Isaiah

Transcript

so so um x you may have heard that brother jim x sullivan uh is not well x and so he's asked me to uh pick up his x class this morning and what i wanted to x do was uh spend some time today talking x about x isaiah the book of isaiah and the x historical context to it because x the the x daily bible readings are bringing us x through isaiah right now and i thought x it might be helpful just to sort of have x a big picture view about what's going on x in the book x and uh what we'll do god willing is x we'll take a look at as i say the x historical background and try and x understand what's actually happening x here so first off the name isaiah x the name isaiah x means the lord saves x yahweh saves x and i would i would suggest to you x brothers and sisters and friends that x the the main purpose x of this x prophecy x is is one where isaiah is offering x correction x and offering x encouragement to the people to turn back x to god x because his theme is one of salvation x and we get a sense of that and and rich x thanks for for doing that reading in in x chapter one x you know i think the the problem with x the nation of judah at this point in x time is that they were x they were worshiping x but not really you know it was one of x these things where they were just going x through the motions and their hearts x were were not in tune with what god x desired of the people x they were being unkind x toward the poor for example and this was x uh there was no justice for the poor and x this was a real problem the people were x coming to god they were worshiping god x they were offering sacrifices to god x they were doing you know sort of um x show worship you know what i mean by x that x right x but what they weren't doing is they x weren't they weren't bringing their x hearts to god they weren't putting their x their uh x you know their religion into practice x and so isaiah is going to correct the x people and he says in isaiah chapter 1 x verse 8 we can see it here x he says x come now let us reason together says x yahweh says the lord if you're willing x and obedient you will eat from the best x of the land so let's let's open our x bibles x uh we'll take a look at chapter one x and um x i'm looking at uh chapter one verse one x the vision concerning judah and x jerusalem x that isaiah son of amos saw during the x reigns of uzziah jotham ahaz and x hezekiah so the first thing we see is x sort of the the historical context these x are the kings that were going to be uh x reigning at this point in time during x his life and during his his prophecies x and then he starts out in verse two with x this you know rebuke to a rebellious x nation x hear o heavens listen o earth for yahweh x has spoken i reared children and brought x them up but x they have x rebelled against me x look at verse 4 x ah x sinful nation x a people loaded with guilt x a brood of evildoers x children given to corruption x they have forsaken the lord x they have spurned the holy one of israel x they have turned their backs on him x what a you know x what a challenging rebuke x and i think when i read these words x and when we read the scriptures we need x to try to think about x our own lives and how these things can x apply to us x you know have we x come to god x but not with our hearts x do we claim to be followers of jesus x yet at times find ourselves following x the ways of the world x and if you're like me i mean there are x going to be times in our lives where we x we fall down where we fall short x and i think the message to x that isaiah is bringing to the people is x is this message that despite your sins x if you turn around x salvation is available to you x and i think that's a lesson for us we x have to endure to the end we have to we x have to examine ourselves brothers and x sisters we can't just read these words x from a historical perspective and think x oh they only apply to those people back x then x we've got to say okay can we be x convicted by these things x can we examine ourselves and say you x know what x you know there are areas in my own life x that i can x and should x change that i can and should improve x we want to make sure that we have not x spurned the holy one of israel that x we've not turned our backs on him x the problem with all of this x was that x during the x teachings of moses x he instructed the people x about x obedience and disobedience from a x national perspective x if as a nation x moses said you disobey god x these are the punishments that will be x levied against you x and conversely he said as a nation if x you obey me these are the things that x you will be rewarded with so there were x these cursings and blessings that we x read in deuteronomy you remember that x and what we're seeing here is the people x are experiencing because of their x national disobedience x difficulty and we get a sense of that in x in verse seven x your country is desolate x your city's burned with fire x your fields are being stripped x by x foreigners right before you x laid waste x as when overthrown x by strangers x and so this is really a fulfillment of x what we read in deuteronomy x 32 these are the blessings and the x cursings because as a nation they've x been disobeying god x they're being punished and as a result x there is this spiritual crisis x and it was the message of isaiah was x delivered to judah x remember that the nation had divided x right we've got israel and judah and x this is now primarily a a prophecy x that's delivered to judah x and it's because they had fallen away x verse four again ah sinful nation a x people loaded with guilt x a brood of evildoers x children given to corruption x they've forsaken yahweh they've spurned x the holy one of israel x and turned their backs on him x okay so where do we go from here right x we've got this nation that is worshiping x god but really only x by show x take a look for example at verse 10. x hear the word of yahweh x you rulers of sodom listen to the law of x god you people of gomorrah x are these messages being delivered to x the nation of sodom and gomorrah no x these messages are being delivered to x the people of judah x and they're being compared to sodom and x gomorrah x remember the problem with sodom and x gomorrah was not just their x their x you know sinful behavior x their sexual x behavior it was that they were uncaring x towards the poor x that was that was one of the big x problems with sodom and gomorrah x and so now x the people of judah are being compared x to sodom and gomorrah and in verse 11 x he says the multitude of your sacrifices x what are they to me x says yahweh i have more than enough of x burnt offerings of rams and the fat of x fattened animals x and so the point here brothers and x sisters is that sacrifice without x faithfulness to god x is wholly x unacceptable is completely unacceptable x to him x turn with me to hosea x we'll just get a we'll get a sense of x that same thing in hosea chapter 6. so x towards the end of the old testament x before joel we come to hosea x hosea chapter 6. x we'll start in the fourth verse x another prophet x challenging the people of judah x what can i do with you ephraim x what can i do with you judah your love x is like the morning mist x like the early do x that disappears x you know yesterday i went out early with x some friends and we were out uh x exercising x and it was uh cold x and wet x and there was this mist that was coming x off the roads x you know and i'm riding my bike behind a x guy and i'm getting covered with like x the muck from the road x but what happened yesterday x it got stinking hot you know that mist x quickly disappeared x and this is what the prophet hosea is x saying you know your love is like the x mist you know you tell me you love me x but it goes away x verse 5. therefore i cut you in pieces x with my prophets i will i killed you x with the words of my mouth my judgments x flashed like lightning upon you and x here's the point in the comparison to x what we read in isaiah x he says for i desire x mercy x not sacrifice x an acknowledgement of god x rather than burnt offerings x so here's the you know here's the point x brothers and sisters where we've got to x turn inward x you know and we're we're here at meeting x on sunday you know we're tuning into x bible class on wednesday night x and we need to make sure that while x we're sitting in the pews x our hearts and our minds x are equally attuned that we're not just x here physically but we're here mentally x and spiritually too x so here's what i would suggest you know x in an hour or so we'll be sitting in x these same spots x and the bread x and the cup will be passed x and we're going to x share communion together x and when we do so x let's take a moment to meditate x take a moment to truly think about the x purpose for us being here x that it's not just to be here because x this is our routine that this is the x norm this is what we do on sundays x that we're here x in remembrance x of him x and that we use this time to x meditate prayerfully x and to think about how we can show mercy x as jesus did x god says x here in hosea and here in isaiah that x it's x mercy not sacrifice that he wants x questions comments thoughts x rich x here phil's gonna do a 50-yard sprint x with the microphone x [Laughter] x too funny x you tied it in with isaiah um christ is x going to pick up on that as well in um x matthew 9. okay please yeah where he x he's going to use this x as a teaching moment to the pharisees in x verse 11 x of the ninth chapter of matthew x and when the pharisees saw it he was x eating republicans and sinners x they said unto his disciples why eat x your master republicans and sinners and x when jesus heard that he said unto them x they that be whole need not a physician x but they that are sick x now he gives them like a homework x assignment he says x ye and learn what that meaneth i will x have mercy and not sacrifice for i am i x am not come to call the righteous but x the sin is to repentance so he uses x hosea as justification x uh x for eating with sinners he wants them to x bring them to the gospel message um and x then he's going to use it again so just x read that again sure he says learn to x yeah go go and learn this is the king x james i'm not sure how but that's good x yeah uh uh chapter 9 x verse 13. x yep x he goes x but go ye x and learn what that meaneth so he's x telling the you know the pharisees he's x learned doctors of the law go look up x hosea tell me what you think what is he x saying here so he uses his hair and he's x going to use it again in x matthew 12. x yeah when it when there is uh in verse 6 x of matthew 12 x but i say unto you that in this place is x one greater than the temple but if ye x had known what this meaneth x i will have mercy and not sacrifice you x would not have condemned the guiltless x for the son of man x is lord even of the sabbath day so he x uses it twice it obviously was a verse x that spoke to christ on some level yeah x right as far as exactly what you said x they had all of this ritual with the x temple and they had like you know x over a thousand years of ritual kind of x built up with this thing and jesus's x mind x is to hosea where it says you know i x will have mercy and not not sacrificed i x think it just tells you where christ's x mind was despite the fact he was in this x magnificent edifice with all of these x rituals taking place you know what kind x of effect is it having and it was the x point isn't it yeah for sure x the sacrifice god doesn't want dead x animals x right x you know x yeah x aaron x you gotta grab the mic man x so x all this is kind of bringing you gotta x hold the mic near you uh all this is x kind of bringing me back to psalms 51 x where it's david and he's repenting at x this point uh if you go to psalm 32 it x talks about him after he was forgiven he x knew he's forgiven but in psalms 51 he's x still repenting for a sin with bathsheba x in verse 16 it says for thou desirest x not sacrifice or else i would give it x thou delight us not in burnt offering x the sacrifices of god are a broken x spirit and a broken and contrite heart x oh god that will not despise x that's a great point aaron x yeah x yeah x brother richard x hold on a second x for our vast online audience thank you x there you go i know i got a bad accent x but no x okay x brother aaron was just in connection x peter x uh x a member peter saying how many times x shall i forgive my brother lord and the x lord says seven times seventy x and x then right after that x but anyway the pharisees and pharisees x then said this man eat us and drink it x with sinners x and then it has the thing of of your x brother saying against thee x go to him and go to him alone if he x doesn't hear you take two or more x then if that doesn't work take it to the x ecclesia i used to think that meant well x when you get to the ecclesia x out he goes but it doesn't mean that x what it means is x because all over again because x because they said he doesn't sense with x tax collectors and so forth and jesus x says that's who i've come to save x and so the uh but anyway yeah thanks x richard yeah so you know i think the x point is that it's not the dead animals x that that god desires it's the the x contrite heart as aaron quotes from the x psalms x it's it's coming to god x with our heart x right x and x staying in isaiah now let's flip back to x isaiah chapter one x and what we've done is we've looked at x verse 11 x which which says you know your multitude x of sacrifices what are they to me and x that you know what what god is saying x here is they're meaningless to me unless x there is an effect to rich's point for x these sacrifices x it's meaningless for us to come on a x sunday morning and sit here with x thoughts of cycling and thoughts of you x know whatever else might be running x through our mind right x we've gotta we've gotta come here x so that it x changes us so that when we leave here x we leave with x you know a stronger conviction x to be like jesus x to x eat with the sinners so that x they might learn the gospel message x right x now as we come through isaiah chapter 1 x you know god is saying verse 13 stop x bringing x meaningless x sacrifices x meaningless offerings your x is detestable to me x verse 15 he says when you spread out x your hands in prayer i hide my eyes from x you x why because their prayers were x meaningless x now look what it says in the 16th verse x he's just said that your hands are full x of blood but there's still hope x despite the sins that you or i might x commit in our lives x there's still hope x god says in the fir in verse 16 through x isaiah wash x and make x your selves clean x take your evil deeds out of my sight x stop doing wrong x learn x to do right x learn to do right remember what jesus x said rich read it from matthew x he says to x the teachers of the law x go to hosea and learn what it says x and we need to have x minds and hearts brothers and sisters x that are receptive x to this x learning x and how is it that we can learn to do x right i'm curious i mean that's not a x rhetorical question right x what are things that we can do as x brothers and sisters x as as a family x to help each other to learn to do right x give me some examples x yeah aaron again x lead by example he says yeah i think x that's a i think that's a good example x lead by example brother richard x okay so richard says you go to the x scriptures in corinthians for example x there's the comfort chapter comfort one x another so what does comforting mean how x do you draw x teaching from that or learning from x comforting one another x helping to take anxiety away from a x person yeah x yeah x okay x good so i think those are some anxious x brother mark x so mark says uh going to micah chapter x six it speaks of uh say it again mark x loving mercy walking humbly with your x god and walking humbly with you yeah x yeah so we gotta learn to love mercy x right yeah x yeah x okay x uh brian lloyd says the rest of the x verse x oh you don't need to see that x i didn't know that would show up x nobody texts me x dear brother x yeah x all right so what's the rest of the x verse uh which verse brian x where were we x uh learn to do right seek justice x encourage the oppressed we're in verse x 17 x defend x the cause of the fatherless brian says x learn to do good right this is what x we've got to do it's about action it's x not just about what we know i think x that's the point x i think that as a community we have a x reputation for having good knowledge x for having an understanding of these x things but we've got to take the x knowledge and we need to apply it we x need to learn x to do x good the doctrine of doing x is something that is so important and i x think we've seen examples of that you x know i was so encouraged when we saw the x sunday school students for example get x involved in the the packaging of uh x of uh backpacks for x students who were x you know who were struggling you know x financially they're going to school they x don't have backpacks for their books all x the kids got together they got these x backpacks and they delivered them to x children in need i mean i think that's a x great example of that that the children x can do we're teaching the children to x learn to do good brother jim sullivan x let's see if i can find that text x without x jim sullivan is alive and well x supporting each other who x other when in need x so let's remember brothers and sisters x those that are in need and i think we do x that you know x as x as the recording brother who's got the x uh the privilege really of you know x doing the announcements each week people x will send me notes x saying will you pray for so-and-so so x for example this morning i got a text x from brother ray pratt x ray has a dear friend susie wright you x might remember susie she joins us each x wednesday night she's a a bible you know x student she's um she's interested in the x chris adelphian community she's been x studying with us she's got covert x and she's got some uh some other health x issues and ray's really worried about it x so he says you know would you pray for x susie this morning that's a way that we x can encourage and it's not just like x praying but letting people know x i can't tell you how x you know sandy's had a tough couple of x weeks right she had covered she hasn't x been feeling great x and for her to get a text message from x somebody or to receive a card from x somebody i mean it buoys the spirits you x know one day i came down and i went out x to the mailbox and there was a stack of x cards there for her x you know it just made a difference it x you know just to know that x wow x people are thinking about me x people are praying for me you know that x was a that was an encouraging thing for x her x so on behalf of sandy thank you right x so x these are things that brothers and x sisters we can learn these are things x that are that we can teach one another x and our hearts need to be receptive to x that learning x so that even if we are an elder in x israel when jesus says to the elders go x to hosea and learn what it says x we need to be receptive when people come x to us x and say x learn what it says x think about the way you're living x change your ways x the people in israel the people in judah x right now had blood on their hands x what it says there in the 15th verse x your hands are full of blood x and now isaiah the prophet x is being x called by god x to go out and deliver this message of x corruption to a people who were in x spiritual crisis x now i don't know about you but x you know when i think about all the jobs x that you could be called to do in life x profit might not be on the top of the x list x you know the profits were treated very x poorly x by the people x to whom they spoke right you know they x went out and they were they were x delivering in many times and in many x occasions hard messages x challenging messages you can see how it x affected jesus x you know jesus goes out to the leaders x in israel and delivers a hard message to x them x and what do they do x they conspire x to x murder him x and this was x the life x and the death x of many a prophet x so isaiah is now being called by god x to be a message of salvation to the x people but in order for this salvation x to be given to them they need to x understand the error of their ways x and they need to understand that they x have to change x so what is it x that is going to motivate an individual x to actually be the prophet and deliver x this hard message x and in the case of isaiah what we find x is god gives isaiah x training x he prepares isaiah x to be x a prophet x and when we turn to chapter 2 we see x how it was x that god provided the encouragement x so that isaiah could go and do the hard x work x of correcting x a corrupt people x and the way that god did that was he x gave isaiah this marvelous vision x of what the world would become x he gave isaiah a vision of the coming x kingdom x a kingdom that wouldn't be x rife with difficulty it wouldn't be rife x with corruption it wouldn't be filled x with x you know war and tumult and problems but x instead would be a kingdom x that would be perfect x when people would worship together as x one x it's a marvelous x concise x vision of the coming age brothers and x sisters so let's take a look at it x chapter 2 this is isaiah's introductory x vision x it's a concise picture of the coming x vision of the coming kingdom x and it expands really on the end of what x we see in chapter one so before we get x here chapter 1 verse 26 x gives us a sort of a a foretaste of what x is in store x so the beginning of the chapter is you x know you guys bring me these sacrifices x i don't care for them i want your hearts x if you do that here's the reward verse x 26 x i will restore x your judges as in the days of old x your counselors at as at the beginning x afterward you will be called the city x of the righteousness x the faithful city x zion will be redeemed x with x justice x see justice was so important to god x he didn't want the people oppressing the x poor he wanted justice and if you do x these things you will be known as the x faithful city you will be known as the x redeemed of people redeemed with justice x her penitent ones with righteousness x so these this is the foretaste of what's x to come x and in chapter i chapter 2 isaiah sees x this vision expanded he receives a x vision from god so that he can in his x mind's eye x know x the perfection of the coming kingdom x let's take a look at it verse 2. x in the last days x the mountain of the lord's temple will x be established x as chief x among the mountains x it will be raised above the hills x and all x nations will stream to it x many peoples will come and say come let x us go up to the mountain of yahweh to x the house x of the god of jacob x he x will teach us his ways x so that me so that we may walk in his x paths x you see the connection here brothers and x sisters to that verse we saw in chapter x 17 chapter 1 verse 17 where where isaiah x says you need to learn to do right x he will teach us of his ways x so that me he may walk so that we may x walk in his paths x the law will go out from zion x the word of the lord from jerusalem x he'll judge between the nations and x settle disputes x for many peoples x they will beat their swords x into plowshares x and their spears x into pruning hooks x nation will not take up sword against x nation nor will they train for war x anymore x come x o house of jacob x let us walk x in the light x of the lord x so isaiah is given this vision he sees x the beauty of what the world will become x there'll be no more war x the people will beat their swords into x plowshares x the people will worship as one x and as a result of this vision brothers x and sisters x i think what happens next is isaiah's x heart x is changed he's not fearful anymore he's x not worried about bringing this hard x message to a corrupt nation x he's eager x to serve x let's flip over to chapter 6. x isaiah is now commissioned x the 8th verse x then x i heard the voice of yahweh saying x whom shall i send x and who will go for us x and i said x here am i x send me x reminds me of welcome back cotter x right rich nose x pick me right x isaiah wants to be selected he wants to x be the one he is going and prepared to x be the one that god will send x and i think what happens next is x fascinating so we're in chapter six x isaiah you know sort of raises his hand x he says i will be the one that will go x forth x he's commissioned x and then the clock starts x and a day goes by x and isaiah is not called to do anything x and then a week goes by x nothing x then a month goes by x still no call x isaiah still hasn't been called to do x anything on behalf of yahweh x and a month turns into a year x in a year turns into a decade x and 20 10 years then x turns into 20 x and so for 20 years isaiah has been on x the sidelines waiting x to be called x now brothers and sisters x each one of us who has put on the name x of christ x has been called by god x to be a king x and to be a priest x and we wait x we wait for that day when our lord will x return x but while we wait x we must remember x to keep our hearts attuned to our god x and to our calling x and we need to be prepared always x to give an answer x 20 years later x crisis hits the nation x and it's at this point in time isaiah x chapter 7 x verse 1 x that isaiah x begins his service of prophecy x 20 years after having first been x commissioned isaiah is finally called x into action x when ahaz x son of jotham the son of uzziah the king x of judah king resin of aram and pika son x of remeliah the king of israel marched x up to fight against jerusalem x but they did x but they could not overpower x and it's at this point in time that x isaiah goes out x and begins his x mission of teaching x and preaching x um i've got a book at home it's called x um x the illustrated map book or something x like that x this is a this is a picture of it it's x really good um x and it really gives you you know x big picture x lessons big picture uh stories about you x know what's happening and at this point x in time you know israel and samaria x these nations in the north they're x conspiring together x and they want judah to join them x so that they together can form sort of a x unified alliance that will fight x against uh the nation of syria that's up x in the north there damascus x right and so x the people from a political and x pragmatic standpoint are being x encouraged by the nations around them to x form this unholy alliance x and isaiah has to go out and tell them x not to x isaiah has to say no don't form an x alliance with the nations around you x remember that yahweh is your god x and you need to stand firm x and so we'll finish up by looking at a x couple of passages from chapter seven x first is verse four x so as i say twenty years has gone by x isaiah is finally committed you know x called after his commission and in verse x seven this is his first message he says x say to him x be careful x keep calm x don't be afraid x do not lose heart x because of these two smoldering stubs of x firewood he's talking specifically about x us arum is syria and israel don't align x yourselves with these two smoldering x stubs x that's all they are don't be don't think x that they're going to provide any x protection for you against syria in the x north x stand firm x verse 9 x the head of ephraim is samaria the head x of samaria is only remaliah's son if you x do not stand firm in your faith x you will not stand at all x this is the point this is the message x that isaiah has to give ahaz the king x stand firm don't align yourselves with x these unholy nations x but what happened x king didn't listen x the king did not listen to isaiah's x prophet prophecy he trusted in his own x abilities to combat the threat and he x formed this alliance x in an effort to push back the the x syrians again the lord spoke to the x house x ask the lord your god for a sign x but as he said x as a has said i will not ask isaiah x chapter 10. x and then what happens is hezek is x sennacherib x the king of assyria comes down x not to completely destroy but to punish x them rich what's this thing on the left x it's the taylor prism right x from years ago x so the team i think found that like x nineveh or someplace and it's the x writings of sennacherib when he came x down that's right which is interesting x to steve because it's like the exact x opposite of what scripture says happened x in other words his he lost his whole x army there x but he's saying that he came down and he x he's got he's got hezekiah like a caged x bird right yeah he's he's exaggerating x for effect exactly which happened all x the time fake news x fake news that's it fake news x fantastic snack rib x so x where do you go x so so god appointed assyria to punish x judah and uh and we see sort of x confirmation of this from an extra x biblical source right so they discover x the the archaeologists you know dig up x this this prism and it's written in all x these different languages and here x sennacherib x he's x proclaiming that hezekiah the jew was x sort of shut up as a as a royal as a as x a bird in a cage right x and uh it it goes to show that the bible x record is is true and accurate and so x god's promise x was that if the remnant remained x faithful they would be rewarded that x there would always be a remnant that the x nation wouldn't be completely destroyed x chapter 10 says in that day the remnant x of israel the survivors of the house of x jacob will no longer rely on him who x struck them down x but will truly rely on yahweh there was x a reason for their suffering the reason x was that they would turn back to god x and i think that can always be a lesson x for us we might ask ourselves why is it x that we suffer why do we go through hard x times and oftentimes x it's so that we will turn to god x as the god who provides comfort x so our exhortation as we close sunday x school is to consider our ways x hosea that our x our lesson is to x remember x that god doesn't desire sacrifices alone x he desires the effect that those x sacrifices are to have that when we meet x together to break bread it's not simply x the x the ritual of passing bread it's to make x a change in us it's for us to to think x and consider the life and the death of x jesus and to remember that as we eat x this bread and drink this cup we are x showing the lord's death we are x participating in the lord's death and x that our role as brothers and sisters x our role x is to be like jesus x is to sacrifice ourselves for others x god desires mercy