Freedom Follows Following: Sticky Billboards of Freedom (Real Purpose)

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Isaiah 61:11
“For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. 

Gateway Mission Statement

Fresh Starts, Great Friends, Real Purpose

Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3  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 of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

Who we are before freedom

1. We are poor.

“to proclaim good news to the poor.” 

2. We are brokenhearted.

“to bind up the brokenhearted” 

3. We are held captive in the dark.

“to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners”

4. We are in mourning and grief. 

How does the Messiah address those?

• Proclaims them over!
  “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” 

• Comfort and Provision.
  “comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion “

• Exchange.
  “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.” 

5. We have no Identity.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. 

Freedom turns the table on captivity.

Isaiah 61:4-9
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. 5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.6 And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. 7 Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. 8 “For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.” 

A free people are a…

• Restored People. 

• Repositioned People. 

• Reestablished People. 

• Reidentified People.

• Rejoicing People

Isaiah 61:10
I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 

Our Real Purpose is to Become A Sticky Billboard of Freedom

Isaiah 61:11
For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.

Freedom Produces Righteousness. 

Galatians 5
the fruit of the Righteous life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. 

Freedom produces Praise.