Isaiah’s Gospel

All of scripture (Old and New Testaments) tells the story of mankind and the God who loved us enough to create us, enough to not immediately destroy us when we rebelled (sinned) and enough to make a way to redeem (buy back) all those who would throw off the snake’s deception and once again put their trust in (have faith in) God’s answer.  While it is true that all of the Bible tells us this story, it has been said that one prophet, one book (often called the fifth gospel), summarizes this grand story very well – that is the book of Isaiah, and we will be reading various texts from that book today.

As background, I would like to tell you a little about this prophet, his book and times:

· Although filled with the light of the good news of Messiah, it also contains a lot of darkness, gloom and God’s judgement.  It was written to an unfaithful people, who were looking at massing armies (including their brothers the Israelites), the prediction of invasion and exile from the land God gave to them (their promised land)!  Just like the stars in the sky are best seen against a black background, so too is God’s Light (Messiah) seen against the darkness and despair of sin and a fallen world.

"Arise, shine, for your Light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you.” - {Isaiah 60:1-2 NIV}

· Mini-Bible – this book has sixty-six chapters, the exact same number of books in the Bible.  Now you might say, “Pastor, those chapters and verses were added by man” – and you’d be correct.  However something remarkable happens when you look at them one by one.  The first 39 chapters of Isaiah mainly deal with the Jewish people, the Law, man’s rebellion against God and God’s judgment on man - the themes of the 39 books of the Old Testament.  The last 27 chapters of Isaiah mainly deal with God’s comforting words of forgiveness and promises of the coming Messiah (the Savior), which are likewise represented in the 27 books of the New Testament.  Chapter by chapter, there are quotes, themes or references to the corresponding book of the Bible.  For example, chapter 1 refers to God’s creation of children and their rebellion (Genesis); chapter 40 (Matthew) records the famous words “A voice of one calling: "In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” and chapter 66 refers to a new Heaven and new Earth (Revelation)!  Wait, that’s not all!  The Jewish and Christian ordering of the Old Testament are different after the book of Judges - - - but in these corresponding chapters of Isaiah the book from both orders match the chapter!

· All of scripture was recorded by forty different human pens (carried along by the Holy Spirit) from about 1500 BC to 100 AD.  Isaiah wrote write in the middle of this (700-750 BC), 600 years before the birth of Christ.  While some could say Isaiah could have planned this out carefully – only half of the book of scripture had not been written yet!  The prophetic texts speaking of Christ, were so complex and so detailed that even the Rabbis and scholars did not understand them.  They thought that God was sending two messiahs – the Conquering King and the Suffering Servant - - - little did they know that Messiah was both, and that He will come twice!  All of this is just one more evidence of a Devine Author and His well-planned, organized design!

· Isaiah wrote in confusing times, there was no peace and yet life continued to go on.  God’s chosen people had been divided into the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah).  Israel, led by the ungodly King Pekah banded together with neighboring kingdom Aram to conquer Judah.  Judah’s King sought and found help in the growing empire of Assyria.  However, this alliance made Judah a subject nation and paved the way for a long line of conquering foreign powers until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Our first selection is from chapter 7 where God gives a sign that God is still in control (one of the major themes in Isaiah).  It served to reassure the king in that current day, but also serves as a sign of the Messiah, the King who is to come.  King Ahaz has just been told that Aram’s army has set up camp in Ephraim (Israel) and both armies were preparing on the border.  The king and his people were shaken “as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind” (vs. 2).  So, the Lord instructs Isaiah and his son Shear-Jashub, which means “a remnant will return” (a constant reminder of God’s coming judgment of exile) to go out to the pool, where they do the laundry (God always knows exactly where you are) to meet the King and deliver this message:

{Isaiah 7:4-7, 10-12, 14 NIV}  Say to him [the king], 'Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood [also seen in Judges, the seventh book] -- because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. {5} Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah's son have plotted your ruin, saying, {6} "Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it." {7} Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: " 'It will not take place, it will not happen,

The people who were shaken, needed to trust in God!  They were not close to God, so when the trouble came they panicked!  We need to be close to God in our relationships - - - so, when the troubles and trials that Jesus promised come (John 16:33) – we will not be shaken.  Trusting in God allows us to stare into the face of adversity and say God is in control!  God will not allow me to be overtaken, I will not be shaken.

Yes, God was going to allow Judah to be invaded - - - but He set the rules, He promised a remnant (small faithful portion) of the people would come back to the land.  This was an unheard of thing!  Once a people were taken away in a conquest, they were subjected to slavery and never returned (He is a God of the unheard of, the impossible and second chances).  God’s punishment would come but by the nation that He chose, and in His perfect timing – not at the whim of these other kings.  This message is ‘have faith’, which is never easy when you are staring at overwhelming odds!  So, God tells the king (through Isaiah, which means God saves) to ask for a sign, a confirmation that the message is true and from God -

{10} Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, {11} "Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." {12} But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test." ...

Imagine that – God gave this king (not a particularly good or Godly king) a blank check!  Ask for anything!  This is the kind of opportunity the ‘faith community’, those name it and claim it or blab it and grab it ‘believers’ long for!  However, given this incredible opportunity (to confirm the message and boost his faith) - - - the King says “no thanks”!  He hides this refusal in religious words, trying to say that he doesn’t want to test God – but if that were the case he would have obeyed and asked!  All the religious sounding reasons in the world cannot disguise plain old disobedience.  This is still true for us today – God tells us what is right in His Word and we try to blame the circumstances, the world or even God for our sin!  Have you ever heard something like this “God wouldn’t want me to be unhappy – so I’ll cheat, divorce or steal.”  God’s principles are set and unchanging – no matter how much we desire to disobey!  We need to know that signs cannot convince someone to believe (consider all the wonders Jesus performed in His ministry), but for those who are wavering (who want to believe but need help) or for believers – signs are always welcome!

{14} Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel.

So in the light of this refusal or disobedience, God gives the Sign of all signs!  This is the restatement of the truth found in Genesis 3:15 – the seed of the woman (a virgin – no man involved), will produce the One, the Messiah who will crush the head of the serpent (Devil).  This was not only unheard of, but literally impossible!  For a virgin to give birth, the creative power of God had to step in and create a Y chromosome that did not exist within the Virgin Mary! 

So many downplay the virgin birth today but if you believe in that All-powerful God of creation - - - why is it hard to believe that He stepped in and created a fetus in the womb of a young Jewish girl?  How else would God create a supernatural being (the Messiah)?  Not by natural means!  This miraculous birth is a sign of God’s power!  Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38 make it clear that this verse has its ultimate fulfillment in the birth of Christ.  To disbelieve that, is to doubt God (like Ahaz)!  The moment we decide what to believe and what to disbelieve – we make ourselves the authorities, taking God off the throne and sit in judgement over what He can, will and should do!  This is how Ahaz and the people of Judah (and Israel) got so far from God!

More than this wondrous virgin birth, God describes the Messiah by giving Ahaz (and us) a name that He will be called (such a wonderful name!) – Immanuel!  “God with us” – not just in the sense that God loves us, He is for us or on our side but that the immortal, invincible, omnipresent God is coming to live among us!  In Philippians 2:6-8 the Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus, although equal with God, humbled Himself – coming in the likeness of men, even to the point of dying on the cross!  Think about that – the Author of Life, the God of Creation – who has life within Himself – died! 

God and Isaiah did not stop there, moving to chapter 9 we have one of our favorite Christmas scriptures:

For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. - Isaiah 9:6-7

Here we see that Messiah will be born (human nature) but also be given (Devine).  He will rule a great kingdom in peace which will never end (that’s only possible with someone who is immortal (God Himself).  He will be wise beyond compare (wonderful counselor), full of the power of God – God Himself in the flesh (Mighty God), the Everlasting Father (permanent, personable, caring and relatable) and the source (Prince) of peace (peace of God and with God).

Isaiah goes beyond 700 BC, beyond the temporary kings of Judah, Israel, Aram and Assyria.  This book goes beyond the Messiah’s birth, to His forerunner (40:3-5), His ministry as a light to Israel and the nations (9:1-2 & 42:1-7), beyond His healing power (35:5-6), to the detailed description of His suffering, death and resurrection in chapter 52 and 53.  In fact they, Isaiah even goes to the end of the world, when the Lord will come with fire, where all mankind will come and bow before Him (66:23) and right to the New Heaven and Earth (chapter 65 & 66). 

Isaiah is a very special book of prophesy, containing beautiful prose and poetry - - - unmatched in the Old Testament.  We can learn much from this major prophet, called this because it is one of the largest books and one of the most substantial (in message).  Perhaps most importantly, it was frequently quoted by Jesus Himself, authenticating both the author and message. 

Let us take these themes to heart, we can trust God because:

1. God is in control, even when things look overwhelming!

2. God always keeps a remnant of those faithful to Him

3. The Messiah is coming (and coming again!)