Treasured

TreasuredBeauty for Ashes

You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your GodIsaiah 62:3

Context for my talk is the prophet Isaiah. By way of background, he lived 700 years before Christ was born, and he is in fact the most quoted prophet in the New Testament. It is a Hebrew name which means the Lord is Salvation. Much of His prophesy points us to Christ. He prophesizes about the coming of the messiah as both God and man, teacher of all nations, founder of the Kingdom of peace and Love. He describes the suffering of Christ for the sins of the world, foresees his resurrection and universal spreading of his Church. His mastery of the language, his rich and vast vocabulary, and his poetic skill have earned him the title, "Shakespeare of the Bible. We will be looking more closely at two specific passages from Isaiah, and unpacking the truth of what this means for you and me today. If we can just grasp hold of this truth and bury the lies we will live out the life of one who knows that they are treasured. 1Isaiah 61:3to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness 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 splendour. (NIV)The main part of my message today is going to unpack what is beneath this passge, and what I truly believe God has put on my heart to share with you today.2Identity in Christ : Treasured- do you believe?Isaiah 62:3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God (English Standard Version)

Youll be a stunning crown in the palm of Gods hand, a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God (The Message)The message translation of this scripture is powerful to get across how much we mean to God. Just how treasured you and I are. Commentaries have also shed light on

You'll get a brand-new name straight from the mouth of God.You'll be a stunning crown in the palm of God's hand, a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God.No more will anyone call you Rejected, and your country will no more be called Ruined.You'll be called Hephzibah (My Delight), and your land Beulah (Married),Because God delights in you and your land will be like a wedding celebration.For as a young man marries his virgin bride, so your builder marries you,And as a bridegroom is happy in his bride, so your God is happy with you.

361: 3: 1)Beauty for AshesWhat does this mean for you and me? ashes Kingdom beauty DEATH i LIFE

LIES TRUTH

TEMPORAL ETERNAL The miraculous work of redemption tells us we are treasured forgiveness

He has bestowed a crown of beauty instead of ashes speaks of the Christs generosity towards us taking us from the Kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. That which was but ashes/DEATH is now ALIVE. Through the miracle of the cross we are no longer captive to lies..he has moved us from the kingdom of lies to the kingdom of truth (Yes we are forgiven). Gods only son paid the ultimate price for you and me.his most precious lamb was slaughtered for you and me that we know longer have to live in a kingdom that is temporal but that we can live in the kingdom that is eternal and full of hope. Does this redemptive love, the power of the cross with all its grace, mercy and forgiveness not speak of how much he treasures us?

The power of love that is displayed through the cross- the fathers heart.nothing can separate us from the LOVE of Christ (Insert scripture)

Illustration of the child survivor of the 1987 plane crash- p86 Max Lucado God did the same for ushe wrapped himself around us and felt

The cross: also signifies hope for us no matter what our circumstances/background- the fact that Christ knows ultimate suffering yet the purpose was clearhe better than anyone understands our pain and yet his very death points us to the power of ressurrection. The power of what is temporal to tha which is eternal..(though we are outwardly wasting awaywe fix our eyes not on what is temporal.)

4Clash of the KingdomsWhy is it that we doubt we are treasured/fail to live in the truth of the beauty he has bestowed upon us?

The ashes..stop believing the lie. The past is the pastyou are forgiven. When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Determine to hear the truth over your life.Daily we are challenged by a world view that is not Kingdom truth..that which is temporal. For some of us what we see in the mirror and hear back at us is literal.for others it is more subtle. The literal can be quite simply I am not beautiful, I am not loved, if only I looked like her, or had her looks. We need to stop making comparisons.the world of facebook at times can be a mirror into the temporal world. Just stop and catch yourselfis it building you up in the truth or do you find yourself gazing into other peoples worlds and wishing you had what they had.

The degree to which we will know we are treasured is also determined by where we invest our heart. Invest your heart in that which is eternal.seek first Jesus..is he truly the treasure of our hearts?.All other worldly treasures are fleeting and as such they will not sustain our inner core of knowing and believing our Christ given identity. The parable of the pearl of great price.it is exactly because of the great price that Christ paid for us that enables us to find out our true worth. The challenge for us is to not lose sight of this value:Matthew 13:44-45 THE PARABLES OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE AND THE PEARL The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

How much of our hearts are we investing into the Kingdom of what is eternal or are we constantly distracted by what is temporal..

5Testing/crisis of identityEven Christ heard the lies, however he chose not to believe them. He knew the word of God and his identity. (notice how Satan went straight for his weak spots) Matthew 4:1Satan is the father of lies (john 8:44) he does not want you to wear your crown of beauty. (forgiveness, kingdom outlook, kingdom perspective, truth of Gods word)Even Christ heard the lies, however he chose not to believe them. He knew the word of God (notice how Satan went straight for his weak spots) e.g Forty days of fasting left Jesus famishedhis stomach was empty and Satan chose the topic of bread.. (Know your weak spots where are you empty? (Ashes.)

If you are the son of God See how the identity of Jesus is even questioned? Jesus faced him head on, he knew who he was, he knew his father, he knew the truth of Gods word. Three times he repeated It is written.

For some of us here we are holding onto ashes/lies that rob us of our treasured identity. These become weak spots in our lives that can rob us from the TRUTH of who we are in Christ.. We need to trade these ashes for the TRUTH of Gods word over our lives.6Ashes or beauty?Self imposed labels that we wearholding onto the ashesAshes: Sin and shame, insecurity, rejection, fear & failure, orphaned/loneliness, jealousy, bitterness (and unforgiveness)

Stop dressing it up, lay the burden(s) at the foot of the cross. Start walking in the truth of your identity in Christ- forgiven, TREASUREDBeauty: You are forgiven; you are a child of the king; he has chosen you; he that is in you is greater; father to the fatherless, his banner over you is love, you are the apple of his eye, the old has gone the new has come, you are a new creationScripture references for beauty examples. Remove my jacket and physically remove the labels and place them at the foot of the cross. Pick up my bridal tiara and place it symbolically on my head. Its time to start wearing your crown of beauty.you are forgivenyou are treasured. 7ii) Oil of joy for mourningThe holy-spirit at work in our lives-he is the oilWe will face seasons of mourning-trials and challenges, times of loss, times of grievingPartner with the spirit, walk in relationship with the spiritDiscern the lies and speak truthDont under-estimate the power of the spirit in our lives. Look at the value Christ placed on the spirit as he parted from his disciples- Counselor, spirit of truth, he will teach you all things, lives within you

he will give you another Counselor, that he may be with you forever,--the Spirit of truth, whom the world can't receive; for it doesn't see him, neither knows him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. John 14:15-318iii) Garment of PraiseDress yourself in praise and thanksgiving daily-never lose sight of what Christ has done for you on the cross.

The antidote to the lies- PRAISE/the lifter of despairPraise him..you have an eternity with Christ. A temporal world-view can lean towards gloom.lift your eyes to the new kingdom perspective. We have an eternal Hope..just as Christ was resurrected on that Cross.if we believe his word to be trueso to will we. He has made a way for us. Im excited about this fact!!! Oh the wonderful cross, the wonderful cross..praise Jesus for the power of the cross for you and me.

To endure through suffering can make us more like ChristAsked today to give birth to a child who would endure immense human suffering, would any of choose that? And yetthrough suffering we can experience victory, a closeness to Christ like no other a compassion for others that can only make us more Christ like..because of the suffering we have had to endure.9iV)Trees of righteousnessYou are treasured for purposeKnowing your identity in Christ-living it out, letting the beauty of Christ be seen in you that he might be glorifiedTrees- find your place in the community of believers. Gods people, his Church/bride is a treasured possession of hisWe are Treasured for purpose- start walking out your destiny with Jesus. Like the clay in the potters hand, let him mould you and shape you.

Your birth rite in Christ- (it is the result of Christs transformative work that we are trees of righteous/ opposite to oak with fading leaves 1;27-31) it is not because of your good works, but because of the work of the cross. He paid the great price for you and me. There is nothing we can do to make him love us more..because of him we can wear robes of righteousness. Knowing who we are in Christ and truly believing the truth of His word enables us to be vessels of His Beauty to those around us. When you meet someone who truly loves Jesus and knows that they are loved of God there really is something quite beautiful about them. Despite our history/past, HIS STORY has redeemed us, so much so that we can be beacons of hope to those around us. The fragrance of Christ is a beautiful aroma. Are we letting the beauty of Christ be seen through us so that he maybe glorified?

Notice the plural Trees- we are part of something bigger than just ourselves. He treasures you for you, and yet he has placed us within a community. If you are yet to find your home amongst a community of believers, let me challenge you to do that from this day forward. Gods people, his Church is a treasured possession to him. We are his BRIDE.oh how he loves his bride.

OSWALT DESCRIBES IT LIKE THIS AS WE BECOME A PART OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD, WE DISCOVER HOW VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT WE ARE. WHEN THE CHURCH IS THE CHURCH, EACH OF US PLAYING OUR OWN PART IN THE COMPLEX DANCE, WE FIND OURSELVES. WE DO NOT HAVE TO BE TOLD THAT WE HAVE WORTH. WE KNOW IT. LIKE THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL CONTRIBUTING TO THE BUILDING OF THE TABERNACLE, WE EACH, MOVED BY THE SPIRIT, HAVE SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE.

In closing I just want to take us to Isaiah 62:3, which I read out at the beginning..

10Isaiah 62:3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God (English Standard Version)

Youll be a stunning crown in the palm of Gods hand, a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God (The Message)

Diadem: A badge of royalty. A diadem is also a jeweled ornament in the shape of a half crown, worn by women and placed over the forehead (in this sense, also called tiara). In some societies, it may be a wreath worn around the head. The ancient Persians wore a high and erect royal tiara encircled with a diadem.By extension, "diadem" can be used generally for an emblem of regal power or dignity.

The message translation of this scripture is powerful to get across how much we mean to God.

You'll get a brand-new name straight from the mouth of God.You'll be a stunning crown in the palm of God's hand, a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God.No more will anyone call you Rejected, and your country will no more be called Ruined.You'll be called Hephzibah (My Delight), and your land Beulah (Married),Because God delights in you and your land will be like a wedding celebration.For as a young man marries his virgin bride, so your builder marries you,And as a bridegroom is happy in his bride, so your God is happy with you.

YOU AND I POSSESS A NEW NAME AND ROYAL DIGNITY THROUGH CHRIST. THE LORD HAS LITERALLY BESTOWED A NEW NAME ON US IN CHRIST WE HAVE A NEW NATURE- ROYAL WORTH AND DIGNITY (TO BE IN HIS HAND IS TO BE KEPT GUARDED AND UPHELD)

We are treasure in the hand of our Goddo you truly believe that..come back to the foot of the cross, lay down the ashes/lies/burdens and trade them for beauty. Kathryn Scott

11At the Foot of the CrossKathryn ScottVarious ArtistsThe Best Celtic Worship Album in the World Ever!Religious2012-03-25T07:00:00Zkandagray@btinternet.com 2012 Kingsway2012-06-03 19:28:19Best Celtic Worship Album in the World Ever!AWALUK:isrc:US25L04002792:256