Prophecies of Christ • 12.03.23
Prophecies of Christ
Genesis 3:1-15; Isaiah 7:10-17, 9:1-7, 42:1-9; Micah 5:1-2
Reasons to believe in and worship the Christ
- The Christ is the seed of woman who slays the serpent
- The Christ is Immanuel, God with us
- The Christ is the promised deliverer and eternal ruler
- The Christ is God’s chosen servant who brings justice to the nations
Good morning, church family! Welcome to those who are visiting with us today. My name is Nick Lees and I serve on the pastor team here at Harvest. I have the privilege of kicking off a new sermon series for the month of December called Behold the Christ.
Dismiss 4th + 5th graders
Ushers + Bibles (Genesis 3; page 3)
We live in a world that is constantly changing. Technology seems to be accelerating faster than ever. We’re in the age of artificial intelligence. The degradation of society’s morals seems locked in a downward direction. Cost of living has continued to go up. There are several substantial wars happening with the possibility of more on the horizon. And to top it all off, we’re entering an election year full of turmoil and division. In the midst of such change and chaos, where will you find hope and put your trust? Wouldn’t it be great if we had an unchanging, stable, reliable place to put our hopes and trust? Yes, yes it would!
This is why we’re taking the month of December to slow down and behold the Christ. You see, there is an unchanging, stable, reliable place to put your hopes and trust. The Creator God who made all things, including each of us, is at work even now fulfilling his grand plan of redemption through the Christ.
Our focus must not be on the turmoil around us, but on the unchanging God who is working out His plan of salvation among us! Did you know that God has had the same, unchanging plan of salvation since before time began? There is stability, hope, and refuge in Him. Christmas is an opportunity for us to rejoice in and worship the Christ whom God sent!
That’s why this whole series is about beholding the Christ. Behold is used in the Scriptures as an exclamation of command. LOOK HERE! SEE THIS! OBSERVE! I think of John the Baptist’s own exclamation to his disciples when he saw Jesus…
John 1:29 (ESV)
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Or the prophet Isaiah when calling for the people’s attention to important news:
Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
From Old to New Testament, the Scriptures invite us to behold the Christ! But what and who is the Christ?
Christ is the Greek word Christos. It is a translation of the Hebrew word Messiah which meant Anointed One. The term is loaded with significance. For the Jews, the Messiah was the long-awaited deliverer, the ruler/king that they were expecting to come from the line of David. What is the Christ? The deliverer and rightful ruler over the earth.
Who is the Christ? The Bible reveals him as Jesus of Nazareth. Christ is his title, not his last name. He is known as the Son of God, the Savior of His people, or as you heard a moment ago, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, God with us.
Something I want to hit home in this sermon series is that God’s plan has not changed. It has always been to send Jesus the Christ to rescue and redeem a people for Himself. From start to finish, the Bible speaks of the Christ in a consistent manner. Amid a constantly changing world you can have certainty and confidence in Him.
Over the course of the five Sundays in December we will cover:
- Prophecies of Christ
Some, not all. We are not going to cover every prophecy about Christ today. I have selected a few to highlight this morning.
- The Birth of Christ
- The Life, Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Christ
- The Present Reign of Christ
- The Second Coming of Christ
As we dive into these studies we will be moving throughout the pages of Scriptures, from the Old to New Testaments and often showing how they connect to one another. One of the marvels of God’s Word is that God used at least 30 distinct authors across some 1,500 years of human history to reveal His grand plan of redemption through the Christ. And throughout it all, a consistent message is proclaimed. This is incredible and unheard of in human history. The Bible is a literary masterpiece that has no comparison.
It is essential for us to know these truths and to respond appropriately to them in wonder and awe, but even more importantly we must respond in faith and repentance. My hope is that whether you are a follower of Jesus Christ, someone investigating the claims of Christ, or a skeptic, that you will hear compelling evidence that Jesus is, as he claims, the way, the truth, and the life and respond in faith and worship. I am unapologetically seeking to help our church family and all who hear trust in Jesus and worship Him this Christmas.
With that in mind, let’s turn our attention to the study of God’s Word. We begin at the start of the Bible, in the book of Genesis. Now, I want to read in Genesis 3, but before we do that, let me summarize what happened in chapters 1-2.
In case you’ve never read Genesis before, it begins with the account of the beginning of Creation. Chapters 1-2 record how God miraculously spoke the creation into existence. It starts in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The rest of chapter 1 explains very broadly how God made the universe, our planet, and all the living creatures on our planet, including humans.
The first man and woman were told to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. They were to rule over the world God made! God’s design and purpose for humanity was to be his image-bearers or his ambassadors. We are to do that by ruling and stewarding the planet he has given us.
Genesis 2 continues by giving a more elaborate view of the creation account. It focuses on the details of how the first man and woman were created. In verses 15-17 God gives the man his role and responsibilities:
Genesis 2:15–17
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 1-2 reveals an all-powerful, eternal God who speaks things into existence. And this God has chosen to create our universe and everything in it, especially the pinnacle of his creation, man and woman, who are intended to be his ambassadors and image-bearers. He has given specific instructions to the first man and woman on how they are to operate in the beautiful world he has prepared for them. Unfortunately, they chose to disobey him.
Let’s turn our attention to Genesis 3:1-15 where this disobedience is recorded for us.
Genesis 3:1–15 (ESV)
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
Well, that didn’t go so well, did it? Adam and Eve, instead of following and obeying their Perfect Creator, have instead chosen to rebel and follow self.
God had given Adam a specific command and what did Adam and Eve just do? They ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil! They disobeyed God. They rebelled. Instead of following God, they made the choice to follow their own desires.
Now you may say, “WAIT JUST A MINUTE! What about the snake?!” What about it? Yes, there was a snake involved in this whole situation. As you study the passage, you realize that it’s not normal for snakes to talk… something more is going on here. What or who is allowing this beast to have such abilities?
The answer is Satan – the fallen angel who desired to be greater than God. His name is never mentioned in Genesis 3. The text of Genesis 3 never explicitly states that Satan is behind the snake, and yet, there could be no other way that this snake could be so shrewd, so cunning, so conniving to seek to undermine the plans and purposes of God! How could a mere snake know of God’s command to Adam? How could it know to go to the woman, who had not heard the command first-hand, and begin to undermine God’s created order for leadership in marriage? Listen again to the snake’s words…
“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” What is he doing here?! Undermining God’s character and word! That’s the pattern of the devil throughout Scripture. His seeks to cast doubt on who God is and what God says. He doesn’t come right out and say, “Eve, you can eat of that tree!” Instead, he insinuates that God is unfair and withholding something good from them. “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Boom. Gotcha! Look, there is something good you can’t have. God is holding out on you!
The sinful rebellion of our first parents has devastating implications to this day. Just like Adam and Eve, we find ourselves estranged from God due to our sin nature. Our own rebellion and disobedience to God has brought shame into our lives and separates us from the perfectly holy God. Sin has continued to cause division between us and God and between us and our fellow humans.
Thankfully, this passage is not without hope! The hope comes in verse 15 when God is cursing the serpent.
Genesis 3:15 (ESV)
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
From this promise we find our first reason this morning to… believe in and worship the Christ
- The Christ is the seed of woman who slays the serpent
Seed is a synonym for offspring. Both mean descendant. I really appreciated Andy Naselli’s comments on this theme in the Scriptures in his book The Serpent and The Serpent Slayer:
The rest of the Bible’s storyline traces the ongoing battle between the snake’s offspring and the woman’s offspring. The first seed of the serpent is Cain, who kills his brother Abel (Gen. 4:1-16). The serpent, Jesus explains, ‘was a murderer from the beginning’ (John 8:44), and Cain was the first human murderer. Humans are either children of God or children of the devil (Matt. 13:38-39; John 8:33; Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:8-10).
Instead of continuing through Abel, the seed of woman continued through Seth. That line continues through Noah and then through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah and eventually through David all the way to Jesus the Messiah and his followers. Although the serpent will bruise the Messiah’s heel (Jesus dies on a tree), Jesus is the ultimate seed of the woman who will mortally crush the serpent (c.f. Gal. 3:16; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 John 3:8). The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer – Andy Naselli (pg 40-41)
From the very start of the Bible, even in the midst of the despair of the first sin and the brokenness that followed, we are told that God has a plan that he is working out. This is known as the first gospel as it reveals the beginnings of God’s plan to save his people from their sin. This plan is still shrouded in mystery in Genesis, but it is progressively revealed throughout the Old and New Testaments. The Christ IS the seed of woman who slays the serpent. After Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, the author of Hebrews wrote the following about him:
Hebrews 2:14 (ESV)
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
The seed of woman slays the serpent through the Cross!
Paul, in his letter to the Romans, writes:
Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Paul and the author of Hebrews testify to the victory of the Christ over the devil. The great deceiver, the one who tempts humanity to rebel against God and follow their own desires, will one day be defeated once and for all! And the God of peace will reign. This is further testified to by the Apostle John in his writings in Revelation.
Genesis 3:15 points ahead to the hope of the promised Savior. It tells us – there is One who is coming who will overcome evil. He will right the wrongs. He will restore the creation to the Creator. What an amazing day that will be! When we are in the presence of God again, enjoying his perfect rule and reign!
What is your current disposition towards Christ? Are you hoping in the promised Savior? Or are you stuck in rebellion and sin? There are only two positions you can be in when Jesus returns, as John explains in his first epistle:
1 John 3:8–10
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
You can either be in the position of practicing sin, implying you’re a child of the devil, or you can be in the position of putting off sin and putting on righteousness as a child of God. Which will it be for you?
Over the past four weeks, we’ve had the privilege and opportunity to study the gospel. Have you been living in light of the gospel? As you reflect on the past month, are you increasingly putting off sin and putting on righteousness? We have the incredible privilege of knowing the serpent slayer. If you are united to Christ in faith, then you are dead to sin and alive to righteousness. I want to encourage you to continue to Behold the Christ and walk in righteousness! *pause*
Our next three reasons to believe in and worship the Christ are all found in the book of Isaiah. Let’s turn to Isaiah 7 now. (Page 678)
Isaiah 7:10–17 (ESV)
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17 The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”
The historical context of this passage is that King Ahaz is ruling over Jerusalem at a period when they have been living in sinful rebellion against God for a long time. Ahaz himself was a man who would rather trust in the pagan nation of Assyria than the Lord. He was trying to make an alliance with Assyria when God sent Isaiah to confront him. God even invited Ahaz to put him to the test to show how trustworthy God is… but Ahaz refused to do so. Not out of faith, but out of a desire to avoid the test altogether! Ahaz doesn’t want God to prove he is trustworthy. Ahaz doesn’t want to be proven wrong. He wants his way!
Well, God isn’t going to take no for an answer. Even though Ahaz prefers to do things his way and rely on a foreign nation for security, God promises to send a sign to confirm that he alone is trustworthy and true. A boy will be born with a special name, Immanuel, which means God is with us.
Your mind may already be leaping to the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy in the New Testament but let me point out that this prophecy was first fulfilled in Isaiah’s day with his own son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz. Isaiah chapter 8 explains this fulfillment for Ahaz’s sake. But we also find that there is a second fulfillment of this prophecy, one that is more ultimate, in the birth of the Christ.
Matthew 1:18–25 (ESV)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Did you hear the confirmation of the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy? We will dive into this entire passage in more depth next week when we look at the birth of Christ. For now, I want to point you to our second reason to believe in and worship the Christ today…
- The Christ is Immanuel, God with us
Jesus was born of a virgin. His mother Mary had known no man intimately. She miraculously conceived Jesus through the work of God the Holy Spirit. This miraculous birth of the God-Man was a sign for the nations to trust in God. Again, we’ll dive more into the miracle of the incarnation, God taking on human form, next week.
Here’s what I want you to understand for today… Nothing else in creation is able to bear the weight of your hopes. Only God is unchanging, trustworthy, and perfectly true. Only he can bear the weight of your hopes. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy given 700 years earlier by Isaiah. He is God with us. The One who came down to rescue his people from our sins and bring us back to God.
Who do you say that Jesus is? Do you agree with the Scriptures and the claims of Jesus?
- If not, how do you reconcile the life and ministry of Jesus Christ with your position?
- If you do agree, then what does your current lifestyle say about your response to Jesus?
Are you bowing the knee in worship and submission to Jesus? Do you daily choose to follow him, even when it’s hard? Are you fighting to say no to temptation and sin? And when you fall, are you looking to him for grace and forgiveness and the strength to keep pressing on in faith? He is God with us, and he is able to sustain you. As you heard, he came to save his people from their sins. He stands ready to forgive you, if you would confess your sin and follow him. He wants you to experience the joy and satisfaction that comes from living according to his will and ways.
Our third reason to believe in and worship the Christ comes from Isaiah 9 (Page 680), which says:
Isaiah 9:1–7 (ESV)
But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
3 You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
4 For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Through Isaiah, God speaks of a day coming when those walking in darkness will see a great light. Light is equated with God’s presence throughout the Bible. God is going to come to a people lost in their sin and rebellion and show them the way. He will break the heavy yoke of oppression and provide peace in the place of war. Isaiah identifies this figure as a child who is born and given to the people. Yet he is not like any other child. He has titles that can only be ascribed to God himself. His wise counsel will prove that he is more than a mere human. He shares the name of God, which could be said of no one else in history. And he will rule from the lineage of David as a prince of peace. He will bring deliverance from both physical and spiritual oppression. He is a deliverer and ruler unlike any the world has ever known.
This prophecy went unfulfilled until the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Of Jesus, the angel Gabriel spoke the following to his mother Mary:
Luke 1:30–33 (ESV)
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Jesus is the Christ, the ultimate fulfillment of these prophecies. And out of these passages we find our third reason to believe in and worship the Christ…
- The Christ is the promised deliverer and eternal ruler
He comes to set his people free from sin! He delivers from the oppression of Satan and sin. Just like we heard about in Genesis 3! And he will reign as the Prince of Peace forever, having reconciled the creation to its Creator.
Even the place of his birth was foretold by the prophet Micah. Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah. Look at what he foretold 700 years in advance:
Micah 5:2 (ESV)
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
Where was Jesus born? Bethlehem. Time and again the Word of God reveals that these prophecies of the Christ are fulfilled by Jesus. How will you respond to the Christ? Will you trust Him as your deliverer? Will you bow the knee to him as your eternal authority? Jack talked to us last week that the goal of the Gospel is to glorify God and one of the ways that happens is by bringing about the obedience of faith in each of our lives… How do you need to grow in obedience to Christ this Christmas? *pause* As you’ve heard, he is worthy of your faith and worship.
Our fourth and final reason for today to believe in and worship the Christ comes from Isaiah 42 (Page 715), which says:
Isaiah 42:1–9 (ESV)
Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
5 Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them.”
There is our word again! BEHOLD. It’s calling for the audience’s attention. LOOK HERE! OBSERVE AND UNDERSTAND!
This word is intentional. It’s drawing a comparison with what came before it. If you look just a little ways up your page to chapter 41, you’ll notice verses 24 and 29 also say BEHOLD. Those passages are calling God’s people to behold the worthlessness of idols. That the idols they have trusted in are nothing and their work is less than nothing. They are a delusion and emptiness.
Compared to these worthless idols you have the CHOSEN SERVANT OF GOD. The one whom God upholds and delights in. The one upon whom he puts His Spirit.
Who is this Chosen Servant? Is it the nation of Israel? The Old Testament tells us that the Israelites are meant to be God’s representatives to the world. They were to be the idealized people of God, who submitted to His rule and reign and were blessed and a blessing to the nations because of it.
No, this Chosen Servant is not Israel. Throughout Isaiah, the nation of Israel is described as deaf and dumb. Spiritually blind. Rebels against God who have chosen to worship pagan idols. They are not in a place to be God’s representatives. They need to be rescued and redeemed by God’s Chosen Servant. So, who is this Chosen Servant of God? This is most certainly the Christ. The Anointed One whom would come from the lineage of David to rule over God’s people and to bring God’s justice to the nations.
We know who this Christ is… He is none other than Jesus of Nazareth. And our fourth and final reason to believe in and worship him is…
- The Christ is God’s chosen servant who brings justice to the nations
This is the mission of the Christ. This Chosen Servant of God is to bring forth God’s justice to the nations. What does this mean? What is God’s justice? It’s his righteous will and ways that lead to life. God’s justice provides order that cares for all. Commentator John Oswalt defines it this way:
This is that life-giving order which exists when the creation is functioning in accordance with the design of its Lord.
Isaiah is saying that when the Chosen Servant comes, he will bring with him the justice of God. He will restore God’s life-giving order to creation. He will enable the created order to function in accord with the original design of God. Those are amazing promises! Think about how broken the world was and is by sin. Consider how hard the hearts of the people were and how they were turning aside to idols (then and now). And now this beautiful promise that it will not continue forever! A Chosen Servant is coming to make all things new!
The Christ’s mission is from God, and it is for the entire world’s good. We read that the Christ was given as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, and to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon/darkness. His mission directly impacts you and me!
As a covenant for the people, Jesus is the way to God. This is how God makes it possible for a sinful, rebellious people to be redeemed into a holy nation, a people for his own possession! Jesus speaks of this in John’s Gospel.
John 14:6 (ESV)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
There is no other way to God. There is no other hope for heaven. Either you trust in God’s Chosen Servant for salvation from your sins or you don’t. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life…
This section of Isaiah demonstrates that God is faithful to rescue and redeem even when the people are unfaithful. Remember that both Israel and Judah have been sent to exile. They are both likely wondering, “Has God abandoned us? Are the covenants null and void? Do we have any hope for a future with God?” This promise in verses 6-7 is the answer. No God has not abandoned his people. He is establishing a new covenant with them that will result in their rescue and redemption. God speaks through Isaiah to provide hope to a spiritually deaf and blind people.
During his life and ministry Jesus opened the eyes of the blind, both physically and spiritually. He set captives free from their bondage to sin and death. They were no longer prisoner to Satan’s demons or their own sinful flesh. Jesus specializes in redemption! He brought God’s justice, his life-giving order, to the nations and is continuing to do so through His church today.
And we know the end of the story… One day Jesus will return and bring the fulness of God’s justice to bear on the earth. He will destroy sin and death forever and bring in the New Heaven and New Earth where we can dwell with God in perfection. We will enjoy the beauty of all things operating exactly as they were designed in the presence of the One who made them.
This is the fulfillment of God’s mission for His Chosen Servant, the Christ. And just as Judah rejoiced in this future hope, so too we ought to rejoice today! We have the privilege of knowing that God’s Chosen Servant came, just as God promised, and He has made a way for us to be forgiven and redeemed.
As we prepare to close in worship, I would encourage you to consider your response to God’s Chosen Servant. Has there been a definite time in your life where you’ve recognized that you are a sinner in need of a Savior? Have you chosen to trust in Jesus Christ as the only way to God? If not, I’d like to talk to you after the service. This is a decision that deserves your attention and is of eternal significance. Please come and talk to me.
For those who have responded to God’s Chosen Servant in faith, I would encourage you to evaluate what your worship ought to look like this week and, more broadly, this December. Last Sunday you were challenged with the call to glorify God. Are you seeking to do so? If not, what is getting in the way of your worship of King Jesus? He died for you; live for Him!
Let’s close in prayer as we ask God to help us continue to put aside our idols and to worship Him alone!
Pray