The Hope of the King to Come • 03.24.24
The Hope of the King to Come
Isaiah 11-12
Rejoicing in the redemptive plan of God
- When darkness abounds, God promises the Messiah
- God will restore perfect peace to His creation
- The Coming King will fulfill God’s redemptive plan
- God’s people will have a shared testimony
Good morning church family! Welcome guests.
I absolutely love that we got to sing the song Jerusalem on Palm Sunday! It is such an excellent reminder of what Holy Week means for us. Good Friday and Easter are coming! Jesus accomplishes the redemption of His people through his death in our place and resurrection to conquer sin and death. Praise the One who saved us, indeed!
Although I did not plan this intentionally last year while laying out the preaching calendar, we get to study a passage in Isaiah that connects so well with Palm Sunday. As you may have noticed, the title of the sermon is The Hope of the King to Come. And the emphasis of our text and sermon is rejoicing in the redemptive plan of God. I hope you came ready to rejoice in the LORD today.
Dismiss 4th + 5th graders
Ushers + Bibles (Isaiah 11-12; page 863?)
Today we are reading both chapters 11-12 of Isaiah. They are relatively short but incredible, so let’s dive into them now. As I read, keep your ears open for all the reasons you have to rejoice in the redemptive plan of God this morning. Also, I know your bulletin is completely blank, but don’t worry, the reasons to rejoice will still be put on the screen for you to write in as we go.
Isaiah 11:1–12:6 (ESV)
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
12 He will raise a signal for the nations
and will assemble the banished of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
13 The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart,
and those who harass Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah,
and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
14 But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west,
and together they shall plunder the people of the east.
They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites shall obey them.
15 And the Lord will utterly destroy
the tongue of the Sea of Egypt,
and will wave his hand over the River
with his scorching breath,
and strike it into seven channels,
and he will lead people across in sandals.
16 And there will be a highway from Assyria
for the remnant that remains of his people,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from the land of Egypt.
12:1 You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
2 “Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
It is tempting to just have the worship team come back up on the stage and lead us in more singing to the LORD! What a wonderful text that reveals God’s plan for his people and all of creation! We are privileged to live after Jesus of Nazareth’s fulfillment of these passages, but for the original audience, the people of Isaiah’s day, these promises were still in the future. I want you to try to imagine the sense of anticipation they would have had, the longing it must have stirred up within them. Consider how dark things had gotten within their own nation and the reality of God’s pending judgment that is coming via Assyria… But now you have this hope held out before you. A day is coming when salvation will be yours!
This passage has given many reasons to rejoice in God’s redemptive plan and we’re going to slow down and dig into them this morning. *pause*
Our first reason to rejoice comes as we consider the promises of verses 1-5 of chapter 11, especially in light of everything that has come before it. Prior to this, Isaiah repeatedly confronted his people with the spiritual dilemma and darkness they are in. After his vision of God’ s perfect holiness in chapter 6, Isaiah was sent by God to go preach to the nation of Judah with the promise that they would not hear or obey. In fact, God told him that he intended to discipline them by removing them from the land and used the imagery of a forest cleared by fire or the axe.
Isaiah 6:12–13 (ESV)
12 and the Lord removes people far away,
and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 And though a tenth remain in it,
it will be burned again,
like a terebinth or an oak,
whose stump remains
when it is felled.”
The holy seed is its stump.
Then in chapter 7 we heard in detail how God would use the nation of Assyria to discipline them. However, it was not all doom and gloom, there was also the promise of the Immanuel child. God would preserve and protect a faithful remnant of the people. This child was referenced again in chapters 8 and 9, heightening anticipation for him. We heard of the four titles this child would have: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He would rule on the throne of David forever. This child is unlike any other, having the name of God and the promise of everlasting rule. Yet, the information about him was surrounded by promises of God’s wrath poured out on the people for their sin and rebellion. Last week we heard that even Assyria would be like a forest cut to the ground.
Then, yet again, in the midst of all of this rebellion and judgment and spiritual darkness, comes another prophecy about the child. Isaiah, speaking on God’s behalf, promises a shoot from the stump of Jesse. Jesse is the father of King David. This is another reference to the coming heir of David, the Messiah! Though the nations of Israel/Judah would be decimated, God is still at work. His redemptive plan has not been derailed, nor could it be. “A branch from Jesse’s roots shall bear fruit.” That’s a promise. A future Davidic King is coming. Which leads us to our first reason to rejoice in God’s redemptive plan this morning:
- When darkness abounds, God promises the Messiah
I don’t know how to sufficiently convey the depth of anticipation and hope that the Jewish people had for the Messiah. He is God’s Anointed – the One who would save them from their sins and God’s wrath. The One who would free them from captivity and rule over them in perfect righteousness/justice. The One who would bring about God’s kingdom on earth.
The only thing I can compare this to is our own longing for all things to be made right and new. Are you not tired of the brokenness of our world? Tired of wars, people suffering, famine, cancer, natural disasters, abortion, evils of every kind? Are you not you weary of the fighting and the arguing, and the complete lack of civility humans have towards one another, both in-person and online? Are you ready for peace and unity and joy to abound? Are you ready to be with God in the New Creation where sin, suffering, sadness, and death are no more? Oh, how I long for that day. This is the kind of longing that is only made sweeter by the depths of darkness that you have had to endure and the greater your understanding is of what is to come.
When darkness abounds, God promises the Messiah! And how sweet this promise is to those who love and long for Him. We learn quite a bit about the Messiah in this text.
For example, in verse 2 we hear that God’s Coming King will have God’s Spirit resting upon him to accomplish all of God’s holy will. He is not lacking in anything! Look with me at verse 2 again.
He has the Spirit of wisdom and understanding equipping him to lead well. He has the Spirit of counsel and might, so he is able to carry out his wise plans. He has the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD for holiness in all areas of life. God the Holy Spirit has perfectly equipped the Coming King to accomplish all of God’s holy will. His people can have confidence in Him! He lacks NOTHING! Oh, what a Savior!
But there are more reasons to rejoice. As we move to verses 3-4, we are told that the Messiah delights in the fear of the LORD which allows him to rule justly over the earth. Because his innermost delight is God, He will always choose what pleases God. You can see the way that plays out in his rule and reign.
This King is not deceived by outward appearances but knows the heart of men. What a refreshing change from our reality. Both in Isaiah’s day and ours, the world is full of political jockeying and deception. People lie all the time to manipulate others. Justice is often perverted because inaccurate judgment has been made by men/women who are deceived by what they see/hear.
How great will it be when there is a perfectly moral ruler who is unable to be deceived? Who always understands correctly and makes the righteous/just judgment? As we see in this passage, the way he rules is by protecting and caring for the least of these. He does not show partiality to the person with the biggest wallet. He is not swayed by the loudest lobbyist. He does not allow injustice to continue but righteously judges all peoples – destroying the wicked and providing for the meek. The way he is described and the power he has with simply the breath of his lips indicates we are not talking about a mere human king.
To a people who are living in a time of great darkness, the promise of a Coming King who is perfectly righteous and just is a reason to rejoice! A day is coming when sin and evil will not dominate the people any longer.
Even the very garb of this Coming King will be righteousness/faithfulness. This is speaking about His character. Righteousness and faithfulness are core to His identity. He cannot and will not fail in these matters. Who has ever heard of such a King?! Surely no mere man could be so utterly perfect. Even the best of their earthly kings had moral failings and fell short of what is being described here. And every earthly ruler since this prophecy has likewise fallen short! It doesn’t matter what nation you are from or what form of government you have had, mere men and women have always been plagued by sin. *pause*
But… We do know One who has come who is much more than a mere earthly king. A shoot from the stump of Jesse. A branch from his roots/lineage as the Gospel of Matthew so beautifully reveals in chapter 1. His name is Jesus of Nazareth aka Jesus the Messiah/Christ. He is the One the angel revealed as the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies:
Matthew 1:22–23 (ESV)
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).
Jesus is the One for whom John the Baptist prepared the way, again fulfilling prophecies found in Isaiah:
Matthew 3:1–3 (ESV)
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’ ”
And Jesus is the One, who when he was baptized in preparation to begin his public ministry, was anointed by God the Holy Spirit and had God the Father’s heavenly testimony that Jesus delighted Him:
Matthew 3:16–17 (ESV)
16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
We do not have enough time this morning to permit me to continue sharing all of the incredible proofs that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies. Nonetheless, between the Gospel accounts and the books of Hebrews and Revelation, it is very clear that Jesus is the perfectly righteous King who rules on the throne of David forever. If you are struggling with what to believe about Jesus, I or any of our pastors/ministry leaders would love to sit down with you to study this further.
Let’s return to our text in Isaiah. We’re continuing to see reasons to rejoice in God’s redemptive plan. As we continue through the text, we hear incredible things in verses 6-9! Animals who currently cannot peacefully co-exist are suddenly pictured doing so. A wolf living with a lamb. A leopard lying down with a young goat. A calf and lion together with a child leading them around! I’ve watched enough Planet Earth videos to know that this is not normal in our current context. This description of creation is shocking and unlike anything that has been seen/known since the Garden of Eden.
Whether this is meant to be interpreted literally or figuratively, the point is the same. God is taking things back to an Edenic like state in his coming kingdom. Everyone and everything is transformed. In God’s coming kingdom, there will be no more hostility. No more danger. No more sin or suffering. These are incredible reasons to rejoice! I’ve summarized it in this specific language today:
- God will restore perfect peace to His creation
Does this not sound glorious to you? It is hard to grasp what this will be like since all we’ve known is a world broken by sin and suffering. But consider how beautiful the completeness of this restoration will be. Even the serpent, who has been at enmity with humanity since Satan co-opted it in the garden in Genesis 3, will be at peace with man. What a beautiful picture of complete and perfect restoration.
How can this be? Is Judah supposed to broker a peace deal with Assyria? Does it depend on man’s efforts to achieve this perfect peace? The answer is no. This is the plan of a Sovereign God who will accomplish it and he tells us how he will do it in verse 9, “For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”
This perfect peace is God’s doing. Not because humans had a treaty or ceasefire… Only because those who remain are FULL of the knowledge of the LORD. This is what leads to peace. God is refining a people for Himself who will be His faithful remnant. A people who knows and loves Him completely. Only He can bring this perfect peace and restoration to fruition, and He is actively at work doing just that. *pause*
Since we have the benefit of having the entire New Testament on top of Isaiah, we interpret the Old Testament through the New and we know that this is only possible through the finished work of Jesus Christ. The only a way sinful man or woman can be made new and at peace with God and others is through the salvation and forgiveness that Jesus Christ offers through faith in Him. Paul writes about this in his letter to Titus:
Titus 3:3–7 (ESV)
3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
God is the One who rescues and redeems us through Jesus Christ. If your faith is in Jesus, then you have every reason to rejoice this morning! You have been a beneficiary of God’s mercy and grace. You have the hope of perfect peace that is presented here. If your faith is not in Jesus Christ, then I simply ask, “What is it that is keeping you from humbly asking Him to save you?” God has not hidden his plan from anyone. You can respond to Him in faith by confessing your sin and need for a Savior. You can turn away from sin/rebellion and have the hope of eternal life today. If you’d like, I’d love to talk with you more about that after the service.
Notice in verse 9 that there has been an expansion of God’s Kingdom from His holy mountain to the entire earth. God is LORD over all, which is good news for the rest of the nations. This plan of redemption is not solely for the people of Israel/Judah, but also for the nations (Gentiles). Let me read verses 10-12 again:
Isaiah 11:10–12 (ESV)
10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
12 He will raise a signal for the nations
and will assemble the banished of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
The hope of redemption is not limited to the Jews; it extends to the faithful from all nations! The root of Jesse, the Messiah, aka Jesus will be a signal/banner for the peoples. The nations will come to him and seek after him and find that his resting place/kingdom is glorious. What you’re hearing is yet another reason to rejoice today:
- The Coming King will fulfill God’s redemptive plan
This is gloriously revealed in verses 10-16 of chapter 11. As we just heard, He will gather in the nations/peoples. Verse 11 is speaking of all the different directions that they will come from by describing nations on every side. This promise uses terminology that the original audience would have understood in their context, but it’s outworking is far larger than just the Jews. As a church of Gentiles, we ought to be praising God for this! Thank you, LORD, for planning to gather us in to your people as well!
Jesus is our signal, our banner – meaning, by God’s grace, He is the One we look to in faith and are rescued out of our sin and darkness. Jesus even proclaimed that He would serve this purpose in the Gospel of John:
John 12:32 (ESV)
32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
He’s speaking of his crucifixion. Why would he tell people this? John tells us:
John 12:33–36 (ESV)
33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”
The invitation from Jesus Christ to the people of His day was to believe in Him before it was too late. That is still the invitation offered to us today. Believe in the light before judgment comes. *pause*
The reality of judgment is present in Isaiah 11:13-16. Part of fulfilling God’s redemptive plan is that He will unite the tribes of Israel/Judah and lead them to conquer God’s enemies. In the end, God is victorious and all who oppose Him are defeated and destroyed. This is necessary as the LORD makes a way for his people to return to him. He will defeat and destroy those who attempt to stand in the way of accomplishing His redemption plan. The Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Edomites, Moabites, and so many others throughout history have found this out the hard way. God makes a way for His people time and time again!
Yet no one can accuse God of hiding His plan or failing to give opportunity to respond in faith and repentance. Even today we are hearing from the book of Isaiah about the direction God is taking things. He will rescue and redeem His people, and no one will stand in His way.
If you are currently in the position of opposing God through unbelief, then please hear the call to repent and believe before it is too late. Do not foolishly try to oppose your Creator, you will not come out on top. Thinking you know better than God is pride of the highest order, and He will hold you accountable for it. *pause*
For those of us who are in Christ, who have been recipients of the King’s mercy and grace, we have every reason to rejoice this morning as we are reminded of His grand redemption plan. Try to put yourselves again in the shoes of these weary and defeated Judeans + Israelites. They were living in very dark times and yet the hope of the king to come was being revealed to them! Oh, to be alive when that King comes! To taste and see that everything they had been anticipating and waiting for was worth it. Chapter 12 captures the appropriate response of God’s people to His gracious salvation. Let’s read it again:
Isaiah 12:1–6 (ESV)
You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
2 “Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
This chapter is full of rejoicing. What a breath of fresh air in the book of Isaiah! I’ve sought to capture chapter 12 with this takeaway today:
- God’s people will have a shared testimony
One of the beauties of chapter 12 is that these words can be my words/your words. I rejoice and give thanks because God’s anger with me has been replaced by comfort. The wrath due to me for my sinful rebellion has been paid for and removed by Christ’s sufficient sacrifice on the Cross!
BEHOLD, GOD IS MY SALVATION! I, NICK LEES, WILL TRUST, AND WILL NOT BE AFRAID; FOR THE LORD GOD IS MY STRENGTH AND MY SONG AND HE HAS BECOME MY SALVATION.
Can you imagine how powerful it would be if we each took time to stand up and declare this marvelous truth this morning? Everyone who has faith in Jesus has this testimony!
We rejoice because God is our salvation, strength, and song. He has done it all! His Sovereign Goodness exercised towards us leads us to trust Him and not fear. We have tasted and seen that the LORD is good.
This is both an individual and corporate testimony. This is the testimony of both Jew and Gentile, all who have faith in Him. As Paul so magnificently teaches in the book of Romans:
Romans 1:16 (ESV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Because we have been blessed to know this great truth, it is our privilege and responsibility to share it with others! As Isaiah said in 12:4-5:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
We are to open our mouths and testify to all to give thanks and call upon his name. We are to make him known among the peoples. The whole earth needs to know God and follow Him! Can you guess where I’m going next with this point?
What is happening this week? Good Friday + Easter Sunday! Could there be any better time to testify to all about Jesus? Even in our pagan culture, they know that this is a Christian celebration. Don’t spend your week testifying about a bunny and egg hunts and candy. Spend your week testifying to the hope of the crucified and resurrected King. The One who has Come and will come again.
Invite people to Good Friday + Easter Sunday services! This is a perfect opportunity to tell the world about what the Messiah has done. Take every last one of those invite cards today and hand them out this week. (4-5 each will get rid of them! Hand them out!)
For your own sake, take one of the Holy Week devotionals to use with your family unit and commit to going through it. Come ready to confess and forsake idols on Good Friday. We’ll get to celebrate the Lord’s Table together at that service and that will be a sweet time of worship. Come ready to rejoice in the Satisfied Savior on Sunday. Because He has counted the cost and paid the price for our redemption! We have every reason to rejoice today and every day!
Finally, I want to make sure I mention that on Wednesday, 4/3, we will be having an evangelism training time here at the church. This is in preparation for a new season of our Witness on Wednesday ministry, where we go meet neighbors in the community with the goal of inviting them to church and sharing the gospel with them. I would encourage you to put that on your calendar and to come be equipped!
Let’s pray and prepare ourselves to rejoice loudly in our closing song and for a week of sweet ministry for Jesus.
Pray