Isaiah 11
Messenger Dox
Call to worship:
pastor bob owens
Revelation 21.1-8
song:
Let your kingdom come
Historical reading:
pastor zachary mcguire
Christ community Church article 19-20
song:
All Creatures
Confession & Pardon:
pastor Michael champoux
song:
Doxology
song:
New again
Sermon:
dr. alex loginow
Isaiah 11
Introduction
We missed it. It was the first New Years Eve we stayed in Kentucky instead of being here in Michigan. So we turned on the Dick Clark New Years Eve show around 11:45p. And as the clock approached midnight we were all set up ready to watch the world-famous ball drop from Times Square. But as the minutes ticked toward midnight it became suspicious how little we saw the ball on our television. Ryan Seacrest, or whoever hosted the show, was partying and it kind of looked like the excitement had already passed but it wasn’t midnight yet so I figured I must just be reading the situation incorrectly. Then 11:59 came, still no ball. Then midnight, still no ball. Then 12:01, no ball.
At this point we’re like, “what is going on?” Here’s what was going on – we lived in central time. The networks do a countdown for eastern time and pacific time but not for central time. The networks had shown the ball descend an hour earlier and there was no grand countdown to usher in the new year for those of us in the central time zone. We were eagerly anticipating the new but we missed it.
I’m afraid that many of us do the same thing when it comes to death, heaven, and the 2nd advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether it is because of the influence of medieval theology and art, or because of dispensationalism, or revivalist hymns that talk about mansions in heaven, whatever the root, the result is the same – we eagerly anticipate the new, but we miss it. One of the rhythms that we embrace here at Christ Community Church is that every year on either the last Sunday of the calendar year or the first Sunday of the calendar year (depending on how advent and Christmas falls) we take a Sunday to reflect on and anticipate the new creation that Jesus will usher in when he returns. This morning on January 1, 2023 we will do so from Isaiah chapter 11.
This pericope is one that can confuse modern Christians as they think through the eternal future of God’s elect. And so before we walk through this chapter together I want to make clear my two goals. I have two goals in preaching this text and whether each applies to you depends on what you think about Jesus Christ. If you are not a Christian, my goal is to show you that Jesus came to make all things new and that begins with your heart. And I pray that as a result of this sermon you will repent of your sin and place your faith in Jesus alone.
My second goal is for those who are Christians. If you are trusting in Jesus Christ already my goal for this sermon is that you will be reminded that Jesus is coming back to make all things new and that you will simultaneously hope for and rest in the 2nd advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. These two goals are summarized in our sermon summary: Jesus Christ is the King of the world and if your faith is in him your future and the future of the world is better than you can even imagine. Now let’s look at this Scripture passage and see why this is true.
Jesus is the King (vs. 1-5)
The first thing we see in Isaiah 11 is that Jesus Christ is the King. The book of Isaiah is a prophetic judgment against Israel and Judah for their sin, but as the rest of the story of redemption does, this judgment will be accompanied by salvation. In the first ten chapters of Isaiah YHWH declares that he will judge Israel for their idolatry and oppression. It’s ironic, isn’t it? As we have been studying through the book of Exodus we have noted repeatedly that God poured out his judgment of Egypt because of their idolatry and oppression. God’s Law is summarized in the 10 Commandments and the 10 Commandments are summarized in the two great commands – to love God and love neighbor. The Egyptians were breaking God’s Law with their idolatry (improperly loving God) and oppression (improperly loving neighbor).
But now the Lord is going to judge Israel for their idolatry and oppression. Israel has become Egypt. God redeemed Israel from Egypt in the Exodus. Now Israel has become Egypt as they worship pagan idols and abuse their neighbors through oppression and sexual immorality.
In the first ten chapters of Isaiah God thunders that He will use Assyria to judge Israel and then He will judge Assyria. This happened when the Assyrians took Israel (the northern kingdom) into exile and then the Assyrians were judged when the Babylonians overthrew Assyria as the Babylonians took Judah (the southern kingdom) into exile. Here we find another example of the sovereignty of God over human responsibility and will. God uses Assyria to judge Israel for their sin and then judges Assyria for their sin, which includes taking his people into exile. Humans are completely responsible for their thoughts, words, and deeds. At the same time God is sovereign over every particle of creation, including the thoughts, words, and deeds, of his creatures.
That means that we are responsible for our thoughts, words, and deeds, and we must also rest in the meticulous sovereignty of God. As we sing in the hymn In Christ Alone, “From life’s first cry ‘til final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from his hand, ‘til he returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I stand.”
As we arrive at Isaiah 11 in the midst of all this judgment, God gives ancient Israel a glimpse of hope. Verses 1-5 continue the refrain of the Old Testament that a man will come to right Adam’s wrong. This man will be a shoot from the stump of Jesse. We saw last week that Jesse was the father of King David and YHWH promised King David that one of his sons would sit on his throne forever.
This son was obviously not Solomon, who himself fell into idolatry and sexual immorality that would put fundamentalist polygamist Mormons to shame. Solomon’s sons divided the kingdom into the north and south because of their sin. And with each successive king until the exile it becomes increasingly clear that the advent of this promised king was still yet to come. But as we open the pages of the New Testament Matthew’s genealogy reveals that this branch from the stump of Jesse is Jesus of Nazareth.
The New Testament reveals to us that the Son of God, the eternal second person of the Holy Trinity became man in the incarnation. And at his baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus of Nazareth and He was the first person in history permanently indwelt by the Spirit. Under the old covenant the Spirit regenerated believers and some were indwelt for seasons but no one was permanently indwelt. That is a promise that came with the new covenant. Notice that the ESV capitalizes the word Spirit in verse 2. Scripture is speaking here of the Holy Spirit – the third person of the Holy Trinity At his baptism and through his ministry Jesus of Nazareth became the first permanently Spirit-indwelled man in history.
Verses 3-5 tell us of the righteousness and faithfulness of Jesus. The New Testament makes this clear not only in the Gospel accounts but also in texts like Hebrews 4.15, which says that Jesus was without sin or 2nd Peter 1.1, which states that we are saved by the righteousness of Jesus. Jesus is the last Adam. Jesus is the Son of David. Jesus is the fulfillment of all of the covenant promises of the Old Testament. Because Jesus followed God’s Law perfectly in thought, word, and deed, his righteousness is imputed to all who are in union with him.
It’s also important for us to note that these Old Testament prophecies possess an already/not yet character. As Isaiah wrote this pericope he thought these things would happen at one time – in the day of the LORD the Messiah establish God’s Kingdom, judge the righteous and the unrighteous, and make all things new. But when the Holy Spirit inspired Isaiah to write this prophecy the Spirit knew that the day of the LORD was actually a two-fold staggered reality. It is like a mountain range that looks like a mountain at a distance but as you get closer you see that there are multiple mountains that make up the mountain range. The day of the LORD was inaugurated through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and it will be consummated when Jesus returns to raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new.
The World’s Future (vs. 6-9)
And when Christ returns the world’s future will even better than we can imagine. That’s what we see in verses 6-9. Isaiah harkens back to the Garden of Eden to tell us in poetic language that when Christ consummates the new creation that the world will be set to rights. We hear echoes of Eden in that in the new creation predators will live in shalom with prey – the wolf with the lamb, the leopard with the young goat, the calf and the lion, the cow and the bear.
The clearest Edenic echo we hear in this pericope comes in verse 8 – the nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra. Do you hear the refrain back to the first gospel promise of Genesis 3.15 when God told Adam and Eve that they would have a child who would lift us from Adam’s fall? The serpent would bruise this child’s heel but this child will crush the serpent’s head. Jesus’ heel was bruised by the serpent on the cross. At Calvary Jesus Christ paid the penalty for the sins of God’s people as he died on the cross.
Jesus suffered defeat on Good Friday. It was a defeat but it wasn’t a final defeat; his heel was bruised. But the irony of the gospel is that victory comes through defeat; salvation through judgment because it is through his death and resurrection that Jesus crushed the serpent’s head. Because Jesus rose from the dead he is the firstborn of all creation. And because Jesus rose from the dead everything sad will be untrue.
In the new creation everything will be perfect. The new creation will be as the first creation, very good. There will be no more natural disasters in the new creation – no more hurricanes, tornados, wild fires, earthquakes, or storms that take human life. The creation will no longer groan.
In the new creation there will be no more sickness, no more cancer, no more hospitals, no funeral homes, no cemeteries, no more death. There will be no more sin – no more murder, no adultery, no divorce, no widows, no orphans. There will be no more gossip, no more backbiting, no more hurtful words. There will be no loneliness, no rebellion, no unbelief.
Jesus gave us a glimpse of this in his ministry when he healed the sick and commanded the natural order. Jesus inaugurated his kingship over creation 2,000 years ago and he will consummate it in his 2nd advent. This world has a bright future and it’s not because of goodness or brilliance of humanity. This world has a future that’s better than you can imagine because the King is coming back and he is making all things new.
Our future is not in heaven on the clouds or in mansions in glory on streets of gold. Our future is on this globe. It is tangible. It is real. It will be in a renewed world that is free from sin and death. It is a world that is ruled by her creator and filled with his people.
The Future of God’s People (vs. 9-16)
And that leads us to our final point in verses 9-16. The future of God’s people is better than you can even imagine. Isaiah tells us in verse 9 the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In the new world everyone will know and love Jesus. In the new creation everyone will trust and obey Jesus.
Jesus Christ will gather all of his people not just from Israel but from all the nations. Verse 11 says he will gather his remnant from even nations that were Israel’s enemies. Dispensationalists have misinterpreted this to mean that God will gather ethnic Jews from all these nations. But the New Testament reveals to us that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ is true Israel. In fact, true Israel has never been made up exclusively of ethnic Jews. True Israel are those who believe the promise by faith. Ephesians 2 says that the wall has been torn down between Israel and the gentiles. All who place their faith in Christ are God’s people, now and forevermore.
Verse 16 says that this will be a type of 2nd Exodus. Just as Moses led Israel out of slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land, so Jesus will lead his people out of the slave market of sin and death into the new creation. This was foreshadowed when Israel returned from exile at the end of the Old Testament but it was fulfilled through the like, death, and resurrection of Jesus and will be fully and finally consummated when Jesus returns to usher in the new creation.
The Gospel
This beautiful promise affects the way we live today. First, if you are not a Christian, this is the gospel call for you to repent and believe. If you are not a believer, this is not your future. Because of your sin, your future is eternal conscious punishment in hell, if you are not trusting in Jesus. So the urgent call this morning is that you must repent and believe.
You must repent. You must turn from your sin. You must agree with Scripture that you are guilty because of your sin and that you cannot save yourself. Repent.
But repentance is only one side of the coin. You must also believe. You must have faith in Jesus Christ. We say often that the Reformed tradition has long defined faith as knowledge, assent, and trust.
You must know who Jesus is and what Jesus did. You must assent to the validity of this knowledge. Finally you must transfer your trust to Jesus Christ alone. If you have not yet, I beg you right now, repent and believe the gospel.
Hope
If you are already a Christian, the hope of new creation affects how you live now. Christians are a people of hope. Regardless of how good or bad things are in our country and in our world we know that it will never be perfect until Jesus comes back. But we know for sure that Jesus is coming back and things will be perfect. We should never be pessimistic, defeatist people. Our King is reigning now and he will return to reign forever. He will not merely reign for 1,000 years; Jesus is reigning and will reign forever.
Racism
The hope of new creation also leaves no room for a hint of racism for Christians. Part of the sin that Israel was judged for in the book of Isaiah was their racism and oppression during this time. All throughout church history Christians have been tempted to be nationalistic and racist but our doctrine of the second advent of Christ will not allow for it. The book of Revelation tells us that people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will gather around Jesus’ throne. A majority of Christians throughout redemptive history and a majority of Christians on the globe today do not have white skin. Our King who is coming back does not have white skin.
The Home and the Church
One final way that the hope of new creation affects the way we live today is in our homes and in the church. Until Christ returns his Kingdom is lived out in Christian homes and in the church. The home and the church are the only eternal entities on the globe at the moment. No corporation, no Para church organization, no military, no government, no nation is eternal. The United States of America is an insignificant blip in the history of the world. But you know what is not insignificant? Your home and Christ Community Church.
So don’t give your life to work, or money, or politics, or anything else. Give your life to your family and your church. Be faithful to your marriage until one of you dies because your marriage is a signpost of Christ and his church. Raise your kids to love and obey Jesus because heaven and hell hang in the balance. Give your time, money, and energy to the church because she is the bride of Christ and the church is what will last forever.
Conclusion
. Jesus Christ is the King of the world and if your faith is in him your future and the future of the world is better than you can even imagine. Jesus is the true and final King by virtue of his life, death, and resurrection. When Jesus returns he will set the world to rights. When Jesus returns he will save his people. I know you long for the new; please don’t miss it!