WEBVTT 00:00:01.290 --> 00:00:03.649 I'd like to ask you to pray for Dave Sulak today. 00:00:04.230 --> 00:00:08.630 Dave is our church coordinator here and is, by 00:00:08.630 --> 00:00:10.509 virtue of that office, a very integral part of 00:00:10.509 --> 00:00:14.730 our church staff. Yesterday Dave had some chest 00:00:14.730 --> 00:00:18.890 pains and has had some tests and is resting comfortably 00:00:18.890 --> 00:00:22.190 at his home today. We want to pray for him that 00:00:22.190 --> 00:00:26.690 God would be pleased to restore him to his important 00:00:26.690 --> 00:00:30.640 ministry here in our church. I have a little 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:32.920 bit of a rough throat today. I have a Hall's 00:00:32.920 --> 00:00:36.679 stuck right up here. I feel like a chipmunk as 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:41.340 I talk. So if Hall's falls out of his mouth, 00:00:41.539 --> 00:00:45.280 I don't want any of you to feel obligated to 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:47.240 come and pick it up. You just let it lay there 00:00:47.240 --> 00:00:51.000 and I'll get another one. What happens sometimes 00:00:51.000 --> 00:01:02.439 when you're speaking? plane pilot knew he was 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:06.420 in trouble when his electrical system failed 00:01:06.420 --> 00:01:11.680 him. He was yet many miles from his destination 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:15.299 and then he remembered that in his coat pocket 00:01:15.299 --> 00:01:19.459 he happened to bring along a hand compass. He 00:01:19.459 --> 00:01:21.299 reached in his pocket and pulled the compass 00:01:21.299 --> 00:01:24.079 out and from that compass was able to orient 00:01:24.079 --> 00:01:27.700 himself so that he knew which direction to head. 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:31.060 A compass is helpful that way, isn't it, because 00:01:31.060 --> 00:01:34.560 it faithfully points to the north. You know the 00:01:34.560 --> 00:01:37.340 word of God is like that compass in a sense because 00:01:37.340 --> 00:01:40.640 the word of God faithfully points us to Jesus 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:43.900 Christ, who is God's provision for all of our 00:01:43.900 --> 00:01:48.819 needs. Jesus himself said that. He said, search 00:01:48.819 --> 00:01:52.799 the scriptures, they speak about me. And in the 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:55.719 key verse that we've been using the last three 00:01:55.719 --> 00:01:59.510 weeks now, regarding an Old Testament Christmas, 00:01:59.969 --> 00:02:02.950 Jesus says that we find things written about 00:02:02.950 --> 00:02:07.769 him in the Law of Moses, in the Psalms, and in 00:02:07.769 --> 00:02:10.689 the Prophets. That's found in Luke 24, verse 00:02:10.689 --> 00:02:16.009 44. We've reserved the division of the Old Testament, 00:02:16.090 --> 00:02:20.750 most replete with Messianic prophecies, till 00:02:20.750 --> 00:02:23.009 today, the last time that we'll be talking about 00:02:23.009 --> 00:02:27.219 this particular subject. To say that there are 00:02:27.219 --> 00:02:29.759 prophecies in the prophets is like saying there's 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:33.080 water in the ocean. Of course there are prophecies 00:02:33.080 --> 00:02:37.219 there, and they point to Jesus Christ. Let me 00:02:37.219 --> 00:02:39.340 just mention briefly some of the ones that we 00:02:39.340 --> 00:02:43.840 find regarding his birth narrative. There's one 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:47.439 verse in the book of Micah, for example, chapter 00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:51.360 5, verse 2, that gives us three important insights 00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:55.349 regarding the Messiah. First it tells us, that 00:02:55.349 --> 00:03:00.189 he will be born in Bethlehem. Secondly, that 00:03:00.189 --> 00:03:03.949 he will come from the family of Judah. And third, 00:03:04.129 --> 00:03:10.750 that he is eternal in his being. He is everlasting. 00:03:11.729 --> 00:03:14.729 It speaks about the preexistence then of Christ, 00:03:14.849 --> 00:03:16.789 something we talked about last week and the week 00:03:16.789 --> 00:03:21.129 before. Another example is in Jeremiah 31, verse 00:03:21.129 --> 00:03:25.050 14, which is a prophecy. according to Matthew, 00:03:25.229 --> 00:03:29.009 regarding the killing of the innocents in Bethlehem 00:03:29.009 --> 00:03:33.810 by Herod the king in his attempt to destroy the 00:03:33.810 --> 00:03:38.409 Christ. Again, in Jeremiah, we have an interesting 00:03:38.409 --> 00:03:42.810 passage in chapter 23, verses 5 and 6. In verse 00:03:42.810 --> 00:03:47.990 5, we have a word about his humanity. It says 00:03:47.990 --> 00:03:51.969 that he will be of David's lineage. But in verse 00:03:51.969 --> 00:03:55.180 6 of that chapter, It tells us that he will be 00:03:55.180 --> 00:03:59.439 called the Lord. Capital L, capital O, capital 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:03.300 R, capital D. Jehovah. So we see that this one 00:04:03.300 --> 00:04:10.219 who is of David's lineage is also Jehovah. There 00:04:10.219 --> 00:04:12.080 are, of course, many other prophecies regarding 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:15.680 his life, his death, his resurrection, his coming 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:19.560 again in glory to establish a kingdom over and 00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:23.800 through Israel to all of the earth. We're going 00:04:23.800 --> 00:04:26.680 to limit our study today to the book of Isaiah. 00:04:27.060 --> 00:04:31.199 Some people call it the gospel of Isaiah because 00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:34.399 it proclaims his death and resurrection for sin. 00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:39.060 And in Isaiah, we're going to locate and examine 00:04:39.060 --> 00:04:42.800 four specific prophecies that relate to Messiah's 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:47.079 first coming. We want to look at these as fully 00:04:47.079 --> 00:04:50.459 as time would permit. We only have 70 minutes. 00:04:51.069 --> 00:04:53.629 in a service, and so we have to sometimes kind 00:04:53.629 --> 00:04:57.029 of rush it a little bit. I don't believe in sermonettes. 00:04:57.629 --> 00:05:00.329 Sermonettes produce Christianettes, and we have 00:05:00.329 --> 00:05:04.230 enough of those around. Isaiah chapter 11, verses 00:05:04.230 --> 00:05:14.689 1 and 2. It says, Then a shoot will spring from 00:05:14.689 --> 00:05:18.910 the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots 00:05:18.910 --> 00:05:22.540 will bear fruit. and the Spirit of the Lord will 00:05:22.540 --> 00:05:26.560 rest on him. And so clearly there is a personality 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:29.639 that is involved here. And it says the Spirit 00:05:29.639 --> 00:05:33.779 of the Lord will rest on him. The Christ, in 00:05:33.779 --> 00:05:37.420 other words. But in verse 1, we have a very interesting 00:05:37.420 --> 00:05:40.360 thought. It says that he will be like a shoot 00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:44.600 that will spring from the stem of Jesse. Who 00:05:44.600 --> 00:05:49.389 is Jesse? Obviously it's not James. What other 00:05:49.389 --> 00:05:52.370 Jesse in history could be spoken of here? It 00:05:52.370 --> 00:05:54.569 wouldn't be Jesse James in this verse anyway, 00:05:54.709 --> 00:05:58.250 would it? Well, let me give you an idea who Jesse 00:05:58.250 --> 00:06:03.069 is. He is the grandson of a couple involved in 00:06:03.069 --> 00:06:05.509 one of the most famous romances in all of the 00:06:05.509 --> 00:06:08.970 Bible. A romance recorded for us in the little 00:06:08.970 --> 00:06:13.850 book of Ruth. Jesse is the grandson of Boaz and 00:06:13.850 --> 00:06:18.009 Ruth. That may not tell you too much. So let 00:06:18.009 --> 00:06:20.750 me say it a different way. He is the father of 00:06:20.750 --> 00:06:23.870 David, the king of Israel. Now, most of you knew 00:06:23.870 --> 00:06:27.089 that anyway, didn't you? So actually what the 00:06:27.089 --> 00:06:31.129 Lord is saying to us here is that this one on 00:06:31.129 --> 00:06:34.550 whom the spirit of the Lord would rest will be 00:06:34.550 --> 00:06:38.129 from the family of David. It's a poetic way of 00:06:38.129 --> 00:06:41.129 saying it here. Now, it's interesting to notice 00:06:41.129 --> 00:06:44.269 the imagery that is used. He says he will be 00:06:44.269 --> 00:06:47.730 a shoot. from the stem of Jesse. We need to turn 00:06:47.730 --> 00:06:49.509 the sound down just a little bit back there, 00:06:49.550 --> 00:06:54.269 please. He will be a shoot from the stem of Jesse 00:06:54.269 --> 00:07:00.490 and a branch from the roots of Jesse. Now, at 00:07:00.490 --> 00:07:03.490 the time that Isaiah was writing this, the family 00:07:03.490 --> 00:07:06.930 of David was like a flourishing tree of royalty 00:07:06.930 --> 00:07:12.829 ruling over the land of Judah. But Isaiah looks 00:07:12.829 --> 00:07:16.819 into the future. And sees a time when it will 00:07:16.819 --> 00:07:20.720 be like a stump. The tree cut off and removed. 00:07:22.019 --> 00:07:27.860 And that happened. Judah was carried away in 00:07:27.860 --> 00:07:31.639 captivity to Babylon. And the result of that 00:07:31.639 --> 00:07:34.720 was that David's ancestors were no longer on 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:38.439 the throne. They were removed. And it's as though 00:07:38.439 --> 00:07:43.180 Jesse's family was left but a stump. It had roots 00:07:43.180 --> 00:07:47.800 to it. But then Isaiah looks even further down 00:07:47.800 --> 00:07:50.860 the road in history, and he says, out of this 00:07:50.860 --> 00:07:55.240 stem, out of this stump, will come a green shoot, 00:07:55.399 --> 00:08:00.139 a branch will come forth that will bear fruit. 00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:04.079 In other words, there will be a renewal of life 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:07.540 to the royalty of David's family. There will 00:08:07.540 --> 00:08:10.139 come another one that will reign and bear fruit. 00:08:10.360 --> 00:08:12.839 And that one, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:08:13.529 --> 00:08:16.089 And he's revealed in verse 3 as the one who will 00:08:16.089 --> 00:08:20.209 delight in the fear of the Lord, it says. He 00:08:20.209 --> 00:08:23.250 will not judge by what his eyes see or make his 00:08:23.250 --> 00:08:26.529 decision by what his ears hear, but with righteousness 00:08:26.529 --> 00:08:29.970 he will judge the poor and decide with fairness 00:08:29.970 --> 00:08:32.570 for the afflicted of the earth. He will strike 00:08:32.570 --> 00:08:35.590 the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with 00:08:35.590 --> 00:08:38.129 the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 00:08:38.590 --> 00:08:41.389 Also righteousness will be the belt about his 00:08:41.389 --> 00:08:45.120 loins. and faithfulness the belt about his waist. 00:08:45.379 --> 00:08:49.460 And so there is a king coming who will spring 00:08:49.460 --> 00:08:51.919 forth in the future, says Isaiah, out of the 00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:56.240 stump of Jesse, and he will be known for righteousness 00:08:56.240 --> 00:09:00.519 and faithfulness. A marvelous prophecy about 00:09:00.519 --> 00:09:04.960 the Lord Jesus Christ. This image of his being 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:08.240 a branch is not uncommon in the Old Testament. 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:11.840 He is called, in fact, by the title, the branch 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:16.799 of the Lord. Isaiah uses that very term in Isaiah 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:20.539 chapter 4, verse 2, where he says that in that 00:09:20.539 --> 00:09:24.539 day, the day of his reign, when the kingdom comes, 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:28.559 in that day the branch of the Lord will be beautiful 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:33.879 and glorious. Jeremiah uses it, chapter 23, verse 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:39.100 5, and chapter 33, verse 15. Zechariah the prophet 00:09:39.100 --> 00:09:42.399 uses it, chapter 3, verse 8, chapter 6, verse 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:46.480 12. And so this title, the branch of the Lord, 00:09:46.580 --> 00:09:54.600 is a messianic title for Jesus Christ. As I think 00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:58.399 about this prophecy in Isaiah chapter 11, it 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:02.340 reminds me that families are important to God. 00:10:03.720 --> 00:10:06.580 It is interesting that it does not say a shoot 00:10:06.580 --> 00:10:10.559 will spring from the stem of David, but rather 00:10:10.559 --> 00:10:13.480 the Holy Spirit chooses to say it is from the 00:10:13.480 --> 00:10:19.860 stem, the stump of Jesse. We see ourselves normally 00:10:19.860 --> 00:10:24.279 as being isolated in one generation. That's common 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:29.059 because our lifetime is so brief. We think of 00:10:29.059 --> 00:10:32.039 ourselves in terms of our parents and maybe our 00:10:32.039 --> 00:10:35.639 grandparents if we were born when they were still 00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:40.059 living. We see ourselves as the progenitors of 00:10:40.059 --> 00:10:43.559 children and grandchildren and great -grandchildren 00:10:43.559 --> 00:10:46.820 and so on. But we're limited in our view of what 00:10:46.820 --> 00:10:49.539 a family is. I suppose that few of us here today 00:10:49.539 --> 00:10:53.039 could name our great -grandparents. Do you know 00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:58.009 who they were beyond their last name? What about 00:10:58.009 --> 00:11:03.389 your great -great -grandparents? You see, families 00:11:03.389 --> 00:11:05.149 are important to God, and when he looks at a 00:11:05.149 --> 00:11:08.490 family, he sees the whole family tree laid out 00:11:08.490 --> 00:11:11.870 before him. I wonder what kind of a man Jesse 00:11:11.870 --> 00:11:16.830 must have been to have a son like David, a son 00:11:16.830 --> 00:11:21.429 who in his youth loved God with all of his heart, 00:11:21.529 --> 00:11:25.850 and who probably as an early or mid -teenager 00:11:26.990 --> 00:11:30.389 Went out to fight Goliath, trusting God for the 00:11:30.389 --> 00:11:32.450 victory, not only for himself but for the armies 00:11:32.450 --> 00:11:36.610 of Israel. Who, when he was still in his teens, 00:11:36.710 --> 00:11:41.529 was anointed to be the king of Israel. Now that 00:11:41.529 --> 00:11:46.629 didn't just happen by accident. I believe that 00:11:46.629 --> 00:11:49.269 Jesse must have been a man of God. I do not know 00:11:49.269 --> 00:11:51.610 a text that tells us about the spiritual walk 00:11:51.610 --> 00:11:55.230 of Jesse. But there was something so real about 00:11:55.230 --> 00:12:02.120 that dad. They produced a boy like David. I wonder, 00:12:02.220 --> 00:12:07.580 Dad, if you can identify with that today. I believe 00:12:07.580 --> 00:12:10.639 all of us who are fathers want our children to 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:13.759 grow up to love God, to serve him with all of 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:16.919 their hearts. There are times when all of us 00:12:16.919 --> 00:12:20.580 fail. I'm sure Jesse failed in aspects of his 00:12:20.580 --> 00:12:24.610 parental responsibility. We all do. But, oh, 00:12:24.649 --> 00:12:27.090 our desire, our trust is to see our children 00:12:27.090 --> 00:12:31.250 nurtured in the things of God. And if God lays 00:12:31.250 --> 00:12:34.669 his hand on them for some kind of special service, 00:12:34.769 --> 00:12:38.029 that we would rejoice in that. I know parents 00:12:38.029 --> 00:12:40.769 who pray their children will not be called of 00:12:40.769 --> 00:12:44.490 God to go to the mission field, will not be called 00:12:44.490 --> 00:12:47.990 of God to go into Christian service. I think 00:12:47.990 --> 00:12:53.539 that's a tragedy. That's sad. I believe that 00:12:53.539 --> 00:12:56.840 Jesse must surely have rejoiced when God laid 00:12:56.840 --> 00:12:59.379 his hand upon his son to be the next king of 00:12:59.379 --> 00:13:01.799 Israel, the most unlikely of all of the boys. 00:13:02.019 --> 00:13:05.440 But David, that little red -headed runt, if you 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:09.279 please, he's the one that God wanted to be the 00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:13.940 king. And what a king he was, a man after God's 00:13:13.940 --> 00:13:16.460 own heart. Are you raising that kind of children, 00:13:16.620 --> 00:13:22.360 mom, dad? Young person, are you the kind of young 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:26.740 person that David was? The kind of a person that 00:13:26.740 --> 00:13:28.779 God can look right inside your mind and your 00:13:28.779 --> 00:13:31.779 heart today and feel very comfortable with the 00:13:31.779 --> 00:13:33.700 way that you think and the way that you act, 00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:36.000 the way that you talk, even to your brothers 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:40.240 and sisters? It's one thing to talk nice to friends, 00:13:40.360 --> 00:13:45.080 isn't it? But what about home? God is looking 00:13:45.080 --> 00:13:47.500 for people like that to serve him. Who knows, 00:13:47.580 --> 00:13:49.580 mom or dad, but that that child in your trust 00:13:49.580 --> 00:13:52.799 today may be another Martin Luther or another 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:59.179 Moody or another Billy Sunday or whomever. Raise 00:13:59.179 --> 00:14:02.940 your children up as Jesse evidently raised up 00:14:02.940 --> 00:14:06.600 his family. And God honors him here by saying, 00:14:06.700 --> 00:14:08.879 well, it's David's family, but it's the stump 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:13.759 of Jesse. Now let's look at another prophecy 00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:18.120 found in chapter 7, verse 14. This is probably 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:24.100 the most familiar of Isaiah's prophecies about 00:14:24.100 --> 00:14:27.960 the first coming of Christ. It says, Therefore 00:14:27.960 --> 00:14:31.559 the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, 00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:34.860 a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and 00:14:34.860 --> 00:14:38.460 she shall call his name Emmanuel. Where does 00:14:38.460 --> 00:14:40.940 chapter 7 fit in here? What is the historical 00:14:40.940 --> 00:14:42.980 background? Let me share a little of that with 00:14:42.980 --> 00:14:47.070 you. Previous to this, In fact, it was after 00:14:47.070 --> 00:14:51.110 the death of Solomon. The northern ten tribes 00:14:51.110 --> 00:14:56.889 of the Jews seceded from the rule of David's 00:14:56.889 --> 00:14:59.990 family, and they established their own kingdom. 00:15:01.070 --> 00:15:05.409 They retained the name Israel. Sometimes they 00:15:05.409 --> 00:15:07.789 were called Samaria because that was their capital 00:15:07.789 --> 00:15:11.669 city. They were to the north of the southern 00:15:11.669 --> 00:15:14.629 kingdom, which retained David's family on the 00:15:14.629 --> 00:15:18.299 throne. and was called Judah, the capital of 00:15:18.299 --> 00:15:23.960 which was Jerusalem. Now in this day, as was 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:27.320 rather frequently, the two nations were at odds 00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:29.220 with one another. In fact, at times they went 00:15:29.220 --> 00:15:31.820 to war with each other. Israel against Judah, 00:15:31.980 --> 00:15:35.580 Jew against Jew, ten tribes against the two tribes. 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:40.340 Of this northern kingdom, there was not one good 00:15:40.340 --> 00:15:44.059 king. Every one of them was ungodly and heathen. 00:15:45.240 --> 00:15:49.279 Imagine that. Of the southern kingdom, of David's 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:51.820 descendants, there were six or seven of the kings 00:15:51.820 --> 00:15:55.980 only that God calls good because they walked 00:15:55.980 --> 00:15:58.659 in the way of David their father. But most of 00:15:58.659 --> 00:16:01.299 them were ungodly kings. That's sad, isn't it? 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:05.480 Now on this day, there was a man named Ahaz who 00:16:05.480 --> 00:16:10.500 was on the throne of Judah. Up here in Israel, 00:16:10.700 --> 00:16:15.460 there was concern. They were... in alliance with 00:16:15.460 --> 00:16:18.080 the country to their north and east called Syria, 00:16:18.419 --> 00:16:21.940 the capital of which was and still is today Damascus, 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:25.240 still basically the same geographical setting. 00:16:27.980 --> 00:16:33.200 Syria and Israel were subjected to yet another 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:37.080 country, a large growing power called Assyria, 00:16:37.220 --> 00:16:42.399 over to the east of them. They got tired of paying 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:46.519 taxes to Assyria, so they revolted and refused 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:48.519 to pay, and they knew what the price would be. 00:16:49.500 --> 00:16:52.659 Assyria would send an army against them, and 00:16:52.659 --> 00:16:54.519 so they started getting their forces together 00:16:54.519 --> 00:16:57.740 for the battle. And they began to put pressure 00:16:57.740 --> 00:17:01.460 on King Ahaz and Judah to join with them to fight 00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:07.420 this other power. King Ahaz was a godless man. 00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:11.440 He did not trust in the Lord. He trusted in political 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:15.480 schemes. And yet God, in his faithfulness to 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:20.880 David's descendants, sent Isaiah the prophet 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:25.160 to Ahaz and told him that it would not be long 00:17:25.160 --> 00:17:27.779 before those two nations up here putting pressure 00:17:27.779 --> 00:17:32.420 on him, Israel and Syria, would be no more than 00:17:32.420 --> 00:17:39.839 a burned -out torch. Finished. And God says, 00:17:39.960 --> 00:17:43.279 ask a sign of me, and I will give you a sign 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:45.160 to show you that that's going to come to pass. 00:17:47.259 --> 00:17:50.460 Ahaz said, I don't want a sign. Not because he 00:17:50.460 --> 00:17:53.180 believed God, but just frivolously, lightly, 00:17:53.319 --> 00:17:56.380 said, I don't want a sign. And that's when Isaiah 00:17:56.380 --> 00:17:58.519 the prophet said, the Lord himself will give 00:17:58.519 --> 00:18:02.640 you a sign then. A virgin shall be with child 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:06.019 and bring forth a son, and they shall call his 00:18:06.019 --> 00:18:10.319 name Emmanuel. That is God with us. God will 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:13.000 prove he's with the nation he has even though 00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:18.880 you don't believe it. That promise had an historical 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:21.539 fulfillment as well as one prophetically in Jesus 00:18:21.539 --> 00:18:27.680 Christ. What happened was that Isaiah married 00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:30.940 a young woman who was at the time that he spoke 00:18:30.940 --> 00:18:35.380 this prophecy a pure young woman, a virgin, unmarried. 00:18:36.009 --> 00:18:40.369 After their marriage, they had a child. God goes 00:18:40.369 --> 00:18:44.730 on to say in chapter 7 here that that child would 00:18:44.730 --> 00:18:47.789 not be 12 to 14 years old before both of those 00:18:47.789 --> 00:18:50.390 nations up here giving Ahaz trouble would be 00:18:50.390 --> 00:18:53.450 out of existence. It happened historically, exactly 00:18:53.450 --> 00:18:59.470 as God said. The son that was born to Isaiah 00:18:59.470 --> 00:19:05.190 and to his new wife was called Meher Shalal Hashbaz. 00:19:06.859 --> 00:19:09.519 by the order of the Lord. It had to be the Lord 00:19:09.519 --> 00:19:12.000 to name a child that, I would think, wouldn't 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:16.460 you? It had a significance. This is found in 00:19:16.460 --> 00:19:19.319 chapter 8, verses 1 through 4. I've heard of 00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:21.500 Jonathans and Davids and all kinds of biblical 00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:23.599 names, but I've never heard a parent yet call 00:19:23.599 --> 00:19:26.420 his name, a child's name, Meher Shalal Hashbaz. 00:19:26.900 --> 00:19:30.240 And you better not try it. You might prefer to 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:33.299 call your son by another name than that. But 00:19:33.299 --> 00:19:35.539 that was the boy, and that was the sign child 00:19:35.539 --> 00:19:40.200 in that day. And when that baby was born to Isaiah 00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:45.059 and his new wife, there was a sign to Ahaz that 00:19:45.059 --> 00:19:48.539 God was going to fulfill his promise and deliver 00:19:48.539 --> 00:19:51.519 him and Judah from Israel and Syria and their 00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:56.339 pressure on him. Now, of course, the most wonderful 00:19:56.339 --> 00:19:58.640 fulfillment of that prophecy is found in the 00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:02.420 New Testament in the birth of Jesus Christ. In 00:20:02.420 --> 00:20:05.279 fact, in Matthew chapter 1, verse 23, Matthew 00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:08.480 says that the birth of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment 00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:12.900 of this prophecy here. Now, the Holy Spirit had 00:20:12.900 --> 00:20:15.880 Isaiah write it in such a way that it could be 00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:19.859 fulfilled in that time. The word that is translated 00:20:19.859 --> 00:20:23.319 virgin means a young woman of marriageable age. 00:20:24.619 --> 00:20:27.299 I think in every context it's used in the Bible. 00:20:27.380 --> 00:20:31.500 It refers to one who is pure. but the word didn't 00:20:31.500 --> 00:20:34.880 have to mean that. But in the New Testament, 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:37.980 as the Holy Spirit has Matthew write down this 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:41.079 prophecy saying it's fulfilled, he has him choose 00:20:41.079 --> 00:20:43.799 a specific Greek word that can only be translated 00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:50.980 by virgin, a pure, chaste woman. And so the Holy 00:20:50.980 --> 00:20:53.299 Spirit, in the very way he even worded this, 00:20:53.460 --> 00:20:58.589 allowed for the double fulfillment of it. Have 00:20:58.589 --> 00:21:01.490 you ever wondered what kind of a remarkable young 00:21:01.490 --> 00:21:07.730 lady Mary was? I think that out of reaction to 00:21:07.730 --> 00:21:12.089 an undue exaltation by some, we put her down 00:21:12.089 --> 00:21:19.170 too much. Mary was not sinless. She herself called 00:21:19.170 --> 00:21:23.170 God her Savior. My soul rejoices in God my Savior. 00:21:23.470 --> 00:21:29.119 She needed a Savior. She was a sinner. But folks, 00:21:29.259 --> 00:21:37.460 Mary was a superb young woman. Pure in body and 00:21:37.460 --> 00:21:43.160 pure in spirit, in mind, in heart. Think of the 00:21:43.160 --> 00:21:46.279 fact that she was probably only in her mid -teens 00:21:46.279 --> 00:21:49.880 when Gabriel came and announced to her that she 00:21:49.880 --> 00:21:53.460 would be with child. That was the common marriageable 00:21:53.460 --> 00:21:55.759 age in that day. She would have been engaged 00:21:55.759 --> 00:22:01.589 to Joseph at that time. Think of what a special 00:22:01.589 --> 00:22:05.230 person she must have been to be the mother of 00:22:05.230 --> 00:22:09.410 the Lord Jesus Christ. He was protected from 00:22:09.410 --> 00:22:13.549 her sin by the Holy Spirit in her womb. And yet 00:22:13.549 --> 00:22:20.410 he derived his humanity from her. When God looks 00:22:20.410 --> 00:22:23.549 for someone to use, he looks for that kind of 00:22:23.549 --> 00:22:27.140 a person. A friend of mine has said, God does 00:22:27.140 --> 00:22:29.680 not pour the pure water of life through a dirty 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:33.940 vessel. My Christian friend, if your life today 00:22:33.940 --> 00:22:38.420 is dirty, God isn't going to use you. He can't 00:22:38.420 --> 00:22:42.579 use you. The Apostle Paul talks about those vessels 00:22:42.579 --> 00:22:47.220 that are sanctified, cleansed, that is, and fit 00:22:47.220 --> 00:22:52.140 for the Master's use. Is that the kind of a vessel 00:22:52.140 --> 00:22:55.839 your life is today? I'm not talking about a sinless 00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:59.059 person, but I'm talking about keeping our sin 00:22:59.059 --> 00:23:03.880 account clear. When we sin, confess it. Claim 00:23:03.880 --> 00:23:06.440 God's forgiveness and go on and live in fellowship 00:23:06.440 --> 00:23:09.180 with him. That's the kind of person that God 00:23:09.180 --> 00:23:12.720 will always use. I hope you're that kind of person. 00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:15.740 That's the kind of person I want to be too. The 00:23:15.740 --> 00:23:18.079 kind of a person that Mary was, that God chose 00:23:18.079 --> 00:23:22.950 her. And so we see in Isaiah the prophecy of 00:23:22.950 --> 00:23:26.609 the virgin birth fulfilled in Jesus Christ. And 00:23:26.609 --> 00:23:28.630 now let's look at a third prophecy in Isaiah 00:23:28.630 --> 00:23:33.529 chapter 40. I could almost sing this from the 00:23:33.529 --> 00:23:38.289 Messiah to you. I say almost. I would not bore 00:23:38.289 --> 00:23:43.410 you by listening to me sing it. But if you ever, 00:23:43.450 --> 00:23:45.569 ever listened to the Messiah, you know that it 00:23:45.569 --> 00:23:48.589 is part of the lyrics from it are taken directly 00:23:48.589 --> 00:23:51.799 from Isaiah 40. For it says, beginning in verse 00:23:51.799 --> 00:23:55.940 3, A voice is calling, clear the way for the 00:23:55.940 --> 00:23:59.420 Lord in the wilderness. Make smooth in the desert 00:23:59.420 --> 00:24:03.259 a highway for our God. Let every valley be lifted 00:24:03.259 --> 00:24:05.740 up, every mountain and hill be made low. Let 00:24:05.740 --> 00:24:08.420 the rough ground become plain and the rugged 00:24:08.420 --> 00:24:11.240 terrain a broad valley. You know what he's saying 00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:15.480 here, essentially? Build a freeway. He says, 00:24:15.500 --> 00:24:17.779 build it up, build up the valleys, tear down 00:24:17.779 --> 00:24:20.480 the mountains. Make a super highway in the wilderness. 00:24:22.420 --> 00:24:25.480 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed and 00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:28.400 all flesh will see it together. For the mouth 00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:33.420 of the Lord has spoken. A voice says, call out. 00:24:34.220 --> 00:24:37.940 Then he answered, what shall I call out? And 00:24:37.940 --> 00:24:41.259 the answer to that is down in verse 9. Get yourself 00:24:41.259 --> 00:24:45.119 up. On a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:47.640 news. Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, 00:24:47.799 --> 00:24:51.019 bearer of good news. Lift it up, do not fear. 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:55.640 Say to the cities of Judah, Here is your God. 00:24:56.240 --> 00:24:59.059 You know what Isaiah is saying? He is saying 00:24:59.059 --> 00:25:02.259 there is going to come before the Messiah a messenger. 00:25:03.740 --> 00:25:06.400 And this one is going to be in the wilderness 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:11.569 and will prepare the way of the Lord. spiritually 00:25:11.569 --> 00:25:15.589 in the lives of the people of Judah. He is the 00:25:15.589 --> 00:25:19.109 one who is going to be able to say, behold your 00:25:19.109 --> 00:25:26.450 God. Now, of whom does Isaiah speak here as the 00:25:26.450 --> 00:25:31.930 forerunning messenger? Who is it? John the Baptist. 00:25:32.329 --> 00:25:36.109 John the Baptist. He, by the way, was not the 00:25:36.109 --> 00:25:38.029 founder of the Baptist denomination. I'm sorry 00:25:38.029 --> 00:25:41.660 to disappoint some of you. John the baptizer 00:25:41.660 --> 00:25:44.180 is the one that's in view here. I want you to 00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:46.519 turn over with me to Luke chapter 1 and notice 00:25:46.519 --> 00:25:51.759 how this fits with the Christmas thought. Luke 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:54.420 begins his gospel not with Mary and Joseph on 00:25:54.420 --> 00:25:57.740 their way to Bethlehem, but with Zacharias and 00:25:57.740 --> 00:26:01.420 Elizabeth. The reason he mentions them is because 00:26:01.420 --> 00:26:04.980 of who Elizabeth was. Elizabeth was apparently 00:26:04.980 --> 00:26:10.279 the sister of Mary. at least a near relative 00:26:10.279 --> 00:26:14.700 of Mary. Zacharias and Elizabeth were up in years. 00:26:14.819 --> 00:26:16.779 They'd never had any children. It was the prayer 00:26:16.779 --> 00:26:18.460 of their heart that they might have a child. 00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:23.440 Zacharias was a priest. He would do service in 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:25.420 the temple when it was his turn, and that day 00:26:25.420 --> 00:26:28.660 there were so many priests that they had to draw 00:26:28.660 --> 00:26:32.539 lots and take turns that way of doing priestly 00:26:32.539 --> 00:26:35.539 service in the temple. Sometimes it was a once 00:26:35.539 --> 00:26:37.579 -in -a -lifetime opportunity, if you can imagine 00:26:37.579 --> 00:26:39.950 that. to go into the temple and do the service 00:26:39.950 --> 00:26:43.849 that you were born to do. Well, the time came, 00:26:43.910 --> 00:26:47.230 the lot fell out upon Zacharias, and he went 00:26:47.230 --> 00:26:50.509 into the temple to do his work. Great honor. 00:26:50.589 --> 00:26:52.809 Everybody was waiting for him to come back out. 00:26:55.289 --> 00:26:57.890 While he was in there, an angel appeared to Zacharias, 00:26:57.970 --> 00:27:00.509 and that's where we pick it up, verse 13. Do 00:27:00.509 --> 00:27:03.730 not be afraid, Zacharias, the angel said. For 00:27:03.730 --> 00:27:05.990 your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth 00:27:05.990 --> 00:27:08.089 will bear you a son, and you will give him the 00:27:08.089 --> 00:27:11.750 name John. And you will have joy and gladness, 00:27:11.829 --> 00:27:14.950 and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will 00:27:14.950 --> 00:27:16.950 be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will 00:27:16.950 --> 00:27:19.910 drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled 00:27:19.910 --> 00:27:22.150 with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's 00:27:22.150 --> 00:27:25.109 womb. And he will turn back many of the sons 00:27:25.109 --> 00:27:28.650 of Israel to the Lord their God. For it is he 00:27:28.650 --> 00:27:33.410 who will go as the forerunner before him. capital 00:27:33.410 --> 00:27:37.990 H, in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn 00:27:37.990 --> 00:27:40.369 the hearts of the fathers back to the children 00:27:40.369 --> 00:27:43.170 and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, 00:27:43.230 --> 00:27:46.849 so as to make ready a people prepared for the 00:27:46.849 --> 00:27:50.529 Lord. So that's the word about John's birth. 00:27:51.589 --> 00:27:55.549 Now I want you to skip down to verse 24. After 00:27:55.549 --> 00:27:58.309 these days, Elizabeth, his wife, became pregnant, 00:27:58.430 --> 00:28:01.650 and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, 00:28:01.730 --> 00:28:04.220 saying, This is the way the Lord has dealt with 00:28:04.220 --> 00:28:06.299 me in the days when he looked with favor upon 00:28:06.299 --> 00:28:11.359 me to take away my disgrace among men. Now in 00:28:11.359 --> 00:28:15.779 the sixth month. The sixth month of what? Well, 00:28:15.859 --> 00:28:19.640 of Elizabeth's pregnancy. When she was six months 00:28:19.640 --> 00:28:23.599 along, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to 00:28:23.599 --> 00:28:25.940 a city in Galilee called Nazareth. And that's 00:28:25.940 --> 00:28:29.059 more familiar, isn't it? He came and announced 00:28:29.059 --> 00:28:31.599 to Mary that she was going to be with child. 00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:35.619 by the holy spirit you know what the result of 00:28:35.619 --> 00:28:40.980 this was mary rejoiced and immediately left to 00:28:40.980 --> 00:28:43.440 go see elizabeth to share the good news with 00:28:43.440 --> 00:28:46.460 her and you know what happened when she arrived 00:28:46.460 --> 00:28:50.440 she entered into the house and the baby that 00:28:50.440 --> 00:28:53.559 was in the womb of elizabeth about six months 00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:58.819 or so long leaped it moved Perhaps it was at 00:28:58.819 --> 00:29:00.920 that moment that child was filled with the Holy 00:29:00.920 --> 00:29:05.279 Spirit in the womb, as was prophesied. Perhaps 00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:08.000 there was some kind of even unconscious, shall 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:12.539 we say, awareness of who was in the womb of Mary. 00:29:16.220 --> 00:29:20.480 And Mary stayed there three months. That is, 00:29:20.519 --> 00:29:24.299 until John was born. Perhaps she helped Elizabeth 00:29:24.299 --> 00:29:26.779 in those latter months of her pregnancy, and 00:29:26.779 --> 00:29:29.619 perhaps Elizabeth helped Mary. Some of you women 00:29:29.619 --> 00:29:31.559 know what the first three months can be like. 00:29:32.180 --> 00:29:35.319 Maybe Mary needed some help. But for those three 00:29:35.319 --> 00:29:37.839 months, she stayed with them and then returned 00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:43.019 back home. And the Christmas narrative continues 00:29:43.019 --> 00:29:46.759 with Joseph and Mary going to Bethlehem and so 00:29:46.759 --> 00:29:50.799 on. And so we learn from this that John was six 00:29:50.799 --> 00:29:54.269 months older. than Jesus. And they were cousins. 00:29:55.430 --> 00:30:01.529 They were cousins, humanly speaking. I wonder 00:30:01.529 --> 00:30:03.269 what it must have been like as children when 00:30:03.269 --> 00:30:06.730 they played together. Undoubtedly they did. Their 00:30:06.730 --> 00:30:10.769 mothers were close. And then there came the time 00:30:10.769 --> 00:30:15.089 when John went out into the wilderness by himself. 00:30:15.529 --> 00:30:20.559 Kind of a strange personality, really. He wore 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:25.460 unusual clothing and had a strange diet. People 00:30:25.460 --> 00:30:29.859 didn't want him around a whole lot. He was sort 00:30:29.859 --> 00:30:35.220 of a recluse. And then came the day when he appeared 00:30:35.220 --> 00:30:39.039 in the wilderness and began to preach. He must 00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:41.140 have been about 30 years of age at that time. 00:30:41.819 --> 00:30:45.200 And for six months he preached to the people 00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:48.119 of Israel. And many repented of their sins and 00:30:48.119 --> 00:30:52.539 indicated it by baptism. And then came the day, 00:30:52.579 --> 00:30:57.599 the day for which he had been born. He looked 00:30:57.599 --> 00:31:02.440 up and he saw his cousin, Jesus, coming to him. 00:31:02.539 --> 00:31:06.740 They were not strangers. But he didn't say, look, 00:31:06.880 --> 00:31:10.779 here is my cousin. What did he say? Behold, the 00:31:10.779 --> 00:31:14.420 Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:31:15.529 --> 00:31:19.029 In other words, it was John the Baptist who was 00:31:19.029 --> 00:31:21.269 there in the wilderness preparing the way for 00:31:21.269 --> 00:31:23.650 the coming of Messiah and who had the privilege 00:31:23.650 --> 00:31:30.670 of saying, Behold your God. I almost get goosebumps 00:31:30.670 --> 00:31:33.829 thinking about that. What a privilege John had. 00:31:34.390 --> 00:31:39.269 But may I tell you something? The privilege you 00:31:39.269 --> 00:31:41.890 have is greater than that which John the Baptist 00:31:41.890 --> 00:31:45.440 had. You know why? Because John the Baptist was 00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:48.059 a friend of the bridegroom. That's how he called 00:31:48.059 --> 00:31:52.279 himself, John chapter 3. But you, dear Christian, 00:31:52.480 --> 00:31:57.619 are part of the bride. You are part of the bride, 00:31:57.740 --> 00:32:01.980 the church of Jesus Christ. So don't be envious 00:32:01.980 --> 00:32:05.920 of John the Baptist. Realize that the privilege 00:32:05.920 --> 00:32:08.480 of position that God has given you is even greater 00:32:08.480 --> 00:32:11.099 than that which he enjoyed, and Jesus called 00:32:11.099 --> 00:32:15.630 him the greatest of the prophets. Furthermore, 00:32:15.869 --> 00:32:18.329 you and I have the privilege of being his heralds 00:32:18.329 --> 00:32:24.990 today. John was separated from society. He was 00:32:24.990 --> 00:32:28.289 looked down upon by those of society in that 00:32:28.289 --> 00:32:31.549 day as he preached to them about their sins. 00:32:32.690 --> 00:32:35.910 And likewise, dear people, we must not count 00:32:35.910 --> 00:32:39.069 it strange when we are strangers and pilgrims 00:32:39.069 --> 00:32:43.960 to the society around us. In fact, Jesus said, 00:32:44.059 --> 00:32:48.700 Beware when all men speak well of you. For you 00:32:48.700 --> 00:32:51.740 see, we too are called, as it were, to be prophets 00:32:51.740 --> 00:32:57.319 to the society in which we live. We are not called 00:32:57.319 --> 00:33:00.579 of God to be popular in this world. We are called 00:33:00.579 --> 00:33:04.220 here to represent Jesus Christ and to proclaim 00:33:04.220 --> 00:33:08.079 his first coming for sins and his second coming 00:33:08.079 --> 00:33:13.589 to reign in glory. So the position that John 00:33:13.589 --> 00:33:16.210 the Baptist had is one that in a way of application 00:33:16.210 --> 00:33:20.089 you share, for you too are like a voice in the 00:33:20.089 --> 00:33:23.829 wilderness proclaiming the coming of the Messiah. 00:33:26.630 --> 00:33:29.549 Let me close with one final reference in Isaiah 00:33:29.549 --> 00:33:35.730 chapter 9, verses 6 and 7. Again, one of those 00:33:35.730 --> 00:33:41.880 texts found in Handel's work. It says, Isaiah 00:33:41.880 --> 00:33:45.640 9, 6, For a child will be born to us, a son will 00:33:45.640 --> 00:33:48.779 be given, and the government will rest on his 00:33:48.779 --> 00:33:53.720 shoulders. In that first section of verse 6, 00:33:53.819 --> 00:33:57.759 we have three specific prophecies that outline 00:33:57.759 --> 00:34:04.819 for us the course of Christ's life. A child will 00:34:04.819 --> 00:34:11.840 be born. That's Bethlehem. A son will be given. 00:34:12.900 --> 00:34:18.460 That's the cross. The government will rest on 00:34:18.460 --> 00:34:22.860 his shoulders. That's his coming again. And so 00:34:22.860 --> 00:34:25.000 you see in this sentence, we have the cradle, 00:34:25.179 --> 00:34:28.920 the cross, and the crown laid out before us. 00:34:28.940 --> 00:34:33.940 That's the course of his life. And then we have 00:34:33.940 --> 00:34:36.619 his character. It says his name will be called 00:34:36.619 --> 00:34:40.260 Wonderful Counselor. That is, supernatural wisdom 00:34:40.260 --> 00:34:43.719 will be his. Do you lack wisdom today regarding 00:34:43.719 --> 00:34:47.559 some decision in your life? Jesus Christ is the 00:34:47.559 --> 00:34:51.679 wonderful counselor. He is the mighty God. All 00:34:51.679 --> 00:34:57.039 authority is given unto me. In heaven and on 00:34:57.039 --> 00:35:01.340 earth, said Jesus Christ. Over in chapter 10, 00:35:01.420 --> 00:35:06.199 verses 20 and 21, by the way, that term, the 00:35:06.199 --> 00:35:10.550 mighty God, is said to be used of Jehovah himself. 00:35:11.530 --> 00:35:15.730 And so the mighty one, the mighty God is Jehovah. 00:35:15.909 --> 00:35:19.369 Jesus Christ is the mighty God. Therefore, Jesus 00:35:19.369 --> 00:35:24.030 Christ is Jehovah. It follows logically. And 00:35:24.030 --> 00:35:26.929 then he's called the everlasting father or the 00:35:26.929 --> 00:35:30.469 eternal father. That is the father of eternity. 00:35:32.210 --> 00:35:34.929 And then finally he's called the prince of peace. 00:35:35.639 --> 00:35:38.539 That is, he's the one in whom peace dwells. Where 00:35:38.539 --> 00:35:42.739 he reigns, there is peace. I hope he reigns in 00:35:42.739 --> 00:35:45.500 your life and that there's peace in your home, 00:35:45.599 --> 00:35:48.119 in your life today, because he's the prince of 00:35:48.119 --> 00:35:50.320 your home. And then notice what it says about 00:35:50.320 --> 00:35:54.719 his kingdom. There will be no end to the increase 00:35:54.719 --> 00:35:57.400 of his government. That sounds like Washington, 00:35:57.559 --> 00:36:01.739 D .C., doesn't it? But it's talking about the 00:36:01.739 --> 00:36:04.719 messianic kingdom of Christ. It says there will 00:36:04.719 --> 00:36:08.139 be no end to his government or of his peace. 00:36:08.360 --> 00:36:12.019 It's eternal. And it says he will sit on the 00:36:12.019 --> 00:36:14.739 throne of David. He will fulfill the promise 00:36:14.739 --> 00:36:18.199 to David we've talked about before. He will establish 00:36:18.199 --> 00:36:21.159 his kingdom with justice and righteousness and 00:36:21.159 --> 00:36:26.119 uphold it with the same. When justice and righteousness 00:36:26.119 --> 00:36:30.679 disappear from the law system of a society, that 00:36:30.679 --> 00:36:34.500 society is doomed. And that's where we are today, 00:36:34.659 --> 00:36:38.820 ladies and gentlemen. You cannot have organized 00:36:38.820 --> 00:36:42.000 society apart from justice and righteousness. 00:36:42.599 --> 00:36:46.280 We're losing it, but not Christ's kingdom. It 00:36:46.280 --> 00:36:51.420 will be built upon it and upheld by it. And finally, 00:36:51.460 --> 00:36:55.320 it says, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish 00:36:55.320 --> 00:36:59.260 this. The word zeal is related to the Hebrew 00:36:59.260 --> 00:37:01.989 word for jealousy. And what it means is that 00:37:01.989 --> 00:37:05.349 God is jealous that his son reign on the earth, 00:37:05.489 --> 00:37:09.110 and he will see to it that Jesus Christ does 00:37:09.110 --> 00:37:16.989 reign. His kingdom is coming to this world. God 00:37:16.989 --> 00:37:19.489 identifies himself in this verse as the Lord 00:37:19.489 --> 00:37:25.030 of hosts. That is God's warrior name. It is Lord 00:37:25.030 --> 00:37:29.909 Sabaoth, revealed in 1 Samuel 1. Martin Luther 00:37:29.909 --> 00:37:33.550 uses it in A Mighty Fortress is Our God. Lord 00:37:33.550 --> 00:37:38.789 Sabaoth, his name. Lord of hosts. You know that 00:37:38.789 --> 00:37:44.050 Moses never once used that name. It's not found 00:37:44.050 --> 00:37:48.530 directly in Joshua, in Judges. It's found rarely 00:37:48.530 --> 00:37:51.809 in the Psalms. An exception would be Psalm 2410 00:37:51.809 --> 00:37:55.489 where it says, Who is the king of glory? The 00:37:55.489 --> 00:37:59.980 Lord of hosts. He is the king of glory. But this 00:37:59.980 --> 00:38:02.599 name for God is found in the prophets, and there's 00:38:02.599 --> 00:38:05.960 a reason for that. The prophets spoke of judgment. 00:38:06.659 --> 00:38:10.099 The nation was declining, and God was going to 00:38:10.099 --> 00:38:15.340 move in to discipline his people. But God, at 00:38:15.340 --> 00:38:17.739 the same time, gave them promises that he would 00:38:17.739 --> 00:38:21.519 restore them. He would bring them back together. 00:38:22.059 --> 00:38:24.920 And as he does that, he calls himself the Lord 00:38:24.920 --> 00:38:28.900 of hosts. You know that Jeremiah... uses this 00:38:28.900 --> 00:38:34.179 name for God 80 times. Haggai, that little book, 00:38:34.280 --> 00:38:39.599 14 times. Zechariah uses it 50 times. Malachi 00:38:39.599 --> 00:38:43.500 calls God the Lord of hosts 25 times in his four 00:38:43.500 --> 00:38:47.739 chapters. This is a name for the prophets, and 00:38:47.739 --> 00:38:51.000 that's why Isaiah uses it here. And he says God 00:38:51.000 --> 00:38:56.460 is a God of warfare. And he will establish the 00:38:56.460 --> 00:39:00.239 kingdom of his son. And to that kingdom there 00:39:00.239 --> 00:39:04.300 will be no end. Dear friend, we today do not 00:39:04.300 --> 00:39:08.159 worship Christ in a manger, as sentimental as 00:39:08.159 --> 00:39:12.920 that scene may be. We do not worship Christ hanging 00:39:12.920 --> 00:39:17.599 on a cross. But we worship Jesus Christ, the 00:39:17.599 --> 00:39:23.199 risen conqueror. The glorified, omnipotent one 00:39:23.199 --> 00:39:26.699 that John saw in Revelation chapter 1 and at 00:39:26.699 --> 00:39:31.880 whose feet he fell as dead. That's the one that 00:39:31.880 --> 00:39:35.219 we worship. And that risen Savior, Jesus Christ, 00:39:35.340 --> 00:39:38.199 is coming back again. He's going to establish 00:39:38.199 --> 00:39:41.340 his rule on the earth. And only his own will 00:39:41.340 --> 00:39:44.679 enter into that kingdom. All others will be shut 00:39:44.679 --> 00:39:51.219 out forever and will be cast into hell. You say, 00:39:51.260 --> 00:39:57.079 well, who says that? Jesus Christ himself. Take 00:39:57.079 --> 00:40:00.400 his word for it. If you do not belong to him 00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:02.579 today, you have no place in the kingdom that's 00:40:02.579 --> 00:40:07.599 coming. Will you today trust him as your Savior, 00:40:07.679 --> 00:40:10.960 your Lord? As it were, will you allow him today 00:40:10.960 --> 00:40:13.639 to be the king of your life? Let that be his 00:40:13.639 --> 00:40:16.940 kingdom now, so that later he may bring you into 00:40:16.940 --> 00:40:22.239 his kingdom? I hope that those of us who trusted 00:40:22.239 --> 00:40:25.199 him are allowing him to rule in our lives too. 00:40:25.920 --> 00:40:32.039 That's his rightful place. Heavenly Father, we 00:40:32.039 --> 00:40:34.380 praise you that Jesus Christ's kingdom will be 00:40:34.380 --> 00:40:37.380 established and that in the future his will be 00:40:37.380 --> 00:40:40.739 the only kingdom there will be. We thank you 00:40:40.739 --> 00:40:45.360 that in him we have a part in that. I pray, Father, 00:40:45.559 --> 00:40:47.639 that if today there are some of us who need to 00:40:47.639 --> 00:40:49.760 make decisions so that we're rightly related 00:40:49.760 --> 00:40:55.199 to you, we may have the faith to do that and 00:40:55.199 --> 00:40:58.300 the determination to do it before we leave this 00:40:58.300 --> 00:41:01.000 place. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.