INTRODUCTION
Perhaps
after last week, you may be wondering if all these prophecies relate to the
thousand year reign of Christ. And if it is so, let the thousand years come and
this good stuff will just roll right in.
There’s nothing for me to do at this point… all this is very good of
course. My intentions these weeks are not to address whether it is this
position or that position (pre millennial, post millennial, amillennial etc.)
but to point out the nature of the One that we are anticipating is coming, the
nature of the Kingdom that has already come and to provoke your self-reflection
on your own nature at this point in time as a part of that growing stump of
Jesse… are you allowing your nature to be transformed in the likeness of the
One that is anticipated? Are you living the values of the Kingdom? These do not
need to wait till the commencement of that thousand year… in fact you should
not wait and that’s where my sharing will go today.
NOTE IN INTERPRETATION
Israel was a
nation which stood on the brink of war and devastation. They lived in the
shadow of a cruel and repressive world superpower which was poised for a land
grab, Yet the people continued to lived in debauchery, all the while wondering
why they had no lasting sense of peace. 2. Isaiah cries out to Israel that the
source of peace of lasting peace is none other than the Branch of the Lord.
SERMON PROPER
1. THE NATURE OF THE COMING KING:
“Stump”:
When you see a stump by our roadside, what comes to mind? The tree is dead,
lopped off, all its majesty and beauty cut off. It's hopeless. He uses the name Jesse instead
of the famous David to let us know the humble beginnings of this King. Yet he’s
extraordinary because the Spirit of the Lord is upon Him. The Spirit of God
gives him:
-
the Spirit of wisdom7 and of understanding [discernment]
enabling him to make descisions not on what is expedient but on the
basis of their character.
-
the Spirit of counsel [advice, purpose]
and of power [strength, valour, bravery, mighty
deeds], that strength of heart and purpose which makes it possible to
carry out the wise counsel.
-
the Spirit of knowledge [perception,
discernment, understanding, wisdom] of the plans and the will of God and
of the fear [fear, terror, reverence, piety]
of the LORD, having a proper reverence for God’s commands.
Today, as redeemed people of the
Lord, the incarnate Christ shows us the way: we are both human and divine. He
has adorned us with his divine nature that we no longer live subject to the
inclination to sin BUT we are given the power to resist and to take that the
new pathways and directions and life that God wants us to have. Be filled with
the Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and power, of
knowledge and the fear of God. 1 Cor 6:2-3, “2 Or do
you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to
judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do
you not know that we will judge angels?” Have you seen yourself
growing in wisdom as you grow in Christ? David Guzik shares where the problem
might be: He says,
-
We
long for wisdom yet we fail to ask for it.
-
We
lack understanding yet don’t go to Him who possesses it.
-
We
need counsel and advice but choose not to listen.
-
We
beg to know God’s will for our lives yet fall short of asking Him who knows it
in detail.
Let’s walk
in the guidance of the Spirit of God. Like the Lord Jesus
Christ, you can grow to become discerning, not easily affected by what is
visible/apparent or influenced by rumours… but you will be given wisdom to look
deeper into things. Just as the Lord make his decisions, so unlike human
government that takes note of a person’s wealth and social standing, and
instead will be in favor of the poor of the earth; so you are to be able to do
so.
v5 says “Righteousness will be his
belt and
faithfulness the sash around his
waist” This
is the waist-cloth, the innermost piece of clothing
that you wear 24/7 unless you’re taking a bath. These 2 qualities :
Righteousness and justice are so close to Jesus [they are like belts around His
waist.] Everything He does is touched by His righteousness and justice. It is
to characterize the people of God as well, a requisite and indispensable, key
quality. 2nd nature. Everything we do is also to be touched also by
God’s righteousness and justice.
Our world longs for peace. We live in
a society where injustice, unfaithfulness and unrighteousness abound. Each of
us has been victimized by it in one form or another. Also, if we admit it, we
too are sinners and not only have we been sinned against, but we have also
sinned against others. Peace, all of us long for it, yet for some reason
stubbornly we refuse to yield to Him whom the Spirit of the Lord rests upon.
- Are you surrounded and hounded by enemies? We serve a Sovereign Judge.
- Have you been betrayed or cheated on? We serve a Sovereign Judge.
- Do you face mistreatment and prejudice? The Root of Jesse is our Sovereign Judge.
- Have you been falsely accused and harassed? The Root of Jesse is our Sovereign Judge. The Lord Jesus will take up your case.
- What will the Sovereign Judge rule?
- Will he rule against you because of your wickedness, or will he rule in your favour?
Who
do you know is now surrounded and hounded by enemies? You
are God’s instrument of justice and peace.
·
Who has been betrayed and cheated upon?
You are God’s instrument of justice and
peace.
· Who is facing mistreatment and
prejudice”? You are God’s instrument of
justice and peace. The Lord Jesus is counting on you! It is no coincidence
that in the baptism ritual, one of the first questions you are asked is this, “Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to
resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present
themselves?” Why is this ever included in the baptismal ritual? It is included because we join the ranks of those who follow the
humble King and judge who will finally bring all to righteous judgment and
accounting… we, the new people of God, ushering in the rule and blessings of
the Kingdom, by expressing this same character of taking up the cause of the
less privileged, the downtrodden.
·
Will you let the Holy Spirit prompt you
and supply you with might [strength of heart and purpose to
act] as you speak on behalf of someone who is needy and lowly in position?
·
How much more committed should you be
to practising peace? Sometimes we are caught between fearing man or fearing the Lord and this
is where Jesus shows you the way that fearing the Lord alone is the key to
being fearless… there is no one else that can make us afraid. With learning to
operate under the directions of God is what gives peace of heart and mind.
2. THE NATURE OF THE COMING
KINGDOM
We are given
a picture before hand: under the rule of God. There are those who attempt to
spiritualize all these expressions so that the beasts here are taken to
represent violent and savage men whose hearts will be changed by regeneration.
Although there are many living examples of men and women changed dramatically
because of the Gospel and the hand of the Lord on their lives. But the prophet
gives no hint of such an application of his words. He very definitely speaks of
that which God will do for the animal kingdom in the day when the curse is
lifted. Isaiah tells us that when Messiah comes that the natures of the animals
upon this earth will be transformed. The extent of this transformation would be astounding,
not only will creatures live, eat, they will play safely together. We no longer
need to watch over the nursing child is under 2-years old, or even a weaned one
who would be 2 and above when they put their hand into the hole of poisonous
snakes. Neither person nor beast will destroy other creatures, and the reason
for this is that the knowledge of the Lord will at that time cover the entire
face of the earth. The knowledge of the LORD - in a relational sense, not
merely an intellectual sense - will cover the entire earth. Mysteriously, to
know the Lord and His ways will transform every creature upon the entire earth.
All the violence, the pillage of the strong against the weak in creation will
be erased.
So please don’t
volunteer to clean the lion’s cage and decide to stay in there to test out this
part of scripture. There is still a distance between that wonderful world of
peace and the world we encounter on a daily basis. That distance can close
especially between “higher” beings like
us who can with some effort come to know the Lord. Think of the distance that
now exists between you and someone else? It can be a distance of education,
language, colour, age… God can enable you to close the distance if only that
knowledge of God is shared.
-
How
much of your knowledge of God is only intellectual? It needs to move to the
relational i.e. putting that knowledge to work in our relationships… peace can
be experienced if we but begin “counting others better than ourselves”, “laying
down our lives as a way of gaining than fighting and grabbing”, “holding our
tongues instead of nagging our husbands and children to death…” Would you trust
in the Lord and obey his words in these different encounters and relationships?
-
How
much of that knowledge has been shared to our children? Our spouse? Explain
some of your decisions especially if you’ve made them before the Lord… let your
spouse understand how you interpret scripture, let your children understand how
you came to such a decision… let them see how the word of God works for those
who love him…
-
How
much of that knowledge is shared with our opponents? Perhaps they have no idea
about Jesus at all? They’ve not found the source of peace. Can you be that
person that introduces them to this knowledge of God? In bringing them to
Christ, you are giving the ultimate peace of heart and mind that will transform
their outlook and relations with others. Would you put off that “warring” and
graciously invite this person for the next Alpha?
3. THE NATURE OF THE EXISTING
CHURCH
V10 says, “In that day the
Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to
him, and his resting place will be glorious.” A banner is a standard
or a flag, raised with the intent of rallying people around it. Here the term
‘peoples’ indicates the Gentile nations. Isaiah sees a messianic age in which
all the nations will have a knowledge of Christ and they will come from all
corners of the earth. His resting place where He lives, will be glorious! To
the people in the OT, the resting place of God is in Jerusalem, at the temple
(Psa. 132:13-14). Today, the temple no longer exists, the resting place of God
is in his church. The church is the ultimate place of peace where people who
previously were at odds now find themselves assembling together under the rule
of God.
Is the
church a place for the assembling of peoples from all possible walks of life
and stations? How can we work in tandem with God’s spirit and work towards that
welcoming of the least in our society? How can this place where God is become a
glorious place, a rallying point for those who have never known peace in any
real sense of the word?
CONCLUSION
The
beautiful vision won’t take full shape until Jesus comes again in all his
glory. There’s just not enough righteousness and faithfulness available in this
world, and not enough people who are committed to practicing peace instead of
violence. But in the meantime, in this Advent season of preparation and in the
days beyond, will you pause take time to see how much grafting we still need to
do with our lives? Will you make some important changes so that you are indeed
grafted firmly to Jesus Christ, the shoot that has emerged from the stump of
Jesse. Take this opportunity to pray for his peace to fill us and transform us,
for his house to become that 1st stop where people find peace rather
than the last place for peace.
Edwin Seow
In my many years of experience on project development and
management, I found every project has 5 stages:
1. Anxiety
2. Disillusion
3. Search for the guilty
4. Punishment of the innocent
5. Fame and glory for the non-participants
1. Anxiety
2. Disillusion
3. Search for the guilty
4. Punishment of the innocent
5. Fame and glory for the non-participants
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