Advent and the Messianic Prophecies - Part 2

 

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on November 14th Dec 2025, by Navaz. For the audio & video, please click here.  For the worship, please click here. 

The Anointed Messiah

Introduction

Isaiah 61 stands as one of the most hope-filled and powerful passages in Scripture. Written against the dark backdrop of exile, oppression, and spiritual decline, it points forward to a Redeemer who would bring healing, freedom, and restoration. This chapter ultimately finds its fulfilment in Jesus Christ, who boldly declares in Luke 4 that this ancient prophecy is realized in Him.

At its heart, Isaiah 61 carries a sweeping message: Judgment gives way to hope, hope leads to redemption, redemption results in restoration, and restoration ushers in new creation.

Background to the Book of Isaiah

The book of Isaiah spans nearly 100 years of Israel’s history. Scholars generally agree on one of two views: either Isaiah wrote the first part of the book while his disciples completed the latter sections, or Isaiah himself authored the entire work but entrusted portions of it to his students for preservation.

Isaiah ministered during the reigns of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in the southern kingdom of Judah, while Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel.

The book can broadly be divided into three sections:

• Chapters 1–39 (c. 800 BC): Isaiah’s lifetime, calling Judah to repentance
• Chapters 40–55 (c. 550–539 BC): Addressing Israel during the Babylonian exile
• Chapters 56–66 (post-515 BC): Hope after the return from exile and the rebuilding of the temple

Isaiah 61 belongs to this final section and is saturated with expectation—a promise that God has not abandoned His people.

A Messianic Promise of Hope

Isaiah 61 was written with the awareness that Israel would face exile and devastation. The temple would lie in ruins, and the people would experience loss, shame, and despair. Yet this chapter speaks of a coming Messiah who would restore what was broken.

The passage declares:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor…”

This is not merely poetic comfort—it is a prophetic announcement of God’s rescue plan.

Jesus Reads Isaiah 61

Fast forward to Luke 4. Israel is once again under foreign rule, this time by the Romans. Centuries of conquest have left the people longing for deliverance. Many expected a political Messiah who would overthrow oppressors by force.

Instead, Jesus inaugurates His ministry with a radically different message.

Returning to His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus enters the synagogue “as was His custom.” The scroll of Isaiah is handed to Him, and He reads from what we now know as Isaiah 61. Then, He does something astonishing—He stops mid-sentence.

He reads:

“To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour”

But He does not continue with:

“and the day of vengeance of our God.”

Why?

Two Comings, One Messiah

Jesus’ deliberate pause reveals a profound truth: His mission unfolds in two phases.

The First Coming – Grace and Salvation

Jesus declares that Isaiah 61 is fulfilled in their hearing. He is openly identifying Himself as the Messiah. His first coming is marked by grace, mercy, and salvation:

“I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” (John 12:47)

This is the present season—the year of the Lord’s favour—where forgiveness is offered and hearts can be transformed.

The Second Coming – Justice and Judgment

The “day of vengeance” will come later. Scripture makes it clear that Christ will return to judge the living and the dead. Until then, the door of grace remains open.

We are still living in that season of favour.

Good News for the Poor

Jesus’ announcement shocked His audience. He declared good news not for the powerful, but for:

• The poor
• The broken-hearted
• The captives
• The blind
• The oppressed

In Jesus’ day, these groups were often considered cursed or insignificant. Yet Jesus places them at the very centre of God’s kingdom.

This theme echoes throughout His teaching, especially in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

The poverty Jesus addresses is ultimately spiritual poverty—a condition shared by all humanity. Sin leaves us bankrupt, captive, blind, and broken. But in Christ, our debt is cancelled.

Recovery of Sight to the Blind

Interestingly, Jesus adds a phrase not found directly in Isaiah 61: “recovery of sight for the blind.” This comes from Isaiah 42.

Why does He include it?

Because spiritual blindness is humanity’s deepest problem. No amount of human wisdom can fix it. We need divine revelation. Jesus is the Light of the world, opening blind eyes and leading people out of darkness into truth.

The gospel convicts, heals, restores, and illuminates—by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Great Exchange

Isaiah 61 beautifully describes what Jesus gives us in exchange for our brokenness:

• A crown of beauty instead of ashes – where there was ruin, God gives dignity
• The oil of joy instead of mourning – where there was sorrow, God gives healing joy
• A garment of praise instead of despair – where sin weighed us down, God clothes us in righteousness

This is not surface-level change. It is deep, Spirit-led restoration.

Who We Become

Those who receive this work of Christ are called:

“Oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour.”

This is the purpose of salvation—not merely heaven someday, but transformation now. God restores us so His glory can be seen through renewed lives.

Isaiah 61 operates on three levels:

1. What it meant for Israel in exile
2. How it is fulfilled in Christ
3. What it now means for us

Christ fulfils the prophecy, works transformation in us, and continues His mission through us.

Living in the Year of the Lord’s Favor

The church is called to reflect this kingdom reality—to preach good news, heal broken hearts, and proclaim freedom to those enslaved by sin. We are the new Zion, a city set on a hill, displaying what redeemed humanity looks like.

One day, Christ will return. That day will be glorious for some and devastating for others.

Until then, now is the day of salvation.

The question remains: How will you respond?

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Jesus is Greater | Alex G

This message was preached  by Alex Godinho at Word of Grace Church on May 6th, 2018. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here.

In Nigeria, when I was walking with my colleagues, a friend of my stepped onto a pile of cowdung and slipped and fell on it. Sometimes, I think our life is like that- we are going along and suddenly find ourselves in a mess. It is not expected. We think we are all in control and suddenly something comes up. It could be a misunderstanding in a family- arguing, bitterness and we wonder how we got there. Maybe someone is in the centre of this kind of a mess. It is like an addiction that is fun at the beginning and suddenly you find that you can’t get out of it. Or a financial issue- it starts off as small loans and then one day you realise that you are in a huge mess. If you are struggling with this mess, the Bible has many words of encouragement.

The book of Revelation was written for our encouragement and not to scare us. Many early church leaders were killed for their faith. John, Jesus’ beloved disciple, was stranded in the island of Patmos. Christians were really in a hard season and wondering if there was a God and someone to help them. This is where the book of Revelation comes to tell us that he is coming back. Jesus shows up personally through a revelation. Rev 1:1- “The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place”. Revelation means unveiling of Jesus. The New Testament gives a picture of Jesus- in his humility, serving people, compassionate and loving. But in Revelation we see another side of Jesus. Jesus in his glory! We get a bigger picture of Jesus. He is a conquering warrior. When we see who Jesus is in his glory, we can let him take control. Jesus wins and he wins all the time! So through faith we can share in his victory.

We also need encouragement – so we need to remember that Jesus wins.

1.      Recognise the real Jesus- If look at the news there is total chaos. If Jesus is not at the centre of our lives, we too can end up in chaos. We could succeed but won’t be lasting success. Rev 1:4-5 “Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” Of all the names that we read of Jesus in the Bible, this is the coolest to me- he is the ruler of the kings of the earth. This is significant because in the olden days, kings dominated every sector of society. They controlled media, arts, commerce, etc. When Jesus comes along in Revelation, he is called the ruler of the kings of the earth. Jesus is saying, I am Large and in-charge.

Peter and Paul died for their faith and even John is exiled in the island of Patmos. But when we are in the darkest hour, we need to remember that God is still in-charge. When you look beyond your immediate circumstances, you will see that Jesus is bigger.

2.      Share in Jesus’ victory- Jesus redeems our mistakes. Jesus gave his life so that things could be put right. In Rev 1:5 “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood”. Our responsibility is to receive his grace and his mercy. We believe that God forgives. But has he forgiven me? It took me a long time to realise that God has forgiven me completely. If you put your trust in him, he forgives. Jesus was more than enough to pay for our sins. So we are here to share in his victory. Rev 1:6 “and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.” This phrase kingdom of priests comes from the Old Testament when the Israelites are brought out of Egypt and did not know their identity. So God gives them identity- that they are a kingdom of priests. We are the same. You are not what people say you are.  You are who God says you are. He says we are loved, we are a kingdom of priests, equipped to serve and follow him. Rev 2:17 “To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” In Pergamum- white stone represents someone who won a victory. Athletes in that day would get a white stone that signifies that they are winners. We don’t have to wait to receive that stone because we are already victors.

3.      Look forward to Jesus’ return- we all go through rough times but we need to endure. I was pushed around at work and not given what I deserved for 19 years, but in 6 years I was promoted more than what I would have earned in those 19 years. We need to hang on to our hope in Christ, no matter what the difficulty in front of us. Look beyond the junk. Rev 1:7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him,even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”So shall it be! Amen.” We will live with God forever. When he first came, he came as a baby in a manger, in meekness. But when he returns he will be the conquering king, the Lord of lords, seen by everyone, a judge, bringing peace to the world. Jesus wins and we share in his victory.

Your life is marked by your love for God and love for people. At the end of your life this is what counts. It is not more complex than this. Look at the people He has placed in your life and start valuing them. We need to start forgiving and understanding one another. Love God and Love others. Let’s pray.

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Great is your Reward | Colin D

This message was preached  by Colin D'cruz at Word of Grace Church on March 18th, 2018. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here.

In life you will find 2 kinds of teachers. One kind wants to set difficult papers and their aim is to see you falter and fail. They don’t want to see you succeed. They are trying to trip you up. On the other hand there is a teacher who wants to see you succeed exceedingly and gives you the paper at the beginning of the year, and prepares you for everything. One day we will be evaluated by God himself. In the Bible there are 7 different 

judgements.

Revelation 20:11- 15 “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

This is happening at the end of time. Time is linear and it started in eternity past and one day Jesus will come back. Books were open- there were 2 sets of books- one was the book of life and there were other books. Every time we say something, think or do something, God records it in these books.

Like in a court of law, it will be read out. It will not be like any court on earth where justice is perverted. God cannot be cheated. If you have trusted in Jesus, this judgment is not for you. That is the Good News! If you have believed in Jesus as God who rose from the dead our name is written in the Book of Life.

Q. What about Believers?

2 Corinthians 5:10- “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” Here Paul is addressing believers. We have another judgement. We must all appear before Christ.

Romans 14:10 “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.”

There are different judgements- Judgement of the believer and the judgment of the unbeliever.

1.      The great white throne Judgement is not for us. If there is anyone who has not put their trust in Jesus, today is the day of Salvation. No one comes to the Father except through Him.

2.      For those who have put their trust in Him, God has justified us. The righteousness of Jesus is credited to us. We are going to heaven because of what Jesus has done.

3.      We still cannot live any which way we want to... we make it our desire to please God. God’s love for us is unconditional. But we can please him or displease him by how we live. 2 Corinthians 5:9 “So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it”. Colossians 1:10 “so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God”.

At the end of our lives when Jesus comes, He said Revelation 22: 12 ““Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” Our salvation is free. But our rewards are given according to what we have done.

We don’t like that word- Judgement- because we are fearful of what we have done. It is not a judging of our sins. Our sins have been judged on the cross. But this is like an appraisal and evaluation. He is going to evaluate and give bonus’ to everyone who has worked. The word of this Judgement seat “bima” is taken from the victory stand at athletics. The Good News is that we will all get our turn. Everyone will be rewarded. God wants to bless us, so we will stand before this judgement seat of Christ- not to bring up our sin, it is dealt with, but to reward us for the good things we do in obedience.

Q. If the next 24 hours of your life will determine the next 100 years, how would you live?  

How we live on earth will determine our entire eternity. Jesus is the kind of teacher who wants us to succeed and so he wants to show us how we can earn our rewards. 1 Corinthians 3: 1- 4 “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?”

There are 2 kinds of Christians- baby Christians and mature Christians. Baby Christians are worldly, and can’t handle solid food.

1 Corinthians 3: 5-9 “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

Paul is asking them to be united because we are all God’s fellow workers and have a role to play. Each will be rewarded.

1 Corinthians 3:10 “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it.”

The foundation in a believers’ life is laid and each one has to be careful how he builds. The foundation of our Christian walk is Jesus. Now we have a responsibility to build well.

1 Cor 3: 12-15  “If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

You are saved. Now God says, build on what I have given you. Different measure has been given to each of us. It will be revealed with fire. In our lives, that is what is going to happen. At the judgment seat, how we lived our lives will be tested by fire.

How we live our lives is being recorded. As we live, we are building a house. On that day, if it is burnt up, we will escape from the house just as one escaping the fire. Paul is encouraging them to live in such a way that we will get rewards. This is the final exam.

One day our lives will be evaluated.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”

God will judge not just our deeds but the motives of their hearts. We may even do good things, but if the motive is wrong, it is burnt up. We want to live in such a way that we are building with gold, silver and precious stones. When we stand before that throne, there is going to be a fair judgement. We will be individually judged.

1.      Matthew 5:11-12 ““Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Q. Have you faced injustice?

When that happens, you are blessed, because our rewards will be great in heaven. We need to keep our perspective.

Luke 14:12-14

2.      Hospitality- we can have friends who are similar to us. We invite them and enjoy each others company. But invite those who cannot repay you back. When you do that, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. It is so important to extend hospitality to those who cannot repay you. Even a cup of cold water, a meal, will give you eternal reward.

3.      We maybe in a situation where you are not being recognised and rewarded justly. Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” You work faithfully for a horrible boss and do your job well. You may not be rewarded in the company, but one day before the judgement seat of Christ, you will be rewarded.

4.      Matthew 6:6- Praying and fasting; giving

Jesus wants to reward you- that is His heart. Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Our job is to ask God what are the good works he has given for you to do. There is a whole list of good works. We need to keep our eyes on the rewards. Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”

Q. How did Paul live in view of all this? 

1 Corinthians 9:24- 27 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

The Christian life is not a cake walk, it is a race. It is a thing of endurance. We have to put in effort. We have to train- not try. You will not lose your reward. For those who are weary and tires, do not lose heart. If we persevere, we will receive a reward.

I pray that our mind will be changed and we look at every opportunity to gain this reward. Let’s pray.

  Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Jonah: Part 2- Mercy triumphs over Judgement | Colin D

This message was preached  by Colin D'cruz at Word of Grace Church on September 3rd, 2017. To listen/download the audio please click here. 

Last week we started looking at this amazing story of Jonah. God spoke to Jonah to speak with the city of Nineveh and ask them to repent. Assyrians, the capital of which is Nineveh is the enemy of Israel and they were cruel. They boasted in their cruelty.

Jonah wanted to see the destruction of this city and didn’t want Nineveh to repent. So he goes in the opposite direction. So God sends a storm to get Jonah’s attention. Jonah is thrown into the sea and the sailors realise that Jonah’s God is the real God. So they become believers and God uses Jonah’s disobedience to bring salvation to unbelievers.

Then a fish swallows Jonah and Jonah stays in the belly of the fish for 3 days and 3 nights.

1.      God provided a fish

2.      God spoke to the fish and Jonah ended up where he needed to go.

Jonah got a second chance. Sin can take different forms: it can be running away from God and it can be staying where we are and not doing what God wants us to do.

God used the wind waves, storm and fish to bring Jonah on to the right track. Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the Lord. Nineveh is one of the biggest cities then.

Jonah 3:4-5 “Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.”

Can you imagine going to a place like North Korea, and proclaiming this message?

1.      We see the exceeding sinfulness of the world- with hurricanes taking place all over the world, people are looting in this situation. The sinfulness of man is terrible. Let’s look at our own hearts. But Jesus doesn’t want to leave us there.

2.      Mercy of God- Even in the declaration of judgment, God wants to save them. 2 Peter 3:9- god wants people to come to repentance.  People respond to this message. The Mercy of God causes repentance.

a.      1 kings 21: 25- “There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 26 He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel” the strongest man was Samson, the wisest man was Soloman and the most wicked man was Ahab. But when he repented, this was God’s response- “Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 29 “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”

b.      Exodus 34:6- “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”

c.      Lamentation 3:22 “God’s mercies are new every morning”. God always has mercy o those who repent. God responds to humility. He changed his mind in Ahab’s case, he changed his mind in Nineveh’s case. So even for our nation, we need to humble ourselves in front of God and ask for repentance. We see that he has had mercy on the evil nations- what about our nation of India? There is such darkness in our land. We need to value human life in the image of God. we need to stand in the gap and repent like the Ninevites did.

3.      Repentance: we are here because of the Grace of God. we need to pray for our fellow Indians to come to true personal and national repentance.

Q.     How do we repent?

a.      Change in mind: Sometimes when we go in the wrong direction, we need to turn around.

b.      Change in Action- to stop doing the wrong thing and start doing what you should be doing

c.      Humbling ourselves- in every situation, they put on sackcloth and fasted and humbled themselves. Sackcloth is a gunny bag. Matthew 6:16- “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”  Don’t make a show of your repentance. He talks about prayer the same way. He asks us to pray privately. These are all ways in which we can humble ourselves.

Let’s be a people who are crying out for our nation. Let’s pray for the mercy of God and not the judgment of God. India has 1 mil people joining the workforce every year. If our economy doesn’t pick up there could be anarchy. So we pray for that. 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.