is man lost, he is blind. Verse 4, in whom the small g God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not. lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Jesus came to remove the blindfold from that person that is blind. By the way, when you start sharing the Gospel with people and they can't understand anything at all about what you're telling them about, just like how would you like to describe a beautiful painting to a blind person. It would be very difficult. You would have to really break it down and even explain color to them. While an unsaved man is blind, we need to explain the gospel with patience to them. That's what the Lord would have us to do. Jesus Christ came to do that. He also came, Luke 4, to set at liberty them that are bruised. You remember the parable of the Good Samaritan? If we had time, we'd go into great detail in Luke 10. But here was a man on a journey in Luke 10, verse 30. He was on a journey from Jerusalem to Jericho and he fell among thieves. That's a picture of the pitiful circumstances of the unsaved in this world. Taken advantage of. Lost on their journey. Left beaten. Robbed. Naked. And notice, the Levite in verse 32, the priest in verse 31, had nothing to offer him. That was a picture of contemporary Judaism at the time of Jesus. Religious leaders were blind leaders of the blind. They went through religious ritual, but never helped people in their need. But the outcast, the Samaritan, was a picture of Jesus who came and he entered into this man's world and invested to meet his needs. Jesus Christ came to a bruised, beaten, and battered world. And that's exactly what we have in our world today, the five different types of people. My invitation to you, dear people, is very simple. I implore you to come to Jesus Christ with your need today. If you have not trusted in Christ as personal Savior right now, do not wait. The greatest deception, the greatest wile of the devil is, wait a while. Make that decision now. Come to Jesus Christ. Jesus said, Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Learn of Me, He says, for I am meek and lowly of heart. Ye shall find rest for your soul. My yoke is easy and My burden is light. If you have not trusted in Christ as personal Savior, make that decision today. If you are a Christian and you've strayed away from the Lord, and God in His chastening has allowed adversity to come into your life, there is hope if you'll cast those weights that have beset you to the ground and run to Jesus Christ and commit your life again to Him. Recognize that the greatest, not one of the needs, the greatest need is the salvation of your soul. Because Jesus Christ said, what is a man profited if he gain the whole world with all of its riches, all of its hollow promises? Some rich person once died, and an inquisitive friend asked his brother, how much did he leave? And the brother said, he left it all. Because you can't take it with you. That's right. He left it all. You can't take it with you. But you know what you can take with you? When you close your eyes in this world, you can open them up in the presence of the Lord. You lead your family members to Jesus Christ. You'll have them with you throughout all eternity. Let's put our emphasis where it needs to be. What is a man profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? May God challenge our hearts to give ourselves to the true biblical priorities that he has established for us. Let us pray. Father in heaven, thank you that there's room at the cross for every one of us. Lord, may there not be a spirit of pride or self-will in our lives that would either keep us from coming to Christ or keep us from dedicating our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, every one of us are here by a divine appointment. None of us are here by accident. You've brought us here to hear this message. There's something for every one of us today. So, Lord, I beseech by Your power that the Holy Spirit would reach down and touch each person's heart and mind and conscience in that area that needs to be touched. And may we leave here being able to say that we have sought to follow and obey the truths of Your Word and to walk in obedience to the things of the Lord. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.