What was Jesus' divine mission? In this sermon, discover the profound reasons why Jesus came into the world as outlined in Isaiah 61:1-2 and 1 Timothy 1:15. From preaching to the spiritually poor to saving sinners, this message unveils the heart of Christ's purpose.

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Table of contentsJesus is the Anointed OneJesus Came Into the World to Preach to the Spiritually PoorEverything Flows from the GospelJesus Came Into the World to Heal Broken HeartsJesus Came Into the World to Provide Spiritual FreedomThe Two People on the Road to Emmaus Misunderstood Jesus's First ComingJohn the Baptist Misunderstood Jesus's First ComingThe Worst Slavery Is Spiritually to SinJesus Came Into the World to Give Us GraceJesus Came Into the World to Save SinnersThe Day of Vengeance of Our GodWe Receive God’s Favor or VengeanceThe Favor of Jesus's First ComingNo Mention of Jesus Being a King

Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strip, asked people to describe their job in one sentence. Here are the top six responses he received:

A pilot said, “My job is to spend most of the day looking out the window.”

A security guard said, “My job is to run away and call the police.”

A university professor said, “My job is to talk in other people’s sleep.”

A photographer said, “My job is to shoot couples on their wedding day!”

A flight attendant said, “My job is to ‘Be so fly!’”

A real estate agent said, “My job is to house people in.”

Isaiah 61:1 describes Jesus’s job in one sentence:

Isaiah 61:1b bring good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, [open] the prison to those who are bound, [and] proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

Jesus was anointed to do these five things. We’ll look at each one to appreciate why Jesus came into the world.

Let’s back up to the beginning of Isaiah 61:1 to get the context:

Isaiah 61:1a “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,

These verses are in the first person. The prophet Isaiah wrote them, but we are to read them as though Jesus is saying them through Isaiah.

Jesus is the Anointed One

These first few words are fascinating because the Trinity, or God’s triune nature, wasn’t as evident in the Old Testament as the New. But this is verse shows all three Persons of the Godhead: The Spirit is God the Holy Spirit, the Lord God is God the Father, and "Me" is God the Son. Then Jesus says:

Isaiah 61:1b Because the Lord has anointed Me

The Hebrew word for anointed is māšaḥ, from which we get our English word “Messiah.” The Greek word for anointed is christos, from which we get our English word “Christ.” Christ and Messiah both mean anointed, but one is in Hebrew and one is Greek. Saying Jesus is the Christ or Messiah is saying He’s the Anointed One.

People were anointed to be set apart for a special ministry or purpose. Even though many people were anointed, Jesus is thee Anointed One. He was set apart for a special ministry or purpose, which is beautifully described in the rest of the verse.

Jesus Came Into the World to Preach to the Spiritually Poor

The first thing Jesus came into the world to do:

Isaiah 61:1c to bring good news to the poor

Gospel means good news. Jesus was anointed to preach the gospel to the poor. This might surprise you because you think, “Didn’t Jesus preach the gospel to everyone? Why only the poor? Did He have a problem with the rich?”

The verse is not financial. It is spiritual. This doesn’t mean Jesus preached the gospel to the spiritually poor as though some were spiritually rich. It would be better to understand this as Jesus came to preach the gospel to those who recognized they were spiritually poor. We are all spiritually poor, but we don’t all recognize it.

People who recognize their spiritual poverty know they are sinners. They know they have nothing valuable to buy or earn their way into heaven. But people who think they are spiritually rich (I didn’t say they are spiritually rich because nobody is) think they have what’s necessary to earn or buy their way into heaven. They are proud. They think they are good. So, when the gospel is preached to them, they don’t think they need it. Consider the first beatitude:

Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The poor in spirit recognize they’re spiritually poor, and the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Why? They embrace the gospel when it’s preached to them. They rejoice over what Jesus did for them because they know they need it. They put faith in the Savior because they know they need saving.

Everything Flows from the Gospel

It’s tempting to read the words "bring good news to the poor" and think this is first because it’s the most important thing Jesus came into the world to do. But that almost undermines the gospel's importance because it gives the impression that the other things are a close second, third, fourth, and fifth.

Instead, it’s better to understand that the gospel comes first, and everything else flows from it. Jesus preaches the Gospel, and after we receive it, He does the other things described. I stress this because Jesus can’t do these other things for us if we reject the gospel, which means rejecting Him. But if we believe the gospel, He does these things for us.

Jesus Came Into the World to Heal Broken Hearts

Isaiah 61:1d he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted

We live in a sinful, fallen world. Brokenheartedness is part of life on this side of heaven, and it takes many forms: the death of loved ones, sickness, disease, financial problems, betrayal, job losses, the ends of friendships, relationship struggles, unexpected trials or misfortunes, and the list goes on and on with everything that can break people’s hearts. But Christ came to heal the brokenhearted.

Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

This past week, I received one of the most discouraging phone calls I’ve ever received. It has nothing to do with this church or anyone besides me and my family. Katie kept encouraging me with different Bible verses, such as:

Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

I don’t mention this to warrant any pity. I mention it to point out that the only real encouragement comes when we focus on Christ. Focusing on what He did and what awaits us gives us the perspective we need. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of being with hurting people.

Silence is often much better than speaking or preaching in these situations. In Romans 12:15, weep with those who weep. But can you imagine the tension?

We want people to know things when they are hurting, such as that Jesus came into the world to heal broken hearts, but we know it’s probably best not to start preaching that to them. So, we are left wondering whether people trust the Lord, but we cannot tell them that they should.

Here’s one of the most common things I have heard people say over the years, and it always encourages me: “I don’t know how people make it without the Lord.” I don’t know how people make it without the Lord either, and it blesses me when people say this because it tells me two things. First, it tells me they are depending on the Lord, which is the best thing for them to do. Second, it tells me that God is giving them the grace to endure, and they don’t know how others would endure without it:

2 Corinthians 12:9 [the Lord told Paul], “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

We want people to know that God’s grace will be sufficient for them, but we can’t tell them that, so it’s always encouraging to hear someone acknowledge that.

Let me conclude this part of the lesson by saying that Jesus came into the world to allow people to survive the trials of this life as He heals and mends broken hearts.

Jesus Came Into the World to Provide Spiritual Freedom

Isaiah 61:1e to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound

These words conjure up images of slavery, imprisonment, and bondage. This looks to one of the most common prophecies about what the Messiah would do: free captives and release them from prison:

Isaiah 42:7 [He] will bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.

Isaiah 49:9 [He will] say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’

The Old Testament clearly stated that the Messiah would give people freedom and liberty. Again, we aren’t looking at anything physical. We’re looking at what Jesus does spiritually. Let me share two accounts from the Gospels to help us fully appreciate what Jesus does for us and to help us avoid making the same mistake as these people.

The Two People on the Road to Emmaus Misunderstood Jesus's First Coming

First, when Jesus was walking on the road to Emmaus with two people who didn’t recognize Him. They were sad because they misunderstood Old Testament prophecies about His Coming. When Jesus talked to them about it, they said:

Luke 24:21 “We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.”

What’s ironic and sad about this? Jesus did redeem Israel! However, because they were seeking a physical redemption from Rome, they overlooked the spiritual redemption He provided for their sins.

John the Baptist Misunderstood Jesus's First Coming

Listen to these two verses that are pretty unbelievable:

Matthew 11:2 When John [the Baptist] heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

Consider what these verses actually say: John the Baptist asked if Jesus was the Messiah! John, of all people,