Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture - Isaiah 52-55
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: It's good to see you today. Welcome to our journey through scripture. ⁓ my name is Philip Thomas, pastor of Journey here in Elgin, and ⁓ today we're going to finish out ⁓ looking at the book of Isaiah. So we're gonna look at Isaiah chapters fifty-two through fifty-five. ⁓ and then ⁓ I I said we were gonna do a little bit more, but we're j we're gonna stop there ⁓ and we we will read just the last couple verses of second chronicles thirty-six. the finishes out ⁓ second chronicles ⁓ as well. But ⁓ this this section of scripture is is very interesting ⁓ and definitely has a strong connection ⁓ with Christ. ⁓ most Christians ⁓ look back and and say the the s servant that Isaiah has been talking about since about chapter forty nine ⁓ that it is here is where we see that it definitely is fitting who Jesus is and and what Jesus would ⁓ would do and fulfill. ⁓ and it it's kind of this this picture of the of a suffering servant, ⁓ of a servant who would not ⁓ conquer, ⁓ but who would suffer at the hands of people but yet still bring about salvation. And ⁓ and so we we see that in starting in chapter fifty two. So fifty two through fifty three, ⁓ excuse me, fifty two through fifty-five, ⁓ but ⁓ starting in chapter fifty-two I I love verse six it says Therefore my people shall know my name, therefore they shall know in that day that I am he who speaks. Behold it is I again you know that that phrase Therefore I am he who speaks. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns. Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, that with their voices they shall sing together, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord brings back Zion, break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Right, so ⁓ He he is the one who is bringing redemption, that he is going to redeem all of all of Israel and all the earth says and all the ends of the earth shall s shall see the salvation of our God. All right. So it's expanding. We we're seeing the salvation of of Jerusalem as they are now going to be returning back ⁓ to or the the Israel, the salvation of Israel as they return back to Jerusalem. ⁓ but but this is much bigger, it's salvation to the ends of the earth. ⁓ right that is what this servant is going to bring. verse thirteen says, Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high, just as many were astonished at you, so his vicious visage was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men. So shall he sprinkle many nations, kings shall shut their mouths at him, for what he has not told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider. So again these are things that are also said about Christ, about what what Jesus ⁓ will do. ⁓ then you get into chapter fifty three, which this is a a powerful chapter that it it's hard to to miss the connections ⁓ with Jesus here. It says of ⁓ who has believed our report, and whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed, for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry ground, he has no form or comeliness, and when we see him there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we did not esteem him. So he's just a a normal person that is ⁓ that is Despise because of who he is. Remember Jesus says, Can anything good come from Nazareth? That's just a normal person. Why should we care what he teaches, what he says? But yet God was doing something powerful ⁓ through through Jesus, but the people did not esteem him. They did they they actually despised him for what he says. Says surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed, and we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of his of us all. So again, the this suffering servant of the of God, that he is laying the iniquity of all of us on him. that we are healed by his stripes. ⁓ again, it it's it's it's a to me it's a very clear picture of what who Jesus is of what he would go through. now obviously those in in ⁓ Judaism who reject the the Jesus is the Messiah would not see that. ⁓ but ⁓ but to me this is a a clear point ⁓ points to Jesus and what he has done. Verse seven He was oppressed and was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth, he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare his generation? For he was cut off from the land of the living, for the transgressions of my people he was stricken, and they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Say yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed and shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand, he shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and sh he shall divide the spoil with the strong. Because he poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgress transgressors. So that that is what Jesus did. That's what he did ⁓ for for all of us, of how he ⁓ made he bore our our sins, he made intercession ⁓ for us ⁓ so that we could have a relationship with God. Chapter fifty four Talks about this covenant of peace. ⁓ it says, Sing, O barren, you who have not born, break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child. For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman, says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent, let him stretch out the curtains of your dwelling, do not spare, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes, for you shall expand to the right and to the left. So he's he's basically saying that that Israel that the people of God ⁓ will ⁓ will increase. ⁓ and he uses then example of the the baron who do do not have a child. That was the the worst position that you could be in. ⁓ to to not have a a a child that that was very difficult ⁓ for for a woman. It was hard anyway. And ⁓ and to not be married or to not have a child ⁓ it it was going to be difficult for you to be taken care of. ⁓ your children were supposed to take care of you. ⁓ so but but God is saying even if you're in that position, seeing, O Baron, you who have not born, break forth into seeing and cry aloud, right? Because ⁓ God is is doing something amazing. He is restoring the people. we we continue to look in ⁓ chapter ⁓ 54 it talks about do not fear. ⁓ verse 4, do not fear, for you will not be ashamed, neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame. ⁓ you will forget the shame of your youth. then in verse 9, for this is like the waters of Noah to me, for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so I have sworn that I would not be angry with you nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from From you, nor shall my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord who has mercy upon you. So so he's promising that he will continue to offer this covenant of peace ⁓ with the people. Verse sixteen Behold I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work, and I have created the spoiler to destroy. No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment shall You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servant of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me, says the Lord. How for for how long have people tried to discredit and to destroy the Christian faith, the belief in who Jesus is and what he has done, and yet constantly The faith grows and it continues to spread, continues to impact people ⁓ throughout the world. ⁓ fifty five talks about an invitation to abundant life. Says ⁓ everyone who thirst, come to the waters, and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come by wine and milk, without money, without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good. And let your soul delight itself in abundance, right? That that God desires an abundance for us, that we will have an abundance in him, right? ⁓ it doesn't mean we're going to be abundantly wealthy, but our abundance is found in him, in what he has done. Incline your ear, come to me, hear, and your sh soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you. that that that is that is what we should be investing in. is in our relationship with him. Our monetary ⁓ wealth and all of the stuff that money can buy ⁓ does not fulfill, does not bring abundance. ⁓ but our relationship with God ⁓ brings abundance. ⁓ verse eight, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain come down and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth a bud, and that it gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please. Such a wonderful ⁓ passage of the power of God's word, ⁓ that it will ⁓ produce fruit that it will not return void. ⁓ man, and that's something that we need to remember today because it just seems like so much of culture is going against the word of God, but our our job is to speak the word of God truthfully and boldly, and it will not return void, even if sometimes it feels like it does. It says, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I send it. For you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace, the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree, and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. A lot of Isaiah was not encouraging and discouraging. ⁓ But now it is moving to that place of encouragement ⁓ that that is to come. then it the to to close out this kind of section, ⁓ second chronicles thirty six, verses twenty two through twenty-three kind of sums up what happens when Persia comes in, defeats Babylon, and the Persian king takes over. So second Chronicles chapter thirty six, ⁓ verse twenty two and twenty three. says now in the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, King of Persia, so that he made a proclamation through all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus, King of Persia, all the kingdoms of all of the earth the Lord of God of heaven has given me, and he has commanded me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah, who is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be Be with him and let him go up. So Persia had a ⁓ a basic policy that they would ⁓ allow the people to go back to their their homeland. ⁓ now they were still under Persian rule, ⁓ but ⁓ he was allowing them to go back to their homeland and this was going to provide an opportunity for the people to return to Jerusalem and to ultimately rebuild ⁓ the temple. All right. So that kind of ⁓ is Getting close to the end of the exilic period, and now we're going to have the rebuilding of the temple, returning to Jerusalem. But before we get to that, ⁓ we're going to read a little bit more of the wisdom literature. So I encourage you for ⁓ next time to read Proverbs twenty-two through twenty-four, and then Proverbs thirty and thirty-one. So Proverbs twenty-two through twenty-four and thirty and thirty-one. All right, so we will see you on