Harrisonburg First Church of the Nazarene

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04/18/21- Beauty for Ashes, Part 3: Praise for Despair- Pastor Adrian Mills

Beauty for Ashes, Part 3: Praise for Despair

Isaiah 61:1-3

1 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 broken hearted, 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.

 

 
 
“a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair”
 
“spirit of despair”

-That Hebrew term for spirit is “rûaḥ” and gives the sense of something having descended on us in torment.

-As opposed to mourning, which is event-driven, the “spirit of despair” tends to “move in” and stay with a person in the form of fear, anxiety, chronic sadness.

 

 

“garment of praise”

-The Hebrew word here is like something wrapped around us. God Himself puts it on us to wear throughout our day.

-Our God wants to give you praise even in your despair.

 

 

 

Praise is God’s antidote for despair.

 

Psalms 40:1-3NIV

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth ,a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.

Psalms 103:1-5NIV

1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalms 42:11NIV

11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalms 119:164NIV

164 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.

When we praise God, there is renewal happening:

-renewal of our focus: praise takes the focus off of us, and puts it back on the Lord.
-renewal of our mind: the voice of despair is hopeless and overwhelming, but when we praise we are actually allowing our thoughts to be reformatted.

-renewal of our time: what if praise was so important that we plan our day around it?

 

 

 

Shannon’s Story

Experience a real life story of God’s renewal in Shannon’s life, even in the midst of despair.

Written by

04/11/21- Beauty for Ashes, Part 2: Joy for Mourning- Pastor Billy Logan

Beauty for Ashes, Part 2: Joy for Mourning

 

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Week 1:
In Christ there is always beauty on the other side of your ashes.
-Pastor Adrian
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• • •
Isaiah 61:1-3NIV

1 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.

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• • •
Luke 4:16-19NIV

16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:  18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,  19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

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• • •
Joy for Mourning 
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Isaiah 61:3NIV

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.

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• • •
What is THIS joy?
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Romans 14:17NIV

17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

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Why is THIS exchange so wonderful?
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Psalms 30:5NIV

5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

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Happiness is found in circumstance
Joy is found in Christ
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“The joy and peace of believers arise chiefly from their hopes. What is laid out upon them is but little, compared with what is laid up for them; therefore, the more hope they have, the more joy and peace they have . . . Christians should desire and labor after an abundance of hope.”
-Matthew Henry
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Steph’s Story

Experience a real life story of God’s anointing with His deep joy during a season of mourning.

Other Scriptures for Study/Reflection 
-Romans 12:12
-Nehemiah 8:9-10
-Matthew 5:4
-Galatians 5:22
-Psalm 45:7

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04/04/21- Harrisonburg Campus: Beauty for Ashes, Part 1: Life for Death- Pastor Adrian Mills

http://bible.com/events/48673711

Beauty for Ashes, Part 1: Life for Death

Easter is really about a trade. And the truth is, God makes terrible trades.

What’s the worst thing about your life right now?
Sickness, despair, hopelessness, loneliness, heartbreak?

God will trade you for it. That’s what Easter is all about.

Isaiah 61:1-1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,because the Lord has anointed meto proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,to proclaim freedom for the captivesand release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favorand 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 beautyinstead of ashes,the oil of joyinstead of mourning,and a garment of praiseinstead of a spirit of despair.They will be called oaks of righteousness,a planting of the Lordfor the display of his splendor.

Luke 4:16-19

16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

 

 

-Jesus intentionally points to Isaiah 61 at the very beginning of his ministry. Jesus used this passage to summarize his mission here on earth.

-You might call Isaiah 61:3, “Three Bad Trades and a Consequence”:
-We trade our ashes and He gives us beauty.
-We trade our mourning and He gives us joy.
-We trade our despair and He gives us praise.

-We trade our broken and feeble roots and He makes us oaks.
Beauty for Ashes

-Ashes were sign of destruction, despair, and mourning.
-Many of us know “ashes” quite well. There are many synonyms – hopelessness, brokenness, hurt, and emptiness.
-But those are just cousins to the worst of the ashes – DEATH.

-Today on Resurrection Day we can be very specific about what “beauty for ashes” means: life for death.
Ephesians 2:1-5

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

 

 

You were dead (Ephesians 2:1-3)

-Sin festers, it corrodes, it deteriorates and destroys. It brings death today, and eternal death.
Now you are alive (Ephesians 2:4-5)

-If you are in Christ, He exchanges your death and gives you new life.

Lewis’ Story

Experience a real life story of God exchanging beauty for ashes, trading death for new life!

https://youtu.be/hGSJ6e_NUgs

In Christ there is always beauty on the other side of your ashes.

Written by

04/04/21- East Rock Campus: Beauty for Ashes, Part 1: Life for Death- Jared Link

http://bible.com/events/48673711

Beauty for Ashes, Part 1: Life for Death

Easter is really about a trade. And the truth is, God makes terrible trades.

What’s the worst thing about your life right now?
Sickness, despair, hopelessness, loneliness, heartbreak?

God will trade you for it. That’s what Easter is all about.

Isaiah 61:1-1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,because the Lord has anointed meto proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,to proclaim freedom for the captivesand release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favorand 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 beautyinstead of ashes,the oil of joyinstead of mourning,and a garment of praiseinstead of a spirit of despair.They will be called oaks of righteousness,a planting of the Lordfor the display of his splendor.

Luke 4:16-19

16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

 

 

-Jesus intentionally points to Isaiah 61 at the very beginning of his ministry. Jesus used this passage to summarize his mission here on earth.

-You might call Isaiah 61:3, “Three Bad Trades and a Consequence”:
-We trade our ashes and He gives us beauty.
-We trade our mourning and He gives us joy.
-We trade our despair and He gives us praise.

-We trade our broken and feeble roots and He makes us oaks.
 

Beauty for Ashes

-Ashes were sign of destruction, despair, and mourning.
-Many of us know “ashes” quite well. There are many synonyms – hopelessness, brokenness, hurt, and emptiness.
-But those are just cousins to the worst of the ashes – DEATH.

-Today on Resurrection Day we can be very specific about what “beauty for ashes” means: life for death.
 

Ephesians 2:1-5

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

 

 

You were dead (Ephesians 2:1-3)

-Sin festers, it corrodes, it deteriorates and destroys. It brings death today, and eternal death.
Now you are alive (Ephesians 2:4-5)

-If you are in Christ, He exchanges your death and gives you new life.

Lewis’ Story

Experience a real life story of God exchanging beauty for ashes, trading death for new life!

https://youtu.be/hGSJ6e_NUgs

In Christ there is always beauty on the other side of your ashes.

Written by

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